My Little Pony: Friendship is Numerous

Chapters

RANK 2: Playing a Different Tune:
RANK 3: Picture Imperfect:
RANK 4: Fashion Disaster:
RANK 5: The Apartment Altercation:
RANK 6: Courage Clear as Day:
RANK 7: Crime and Punishment:
RANK 8: What's Up, Dueling Doc?:
RANK 9: The Mysterious World:
RANK 10: The Return of Twilight Sparkle:
RANK 11: A Royal Beatdown:
RANK 12: Duel History 101:
RANK 14: Eve of the Engine of Destruction:
RANK 15: Green Eyes on the Prize:
RANK 16: The Doctor is (Back) In:
RANK 16.5: Numbers Recap:
RANK 17: Sitting in a Tree, D-U-E-L-I-N-G:
RANK 18: Little Duel of Horrors:
RANK 19: My Roommate Uses Vampires:
RANK 20: Everypony Loves Kung-Fu Fighting:
RANK 21: The Number Mystery, Part 1:
RANK 22: The Number Mystery, Part 2:
RANK 23: School Spirits:
RANK 25: Head Games, Part 1:
RANK 26: Head Games, Part 2:
RANK 27: Spanning the Generation Gap:
RANK 28: A Crystal Tree Grows in Manehattan:
RANK 29: Fun Center Feud:
RANK 30: Burning Desires:
RANK 31: An Ember of Passion:
RANK 32: Bloom's Divine Card Game:
RANK 33: Cherry, Cherry, Quite Contrary:
RANK 34: Parks and Rescue Missions:
RANK 35: Wrong Way Railway:
RANK 36: Raiders of the Lost Deck, Part 1:
RANK 37: Raiders of the Lost Deck, Part 2:
RANK 38: The Harmony Numbers:
RANK 39: The Tournament Begins:
RANK 40: The Pride of the Pros:
RANK 42: Everypony Duel the Dinosaur:
RANK 43: Switching Destiny:
RANK 44: Birdie and the Beast:
RANK 45: Atlantean Assault:
RANK 46: Invasion of the Duel Monster Snatchers:
RANK 47: A Little Song and Dance:
RANK 48: Crystal-Clear Crafting:
RANK 49: The Quarterfinals Begin!:
RANK 50: Revving it Back to the Past:
RANK 51: Fluttershy vs. Gilda: The Long-Awaited Battle:
RANK 52: An Abducted Victory:
RANK 53: Concerto-Crystal Clash:
RANK 54: Power of the Prodigies:
RANK 56: The Sirens' Swan Song, Part 2:
RANK 57: The Tournament Finals: Ember Vs. Sweetie, Part 1:
RANK 58: The Tournament Finals: Ember Vs. Sweetie, Part 2:
RANK 59: The Final Face-Off: Ember vs. Sunset, Part 1:
RANK 60: The Final Face-Off: Ember vs. Sunset, Part 2:
RANK 60.5: Another Numbers Recap:
RANK 61: Bedlah Bedlam, Part 1:
RANK 62: Bedlah Bedlam, Part 2:
RANK 63: Merrily We Duel Along:
RANK 1: Friendship is Numerous:
RANK 13: Cooking Up Trouble:
RANK 24: The Spy Who Dueled Me:
RANK 41: The First Round Rumble:
RANK 55: The Sirens' Swan Song, Part 1:

RANK 2: Playing a Different Tune:

Author's Note

Our first full Duel in the series! A couple of things to note: At some points I may pause the action to explain a card's effects or ruling in greater detail. This will happen for one or more of these reasons: If the card/ruling is important to the plot, if it's a card I made up, or if the card's effects were altered from the real-life version. In the third case, this applies to all of the Numbers; they have their defensive effect from the anime/manga, and may have other different effects as well. This was done merely to make the opponents seem much stronger than they would have been and to make the story more interesting, so try and enjoy it for what it is.

RANK 2: Playing a Different Tune:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

In Canterlot High School, every student is wild over the world's most popular trading card game: Duel Monsters! Every day, players of the card game, known as "Duelists", go head-to-head to see who among them is the best around. Among the Duelists in attendance at CHS, one of the best is a young teenager named Sunset Shimmer, a girl from another world...

Though Sunset has had a rough past, she has finally been able to put most of it behind her and begin working towards a much brighter future. To commemorate her new outlook on life, the young girl purchased a mysterious, key-shaped necklace to serve as a symbol of her "rebirth". However, the very next night, Sunset had a bizarre dream in which she saw a large, diabolical-looking door that beckoned her to open it. When she did, she released a powerful force from the other side. Upon waking up, Sunset discovered a strange blank card that immediately took on a new form upon her touching it. At first, it doesn't seem like too much to worry about...

But when another student named Octavia Melody finds a similar card at school the next day, her personality suddenly changes, and not for the better. Before long, she's seen attacking her best friend Vinyl Scratch, seemingly for no reason! Sunset manages to stop the attack and refuses to allow any harm to come to the up-and-coming DJ. Then, all of a sudden, Octavia challenges Sunset to a Duel, stating that she'll stop trying to attack Vinyl if Sunset manages to win.

Sunset Shimmer has agreed to take her on, but is suspicious about Octavia's current state; she believes that something is wrong, but can anything prepare her for what she'll face next...?

It was the end of the school day at Canterlot High School, but there was still quite a bit of activity going on within its walls. In the school's Band Room, Sunset Shimmer and Octavia Melody were about to compete against one another in a game of Duel Monsters. However, earlier on, the sepia-skinned girl was discovered attacking her best friend, Vinyl Scratch, and nobody knew why. Even stranger was when she suddenly challenged Sunset to a Duel. No one knew exactly what the deal was; not even Sunset's best friends Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, or Pinkie Pie could figure out what was going on.

All of the people in the room pulled out and activated their Duel Gazers (in Vinyl's case, she had hers built into her shades), which were special lenses that allowed someone to see things within the Augmented Reality. It was necessary in order for people to watch a Duel that was in progress. After switching on their eyepieces, Rainbow Dash then asked, "I don't get it; why is Sunset dueling Octavia? We could just report her to the Principal right now!"

"Maybe Sunset knows somethin' 'bout all this that we don't." Applejack assumed. "It's hard to tell, but she seems to have a kind of 'sixth sense' about stuff like this..."

"You mean like when she knew that those Dazzling girls were up to no good?" asked Fluttershy.

"Mhmm." the orange girl hummed, nodding her head yes. "And to be honest, Ah've got a sneakin' suspicion that somethin' smells rotten in the Alamo..."

"How can you tell?" asked Pinkie Pie. "The Alamo's nowhere near where we live, which is-" She then quickly covered her mouth and whipsered to herself, "Oops... can't say that; it hasn't been canonically established yet...!"

Sunset and Octavia then drew their opening hands, ready to start brawling. "Let's DUEL!!" they shouted in unison (Octavia Melody: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000).

Vinyl watched the two combatants as their Duel began. She still wasn't sure what was going on, but hoped that, when it was all over, that her friend would be back to her old self. The blue-haired girl also began to suspect that something else was going on that was causing Octavia to lash out.

"If you don't mind," Octavia started, "I'll make the first move."

"You sure about that?" asked Sunset. "You DO know that the player who goes first can't draw a card on their first turn, right?"

"Believe me, I won't need that much of a head start..." the sepia girl told her. Taking a card from her hand, she then declared, "I'll begin by playing the Spell Card, 1st Movement Solo!" After she played it, a large, digital replica of the card materialized in front of her.

(She's starting things off with a Spell Card, I see...) thought Sunset.

"Spell Cards often have one-time-use effects on the field, but many of them are very powerful." noted Rarity. "The fact that Octavia's playing one even before she plays a monster must mean she's setting up something later on..."

"Now..." began Octavia, "since I currently do not control any monsters at the moment, 1st Movement Solo allows me to Special Summon any monster from my hand or my Deck that's Level 4 or lower and has 'Melodious' in its name. And I choose to play Serenade the Melodious Diva from my Deck!" Upon saying that, her Duel Pad's auto-shuffling function mixed up her cards; when it was done, one card was left sticking out from the top. Octavia pulled it out and placed it onto the card tray face-up and horizontally.

After the digital card appeared on the field, a young maiden with pink skin and hair rose up from out of it. She wore a dress that was colored yellow and orange on top, and red on the long skirt below, along with yellow frills at the very bottom of it. The red part was decorated with musical notes, and on her back was a pink, wing-shaped object (Serenade the Melodious Diva: Level 4 / ATK 400 / DEF 1900).

"Since I cannot attack on my first turn anyway, I placed my monster in Defense Mode to protect myself." Octavia informed her opponent. Taking out two cards with pink-colored frames from her hand, she added, "I'll set two cards from my hand facedown on the field, ending my turn."

"Sunset had better be careful..." said Applejack. "There's no telling what Octavia has hidden on her field right now..."

"Aw, what's she got to be worried about?" asked Rainbow Dash rhetorically. "She'll win this no matter what Octy's got waiting for her!"

Sunset was happy to hear that, but she was still being cautious in her mind. She knew that something was still amiss, but decided to worry about it later. Right now, she had a Duel to win. "It's my turn!" she said. "I draw!" After putting the card she drew into her hand, she took out a different card and said, "I activate Foolish Burial from my hand!"

"So you're playing a Spell Card first as well, I see..." Octavia commented.

The red and yellow girl took out a card from her Deck and stated, "I'll use my Spell Card to send Chronomaly Crystal Skull straight to the Graveyard." After doing that, she then declared, "Next, since you have a monster on the field while I don't, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Crystal Bones from my hand in Attack Mode!"

Sunset Shimmer then placed her chosen monster onto the D-Pad's card tray vertically. The shiny, headless skeleton creature then appeared in front of her, shimmering in the light (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400).

"Now I activate Chronomaly Crystal Bones's effect!" Sunset then said. "When it's Special Summoned with its effect, I can Special Summon any other Chronomaly monster from my hand or my Graveyard! So I'll bring back my Chronomaly Crystal Skull from the Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

A dark purple portal then appeared beside Sunset's first monster, and out of it emerged a shiny human skull, which chattered its teeth upon its arrival (Chronomaly Crystal Skull: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 600).

"I see... so that is why you sent your Skull to the Graveyard earlier." hummed Octavia.

"Aw cool! She's gonna bring out her secret weapon again!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

"Go for it, Sunnie!! It's all you out there!!" Pinkie screamed ecstatically.

The red and yellow girl smiled and nodded. She then faced Octavia once more and shouted, "I overlay my Level 3 Crystal Skull and Crystal Bones to create an Overlay Network!" Once more, the red summoning portal appeared in front of her, sucking in her two monsters, turning them into a pair of yellow lights. Afterwards, a figure surrounded by two balls of light then leapt out of the portal, landing in front of its user. "I Xyz Summon Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut!" Sunset Shimmer said, finishing her summoning chant as her powerful monster folded its arms and glared at the opposing player (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: Rank 3 / ATK 2100 / DEF 1000 / OLU 2).

"I see... so you're an Xyz Monster user, are you?" asked Octavia.

The red and yellow teen smirked and told the sepia-skinned girl, "Now, if I remember correctly, I haven't yet Normal Summoned or Set a monster... So I'll summon Chronomaly Golden Jet in Attack Mode!"

Sunset's new monster was, as its name suggested, a golden jet plane that smashed its way through the roof (though not for real, of course) and stopped in front of its controller (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400).

"Now, Crystal Chrononaut! Attack her Melodious Diva!" Sunset ordered. Her Xyz Monster sped forward and delivered a swift punch to the gut of Octavia's monster, destroying her and sending it to the sepia teen's Graveyard. Octavia simply huffed, seemingly not worried at all.

"Now Octavia's defenseless!" noted Applejack.

"That means that Sunset can now attack her directly...!" said Fluttershy.

"Yep." the orange girl replied. "Once a Duelist gets rid of all the monsters on their opponent's field, they can have their monsters attack the opponent instead, which'll do some serious damage to their Life Points!"

"And since Sunset has an additional monster on the field, she can do that right now!" Rarity added.

The red and yellow girl then shouted, "Alright! Go, Golden Jet! Attack her Life Points directly!" The bizarre jet plane then hovered into the air, charging up a pair of laser beams from the front of it.

But Octavia told her foe, "If you actually think that I'm going to allow you to strike me that easily, you had better think again!" Tapping her Duel Pad's touchscreen, she then declared, "I activate a Trap Card: Pinpoint Guard!!"

Sunset gasped as one of her opponent's facedown cards revealed itself. It then caused a large, stone fist to rise out of the ground in front of Octavia, blocking the laser beam shots from Golden Jet. (Darn... she blocked my attack!) the red and yellow girl thought.

"This card activates when a monster of yours declares an attack on me." Octavia explained. "It then allows me to revive one Level 4 or below monster from my Graveyard." Taking a card from out of her device's Graveyard slot, she then stated, "Of course, since Serenade the Melodious Diva is the only monster in my Graveyard, I shall Summon her back to the field." She then placed the card back onto her card tray, putting her in Defense Position.

"Crud... I should've known it wasn't gonna be that easy." Rainbow Dash commented, groaning a little.

"Some of the trickiest cards in the game to overcome are Trap Cards." Rarity explained. "Since they can be activated at any time after the turn they are set, they can take a Duelist completely by surprise. Sunset had better be careful, especially since Octavia still has one more facedown card on her field..."

Sunset grimaced a little. (Darn...) she thought. (Her monster's defense points are too high... And even if I could attack it, the other effect of her Trap Card will keep it from being destroyed in battle anyway...) Deciding not to attack with her other monster, the red and yellow girl took out two cards from her hand and said, "I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"I thought as much." Octavia replied. "Now it's my turn... I draw!" Looking at the card she drew, which showed a picture of a cheerleader girl wearing a blue outfit, she thought, (This will be useful later...) The sepia-skinned girl then placed her drawn card into her hand before declaring, "I now release Serenade the Melodious Diva!" After making that announcment, a swirling cloud engulfed her only monster and caused it vanish.

"Wait, did she just get rid of her own monster?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What gives?"

"Octavia didn't just get rid of her monster, she released it." Applejack explained. "The only reason she did that was so that she could Summon a much stronger monster in its place."

"It's called a Tribute Summon." Rarity added. "Because the terms 'tributing' and 'releasing' mean the same thing."

"Oh yeah, that's right..." said Dash, remembering that rule. "I forgot that because I hardly ever do it when I play."

Continuing her explanantion, the young fashionista told them, "Anyway... depending on how many monsters a Duelist releases, they can Summon more powerful monsters. Since Octavia released one monster, she can Summon either a Level 5 or a Level 6 monster to replace it."

The sepia girl chuckled a bit and told the group, "Well, you're ALMOST right... However, there is one thing you should know: Serenade's special effect allows me to treat it as two monsters if it's released for the Tribute Summoning of a Fairy-Type monster."

"TWO monsters?" asked Sunset.

"Exactly, and I believe you know what that means, Ms. Shimmer..." Octavia said. "It means that I can now Summon a Level 7 or higher monster to the field. So please give a rousing applause for my Mozarta the Melodious Maestra in Attack Mode!!"

After playing her new monster, the creature then rose up from the giant digitalized copy of the card. The monster had ice-blue skin, light violet hair, and wore a large, red dress with pink frills. She had a pair of butterfly-like wings on her back and held a conductor's baton in her right hand (Mozarta the Melodious Maestra: Level 8 / ATK 2600 / DEF 2000).

"Alright, I'll admit... I sure as hay didn't see that one coming..." Sunset remarked.

"How's Sunset going to defeat a monster that strong...?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well... knowing how these usually go," began Pinkie, "Sunnie's probably already got the card that she needs to beat it. And then after that, we'll more than likely never see it again." The others just gave her a look in response.

Not paying attention to what the silly pink girl was saying, Octavia then shouted, "Go, Mozarta! Attack Chronomaly Golden Jet!!" Her target was that card because it had lower attack points, and thus, it would do more damage to Sunset.

"Heh heh... I knew you'd try that, Octy." the red and yellow girl told her opponent.

"What?" the sepia girl said with a gasp.

Sunset Shimmer tapped her touchscreen and said, "I activate a Trap Card! Shift!!"

*******************************

Shift
(Normal Trap Card)

When your opponent targets exactly 1 monster you control (and no other cards) for an attack, or with a Spell/Trap effect: Target another monster you control that would be an appropriate target; that attack/Spell/Trap now targets the new target.

*******************************

"I'll use my Trap Card to force your monster to attack a different monster on my field!" the red and yellow girl declared. "So I'll redirect your attack to Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut!"

"Urrrgh... Fine! Have it your way!" shouted Octavia. "Then I'll take him out of the fight instead!" And with that, the cello-player's elegant monster began singing a particularly loud song that was immediately directed towards Sunset's Xyz Monster.

"I'm afraid that's not gonna work, Octy." the red and yellow girl informed her. Taking out a card from underneath her Xyz Monster card on her Duel Pad, she declared, "I activate the effect of Crystal Chrononaut, which I'll trigger by removing one of its Overlay Units!" She then placed the card that she took off of her device into the Graveyard. On the field, her Xyz Monster drew in one of its swirling lights, absorbing it into the mirror on its chest (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).

"Alright! She's gonna use her Xyz Monster's effect!" cheered Pinkie. "When an Xyz Monster uses up one of its Overlay Units, that allows it to use its special power!"

"Special power...?" Octavia began to ask.

"That's right." stated Sunset. "Now thanks to its effect, Crystal Chrononaut can't be destroyed by battle or by card effects for the rest of this turn!"

"So that's why you used your Trap Card to make me attack it, am I right?" asked the sepia girl.

"That's not ALL that I did..." the black jacket-clad teen added. "It also makes it so that you take all the battle damage from this battle instead of me!"

"What?!?"

Everyone watched as Octavia's monster's attack struck Sunset's Xyz Monster. However, thanks to its special ability, Crystal Chrononaut blocked the attack and absorbed it into its mirror. Then, a second later, it fired a focused beam of light from its chest, which struck the sepia-skinned girl dead-on.

"AAAACK!!!" screeched Octavia upon taking the hit (Octavia Melody: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500).

"Yeah! Take that!!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Very nice move on Sunset's part, using that Trap Card in combination with her Xyz Monster's ability." Rarity complimented. "It's a good start, but this Duel is still a long ways away from being finished."

Octavia grumbled, annoyed that she had been tricked into damaging herself. "I... end my turn..." she said in a soft, but angry tone.

"Very well then." said Sunset. "My turn... I draw!" After taking her card from her Deck, she then immediately played it, announcing, "I activate the Spell Card, Chronomaly Technology! First, I take one Chronomaly monster from my Graveyard and banish it from the game completely. Then, I get to see the top two cards of my Deck. One will be placed in my hand, and the other goes to the Graveyard."

Sunset then took her Chronomaly Crystal Skull card out of her Graveyard and placed it back into her deck box (which was now mounted to a belt that she was wearing). After that, she then took two cards from the top of her deck and looked at them. She then made her choice, placing one of the cards into her hand and sending the other one, Chronomaly Tula Guardian, to her Graveyard.

"So what did you choose...?" asked Octavia.

"You're about to see it right now, Octy." the red and yellow girl answered. "I'll switch Golden Jet to Defense Mode and play the Continuous Spell Card, Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet!" Once the card appeared on her side of the field, Sunset then added, "Thanks to the power of this card, all of my Chronomaly monsters get an extra 800 attack points!" (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: ATK 2100 + 800 = 2900) (Chronomaly Golden Jet: ATK 1300 + 800 = 2100)

"Cool! Now Sunset's crystal guy has the most attack points now!" Rainbow noted.

"And since that Spell Card that she played is a Continuous one," added Applejack, "that means its effect stays as long as it's on the field."

With the stage all set, Sunset did not hesitate to make her move. "Crystal Chrononaut! Attack Mozarta!" Now that the Spell Card was strengthening it, the armored creature was easily able to defeat Octavia's high-level monster, and even do a bit of damage in the process (Octavia Melody: LP 3,500 - 300 = 3,200). "And with that, I'll end my turn." the red and yellow girl finished.

Octavia was now getting frustrated by how easily Sunset was dueling circles around her. (This can't be... I cannot lose to someone like her!!) she thought to herself.

"Heh, what's wrong, Tavi?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Gettin' nervous? After all, Sunset's one of the best Duelists in the school! Did you really think you'd be able to surpass her that easily?"

The sepia girl grumbled... and then began holding her head and groaning in agony. "Urrrgghh... this pain again..." she said to herself. "Why is my head hurting so much...?"

"Do it..." said the sinister voice in her head. "Call forth the Number..."

"The... Number..." muttered Octavia. Looking back towards her opponent, she then said, "My turn... I draw..." After slowly taking her card, she then delcared, "I now Summon Aria the Melodious Diva in Attack Mode!" Her new monster was a pink-skinned girl with violet hair, wearing a skintight, burgandy bodysuit, an orange skirt, and boots similar in color to her aforementioned bodysuit (Aria the Melodious Diva: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200).

"And since I now control a Melodious monster," the classical music-loving teen continued, "I can also Special Summon Canon the Melodious Diva in Attack Mode to join it!" Her second monster had violet skin and blue hair that was shaped simlarly to a flame. She wore a dress that colored dark purple, dark blue, light pink, and black, and had on a pair of golden glasses (Canon the Melodious Diva: Level 4 / ATK 1400 / DEF 2000).

"But those monsters aren't strong enough to beat any of Sunset's cards..." Pinkie Pie observed. "What's she trying to do?"

"Wait... those monsters she Summoned... Don't they have the same Level...?" asked Fluttershy.

"You're right, darling!" exclaimed Rarity. "They're both Level 4!"

"So wait... Does that mean that Octavia's gonna Xyz Summon, too?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Ah think she is..." answered Applejack, getting a bit worried, as did Sunset.

Vinyl, who had stayed silent since the Duel began, said to herself, "I know Tavi's Deck just as well as she does... The only Xyz Monster she has in there is Fairy Cheer Girl, and she ain't strong enough to fight any of Sunset's monsters... What's she planning?" The girl then gulped a bit and asked, "And why do I have a bad feeling about what she might be planning...?"

Octavia chuckled evily and turned towards Sunset's friends with an nasty, crazed grin on her face, saying to one of them, "Ms. Dash... you said earlier that I had no hope of surpassing your friend's power... But that's ancient history... I now have a new power; one that is unsurmountable by anything!" Turning back towards Sunset Shimmer, she told her, "What I am about to bring out is a creature the likes of which you have never seen before!"

The red and yellow girl said nothing, bracing herself for anything that the sepia-skinned girl could have planned.

"I now overlay my Level 4 Aria and Canon!" Octavia announced as her two monsters transformed into a pair of yellow lights. After that, a summoning portal appeared in front of her. However, instead of it being a red portal like Sunset had used for her Xyz Monster, it had a galaxy-like appearence.

"That portal... That's not the usual kind of portal used for an Xyz Summon..." noted Sunset Shimmer.

"With these two monsters, I can build the Overlay Network!" Octavia declared. "Prepare to face a monster that you shall never defeat! I Xyz Summon... Number 80: Rhapsody in Beserk!!"

The portal then let out a huge explosion of light; when it faded, a large symbol appeared on the ground... a symbol that Sunset immediately recgonized. "That symbol...!" she said to herself. "It looks just like the mark that was on Octy's neck!"

From high above, a large object that had two small purple spheres circling it began descending to the floor below. It then began to unfold itself into a more humanoid form, taking on the appearence of a large, armored human with huge fists, a long, purple cape, and piercing red eyes. In addition, the 80 mark that had appeared on the ground earlier was now imprinted upon the neck area of the armored monster, signalling the completion of its Summoning.

*******************************

Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fiend-Type/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 0/DEF 1200)

2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. You can target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; equip this monster you control to that target. It gains 1200 ATK, it cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster, also it is treated as a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target. You can use this effect of "Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk" up to twice per turn.

*******************************

Sunset's jaw dropped when she saw the monster that Octavia had unleashed onto the field. "What is this thing...?" she asked herself, not exactly sure about what she had just witnessed.

"What on Earth is THAT monster...?" asked Applejack.

"I don't know..." said Pinkie Pie. "I'm not sure if it even CAME from Earth..."

Octavia smirked wickedly as the mark on her neck appeared again, this time, staying there for good. "This card's power shall present itself much later on..." she told Sunset. "For now, I will place Rhapsody in Defense Mode and end my turn..."

Sunset Shimmer was a bit confused. (What's her deal...?) she asked in her mind. (She claims that monster she Summoned couldn't be defeated, but it doesn't even have any attack points! And its defense points aren't all that high either... What in Equestria is she planning...?)

"It's my turn; I draw!" the red and yellow girl said, drawing her next card. Looking at it, she thought, (It might be a good idea to prepare a Plan B, just in case... And this card might be able to help me do that.) Placing the card into her Duel Pad's Spell & Trap slot, she announced, "I'll set one card facedown, and switch Chronomaly Golden Jet to Attack Mode!" Pointing straight at Octavia's Xyz Monster, she shouted, "Golden Jet! Attack Rhapsody in Beserk!!" And with that order, the jet plane monster fired a pair of laser beams at the creepy creature, causing a large explosion.

"Bullseye!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "So much for that ugly thing!"

But Octavia smirked once more. "I wouldn't be celebrating if I were you..." she told them. "Just look!"

The others gasped when they saw that the sepia-skinned girl's Xyz Monster was still on field, despite it being weaker than Sunset's Golden Jet. "I-i-it's... still there?!" asked Rarity, shocked.

"Okay... I don't play the game very often," stated Rainbow, "but even I know that ain't right!"

"She must be cheatin'!" protested Applejack. "That monster's defense points were a whole lot lower than Golden Jet's attack points! So why wasn't it destroyed?!"

Octavia chuckled as the mark on her neck began glowing brighter. "I told you my new monster couldn't be defeated..." she said to them all. "Rhapsody in Beserk is a special type of monster known as a 'Number' monster."

"A Number...?" asked Sunset. She then thought, (Why does that sound familiar...?)

"Exactly, Ms. Shimmer." the cello player replied. "And I'm sorry to tell you... but a Number can only be defeated by ANOTHER Number."

"WHAT?!" asked the rest of the people in shock.

"That's not fair!!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "What gives you the right to use some super-card that can't be beaten by anything else?!"

"Sorry, Ms. Dash, but the Complaint Department is closed for the day." Octavia responded with a chuckle. "Thanks to this new card of mine, not even Sunset will be able to defeat me!"

(That's... nuts!) thought a surprised Sunset Shimmer. (So in order to beat that Number card, I have to use ANOTHER one?! How am I gonna do that??) The red and yellow girl sighed and said, "I'll end my turn."

"Of course you are." Octavia responded, drawing a new card. She then declared, "I now activate the effect of Rhapsody in Beserk! By removing one of his Overlay Units, I can banish one card from your Graveyard! And I choose to banish Chronomaly Tula Guardian, the only monster in your Graveyard at the moment!"

Octavia's monster then absorbed one of its floating spheres and opened up a dark purple portal in front of Sunset Shimmer (Number 80: Rhapsody in Beserk: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). It then reached into the portal, pulled out a blue stone statue that was human-like in its shape, and used its power to turn it into a black vapor. The red and yellow girl just stood there, unable to respond.

"Now I summon another Aria the Melodious Diva to the field!" Octavia then told her adversary, bringing out another pink girl in a burgandy bodysuit. "And then I'll activate my facedown card: Call of the Haunted! This card revives any monster from my Graveyard and puts it back onto the field!"

"Are you gonna use it to bring back that Melodious Maestra card, then?" Sunset assumed.

"Actually, I am not." the sepia-skinned teen answered. "I have a much better idea..." She then announced, "I revive Serenade the Melodious Diva from my Graveyard, then I overlay her and Aria to create an Overlay Network!!"

The group gasped as Octavia opened another summoning portal and used it to draw in her two new monsters. Unlike the last one that she had opened, this portal was the normal red color as opposed to the galaxy-like one she had used to summon her other Xyz Monster.

"I now Xyz Summon... Fairy Cheer Girl!" Octavia shouted as a young girl with blue fairy wings and a green dress came out of the portal with a pair of yellow lights swirling around her. She had short blue hair and carried a pair of yellow pom-poms in her hands. She gave out a slight giggle after floating back down to the ground (Fairy Cheer Girl: Rank 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Awwwwww! What a cute little fairy!" said Pinkie Pie, eyes sparkling.

"Pinkie! That's the enemy!" Rainbow Dash reminded her.

"Oh, right!" the pink girl replied. She then cleared her throat and instead said, "Awwwwww! What a cute little enemy!" This elicted a groan out of the rest of the spectators.

Sunset thought to herself, (She just Xyz Summoned another monster... At least this one isn't one of those Number things...)

"Next, I will use Fairy Cheer Girl's ability:" stated the cello player. "Once per turn, I can remove one of her Overlay Units in order to draw another card!" Octavia's new monster then drew in one of her lights and absorbed into one of her pom-poms (Fairy Cheer Girl: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). She then shook her pom-poms excitedly, releasing a power that flew into Octavia's Deck, prompting her to draw another card. After doing so, she then told Sunset, "Now, I activate the other ability of Rhapsody in Beserk!"

"It has ANOTHER effect?!" asked the red and yellow girl.

"Indeed it does..." answered Octavia. "It allows me to target any other Xyz Monster I control and lets me equip said target with it! Just watch!!"

The group looked on as the sepia-skinned girl's Number monster stood up and glared at Fairy Cheer Girl. The cutesy cheerleader looked over at the scary creature, shivering. Just then, the Number turned into a thick, black cloud and phased right into Fairy Cheer Girl's body, causing the monster to scream in pain and terror. "AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Vinyl, watching this all go on, thought to herself, (Tavi... she's... she's hurting her... Can't she see that...?) She seemed a bit sad as she continued her personal thoughts. (I gave her that fairy card a long time ago as a friendly gesture, and this is how she's gonna treat it...? What's happened to her...?)

In time, the dark cloud that was Octavia's Number monster had fully phased into Fairy Cheer Girl's body. The little fairy put on a smile, but it wasn't a pleasent-looking one. She now had a very wicked-looking expression on her face, and she also had the 80 mark on her neck like Octavia did.

Horrified, Sunset asked her opponent in a slightly disappointed tone, "Octavia... what did you do to her??"

"It's quite simple, actually..." the sepia girl replied. "Rhapsody has the power to possess any Xyz Monster I choose. When it does, it increases that monster's attack power by 1,200 points (Fairy Cheer Girl: ATK 1900 + 1200 = 3100). And in addition, Fairy Cheer Girl is now treated as a Number monster; which means now she can't defeated by anything but another Number!"

"That's not good..." noted Applejack, getting worried. "Now that Fairy Cheer Girl has higher attack power than either of Sunset's monsters."

"And worst of all," Pinkie Pie added, "she got a LOT less cute." She then looked over at the evily grinning fairy and shuddered a little.

"I'm not done just yet, though..." Octavia stated. "Just in case you were planning to counterattack somehow, I'll make sure that there's no chance of that happening. So I'll play the Spell Card, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"No!" shouted Sunset. "That card can destroy any Spell or Trap Card on the field!"

"That is correct." said the cello player. "And I'm pretty sure you know which of your cards I plan to eliminate... But for those who don't know, I'll tell you: I choose to destroy Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet!" And with that, she played her card and whipped up a quick, but fierce storm that shattered Sunset's Spell Card. "And now that it's out of the way," the sepia-skinned girl continued, "your monsters no longer get an increase to their attack points, making them quite vulnerable!" (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: ATK 2900 - 800 = 2100) (Chronomaly Golden Jet: ATK 2100 - 800 = 1300)

"Uh oh... this isn't gonna be pretty..." noted the red and yellow girl, knowing that she was in trouble now.

"Now! Fairy Cheer Girl! Attack Chronomaly Golden Jet!!" shouted Octavia. The possessed cheerleader monster then smiled wickedly and delivered a powerful kick to Sunset's lower-attack monster and dealing a massive blow to the otherworldy girl's Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 1,800 = 2,200). The force of the blow caused her to step back a bit to try and recover. "Had enough, Ms. Shimmer?" asked the sepia teen. "Would you prefer to surrender to me now and spare yourself of any further pain?"

"Urrrgh, don't bet on it, Octy..." she told her opponent as she tapped her Duel Pad's touchscreen. "I activate the Trap Card Stonehenge Methods!" After revealing her facedown card, she then explained, "After one of my Chronomaly monsters is destroyed, this card lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Chronomaly monster from my Deck in Defense Mode! So I'll play Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem!" After that, a red human-shaped statue then appeared out of the ground in front of Sunset Shimmer and took a defensive pose (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"Hmph... irritating little gnat..." snarled Octavia. "Have it your way, then... I end my turn!"

"My turn, I draw!" Sunset drew her next card, but wasn't too pleased at what she got. "This won't help me right now... But I might as well play it anyway." Placing the card into the Spell & Trap slot, she told her opponent, "I activate Temple of the Sun!"

*******************************

Temple of the Sun:
(Continuous Spell Card)

Face-up monsters you control that were Special Summoned from the Graveyard gain 300 ATK.

*******************************

Octavia huffed. "That was pointless... Do you plan on wasting my time and yours playing cards that won't aid you in any way?" she asked. "You're not going to win anyway, so why continue embarrasing yourself?"

"Just make your move!" Sunset grumbled, not really keen on being insulted by her.

"It would be my pleasure... I draw!" Octavia then placed the card into her hand and said, "I activate the effect of Fairy Cheer Girl once more and draw another card from my Deck!" After disposing of her Xyz Monster's remaining Overlay Unit (Fairy Cheer Girl: OLU 1 - 1 = 0), the cello player drew another card from her Deck. She then glanced at Sunset's Xyz Monster and noted, "You've left your Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut in Attack Mode, because its effect would protect it from being destroyed if I were to attack it..." Octavia then smirked and added, "But that requires you to remove its other Overlay Unit."

"Where are you going with this...?" asked the red and yellow girl, not really keen on hearing the answer.

"I'll show you." replied Octavia. "I play Space Cyclone from my hand! This allows me to forcibly remove an Overlay Unit from any Xyz Monster on the field. And I choose yours!"

Sunset gasped when Octavia's Spell Card extinguished her Xyz Monster's last Overlay Unit, sucking up the circling sphere into a minature black hole (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). Now she couldn't use its ability to protect it anymore, making it a sitting duck.

"And next, I'll Summon Freya, Spirit of Victory in Attack Mode!" the cello player shouted, summoning a young girl with ice-blue hair in a blue outfit, holding two red pom-poms (Freya, Spirit of Victory: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 100). "Because of her effect," Octavia added, "All of my Fairy-Type monsters gain an additional 400 attack and defense points! Now my monsters are more powerful than ever (Freya, Spirit of Victory: ATK 100 + 400 = 500) (Fairy Cheer Girl: ATK 3100 + 400 = 3500)!! Also, as long as I have another Fairy on my field, you can't attack her with any monster, so don't even try!"

"Just great..." said Sunset, grimacing.

"Aw, c'mon!! Like that prissy cheerleader needs any MORE attack points?!" complained Rainbow Dash.

"Oh dear... this is looking worse and worse by the second..." Rarity noted with despair in her voice.

Octavia then pointed ahead and shouted, "Go! Fairy Cheer Girl!! Attack Crystal Chrononaut!!" The fairy cheerleader cackled a little as she performed another powerful jump kick, this time, to Sunset's Xyz Monster, shattering it and sending it to the Graveyard.

"Ack!!" grunted the red and yellow girl as she took another blow to her Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,200 - 1,400 = 800). She fell onto her back from the impact, groaning.

"You may as well stay down, Ms. Shimmer... In but a few turns, this Duel will end with my victory." stated Octavia, "Perhaps now you'll learn to keep your nose out of other people's business!"

"C'mon, Sunnie!" shouted Pinkie Pie. "Get up! You can still win! I don't know how you can, but you can still win!"

Sunset got back up onto her feet; she didn't want to give up, but she didn't know what to do. (How am I gonna beat Octavia now...? None of my monsters are as strong as her Fairy Cheer Girl. Even then, she can only be destroyed by a Number monster, and I don't have any!)

Just then, the red and yellow girl let out a gasp; a sudden realization came to her. (Hold on... that's not true! I almost forgot...! I DO have one of those cards! It was that one I found last night!) She then took the card out of her deck box and looked at it just to make sure. Sunset read everything on the card: The name, the effects, its attack and defense; everything.

(This is it... this card could win the whole Duel for me...) Sunset thought. However, she had some second thoughts about it as she glanced back over to the now-crazed Octavia Melody, and her glowing neck mark. (But...) she thought again, (I'm not sure I want to use it... I'm pretty sure that Number monster that Octavia used is what caused her to act the way she's acting, based on what I've seen so far... And I sure as hay didn't need a cursed trading card to become a cruel person...)

"What's with Sunset?" asked Applejack. "It seems like she's havin' a hard time making some kinda decision..."

"Well, she's not exactly in the best of situations, after all..." Rarity reminded her friend. "She's in a tight spot, and she knows that if she loses, Vinyl, and perhaps all of us, will be at Octavia's mercy..."

"She won't lose!" Fluttershy shouted quietly. "Sunset can get out of this! She would never let anyone hurt anybody, no matter what!"

"Fluttershy's right, Sunset!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "There's no way you can lose this!!"

"You can do it, Sunnie!!" added Pinkie Pie. "You'll win for sure!! After all, you've got your lucky key necklace, the one that you said would remind you stay a nice person instead of a big, mean, turn-into-a-demon-lady-that-destroys-the-school person!!"

"Way to be subtle, Pinkie." Applejack said with some slight sarcasm.

When she heard Pinkie's words, Sunset then realized something. (Hold on... Even though I have a Number card in my hand, I don't feel any different... I don't feel like I want to go and hurt someone for no reason, unlike Octavia...) she thought. (Could it be that I'm somehow immune to whatever they do to people...?) She then remembered that, last night, she had been afflicted by a strange headache, which Octavia seemed to suffer from ever now and then, and that she heard strange voices that seemed to want to take over her mind.

(That's right...) Sunset pondered, (now I remember... I felt as if something was trying to get in my head, but for some reason, I guess it didn't succeed. Whatever that Number card was trying to do to me didn't work, and I'm still my usual self.) The red and yellow girl was now pretty sure that she would be able to safely play her Number card; either way, she didn't have any other options. (Alright, for Octavia's sake, I'll do it! I just hope my friends won't be too freaked out when I play this card...)

The red and yellow girl then gave a fierce, determined look to Octavia, telling her that giving up wasn't even a consideration. "So you're still going to fight on, are you?" asked the sepia girl.

"Of course I am!" Sunset answered. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect a friend!" Tapping her touchscreen, she then shouted, "I activate the Trap Card Miracle's Wake!! This card allows me to bring back one monster from my Graveyard that was destroyed in battle this turn! So Crystal Chrononaut, return to the field in Attack Mode!" After her Xyz Monster reappeared from out of a dark purple portal on the ground, she then added, "And since he was Special Summoned from the Graveyard, Temple of the Sun gives him 300 more attack points!" (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: ATK 2100 + 300 = 2400)

"So what?" asked Octavia. "It's still weaker than my Fairy Cheer Girl by a large amount, so once I destroy it again, you'll lose the Duel!"

"Don't count me out just yet..." Sunset informed her opponent. "This Duel's still on, and it's my turn! I draw!!" She then pulled the top card of her Deck, hoping that it would be something that would help her win the Duel. Once she got a look at it, she sighed out of relief and said, "Octavia... Don't you worry; I'm gonna save you from yourself."

The sepia girl chuckled and asked, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I know that you're not willingly saying or doing anything that's happened here so far." the black jacket-wearing teen answered. "But I know who's REALLY pulling the strings here, and I promise that I'll destroy it!"

"What's Sunset talking about?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Not sure..." pondered Rarity, "but from what I can gather, Sunset believes that Octavia's words and actions so far are not truely her own."

"You mean like mind control?" asked Applejack. "It seems a bit farfetched t' me..." Thinking about it a little more, she then said, "Then again, it could explain why Octy's actin' the way she is... She's not normally a violent person, so it does seem kinda suspicious that she'd go an' attack somebody for no reason..."

After hearing the farm girl say that, Vinyl began to suspect that as well, (She's right...) she thought. (I've known Tavi since Kindergarten, and she's never been mean t' anyone... Sure, she can be a stuffed shirt sometimes, but she'd never attack someone... So that can't possibly be the same Tavi I know that's fighting Sunset right now!)

Back at the Duel, Sunset then began her next move; her biggest move yet (or at least she believed it would be). "I release Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem in order to Tribute Summon Chronomaly Moai Carrier!" she declared. The monster that Sunset played from her hand was a pair of large, blue stone objects that seemed to resemble the clawed end of a crane; in addition, it appeared to be carrying a head-shaped statue (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800).

"Hmph... that doesn't scare me in the slightest." Octavia commented.

"Then how about this?" asked Sunset. "Since I currently control a Chronomaly monster, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Moai from my hand in Defense Mode!" She then took out another card in her hand, the one she had just drawn from her Deck during her Draw Phase and placed in on her Duel Pad's card tray. The monster that emerged was a giant, stone head that perfectly resembled the head statues of Easter Island (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600).

Suddenly, Octavia noticed something about the monsters Sunset played. (Hold on... Both of her monsters are Level 5...) she noted to herself. (Is she... is she planning another Xyz Summoning?)

Her friends thought the same thing, but something was amiss. "Wait, hold up..." began Applejack. "Ah've seen Sunset duelin' fer quite a while, but I don't remember her ever havin' any Rank 5 Xyz Monsters in her Deck..."

"Perhaps she managed to acquire one recently?" Rarity hypothesized.

"Maybe... but she usually tells us about any new cards she's gotten." Rainbow Dash reminded them all.

Sunset sighed a bit and thought, (Well... here we go; I'm gonna do it... But first...) She then turned to her friends, specifically Applejack, and said, "Before I make my next move... there's something I need to tell you, AJ."

"Huh?" asked the country teen.

"...Last night," the red and yellow girl began, "when you thought you heard me screaming and came to check up on me, I told you that I had a bad dream... But there's more to the story than that... I was too afraid to tell you, because I thought you'd freak out if I did."

"What do y'all mean...?" asked Applejack.

"Something else happened that night; something that I'm not sure I can easily explain..." Sunset continued. "I didn't want to upset you or any of the others... especially after what happened to Octavia just now." She then sighed a sad sigh and added, "I've been hiding something from all of you the entire day, and for that, I'm really sorry... I'm sure that when I make my next move, you'll understand why I was so concerned about it."

The others didn't know what Sunset Shimmer was talking about, but figured that she felt uneasy about something. What it was, they couldn't harbor a guess, but they also figured that they wouldn't be in the dark about it for much longer.

Sunset then faced her opponent and told her, "Alright Octavia... get ready, because I'm not giving up without a fight!" She then raised her right hand into the air and shouted, "I overlay my Level 5 Moai and Moai Carrier to create an Overlay Network!!"

The others watched as both of Sunset Shimmer's newly-summoned monsters turned into a pair of orange lights that got sucked up into a summoning portal. However, the portal had a galaxy-like appearence, just like the one Octavia used to summon her Number card. "Wh-what's going on??" asked the cello-playing teenager. "Is this some sort of a trick?!"

"No, it's not." answered the red and yellow girl. "It's the monster that's gonna free you from whatever evil power is controlling your body!" She then shouted, "Now, meet my new Xyz Monster!!" Taking the bizarre card from out of her deck box, she placed it onto the tray and said, "Come forth!! Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech!!"

The portal then gave off a powerful explosion of light, leaving behind a violet marking that slightly resembled the number 33. Then, smashing through the digital roof above them all, came a gigantic, floating fortress that easily dwarfed everyone in the room. Atop the fortress was a large, cicular platform, on top which was what appeared to be a minature continent. A glowing, blue sphere could be seen inside, and the same marking that was on the ground was also imprinted upon the front of the structure. In addition, a pair of floating yellow spheres circled the behemoth repeatedly.

*******************************

Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine-Type/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1500)

2 Level 5 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference between its original ATK and current ATK, and if you do, this card gains ATK equal to the damage inflicted.

*******************************

Needless to say, everyone was shocked when they saw the giant fortress, as well as hear what its name was. "Did... Sunset say... Number??" asked Rarity, jaw dropped and pupils dialated.

"She did... She has a Number card too!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"But... why was she so concerned about it?" asked Fluttershy.

Applejack, pondering a bit and thinking about everything that happened so far, came to a conclusion. "Wait... Ah think Ah might know..." she said. Everyone else turned to face her in order to hear what the farm girl had to say. "Did y'all notice that when Octy played her Number card, she started actin' even creepier than when this all started?"

Everyone nodded yes to say that they did notice that.

"Ah'm willin' t' bet that's the reason she's actin' this way." the country teen continued. "Somehow, that Number card is causin' her to go berserk!"

"You can't be serious, AJ..." said Rainbow Dash, not conivinced. "How does a trading card cause somebody to randomly attack people?"

"Ah know it seems weird, but think about it: Have any of you ever heard about a card like Octy's before?" asked Applejack.

"Well... now that you mention it..." began Fluttershy, "it does seem strange that we've never heard of it..."

"Indeed..." Rarity chimed in. "You would think that we would have seen such a powerful card in the past, or read about it on the Internet... And it couldn't have come from a new set, because there haven't been any new releases lately."

Still not believing it much, the cyan-skinned teen then inquired, "Okay, let's say that all of that's true: If so, then how come Sunset's not acting all crazy or whatever?"

"That Ah'm not sure of... not that Ah'm complainin' or anythin'." Applejack replied. "But back to t' the main subject, Ah believe Sunset was concerned that we'd think she'd end up acting the same way as Octy because she also has one'a those Number cards."

"I suppose that could make sense." Rarity said, nodding in agreement. "But she should know that she had nothing to be concerned about..."

Everyone was certainly surprised when Sunset Shimmer played her Number card, but no one was more shocked than Octavia, who did not expect it at all. (That... that's impossible!!) she thought, sweating. (How did that upstart get a Number card as well?! I thought for sure that she didn't have any!!)

"You don't look so calm right now, Octy..." Sunset told her. "Did my move shock you that much?"

The cello player growled and told her, "Perhaps a little... but it matters not: You may have a Number card on the field, but its attack power is only 2,400, which is 1,100 less than my Fairy Cheer Girl! She'll reduce your fortress to rubble next turn!"

"Sorry, Octy. You're not gonna GET a next turn!" the red and yellow girl informed her. "This Duel is ending right now!" She then took a card from underneath her Xyz Monster card and shouted, "I activate Machu Mech's effect! First, I remove one of its Overlay Units!" The giant fort then brought out mutliple cannons out from inside of itself, and one of its swirling lights flew into its uppermost pillar (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU 2 - 1 =1).

"Next," Sunset continued, "I target one monster on your side of the field, and then the difference between its original attack power and its current attack power gets sent to you as damage!"

"What?!? Oh no!!" shouted Octavia in despair. "But I... I increased Fairy Cheer Girl's attack power by a total of 1,600 points!! And now I'm going to take that as damage to my Life Points?!"

"Exactly!" confirmed the otherworldy girl. "Thanks to this one card, I'm turning your own strategy against you!" Pointing straight towards Octavia's Xyz Monster, she then ordered, "Machu Mech, target Fairy Cheer Girl and absorb her power!"

Sunset's Number card then began radiating a yellow light, which also surrounded Fairy Cheer Girl. Octavia watched as her monster struggled, but was unable to escape Machu Mech's effect on her. Just then, the dark cloud that had possessed the cheeleading fairy earlier was sucked out and drawn into one of the large cannons. Afterwards, the 80 mark on Fairy Cheer Girl dissolved away, and her nasty, evil look also vanished. She looked around, seemingly unaware of what was going on.

"No... no this can't be...!" Octavia protested.

"Now, Chronomaly Machu Mech!" Sunset then announced. "Fire your cannons and blast away her Life Points!"

The sepia girl shook as all of fortress's cannons aimed straight towards her and began charging up. Then, once it was ready, Sunset's monster fired mutliple shots straight at Octavia, sending her flying a short distance and landing on her rear (Octavia Melody: LP 3,200 - 1,600 = 1,600).

"Wowee, did you girls see that?!" asked Pinkie. "Sunset just blasted half of Octy's Life Points in one shot!"

Rainbow Dash had to admit: That was pretty impressive. "So... awesome..." she muttered.

Octavia, getting up and grumbling under her breath, said to her foe, "I'm still here, Ms. Shimmer... You haven't won this yet!"

"No, but I will in a few seconds." stated the red and yellow girl. "I now activate the other effect of Chronomaly Machu Mech! After it damages you with its first effect, it can then absorb the Life Points you just lost and turn them into attack points for itself!"

"It does WHAT?!?!" exclaimed Octavia in shock.

Machu Mech then began glowing again, drawing in large amounts of energy towards itself and making itself even stronger than before (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 2,400 + 1,600 = 4,000). "Now my Number card's attack points are higher than your Fairy Cheer Girl's!" Sunset Shimmer informed her opponent.

"This... can't be..." the sepia-skinned girl muttered in disbelief. "I was close... so close... I had this won!"

"Not anymore, Octavia!" said the red and yellow teen. "Go, Chronomaly Machu Mech! Attack Fairy Cheer Girl! Meteor Meltdown!!" Octavia could only watch as Sunset's Number card took aim and fired its shots towards her Xyz Monster. The cheerleader dropped her pom-poms and stretched her arms out wide, using herself as a human shield to block the powerful shot from Octavia. The monster then gave a look back towards the sepia girl and gave off a pleasent smile before being blasted to oblivion.

Octavia just stood there, not believing what had just happened (Octavia Melody: LP 1,600 - 500 = 1,100). "My... my Fairy Cheer Girl..." she muttered, mouth agape. In her mind, she recalled the smile her monster gave earlier: Somehow, it reminded her of her friend Vinyl.

Sunset Shimmer felt a bit sorry for Octavia, knowing that none of what had happened so far was her fault. Still, Sunset had a job to do, and defeating the cello player was the only way to complete that job. "It's still my turn, Octavia." she told her opponent. "And I still have one monster left to attack with... And since you no longer have another Fairy-Type monster on your side of the field, your Freya, Spirit of Victory is now vulnerable to attack!" The red and yellow girl then shouted, "Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut! Attack Freya and end this Duel!"

Sunset's remaining Xyz Monster clenched its fists and leapt forward, arms straight out in front of it. Octavia's reamining monster shrieked and tried to avoid the attack, but she wasn't fast enough to get away from Crystal Chrononaut's mighty punch. She got hit and was sent flying right towards her controller, colliding with her and causing them both to fall to the ground.

"AAAAACK!!!" grunted Octavia as she was thrown down to the floor hard from the impact of both the attack and her own monster. Once both of them hit the floor, Freya self-destructed, turning into millions of small, yellow lights. And with that, the Duel was over (Octavia Melody: LP 1,100 - 1,900 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"Amazing!" cheered Rarity. "Sunset won the Duel!"

"She did it!! I KNEW she'd do it!!!" Pinkie screamed ecstatically. "I don't know how she did it, but she did it!!! ...Did she?"

"Heh, that's our Sunset for ya..." said Applejack. "She's at her best when she fightin' for somebody else."

The red and yellow girl heard what her friends were saying, happy to know that they didn't seem to be thinking differently about her because she had a Number card. She took a deep sigh of relief and said, "Glad that's all over..."

Just then, the key around Sunset's neck began to glow brightly, which immediately got her attention. "Huh?" As she looked at the key, she then saw something else that seemed strange: A small ball of light phased out from Octavia's chest area and floated in mid-air. "What in Equestria is that...?" she asked.

"What's that ball of light?" asked Rainbow Dash, not sure what was happening right now.

Sunset continued to stare at the light and began reaching her hand out towards it. Just then, the light flew straight towards her. Instinctively, Sunset put her outstretched hand in front of her face, catching the light with it. She then noticed that the light felt solid. When she went to look at it, she saw that she was now holding a Duel Monsters card. But it wasn't just any card: It was Octavia's Number card, Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk.

Sunset Shimmer wasn't sure what was going on, but before she could think about it anymore, she heard Vinyl shouting, "Tavi! Tavi!! Get up!! Speak to me!!"

The red and yellow girl ran over towards Octavia, who was still lying down on the floor, completely motionless. Sunset checked up on her, hoping that she would be alright. As she glanced all over the sepia-skinned girl's body, Sunset then noticed the 80 mark on her neck... moments before its glowing dulled and it vanished completely. "That mark's gone..." she said to herself. "Is it because I defeated her...?" Sunset then kneeled down next to Octavia and asked her, "Octavia! Are you alright?? Please, say something!"

At first, the young girl said nothing, but then, Octavia began to groan as her eyes slowly opened. Sunset and Vinyl then noticed that her eyes were now back to their normal violet color. With a tired tone of voice, the cello player said to Sunset Shimmer, "...Thank you... Thank you so much... for getting that... thing... out of me..." After that, she moaned one last time and fainted.

"Tavi!!!" shouted Vinyl, hoping with all her heart that her friend hadn't gone to that symphony orchestra in the sky.

Sunset checked Octavia's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's okay..." she told Vinyl. "She just passed out... I don't blame her, though, with everything's that she's been through." Sunset then glanced over towards her friends and said, "Dash... AJ... Can you get Octavia over to Nurse Redheart?"

"Uh, sure! Of course!" said Rainbow. She and Applejack ran over to where Octavia was, picking her up. She was hoisted onto Applejack's back with Rainbow Dash's help, and the three of them quickly left the Music Room, heading straight for the Nurse's Office.

Vinyl watched as the two of them left the room with her friend. "You should go with them, Vinyl." Sunset told her. "I think Octy could really use her friend right now..."

"Uh, yeah... sure." said the electric blue-haired girl. As she headed towards the Music Room exit, she stopped and turned to Sunset Shimmer, saying to her, "Hey... thanks, Sunset. For savin' Tavi... When she spoke last, I could tell she was back to her old self again... So, again... thanks."

"You're welcome, Vinyl." the red and yellow girl responded. "Think of it as a 'thank you' for helping me and my friends out against the Dazzlings." The up-and-coming DJ nodded and smiled before leaving the room to go see her friend. After she left, Sunset then looked at the Number card she had gotten; the one that she suspected had something to do with Octavia's sudden violent acts. She could just feel that there was an enormous amount of power inside of it.

Rarity walked up to the otherworldy girl just as she put the card away in her deck box. "Great job, Sunset." she told her. "That was an impressive comeback!"

"Yeah, and you came from behind to win, too!" added Pinkie.

Fluttershy blushed a little as she meekly said, "Way to go..."

Sunset appreciated their comments, but still felt bad about what she had done... or rather, what she HADN'T done. "You... you guys..." she began. She then bowed her head forward and told them, "I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not telling you about the Number card earlier! It's just that... well, it's just that I-"

"It's alright, Sunset." Rarity said to her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We understand. But you should have known that we would never think differently of you over something like that."

"Really?" asked the red and yellow girl. "So... can you forgive me for being so secretive about it?"

The violet-haired teen nodded yes and added, "Of course we can, darling. Believe me, compared to what we've forgiven you for in the past, this is, as Applejack would put it, 'small potatoes'."

"Besides," Pinkie chimed in, nudging beside Rarity, "You played such an awesome Duel, we could NEVER stay mad at you, even if we tried!" Fluttershy nodded to say that she agreed them both.

Sunset wiped a small tear from her eye, happy to hear all of that. "Thanks, guys..." she told them. "That really means a lot to me... Now I'm even gladder that I got to know you all."

"You're very welcome, Sunset." said the yellow and pink girl in her usual soft tone. "But next time, please tell us if something's troubling you... If that's okay with you."

"We know your intentions were good when you chose not to tell us about your Number card," Rarity added, "but we're your friends, Sunset; you know you can always tell us about anything that you're concerned with. And you should know that we'll always be there to help you."

"You're right..." the red and yellow girl said with a sigh. "I should have known you'd all understand... But I was just too scared to say anything." She then put on a pleasent smile and told them, "But not anymore: From now on, I'll be a lot more open about these kinds of things." After she said that, she found herself in the middle of a warm group hug, courtesy of Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.

After they broke off the group hug, Pinkie Pie asked, "Well, all this excitement has gotten me all hung-thirst!"

"What?" asked Rarity, confused by the bizzare word that her silly friend friend had said.

"Hung-thirst!" Pinkie repeated. "It's a word I made up that means that I'm both hungry AND thirsty at the same time! Let's go to Sugarcube Corner and get some ice cream and milkshakes!"

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Sunset replied.

"We should probably go and check up on Ms. Octavia first." Rarity commented. "The poor girl's been through a lot, and frankly, I won't feel any better unless I know that she's alright."

"Good idea..." said Fluttershy. All of them left the room, except for Sunset Shimmer. Turning back towards the red and yellow girl, Fluttershy asked her, "Are you coming with us, Sunset...? I mean, if you want to..."

"Yeah, just go on ahead... I'll catch up later." the red and yellow girl answered. "I just have some thinking to do..." The shy girl nodded and left to catch up with her friends.

Once she was alone, Sunset Shimmer began thinking about everything that had happened since last night. (What's going on here...?) she pondered. (First, I have this bizarre dream... Then these "Number" cards show up... Then Octavia goes crazy. I know that there's a connection to all of this somehow... I just hope I can figure it all out before things REALLY get out of hoof...) Sunset then grumbled and added, (No, I meant, "hand"! Not "hoof"! How come I'm still not used to this world's vocabulary? I've been here for years now...!) The red and yellow girl sighed and left the room, heading to the Nurse's Office to see her friends and check on Octavia. But she knew, deep down, that what she experienced today... was only the beginning.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (2 Numbers total):

Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk

RANK 3: Picture Imperfect:

Author's Note

This episode marks the first appearances of several familiar characters, such as Flash Sentry, Scootaloo, Photo Finish, and Hoity Toity. In the case of Hoity, at the time that this episode was written, he had yet to have an EG-World counterpart (and I still believe that he doesn't have one, but feel free to politely correct me if I'm wrong). I felt it was worth the risk, since I came up with a neat design for his human world version. In any case, it's best to treat this series as something different from the Equestria Girls movie trilogy, even though there are several similarities, on the grounds that some of the characters may end up different from the canon universes. In other words, just enjoy it for what it is. :twilightsmile:

RANK 3: Picture Imperfect:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

One day, Sunset Shimmer purchased a mysterious key-shaped necklace at the local flea market. That very night, she had a bizarre dream in which she encountered a large gate, which she unlocked using her new necklace. After she did, an incredible power flowed out from behind the gate, in the form of an intense light. When Sunset woke up, she obtained a strange Duel Monsters card, known as a "Number" card.

She wasn't the only one who found one of these cards: Octavia Melody picked up her own Number card, which, for reasons unknown, caused her to suddenly begin acting violent, even going as far as to attack her best friend, Vinyl Scratch. Luckily, Sunset Shimmer stepped in to stop Octavia from causing anyone any harm. The cello player then suddenly challenged Sunset to a Duel, with the safety of everyone involved at stake. It was a tough Duel, but Sunset was able to defeat Octavia and her Number card, Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk, using one of her own: Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. After her victory, Sunset obtained Octavia's Number card, causing the cello player to return to her normal self.

As of now, Sunset Shimmer has yet to figure out the origins of the Number cards, but is determined to solve the mystery behind them... hopefully before anybody else falls prey to their dark power...

It was another beautiful afternoon in the busy city of Canterlot. School had been dismissed some time ago, and Sunset Shimmer and her best friends were spending some of that afternoon at the local pizzeria, known as Mach Pizza. By the time that classes were over and the after school programs had ended, the group of six were practically famished. The red and yellow girl sat at a large corner booth table with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy, while Pinkie Pie waited by the front counter to get the pizzas. Once the food was ready, Pinkie carried them over to the table and said, "Okay, girls! Get ready to dig in!"

"Pinkie! Watch out for that wet spot on the floor!" Rarity alerted to her friend.

"Huh?" said the pink teen, but it was too late; she stepped right onto a small puddle of water next to a "Wet Floor" sign and slipped. "WOAH!!!!" she screamed as she flipped over backwards, tossing the pizza boxes into the air. However, Pinkie managed to land on both of her hands, while her feet caught the boxes before they could hit the tile floor. The silly girl then "walked" on the palms of her hands, continuing to head towards the table where her friends were.

"...How does Pinkie do that??" asked Sunset. "I could attempt that about a thousand times and I'd never pull it off."

"I'm just wondering how she's able to keep her skirt down the whole time..." Fluttershy noted. "Or is it up because she's upside down...?

Pinkie set the pizzas down onto the table and put herself right-side up before answering Fluttershy's question. "Clumsiness is no excuse for not being modest." she told her yellow and pink friend.

"I am glad that you feel that way, darling." Rarity chimed in. "Even when it should be physically impossible."

Applejack then reached towards the pizza boxes and opened them one at a time. "Alrighty then..." she said, "let's see... Here's the pepperoni one for Rainbow and Rarity..."

"Awesome!" said the cyan-skinned teen, taking the box from Applejack.

"And here's the one for me and Pinkie:" the farm girl continued. "Half-sausage and half... uh..." She then glanced at the other half of the pizza curiously before finishing her statement, saying, "...half-candy corn, apparently..." The orange teen then asked, "Pinkie, how'd you even get that as a topping?"

The pink girl shrugged her shoulders while still having that big smile on her face. "Beats me, AJ." she told her. "I didn't write the menu. Though I DO make frequent use of the suggestion box..."

Applejack sighed and opened the third and final pizza box. "Okay... that means the last one's the mushroom n' green pepper pizza for Fluttershy n' Sunset." She then handed the box over to them so that they could have their fill of the meal.

Rarity had already started eating a slice of the pepperoni pizza, using a fork and knife to carefully and cleanly enjoy her meal. Before she could bring the fork to her mouth, she heard Rainbow Dash next to her, slobbily eating her pizza slice and getting sauce and pepperoni grease all over her hands and face. Rarity narrowed her eyes and told her friend, "Rainbow Dash, don't you have any table manners?"

"Table what?" asked the cyan girl, still greedily devouring her pizza slice.

The white and violet teen sighed and then told her, "Well, could you at least use a napkin so that I won't have to be embarrassed sitting next to you?"

"...FINE. Whatever." said the athletic teen, grabbing a napkin and wiping her hands and mouth area with it. After doing so, she then glanced over at Fluttershy and Sunset next to her and asked them, "Hey, how come I've never seen you guys order anything like pepperoni or sausage or anything like that? No offense, it just seems kinda weird."

"Rainbow, you know that I'm a vegetarian..." Fluttershy reminded her. "I can't stand the thought of eating a poor, little animal..."

"As for me, I'm a pony from where I come from." Sunset Shimmer added. "And we're all herbivores over there. It would just be kinda weird for me to eat any sort of meat product. I've tried it; didn't really care for it."

"Well, you ain't the only ones that don't get meat toppings on their pizza." Applejack said, pointing over towards Pinkie Pie with her thumb. "Every time Pinkie orders a pizza, she always gets some sorta candy put on it... Just last week, she actually got hers with marshmallows and bits of chocolate on top, and had it served on a tray made outta graham cracker."

"I called it, 'Pizza and S'more to Go With it'!" the pink teen replied enthusiastically.

Sunset Shimmer let out a slight chuckle at Pinkie's response, and soon after, everyone else gave a chuckle of their own. Then, Rarity spoke up and asked the red and yellow girl, "So, Sunset... What was it that you were telling us earlier this morning? Something about a dream that you had on the night you stayed over at Applejack's house?"

Sunset's mood changed after Rarity asked her question. She didn't seem to want to talk about the bizarre dream that she had. However, she had promised, both to her friends and herself, that she would be more open to them about anything that bothered her. The otherworldly girl sighed and said to them, "Yeah... I guess I should tell you all exactly what happened concerning that dream..."

"Look, if it bothers you to talk about it, you don't hafta say anything..." Rainbow Dash informed her.

"No, no... I think I'll feel a lot better if I just get this off my chest right now and get it over with." Sunset responded. Taking a another deep breath, she then told them all, "Anyway... the dream I had... It started with me standing on some sort of cliff, with this really narrow path extending out from it. When I looked at myself, I was wearing some sort of ancient-looking outfit, like I was some sort of priestess or something; I couldn't really tell..."

"What did this outfit look like?" asked Rarity, becoming interested in that part.

"Um... I don't really remember it that well." the red and yellow girl answered. "It wasn't the most important thing that happened, really..."

"...That's your opinion." the violet-haired girl rebutted.

"Uh, maybe y'all can tell Rare 'bout that part later...." suggested Applejack. "Y'know, when you can remember more of it." Rarity huffed a bit, wanting to know more about the outfit Sunset had on in her dream. But she decided to let it go for now.

Sunset Shimmer nodded and continued her story, saying, "Anyway, I heard this weird voice calling out to me, and when I walked along the path to see what it was, I came across the largest door that I've ever seen."

"A door...?" asked Fluttershy.

"Yeah, it had chains all over it, and a REALLY creepy-looking face etched onto the front." the otherworldly girl described.

Pinkie Pie then leaned towards Applejack's ear and whispered, "...So totally called it...!"

"So what happened next?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, the voice I heard was coming from behind the door... or maybe it WAS the door; it was hard to tell." Sunset told them. "It told me to open it to... 'fulfill my destiny'..."

"What did it mean by that?" asked Applejack.

"I don't know... Nothing it said made any sense to me."

"Well, you didn't open it, did you Sunset?" asked Rarity.

"I thought that I had to in order to wake up." the red and yellow girl answered her. She then held the key that she was now wearing around her neck and added, "So, I unlocked the doors, using the necklace that I got from the flea market."

"Hold up; you used THAT to open the gate in your dream?" asked Rainbow, pointing to the necklace. "And right on the same day ya got it? Now that's really weird..."

"Well, that makes two of us, then." Sunset replied, agreeing with her cyan friend. "Anyway, after I unlocked the gate, the chains vanished, and then there was a sudden flash of light... And after that, I woke up."

"So is that it...?" asked Fluttershy.

"I thought it was..." the otherworldly girl answered. "But, there's actually a little more to the story..."

The others leaned in closer to hear what their friend had to say next.

"After my dream, I saw something glowing on the desk that was in the bedroom..." Sunset explained as she took out her red deck box and opened it. "And that's when I found this..." She then pulled out a card from inside the box: Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech.

The others stared at the card that their friend was holding. "So that's the card that you were talking about..." said Rarity. She then asked, "What did you call this thing? A 'Number'?"

"It's awesome..." said Rainbow, reaching up to touch it. Then, all of a sudden, Sunset's hand jerked away, preventing the athletic teen from being able to come into contact with the card. "Hey! What gives, Sunset?!" she asked, annoyed.

"...Sorry, Rainbow. But I think it'd be best that you didn't touch this card." the red and yellow girl informed her. "I don't want anything bad happening to you."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well... don't you remember what happened a couple days ago?" asked Sunset. "I mean, you all saw what happened to Octavia, right?"

There was a sudden silence in the air when the others heard her say that. "Oh... yeah." Applejack spoke up. "Ah almost forgot about how she acted..."

"Yeah, she went comPLETELY crazy!" added Pinkie Pie. "And not the good kinda crazy like me, the bad kind: The get-picked-up-by-men-wearing-white-and-put-into-a-strait-jacket kinda crazy!" As she said the last sentence, Pinkie wrapped her arms around the front of her body to simulate wearing a strait jacket.

"But what does that have to do with your Number card, Sunset?" asked Rarity.

"Nothing." answered the red and yellow girl. "It was HER Number card that had me concerned. Don't forget; she had one, too. And I'm suspecting that it had something to do with her sudden personality change."

"And how, exactly, does a trading card cause someone to go totally nuts and attack their best friend?" asked Rainbow Dash, a bit skeptical.

"I'm not sure..." Sunset replied, "but what I do know is that, when I picked up my Number card, I suddenly got this massive headache, and I heard some weird voice in my head... It was as if someone - or something - was trying to take over my mind..."

"Take over your mind?" Fluttershy repeated. "Oh my..."

"But y'all seem just fine t' me, Sunset." Applejack noted. "You didn't start goin' crazy and attackin' people fer no reason..."

"Yeah, I know." Sunset told her. "For some reason, whatever force was trying to take control of me wasn't able to succeed in doing so..."

"But how? And why?" asked Rarity.

"I have no idea..." the red and yellow teen answered her. "All I know is that I should probably try and figure it all out before things really get out of hoo-, I mean, hand."

"Well, you can count on us to help out!" Rainbow Dash announced.

"Same here." added Applejack.

"Me too! Me too!!!" Pinkie Pie shouted excitedly.

"Um... I'll help if it's okay with you." Fluttershy meekly chimed in.

"I'll do whatever I can to aid you as well." Rarity calmly told her friend with a confirming nod.

Sunset Shimmer smiled and said to her friends, "Thanks, girls... I really appreciate it. I could use all the help I can get... Just be careful, okay? I don't know much about these Number cards yet, and I wouldn't feel good if anything happened to you all because of them."

"We promise." Applejack informed her. "Besides, we've already had more than our fair share of danger up t' now, so somethin' like this ain't new t' us." She then told everybody, "Anyhoo, we'll talk about stuff like that another time... Let's get back to our food before it gets cold." The others nodded in agreement and went back to eating their pizzas.

Meanwhile, back at Canterlot High School, there was still some activity going on inside. Though most of the students and staff had already left for the day, a few were still within the walls of the building, wrapping up whatever they were doing and preparing the rooms for the next day of classes. In one of the classrooms, the one used for the Photography Class, a man with dark-grey skin and white and silver hair had just finished filing away some important papers.

The man's name was Hoity Toity: He was the Photography Class teacher... and quite a snappy dresser, to boot. He wore a pair of fancy shades with purple lenses, along with a fancy black jacket with white cuffs on the sleeves, a white collar, and a fan-shaped insignia on the right side of the chest area. He wore a red frilled shirt underneath, a pair of navy-blue dress pants, and a pair of leather shoes that looked quite expensive.

Once he was done with his work, he then walked over to the door leading to the Dark Room and knocked on it a few times. "Ms. Photo Finish?" he said in a deep, slightly upper crust-sounding voice.

"Yes? What is it, Mr. Toity?" said a voice from the other side, which sounded akin to a German accent.

"My apologies if I have interrupted anything that you were doing," he told the person on the other side of the door, "but I simply wished to inform you that I have finished with my work for the day and I am taking my leave. I trust that you will have everything locked up before you depart as well?"

"Yes, Mr. Toity. I promise that I will." the voice responded. "I should not be much longer anyway."

"Very well. Then I shall see you tomorrow." Hoity told her. "Have a pleasant night, Ms. Finish." The man then took his belongings and headed out through the door.

Some time later, the door to the Dark Room opened, and out of it stepped a young teenage girl with sky-blue skin, short silver hair, and a pair of round shades. She wore a dress that was designed with several vertical black and white stripes on the top and a solid black design for the bottom, with white and pink stripes and some small light-pink diamonds above those stripes. Separating the top and bottom halves of the dress was a pink sash. The top had a pink collar, and the girl also wore a pair of black boots tied with pink ribbons.

The girl, named Photo Finish, was a student in Canterlot High, but she was also the personal student aid to Hoity Toity. She frequently assisted the teacher with his work, both during the time she attended his class, as well as times when she was not in his class, such as right now, after school was already over for the day. She was nearly ready to leave the room, just as Mr. Toity had done earlier. However, she decided to stroll over to a wall on the other side of the classroom. It was there that Photo Finish had all of her best photographs set up; many were taken within school grounds, and a few others were of the city and its surrounding suburbs.

The sky-blue teenager admired her work for a few moments before saying to herself, "Such beauty... such elegance... The very definition of... the magics!! And soon... so very soon, my work will be all over the magazines and galleries of this city, and my name shall be a household word!!" Photo then sighed to herself and added, in a slightly saddened tone, "I just wish it wouldn't take so long to be noticed by anyone important... I feel as though my talent may never be recognized; just the thought of it... Actually, I do not even WANT to think about it...!"

As she spoke to herself, a faint glimmer was caught by the corner of her eye. Photo Finish glanced over to her right and saw a blinking light coming from a far-off table, next to a pair of computers. "What is that...?" she asked herself. Curious, the sky-blue girl walked over to the table and saw that the blinking object was a Duel Monsters card, based on the back design.

"What is this doing in here?" she asked. "Was it left behind...?" Photo Finish then smiled a little and thought, (Perhaps I'll hold onto it until somebody comes to claim it... Besides, I do like the artwork on these cards, and it probably wouldn't hurt to take a small peek at it...) But when she picked up the card, Photo was astonished to find out that the card was totally blank on the front. "What is this...?!" she asked. "Why is there no picture on the front?? That cannot be right..."

At that moment, a purple haze began to surround the card. But before Photo could acknowledge that fact, the haze began surrounding her as well. "Ack!! What's happening?!? What's going on?!?!" she screamed.

"Yes, Photo Finish..." said a voice in her head. "Let the Number take hold..."

Photo Finish struggled, but the force that was entering her mind was too great for her to overcome. The purple cloud then consumed her, phasing into her body. The girl fell onto her hands and knees as an image began to appear upon the blank card. In addition, her shades began to glow bright blue, and underneath her right eye was a blue symbol resembling the number 25.

The girl then got up and muttered to herself, "Yes... yes... It is now clear to me..." She then stood up and pulled out her camera, which was hooked onto a spot on the left side of her hip. "If I am to be noticed the world over as a photographer... then I must show everyone... the TRUE MAGICS!!!" The blue 25 then glowed brighter under her eye...

The very next morning at Canterlot High, the students were pouring into the hallways, ready for another day's worth of classes. Sunset Shimmer, as usual, traveled to the school with her best friends, chatting with them on the way over before eventually parting ways with most of them as they went to their classes. Sunset and Rainbow Dash headed off together to their first class and continued to talk with one another.

"So how's the soccer team doing so far in practice?" Sunset asked her athletic friend.

"Eh, not so great, but DEFINITELY better than last year. At least twenty percent better..." Rainbow answered. "Last year, they were moving so slow, I could run circles around them no faster than how I'm walking right now."

"Woah... really?" asked the otherworldly girl, a bit surprised.

"...Well, maybe not THAT bad, but you get the idea." the cyan girl informed her. "I think Coach Iron Will was a little too soft on 'em last year; it's the only thing I can think of."

("Soft" isn't exactly a word I'D use to describe him...) Sunset thought. (But then, I'm not Rainbow Dash...)

As they turned a corner down the hallway, the two teens noticed a peculiar sight: Right in front of the classroom that they were heading towards, there was a large group of students standing or sitting around, seemingly waiting for something or someone. The room nearby from where they all were was the Photography Lab, where, or course, the Photography Class took place. "Huh?" Sunset began to ask. "What's going on? Why is everypo-... er, I mean, why is everybody sitting out here?"

"Dunno... Let's go ask." Rainbow Dash suggested.

The two walked over to the crowd and approached a smaller girl amongst their classmates. She seemed to be a tad younger compared to either Sunset or Rainbow Dash, based on her size. She had orange skin, short, magenta hair, and purple eyes. She wore a dark-grey hoodie with a blue shirt underneath. She had on a pair of green shorts and a pair of dark-grey boots with blue socks.

Rainbow approached the younger girl and asked her, "Hey, Scootaloo... what's going on here? Why is everybody standin' around, doin' nothing?"

The magenta-haired student looked up at her and responded, saying, "Oh! Hey, Rainbow Dash!" She then rubbed the back of her head and answered the question, telling her, "Yeah... I don't know what's going on... All I know is that the teacher's not here yet."

"Mr. Toity isn't here?" asked Sunset. "That doesn't seem right..."

"Maybe he called in sick?" the cyan-skinned girl hypothesized. "And maybe his substitute forgot when to come to class?"

"No, Mr. Toity's here, alright." Scootaloo rebutted. "I saw his car pull up when I came here with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Where he went after that, I don't know."

Sunset then looked over at Rainbow Dash and asked her, "So what do we do now?"

Before the athletic teen could respond, everybody in the hall could hear footsteps approaching them. They saw that it was none other than their teacher, Hoity Toity. However, he seemed to have a worried expression on his face (and given the fact that his shades covered a good amount of his face, if his worried look was noticeable, it was definitely serious).

"Mr. Toity!" Scootaloo spoke up, running over to him. "What's wrong? What took you so long?"

Hoity sighed deeply and responded, saying, "My sincerest apologies, class... It's just that... well..." He seemed to not want to talk about what was worrying him, but decided to in the end, figuring that his students deserved an explanation as to why he was late. He then asked them all, "Have any of you seen Photo Finish anywhere?"

"Uh... no, we haven't." Sunset Shimmer answered him. The rest of the class gave similar answers to their teacher.

The dark-grey man sighed again and said, "I was afraid of this... Usually, Photo Finish informs me ahead of time if she is running late or absent altogether. The fact that I have not heard anything in regards to that worries me greatly..." He then looked up at Sunset, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo and added, "And besides, there's so much going on throughout the remaining days of the week, and I really need her assistance now more than ever..."

"Maybe I could fill in for her." the red and yellow girl suggested.

"I appreciate the gesture, Ms. Shimmer," Mr. Toity replied, "but only Photo Finish knows my entire classroom itinerary for the week; I cannot have just anyone take her place."

"Then maybe we could help you find her." Rainbow Dash proposed. "It's still a while before classes start, and there's a pretty good chance that she might be at school, so it's at least worth a look around."

"I suppose there isn't much else that we can do..." the fancily-dressed teacher stated. He then nodded and said to them, "Alright then, let us look around and see if we can find her."

"Sounds good to me." Sunset agreed.

Rainbow Dash then glanced towards Scootaloo and asked her, "You wanna come and help us, Squirt?"

"Sure!!" the orange youngster replied enthusiastically. "Beats standin' around here!" Interestingly enough, Scootaloo didn't mind that Rainbow Dash called her, "Squirt". To anyone else, it would have sounded like an insult, but when Rainbow said it to Scootaloo, she made it sound more like a proud title instead. The little orange girl ran up towards the group of four as they all headed out of the hallway.

After they left, another student, a smaller girl with pink skin, purple and white-striped hair, and a shiny tiara huffed and said in a snooty tone, "Well this is JUST great!! What do they expect us to do until they get back?!?"

"I got a new rubber band, Diamond Tiara!" said a yellow-skinned boy with teal-colored hair in a dopey voice. He then pulled out a pink rubber band from out of his pocket and started stretching it.

"Yeah, great: A rubber band... Whoop-de-doo, Snails..." the girl said in a less-than-interested voice. The yellow boy then stretched the rubber band as long as he could. He then pointed it right at the tiara-wearing girl...

SNAP!!

"YEEEOOWWCH!!!"

Far away from the Photography Lab, Hoity Toity, along with Sunset, Rainbow, and Scootaloo, wandered the halls of the school looking around for the missing Photo Finish, as well asking anyone they met about her whereabouts. But no one knew where she was; not even Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna had any idea.

About five or so minutes later, the four of them were still searching. Luckily, it was still early, so there was still plenty of time to look around before classes officially started. "This is starting to become rather futile..." sighed Mr. Toity. "We have been searching the school for quite a long time, and we have not yet found Ms. Finish."

Sunset, who was currently leading the group, turned back towards the teacher and told him, "Well, let's not give up just yet, Mr. Toity. I'm sure sooner or later, we'll find her or someone who's seen her, and then we'll-"

"Sunset! In front of you!!" Rainbow suddenly shouted.

But before the red and yellow girl could react, she bumped right into somebody else, causing both her and the other person to fall backwards. The person she literally bumped into was a another student: He was a boy with pale-orange skin, blue eyes, and short, spiky blue hair. He wore a black shirt with red and white stripes on it, overtop a white shirt with a picture of a shield and a lightning bolt printed upon it. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a pair of black and white sneakers.

The rest of the group went over to the otherwordly girl to check up on her. "Hey, Sunset? You alright?" asked Scootaloo.

"I'm fine..." she answered the younger girl. "Just a bit sore." She then got up and helped the boy that she bumped into back onto his feet. "Sorry about that, Flash Sentry..." she apologized to him. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That's alright." the boy told her. "I wasn't paying attention either." Flash then chuckled a little and added, "Heh... it's kinda funny, though... I literally bump into so many people around here, I probably should start wearing a shirt with a warning sign on it."

"Well, it doesn't appear as if any harm was done here, so I think you should be alright for now." said Hoity Toity.

Flash turned his head towards the teacher when he heard him speak. "Oh! Mr. Toity! Perfect timing!" he said to him. "I needed to talk to you about something. I was on my way over to your classroom, but I guess you saved me the trip over there."

"You wanted to talk to me?" asked the grey-skinned man. "About what?"

"Well, I walked into the locker room to get ready for Gym Class," the boy explained, "but when I went to open the door, I heard some guys yelling and screaming inside."

"Yelling and screaming?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Over what?"

"I don't know, but there's something else:" Flash continued to tell them. "I heard this other voice in the locker room... but it wasn't a guy's voice; it was a girl's voice. And it sounded like... Photo Finish."

The group gasped when they heard him say that. "WHAT?! Photo Finish?!" asked Sunset. "What's she doing in the Boy's Locker Room??"

"I do not know, but she had better have a VERY good explanation for it once we find her." stated Hoity Toity. "Let us go and confront her immediately!" The rest of the group nodded and followed the teacher towards the Gymnasium area, now joined by the boy, Flash Sentry.

The five of them reached the Gym and approached the door to the Boys' Locker Room. But before they could open it, they all heard a rushing of footsteps coming towards the door. "Quick!! Out of the way!!" warned Sunset Shimmer. The five backed off just before a flood of male students came running out. Some were in their normal clothes, some were in their gym clothes... Some, however, were only in their underwear as they ran screaming out of the locker room.

Needless to say, Sunset and the others were befuddled with what they saw. "...Okaaaaaaay... that's a mental image that's gonna haunt me for a while." stated Rainbow Dash, referring to the male students that were only in their underpants specifically.

"Let's just be glad that we didn't come here right when they were about to take a shower..." Sunset noted. She then walked back over to the door and opened it, knowing that there was no one else inside... except for one individual. Sure enough, the others saw that it was indeed a girl inside, and just like Flash had told them, it was Photo Finish, who was holding her camera and seemed slightly annoyed that all of the students that were in the room had ran off.

"No way... it IS her...!" said Scootaloo, shocked.

Hoity Toity then walked inside and asked, in a slightly angry tone, "Ms. Finish! What is the matter with you?! This behavior is QUITE inappropriate!"

"Do not attempt to stop me, Mr. Toity!" Photo said to him, slighty frustrated. "I am simply here to capture beauty on film, and I will not allow anyone, not even you, to prevent me from preserving the MAGICS!!"

"Really?" asked Rainbow Dash. "'Cause all I see you doing is making other people REALLY uncomfortable! So don't even try and justify it!"

"Yeah! What she said!" Scootaloo chimed in.

"Do you not realize that you are risking suspension or perhaps even expulsion by doing what you are doing in here??" Mr. Toity reminded her. "I do not want to have to report you to the Principals, but I will if I have to!"

"There is always risk involved in pursuing fame and fortune!" shouted Photo Finish. "I thought you, of all people, would understand that!!" As she spoke, the 25 symbol under her right eye began to glow brighter.

That glow was immediately noticed by Sunset Shimmer, who started to feel an eerie sense of déjà vu. (That symbol...) she thought to herself, (it looks similar to the one that Octavia had on her neck when she was attacking Vinyl!) She then gasped and added to her thoughts, (Now I see what's going on...)

The group then watched Sunset Shimmer step forward to confront Photo Finish directly. "Sunset? What are you doing?" asked Flash Sentry.

The otherworldy girl then glanced over at Hoity Toity and told him, "Mr. Toity... let me deal with Photo Finish for you."

"What? What are you talking about, Ms. Shimmer??" asked the teacher.

"Don't report her to the Principals just yet..." she asked of him. "I know what's going on and I know what to do about it. Just trust me, okay?"

Hoity was a bit confused as to what Sunset was going to do, but Rainbow Dash said to him, "I think Photo'll be in good hands, Mr. Toity. You can trust that Sunset will figure out what's wrong with her." The man was still a bit skeptical, but decided to let the situation play out some more before making any rash decisions.

Sunset Shimmer then stood directly in front of the photographer-gone-crazy and said to her, "Photo Finish... I know what's going on here; I know you're not doing this out of your own free will. But I know what's REALLY making you do all of this, and I promise that I'll stop it!"

"Oh you do, do you?" asked Photo Finish. "In that case, just TRY and stop me!"

"Very well, then." The red and yellow girl then pointed straight at her and declared, "Photo Finish, I challenge you to a Duel!!" The others gasped when they heard her declare her sudden challenge.

"Hmmm... I see. So you aren't just blowing smoke, are you?" inquired Photo. "You DO know what is at work here... Otherwise, you wouldn't have even thought of challenging me to a Duel."

"Exactly." stated Sunset. "So what do you say? Do you accept the challenge?"

"If that is what you wish, then so be it!" replied the sky-blue girl. "But if I win, I stay and continue my work within this room!"

"Fine by me." the red and yellow girl said back. "But if I win, you leave immediately. No excuses." Photo Finish nodded to say that she accepted the terms. Sunset then took out her backpack and pulled out a device from it: It was her Duel Pad, which she immediately strapped onto her left arm. "Activating Duel Pad!" she shouted as the device unfolded its card tray. She then took out her Duel Gazer and placed it over her left eye. "Duel Gazer, activate!" she then chanted.

Photo Finish pulled out her black-colored Duel Pad and placed it on her arm. She then appeared to turn a dial on the left side of her shades, which caused the left lens to turn from light blue, to a bright green; Photo Finish's Duel Gazer was built into her shades, and the dial she turned activated it. Once both of their Duel Gazers were activated, a computerized voice then said, "AR Vision Link established." A digital copy of the locker room was then projected as the two Duelists drew their opening hands.

"LET'S DUEL!!" they both shouted to each other (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000) (Photo Finish: LP 4,000).

As Sunset and Photo began their Duel against one another, the remainder of the group had gotten out their Duel Gazers so that they could watch what was going on (in Hoity Toity's case, he had his Duel Gazer built into his shades, just like Photo Finish). "I don't understand..." the teacher began to say. "Why, pretell, is Ms. Shimmer dueling Ms. Finish?"

"I'm not totally sure," Rainbow Dash replied, "but there's something eerily familiar about this whole thing..."

"How so?" asked Flash Sentry.

"Well, not too long ago, Sunset was dueling Octavia, just like she is right now with Photo Finish." the cyan girl explained. "At the time, Octy wasn't acting like herself at all... She was going completely crazy, and nobody knew why. But then, after Sunset beat her, she was back to her normal, kinda boring self again."

"So, is that why she's dueling Photo Finish right now?" asked Scootaloo.

"Maybe..." Rainbow figured. "I suppose we'll see soon enough..." The rest of the group then glanced back towards Sunset and Photo Finish in order to watch their Duel.

"If you don't mind," started the red and yellow girl, "I'll make the first move!" She then took out a card from her hand and said, "I Summon Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" After placing it onto the card tray, a large, green disk with white spots and some sort of smiley face materialized in front of her (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"You know that you cannot attack on your first turn, so why did you play that in Attack Mode?" asked Photo Finish.

"Simple:" Sunset began to explain. "By Normal Summoning Nebra Disk, I can now take any Chronomaly card I want from my Deck! And I choose the Spell Card, Chronomaly Technology." After making that move, she then stated, "Next, I'll discard Chronomaly Crystal Skull from my hand to use its effect, allowing me to take any Chronomaly monster from my Deck or my Graveyard. And I choose Chronomaly Moai."

"She must be setting up something for later..." noted Flash.

"Probably a good idea." said Rainbow Dash. "I don't think Sunset's ever dueled Photo Finish before, so she probably has never seen what kinda Deck she uses."

Taking one last card out of her hand, Sunset Shimmer then said to her opponent, "I'll set one card facedown, ending my turn."

"Then it is my turn! I draw!" said Photo Finish, drawing a card from the top of her Deck. After placing it into her hand, she then said, "I'll set one card facedown as well. And then I will Summon my Illuminating Shutterbug in Attack Mode!"

The monster that Photo Finish brought out appeared to be a humanoid robot of some sort, with cameras for hands, as well as a camera built into its chest area (Illuminating Shutterbug: Level 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1100).

"And don't bother trying to use your facedown card to save you, Ms. Shimmer!" Photo informed her. "When my monster attacks, it prevents you from activating your Trap Cards until the battle is over!"

(Crud... that means my monster's wide open to attack...) the otherworldly girl thought to herself.

"Now, go! Illuminating Shutterbug!!" shouted the sky-blue teen. "Attack Nebra Disk!! Photogenic Laser!!" Photo Finish's robot monster then pointed its cameras straight towards Sunset's monster, letting out a bright flash from all three of them. The light was so intense, it caused Sunset and her audience to shield their eyes. Unfortunately for Nebra Disk, it had no hands to cover its... face with, so it received the full force of the attack and was destroyed.

Once the light died down, Sunset Shimmer and the others opened their eyes, and the red and yellow girl let out a tired sigh (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 100 = 3,900). "Is that all you've got?" she asked her opponent.

"For now, but I promise that there shall be more magics to come." the photographer said as she ended her turn.

"Then it's my turn!" stated Sunset. "I draw!!" She then looked at the card she got, and was pleased by what she saw. "Time for something new, then." she said as she examined her hand and took out a card from it. "Now, since you have a monster on your side of the field and I don't," she said to Photo Finish, "I can Special Summon this monster from my hand! I play Oracle of the Sun in Defense Mode!"

Sunset's new monster appeared to be some sort of Incan priest. He wore several robes that were colored red, white, and grey, a gold hat with two wings attached to it, and he held a staff with several white feathers on it. On the front of his robe was a large sun emblem (Oracle of the Sun: Level 5 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000).

"And since that was a Special Summoning, I can still Normal Summon a monster this turn." the red and yellow girl then said. "So now I'll Summon Supay in Attack Mode!" The teen's second monster was a wooden mask with two horns sticking out of it, and had all sorts of markings upon it, including a pair of blue and red eyes (Supay: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 100).

"But those two monsters aren't strong enough to fight that camera guy." said Scootaloo.

"No, but Sunset might be trying to use those monsters to call out something from her Extra Deck instead." said Flash.

"But her monsters don't have the same Level." the magenta-haired girl argued. "She can't use them to bring out an Xyz Monster..."

"True, but that ain't what she's gonna do." Rainbow Dash informed her. "Just watch and you'll see what I mean, Scoots."

Photo Finish huffed a little and told Sunset Shimmer, "Sorry, Ms. Shimmer, but those two monsters do not scare me in the slightest."

"They're not supposed to." the otherworldly girl informed her opponent. "They're here to call up something that WILL scare you." She then shouted, "I tune my Level 1 Supay to my Level 5 Oracle of the Sun!" After making that announcement, Supay turned itself into a small, white light that shot up into the sky, coming back down in the form of a green ring that surrounded itself around Oracle of the Sun, turning him into five smaller lights (Level 1 + Level 5 = Level 6).

"Dragon deity of the Moon, calm the chaos!" Sunset chanted. "Give rest to the weary with your soothing night breeze! Synchro Summon!" At that moment, a large column of light engulfed the ring and the five lights completely. "Show yourself! Level 6! Moon Dragon Quilla!"

Out from the column of light, a glowing blue stone with a face engraved upon it emerged and took its place on the field. Then out from the stone came four blue dragon heads with long, purple necks, snarling and ready to battle (Moon Dragon Quilla: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"A Synchro Summoning?!" asked a surprised Photo Finish.

"What did she just do?" asked Scootaloo.

"Sunset's Deck isn't just for Xyz Summons." Flash informed her. "She also has lots of cards that support Synchro Summoning as well..."

*******************************

Synchro Monsters:

Synchro Monsters, which have white-colored frames, are a type of Monster Card that can be used in a player's Extra Deck. In order to Special Summon a Synchro Monster from the Extra Deck (called a Synchro Summon), you must have (in most cases) one Tuner Monster, and one or more non-Tuner Monsters face-up on your field; these are called Synchro Materials. In addition, the combined Levels of all of the Synchro Materials must equal the Level of the Synchro Monster you are attempting to Summon. If these conditions are met, send all of the Synchro Materials to the Graveyard, then place the Synchro Monster you wish to Summon on the field, in face-up Attack or Defense Position.

*******************************

"Alright! Now Sunset's got a super-strong monster on the field to fight with!" said Rainbow Dash. "Go ahead and let 'er have it!" she cheered to her friend.

"It'd be my pleasure!" said the red and yellow girl. She then gave out her order to her Synchro Monster, telling it, "Go, Moon Dragon Quilla! Attack her monster with your Lunar Streams!!" The dragon heard the order and charged up energy inside of each of her four mouths. Then, each of them fired a large ray at Illuminating Shutterbug, vaporizing it and turning it into nothing more than a charred smudge on the tile floor.

The rest of the attack then hit Photo Finish, depleting some of her Life Points (Photo Finish: LP 4,000 - 600 = 3,400). Then, the sky-blue girl shouted, "I activate my Trap Card! Trade-In Special!" After her card flipped face up, she then told Sunset, "Since you just destroyed a Machine-Type monster on my side of the field, I can then banish it from the Graveyard and Summon two Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monsters to the field to replace it! So now I Summon two Tripodbots from my hand to the field in Defense Mode!"

After playing her cards, she then brought forth two smaller robots that walked on three, pointy, metal legs, and had tall, neck-like posts with a camera on the top (Tripodbot [x2]: Level 3 / ATK 1450 / DEF 400).

(Two Level 3 monsters, huh...?) Sunset thought to herself. (That means she must be planning to Xyz Summon a Rank 3 monster on her next turn...) Having no other moves left, the otherworldly girl ended her turn.

"It's my turn! I draw!!" declared Photo Finish. After drawing her card, she then gave off a sinister smirk. "Perfect... now I have exactly what I need to vanquish you!"

"Vanquish?? Uh oh..." said Scootaloo, getting a bit worried.

Rainbow Dash started getting a little worried as well, mostly because something about Photo Finish's attitude at the moment was both very creepy... and very familiar. Mr. Toity was also concerned about his best student, wondering what could have come over her.

"I activate this Spell Card from my hand: Quick Star: LV 3!" the photographer announced. "Since I have two monsters on my field with equal Levels, this card will raise both of their Levels by three!" (Tripodbot [x2]: Level 3 + 3 = Level 6)

"L-Level 6??" asked Sunset Shimmer, surprised. (Now she can bring out a Rank 6 Xyz Monster!) she then pondered to herself. (This isn't good...)

"I now overlay my two Level 6 Tripodbots!" stated Photo Finish as her two monsters transformed into a pair of bright yellow lights. After that, a summoning portal appeared in front of her; it looked just like the summoning portal that Octavia had used to Summon her Number card, which Sunset immediately noticed. "With these two monsters, I can build the Overlay Network! Now prepare to bear witness to... the ULTIMATE MAGICS!!" The portal then let out a large light explosion, leaving behind a symbol that looked like the one under her right eye. "I Xyz Summon Number 25: Force Focus!!"

After her declaration, a large box-shaped object, along with two yellow lights, descended down from above. As it turned out, the box resembled a giant camera. The camera then began to open up and all sorts of other lenses and cords extended out of it, and its number symbol then appeared just below its biggest lens.

*******************************

Number 25: Force Focus:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine-Type/LIGHT/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2400)

2 Level 6 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up Level 5 or higher Effect Monster your opponent controls; negate the effects of that opponent's face-up monster, until the end of the turn.

*******************************

Sunset growled a bit upon seeing Photo Finish's monster. "I knew it..." she said to herself.

"What kinda card is that, Rainbow Dash?" asked Scootaloo. "I've never even heard of it!"

"Me neither..." added Flash, who was just as surprised as everyone else upon seeing the Xyz Monster's appearance.

Rainbow Dash stared at the huge camera-shaped monster, and then glanced over at Photo Finish, who was starting to act even creepier than before, cackling after she made her move. The cyan girl then saw that the 25 symbol under the photographer's eye began glowing even brighter than before. (This is just like before...) she thought. (When Octavia brought out one of those Number cards, she started acting even crazier than before the Duel started... Sunset was right: Those cards really ARE causing people to go nuts!)

"Now for my next move," began Photo Finish, "I'll play a Spell Card from my hand: 7 Completed! This Equip Spell will give 700 points to my monster's attack or defense points! And of course, I'll choose to raise its attack power!" After playing her card, a bright green energy flowed into her Number card and made it more powerful than before (Number 25: Force Focus: ATK 2800 + 700 = 3500).

(This isn't good... Those Numbers are super-tough to begin with, and she only made hers even tougher!) Sunset complained in her mind. (Luckily, if she DOES attack my Moon Dragon, I can use her effect to raise my Life Points by an amount that's equal to half of her attacking monster's attack points... I just hope that will be enough to help me get through this Duel...)

But the photographer chuckled and told her foe, "If you think I am not aware of your monster's abilities, you had better think again!" She then took out a card from underneath her Number card and declared, "I activate the effect of Force Focus! By using one of its Overlay Units, I can negate the effects of any Level 5 or above monster that you have on the field! And I choose your Moon Dragon Quilla!"

Sunset gasped when Photo's Xyz Monster absorbed one of its floating spheres (Number 25: Force Focus: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1) and let out a bright flash that was directed towards the red and yellow girl's Synchro Monster. The flash was so bright, everyone ducked their heads so as to avoid it. However, Sunset's dragon was hit with most of the flash, causing her to roar in pain and fall over forward to the ground.

"Now that that's taken care of," began the sky-blue girl, "I can attack without worry!" Pointing straight at Sunset's dragon, Photo shouted, "Go! Force Focus!! Attack Moon Dragon Quilla!!" The giant camera then charged up a powerful light beam and fired it right at the Synchro Monster, destroying her with one single blast and taking out a sizable chunk of Sunset's Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,900 - 1,000 = 2,900).

"Woah... that's definitely not good..." said Scootaloo.

"Yeah, if she can't defend herself on the next turn, she'll lose the Duel!" added Flash.

"Don't count her out of this just yet, guys." Rainbow told them. "Sunset'll find a way outta this mess, beat Photo, and stop that Number card from making her go crazy!"

Mr. Toity glanced over at Photo Finish, then at Sunset. He then mentally urged the otherworldly girl, (Please, Ms. Shimmer... Please help her...) It seemed as though the teacher was also convinced that his star student wasn't in control of her own actions.

"It's my turn..." Sunset told her opponent. "I draw!" After she drew her card, she glanced at it and began to think of what to do next. (Okay... it's a bit of a long shot, but I think this is probably my only chance to defeat that Number card and wipe out the rest of her Life Points.) She then took the card that she had just drawn and placed it facedown onto the field, saying, "First, I'll set a facedown card, and then I'll also activate the Spell Card Chronomally Technology!" After the digital version of the card appeared in front of her, Sunset then informed Photo Finish, "After banishing Chronomaly Crystal Skull from my Graveyard, I can see the top two cards on my Deck; one goes to my hand, the other, to the Graveyard."

The others watched as the red and yellow girl did just that, taking one of the two cards into her hand and placing the other in the Graveyard slot. "Whad'ya think she's doing?" asked Scootaloo.

"Hopefully, she has some sort of plan for a counterattack going right now..." said Flash Sentry.

After resolving her Spell Card, Sunset then announced, "Next, I Special Summon Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem from my hand, which I can do after I play a Chronomaly Spell Card on the same turn." She then played her card in Defense Position, bringing out a red, humanoid-like statue to the field in front of her (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"In addition," the otherworldly girl added, "since the only monsters I control at the moment are Chronomaly monsters, I can activate the effect of Nebra Disk in the Graveyard, allowing me to bring it back to the field in Defense Mode!" At that moment, Sunset's green, disk-shaped monster emerged from a dark-violet portal that appeared in front of her. Taking one more card from her hand, she then finished her move, stating, "Last, but not least, I'll set one monster facedown in Defense Mode." After placing the card facedown and horizontally on her Duel Pad, an image of a facedown monster appeared onto her field.

"So you're building up your defenses to try and hold out until you find a way to overcome my Number card?" asked Photo Finish, smirking evilly. "You're just wasting your time; nothing you have can stop Force Focus!" Photo then drew her next card and shouted, "I Summon Mechanicalchaser in Attack Mode!!".

She then played the card she just drew, bringing out a green, sphere-shaped robotic monster. It had a sword built directly on the bottom of it, it had six long, thin arms, each one holding some sort of weapon, and a pair of steel wings on its back (Mechanicalchaser: Level 4 / ATK 1850 / DEF 800).

"Now go, Force Focus!!" Photo Finish announced. "Attack her Nebra Disk!!" The giant camera monster then charged up its laser and fired it, aiming it right at Sunset's frisbee-shaped monster.

"That won't work a second time, Photo Finish!!" the otherworldly girl yelled back. Tapping her Duel Pad's touchscreen, she declared, "I activate Negate Attack!!" One of her facedown cards then revealed itself, and its power went into effect right away.

*******************************

Negate Attack:
(Counter Trap Card)

When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.

*******************************

After Sunset flipped her Trap Card face-up, a large vortex manifested itself in front of Nebra Disk, absorbing the laser that Force Focus fired and saving the red and yellow girl's monster from being destroyed. Photo Finish grumbled and said, "That just buys you one turn! That's all it does!!"

Sunset Shimmer then drew her next card, smiled and said, "You're absolutely right: I only get one more turn. But that's all I need to beat you!"

"You lie!" protested the photographer.

"Wanna bet?" Sunset then declared, "I release my facedown monster, Apocatequil, in order to Tribute Summon Chronomaly Winged Sphinx!" The girl's facedown monster then disappeared in a plume of smoke as a large, stone creature flew through the roof above. It resembled the Sphinx statue in Egypt, but it also had a pair of long wings constructed onto its sides, though how it was able to fly with them was a mystery (Chronomaly Winged Sphinx: Level 5 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1900). "Now," the red and yellow teen added, "after Chronomaly Winged Sphinx is Tribute Summoned, I can use its effect to bring back any Level 5 Chronomaly monster from my Graveyard."

"I'm afraid that I cannot let you do that!" Photo said to her foe. "I use Force Focus's effect once more and negate Winged Sphinx's effect!" The giant camera monster then absorbed its remaining Overlay Unit (Number 25: Force Focus: OLU: 1 - 1 = 0) and let out another flash, causing Sunset's newly Summoned monster to lose most of its power. "There!! Now you don't have any way to fight back! This Duel will be over and you will fall before my dueling magics!!"

But the photographer then noticed something strange: Sunset wasn't worried at all, in fact, she was actually chuckling a bit. The red and yellow teenager smirked and told her opponent, "You did just what I was hoping you'd do, Photo Finish..."

"What do you mean...?!"

"I said that Winged Sphinx had an ability to bring back one of my monsters." the otherworldly girl reminded Photo. "But I never said that I was activating it."

"Huh?!? What?!?" was all that the silver-haired girl could reply with.

"I knew you'd try and stop my monster's effect if I used it," Sunset explained, "so I tricked you into using up your monster's other Overlay Unit! That way, you wouldn't be able to stop me from making my next move!"

"Oh no...!" Photo Finish said after hearing that.

"I don't need to use Winged Sphinx's effect;" Sunset stated. "I have another way of bringing out another Level 5 monster!" Taking out another card from her hand, she then declared, "Now, since I control at least one Chronomaly monster, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Moai in Defense Mode!" After placing the card onto the tray, the girl's Easter Island head-like monster appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600).

"Oh no!! She has two Level 5 monsters on the field!!" Photo then looked at her Number card and added, "And without any Overlay Units, I have no way of stopping her!"

"I overlay Winged Sphinx and Moai, both Level 5!!" shouted Sunset Shimmer as her two monsters transformed into a pair of orange lights and were sucked up into a galaxy-like summoning portal. "With these monsters," she continued, "I can build the Overlay Network!! I Xyz Summon Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech!!!" The portal then exploded, leaving behind a purple-colored 33 mark on the tile floor in front of her. Then, crashing through the roof above came Sunset's fortress-like Number card (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: Rank 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Sh-she has a Number card as well?!" Photo Finish asked herself in shock.

"Woah..." said Scootaloo. "That thing looks so cool!!"

Flash Sentry was also pretty surprised by the emergence of Sunset's Number card. "Where'd Sunset get a card that powerful? I've never even heard of it before..."

Rainbow smirked and said, "This shouldn't take much longer. Sunset's got that shutterbug on the ropes now!"

The otherworldly girl then said to her opponent, "I activate the effect of Chronomaly Machu Mech! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can damage your Life Points by an amount equal to the difference between Force Focus's original attack power and its current attack power!"

The sky-blue teenager gasped as one of Machu Mech's swirling orbs phased into a pillar (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU: 2 -1 = 1). This then caused several cannons to come out of the fortress and aim themselves right at her, firing a blast that took out some of Photo Finish's Life Points. "Ack!!!!" she screamed upon taking the hit (Photo Finish: LP: 3,400 - 700 = 2,700).

"That's not all:" Sunset then told her. "After Machu Mech damages you with its effect, it then absorbs the Life Points you lost and turns them into attack points for itself!" (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 2400 + 700 = 3100)

"It's still not enough to defeat Force Focus, Ms. Shimmer!" reminded the silver-haired teen. "And even if you attack my Mechanicalchaser, you won't be able to deplete all of my Life Points!"

"Trust me, I'm aware of that." the red and yellow girl stated. "But I'm not quite finished with my move yet." She then shouted, "Now, I overlay Aztec Mask Golem and Nebra Disk, both Level 4, to build ANOTHER Overlay Network!!"

"What?! She is Xyz Summoning again?!" asked Photo, shocked.

Sunset Shimmer's Aztec Mask Golem and Nebra Disk transformed into an orange light and a yellow light, respectively before being drawn into another galaxy-like portal, which let out another light explosion. "I Xyz Summon... Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk!!" shouted the otherworldly girl as she played her second Number card. The explosion from the portal revealed a red 80 on the floor and brought out a large armored man wearing a purple cape (Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk: Rank 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 1200 / OLU 2).

Photo Finish began shaking a little, as she did not expect this move on Sunset's part. "How... how is this possible?! She has TWO Number cards?!? This must be some sort of trick!!!"

Rainbow Dash gasped a little, saying, "No way... she just summoned the Number card that Octavia used against her!"

"Okay... that's it. I can't deny it anymore." said Scootaloo. "Sunset just got a WHOLE lot cooler."

"Now I activate the effect of Rhapsody in Berserk!" Sunset Shimmer announced. "With it, I can equip him to any other Xyz Monster I control, raising its attack power by 1,200 points!" The newly-summoned Number then performed a mighty leap onto the top of Machu Mech, pressed its giant hand upon the top of the fortress, and transferring its power to its ally (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 3100 + 1200 = 4300).

"This can't be!" protested Photo Finish, getting worried. "Now it's stronger than EITHER of my monsters! I don't have any choice but to defend on my next turn!"

"Sorry, but I won't even let you do that!" the red and yellow girl told her. She then tapped her touchscreen and shouted, "I play the Quick-Play Spell Card, Limiter Removal!!!"

"NO!!! Not that!!!" screamed the sky blue girl in shock and fear.

"Now, for the rest of the turn," Sunset explained, "this card doubles the attack power of all of my face-up Machine-Type monsters, giving me more than I need to defeat your Force Focus and win the Duel!!" The card's power then flowed into Machu Mech, surrounding it with a firey red aura (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 4300 x 2 = 8600).

"Alright!! This is it!!" cheered Rainbow Dash, knowing that her friend was about to making her finishing move.

"Go!! Chronomaly Mach Mech!!! Destroy Force Focus with your Meteor Meltdown!!" ordered the black jacket-clad teenager. The Xyz Monster then aimed its many, many cannons at Photo's Number card and fired, turning the camera-shaped monster into an unrecognizable pile of scrap metal.

The remainder of the blast hit Photo Finish directly, causing her to scream and fall on her back hard. And with that, the Duel was over (Photo Finish: LP 2,700 - 5,100 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"Alright!! She did it!!" cheered Scootaloo, pumping a fist into the air. "Sunset beat her!!"

"Great job, Sunset!!" Flash added.

"Yeah, that was awesome!!" chimed in Rainbow. "Photo didn't even know what hit her!!"

Mr. Toity said nothing, but he was also happy. Both for Sunset's impressive victory, and the fact that she was able to stop whatever caused Photo Finish's sudden change in behavior.

Sunset then sighed out of relief, and then noticed something else was happening; her key was now glowing. "My necklace..." she said to herself. "It's glowing again... just like it did when I beat Octavia." The red and yellow girl then glanced up at Photo Finish and saw a ball of light rise up from her chest.

"Um... what's that??." Flash asked upon seeing the light.

"I don't know..." Rainbow responded, "but this same thing happened with Octavia after Sunset beat her in a Duel..." Scootaloo and Hoity Toity didn't know what they were talking about; for some reason, they couldn't see the light sphere that was clearly visible to the others.

The otherworldly girl stared at the light for some time, thinking about the last time that she had seen this phenomenon. She then decided to reach her hand out, just like the last time. Sunset then saw that the light flew over towards her hand, just as she thought that it would. The light then shaped itself into a card, revealing itself as Photo Finish's Number card, Force Focus. In addition, the bluish glow from the photographer's shades turned back to their normal fuschia color, and the 25 mark under her eye disappeared.

"This is just like last time..." Sunset said to herself. "After I beat Octavia, I got her Number card... And now I have Photo Finish's card." She then began thinking to herself and deduced, "So that's it... Every time I defeat a Duelist with a Number card, I then get that card from them..."

Her inner monologue was suddenly interrupted when she and the others heard groaning sounds coming from Photo Finish. She put her hand up to her forehead as she got up, asking herself, "...What... happened...? Where am I...?" She then looked around the area and, realizing where she was, shouted, "What?! What's going on?! Why am I in the Boy's Locker Room?!? I could have sworn that I was in the Photography Lab!!"

"Uh... what's up with her?" asked Scootaloo, confused.

"I don't know..." stated Hoity Toity. "It is if she has no memory of what she was doing a moment ago..."

"...Maybe that's because that's exactly what happened." Rainbow figured.

"You serious?" asked Flash Sentry.

"I'm still not really sure how it's possible," the cyan girl told him and the others, "but if that Number card really was what was causing Photo t' go crazy, losing that card to Sunset turned her back to normal, and because of that, she might not remember much of what happened, if anything..." She then glanced at the rest of the group and said to them, "Unless you guys can think of any other reason... After all, she could be faking it to save face."

Mr. Toity then looked over at his star student, seeing for himself that she really didn't seem to know where she was or what had happened. It was enough to convince him that Photo Finish wasn't in control of herself earlier on, and that she did not mean to cause any trouble at all. He then walked over to her and said, "Ms. Finish, I am glad to see that you are okay."

"Mr. Toity...?" she then asked him. "What happened to me? Why am I in this room...?" She then gasped and inquired, "I wasn't sleepwalking again, was I?"

"Um... You might have been." the teacher said to her, though he still wasn't exactly sure about the cause of her strange actions. "But do not worry, everything will be okay. Now come on... let us get back to the Photo Lab. Class will be starting very soon."

"...Yes... okay, Mr. Toity..." Photo replied, still a bit groggy from the Duel she was in that she didn't seem to remember. The two of them left the locker room soon after.

Rainbow Dash then said to the others, "Well, I guess we'd better get out of here, too." Sniffing the air and wincing a little, she then added, "I've had enough of the smell of this place for quite a while."

"Right now, I'm just glad the smell in here is the only thing I need to worry about..." Sunset Shimmer told her friend.

"I'd better go and figure out where the rest of my classmates are and tell them that everything's okay here." said Flash Sentry, heading for the door. "I'll see you guys later!"

After Flash left, the three girls then left the locker room, making their way back to the Photo Lab. Scootaloo then glanced up at Sunset Shimmer and asked her, "Hey, Sunset... After school's done today, you think you could come over with me, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle and give us some dueling advice?"

"Really?" asked the red and yellow girl in slight surprise. "You really want me there?"

"Sure!" said the young orange girl. "We've just started a club for learning how to play Duel Monsters, and we could really use some help from an expert! Personally, I'd really like to learn more about that Synchro-thing that you did earlier; I thought it looked so cool!"

Sunset smiled warmly, happy to hear that someone actually wanted her to lend them a hand. She then nodded and said, "Sure. I'll be there."

"Great!" cheered Scootaloo. "I'll tell Bloom and Sweetie at Art Class! See ya there!" She then ran on ahead, heading to the Photo Lab.

The otherworldly girl smiled as Rainbow said to her, "Looks like somebody's got a new fan, huh?"

"Yeah, it sure seems like it." stated the red and yellow girl.

"And you didn't even have to scare her into liking you, either." the cyan girl added. Sunset then glanced over at her with narrowed eyes, causing Dash to say to her, "Uh, sorry about that..."

The otherworldly girl sighed and told her, "Eh, it's okay, Rainbow... Nowadays, I can kinda look back on those days and laugh a little about it."

"Uh, good t' know." Rainbow Dash then picked up the pace a little more and told her friend, "Anyway, I'll see ya in class."

"Okay... see you later." After the athletic teen left, Sunset Shimmer began thinking about what she had experienced so far. Looking at the three Number cards she now possessed, she then thought to herself, (Where did these things come from...? And why? All I know is that these things have proven themselves to be really dangerous... And it seems like I'm the only one that can stop them...) She then added to her monologue, saying to herself, "So every time I defeat a Number user, I get their Number card... But... what would happen if I lost to one of them? Would that mean that... I'd lose MY Numbers to them...?" The thought made the girl very uncomfortable; she decided not to think about it anymore and walked a bit faster to get to her class on time.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (3 Numbers total):

Number 25: Force Focus

RANK 4: Fashion Disaster:

Author's Note

This rank marks the first appearance of a main character's deck (besides Sunset's), as well as the first appearances of Celestia and Luna. What I have planned for the principals for this series will be interesting, to say the least. Anyway, enjoy the latest installment and feel free to tell me what you think of it!

RANK 4: Fashion Disaster:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Lately, Sunset Shimmer's skills in Duel Monsters have been put to the test when she encounters a series of powerful cards known simply as "Numbers". The cards, as well as the Duelists who use them, have shown themselves to be overwhelmingly powerful. However, the Number cards' powers have also been revealed to be dangerous as well: Octavia nearly caused bodily harm to her best friend, Vinyl Scratch, while under the influence of one of them. Only when she was defeated in a Duel and her Number taken away did she return to her normal, non-violent self.

She wasn't the only one to become corrupted by the power of a Number card: Photo Finish had obtained one some time after Octavia had found hers, and her desire to become a famous photographer nearly made her infamous as a Peeping Tom. Fortunately, Sunset was able to stop her, and managed to obtain her Number card after defeating her.

Now Sunset currently possesses three Number cards: Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk, Number 25: Force Focus, and the first one that she had found, Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. However, she still has no clue as to where they came from. All she knows is that she must try and stop these cards from causing any more trouble, as well as to prevent others from becoming corrupted by them... especially her best friends.

It was a cloudy night in the city of Canterlot: At 10:46 p.m., most of the city's residents, as well as those who lived in the suburbs, were already getting ready to go to sleep. It was a Sunday night, so the young otherworldly teenager, Sunset Shimmer, went to stay at a friend's house for the night. Tonight, she decided to stay over at Rainbow Dash's place for a sleepover. Of course, right now, sleeping was the last thing on their minds at the moment...

"Ha! I got it!" shouted the cyan teenager as she and Sunset were playing a video game. "Did ya see that?! I got to the top of the flagpole!"

"Yeah... by bouncing off of MY head." the red and yellow girl reminded her.

"Hey, all's fair in love and war." Rainbow Dash told her. "When it comes to a competition, I don't hold ANYTHING back."

"Except this isn't a competition, Rainbow... This is Co-op Mode." Sunset told her friend. "Co-op! As in the first four letters of the word, 'cooperation'?!"

"Yeesh, you don't hafta yell, Sunset... I'm right here." The athletic girl then asked Sunset, "What's gotten under your skin today?"

The otherworldly girl sighed as she put down the controller before saying, "Sorry... it's just that I've been a bit tense lately, you know?"

"About what?" asked Rainbow Dash. "You mean those Number cards?"

Sunset nodded as she took out her deck box and pulled out the three Numbers that she had. "I still haven't figured out where these things came from..." she stated. "I've looked everywhere for information about them: I've talked to other collectors, searched through the Internet, and practically everything in between. But no one's seemed to have ever heard of these cards. By all accounts, they shouldn't exist."

"Woah... that's weird..." Rainbow commented.

"All I know so far is that if someone comes into contact with one of them, they start acting like a completely different person..." the red and yellow girl then said, "And there's also something else; when I found my first Number card, it was totally blank. But then, right after I picked it up, a picture appeared on it all of a sudden."

"You know, now that I think about it," the cyan teen spoke up, "doesn't it seem a little strange that the Number cards that Octy and Photo had seemed to be like... I dunno, the absolute perfect cards for them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's start with Octy's card..." Rainbow replied, pointing to the card in question. "She called it, 'Rhapsody in Berserk'. Doesn't rhapsody have somethin' to do with music?"

"Yeah, it's a musical term." answered Sunset Shimmer. "It's an instrumental composition of irregular form."

"Uh, yeah... sure." The athletic girl then added, "Not only that, but when me and AJ were takin' her to the nurse, she mentioned that the last thing she remembered before picking up that card was that she was annoyed by something that Vinyl had been doing at the time."

"That would explain why Octavia started attacking Vinyl..." noted the otherworldly girl. She then gasped as she picked up her most recent Number card. "That's not all! What about the card Photo Finish had? Force Focus?"

"You mean the one that made her start taking pictures of guys in the Boys Locker Room?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Uh huh." Sunset then looked at the two Number cards that they were talking about and said, "These cards were all originally blank, but after somepon-er, somebody picks one up, it takes on a new form..." Thinking about it for a while, she then hypothesized, "I think I get it now... The Numbers must transform themselves based on the desires and feelings of the person who finds them... Octavia loves classical music, and at the time, she was annoyed at Vinyl Scratch... And Photo Finish desires to be a professional photographer someday... So the Numbers took on forms that best represented the two of them at the time!"

"Woah, really?" asked Rainbow. "Are you sure?"

"Not completely, but it seems to make the most sense." the red and yellow teen answered her friend. "But without a way to test that theory, that's all it will ever be."

"So, if that is true..." the cyan teen began, "then what about your Number card? The big fort-thingy?"

"Chronomaly Machu Mech?" asked Sunset. She then looked at the card that she had found in Applejack's house, and tried to figure out what had happened that day that would have given it the form that it had. But she couldn't recall anything of the sort. "I'm not really sure, to be honest..." she told her. "I never really gave it any thought... But if I could harbor a guess, I think that it might have something to do with you and the rest of our friends."

"Whad'ya mean?"

"Well, ever since Twilight came here and taught me about the Magic of Friendship, and after all of you were willing to give me a chance, I've always treasured the bond that we still have today..." she answered. "And since then, I've been doing whatever I could do to protect that bond from anyone that wanted cause us harm, in one way or another... It's kind of a long shot, but that feeling could be comparable to that of... well, a fortress. One that's strong enough to stand up to anything that's thrown at it... But I'm still not totally sure if that is the reason that my Number card has the form that it has."

"I'd say it does." Rainbow Dash told her very confidently. "No doubt about it. If you truly feel that strongly about me and the others, there's no way that your card could ever become anything else."

Sunset smiled after hearing that Rainbow Dash was quite sure about her theory without even giving it a second thought. Still, she sighed a bit and told her friend, "But, like I said, I'm not completely sure that Numbers become what they are because of that... If only there was a way I could test out my hypothesis..."

"Hmmmm..." hummed the athletic teen, trying to think of a way that Sunset could figure out the Number cards' mysterious powers. Just then, her eyes caught sight of a small, glowing light from out of her bedroom window. "Hey... what's that?" she asked, pointing at the blinking light.

"What's what?" asked Sunset Shimmer, looking out the window as well. She, too, saw the light; the otherworldly girl saw that it was coming from the sidewalk right in front of the house. "Is that what I think it is?"

"What DO you think it is?" asked Rainbow.

"Let's go and check it out, just to be sure." suggested the red and yellow girl. The two of them slowly and quietly exited the bedroom and began heading out the front door.

The pair walked outside and closed the front door behind them. Rainbow Dash borrowed a flashlight so that they could see in the dark as they both headed towards the blinking light. Once they got up close, they saw a Duel Monsters card on the sidewalk, but there was no picture on it. "Just as I thought..." muttered Sunset.

"What is that?" asked Rainbow. "Is that one of those Number cards, Sunset?"

"I think so..." the otherworldly girl answered. "This is exactly what the first one looked like before I picked it up." Looking over at her friend, she instructed her, "You stay back... I'll go and take the card."

"Are you sure about that?" asked the rainbow-haired girl out of concern. "What if that card causes you to go crazy like Octy and Photo?"

"I don't think it will." Sunset informed her. "If that were the case, I'd already be doing that after I got the first one... For some reason, whatever it is that those Numbers do to people doesn't work on me. So I should be fine... I hope."

Rainbow Dash was still a bit concerned, but decided to put her faith in Sunset Shimmer. "Alright then..." she said to her. "Just... be careful, okay?"

Sunset nodded and began moving her slipper-clad feet towards the glowing card. She then bent down and stared at it for some time, still somewhat nervous. Finally, she mustered the courage to follow through with her actions and slowly took the card from off of the ground. At that moment, Sunset's key necklace began to glow and surrounded her with a bright light. It was so bright, Rainbow had to cover her eyes so as not to blind herself from looking at it too long. Then, as quickly as it came, the glow faded.

"Hey! Are you alright??" asked the cyan teen.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine..." Sunset said to her friend, wiping some sweat from her forehead. She then looked at the card and exclaimed, "H-hey! Look!!"

The pair looked at the glowing card as an image began to form upon it. Strange text began appearing on the card, followed by a picture of a glowing, blue orb.

"Woah... awesome..." commented Rainbow Dash, impressed by what she saw.

Sunset Shimmer stared at the new Number card, also impressed by its appearance. She then looked at the top of the card and read the name out-loud: "...Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk..."

"So is this what happened when you got your first Number, Sunset?" asked the athletic teen.

"...Sort of." answered the red and yellow girl. "Machu Mech did this when I first got it, but it also had this purple fog surrounding it, it gave me a really bad headache... and I could swear that I heard a voice in my head; and it wasn't a pleasant one, either." She then glanced at the card again and added, "But this time was different: This time... no voices, no fog, not even a slight migraine... I don't get it..."

"Well, let's try and figure it out some other time..." suggested Rainbow Dash. "It's gettin' pretty dark, and I know my folks'll flip out if I stayed up too late tonight."

"Yeah, good idea. Let's get some sleep and we can try and figure it all out later." Sunset agreed as she pocketed the new Number card before they both headed back into the house.

Several days later, on a Thursday afternoon to be precise, Rarity was hard at work; she was designing several dresses for both her and her friends for an event that would take place tomorrow night. It was none other than the Fall Formal, one of the biggest events in Canterlot High School. The fashion-forward teen wanted to make sure that everything was perfect before the big night.

Rarity made some slight adjustments to one of the dresses; it was orange on the top part, and blue with a starry background on the bottom, lined with a golden yellow design along the very bottom of the skirt. "Hmmm... I think that should just about do it..." said the violet-haired girl. "It's so hard designing fancy dresses for Rainbow Dash, since she doesn't like wearing them for whatever reason." She then glanced over to her side, where Sunset Shimmer was sitting on a stool in front of a large, pink vanity. "Sunset, darling... what do you think of it? I could use a second opinion."

"I think she'll be able to tolerate it, Rarity." the red and yellow girl answered her. "And considering her attitude towards dresses, that's the best you can get from her."

"I suppose so." stated Rarity. Turning back to the rest of the dresses, she then added, "I still wish you would go with us to the Fall Formal this year... It just wouldn't feel right if you weren't there with us. Not to mention that the dress that I made for you would go to waste..."

"I told you, Rarity... I'm not going." Sunset responded, sighing. "I'd rather not show my face there after how awful things went last year..."

"But that's all in the past, Sunset dear." the fashionista reminded her. "You've changed a great deal since then; you've done everything you could do to be a better person than you used to be, and now everyone else is finally able to see how truly nice you are now."

"I know that... and I'm glad that everyone at school's not treating me like a social outcast anymore..." the otherworldly girl replied. "But I'd still rather not show up at the Fall Formal... I just know that some people are going to say stuff about me behind my back when I'm there..."

"Well, so what if they do?" asked Rarity. "You should never be worried about insignificant things like that. Even if some people still do not think highly of you, you know in your heart that you're a good person now, and that's the only opinion that should matter to you. And you should not let little things like that ever prevent you from being able to enjoy yourself."

"...I guess you make a good point." admitted the uneasy girl.

"So, please... come with us all tomorrow night." Rarity implored her. "You'll have a great time, I promise you."

Sunset still wasn't sure if going to the Fall Formal was a good idea or not. But in the end, she just couldn't say "no" to one of her best friends. She sighed a bit, smiled, and said to her, "Alright, Rarity... I'll go with you guys."

"Oh, how MARVELOUS!!" cheered the fashionista excitedly. "I'm so glad that you changed your mind!"

Sunset nodded, but then told her, "I'll go to the dance... But I'm NOT running for Fall Formal Princess. As far as I'm concerned, I'm done with that forever."

"If you insist." agreed the violet-haired girl. "I won't try and force you to do that if you do not want to." She then hummed a little and added, "Although... I think I might try for that title myself... Though, it has absolutely nothing to do with you not being in the running; I was planning on getting nominated whether or not you were a contender..."

"No, it's okay with me." the red and yellow girl told her. "If you want to try and be the Princess this year, go for it."

"Okay then." Rarity replied. "Thank you for saying that. I just didn't want you to think I was being insensitive..."

"I know you're not like that, Rarity." Sunset informed her. "And if you do get nominated, you can count on my vote."

The violet-haired fashionista smiled upon hearing that Sunset would support her. Turning back over to her dresses, the violet-haired teen said to her, "Now, let's get you fitted for your dress and make sure it's absoLUTELY perfect! We have so much to do and too little time!" The otherworldly girl nodded and headed to the dressing rooms, with Rarity close behind.

The next school day came and went as usual; after classes were done for the day, Sunset and her friends (minus Rarity) headed out the front door. Normally, they would have gone to watch the other students participate in Duels, but with the upcoming Fall Formal looming ahead, everyone was busy getting ready for the event, including Sunset and the others.

"So you decided to go after all, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked Sunset Shimmer when the latter brought up the conversation that she had with Rarity the other day.

"Yeah, she talked me into it." answered the otherworldly girl. "I said that I'd go, but I'm still not going to participate in the Fall Formal Princess Election. It just brings up too many bad memories..."

"It's okay if y'all don't want to be the Princess." Applejack told her. "We're just happy that you're gonna be there with us tonight instead of staying by yerself at the shelter."

"Yeah! You're gonna have a GREAT time, Sunnie!" Pinkie Pie assured her. "I just can't wait to get into that snack table! The fruit punch, the giant cake, the brownies with the little festive autumn sprinkles on top... Pinch me, I must be dreaming..." Pinkie then looked around at her friends to see if any of them would actually pinch her. "Really? Nobody?" she asked. "Then I'll just pinch myself, then!" And she did just that, grasping some skin from her right arm. "Ow! ...Ow! ...Ow!" The silly girl then just kept on pinching herself and saying "Ow!" over and over again.

Ignoring Pinkie for the moment, Fluttershy then asked, "So where's Rarity...? Isn't she coming with us to help us get our dresses for tonight?"

"Don'tcha remember, Sugarcube?" Applejack then asked the animal-loving teenager. "She's headin' the Decoratin' Committee; She and a buncha others volunteered to pretty up the Gym for the dance."

"Oh... that's right, I forgot. I'm sorry..." Fluttershy apologized.

"It's okay." Sunset told them. "Rarity said she'd be there for a while, so she gave me the key to the closet where she put all of our dresses; that way, we can go and get them now."

"I just hope she didn't make mine too prissy and cutesy like she usually does..." Rainbow said with a groan.

"I think you'll be fine with it." the red and yellow girl told her cyan friend. "I saw what yours looked like, and I think even you'd be able to put up with it for a couple of hours." The rest of the group gave out a brief chuckle as they made their way to Carousel Boutique to get their outfits for the night.

Back in Canterlot High's Gymnasium, Rarity was busy setting up every decoration for the Fall Formal tonight. She and several other students had carefully placed every banner, table, speaker, streamer, and many other pretty things in just the right places and in just the right amount. The violet-haired teen was really giving those helping her a good workout, but she was fair and did handle some things by herself.

Once the last banner was hung up in place, Rarity then told everybody, "Okay, I think that will do it."

"I've gotta say, I love how you put everything together." said a girl with mint-green skin and hair with stripes of an even lighter green and white. "The decor looks even better than last year."

"I agree, Lyra." said another girl. This one had pale yellow skin with swirly hair in pink and indigo stripes. She then glanced over at Rarity and asked, "Speaking of last year, Rarity... Is that... friend of yours coming tonight?"

"Which one, Bon Bon?" asked the fashionista. "Do you mean Sunset?"

"Yeah, her..." the pale yellow girl.

"Well, she didn't want to go at first," Rarity informed her, "but I convinced her that she should go with me and the rest of my friends."

"Look, no offense, Rare," began Lyra, "but I still don't completely trust her. I mean, she did do some pretty bad things during the last Fall Formal."

"Now, look... I've told you many times already:" the violet-haired teen said to them. "Sunset's not that kind of person anymore, and she never will be again. You might not believe it, but she's done her best to change since last year, and she's done quite a good job at it."

"I... guess so..." replied Bon Bon. "She DID help out a lot when those Dazzling chicks tried to brainwash the whole school with their creepy, yet kinda catchy music..."

"I dunno... I'm still not letting my guard down around her, though..." stated the mint-green girl, still not totally convinced.

"You two can do whatever you wish," Rarity said to the pair, "but I would appreciate it if you did not speak ill about any of my friends. If you two really believe yourselves to be better people than Sunset, then you would know not to make such unflattering comments behind her back."

"Darn it... she's got a point..." Lyra grumbled a little.

"Fine, we promise." Bon Bon said to Rarity. "But we're only doing it for you; not for her."

"Have it your way..." the violet-haired girl responded with a sigh. She then looked back at the decorations and told them, "Anyway, you two can go home and get yourselves ready for tonight; I'll handle the rest of the finer details on my own."

"Okay. Later, Rarity." said Lyra as she and Bon Bon left the Gym.

After the pair left, Rarity sighed sadly to herself and thought, (What is it going to take for everyone to see that Sunset has truely changed her ways?) She then did her best to smile to herself and continued to ponder, (Well, I suppose that not everyone can see Sunset the way my friends and I do... And in the end, that's their loss, not ours. But enough worrying about things like that; I just have a few little things left to take care of, and then I can be on my way...)

Rarity walked towards the stage at the back of the Gym that had already been set up, checking to make sure that everything was in its proper place. As she did, she suddenly glanced over and saw something on the smooth, hardwood floor nearby. "What is that...?" she asked herself, walking over to it. "A piece of paper...?" She picked it up and added to her soliloquy, saying, "This simply will not do; I cannot have randomly discarded trash all over the floor just before the Fall Formal begins!"

But then, without warning, a purple haze began to surround the blank paper which then spread around Rarity's body. Just then, she began to suffer from an intense migraine. "AAAGGGHHH!!! What's going on?!? W-why is my head hurting so much...?!?"

"Yes, Rarity... Let the Number take hold..." said a deep and sinister voice in her head.

Rarity gasped upon hearing that. "N-N-NUMBER?!?" she exclaimed in fear. "Don't tell me...!! This is one of those-!" But she was unable to finish her sentence as the cloud engulfed her completely and she fell down onto her knees. After the bizarre event, the blank paper displayed the image of a jewel-encrusted crab, and a yellow symbol resembling the number 52 began to glow on the fashionista's forehead.

Rarity opened her eyes, which were now glowing the same yellow color as the symbol on her head. She then glanced left, then right, looking at all of the decorations that she and the other students had already set up. "These decorations..." she muttered softly. "They simply will NOT do..." Getting back up onto her feet, she then declared, "I must make this place the absolute definition of PERFECT! It's time for an Inspiration Manifestation!!"

The night of the Fall Formal finally came, and every student at Canterlot High filed into the school in order to attend the festivities. The male students were wearing fancy suits and tuxedos while the female students had on their best dresses and formal wear (with the exception of Vinyl Scratch; since she was the DJ for the dance, she wouldn't be making much contact with the rest of the students anyway).

Sunset Shimmer, along with four of her five best friends, were on their way to the school to take part in the festivities as well. They were all wearing the dresses that Rarity had made for them for the dance. Sunset's dress was mostly light-blue in color and resembled a gown. It had short sleeves, a large, cobalt-blue bow tied around the back of the hip area, had cyan frills on the bottom, and it was topped off with a brooch that resembled the red and yellow sun emblem on her normal outfit. She also had on a pair of fancy navy-blue dress shoes and a pair of sparkly earrings with small rubies.

The rest of the group soon followed behind her, all decked out in their dresses for the evening as well. Applejack had on a dress that was mostly green and red and adorned with red roses, with a green top hat that had an apple emblem placed on the front of it. Fluttershy's dress was blue on top and green on the bottom, resembling a peacock. She also had a fancy barrette with a butterfly etched on it and two green feathers sticking out. Pinkie Pie's outfit consisted of a yellow dress with yellow-orange polka-dots on it, and several purple and white frills at the bottom. She had on a purple and white-striped bow, peppermint-shaped earrings, and an orange necklace that almost looked like it was made of candy.

Applejack looked on ahead at all of the students walking into the high school. "Looks like it's gonna be a big turnout this year;" she stated, "just about everyone in school's shown up!"

"Oh dear..." said Fluttershy meekly. "I was hoping there wouldn't be too many people there..."

"Aw, it'll be alright, Fluttershy." said Rainbow Dash, fixing up her dress and trying make herself as comfortable as possible in it. She then commented, "I gotta say, Rarity did a pretty good job on this thing; I still don't like wearing it, but it's not the worst thing I've ever worn."

"What IS the worst thing you've put on?" asked Applejack out of curiosity.

"THAT honor goes to that stupid pink bunny outfit my aunt made me for Christmas." the athletic teen answered. "I looked like a pink nightmare."

At that moment, Pinkie, putting on an angry expression, glared right at Rainbow and told her in a low tone of voice, "Don't EVER speak ill of the color pink..."

"...Uh... I'm sorry?" Dash responded.

"Apology accepted!" cheered the pink girl, switching back to a happy mood in less than a second.

Sunset looked around a bit nervously; she still thought that some people would make snide remarks at her for what happened during last year's Fall Formal. But so far, most of the students were too busy trying to get inside to pay any attention to her. "Somethin' the matter, Sunset?" Applejack asked, noticing her friend's worried expression.

"Huh? Oh... uh, nothing's wrong... Nothing at all." the otherworldly girl said, fibbing a little.

"Look, there's nothin' y'all need to worry about, Sugarcube." the farm girl assured her. "Just concentrate on havin' fun at the dance. And if anyone still has a problem with ya bein' there, that's their worry, not yours."

"I guess so..." Sunset responded.

Just then, Pinkie looked ahead towards the front doors and saw two adult-aged women walking towards them. "Hey, girls! Look!" she shouted, pointing at the people approaching them.

The rest of the group turned to face the two women: The taller one of the two had light-pink skin, pink eyes, and long, beautiful hair that was colored in teal, green, blue, and lavender. She wore a golden yellow shirt with a sun-shaped brooch on it, over top of a purple and white-colored shirt. She had on long pants that were purple in color, and had on a pair of sparkly, golden-colored high-heeled shoes.

The shorter of the two women had blue skin, turquoise eyes, and long hair that was colored dark blue and purple. She had on a pink shirt with a white collar that had an indigo moon pinned to it and a dark blue belt around the waist area. She wore a pair of long, indigo pants, and a pair of white, high-heeled shoes with pink socks.

"It's Principal Celestia..." stated Rainbow, pointing to the taller woman with light-pink skin.

"And Vice Principal Luna..." added Fluttershy, referring to the slightly shorter woman with blue skin.

"What are they doing here?" asked Pinkie.

"Well, Ah guess they're comin' to talk to us 'bout somethin'..." Applejack deduced, based on the fact that the two principals were heading towards them.

"Yeah, but about what...?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

The two women stopped in front of the group of five as soon as they reached them. The taller one, Principal Celestia, said to them in a pleasant tone, "Good evening, all of you."

"Uh, good evening, Principal Celestia." Rainbow Dash replied, trying to be respectful.

Luna glanced over towards Sunset and said to her, "I see you've come as well, Ms. Shimmer... To be honest, I did not believe that you would be here."

"I'm just here to be with my friends, Vice Principal Luna..." the red and yellow girl responded. "It's not going to be like last year, I promise."

"I certainly hope not." the blue-skinned woman stated, huffing a little.

"Now, Luna... be nice." Celestia said to the Vice Principal. "Sunset has come a long way since last year, and she's more than proven that she can be a good person now, when given the chance."

"I suppose you are right, Sister." Luna responded. She then looked back over at Sunset and told her, "I apologize if my comment to you sounded rude in any way."

"It's okay." the red and yellow girl replied. "It's not the worst thing I've heard."

"So, uh... just outta curiosity," Applejack began to say to the two principals, "what're y'all doin' out here? Ah thought you were already lookin' over things at the Gym."

"Well... that's the problem, actually." Luna answered her. "No one has been able to enter the Gymnasium at all tonight."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Sunset.

"We're not sure yet." Celestia told them all. "But we do know that someone is in there, based on the fact that we could hear someone talking behind the doors as we passed by."

"Hold on a sec..." Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke up. "I just realized something... Do any of ya happen to know where Rarity is?"

"No, not at all..." Fluttershy answered.

"She was supposed t' meet us here so that we could all get into the dance together." Applejack reminded the group. "Could she still be settin' things up in the Gym?"

"Maybe, but she should've been done with that LONG ago..." Pinkie stated.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Sunset chimed in, getting worried about her friend. "We'd better get to the Gym quickly... And if Rarity is in there, we have to ask her what's going on."

"I agree." said Celestia, nodding. "Luna and I will get you all to the Gymnasium so that we can figure all of this out."

"We had better hurry, Sister;" the blue-skinned woman informed her older sister, "the Fall Formal will begin in but a mere twenty minutes."

"Then what're we all standin' out here for?!" asked Rainbow rhetorically. "Let's go already!" She then glanced up at the two principals and said to them, "Um... after you, of course..."

The seven of them walked into the school and made their way towards the Gymnasium. Just as Celestia and Luna had told them, the doors were shut tight. On one of the doors, there was a note taped onto it. Applejack took the note and read it out loud: "Do not come in. Gym closed due to decoration repairs. Will open when ready. Love, Rarity."

"That's weird..." stated Sunset. "What would make her do that?"

"Look, when it comes to prettyin' stuff up, Rarity can become a serious whack-a-doodle." Rainbow answered her. She then grabbed the door's handle and pulled on it, but it wouldn't budge. "No good... it's locked up tight."

"How are we going to get in then...?" asked Fluttershy.

"I have an idea!" Luna spoke up. Turning to Celestia, she then told her, "Sister, go get the school's Master Key from your office."

"Good idea, Luna." the light-pink-skinned woman replied before turning around and running to her office. A few minutes later, she returned, holding a rather large key in her hand, which was designed to open any lock in the school. Celestia then shoved the key into the keyhole and turned it. A clicking sound confirmed that the door was now unlocked. "There, that should do it..." the principal said. She then opened the door, and when they saw what was in the Gymnasium, the group of seven, along with several students that were nearby the entrance, gave out a loud, collective gasp.

All over every square inch of the Gym's walls, ceiling, and floor, there were all sorts of fancy decorations. However, there were FAR too many; the colorful streamers created a multicolored spider web that drooped down from the ceiling. Each and every table was decorated with flower vases and extravagant centerpieces, leaving no room for snack trays or punch bowls. Large, carpeted rugs were placed over the hardwood floor, which was not at all suitable for dancing. Fancy drapes were placed overtop of the speakers, muffling out the sounds that came out of them. The Gym looked as though a party store and a fancy clothing store had exploded all over the room.

"What... What is all this...?!?" inquired Luna, not believing what she was seeing.

"What on Earth happened in here?!" asked Pinkie. "It looks like a party store and a fancy clothing store had explod- ...oh wait, somebody already said that... Never mind."

"Oh... my..." said a trembling Fluttershy. "This... this is all WAY too much...!"

"Yeesh... I'd call this place tacky," Rainbow Dash chimed in, "but I think even 'tacky' looks WAY better than this!"

"What the hay was Rarity thinking??" asked Sunset Shimmer, just as shocked by all of this as everyone else. "She would NEVER do anything like this!!"

"Well, y'all can go and ask her yerself..." said Applejack. "'Cause she's right there!" The farm girl then pointed ahead, showing everyone where the fashionista-gone-postal was. She was sporting a crazy grin as she poured an extra-large container of glitter all over one of the curtains on the makeshift stage.

"Ms. Rarity, what is the meaning of all this??" asked Celestia in a forceful tone.

The violet-haired teen looked over towards the group and said excitedly, "Aha! You're all just in time!" Tossing the glitter container away for the moment, she walked towards them and asked, "Isn't it the most beautiful thing you have EVER laid your eyes upon? This is probably my greatest work yet!"

"Yeah, well we don't think so!" Rainbow told her.

"Rarity, this is way, way, way, way, WAAAAAAYYYY too many decorations!!" Pinkie said to the violet-haired girl. "Nobody's gonna be able to enjoy the party in a place like this!!"

"So you don't appreciate my sense of style here?" asked Rarity, a bit annoyed. "Hmph... some friends you are. I happen to think it's absolutely perfect!"

"Well it's not!" Sunset told her. "You OVERdecorated the Gym, and now no one will be able to have a good time!"

"I'm surprised that you would feel that way, considering that you didn't even WANT to go to the Fall Formal at first!" Rarity snapped back. "You were so concerned over what other people thought of you, and now YOU'RE doing same thing to me right now! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!"

After she made that last comment, the 52 on her forehead began to appear. Sunset immediately noticed it and thought, (That symbol on her head... is that...?) Sighing sadly, she then said, "So that's what's going on..."

"Ms. Rarity, I put you as head of the Decoration Committee because I thought that you would do a good job." said Celestia, a bit of disappointment in her voice. "But it seems I was mistaken in my thoughts. Therefore, I am afraid that I have no choice but to dismi-"

"Wait! Principal Celestia! Hold that thought!" Sunset suddenly spoke up, interrupting the woman.

Celestia stopped herself as she, along with Luna, glanced over at the otherworldly girl. "Ms. Shimmer?" the principal began to ask, confused as to what she was doing.

"You might not want to go through with that just yet..." the red and yellow girl suggested. "It might not be such a good idea on your part..."

"And why is that, may I ask?" inquired the Vice Principal.

"Because I don't believe that Rarity's doing this out of her own free will." answered Sunset. "I believe that something or someone is making her do this."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Luna.

Applejack, getting a sudden and uneasy thought, asked her red and yellow friend, "Wait... are y'all sayin' that-"

"Uh huh." Sunset replied, knowing what the farm girl was going to ask her. "Call it woman's intuition, but I think that Rarity picked up a Number card..."

The rest of Sunset's friends gasped. "You're joking!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Now SHE has one of those things, too?!"

"Oh no... Poor Rarity..." said Pinkie Pie in a saddened tone.

"What are you all talking about?" asked Celestia. "What is a 'Number card'? And what does it have to do with what's going on??"

"It's a long story, and I don't have time to discuss it right now..." Sunset told her. "The point is, I know what's causing her to do this, and I know how to fix it. So please... let me go and help save my friend from herself."

Celestia was skeptical at first about what Sunset was asking of her. But she then recalled that, earlier on, she had stated that Sunset was capable of being a good person when given the chance to. The principal then nodded her head and told her, "Very well then. If you insist... then go and do what you need to do."

Luna seemed a bit surprised at her older sister's decision. However, she figured that Celestia had good reason for it, and decided to go along with it.

Sunset Shimmer then walked towards Rarity and said to her, "Rarity, I know what's really going on here: You've picked up a Number card, didn't you?"

"A Number card?" asked the violet-haired teen. "Are you, by any chance, referring to this one?" She then took out a card with a black frame, showing it to everyone in the room.

"I knew it... That's what caused you to do all of this, isn't it?" asked the otherworldly girl.

"If you mean that this card is what allowed me to realize just what I was meant to do with my life, then yes; it is responsible." Rarity answered her. "Thanks to this card, I now know that it is my sole duty to make this world as beautiful as possible, no matter what others may think of it! And no one, not even you Sunset Shimmer, will get in the way of my mission!!"

"If that's what you think, then I have a way that we can settle this!" Sunset told her. "How about you and I have a Duel?"

"A Duel, you say?" asked the crazed fashionista. "And why would I want to do that?"

"If you win the Duel, you can keep this place as it is right now." the red and yellow teen told her. "But if I win, we take it all down: No exceptions."

"Is that so? And if I do get to keep the decor as it stands right now, none of you will complain about it anymore?" Rarity inquired further.

"It's a deal." Sunset responded.

Rarity thought about it for a while before finally saying, "Very well, I accept the terms; we have one Duel, and the winner determines what the decor for the Fall Formal will look like."

"Agreed." the otherworldly girl replied. She then glanced over to her friends and asked, "Fluttershy, can you get my backpack?"

"Oh! Sure, Sunset...!" the shy girl said, picking up Sunset's backpack from the floor next to her and handing it over.

Sunset Shimmer then got out her Duel Pad and Duel Gazer so that she could begin her Duel with Rarity. "Duel Pad, activate!!" she shouted as the device's card tray unfolded. She then placed the lens over her eye and yelled, "Duel Gazer, activate!"

Rarity got out her violet-colored Duel Pad, along with her Duel Gazer, activating them both. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the Gymnasium was projected around them. All of the other people, including some students that had decided to enter the Gym, got out their Duel Gazers to watch the Duel.

"LET'S DUEL!!!" shouted both Sunset and Rarity as they drew their opening hands, ready to start the game (Rarity: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000).

Everyone that had come to enjoy the Fall Formal were now about to get an extra bit of entertainment as Sunset Shimmer and Rarity were ready to begin their Duel against each other. Among them were Lyra and Bon Bon, who had previously assisted the fashionista in decorating the Gym. Needless to say, when they came inside, they were shocked at what they saw. "Woah...! What happened to this place?!" asked the mint-green girl.

"I don't know..." replied Bon Bon, nearly overwhelmed by all that she saw. "What was Rarity thinking?? This place was just fine when we left! I need to go and ask her what's going on here!"

"Well, you'll hafta wait, Bonnie." Lyra told her. Pointing ahead, she then added, "It looks like she's got her hands full right now..."

The pink and blue-haired girl glanced ahead and saw the scene in front of them. "Is that Sunset Shimmer...?" she asked. Looking closer at the red and yellow girl, she then thought, "I have to admit, she has a very nice dress this year..." She then asked her mint-green friend, "What are those two doing??"

"It looks like they're about to have a Duel..." Lyra answered her.

"A Duel?" asked Bon Bon.

"Uh huh." said the mint-green girl as she got out her Duel Gazer so that she could watch it. "This looks like it's gonna be a good one, even if Sunset's one of the competitors..." She then asked her friend, "You got your Duel Gazer, right Bon Bon?"

"Oh! Yes, it's right here." the pink and blue-haired teen replied, getting out the special lens from her purse and putting it over her left eye. They then proceeded to watch the contest, just like everyone else.

"You ready, Rarity?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"Very much so, Sunset." the fashionista replied. "In fact, I'll even make the first move!" The violet-haired teen then took a card from her hand and said, "I'll place one monster facedown in Defense Mode!" Taking two more cards from her hand, she added, "I'll also set two cards facedown as well, ending my turn!"

"Very well, then... I draw!" Sunset then looked at Rarity's side of the field and thought, (Alright, since she only played facedown cards on her turn, I'd better be careful...) Placing a card from her hand onto the card tray, she declared, "I Summon Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" After that, her disk-like monster appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"By Normal Summoning Nebra Disk," Sunset continued, "I can then activate its effect! This allows me to take any Chronomaly card from my Deck and move it to my hand! And I choose Chronomaly City Babylon!" Sunset's Duel Pad then activated its auto-shuffle function; when it was done, the card that Sunset chose to add to her hand jutted out from the Deck, allowing her to easily take it. After doing so, she then shouted, "Now! Nebra Disk! Attack her facedown monster!!"

Rarity chuckled with a sneer. "Bad move, Sunset..." she told her. "Just take a look at this! I reveal my Gem-Turtle!!" Her facedown monster then flipped face-up, revealing itself as a yellowish-brown turtle with a green gem for a shell (Gem-Turtle: Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 2000).

"Aw, CRUD!!" the red and yellow girl exclaimed.

"When you attack a facedown monster," Rarity began, "it flips face-up to reveal how powerful it is. But since my monster's defense points are higher than your monster's attack points, you take the difference as damage!" Sunset gasped as she watched her Nebra Disk hurl itself at the fashionista's Gem-Turtle, ricocheting off of the bejeweled reptile and hitting her instead (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 200 = 3,800).

"That's not all:" the violet-haired teen informed her opponent. "By attacking my Gem-Turtle while it was facedown, you've activated its Flip Effect!"

*******************************

Flip Monsters:

These Effect Monsters each have an effect that is activated when they are flipped face-up (which can happen when they are Flip Summoned, attacked while face-down, or flipped face-up by a card effect). All Monsters with a Flip Effect have the word "FLIP" preceding the Effect Text. Flip Effects are considered to be a type of Trigger Effect.

*******************************

Rarity then said to Sunset Shimmer, "Thanks to Gem-Turtle's effect, I can add one copy of Gem-Knight Fusion from my Deck to my hand." She then did just that, and her Duel Pad automatically shuffled the cards as well.

(Well, this is just great...) thought the otherworldly girl with a groan. (I helped her get a very important card out of her Deck, and all I did was lose 200 Life Points...) She looked over the rest of her hand and added, (But I'm not gonna give up! I have to defeat Rarity and get that Number card away from her!) Taking out a card and placing into her Duel Pad, she then declared, "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Good... then it's my turn! I draw!" The fashionista drew a card from her Deck, placed it into her hand, and took out a different card, telling her foe, "I Summon Gem-Armadillo in Attack Mode!" Rarity's new creature was an orange armadillo decorated with bright-red rubies, and appeared to have a pair of torpedo-like objects attached to either side of its back (Gem-Armadillo: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 500). "And when it is Normal Summoned, this card allows me to pull any Gem-Knight monster that I desire from my Deck! And I choose Gem-Knight Garnet!"

Sunset watched as, once again, Rarity pulled her chosen card from out of her Deck, after its auto-shuffle function mixed up the rest of the cards. (I know what she's about to do...) the red and yellow girl thought. She was getting a little worried, but wasn't about to show it in front of her friend-turned-crazy.

"And now..." the fashionista began, taking out another card from her hand, "I activate Gem-Knight Fusion!!"

*******************************

Gem-Knight Fusion
(Normal Spell Card)

Fusion Summon 1 "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand or your side of the field as Fusion Materials. If this card is in the Graveyard: You can banish 1 "Gem-Knight" monster from your Graveyard; add this card to your hand.

*******************************

"I'll use my Spell Card to fuse Gem-Knights Garnet and Emerald in my hand!" shouted Rarity, holding up the two monsters in her hand. At that moment, the human-like monsters appeared on her field, one mostly red and one mostly green, before turning into pure energy and joining together. "And now, I Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Ruby in Attack Mode!!" The energy in front of her then gave out a brilliant red flash; when it died down, a large human in shiny, sparkling, red armor and a blue cape had manifested in front of the violet-haired teen, weilding a sharp, red scythe (Gem-Knight Ruby: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1300).

"That's right... Rarity's Deck is designed for rapidly summonin' Fusion Monsters from her Extra Deck." noted Applejack. "And many of the ones that she uses are real powerful."

Celestia and Luna, who were also watching the Duel through their Duel Gazers, were still not sure why Sunset was fighting Rarity right now. But the light-pink woman seemed to believe that there must have been a reason. Luna still seemed perplexed as to what was going on. "Sister, why aren't we doing anything about this?" the blue woman asked her older sister. "We could have this whole thing resolved in mere seconds!"

"...Let's not interfere just yet, Luna." Celestia told her younger sister. "There has to be some reason why Ms. Shimmer decided to Duel Ms. Rarity... It's as if there's something about this that she knows, but we do not..."

"Whatever could you mean?" asked Luna.

"...I suppose we'll see soon enough." answered the light-pink woman.

Back at the Duel, Rarity was ready to start her Battle Phase. "Now! Gem-Knight Ruby!! Attack her Nebra Disk!!" she ordered her monster. The knight then lunged forward and used its scythe to cut Nebra Disk in half, destroying it and damaging Sunset in the process (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,800 - 700 = 3,100). "Looks to me like you're defenseless now, Sunset darling..." she then told her opponent.

"Yeah, well looks can be deceiving, Rarity..." stated the otherworldly girl, tapping her Duel Pad's touchscreen. "I activate the Trap Card, Stonehenge Methods! After one of my Chronomaly monsters is destroyed, this card lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Chronomaly from my Deck! So I'll bring out my Chronomaly Golden Jet to the field in Defense Mode!" After that, Sunset took the card from her Deck and placed onto the tray, bringing out her golden jet plane to protect her (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400). "Now you'll have to attack it instead of me!" Sunset informed her opponent.

Rarity grumbled a bit and yelled, "Have it your way, then! Gem-Armadillo, attack her jet!!" Her other monster then fired its torpedoes and blew up Sunset's newly-summoned monster.

"Good move on Sunset's part..." stated Rainbow Dash. "She may have lost another monster, but she kept herself from taking a heavy hit to her Life Points."

"But... now she doesn't have anything on her field..." Fluttershy pointed out. "If she doesn't play a monster on her turn, she's finished...!"

"Don't you go worrying about Sunnie, Fluttershy!" Pinkie said to her in a positive tone. "She won't lose to her THAT quickly! In fact, she won't even lose at all!"

Sunset heard Pinkie's words and felt better upon hearing them. Turning to face Rarity, she then said, "It's my turn! I draw!!" She then picked up the top card from her Deck, praying that it would help her. Once she got a look at it, she was quite pleased by what she had pulled. "I hope you're ready, Rarity," she told her, "because I'm not about to let you win so easily!" Playing the card she just drew, she declared, "I Summon Chronomaly Gordian Knot from my hand in Attack Mode!!"

Sunset Shimmer's new monster appeared to be several purple cubes, tied together in a confusing manner by several brown-colored straps (Chronomaly Gordian Knot: Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 900).

"So what?" asked Rarity, not intimidated even by a little bit. "That monster's too weak."

"Perhaps... so I guess it's a good thing that Gordian Knot has an effect, then." stated the red and yellow girl. "By Normal Summoning it, I can then Special Summon any other Chronomaly monster from my hand to join it. Then, Gordian Knot changes its Level to match that of the monster I Special Summon!"

"I-I beg you pardon?!" asked the violet-haired teen, a bit shocked.

"So now I'll bring out Chronomaly Sol Monolith from my hand in Defense Mode!" said Sunset, placing her next monster onto the card tray. The digital floor in front of her began to open up, and a tall, brown, stone slab with an orange circular slab on the top of it rose up in front of her (Chronomaly Sol Monolith: Level 6 / ATK 600 / DEF 600). "And now that it's out," the girl continued, "Gordian Knot changes its Level to match Sol Monolith!" (Chronomaly Gordian Knot: Level 3 > Level 6)

"T-two Level 6 monsters?!?" asked the fashionista, getting a little worried.

"Wait, is she gonna-?" Applejack began to ask.

"She sure is!" interrupted Rainbow Dash. "She's gonna bring out a Number card!"

"I overlay my Gordian Knot and Sol Monolith, both Level 6!!" shouted Sunset as her two monsters transformed into a pair of orange lights that were sucked up into a galaxy-like portal in front of her. "With these monsters, I can build the Overlay Network!!" An explosion of light soon followed, revealing the number 25 on the floor where the portal used to be. "I Xyz Summon Number 25: Force Focus!!" After that, a large camera with two swirling lights surrounding it came down from the ceiling above, pointing its gigantic lens right at Rarity (Number 25: Force Focus: Rank 6 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2400 / OLU 2).

"What the-?! What's that card?!" asked Lyra, surprised by the appearance of the Number card.

"Where'd Sunset get that card from?!" Bon Bon inquired. "I've never even heard of it!!"

Photo Finish was in the audience as well, watching the Duel when Sunset Xyz Summoned the Number that originally belonged to her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about that card seemed... eerily familiar.

"Now! Force Focus!! Attack Gem-Armadillo, the monster with the lowest attack points!!" Sunset shouted as she gave out her order. The giant camera then charged up an intense beam of light, shooting it right at the creature and vaporizing it, allowing the remainder of the blast to hit Rarity directly.

"Arrrrrrgh...!!" the violet-haired girl grunted after taking the heavy hit (Rarity: LP 4,000 - 1,100 = 2,900).

"Yeah! Nice shot, Sunset!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "You got her good!"

"Yeah!! Go for it, Sunnie!" Pinkie cheerfully screamed, forcing the others nearby her to cover their ears.

After removing her hands from her ears, Celestia then asked Sunset's friends, "Tell me... what is that card that your friend played onto the field? In all my years, I've never seen one like that before..."

"Neither have I." added Luna. "And as former Pro Duelists, we know about almost every card in existence, so it is not often that we come across one that we have no knowledge of... So please, elaborate, would you?"

"Well, accordin' to Sunset and a coupla others," began Applejack, "they're called 'Number' cards."

"Number cards?" asked the light-pink principal.

"Yep." replied the farm girl. "But as for what they are and where they came from, we don't know diddly-squat. Not even Sunset knows much about 'em."

"The only thing we do know is that, when someone picks one up, it causes them to act very strange..." Rainbow added. "I mean, you should've seen what those cards did to Octy and Photo Finish."

Putting two and two together, Celestia then inquired, "So... you are saying that... the reason that Ms. Rarity is behaving in such an unsettling manner... is because she has one of these Number cards?" The rest of Sunset's friends nodded to say that was true.

"It sounds quite absurd, to be honest..." Luna stated.

"No, it is true, Vice Principal Luna..." Fluttershy told her. "And the only way to get Rarity back to her old self... is if Sunset defeats her and takes away the Number card..."

"Well, I suppose that explains why Ms. Shimmer wanted to duel her..." noted Celestia.

"It still sounds a bit ridiculous," added Luna, still not completely convinced, "but they seem sincere in their words; I suppose that is good enough for me."

"Right now, let's just hope that Sunset can win this and save Rarity 'fore it's too late..." Applejack chimed in as they continued to watch the Duel.

The crazed fashionista glared at Sunset and asked her, "So... I see you've decided to play one of your Numbers... In that case, I suppose that I should stop playing around with you, Sunset..."

The otherworldly girl pondered to herself, (I brought out a Number card not only so that I can defeat her monsters and take control of the Duel... But I also want to try and force Rarity into bringing out HER Number. If I can defeat her Number, whatever it is, I'll have a better chance of winning... I just hope her Number isn't too powerful...)

"It is my turn now..." stated the violet-haired girl. "I draw!" Looking at her card, she then declared, "I Summon Gem-Knight Tourmaline in Attack Mode!" Her new monster was another armored human, this one colored yellow (Gem-Knight Tourmaline: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1800). "And next, I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Ruby!" Rarity then told Sunset. "By releasing Gem-Knight Tourmaline, I can then add its attack points to Ruby for one turn!"

"But Numbers can only be destroyed by other Numbers, Rarity!" the red and yellow teen reminded her.

"That is true, but I will still inflict damage when my monster attacks yours!" stated the fashionista. She then ordered, "Gem-Knight Tourmaline, transfer your power to Gem-Knight Ruby!!" The yellow-armored man then vanished into a swirling cloud and turned into pure energy, which began to flow into the Fusion Monster.

"Not so fast!" shouted Sunset. "I activate the effect of Force Focus! By removing one of its Overlay Units, I can negate the effects of any Level 5 or higher monster for one turn! And since Gem-Knight Ruby's Level of 6 is higher than 5, I'll target him!"

Rarity gasped as the otherworldly girl's Xyz Monster absorbed one of its glowing spheres (Number 25: Force Focus: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1) and then let out a bright flash that vaporized the energy stream that was flowing into Gem-Knight Ruby.

"Yeah! Now her monster's attack points can't get any higher!" said Applejack, praising the move.

Sunset smirked and told her opponent, "Sorry, Rarity... you'll have to do better than that to defeat me."

"And I shall do just that..." the violet-haired teen responded, snarling a little as the number on her forehead began to glow brighter. "As a expert designer, I always have ideas to fall back on in case my original vision is not possible... You're going to wish that you had taken the attack from my Gem-Knight Ruby, because soon, you'll be facing something far worse..."

(Here it comes...) thought Sunset, bracing herself.

"But first, I shall reveal one of my facedown cards: De-Fusion!" Rarity declared as she flipped over one of her set cards. "This Spell Card returns one of my Fusion Monster Cards to my Extra Deck, and in exchange, it permits me to Special Summon the two monsters I used to call it to the field!" Taking her Fusion Monster off of the card tray and putting it back in her deck box, she then stated, "So I send Gem-Knight Ruby to my Extra Deck and revive Gem-Knight Garnet and Gem-Knight Emerald!"

The giant human in red armor vanished from the field and left behind a pair of dark purple portals, out of which came two small humans, one in red armor, and one in green (Gem-Knight Garnet: Level 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 0) (Gem-Knight Emerald: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 800).

"Rarity's got two Level 4 monsters on her field!" Pinkie noted, pointing frantically. "But she doesn't have any Xyz Monsters in her Deck!!"

"In the past, she didn't." Applejack told her. "But if Sunset was right about her gettin' a Number, then Ah think we're about t' see it, whether we like it 'r not!"

"Now, I overlay my Level 4 Garnet and Emerald to create an Overlay Network!!" shouted Rarity as her two monsters transformed into orange lights and were sucked up into a galaxy-like portal. "Now prepare yourself to see what TRUE beauty looks like!" The portal then exploded, leaving behind a symbol similar to the one on her forehead, which was now glowing brighter than ever. "I Xyz Summon... Number 52: Diamond Crab King!!"

Everyone gasped as they saw a humongous diamond come crashing through the digital ceiling, landing right in front of Rarity. Surrounding it were two orange lights. Before any move or comment could be made, cracks began to spread all over the diamond. Then suddenly, the gem exploded, sending shards of itself all over the place (luckily, none of them were real), leaving behind a large pile of spiky shards where the diamond used to be. Then, out from underneath the pile came a pair of blue pincers, one of which had a yellow 52 imprinted upon it, followed by a pair of beady eyes and a mouth, which gave out a bizarre-sounding cry.

*******************************

Number 52: Diamond Crab King:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Rock-Type/EARTH/Rank 4/ATK 0/DEF 3000)

2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle, except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; change this card's DEF to 0, and if you do, change its ATK to 3000. These changes last until the end of this turn. If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase. If this card is attacked, change it to Attack Position at the end of the Damage Step if it has no Xyz Materials. You can only control 1 "Number 52: Diamond Crab King".

*******************************

The audience gasped when they saw the brilliant glow coming from Rarity's Number monster. "So that's your Number card, huh?" asked Sunset.

"Isn't it impressive?" asked the violet-haired girl. "My Number is a true personification of pure beauty! But as you are about to see, even the prettiest of things in this world can have quite a painful sting..."

(What's she talking about...?) thought Sunset. (Her Number card doesn't have any attack points, and yet... she put it in Attack Mode anyway... Something's up, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna find out what that thing is capable of pretty soon...)

Sunset's friends were astounded by the appearance of Rarity's Number card. "So THAT's her Number card?" asked Applejack.

"Pfft. Typical..." huffed Rainbow Dash. "Of course it HAS to be something pretty and shiny for her."

Just then, the group noticed someone nudging beside them: It was Lyra and Bon Bon, who had a few questions for them. "Hey, you're Rarity's friends, right?" asked the mint-green girl. "Mind tellin' us what's goin' on?"

"Yeah," Bon Bon chimed in, "why'd she turn the Gym into a decorator's madhouse? And what's with those weird cards that she and Sunset have?"

"Oh, nothing much." Pinkie simply said. "They're just cards that have the power to brainwash people and make them go cuckoo."

"Say what...?" asked Lyra.

"What Pinkie's sayin' is that those cards down there are what's responsible for makin' her overdecorate the room." Applejack explained. "More specifically, it's that big crab-thing that Rarity just Summoned."

"But how does a trading card brainwash somebody?" asked the pink and blue-haired girl, confused.

"We're not exactly sure, but trust us: Those Number cards are nothin' but trouble." Dash replied. Turning back towards the Duel, she then told them both, "That's why Sunset's dueling Rarity: She's trying to get rid of that Number card and get her back to normal!"

"So... Sunset's trying to SAVE Rarity?" asked Lyra, a bit surprised. "AND save the Fall Formal?"

"You betcha!" Pinkie answered. "Sunnie would never let something bad happen to anyone, especially not her friends!" Lyra and Bon Bon looked at each other, surprised to hear that Sunset was putting herself on the line in order to help a friend. It made them question whether or not what they thought they knew about the red and yellow girl was true.

"Well?" Sunset then asked Rarity. "Are you going to just stall all night, or are you going to make a move?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so hasty." the violet-haired teen told her. "But since you insist, allow me to show you the true power of my Number card! I activate the effect of Diamond Crab King!" Taking one of the cards underneath the Xyz Monster and sending it to the Graveyard, she then shouted, "Now by expelling one of its Overlay Units, I can switch its attack and defense points for one turn!"

"Switch their stats?! Oh no!!" Sunset cried out in shock.

The giant crustacean then absorbed one of its swirling orbs into the shards on its back (Number 52: Diamond Crab King: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). It then screeched out a battle cry as it increased its power dramatically. (Number 52: Diamond Crab King: ATK 0 > 3000 / DEF 3000 > 0).

"Oh my... now Rarity's Number card is stronger than Sunset's!" Fluttershy stated, trembling.

"Diamond Crab King, destroy Force Focus!!" ordered the fashionista. "Shard Storm!!" The giant crab then screeched once again as it aimed its back towards Sunset's monster and fired off all of its razor-sharp diamond shards. Each shard stuck itself into the giant camera creature, causing it to explode. The impact of the blast dealt some damage to Sunset Shimmer, causing her to step back (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,100 - 200 = 2,900).

"Now they're both even in Life Points..." Applejack noted.

"But not in monsters." Luna added. "Sunset is not in a good situation right now..."

"If this keeps up, the Fall Formal will be history!" complained Rainbow.

"Don't worry, Dashie!" shouted Pinkie Pie with a determined voice. "Sunset'll always save the day! And if you think she can't, she'll always find a way!"

Lyra and Bon Bon, after hearing how much Sunset's friends trusted her so much, were now beginning to doubt that the red and yellow girl was who they thought she was. Either way, they had no choice but to hope that Sunset would save the Fall Formal, as well as Rarity.

The fashionista then told her foe, "After it attacks, Diamond Crab King switches itself to Defense Mode, and its points return to their original values." (Number 52: Diamond Crab King: ATK 3000 > 0 / DEF 0 > 3000)

(Crud...) thought the otherworldly girl. (Not only does it have a powerful attack, but it goes right into Defense Mode afterwards? That means she can strike me whenever she wants, and I can't even touch her!) She then summoned up some of her inner courage and added, (But I can't give up! I have to defeat her! It's the only way to stop that Number from causing her any more harm!)

"It's my turn! I draw!" Sunset said as she drew her next card. Looking at it, she then thought, (Right now, the first thing I need to do is to make sure that she can't hit my Life Points... I have to put up a strong defense until I can make my move...) Taking a different card from her hand, she declared, "I Summon Chronomaly Moai Carrier in Defense Mode!" The large, crane claw-like monster then appeared on the field in front of her (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800). "Since you have at least one card on your side of the field while I have none, I can Special Summon Moai Carrier from my hand!" She then took the card she just drew and placed it facedown on the tray. "Finally, I'll play another monster in Defense Mode to end my turn."

"Hmph... what a waste of time." stated Rarity. "All you can do now is hold off your inevitable defeat. It's rather pathetic, actually... Now I shall draw!" She then picked up her next card and grinned wickedly, thinking, (Mirror Force... perfect!)

*******************************

Mirror Force
(Normal Trap Card)

When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.

*******************************

The fashionista continued to think to herself, (Now that I have this card, I am now TOTALLY untouchable! Even if Sunset can attempt an attack, I can eliminate all of her monsters with this card, paving the way for my victory!) Placing the powerful Trap Card into her hand, she then declared, "I now play my facedown card: The Spell Card, Spiritual Transference! This card allows me to revive any monster that is in my Graveyard; in exchange, I have to pay Life Points by an amount equal to half of the attack power of the monster I choose to summon! And I select Gem-Knight Garnet!!"

Sunset watched as a dark purple portal appeared beside Rarity's Number card, out of which came the small human in red armor. "Gem-Knight Garnet has 1,900 attack points; that means you have to pay 950 Life Points." Sunset reminded her opponent (Rarity: LP 2,900 - 950 = 1,950).

"Part of being an expert fashion designer is knowing when to make necessary sacrifices." the violet-haired teen replied. "And speaking of which, I now play the effect of Gem-Knight Fusion from the Graveyard. By banishing one Gem-Knight in my Graveyard, I can return my fusion card to my hand! So I banish Tourmaline in order to do just that!" Rarity then took out both her Gem-Knight Tourmaline and Gem-Knight Fusion cards from out of her Graveyard slot, placing the monster into her deck box, and the Spell Card into her hand.

"Uh oh... that means she can use that card again!" said Dash.

"Now, once more, I activate Gem-Knight Fusion!!" shouted Rarity. "And I shall fuse Garnet on my field, along with Sapphire in my hand!" At that moment, a blue-armored human appeared beside Garnet before the two turned into pure energy and joined together. "Now! Gem-Knight Ruby, return to the field!!" the girl shouted as her scythe-wielding warrior made his second appearance.

"Not that thing again..." said Applejack in despair.

"C'mon, Sunnie... you can get through this..." urged Pinkie Pie.

"Ruby, attack Moai Carrier!!" ordered Rarity as her monster sliced apart Sunset's faceup defense monster. But right after it got smashed, a shockwave emitted from out of the knight's weapon and struck the otherworldly girl (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,900 - 700 = 2,200).

"Hey, wait a second!" Rainbow protested. "How'd she lose Life Points?! Sunset's monster was in Defense Mode!"

"It's because that Gem-Knight Ruby has the ability to deal piercing battle damage." Celestia explained. "It means that when Ruby attacks, the difference between his attack power and defending monster's defense power is dealt as damage to Sunset's Life Points."

"In other words," Luna added, "it means that Ms. Rarity can damage Ms. Shimmer no matter which Mode she places her monsters in."

"That ain't good..." stated Applejack. "If this continues, Sunset'll lose the Duel..."

Pinkie was about to offer words of encouragement, but somebody else beat her to it. "No way is she gonna lose!" Lyra suddenly shouted.

"Lyra??" said Bon Bon in surprise.

Looking over in Sunset's direction, the mint-green girl then yelled over to her, "Hey, Sunset!!"

The red and yellow girl glanced behind her to see who it was that was trying to get her attention. "Lyra Heartstrings?" she asked.

"Listen up!!" the mint-green teen continued to shout to her. "I'm gonna tell you this just once: You had better NOT lose to her right now!"

"You... don't want me to lose?" asked Sunset, mystified by Lyra's comments.

The mint-green shook her head no and told her, "Up until this point, I still thought that you were the same jerk that you were during the last Fall Formal... But now, after seeing you in action and after hearing how much your friends believed in you, I now totally believe THEM about what they've said about you; that you're trying to be a good person now! So you had better prove them right... and beat the skirt off of Rarity!"

Sunset was quite shocked to see that someone besides one of her friends had openly stated that they no longer thought that she was a still a bad person. She was also surprised by the next few comments that she heard:

"You can do it, Sunset!"

"We totally believe in you!"

"You can beat her, no problem!"

All around her, Sunset Shimmer saw that now every student was supporting her. It was quite clear to her now that no one ever thought of her as the wicked she-demon anymore. Wiping a happy tear from her eye, she then gave Rarity a fierce look and said, "You ready? 'Cause with everypo- I mean, everybody here giving me their support, I'll be able to beat you and get you back to your old self again!"

"Oh really?" asked the crazed fashionista. "I'd like to see you try!"

"If you insist..." said the red and yellow girl with a smirk.

"I'll place this card facedown and end my turn." stated Rarity as she set her Mirror Force Trap Card on the field. "It's your turn."

"Alright then, I draw!" Placing her drawn card into her hand, Sunset then took out a different card and declared, "I play the Field Spell, Chronomaly City Babylon!!"

"A Field Spell Card?!" asked Rarity, surprised.

"That's right." Sunset informed her. "Field Spells are special Spell Cards that go in the Field Zone, and often have effects that spread across the entire field! Just watch!" She then played the card, and when she did, the digital copy of the Gymnasium whited out around them. After that, both Duelists, as well as their audience, found themselves standing in ancient ruins on a chunk of land that floated in the sky.

"What have you done?!" asked Rarity, horrified. "No one can see my beautiful decorations anymore!!"

"Believe me when I say that no one WANTED to." Sunset told her opponent. "Now thanks to this card, I can bring back any Chronomaly monster from my Graveyard by banishing another one that has the same Level!"

"What??" asked the violet-haired girl.

"So I'll banish my Golden Jet, Level 4, to bring back Nebra Disk!" the otherworldly girl declared as she removed her Golden Jet from play and put it into her deck box. After doing so, Nebra Disk then emerged from a dark purple portal in front of her. "Next, I'll Flip Summon Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet!" she then shouted, flipping over her facedown monster, revealing it to be some sort of bizzare-looking machine with two arms connected to it by chains, along with some sort of metal tentacle on the front of the anvil-like object that it was attached to (Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet: Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 1800).

"Now she has two Level 4 monsters..." noted Fluttershy. "She's planning to summon an Xyz Monster...!"

(Octavia's Number is a Rank 4;) thought Rainbow Dash, (is she gonna play that... or...?)

Sunset then raised her hand as high as she could and shouted, "I overlay my Level 4 Cabrera Trebuchet and Nebra Disk!" The two monsters transformed into a pair of lights, one yellow and one orange, and were sucked into a galaxy-like portal. "With these monsters, I can build the Overlay Network!!" The portal then let out an explosion, revealing a Number symbol on the ground. "Now... I Xyz Summon Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!"

Rarity, along with the audience, gasped as a glowing sphere, surrounded by two swirling orbs, slowly floated down from the sky above. Once it stopped right above Sunset's head, the light began to dull slightly, revealing that, inside the sphere, there was what appeared to be an ancient-looking fortress inside. A pair of large, egg-shaped objects were placed across from each other on the sphere, and the number 36 manifested itself upon the sphere's surface.

*******************************

Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine-Type/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2500)

2 Level 4 "Chronomaly" monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle, except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; change its ATK to 0 until the end of this turn. You can Tribute 1 "Chronomaly" monster, then target 1 monster your opponent controls, whose current ATK is different from its original ATK; destroy that target.

*******************************

"Woah... lookit that thing..." said Applejack, awestruck by the appearance of Sunset's newly-summoned monster.

"Where did she find that one?" asked Pinkie.

"It was near my house last Sunday night." Rainbow answered. "She found it on the sidewalk and picked it up while it was still blank. Then there was a weird light show, and after that, it turned into that thing." The rest of the group looked at one another, still at a loss for words.

Rarity trembled a bit after Sunset brought out her new Number card. Staring at it, she then thought, (Since when did she get this Number card?! I thought she only had three of them, including that Force Focus card I destroyed earlier...) Shaking her head, she then pondered, (Well even so, her new monster's attack power is less than either of my monsters, so it won't save her anyway... And even if she attacks, I'll activate my Mirror Force and deflect the attack right back at her!)

Noticing Rarity's sudden smirk, Sunset figured that something was up. Glancing down at the field, she saw Rarity's Trap Card, still facedown on the field. (She obviously set a Trap for me; the moment I declare an attack, she'll try and destroy my monster with it... But I have another idea that just might work...) She then said to her opponent, "I'll end my turn by placing Chateau Huyuk in Attack Mode!"

"Huh? What's she doin'??" asked Rainbow Dash. "Her Number only has 2,000 attack points! It'll get whupped!"

"I'm not so sure about that..." Bon Bon spoke up.

"Huh?" said the rest of Sunset's friends.

"Bonnie's right." Lyra chimed in. "I think Sunset knows exactly what she's doin'."

Rarity chuckled, which soon turned to laughter. "That's all you are going to do?!" she asked mockingly. "You've OBVIOUSLY given up! Why else would you place your monster in Attack Mode, and risk having it be destroyed by either of my monsters? You'll soon pay for your mistake!! Now I draw!!"

The fashionista took a new card from her Deck and looked at it. "This will do just fine..." she said to herself. She then declared, "I switch Diamond Crab King to Attack Mode!" Her Number card then presented its pincers and moved forward slightly, ready to launch an attack. "Next," she continued, "I'll activate his effect and switch his attack and defense points for one turn!" (Number 52: Diamond Crab King: OLU 1 - 1 = 0) (Number 52: Diamond Crab King: ATK 0 > 3000 / DEF 3000 > 0)

(This is it... she's planning to launch a final attack to finish me off...) thought Sunset Shimmer, bracing herself.

"And now, I'll Summon Gem-Knight Lapis in Attack Mode!" the violet-haired teen shouted, playing the card she drew earlier. Her new monster was of a young female human, possibly in her teens, wearing armor that was beige and burgundy in color, and even had a skirt-like garment around her waist area (Gem-Knight Lapis: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 100). "And next, I shall activate the effect of Gem-Knight Ruby!"

"Uh oh, she's doin' that again..." said a worried Applejack. "And without Force Focus, Sunset has no way of stoppin' it!"

"Don't worry about a thing, AJ!" Pinkie told her. "Sunset will still beat her and get her back to normal!"

"C'mon... you can do this..." urged Lyra.

"Gem-Knight Lapis, transfer to Ruby and increase his power!" Rarity ordered. Lapis then turned into pure energy and flowed in the fashionista's Fusion Monster, making him even more powerful than before (Gem-Knight Ruby: ATK 2500 + 1200 = 3700). Rarity then thought to herself, (Alright, I doubt that Sunset has anything sneaky planned... but just in case, I'll attack with Ruby first before using Diamond Crab King...) She then pointed ahead and shouted, "Gem-Knight Ruby!! Attack Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!"

Sunset watched as Rarity's Fusion monster leaped up towards her Xyz Monster and struck it with his scythe. Even though the Number card could not be destroyed by a non-Number monster, the damage was still inflicted, and the otherworldly girl shielded herself with her arms and did her best to stand her ground, despite how much force was used against her (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,200 - 1,700 = 500).

"And now..." Rarity continued, "Diamond Crab King!! Finish her off and win me the Duel!!" Her Number card then pointed its shard-covered back towards Chateau Huyuk and fired off its shards.

"Look out!!" yelped Fluttershy in distress. Everyone else watched on, wondering if this was the end of the Duel.

But Sunset Shimmer chuckled and said, "I was hoping you'd do that, Rarity!"

"Wh-what?!" said the violet-haired teen, suddenly not feeling too good after hearing that.

"I activate the effect of Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!" shouted Sunset, removing a card from underneath her Number card (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "By removing one of its Overlay Units, my Chateau can target one of your monsters and drop its attack points all the way down to zero!"

"WHAT?!? NO!!!!" screamed Rarity as Sunset's card fired a blue bolt of electricity right at Diamond Crab King, stunning and weakening it (Number 52: Diamond Crab King: ATK 3000 > 0). The shards that it fired still struck Sunset's monster, but now that the crab's attack power was completely gone, they were unable to destroy it, instead becoming stuck in the blue force field that surrounded the fortress.

"Now that it's weaker than my monster, your Diamond Crab King, as well as this Duel, are finished!" the red and yellow girl proclaimed.

(No...! This can't be!! With his attack at zero, my monster is done for!!) thought Rarity, now shaking in fear. (And since I'M the one who initiated the attack, I can't use Mirror Force to block it!! She must have known that I set a Trap for her! How on EARTH could she have thought that far ahead?!)

"Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!" shouted Sunset. "Counterattack! Send those shards back where they came from!!" Her monster then began glowing incredibly bright, and then let out a flash of light as it fired the diamond shards right back towards Rarity's monster. The fashionista trembled, but there was nothing that she could do but watch her Number card be destroyed. The remaining shards then struck her directly, knocking her down and knocking her out (Rarity: LP 1,950 - 2,000 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"She did it! She DID IT!!! Sunnie WON!!!" Pinkie screamed in delight. "I knew she'd do it!!"

"Way to go, Sunset!! You beat her!!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah!! Way to go!!" Lyra chimed in.

Celestia and Luna were also quite impressed; both with Sunset's dueling skills and also for the reason why she was dueling. "She is quite impressive, Luna." stated the elder sister. "It's quite clear that Ms. Shimmer has come quite a long way since last year..."

"That is true, Sister. I cannot deny that any longer." said the younger sister. "Sunset has truly changed her ways... and I believe it is because she has such good friends supporting her." The light-pink principal agreed with a nod.

Sunset took a deep sigh after her arduous Duel. At that moment, her necklace began to glow. She then glanced up and saw a light phase out from Rarity's chest. Knowing exactly what to do, the red and yellow girl reached her hand out and allowed the light to fly right into it. She then grabbed the light, which formed into Rarity's Number card after it was in her hand. In addition, the Number symbol on the violet-haired teen's forehead dissolved away completely, meaning that she was no longer under that card's control.

After taking the Number card and putting it away in her deck box, Sunset heard groaning sounds coming from Rarity. Concerned for her, the otherworldly girl then ran over towards her friend to check up on her. "Rarity! Are you okay??" she asked her.

The fashionista groaned and answered her saying, "...I... I am now..." She then looked over at her friend, eyes filled with tears. Swiftly embracing Sunset in a hug, she cried and told her, "Oh, Sunset...! I'm so sorry!! I knew what I was doing while under the control of that card, but I couldn't do anything to stop myself!! Please forgive me... I didn't mean to do any of those horrible things to you!!"

Sunset Shimmer then returned the hug and told her, "It's okay, Rarity... Everything's going to be okay. I know you weren't in control of your own actions; that's why I was fighting hard to bring you back to your old self. Besides, you've forgiven me for doing something a whole lot worse, so I think I can forgive you for anything that you did just now..."

Rarity was still crying a little, but she was happy to hear her friend say that. "Oh thank you, Sunset..." she told her. "You are indeed a true friend..." She then gave the otherworldly girl another friendly hug, which Sunset returned, causing everyone in the audience to smile at the heartwarming scene.

After breaking off of the hug, Rarity then frowned and said, "Even so, I'm afraid the damage has been done: I mean, just LOOK at this place!" Glancing around the overdecorated gym, she added, "The Fall Formal begins in only five minutes; there's absoLUTELY no way that I will be able to take down ALL of these decorations in time all by myself!"

"Now don't y'all fret none, Rarity!" said Applejack's voice. "You WILL be able to get this place ship-shape and on time!"

"Because you're not gonna be doin' it alone!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "We're gonna help ya!"

"You... you will?!" asked Rarity, regaining hope.

"Sure, no problem, Rarity!" said Lyra. "We'll all get the gym back to the way it was, no sweat!"

"With all of us working together, we'll make this the best Fall Formal ever!" Bon Bon added.

Rarity then saw that everyone else in the room was on board with helping to restore the Gymnasium and make it presentable for the big event. Needless to say, she was absolutely pleased at how generous everyone was to help her, even after she had gone totally berserk. "Thank you..." she told them all. "Thank you all so much... I don't deserve such kindness..."

"Rarity," Sunset began, "you're a great person, and you always will be; of course you deserve it." She then took out her backpack and told her friend, "The other students and I will get this place back together... In the meantime..." The red and yellow girl then pulled out a neatly-folded dress from inside the bag and handed it to Rarity, saying, "...I think the only thing you should have to worry about is making yourself look presentable for the occasion."

"My dress..." stated the fashionista, "with all that has happened, I nearly forgot about it." She then told her friend, "But... I really should help out... It's my fault that everything is the way it is..."

"It's no problem, Rarity." Sunset told her. "You've been through so much already tonight... We'll handle things in here; you just worry about looking your best."

The violet-haired teen thought about it for a while, unsure about what to do. But she finally nodded and said, "Alright... if you insist... I know you'll all do a great job in here." Sunset nodded to say that she would as she gave her the dress. Rarity then left the gym, heading into a bathroom to get changed.

The next five minutes came and went, and thanks to Sunset Shimmer, her friends, and the rest of Canterlot High's students and staff, the Gym was restored to the way it was before Rarity picked up her Number card, and not a moment too soon. With the earlier Duel now just a memory, the Fall Formal was able to go on as planned. Every student was enjoying themselves, dancing, having a bite to eat, meeting up with their friends, and much more.

Not long after the event officially started, Rarity had finally returned, now wearing the dress that Sunset and the others had brought with them. Her ensemble was incredibly beautiful; it was mostly in a deep red color, with a blue collar adorned with pink and purple jewels, along with a few pearls. Around her waist, there were blue frills, with a purple lotus flower-like decoration on the back of her, and a long, blue train trailing from the back. The bottom of the dress, as well as the ends of the sleeves, were decorated with several interconnected purple diamond shapes, some of which were bejeweled, with longer, pinkish sleeves coming out from underneath the dress's sleeves. On her head was a blue hat with several small, pink jewels, a cyan hat pin with two long antennae-like appendages sticking out, and topped off with a large, pink feather.

"Oh... my...!" said Fluttershy with a gasp. "You look so beautiful, Rarity!"

"Thank you, Fluttershy dear." the fashionista replied. She looked around the room and added, "And the Gymnasium looks absoLUTELY perfect! Just the way it was before I found that horrible Number card..."

"Well, Lyra and Bon Bon were a big help;" Sunset stated. "they knew exactly what the room looked like when you were with them this afternoon."

"Well, I can't thank you all enough for everything that you've done for me." said the violet-haired teen. "You were especially a big help, Sunset: You put yourself at risk to save me from that Number card, and I shall not soon forget it. I daresay, this might be the only instance in which I'm actually GLAD to have lost a Duel."

"Heh, well if you ever need me to beat you again, just let me know." the otherworldly girl said jokingly. The others laughed in response to her funny comment.

At that moment, all of the students heard the voice of Principal Celestia, who was standing in front of a microphone on the stage that was set up in the back of the room. "Students of Canterlot High," she began, "my sister and I are very pleased to see you all here in attendance at this year's Fall Formal. And I speak for all of us when I say that this one will be one that we shall never forget."

The students chuckled a bit in response to their principal's comment.

"But now that the Fall Formal is going ahead as planned," began Vice Principal Luna, "it is now time to announce the name of this year's Fall Formal Princess! And I am pleased to say that it was a unanimous decision!"

"Wow... that sure is great, ain't it, Rare?" asked Applejack. "Y'know, to have the ENTIRE school vote fer ya."

"Well, actually... about that..." the fashionista began to say, "I actually dropped out of the running."

"Huh?!" the others said, surprised.

"After everything that has happened tonight, I lost all interest in becoming the Princess this year." Rarity admitted.

"But... if you're not competing," Sunset began to ask her, "then who won?"

"And the winner of the title of Fall Formal Princess is..." began Celestia, opening the envelope and taking out the paper that had the winner's name written upon it. She then read the name to herself, and then announced it out-loud:

"...Ms. Sunset Shimmer!"

The red and yellow girl's irises shrunk when she heard her name being announced; she was not expecting this to happen. "M-m-m-m-ME?!?" she asked, pointing to herself.

"Well, unless you have a twin sister with the same name as yourself, I do not believe that my sister was referring to anyone else." Luna told her.

Sunset looked around at everyone in the room, more nervous than she was during her earlier Duel. "But... I don't understand..." she said to the Principals. "Why did everyone vote for me? In fact, how did I even get nominated??"

"We can answer that for ya." Lyra suddenly spoke up. "After we got the place all straightened up, I went over to Principal Celestia and told her that you should be the Princess this year."

"And I seconded the motion." Bon Bon added.

The otherworldly girl was flabbergasted after finding out that not only did someone else nominate her for Fall Formal Princess, but also knowing that EVERYONE in school voted for her, without her having to force them to do it. "So... you all want me to be the Princess...?" she asked them, a bit meekly. "Even after how much of a jerk I was the last few years?"

"Of course." Lyra told her with a smile. "Because you're NOT a jerk anymore. After seeing you out there, trying to save Rarity from that weird card, we can now see that you're a whole different person now. And this is our way of saying that we like the new you, one hundred-percent!" Bon Bon nodded to say that she agreed with her friend, as did the rest of the students.

"So...?" began Celestia. "Will you come on up here, and accept your title? It's still your decision, Ms. Shimmer."

Sunset Shimmer was very touched that everyone in school actually wanted her to be the Fall Formal Princess this year, and that they were now totally convinced that she was a good person now. Wiping away a tear, she then said to the light-pink woman, "All right... I'll do it. I will accept the title that everyone here was nice enough to give to me." She then proceeded to walk up to the stage in front of the two principals to attend her official coronation.

"In that case, I hereby declare you to be this year's Fall Formal Princess!" said Celestia, placing the crown on the otherworldly girl's head. "Everyone, please give a round of applause for Princess Sunset Shimmer!" The rest of the students cheered loudly in response.

Photo Finish then walked towards the stage with her trusty camera and said, "Alright now, time for your official Fall Formal Princess photograph! Stay still now..."

But before the budding photographer could take the picture, Sunset put her hand up towards her and said, "Wait, before you do that..." She then glanced up at Celestia and asked, "Is it okay if I could have my friends join me for the photo? I don't think I could have gotten the title of Princess without them."

"Well, you are the Princess this year..." stated the light-pink woman. "If that is what you wish, then it is fine with me." Luna nodded to say that she was also fine with it.

Smiling, Sunset then looked over at her friends, including Lyra and Bon Bon, and said to them, "Well, what're you guys waiting for? Come on up here!" The others happily did so, joining their friend onstage. Photo Finish then clicked her camera, taking the picture of the new Fall Formal Princess and all of her friends. Truly, it would be a night that all of them would remember forever.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (5 Numbers total):

Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk
Number 52: Diamond Crab King

RANK 5: The Apartment Altercation:

Author's Note

This episode features a new character to get the EG treatment, as well as Sunset's transition into a new home. I designed Sunset's apartment with the help of my mother and a good friend of mine. It ended up looking much bigger than a typical apartment, but I really liked how it turned out. This led me to put the apartment building in a "rich" portion of the town as a way to explain why it's so big. Anyway, enjoy the episode!

RANK 5: The Apartment Altercation:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Sunset Shimmer has recently been putting her stellar dueling skills to good use. After a series of dangerous cards known as the "Numbers" began to pop up all over the place, the teenager has been hard at work trying to obtain them from the Duelists that became possessed by them. Her hardest battle yet came when Rarity, one of her best friends, fell under the control of Number 52: Diamond Crab King. The card nearly caused her to ruin the Fall Formal, one of CHS's biggest events. Thanks to Sunset Shimmer and her powerful Chronomaly Deck, she defeated Rarity and obtained her Number, restoring her friend back to her normal self.

Sunset has accomplished a lot ever since the day she forged a strong friendship with her closet friends; now she is no longer hated by the entire school, and her new reputation of being both a good person and a powerful Duelist has been spreading all over the school and Canterlot City. Now, she is about to achieve her biggest accomplishment yet...

It was another bright and sunny afternoon in the city of Canterlot. The school day had just ended, and all of the students in attendance at Canterlot High School departed from the building, either heading back home, or going somewhere in town to hang out. At Sugarcube Corner, the city's most popular sweet shop, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were all sitting at a small table, seemingly waiting for something. To pass the time, the five teens talked to one another about various things, mostly about their card collections. After having been involved with the game of Duel Monsters fairly often for the past few weeks, it seemed like the best thing for them to talk about.

"So how's your new Deck coming along, AJ?" Rainbow Dash inquired the orange-skinned country girl.

"The Sylvan Deck? Almost done with it." Applejack answered. "I've actually been makin' a heap o' progress on it lately. Ah can't wait to try it out once Ah'm done!"

"You know... I think I might have a few Sylvan cards in my collection back home." Fluttershy chimed in. "Maybe you could come by and see it? ...Um, if you want to, that is..."

"Sure, Ah'll be there!" the orange teen responded. "Just as long as you keep that li'l ol' rabbit o' yours under control."

"I promise that Angel will be on his best behavior when you come by." the animal-loving girl assured her.

"What about you, Rainbow?" Rarity asked the athletic teen. "Did you build a Deck yet? I only ask because you're the only one of us that hasn't put a new one together recently."

"Yeesh, don't rush me! I actually have been workin' on one for a coupla days." Dash responded. She then looked over at Fluttershy and said to her, "After I'm done with it, though, I'd like to see how well it'd do against your Deck."

"Wha... me??" asked the timid girl. "Oh... I... I don't know..."

"Well, what about you, then?" the cyan girl then asked Rarity. "I've been wanting to take on your Gem Knight Deck for a while, especially after seein' it in action at the Fall Formal last month."

Rarity sighed. "Please... don't remind me of that." she told her friend. "I'd rather try and forget the day that I was acting MOST un-lady-like..."

Pinkie Pie then chimed in and said, "Not to mention that you were TOTALLY loco in the coco when you overdecorated everything! I mean, you HAVE to be a total, crazed NUT to clutter up the snack table and leave no room for stuff to eat!!"

"...Thank you, Pinkie..." Rarity said sarcastically. "I REALLY needed to hear all of that..."

"You're welcome!" the silly girl replied, causing the fashionista to facepalm.

Just then, the doors to the sweet shop opened and in walked Sunset Shimmer with a rather pleasant smile upon her face. It wasn't often that she was in this chipper a mood, but whenever she was, it usually meant that something particularly good happened to her. Walking over and sitting down with her friends, she said to them, "Sorry I'm late; Thunderlane wanted to duel me again, so I played a quick round with him."

"Did ya beat him?" asked Rainbow Dash, who had a feeling that she already knew the answer.

"You bet I did." the otherworldly girl told her.

"Is that why you are in such a good mood right now?" asked Rarity.

"Actually, no. I was in a good mood long before then." explained Sunset. "And it's also why I asked you all to come here today: I have some very big news for you all."

"Big news? What is it?" asked Applejack.

"Are you gonna try out for the baseball team and become captain?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Did you get noticed by a representative of a fashion magazine and they've asked you to be a model for them?" inquired Rarity.

"Ooh! OOH!! I KNOW!!" screamed Pinkie Pie. "Are you gonna try to beat the world record for eating an entire six-layer cake the fastest?!" She then told her red and yellow friend, "No offense, Sunnie, but you'll never beat MY record!!"

"Um... no, no, and DEFINITELY no." Sunset replied, answering all three questions in order. "Actually, this is something I've been looking forward to for a very long time..." The girl took a deep breath and told them all, "I'm finally getting a home for myself!"

The others gasped, both out of shock and out of joy for Sunset. "That's great t' hear, Sugarcube!" Applejack told her, happy for her friend.

"Oh, this is so wonderful!!" Rarity added. "You're finally going to be able to leave the homeless shelter!"

"That's right." the red and yellow girl confirmed. "In fact, today will be my last day there. The people there said that they're gonna miss me, though; it seems kinda sad that I'm leaving them all behind like that."

"Well, ya know what they say: 'A rollin' stone gathers no moss'." Applejack told her friend.

"It's true; I tried it." Pinkie added. Sunset chuckled a little at her pink friend's comment.

"Wait, hold on... How'd ya manage to afford your own place?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Your part-time job pays you well, but not THAT well."

"Well, actually, Vice Principal Luna's the one who was able to get me my own place to live." the otherworldly girl explained. "She knows a few people, and one of them happens to be a landlord of an apartment building in the city. So, she was able to pull a few strings and allow me to get an apartment there."

"Well, that was sure nice o' her t' do that for ya." Applejack commented.

"I believe it's because Sunset had saved the Fall Formal last month." Fluttershy figured.

"I was thinking that too." Sunset responded. "I feel a bit guilty about accepting that from her, though... I don't really know if I deserve such a thing or not..."

"Of course you do, Sunset darling." Rarity told her. "You've done so much to help those around you. I should know: I don't know WHAT would have become of me if you hadn't saved me from that Number card during the Fall Formal."

"You're welcome, Rarity." the red and yellow teen replied. "It was my pleasure."

"So... um... does this mean that you won't be coming by our homes for sleepovers every week anymore...?" asked Fluttershy, feeling a bit down just thinking about it.

"Oh, don't worry; that won't change." Sunset told her shy friend. "I'll still come and spend Sunday nights with all of you, just like before. The only difference is that now you could come and spend the night with me in my apartment if you wanted to."

"That sounds awesome, Sunset!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "We'd love t' come and visit ya!" The others nodded to say that they shared the same opinion.

"Thanks, girls." Sunset told them. Twiddling her thumbs a little, she then said to them, "There's just one thing though; the other reason I told you about this is... well, tomorrow, I'll be gathering all of my belongings from the shelter, and..."

"And you'd like us t' help ya out, right?" asked Applejack, finishing her friend's sentence.

"Um... yeah, that's right..." the otherworldly girl sheepishly replied. "I'm sorry, it's just that... if I were to do it all by myself, it would probably be nighttime by the time I'm done... and not only that-"

"You don't have to say another word, Sunset." Rarity interrupted. "We would be happy to help you move into your new home."

"Yeah!! And after that," Pinkie Pie loudly chimed in, "we could even have a HOUSEWARMING party!!! It'll be SO much FUN!!!"

Rarity, covering her ears a little, said to her hyper pink friend, "Pinkie, didn't we have a discussion about using our inside voices while in public??"

"But this IS my inside voice!" Pinkie told her. "This is how I ALWAYS talk when I'm at home!"

"Annnnnnnd it doesn't bother your folks none?" Applejack inquired.

"They've probably gotten used to it by now." Rainbow answered her.

Sunset then coughed a little for attention and asked her friends, "Anyway... do you think that all of you could come by the shelter tomorrow and help me get my belongings together?"

"Of course, Sunset." Fluttershy responded. "It would be my pleasure to help you out."

"Same with all of us." Rainbow added in a casual tone.

"Ah'll see if Ah can get Big Mac to bring in one'a our delivery trucks to use as a movin' truck." suggested Applejack. "Ah'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"And I'll make sure that everything is as neatly organized as possible." stated Rarity.

"And I'll... uh... And I'll... ummmm..." Pinkie Pie tried to think of something she could do, but couldn't come up with anything. So she simply said, "Well, I can't think of anything that I can do that relates to my personality the best, so I'll just do regular work instead!"

"Thanks a lot." Sunset told them with a smile. "I really appreciate it." The otherworldly girl was happy to know that her friends would help her move into her new apartment tomorrow.

The very next day, around noontime, Sunset and her friends all gathered together at the homeless shelter to help the otherworldly girl move out. It was a Saturday, so they had all the time they needed to tackle the job. Just as Applejack had promised the other day, she was able to get her older brother, Big Macintosh, to arrive with one of their delivery trucks. Normally, the truck was used to transport the apples from their orchard around the city and elsewhere. But today, it would be used as a moving truck.

"Thanks a heap, big bro." Applejack told her older brother, who was still sitting in the driver's seat after he parked the truck in front of the building. "I guess with you here, it means that Granny Smith was okay with y'all bringin' the truck over, right?"

Big Mac nodded, saying, "Eeeyup."

"That's good t' hear." The orange-skinned girl then walked over to her friends and told them all, "Okay, gals... we've got a lotta work to do, so let's make like ants and start gettin' busy! We don't wanna take too long here, after all."

"Heh, no prob, AJ. We've got this." Rainbow Dash said in a casual tone.

"Just as long as we can all agree that Applejack carries all of the heavy objects." Rarity added.

"Now hold on a sec, Rare..." the farm girl told her violet-haired friend. "Ah certainly hope that y'all will actually contribute to some of the labor, instead of havin' US do all the work fer ya..."

"Of COURSE I will!" Rarity said back. "I'll carry some things!!" She then added, "Just nothing heavy, nothing sticky, nothing with a foul odor, nothing that's loud and tasteless, nothing outright UGLY..."

Applejack groaned, slapping her face with her hand and shouted, "Rarity! You're doin' it again! You're whinin' about the work, and we haven't even started yet!"

"I was NOT whining!" argued the fashionista. "I was complaining! Would you like to HEAR whining?!"

"Girls, that's enough!" Sunset told them both, stepping in between the two quarreling girls. "This is not the time to be arguing over something like that!" She then told them, "For once, why can't you two be like Pinkie Pie right now?" She then pointed over to the silly pink girl, who had already started gathering some of the red and yellow girl's boxed belongings and walked towards the truck while balancing the large boxes on her head... somehow. "You don't see her complaining about the work or anyone else, do you?"

Pinkie giggled and told them all, "Why WOULD I complain? It's not often I get to balance lots of boxes on my head like this and call it work!" She then hummed happily to herself as she stopped behind the truck and unloaded all of the things that she was carrying inside of it.

Sunset then turned back over to Applejack and Rarity and asked them, "Now, can we all agree not to bicker with each other and get done what we need to get done?"

"Fine, Sunset..." the orange-skinned girl replied. "When you're right, you're right." She then put her hand out towards Rarity and said to her, "No hard feelings, Rare?"

"Sure... no hard feelings." the violet-haired teen responded. "...As long as you get all of the heavy things."

"We'll BOTH get all the heavy stuff." Applejack informed her. "Together."

"...Fine."

For the next hour or so, the six girls went to work, gathering all of Sunset's personal belongings and putting them into the truck. The back of the vehicle was loaded with all sorts of things, such as her clothes, a video game console, a few stuffed animals, several bath towels, and even a computer.

After they were all done, Fluttershy then said to Sunset, "You sure have a lot of things here in the truck..." She then asked, in a slightly uneasy-sounding tone, "Um... did you... um... get all of these things when you were..."

"Uh huh..." the red and yellow girl responded, feeling a bit guilty; she knew what Fluttershy was asking her. "Back then, I... well... kinda used my looks to get people to give me whatever I wanted... And before you all ask: Yes, I feel really bad about it now."

"It's alright, Sunset dear." Rarity informed her friend. "I must admit: I have done things like that in the past before I realized that it wasn't right." Coughing a little, she then added, "Anyway... changing the subject, where is your new apartment?"

"Vice Principal Luna printed out a map of the city and marked the location for me." Sunset Shimmer answered, pulling out a folded paper from out of a pocket on her jacket. She then unfolded it and pointed to a large circle that had been drawn upon it. "Here it is: The apartment building is on 60 S. Jump Street."

"60 S. Jump Street?" asked Applejack. "Ya mean THAT'S where your new home is?"

"You've been there?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Just the surroundin' area, really, but Ah've seen the place." the farm girl answered. "It's more like on'a them ginormous fancy-shmancy hotels rather than an apartment buildin'!"

"Really??" asked Sunset, sounding rather surprised.

"You didn't know?" asked Rarity.

"Well, I knew that Luna was giving me a place of my own, but besides giving me this map, she didn't tell me where it was or what it looked like." the otherworldly girl informed them.

"Well, we ain't gonna find out what the place looks like if we're all just standin' here, doin' nothin'!" Applejack reminded the others. "So let's get a move on already!" She and Sunset then climbed into the delivery truck while the others piled into Pinkie Pie's pink Volkswagon Beetle. The gang all drove off soon after, heading further into town.

When they all arrived at the apartment building, the six girls were totally flabbergasted: Just as Applejack had told them all, the towering structure was quite fancy-looking, and rightfully so: Jump Street just so happened to be located in the "richer" part of town, as evidenced by all of the other nice-looking buildings and people that walked around.

"This is asTOUNDING!!" Rarity said with a happy gasp. "I cannot believe we're actually here, in the nicer part of the city!" Looking around, she then spotted some well-known city folk, strolling around like anyone else. "Look!" the fashionista exclaimed. "There's Fancypants! And Jet Set! Even Mayor Mare herself is here!"

"Yeesh, Rare... Don't start makin' a scene." the farm girl told her. "What happened to your usual, 'act as polite an' sophisticated as possible' speech that y'all keep spoutin' at us?"

"Well, I can't help it, Applejack dear." the violet-haired girl told her. "It's not like any of us were expecting to see anyone famous today."

"That's true." AJ then glanced over at Sunset and asked her, "So how 'bout it, Sunset? Ah'll bet that you're feelin' pretty good about gettin' a place here, huh?"

The red and yellow girl said nothing at first: She was still completely amazed that Vice Principal Luna would do such a thing for her, of all people. "This is... this is... oh my..." was all that came out of her mouth, as she tried to describe her feelings right now.

"From your tone and stuttering, I can see that you're quite flattered by our gift." said an older woman's voice from nearby. The group turned their heads to see none other than Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna standing nearby them. "Good to see that you could make it over here alright." Celestia said, adding to her earlier comment.

"What're you two doin' here?" asked Rainbow Dash out of curiosity.

"We came to see all of you, of course." Luna answered. "Mostly Ms. Shimmer in particular." She then asked the otherworldly girl, "So, what do you think? It is nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah... i-it is..." Sunset meekly responded. "Maybe a bit too nice, even... You didn't have to go all out and give me an apartment in the rich part of town; I would've been fine with almost anything."

"I'm sure you would have." Celestia told her. "But Luna and I decided to reward you for all the good things that you have done for both the school and the community recently. And being well-known and very influential people ourselves, obtaining such a place for you was no problem at all."

"It also helps that I am actually a personal friend of the landlord." Luna added. "He and I go way back; we actually met each other during the time that my sister and I were still professional Duelists."

"Oh, were the two of you an item?" asked Rarity in an eager tone.

"Oh, no," the vice prinicpal answered, chuckling and blushing, "nothing like that. He's actually married. No, we're just longtime friends: Nothing more, nothing less. We've performed friendly gestures such as this for each other many, many times in the past. So, he had no problem in helping to get you a proper place to live, Ms. Shimmer."

"Well... thank you both so much..." the red and yellow girl replied, blushing and rubbing the back of her head. "I-I-I don't know how I could possibly repay you for being so kind, especially to someone like me..."

"There is no need to repay us; you have done more than enough for us and the school." Celestia told her. "This is OUR way of repaying you for all of your service so far, and in the hopes that you continue to be the good person that you are truly meant to be."

"I will, Princes- uh, I mean, Principal Celestia." Sunset replied. "I promise to you, my friends, and myself to be the best that I can be, in more ways than one." The white-skinned woman smiled warmly after hearing that, proud of her student for saying that.

"We can discuss things such as that a bit later." Luna suggested. "Right now, I believe there is still some more work to be done." She then picked up one of the boxes inside of the moving truck and told the others, "Everybody pick up a box and follow me; I'll show you where the room is." With a smile, she then added, "If you all were astounded by how the building looks on the outside, I believe that you will be even more impressed by what it looks like on the INSIDE..."

Needless to say, the vice principal was quite right about that, for once the six teens entered the apartment that Sunset would be living in (which was number 14, according to the door), their jaws nearly dropped. The apartment was MASSIVE, almost as big as a small house in the suburbs, complete with a spacious living room, a kitchen, a small dining room, a bedroom, and a bathroom.

The living room was far from empty, though, as there were all sorts of furniture set up, such as an L-shaped sofa set up along the back wall and various tables and desks placed neatly around the floor. To the left of the entrance was a small coat closet, and there was even a small counter set up in another corner nearby the entrance, much like one that you would typically see inside of a tavern, with a soda fountain, coolers, and other things behind the counter.

"Woah... lookit all this..." said a stunned Applejack.

"This apartment is simply ASTONISHING!" cheered Rarity.

"...I... I'm actually a little jealous..." Fluttershy meekly added. "I... I'm sorry."

"Wow, this is so GREAT, Sunnie!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "This place is so mega-super-humongous!!"

"It's almost as big as my place...!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, a bit surprised by what they saw.

"Yeah... it's... it's a lot to take in, that's for sure..." stated Sunset Shimmer, still not believing what was going on.

The group decided to stroll around the apartment to see what the other rooms looked like. Their first stop was the kitchen (to the right of the apartment's entrance), where they saw a nice, clean room complete with a small round table, a counter with several overhead cupboards above it, a stove, a large freezer, a refrigerator, and a double sink. No doubt about it, Sunset could cook all sorts of delicious meals in a nice kitchen such as this one.

The next room was the one that was adjacent to the kitchen: The dining room. There wasn't much inside, but it did consist of a large, rectangular dining table and matching oak wood seats. There was also a desk with cabinets placed off to the side of the table, and a houseplant in the corner to add to the ambiance.

The bedroom, located to the left of the front door, was also quite impressive. The bed was about queen size, measuring six feet wide and six-foot-eight long. The covers were colored baby blue, matching the sky blue walls perfectly, and the pillows were probably just as soft as they looked. On either side of the bed was a small nightstand, each one with a small lamp sitting on it. Along the left wall was a large dresser, made of oak wood, just like the table and chairs in the dining room. Nearby it was a walk-in closet, and next to that, a smaller dresser that was ideal for having a television set placed on top of it. Along the right-hand wall was a writing desk and a bookshelf, perfect for Sunset to work on any and all schoolwork.

Just beside the writing desk was a door leading to the elegant-looking bathroom. The bright-pink sink was the first thing one would see upon entering. To the left of the door was a clothes hamper, to use for storing dirty clothes that would eventually be taken to the washing machines downstairs. Next to the hamper was a bathtub, complete with a shower head and curtain, followed by a small bathroom closet. Even the toilet was fancy-looking, with a fuzzy seat cover and bronze flusher handle. Of course, the one thing that the group immediately took notice of was the...

"HOT TUB!!" screamed Pinkie Pie, pointing to the object in question.

"Dibs!!" shouted Rainbow in excitement.

"Hold on a second!!" yelled Rarity in an annoyed tone. "At least give us all a chance to see it first!" The three of them raced over to the hot tub, fighting over who would get to use it first.

Celestia chuckled a little, saying, "I had a feeling this would happen when they saw it."

"Yeah... y'all would think that they'd consider the fact that Sunset oughtta get to use the tub first, since it's actually hers." Applejack noted.

"Eh, I don't care who gets it first." the red and yellow girl casually stated. "But this does give me an idea..." She then walked over to Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie and said to them, "Now, now girls... there's no need to fight over the hot tub. How about this? Whoever does the best job of helping me get all of my stuff set up in my apartment gets first crack at it."

"That is no contest, Sunset: I will do QUITE a good job, being a master of interior design." Rarity informed her.

"Hooooooooold on a sec, Rarity... You're not the ONLY one that can make a room pretty!" Pinkie said to her violet-haired friend. "Have you SEEN the decorations at the parties I helped put together? They've gotten five balloons out of five on the rating system that I made up!"

"And if you think I'm gonna back out of a competition just because it's a decorating contest," the cyan-skinned teen told them both, "then you don't know Rainbow Dash as well ya think you do!"

"So it's on?" asked Rarity.

"It's ON!!" Pinkie and Dash responded. Soon after, all three of them rushed to start getting all of Sunset's belongings into the room and in the proper places.

With a smirk, the otherworldly teen said to the rest of the group, "And that, girls, is how it's done."

"Wasn't that a little underhanded, Sunset...?" asked Fluttershy. "If you don't mind me asking..."

"Well, it was either that, or have those three argue all day while we did all the work." the red and yellow girl responded.

"Point taken." replied Applejack. She then said, "Anyhoo, we'd better get back t' work, too. We can't have Rare and the others doin' everythin' by themselves, can we?" The others shook their heads no to say that they wouldn't just sit and not do anything themselves. Soon after that, everyone was busy once again.

It took almost an hour's worth of work, but at long last, Sunset and the others were able to get everything from the truck inside of her new apartment. All of her clothes were put away in either the closets or the dressers, her computer and game console were hooked up properly, and all of her other things were placed in the spots that the red and yellow girl wanted them in. After it was all over, Sunset decided that Rarity had done the best job of getting all of her things together, and, as promised, the fashionista was permitted to use the new hot tub first, much to her joy.

Rainbow grumbled a little; she didn't like losing at anything, even a decorating contest. But Pinkie Pie did her best to make her feel better by saying, "It'll be alright, Dashie; you know ya can't win 'em all... Tell ya what: You can go before me once Rarity's done."

The silly girl's offer was enough to cheer Dash up a little. "Thanks, Pink." she replied, still a bit miffed at losing to Rarity.

Looking around the new apartment, Celestia praised everyone's great effort, telling them all, "Very good work, everyone. Thanks to all of your hard work here, I'm sure Sunset will feel very comfortable in her new home."

"Anythin' for a friend of ours." Applejack replied with a smile. The others nodded to say the same.

Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door. "Um, I'll get it..." stated Fluttershy, walking over and opening the door.

On the other side of the doorway was an adult man with dark tan skin and short, dark-red hair. He had black eyes and a pair of bushy eyebrows above those eyes. His outfit consisted of a dark brown coat with fuzzy red cuffs on the bottom, as well as on the wrist and neck areas. On the left side of the chest area of the coat was a small picture of what appeared to be a Manticore: A mythical beast that consisted of parts of a lion, a bat, and a scorpion. He also had on a pair of black pants, brown leather shoes, and a brown hat on his head.

"Hello, am I interrupting anything?" he asked everyone in the room. His voice was very gruff-sounding, but also very pleasant.

"Oh, Manny Roar!" exclaimed Luna in delight. "I was hoping that you would show up soon! Come on inside!" The man did just that, walking into the living room and over to the group. The vice principal then said to the six teens, "Girls, this is Manny Roar: He is the building's landlord." Everyone greeted him politely and shook his hand. "Manny, this is Sunset Shimmer." Luna then told the man, introducing him to the red and yellow girl. "She's going to be your new tenant."

"So you're the young lady that Luna's been tellin' me about." Manny then said to Sunset, shaking her hand. "Well, you appear to be just as nice as she told me."

"Um, thank you, sir... That's very nice of you to say." the otherworldly girl replied. "I hope it's not too weird that I'm pretty much going to be living here by myself."

"Don't worry, Ms. Shimmer. Luna explained everything to me." Manny replied. "The deal was that, in terms of any and all paperwork, she is the owner of the apartment, but that you would be the one living in it."

"Really?" asked Sunset.

"Indeed." Principal Celestia chimed in. "Luna has insisted that she would help with most of your expenses, such as your monthly rent. Of course, we trust that you will be responsible for any other small expenses that might come your way."

"O-of course, Principal Celestia!" the red and yellow girl replied. "I was actually just about to say that I didn't want you both to pay for all my things for me. Trust me; I wouldn't feel right if you went and did that."

"Well, we're glad to hear that you've developed a sense of responsibility for yourself." stated Luna.

"Same here." Manny added. "I wish all of my past tenants were more like that."

"Uh, not t' change the subject or anything," Rainbow Dash suddenly said, "but I gotta ask something: Vice Principal Luna, you told us that this Manny guy is an old friend of yours; how'd you two meet?"

"Very well, I suppose you all should know." Luna replied. "It's actually kind of an interesting story..." The dark-blue woman then cleared her throat and began to tell her story.

"It was about several years ago, before we became high school principals." she told them all. "Back then, my older sister and I were well-known throughout the country as professional Duelists. We were among the best of the best; Celestia and I had won well over one hundred tournaments, many of which had very tough competitors participating. We had won more than enough prize money to be able to live off of it for many, many years. It was during one of these many tournaments that Manny Roar and I had met."

"I was in the audience when Luna won the final match and the championship." Manny then chimed in. "You should have seen her back then; whenever she dueled, she pulled off so many powerful moves, that her opponents looked like amateurs in comparison." The vice principal blushed a little upon hearing that. He then continued, saying, "Anyway, after the match, I went to look for her to get an autograph, when all of a sudden, when I wasn't looking, I tripped over a loose tile on the floor and fell over. When I hit the ground, I hurt my leg really bad..."

"Ooooooh... yeah, I know the feeling..." Rainbow Dash told him, sympathizing with the man's plight.

Continuing his story, Manny then told them all, "Anyway, I called out for help because I couldn't stand up, but there was no one around to hear me... or so I thought."

"I happened to be walking around the convention hall after meeting some of my fans when I heard him calling for help." Luna then said. "I rushed over and found him, holding his left leg in pain. I immediately called 911 and asked for an ambulance to come by and pick him up. I then hopped inside and rode over to the hospital to watch over him."

"Thanks to Luna, I was able to recover in just a day's time." Manny then explained. "Since she was able to get me help as quickly as she did, my leg was able to heal itself faster. She even used some of the prize money that she had won in the tournament to pay my hospital bills."

"Really?" asked Fluttershy. "Oh, that was so sweet of you, Vice Principal Luna."

"Well, I felt a bit responsible for what had happened." the dark-blue woman told her. "After all, he had injured himself on the day that he went to see me in the competition, so I did feel bad about it and wanted to do whatever I could to help him in his time of need."

"And I still appreciate it, Luna." Manny informed her. "After all, in the end, some good did come out of it; instead of getting your autograph, I got a new friend."

"You're quite welcome." Luna told him with a smile.

"Awwwwww... that's so wonderful!" said Pinkie Pie, getting a little teary-eyed from hearing the story. "So you've been good friends ever since?"

"Yep. Since that day, we've done all sorts of things, and have done favors for each other without a second thought." said the landlord. "So when Luna told me that she wanted one of her students to move out of the homeless shelter and have a proper place to live, I was all for it."

"Well, thank you very much, Mr. Roar." Sunset said. "You have no idea how much this means to me. And I promise to be the best tenant that I can be."

"I'm sure you will." Manny responded. He then asked her, "Anyway, Luna told me that you're quite a strong Duelist yourself. Perhaps you and I could Duel each other one day. After all, if someone like her says that someone's a strong player, that usually means that they are."

"Well, I do my best; nothing more, nothing less." the red and yellow girl told him. "And I'll definitely have to take you up on that offer sometime."

At that moment, Rarity had emerged from the bathroom, having finished with using the hot tub. Her soaking wet hair was wrapped up in a towel, and she was wearing a crimson red bathrobe that belonged to Sunset (which Sunset herself offered to Rarity prior to her using the tub). "Oh my, what a WONDERFUL experience!" she said, feeling as though she had just finished a lengthy session at a five-star spa. "The water was heated to absolute perfection! And the way the bubbles massaged every part of me just made all of my worries melt away..."

"Finally!!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "My turn!!" She then ran into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her in less than two seconds.

Rarity put on an angry face and pounded the door, yelling, "Rainbow Dash, open the door this instant!! In case you weren't aware, my CLOTHES are still in there!!"

"Sorry, can't hear ya!" shouted the athletic teen. "Water's running too loud!"

"It is not!" the violet-haired girl yelled back. "You didn't even turn it on yet!!"

As the two girls shouted at each other from either side of the door, Sunset then said to Manny Roar, "Um, maybe we can talk a bit later; I'd like to uh, ...get settled in and everything."

"No problem, Ms. Shimmer." he replied. "I've got work that needs to be done anyway. You have a good day, all of you." The landlord then left the room soon after saying that.

"We'll see ourselves out as well." Celestia then said to the teens. "We'll see you all at school on Monday."

"Alrighty then, see y'all later." stated Applejack. The two principals then departed from the apartment for their home.

Pinkie then shuffled over to Sunset Shimmer and began to say to her, "Sooooooooooo... about that housewarming party..."

"Of course, Pinkie." replied the otherworldly girl. "I can't think of a better way to enjoy my new home than to share it with the people I care about the most." She then asked, "That is, if you all wanna stay over a little later..."

"Of course, Sunset." replied Fluttershy calmly. "We'd love to."

"I might as well stay for the next several minutes from now while I'm at it..." Rarity chimed in, huffing a little and glancing over at the bathroom door. "After all, it will be awhile before I can get into the bathroom again..."

"You DO know that I have a key that opens any door in my apartment, right?" asked Sunset.

"I do." the fashionista responded. "I just do not like to walk in on someone that is... well, you know. I do not like having it happen to me, so I do not wish it on anybody else... no matter how much they probably deserve it." The others nodded to say that they agreed with her on that one.

The next morning, at 8:37 a.m., Sunset Shimmer woke up and sat upright in her new, super-comfortable bed. After yawning deeply and stretching her arms, she smiled and thought to herself, (That was the best sleep that I've had since I left Equestria... The last time that I could remember sleeping in a bed this comfortable was back in Canterlot Castle...) The moment she thought of her old life as Princess Celestia's personal student, she put on a solemn expression before moving to open a nearby drawer in the nightstand next to her.

Sunset then pulled out a small photograph from the drawer and stared at it for a long time. It was picture of her (in her pony form) and Princess Celestia in what appeared to be an amusement park of some sort; they were both holding brightly colored balloons and had such cheerful smiles on their faces. Sunset had the photo with her since the day she left Equestria through the mirror portal; apparently, even back then, there was a small part of the red and yellow girl that showed remorse for what she had said and done that day, or she wouldn't have brought it with her.

"I still remember when this picture was taken..." she said to herself. "Princess Celestia knew that I really wanted to go to Whinny Land one day, and she surprised me with a trip there one summer. We had so much fun that day..." She sniffled a little, trying her best to hold back a tear before saying, "Princess Celestia... I wish you could see how much I've changed since the day I left... But most of all, I just hope that you can forgive me for being so stupid back then..."

Sunset then sighed to herself as she got out of bed and walked into her closet to get her outfit for the day (which was actually exactly similar to the outfit that she usually wore; she had more than one of the same shirt and skirt). She then placed her outfit on her bed before heading into the bathroom to wash up and make herself presentable.

After taking a quick shower and putting on her clothes for the day, Sunset Shimmer headed towards the coat rack where her favorite black jacket was hung upon. Right next to it were her long boots with the flame pattern on them. Before she could pick them up, she heard a knock on her door. "Are you awake?" asked the gruff voice of Manny Roar.

"Uh, yeah. I'm awake." she told him. "Come in."

Manny then unlocked the door and walked inside, carrying a small basket. "I just came by to see how well your first night here was... and to give you this little present." he told her.

"Oh, last night was great!" she told him with a smile. "The bed I slept in was like a dream! It's definitely a step up from the beds that the shelter had." She then added, "I just hope that my friends and I weren't too loud last night, what with our housewarming party and everything..."

"Oh, you don't have t' worry about that: The walls here are virtually soundproof, so you don't need to worry about disturbing me or any of the other tenants." the landlord explained.

"Oh... good to know." Sunset then pointed to the basket and asked him, "So what's in that basket?"

"Oh this? Just a little welcoming present that I give to all my new tenants." Manny explained, handing her the basket. "There's some fresh fruit, some high-end bath products, and a few other doo-dads here and there."

"Well, thank you very much, sir." she told him politely.

"No problem, Ms. Shimmer." The landlord then asked her, "So what're you gonna be doing today? Just curious."

"Well, Fluttershy is doing some volunteer work over at the animal shelter today, and I agreed to help her out." Sunset answered him. "There's a charity thing going on down there, and it's actually something she and I thought of together: See, people can pay to try and take me on in a Duel. And if they win, they can get one free pet adoption to use at any time. Either way, all of the proceeds go towards improving the shelter."

"Sounds pretty interesting, Ms. Shimmer." said Manny Roar. "I hope you and your friend do well."

"Thanks, Mr. Roar." Sunset then put on her boots and jacket and told him, "Well, I'll talk to you later; I can't keep Fluttershy waiting too long."

"Okay, have a good day!" the landlord said to her, waving goodbye. He then smiled a bit to himself, happy to have such a kind tenant as her living in the apartment building. He then walked down the hall, heading to another apartment next to Sunset's. He then stopped in front of the door, which had a number 16 bolted on the front and unlocked it.

Manny walked inside of the room, which was completely dark and mostly empty. The room had been previously occupied, but the tenant that had lived there had been forced to leave some time ago. The landlord sighed and said to himself, "Well, I'd better give this room a good looking-over before I send the cleaning staff in." He then switched on the lights, revealing that the room was extremely messy, with things such as spilled drinks, pizza boxes, and dirty clothes scattered all over the place.

The man held his nose and stated, "Ugh... the other tenants said it smelled bad in there, but this is just AWFUL!!" Walking inside, he added, "Normally, I dislike having to evict anyone from my building, but in the case of THESE slobs, I can make an exception. They can mess up the apartment they live in, but they crossed the line when they trashed the main foyer during one of their rowdy parties..."

Just then, Manny noticed that one of the things that had been dropped on the floor was a Duel Monsters card that, oddly enough, seemed to be in mint condition, unlike everything else in the room. This might have been one reason that the landlord noticed it. "Now what could something like this possibly be doing in here? I don't remember the previous tenants here having any interest in Duel Monsters..." he said as he picked up the card.

But just then, a shadowy cloud formed around both the card and Manny himself, and the landlord began to get a very bad headache. "AAAAARRRGHH!!! What the-?! What's going on?!?" he shouted.

"Yes, Manny..." said a dark voice in his head. "Let the Number take hold..."

Before he could ask the voice anything, the cloud phased into his body completely. As it did, a picture then formed on the blank side of the card, and a bright blue symbol resembling the number 16 began to glow on his right arm...

Much later in the day, at about 3:00 p.m. or so, Fluttershy and Sunset Shimmer were sitting in a bus, heading back to the city after finishing things up at the animal shelter. "Thank you so much, Sunset..." the shy girl told her friend. "Thanks to you, the shelter was able to raise a lot of money to stay in business for a very long time!" She then added, "I'm just really sorry that you lost some of those Duels you participated in for the event..."

"Actually, I have to confess something, Fluttershy:" Sunset began to tell her. "I actually lost some of the Duels on purpose, like with that little girl, Twist... She really wanted that little black kitten, and I was willing to throw the game so that she could adopt it right away."

"Awwww, that was so sweet of you, Sunset." Fluttershy praised her.

"Well, you said it yourself: The main goal of the shelter was to get pets adopted, and I wanted to help you do just that." the otherworldly girl reminded her. She then asked her friend, "So, you want to come over to my place for a while? I'd like to teach you how to play that video game that I was playing at Rainbow's house a couple days ago."

"Um... really...?" asked the animal lover. "Are... are you sure I won't be a burden to you when you play...?"

"You'll do just fine." Sunset assured her, just as the bus came to a stop at a corner not far away from where the apartment building was. The pair stepped off and began walking towards the building, but just then...

"This is HIGHLY ridiculous!!" said a posh, but angry-sounding voice. It was coming from an adult man with pure white skin and bright yellow hair, wearing a fancy suit that was the same color as his skin. "Just who does that UPSTART think he is?!?"

"Um... isn't that Blueblood?" asked Fluttershy meekly. "What is he doing here...?"

"Well, Vice Principal Luna said that he lives in the same apartment building that I do..." stated Sunset Shimmer. "Not all the time, though; just when he's visiting the city." She then asked herself, "I wonder what's got him so riled up? Maybe I should try and ask him."

"Um, are you sure...?" asked the shy girl. "He looks really angry..."

"It couldn't hurt to try." replied the black jacket-wearing teen. She then calmly approached Blueblood and asked him, "Um, Mr. Blueblood?"

The white-skinned man stopped in front of Sunset and said to her in a posh, but rude, manner, "I do not have the time to speak with you, whomever you are. So would you please be so kind as to leave me alone?"

"I just wanted to know what you were angry about." Sunset told him, still trying to be polite despite his rudeness. "I figured I'd care, since you live in the same apartment building as I do."

"...Oh you do, do you?" Blueblood replied, changing his demeanor a bit. "Well, if I were you, I wouldn't step foot in THAT establishment today, that's for sure!"

"And why's that?" asked the otherworldly girl.

"Because that dolt of a landlord is charging me a RIDICULOUS amount of money for this month's rent!!" Blueblood snapped back. "And he is not letting me into my room until I pay him what he thinks I owe him!!"

"He's what?" asked Sunset, surprised to hear him say something like that. "That doesn't sound right... Manny Roar's one of the nicest people I've met besides my friends..."

"Well, YOU can believe whatever you wish to, young lady." the man responded. "As for me, I have a lawyer to contact, so good day to both of you..." And with that, Blueblood walked off in a huff.

Sunset grumbled a bit, not liking the man's attitude. "I guess being rich and being polite are two very different things..." she commented. "How could he say all of that?! There's no way that someone like Manny would ever do something so cruel..."

"Still, something had to have made him so angry..." Fluttershy told her.

"That's true, I suppose... I guess we should figure out what's going on before we jump to any conclusions." the red and yellow girl stated. "And we'll start by getting a hold of Vice Principal Luna."

"I have her home phone number on my cell phone." the animal lover informed her friend. "I had to put it in when Luna decided to adopt that oppossum from the shelter a while ago."

"Good. Then go ahead and call her and see if she can figure out what's going on." Sunset then pulled out her own phone and added, "Meanwhile, I'll call the rest of our friends and see if they can help out, too."

In just a few minutes after making all of the necessary phone calls, the rest of Sunset's friends showed up in Pinkie's car. Not far behind them came both Luna and Celestia, who pulled up in a white 70's Fastback Mustang that was quite impressive to look at. Once the two principals got out of their vehicle, they walked over to the six teenage girls to meet up with them. "We came as soon as we could." Celestia told them. "So what's going on that you needed us out here so quickly?"

"Well, the thing is," Sunset began to explain, "I think something's happening over at the apartment building, and Mr. Roar might be involved..."

"Manny?" asked Luna, showing some concern. "Whatever do you mean by that, Ms. Shimmer?"

"Well, Fluttershy and I were heading to the building when we came across Blueblood." the red and yellow girl told them all. "He was angry because he claimed that Mr. Roar was overcharging him for his rent today, and that he wouldn't be allowed in his apartment until he paid it."

"Hmph, he's always over-dramatic over the silliest things." Luna informed the otherworldly girl. "And I'm fairly certain that he could pay the amount regardless of how high it may be." But then she said to them, "However, there is something unusual about this... This is not usually the day that Manny collects rent payments from his tenants..."

"I thought that Blueblood was just complaining for no reason also..." Sunset then said. "But after thinking about it for a little bit, the whole situation started to sound very familiar, and not in a good way."

"What d'ya mean by that?" asked Applejack.

"Well, think about it: When we all met Manny Roar, he was just about the nicest person we've ever met." the red and yellow girl informed them. "In fact, just this morning, he came by and gave me a fruit basket as a present! But then all of a sudden, he overcharges the tenants and refuses to let them in until they pay? No one changes their personality THAT quickly..."

"Well... you did, kinda." Rainbow told Sunset.

"...Okay yeah, I did. But there was a reason for that." the otherworldly girl. "Just like there's a reason behind what's going on right now. I think something's happened to Mr. Roar that causing him to act out like this, and I'm pretty sure I know what that something is..."

Rarity gasped. "Are you saying that... that he found a Number card?" she asked, knowing first-hand just how much those cards were able to change people.

"Oh dear..." Luna said, getting worried about her long-time friend.

"I don't know for sure if he has one or not, but I can find out if we can get to him." Sunset stated, answering Rarity's question. She then turned to Luna and told her, "That's why I need your help; besides me and Mr. Roar, you're the only one with a key to the apartment, in case he tries to keep me from going in there. And besides, if anypo- er, anybody can get through to him, it'll be you."

"I understand, Ms. Shimmer." the vice principal replied. "I'll gladly do whatever I need to in order to save my friend."

"Then what're we all standing out here for?!" Pinkie asked everybody rhetorically. "Let's go and subtract that Number card!"

"...'Subtract that Number card'?" asked Rainbow with a groan. "Really?"

"Okay, Dashie... fine..." the pink girl responded. "I'll think of something better on the way up to Sunnie's place." The group of eight then ran towards the apartment building to confront the landlord and figure out what happened to him.

Once inside the building, the eight of them took the elevator up to Sunset's apartment. Once they got to the right floor, they made a beeline for room number 14. Luna used her key to the apartment and unlocked the door. Sunset turned on the lights inside and saw that everything in the room was just as she had left it before leaving earlier in the morning.

"Well, it seems that Manny has not come in here yet..." stated the dark-blue woman. "Right now, I just pray that he's okay..."

"So what now?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Where do we even start looking for that Manny guy? This place is huge; he could be anywhere!"

"Such as right behind you..." said a gruff-sounding voice. The group quickly turned around and saw that Manny was standing right there, with an angry look in his now-bright blue eyes.

"Manny!" Luna exclaimed. "There you are!"

"What's going on, Mr. Roar?" asked Sunset. "I've heard rumors that you're not letting anyone in their apartments until they pay you the rent."

"Well, you've heard right, Ms. Shimmer..." Manny told her. "And on that note, I believe that you owe me some payments yourself."

"She doesn't owe you anything!" yelled Rainbow Dash on impulse. "And neither does anybody else here! If you think that you can jack up the rent and expect people to just be okay with it, you're crazy!!"

"Dashie's right!" shouted Pinkie Pie. "When it comes to charging rent, you don't know jack!"

The cyan teen groaned and said to her silly friend, "Okay, Pink... all you did there was take some of the words that I already said in order to make your comment. Usually you put a lot more thought into the silly stuff you say."

"Give me a break, Rainbow Dash... I can't make silly comments off the top of my head ALL the time!" Pinkie informed her. "I NEED a lot of time to come up with funny stuff to say! I mean, why else is there always a break between the FIRST thirteen episodes of a season and the LAST thirteen?" Of course, no one had any idea what she was talking about.

Glancing over to Sunset, Applejack then asked her, "So what about it, Sunset? Does he have a Number card or what?"

The red and yellow teen squinted her eyes and took another look towards Manny Roar. At that moment, she then spotted a symbol that looked like the number 16 on his right arm. "Oh yeah... he's got one all right." Sunset answered. "See that thing on his arm? All of the other people that had Numbers had symbols like that somewhere on their bodies."

"I noticed that too..." stated Fluttershy. "One of them was on Rarity's forehead when she had her Number card..."

"So what now?" Luna asked Sunset. "Are you going to duel him, just like before?"

"Mhmm. It's the only way to get the card away from him." the otherworldly girl replied. "Just leave it to me. I promise that I'll save him."

"I know you will. Just be careful, Sunset." the vice principal told her.

Sunset Shimmer then walked towards Manny Roar and said to him, "So... you won't allow me to stay here until I pay you something, right? Then how about I make you an offer that, if things go your way, will allow you to obtain something FAR more valuable?"

The landlord hummed a bit and said, "I'm listening..."

The red and yellow teen then pulled out her deck box and reached inside of it, taking out one of her Number cards; specifically, Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. "See this card?" she asked him. "I could explain to you what this card is, but I'm pretty sure I won't need to, since you already have one yourself, am I right?"

"How did you know that I have a Number card?" Manny asked. "More importantly, where are you going with this?"

"Here's what I'm proposing to you:" Sunset told him. "You and I have a Duel. And if you win, you get this Number card, along with the other four that I have in my Deck. But if I win, I get your Number card, and you stop trying to force everyone to pay their rent today as opposed to the end of the month."

"Hmmmm... interesting..." hummed Manny. "You're saying that I'll get ALL of your Numbers if I beat you?" The black jacket-wearing teen nodded yes to say that she would do that. The landlord then smirked and told her, "Very well, I'll agree to that. Those Number cards will be more than sufficient as a payment from you."

"Alright then." Sunset then pulled out her Duel Pad and strapped it to her left arm. "Duel Pad, activate!!" she shouted as the card tray unfolded from out of the device. She then put on her Duel Gazer and said, "Duel Gazer, activate!!"

Manny Roar got out his Duel Pad and Duel Gazer, activating them as well. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of Sunset's apartment projected around everyone.

Sunset and Manny pulled out their Decks and placed them into their respective Duel Pads, ready to begin their battle. "Let's Duel!!" they both shouted to each other (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000) (Manny Roar: LP 4,000).

As both Sunset Shimmer and Manny Roar drew their opening hands, the rest of the group put on their Duel Gazers in order to watch the Duel. "Well, here we go..." said Applejack. "Now Sunset's gonna have t' save this guy from turnin' into a complete lunatic."

"Let me tell you, it's NOT a pleasent feeling, darling..." stated Rarity. "Having that... whatever it was inside of my head, forcing me to do things against my will..." She then shuddered a bit before adding, "It makes my spine shiver just thinking about that horrible experience..."

"Well, don't you guys worry! Sunset'll stop that thing from causing any more trouble!" said Rainbow Dash with complete confidence in their friend.

"I do hope so..." Luna replied, still worried about her friend, as well as for Sunset.

"Alright, Ms. Shimmer," stated Manny Roar, taking out a large half-dollar coin. "We'll flip a coin to see who gets to go first. Call it in the air." The landlord then flicked his thumb, sending the coin into the air.

"Tails!" the red and yellow girl shouted.

Manny then caught the coin and slapped it onto the back of his left hand. He then looked at the half-dollar, grumbled and told her, "...Lucky guess."

"I'll take that as evidence that I called it correctly." Sunset assumed. She then looked over her hand and tried to think of what she would do first. She then glanced over at the card that she had drawn last from her Deck. (Hmmmm... Breakthrough Skill... I managed to draw it on my first turn, even... This will definitely come in handy...) Taking out two cards from her hand, she then announced, "I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll Summon a monster facedown in Defense Mode. And that will end my turn."

"My turn, then." said Manny. "I draw!" After taking his card from his Deck, he then asked his foe, "Why don't we start things off in a big way? I'll Summon Vylon Ohm in Attack Mode!" Manny's first monster appeared to be a cross between an angel and some sort of machine. Its hands were large, with bright lights on its palms, it had a pair of gold, metallic wings, and a diamond-shaped protrusion coming from out of the bottom of it (Vylon Ohm: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 200).

"And next," the man continued, "I'll play this card: A handy little Spell called Photon Lead!"

*******************************

Photon Lead:
(Quick-Play Spell Card)

Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower LIGHT monster from your hand in face-up Attack Position.

*******************************

"And now I'll call up Vylon Cube to the field from my hand, using my Spell Card!" announced Manny. His next monster, as its name suggested, was a floating, white cube with a bright core that could been inside of it. It had a small head poking out from the top of it, and two long arms coming out from its sides (Vylon Cube: Level 3 / ATK 800 / DEF 800).

"So what? They don't look so tough..." thought Rainbow Dash.

"Don't be so sure, Ms. Dash." stated Luna. "I know what he is trying to do... That second monster that he just Summoned happens to be a Tuner Monster..."

"Wait, a Tuner??" asked Fluttershy in surprise. "That means he's going to try a Synchro Summon!"

"That don't sound good..." Applejack commented.

"Now... I tune Vylon Cube, Level 3, to Vylon Ohm, Level 4!" announced Manny Roar. The cube monster's core began to glow very brightly, and soon the entire creature itself was bathed in a bright light. Eventually, it transformed into three smaller lights that shot into the air. They soon came back down in the form of three green rings that surrounded the landlord's other monster. "Almighty warring angel, arm yourself with your holy weapons and annihilate those who oppose your will! Synchro Summon!" Manny chanted as Vylon Ohm transformed into four smaller lights before both they and the rings were engulfed in a large pillar of light. (Level 3 + Level 4 = Level 7) "Descend now! Level 7! Vylon Sigma!!"

From out of the pillar of light came two large arms, wrapped completely in gold rings, followed by a pair of huge, metal wings. Soon the rest of the monster emerged from the pillar, with a main body that sort of resembled the Greek letter Sigma (Vylon Sigma: Level 7 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000).

(That's weird...) thought Sunset as she stared at Manny's Synchro Monster. (For a Level 7 monster, its attack points are a little low... Something's up...)

"Now! Vylon Sigma!! Attack her monster!!" yelled Manny. As the creature began its attack, Sunset's facedown monster revealed itself (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400). The man then smirked and stated, "And now I use Sigma's effect!"

The others gasped, wondering what his monster's effect was.

"Now," he then explained, "since Sigma is the only monster on my field, his ability allows me to give him one Equip Spell Card from out of my Deck!"

"ANY Equip Spell?!" asked Sunset in shock.

"That's not good..." stated Rarity. "Equip Spells are designed to strengthen any monster that it's placed upon. And more often than not, it doesn't go away until the monster that has it goes first."

"Now let's see... what to pick...?" thought Manny. Coming up with an idea, he then said, "Of course! What else? I'll give him one of my Vylon Components!" His Duel Pad's auto-shuffle function mixed up his cards; when it stopped, the card that he declared was left sticking out of the Deck, allowing him to easily take it and play it on his monster. After he did so, the gold ring that was closet to his Synchro Monster's right hand vanished and was replaced by a white ring with some sort of power core inside of it. "And even though this Spell Card doesn't increase Sigma's attack power, it DOES allow my monster to deal piercing damage!"

"Oh no...!" gasped Sunset, not expecting to take a hit this quickly.

"Now, Sigma! Attack her monster!!" ordered the landlord. "Light Beam Mark 025!!" The large creature then shot a bright beam of light at Sunset's only monster, wiping out both it and some of her Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 400 = 3,600).

"Whoo-ee... that didn't look pretty." Applejack commented.

"Yeah..." Pinkie chimed in. "If he can do that just by shining a light on Sunnie's monsters, then I'm REALLY glad that thing doesn't have a laser sword or something! Just think of the damage that Sigma guy could cause with one of those things!"

Sunset brushed herself off, recovering from the hit. Manny then told her, "I'll finish my turn by placing one card facedown... Your move."

"Alright, Manny... you've had your fun." the otherworldly girl informed him. "But now it's my turn! I draw!" After drawing her card, she then announced to her opponent, "I play the Field Spell, Chronomaly City Babylon!" After she did so, the area around them all changed from an apartment to an ancient floating stadium.

"So what does this rock heap do?" asked Manny Roar.

"You'll see a bit later." Sunset responded. "For now, I'll do this: I'll Special Summon Chronomaly Tula Guardian from my hand in Attack Mode, which I can do if there's an active Field Spell Card in play!"

The ground in front of Sunset then broke apart as her large, blue statue-like monster rose up and stood tall in front of her (Chronomaly Tula Guardian: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 900).

"Next," she continued, "I'll discard my Chronomaly Crystal Skull in order to take Chronomaly Moai from my Deck and put it in my hand!" After she did so, she then shouted, "Last, but not least, I Summon the Tuner Monster, Fire Ant Ascator!!" After she performed the Summoning, a large, burgundy ant with yellow markings around its eyes crawled along the digital stone floor, standing right beside her first monster.

*******************************

Fire Ant Ascator
(Effect Monster/Insect-Type/Tuner/EARTH/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 1300)

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 Level 5 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target, but its effects are negated, also send it to the Graveyard during the End Phase of this turn.

*******************************

"What the-? You have a Tuner Monster, too?!" asked Manny in surprise.

"You bet I do!" she answered him with a smirk. "You're not the only one here that can Synchro Summon!" She then shouted, "I tune my Level 3 Fire Ant Ascator to my Level 5 Tula Guardian!"

At that moment, Sunset's ant monster burst into flames, causing everybody in the room to gasp and step back a little. After the flames started, it split itself into three fireballs that turned into pure light energy. Afterwards, they shot up into the air, coming back down as a trio of green rings that surrounded her other monster (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8).

"Dragon deity of the Sun, illuminate all the darkness!" chanted Sunset Shimmer. "Brighten the day with your benevolent light! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Sun Dragon Inti!"

After the chant was finished, Tula Guardian transformed into five smaller lights within the rings before everything was engulfed in another light pillar. When the light faded, a large rock in the shape of a sun appeared in front of the red and yellow girl. Then, from out of the rock came four red dragon heads with long necks. They let out a quartet of powerful-sounding roars that shook the area around it (Sun Dragon Inti: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2800).

"Woah!! Look at that thing!" said an impressed Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, that dragon looks like it could burn a whole 20 square-mile field just by breathin' on it!" added Applejack.

"Go, Sun Dragon!! Incinerate his Vylon Sigma!" shouted Sunset. "Solar Breath!!" The four-headed dragon then created large fireballs in each of its mouths before exhaling powerful flame streams at Manny's Synchro Monster. All that was left was a charred smudge on the floor where it stood as the remainder of the blast struck the landlord himself (Manny Roar: LP 4,000 - 1,200 = 2,800).

"Alright!! Nice shot, Sunnie!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Of course, it wasn't like you could miss him; you DID have four chances to hit the guy."

"It's a good start," stated Celestia, "but this Duel is far from over..."

"Indeed, Sister." Luna chimed in. "And I know for a fact that Manny doesn't take such blows too lightly... And that was BEFORE he picked up a Number."

The man grumbled to himself and said to his adversary, "You'll pay for that, Ms. Shimmer... I promise that!" He then told her, "I activate the other effect of Vylon Component! When it goes to the Graveyard, I can retrieve any Vylon Spell Card that I want from my Deck! I choose to take Vylon Material into my hand." And he did just that.

"Fine. I end my turn, then." stated the black jacket-wearing teenager.

"Alright then... I draw!" After Manny drew his next card, he then smirked and said, "Just what I needed..." He then played the card that he just drew, saying, "I summon Vylon Soldier in Attack Mode!" Manny's next monster was what appeared to be an armored angel with long, golden arms (Vylon Soldier: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). "Next," he added, "I'll play the Equip Spell Vylon Material, which grants my Vylon Soldier an additional 600 attack points!" Manny's monster then acquired a weapon on its right arm that appeared to be a cross between a cannon and a bayonet (Vylon Soldier: ATK 1700 + 600 = 2300).

"That's still less than my Sun Dragon's attack power." Sunset reminded him.

"I know that!" grumbled the landlord. "That's why I have this card ready to go! I'll also equip my Vylon Soldier with the Spell Card, Mage Power!"

"Oh no... not that card...!" gasped Luna. Sunset also showed an expression that suggested that she wasn't too thrilled about seeing that card either.

"Thanks to this card, my monster will gain an extra 500 attack and defense points for EVERY Spell and Trap Card that I have on the field!" He then placed the card into his Duel Pad, which caused a bright green energy to flow around his monster. "I currently control two Spell Cards, including Mage Power itself, along with my facedown card! That's 1,500 attack and defense points total!" (Vylon Soldier: ATK 2300 + 1500 = 3800 / DEF 1000 + 1500 = 2500)

"Aw no..." Applejack responded, showing sings of worry. "And just when Sunset was takin' control of the game!"

"I hope she'll be okay..." added Fluttershy.

"Now!! Vylon Soldier! Attack her dragon!!" ordered Manny. The armored angel then charged up tremendous amounts of energy into its arm-mounted weapon, firing off a huge shot that obliterated Sunset Shimmer's Synchro Monster in one blast, and damaged the young girl as well (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,600 - 800 = 2,800). The landlord then snickered and said to his opponent, "I told you that you'd pay, Ms. Shimmer, and I'm planning to get my money's worth by pounding away at your Life Points!"

But just then, his smirk disappeared when he and everyone else heard Sunset giggling and chuckling to herself. Everyone else was confused as to why the otherworldly girl was laughing after her powerful monster was destroyed. "She's... laughing?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What's up with that??"

"I dunno," Pinkie answered her, "but whenever a character starts chuckling like that in a Yu-Gi-Oh! story, it usually means that their opponent's in maaaajor trouble!"

Manny sure wished to know why Sunset was giggling the way she was. "What's so funny?!" he asked her.

"Heh heh heh... you just made a REALLY big mistake, Mr. Roar." she told him.

"M-mistake??" he asked, sweating a little.

"You heard me." she responded. "You see, by destroying my Sun Dragon Inti in battle, you activated its special ability." Showing him the card, she then explained to him, "This allows me to destroy the monster that destroyed him; after that, half the attack power of that monster gets dealt to you as damage!"

"What?!?" exclaimed Manny, having been taken completely off-guard.

"So say goodbye to your Vylon Soldier, Mr. Roar!" she told him. After she put her Synchro Monster in the Graveyard, Manny's only monster then exploded into a fireball and was destroyed. Some of the debris then struck the man, causing him to take some damage (Manny Roar: LP 2,800 - 1,900 = 900).

"That was AWESOME!!!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

"Indeed it was!" added Rarity. "They both lost their monsters, but Manny took some heavy damage, and now he's totally defenseless!"

"Which means that if Sunset can Summon a monster with 900 or more attack points on her next turn, and deal a successful attack with it, she'll win the Duel!" stated Celestia.

"Let's hope that happens, then..." Luna responded, hoping that everything would turn out okay.

Manny growled, gritting his teeth. "That was such a cheap shot, Ms. Shimmer... I'm NOT impressed."

"That's just the beginning, Mr. Roar." Sunset informed him. "So finish up with your turn, already."

"Very well, then..." he replied. "Since you sent my Vylon Material to the Graveyard, I can take a new Vylon Spell Card from out of my Deck. And I choose to take Vylon Matter!" After taking his card, he then played it, saying, "Next, I'll activate my Vylon Matter! Now I'll send three Equip Spell Cards from my Graveyard back to my Deck, and then after that, I'll draw one more card!" He then took his Vylon Component, Vylon Material, and Mage Power cards and shuffled them back into his Deck. After drawing his next card, he then placed it onto his Duel Pad, saying, "I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" declared Sunset. She then drew her next card, hoping that it was a powerful enough monster. Luckily, that's what she managed to get. "I Summon Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" she shouted, playing her new card onto the field. In an instant, the red and yellow girl's disk-like monster took center stage (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"And since I Normal Summoned Nebra Disk," she continued, "I can move one Chronomaly card out of my Deck and put it in my hand! And I choose to take Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet." After taking her card, she then ordered, "Now! Nebra Disk! Attack his Life Points directly!!" Her monster then spun wildly and flung itself at Manny Roar. Everyone else prayed that the attack would be successful.

"Not so fast!!" shouted the landlord. "I activate a Trap Card! Magic Cylinder!!"

The others gasped as a pair of large, hollow tubes materialized in front of the man. Nebra Disk ended up flying right inside one of the tubes, only to come shooting out of the other one and right into Sunset herself (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,800 - 1,800 = 1,000). "AAGH!!" she grunted after taking the hit.

"That's not good..." stated Rarity. "Magic Cylinder stops a monster from attacking, and then the monster's controller takes damage equal to its attack power."

"Shoot... and Sunnie was SOOOOOOO close, too!" whined Pinkie.

Luna sighed sadly a bit. (He managed to save himself from losing this turn...) she thought. (And next turn, he will have a chance to strike back... Please... be careful, Sunset...)

Sunset took a deep breath and said, "Well, looks like you get another turn, then... So make your move."

"First sensible thing you've said all day, Ms. Shimmer..." taunted Manny. "Now I draw!" Once he picked up his card, he began chuckling softly to himself, slowly increasing in volume until he was laughing hysterically. "At last! I drew just the card I needed!"

"Uh oh... I don't like the sound of that..." said a trembling Fluttershy.

"Join the club, Sugarcube..." added Applejack.

Manny then smirked evily and said, "I now Summon Vylon Pentachloro in Attack Mode!", playing a card that he already had in his hand. The creature appeared to be a mechanical being of some sort, but its design seemed to be impossible; it looked like a living optical illusion with long, sharp claws (Vylon Pentachloro: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 400).

"What... the heck is that thing??" asked Rainbow Dash.

"That's not fair!" shouted Pinkie Pie, pointing out the monster's seemingly-impossible physical nature. "If anyone breaks reality for a laugh around here, it has to be me!!" She then paused for a second and added, "...Okay, me and Discord, but that's it!!"

"Who...?" Rarity asked at a low volume.

"And now... I activate the Spell Card, Machine Duplication!!" announced Manny, playing the card he had just drawn. "This card lets me Special Summon up to two more copies of any Machine-Type monster I control with 500 or less attack points! So I play two more Vylon Pentachloros from my Deck in Defense Mode!" And with that, two more of the same monster appeared on his field (Vylon Pentachloro [x2]: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 400).

"Uh oh... he's just Summoned three Level 4 monsters in one move..." noted Sunset, already having a gut feeling about Manny's next move. "This is it..."

"Y'all think he's gonna summon his Number card now?" Applejack asked the others.

"I'm positive, Applejack dear." Rarity confirmed. "Sunset had better be on guard... I have a feeling that this is only going to get a whole lot worse..."

Manny then grinned a wicked grin as the glyphs on his arm began to glow even brighter than before. He then shouted, "I now overlay all three of my Level 4 Vylon Pentachloros!!"

"Hold up...! All THREE of them?!?" asked a surprised Sunset Shimmer.

Manny's monsters then transformed into a trio of yellow lights that were sucked up into that ever-so-familiar galaxy portal, which had formed in front of the landlord. "I use my three monsters to create an Overlay Network!!" The portal then exploded, leaving behind a blue symbol that resembled the one on his arm. "I Xyz Summon... Number 16: Shock Master!!!" The others watched as a large purple object in the shape of a cube descended from above, with a trio of yellow lights swirling around it. The object then began to open up, forming into a robot-like creature with a triangle-shaped head. As it transformed, it shot out bolts of blue electricity everywhere. After its transformation was complete, the number 16 could be seen on its underside.

*******************************

Number 16: Shock Master:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1600)

3 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to declare 1 card type (Monster, Spell, or Trap); that type of card (if Spell or Trap) cannot be activated, or (if Monster) cannot activate its effects, until the end of your opponent's next turn.

*******************************

Everyone else in the room was surprised when Manny used all of his monsters to bring out his Number card. "H-he used all THREE of his monsters as Overlay Units??" asked Rarity.

"But I thought you only need two monsters to summon an Xyz Monster!" Rainbow protested.

"That isn't always the case, Ms. Dash..." Principal Celestia told her. "There are a few Xyz Monsters that may require many more monsters to serve as Overlay Units... And most often, those Xyz Monsters are far more powerful..."

"Just great..." sighed Applejack. "Ah should've known things weren't gonna stay easy for us for very long..."

Sunset Shimmer stared at the new Number monster before her, wondering whether or not she would be able to defeat it and Manny Roar. Of course, her primary concern was figuring out what it was capable of. "So this is the card that's caused him to go berserk..." she muttered to herself.

The landlord chuckled wickedly and told his tenant, "Now it's time to show off this Number's true potential!" Taking out one of the Monster Cards that were underneath his Number card, he then announced, "I remove one Overlay Unit from Shock Master in order to use its ability!" In an instant, one of the orbiting spheres flew right into the Xyz Monster's chest area (Number 16: Shock Master: OLU 3 - 1 = 2). "This ability, when activated," the man continued, "allows me to prevent the use of one type of card effect, until the end of your next turn! And just in case you had a backup plan in mind, I'll stop any attempt on your part to eliminate my Number card..." He then pointed towards Sunset and yelled, "I choose to prevent the use of any and all Spell Card effects!"

(Oh no...!) thought Sunset in despair. (Now I can't use my Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet card to power up my monsters next turn!)

After his declaration, Manny's monster then projected a green electrical field around the area, which was designed to suppress the use of Spell Cards. "Now, I attack Nebra Disk with Shock Master!!" the landlord shouted. The Xyz Monster then started to draw in large amounts of energy into itself, releasing it in the form of blue lightning bolts that shattered the otherworldly girl's only monster.

The force of the attack hit Sunset hard, causing her to fall down on her rear end. "AAAACK!!!" she grunted upon landing on the floor (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,000 - 500 = 500).

Manny smirked and said to his opponent, "Right then, I suppose that's enough for now... I'll end my turn."

"Rrrrgh... My turn..." said the red and yellow girl, slowly getting up and drawing her next card. Looking over her hand, she scrambled to try and figure out a way out of her predicament. (This isn't good...) she thought to herself. (He's already gotten his Number card out, and the cards in my hand aren't suitable for summoning any of mine!) Groaning, she then thought, (If only those Numbers didn't have that effect that keeps them from being destroyed in battle by anything but other Numbers!) But right at that moment, an idea came to her. (Wait... that's it! There is one way I can get out of this! It's been right in front of me this whole time!)

Sunset then looked down at her facedown card, thinking, (This Trap Card has a very powerful effect... It can stop any monster's effects for one turn. I just hope that'll be enough to help me beat him...) Taking out the card that she had just drawn, she then said, "First, since you have a monster on the field while I don't, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Crystal Bones from my hand!" She then placed her shiny skeleton monster onto her Duel Pad's tray in Defense Position (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400).

"And since I Summoned Crystal Bones with its effect," she then added, "I can then bring out another Chronomaly monster, either from my hand or the Graveyard." Taking out another card in her hand, she then told her opponent, "So I play Chronomaly Moai to the field in Defense Mode!" The girl's head-shaped statue monster then rose out of the floor in front of her to serve as wall between her and Manny's Number card (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600). "Finally," said Sunset, "I'll use the effect of Nebra Disk and bring it back from the Graveyard, since I only have Chronomaly monsters on my field." She then placed her disk-shaped monster back to the field in Defense Mode to protect herself. "And with that, I end my turn."

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good..." she said. "She was able to put up a whole bunch of monsters to protect her Life Points. At least she'll be safe for a li'l while..."

"Yes, but it will not be much longer before Manny is able to get past her defenses and attack her..." Rarity noted. "Hopefully, she'll be able to come up with a way to strike back before that happens..."

"...I'm sure she's working on it." said Fluttershy. "She'd never let anyone get to her without a fight..."

Manny didn't seem too worried as he drew his next card. "Is that really the best you've got, Ms. Shimmer?" he asked, taunting her. "If that's so, evicting you from here will be easier than I thought!" Once he got a look at what he drew, he smirked evilly and added, "Especially since I was able to get this card again..." Showing his adversary what he drew, he then asked her, "Does this look familiar, Ms. Shimmer?!"

"Oh no! Not Mage Power again!!" the red and yellow girl responded, getting a little worried.

"Correct! And I assume you know what that means?" the landlord asked. "It means I can power up my Number monster to even GREATER levels!!" He then played the card on his monster, raising its attack power by a large amount (Number 16: Shock Master: ATK 2300 + 1000 = 3300 / DEF 1600 + 1000 = 2600).

(Great... what are the odds that he'd draw that card AGAIN??) Sunset asked in her mind. (With two cards in his Spell & Trap Zones, his monster got a thousand more attack points...!) But then she realized something: (Wait... his Spell Card only gives his monster more power if he has cards in his Spell & Trap Zones...) She then figured out exactly what she would do next; it all depended on what Manny did on his turn.

"Now, once more! I activate the effect of Shock Master!" shouted the landlord. "I remove one Overlay Unit in order to prevent the use of monster effects until your next turn is over!" His monster then absorbed another of its orbs in order to use its power (Number 16: Shock Master: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).

"Not so fast!" said Sunset, tapping her pad's touchscreen. "I'll chain this Trap Card to your monster's effect! Go, Breakthrough Skill!!" After she made that move, her facedown card then revealed itself to everyone else. "This card allows me to negate the effects of any monster on the field for one turn! And I choose your Shock Master!!"

"Nice try, but I KNEW you'd attempt that! Which is why I decided not to stop you from playing Trap Cards instead!" Manny told her. "I'll play my Dark Bribe Counter Trap! It has the ability to negate the effect of your Trap and destroy it!!"

Sunset and the others gasped as Manny's Trap Card shot a beam of energy at the otherworldly girl's card and disintegrated it. "Oh dear...!" said Celestia. "He knew that she would do that..."

Manny snickered to himself and stated, "And since your Trap Card lost its power, my Shock Master's effect still works!" And just as he had said, the Number card then projected an orange field of energy, preventing the use of all monster effects. (Number 16: Shock Master: ATK 3300 - 500 = 2800 / DEF 2600 - 500 = 2100).

"This is bad..." said Rarity. "Shock Master's effect will keep either of them from activating any monster effects... The only effect that will still work is the one that protects his Number card from being destroyed by anything but other Numbers, since it's a continuous effect that stays active as long as it's on the field."

"That effect is so unfair!!" shouted an annoyed Rainbow Dash. "That's the kinda thing that gets cards put on the banned list!"

Despite what Manny had done so far, Sunset's confidence wasn't shaken; she was still determined to win. The landlord then told her, "Of course, there is some risk with my last move; Dark Bribe does allow you to draw one card from your Deck. So go ahead and take the card I was generous enough to let you have."

Sunset then drew her next card and placed it into her hand, telling herself that she'd make it through okay, no matter what.

"Now! Shock Master!! Destroy her Nebra Disk again!!" ordered Manny Roar. Once more, his Number card attacked and destroyed Sunset's disk monster, sending it back to the Graveyard.

"I see... that's why he decided to stop monster effects..." Luna noted. "That was to prevent Sunset from bringing back her Nebra Disk on her next turn... He's trying to remove her defenses so that he can finish her off in a few more turns..."

"You might as well start packing your bags now, Ms. Shimmer," Manny told her, "because I'll soon have you clear out of here once you're defeated!!"

But Sunset told him, "I'm not giving up that easily, Mr. Roar... I promised Vice Principal Luna that I'd save you, and that's what I plan on doing!" She then looked at her Deck and prepared to draw her next card.

As she began to draw her card, the otherworldly girl then glanced back over at her friends; she then noticed that Principal Celestia was smiling at her warmly. She nodded to her and said, "You can do it, Sunset... You can do anything as long as you truly have faith in yourself."

Those words really spoke to the young teenager; it was something that Princess Celestia had said to her while she was still in Equestria, as her personal student. With a smile and a nod, Sunset assured her that she would succeed in saving the landlord from himself. "It's my turn! I draw!!" The teen then swiftly pulled her next card. But when she got a look at it, she was shocked, but happy, to see what it was. (This card...!) she thought to herself. (This is the one I needed! But I didn't think I'd draw it THIS soon!) She then began to wonder about something to herself for a few seconds before deciding to dwell on it another time.

"Just give it up, Ms. Shimmer... There's not a card you can draw that will save you from my Shock Master!" Manny taunted.

"...You're wrong, Mr. Roar." she told him.

"What was that?"

"I said you're wrong." Sunset repeated. "Because I just drew something that WILL stop that Number card!"

"You're bluffing!" the man protested.

"Oh you'll see soon enough if I'm bluffing or not..." she told him with a smile on her face. She then pulled out another card from her hand and said, "I'll play the Spell Card, Foolish Burial! I'll use its effect to send my Chronomaly Moai Carrier from my Deck to the Graveyard! Then I'll banish that monster in order to use the effect of my Chronomaly City Babylon Field Spell! So now I can bring back one Chronomaly monster from the Graveyard that's the same Level as the one I banished!" As she took out two cards from her Graveyard (which included the one that she had just sent there), Sunset added, "Since Moai Carrier was a Level 5 monster, I can then bring back Tula Guardian!" The girl then put Moai Carrier away in her deck box before placing her other monster back onto the field in Attack Position.

Manny watched carefully, not sure what the otherworldly girl was up to. But he had a feeling he'd know very soon.

Still smirking, Sunset then said to him, "Now I think it's time for you to see MY strongest monster!"

"Strongest?" asked Applejack. "Is she talkin' about one of her Number cards?"

"If she is, I'm afraid it won't be enough..." Rarity answered. "The only one she can bring out is Chronomaly Machu Mech, and its attack power isn't high enough to beat his Shock Master."

Manny figured that too. "So you're finally going to Summon a Number to try and save yourself?" he asked.

But the black jacket-clad teen surprised everyone when she said, "Actually... I'm not."

Sunset's friends gasped upon hearing that. "Wait, she ISN'T bringin' out a Number?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "What's she thinkin'?!" But Celestia and Luna smiled and nodded to each other, knowing full well that Sunset had a plan for victory brewing.

"I release both Crystal Bones and Moai!" she declared, sending two of her three monsters straight to the Graveyard. "And now," she added, "I can call this monster to the field!! I Summon The Surpremacy Sun!!!"

At that moment, everyone watched as a gigantic ball of extremely bright light began to slowly descend from above the red and yellow girl. Once the ball of the light stopped coming down, it then began to form into a different shape, transforming into a dark red-skinned man wearing black armor and showing off several bright, bizarrely-shaped wings on his back. The figure definitely was not shy about showing how powerful he truly was.

*******************************

The Surpremacy Sun:
(Effect Monster/Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 10/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)

Cannot be Special Summoned, except by its own effect. During the next Standby Phase after this face-up card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.

*******************************

Everyone watching was astounded by Sunset's move, but even more so by the card she played. "What on Earth is THAT thing??" asked Rarity, still in shock.

"Don't lookit me, Rare... I ain't never seen a card like that one before!!" Applejack responded, eyes wide.

"Aiyiyi!! That thing is HUUUUUUUUUGE!!!" commented Pinkie Pie.

"Oh... m-my..." was all that Fluttershy could get out.

Rainbow Dash then turned towards Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, asking them, "Hey, you two are Duel Monsters experts; have you ever heard of a card like what Sunset has out right now?

"Actually, we have." answered the light-pink woman. "It's called The Surpremacy Sun... It's part of a series of cards that are extremely rare, known as the Legendary Planets."

"But... the Sun isn't a planet." reminded Fluttershy.

"No, but this card is similar enough to the others in its line, that it's part of the archetype." Luna told the shy girl. "The Legendary Planets are a group of very powerful monsters based on the bodies in our Solar System. But the cards were printed in limited supply, and thus, not many Duelists possess even one of them... How Sunset managed to obtain one is beyond even me..."

"Well, Ah know she didn't get that back when she was acting like a jerk to everybody, because she didn't start playin' Duel Monsters until AFTER last year's Fall Formal..." Applejack noted. "Right now, though, all Ah care about is if that card is powerful enough to stop even a Number card."

Manny was just as shocked as everyone else was; he NEVER expected her to play one of the Legendary Planets. "A... Planet card..." he said, trembling, "I... I never thought that I'd even SEE one of those cards..." Trying to regain his composure, he then reminded Sunset, "You might have Summoned a very powerful and very rare monster, but not even that can destroy my Number card in battle!"

"You're right, it can't..." stated Sunset. "Not yet, that is. So it's a good thing that I have just the card I need at this very moment." She then tapped her Duel Pad's touchscreen, and a card image then appeared in front of her; it was none other than her Breakthrough Skill card.

"What?!" asked Manny Roar in shock. "But I got rid of that card!!"

"Not completely." stated the otherworldly girl. "Unfortunately for you, Breakthrough Skill has a second effect that lets me activate it from my Graveyard." Taking the Trap Card out of her Graveyard, she added, "All I have to do is banish it, and then I can negate all of the effects of any one monster you have on the field. And I choose your Shock Master!!"

Manny gasped as her card shot a purple bolt at his Number card, which suppressed its abilities. "What is the meaning of this?!?" he asked, getting scared.

"You're right that your Number can only be destroyed by other Numbers in battle." stated Sunset Shimmer. She then smirked and told her opponent, "However, thanks to Breakthrough Skill's effect, that ability has just been negated, which will allow me to destroy it with any of my monsters!"

Manny gasped; he hadn't realized that. He then looked at his monster and thought, (No... this can't be! She managed to remove the one thing that makes the Numbers practically invincible!!) He was also horrified to find out that his Shock Master's attack points were lower than her monster's by just 200 points. (Not only that, my monster's attack power was weakened when I played Dark Bribe... So Mage Power now only gives my monster 500 more attack points!) The landlord now realized a bit too late that Sunset had tricked him into using his Trap Card, just to weaken his Shock Master.

"So she had that planned this whole time..." stated Celestia. "She knew that the Numbers' defensive effect was just like any other monster's special ability... and that it could be negated."

"And now that Manny's Number card has lost that power, there's nothing that can stop Sunset from winning now." Luna chimed in.

"Alright! Way to go, Sunset!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Now finish him off!"

"It would be my pleasure!" the red and yellow girl replied. She then ordered, "Go! Surpremacy Sun! Attack with Solar Flare!!" And with that, the incredibly rare and powerful monster let out a powerful flash that did the seemingly impossible and destroyed the landlord's Number card completely. Not only that, the rest of the attack then struck Manny as well, slightly damaging him (Manny Roar: LP 900 - 200 = 700).

"No... my Shock Master... it's gone...!" Manny Roar said in disbelief.

"And I'm not done just yet!" shouted Sunset Shimmer. "Tula Guardian! Attack his Life Points directly!!" The giant blue statue then raised its fist and slammed right on the man's head, taking out the rest of his Life Points and ending the Duel (Manny Roar: LP 700 - 1,800 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"She won!!" Applejack shouted happily. "Sunset won!!"

"I knew she'd win, I knew it!!" replied Pinkie. "And that's not just because she's a main character in the story!!"

Luna was happy, both for Sunset's victory and the fact that Manny would return to his old self again. She sighed in relief and thought to herself, (Thank you, Sunset Shimmer... I knew you would come through and save him...)

The otherworldly girl then looked over at the defeated Manny Roar, who was knocked out and lying on the floor. She then raised her hand forward as a ball of light came out of his chest and flew towards her. After she caught it, the light transformed into the landlord's Number card. She then took a deep breath, happy that this ordeal was over.

It was around quarter after seven when Principal Celestia decided to head over to the apartment building to visit Sunset Shimmer. After the Duel, Sunset and the others helped Manny Roar onto the bed in her room, letting him rest there until he awoke from his unconscious state. Luckily, Celestia and Luna were able to convince all of the other tenants, even Blueblood, not to sue him for what he was doing earlier. Manny had no memory of what had happened during the time that he was possessed by the Number card, so no one told him about the events that had occurred.

The principal walked over to the door and was prepared to knock on it, only for it to open in front of her. Sunset looked up and was surprised to see the woman standing there. "Oh! Principal Celestia!" she said in surprise. "I-I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I just came by to see how you were doing, Ms. Shimmer." said the light-pink woman. "I know you fought a very difficult Duel, and I just wanted to be sure that you were okay."

"Uh, don't worry about it... I'm just fine." the red and yellow girl told her. "A bit tired, but fine."

"So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?" asked Celestia out of curiosity.

"I'm heading over to Fluttershy's house for a sleepover." Sunset answered. "We still agreed to have them even though I have a place to live in now."

"Well, I hope you two have fun tonight." the principal said to her with a smile.

There was a slight pause after Celestia's comment before Sunset decided to ask something: "Um... Principal Celestia? C-could I talk to you about something... one on one?"

"Um... sure. Anything you want." the woman responded.

Sunset nodded and motioned her to come inside. The two of them walked into the red and yellow girl's bedroom. Once inside, Sunset walked over to her nightstand drawer and opened it, pulling out the picture that she had brought with her from Equestria. She then handed the photo to Celestia and said, "Here... this is something that I think you ought to see... It's a photo that was taken before I came here."

The principal looked at the photo and was alarmed by what she saw. "Oh my..." she gasped. "Is this... you?" The woman was pointing to the yellow-coated Unicorn pony with the red and yellow mane. Sunset Shimmer nodded yes. Celestia then looked at the other pony in the picture and asked, "And this one... the one with the white coat and large wings... Is that-?"

"Yep..." the otherworldly girl responded. "That's you... Or at least, the you that lives in the world I came from..."

Celestia was certainly shocked to see her pony counterpart for the first time, but she wasn't sure where the young girl was going with this. "So... is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked her.

"No... but it will help support what I do want to discuss..." replied the girl. The two sat on Sunset's bed as she told the principal, "Lately... I've been thinking about a lot of stuff... concerning the day I left Equestria and came here... Back then, I never really gave it much thought; I mean, I came here without even thinking about what I would do, where I would live... All that I was thinking about was how angry I was at the Princess when I wasn't getting what I wanted quickly enough..."

"I see..." hummed Celestia, listening to every word.

"In my rage, I didn't realize what it was that I was leaving behind..." Sunset continued solemnly. "I was leaving my home, my friends, my family..." She then sniffled a little and added, "And the Princess, who believed in me so much back then... And how did I repay her? By being stubborn, impatient, and rebel a without a clue... In fact, the last memory I have of her and myself were the harsh things that I said to her just before I jumped into the portal and came here..."

Principal Celestia really could tell that Sunset was feeling very down right now. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder and did her best to comfort her.

"People have always asked me why I changed so quickly after Twilight showed me that what I had been doing here was wrong..." she then told the woman. "Well... it's because I knew all along that I wasn't doing the right thing... And I'd been trying to fool myself into thinking otherwise. To fool myself into believing that I wasn't a failure as a student or a failure as a person... so that I wouldn't consider myself as Princess Celestia's mistake..."

"...You are not a mistake, Sunset Shimmer." the principal told her.

"Huh...? Why do you say that?" asked the red and yellow girl. "I was a menace back then! I hurt a lot of people, I stole a magic item and mutated into a she-demon! Heck, I blew UP the front entrance of the school in my rage! How am I NOT a huge mistake?!"

"Well... because if you were," the woman told her, "then you wouldn't be trying to be the good person that you are now. You only made mistakes; you are not one yourself. You've learned from your experiences, and are doing your best to become a better person... And from what I've seen from you so far, I believe that you've succeeded in that venture."

"You really mean that?"

Celestia nodded yes. "And if this Princess is anything like me - and she most likely is - she would be very proud to know that you've made such great progress." she told her.

Sunset smiled upon hearing that. She was pretty sure that the woman's words were true, seeing that both her and the Princess were essentially one and the same. "...Thanks, Principal Celestia." she said to her. "That really means a lot to me..." She then added, "I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to friendship and just simply being a good person... but one day, I hope I can go back to Equestria, even for just a little while, so that I can personally tell the Princess how sorry I am to her... I just hope she can forgive me for what I did..."

"I'm sure she will. I guarantee it." Celestia said to her. Looking at her watch, she then said to Sunset Shimmer, "Well, you had better get to your friend's home; you don't want to keep her waiting too long, do you?"

"You're right, I'd better start moving." Sunset then grabbed everything she was taking with her and said, "Thanks for talking with me. You said some things that I really needed to hear."

"You're very welcome, Ms. Shimmer." Celestia told her. "Come back to me anytime if you wish to talk about anything else."

"I will. Thanks a lot." The red and yellow girl then left the apartment to go and visit her friend Fluttershy for the night.

As she watched her leave, Principal Celestia then prepared to leave as well. She took one last look at the photograph that Sunset had shown her and smiled a bit. She then placed the picture back in the nightstand drawer that Sunset originally had it in before exiting the apartment and going back home herself.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (6 Numbers total):

Number 16: Shock Master

RANK 6: Courage Clear as Day:

Author's Note

This episode will be the first one in which Sunset does NOT duel in, as well as showcasing another well-known MLP character that has yet to receive an EG makeover. The risk of humanizing a character is that there's always the possibility of an official EG design showing up later, but in this case, I felt it was worth the risk, as I liked what I eventually came up with. Anyway, enjoy the latest installment of MLP:FiN!

RANK 6: Courage Clear as Day:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Sunset Shimmer's dueling skills have been put to the test time and time again during her battles against the mysterious and dangerous Number cards. The cards have the ability to possess almost any Duelist that finds them, and alters their personalities to make them more malicious. However, Sunset's powerful Chronomaly Deck, along with her strategic mind, have seen her through many tough battles. Now, she currently owns six Number cards and has been able to prevent many of the disasters that came as a result of the Numbers' dark power.

Sunset says that she owes a lot of her success in Duel Monsters to the support that her friends have given her; they had taught her how to play the game, they have helped her construct her Deck, and they offer her plenty of good vibes when she participates in a Duel. But now, she and the rest of her friends are about to give some much-needed support to another up-and-coming Duelist...

It was late afternoon on a Wednesday in Canterlot City. That meant only one thing for Sunset Shimmer and her best friends: It was time for them to practice their music. Besides playing Duel Monsters, the six of them also liked to play in a band together called the Sonic Rainbooms (a name that Rainbow Dash came up with because of how cool it sounded). They had formed the band some time ago, months after last year's Fall Formal. The thing is, every time that they really got into their musical numbers, it would have a bizarre effect on them; the six of them would end up forming pony ears in place of their human ears, and their hair would grow extra-long ponytails. In addition, both Rainbow and Fluttershy would have wings growing out of their backs. It began happening so often whenever they played music, that they began to call the phenomenon, "Ponying Up".

Today, however, there was little chance of that happening, since all that the group would be doing was to practice their sets, both together and individually. Still, Sunset Shimmer kept an eye out in case if any of them changed physically; one day, she hoped to try and figure out what really triggered that strange magic...

The group regularly met together in the music room to practice their songs. Each of them had a different role to fill in the band; Rainbow was lead guitar, Applejack was on bass guitar, Rarity played on a keytar (a sort of piano-guitar hybrid), Pinkie Pie played the drums, and Fluttershy had her tambourine. Sunset was lead vocal for the band, though sometimes she would also play backup guitar.

The doors to the music room opened and in walked Applejack, Sunset, Pinkie, and Rarity, each holding their respective instruments (or, in Pinkie's case, her favorite drumsticks). Rainbow Dash had already entered the room before all of them, and was casually sitting on top of the large speaker that her guitar was hooked up to while having a rather bored and impatient look on her face. "Yeesh, FINALLY!" she groaned, getting off of the object she was sitting upon. "What took you guys so long??"

"Sorry, Dash..." Applejack apologized. "We would've been here sooner, but... well, we've got a teeny-tiny li'l problem..."

The athletic teen sighed and asked, "Lemme guess: Fluttershy, right?" The other four girls nodded their heads yes. Sighing again, Rainbow then asked, "Is she STILL all worked up over what happened earlier today?"

"Probably..." figured Sunset. "She hasn't left Homeroom since the final bell rang. I'm starting to get worried about her."

"Well, you can't really blame her for it..." Rarity told her friends. "I mean, it was pretty sudden when the Principal made that announcement..."

3 Hours Earlier...

Every student in Canterlot High filed into the auditorium for a major announcement. It was for an event that had been on everybody's mind for the past few days. Everyone in attendance calmly took their seats, with Sunset and her friends all sitting together, like they always did.

After a few minutes, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna walked onstage, stopping behind the podium in the center. "Students of Canterlot High," Celestia spoke over the microphone, "may I have your attention please?"

The students immediately quieted down upon hearing her request.

"Thank you." The light pink-skinned woman then told everyone, "As you know, this Friday, there will be a major event coming up that I know many of you are very excited for: It's our annual Inter-school Duel with our neighbors at Griffonstone High School!" The students cheered loudly after she made that announcement.

"Woo-hoo!!!! Finally!!!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, throwing her arms up and waving them erratically. "I've been waiting so super-long to see it!!"

"Um, girls? What's Principal Celestia talking about?" asked Sunset Shimmer. "What's Griffonstone High School?"

"One of our rival schools, besides Crystal Prep Academy." answered Applejack.

"You see, Sunset," Rarity began to explain to her, "every year around this time, our school and their school compete with each other in a Duel. We each pick a Duelist to represent us, and the winning school gets to display the Inter-school Duel Trophy."

"Sounds interesting to me." the otherworldly girl replied. She then asked, "So, what's this other school like? Griffonstone, I mean..."

"To be honest, I personally do not think too highly of them." the fashion-forward teen told her.

"Why's that?"

"Well, Sunset..." Fluttershy began to say, "they've been known to be pretty ruthless, especially when they Duel... I'd be really, really scared if I ever had to fight one of them..." The timid girl trembled a little just thinking about it.

"They're really that tough?" asked the red and yellow girl.

"Oh yeah." replied Rainbow Dash. "SUPER tough. Especially this one chick they've got over there. Her name is-"

But at that moment, Pinkie Pie covered her athletic friend's mouth and said to her, "Sorry, Dashie! You'll have to wait 'til later for the big name reveal! The Principals are about to say something!" The cyan girl pushed her silly friend's hand away from her face before she and the others turned their attention back to the main stage.

"Now," began Vice Principal Luna, "Griffonstone has already selected their representative for the Inter-school Duel. Today, we will have to submit our representative as well. And I am pleased to say that we have already made our decision on that very matter."

"We have made our selection based on your recent Duel records, according to the listings submitted by Kaiba Corp.," Celestia explained, "which, as you know, is the company that produces the Duel Pads and Duel Gazers that you use to play Duel Monsters. All of your Duels in the recent year are electronically recorded and transmitted to your records on the company's computer, recording things such as the Decks you most often use, as well as your win ratios."

Sunset Shimmer then glanced at her Duel Pad and thought, (I see... So that's how they figure all of that out...)

Luna then took out an envelope, in which was a small paper that had the name of the student they chose. "My sister, the rest of the school staff, as well as myself, each took a vote, and we have made our choice." Opening the envelope, she then announced, "The student who will be representing us will be..."

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, wondering who it would be. But nothing prepared them for the name that Luna gave out...

"...Fluttershy!!"

There was a collective gasp amongst the entire student body. No one expected that Fluttershy, of all people, would be chosen to participate. "Really? HER??" asked one of the female students. "What were they thinking??"

"We're gonna lose the trophy for sure, now..." a male student chimed in.

Suddenly, all eyes were on the timid yellow girl, who was now more scared and nervous than she had ever been in her entire life. "Ohhhh... oh my..." she whimpered, quickly getting out of her seat and hiding underneath it...

"Yeah, that sure was a real shock to her, and everyone else." noted Applejack as she tuned her bass guitar while recalling what had happened earlier. "Ah'm sure Ah'd be as jittery and as nervous as her if Ah were in her shoes right now."

"Not to sound too boastful or anything," began Sunset, "but I'm honestly surprised that I wasn't chosen to represent the school for the big event. I mean after all, I've been dueling really well lately."

"I think it might be because you have those Number cards in your Deck that you weren't chosen, dear." Rarity reminded her friend.

"...Oh yeah. I forgot about that." the otherworldly teen responded with a sigh. She then told her friends, "Of course, had I been chosen to duel, I would've taken them out of my Deck first to be fair."

"We know you would've." Applejack assured her. "It's not like you to give yourself an unfair advantage over your opponents."

"Besides," chimed Pinkie, "Sunnie can't duel in EVERY episode! Ya gotta give someone else a chance to be in the spotlight for once!"

"Uh... yeah." the farm girl responded, not really understanding what the pink girl meant by that. Turning back to the others, she then said to them, "Anyhoo, gettin' back on topic, we've gotta do somethin' about Fluttershy; she can't hole herself up in the classroom forever, ya know."

"But what are we to do, Applejack?" Rarity inquired. "She's so distressed over the whole thing, that she does not want to talk to anyone, not even us."

"...I'll go and talk to her." Rainbow Dash told them, offering to try and help the timid girl.

"Really?" asked Applejack. "You think you can get through t' her?"

"Fluttershy and me have been friends since Elementary School." the cyan girl told them. "If anyone can snap her out of being all depressed and stuff, it'll be me."

"That makes sense." replied Sunset. "If you think you can help her, then go for it." The black jacket-wearing teenager then told Rainbow Dash, "And by the way, grammatically speaking, it's supposed to be, 'Fluttershy and I'."

"Yeah whatever, Grammar Police." the athletic teen grumbled as she put down her guitar and headed out the door.

As Rainbow Dash left the music room, Rarity then said to everyone else, "Well, it's up to her now... Let us hope that she is successful in helping Fluttershy." The others nodded in agreement, hoping for the same.

Rainbow Dash made her way to the classroom that served as Fluttershy's Homeroom class at the end of each school day. The athletic teen peered through the glass window on the door; sure enough, the shy young girl was inside, still sitting at her desk with her face buried in her arms.

(Well... here goes nothin'...) Dash thought to herself. She then took a deep breath, raised her hand to the door, and knocked on it. "Hey, Flutters!" she called out. "Are ya in there?"

"Go away!!" the timid girl cried out. "Just leave me alone!! ...If that's okay with you..."

"Well, t' be honest, it's NOT okay with me." the cyan teen told her. "Look, me and the others are really worried about ya... Can we just talk for a little bit?"

There was a long silence that followed after Rainbow Dash made her request. Then, finally, Fluttershy answered, saying, "...Fine... you can come in if you want to." Rainbow smiled a bit, now that she knew that her best friend was willing to talk about the situation. It was a small step forward, but a step forward nonetheless.

The athletic teen opened the door and walked inside. After shutting the door behind her, Dash pulled up a chair and sat backwards on it in front of Fluttershy. "So..." she began, "how've ya been, Fluttershy?"

"Just AWFUL..." the poor girl whimpered. "Ever since Luna announced that I was going to represent us at the Inter-school Duel, everyone's been giving me nasty looks..." She sniffled a little and added, "Now I know how Sunset felt when everyone did that to her... Let me tell you: It's not a pleasant feeling..."

"Yeesh... I'm sorry to hear about that." Rainbow told her friend, sympathizing with her.

Sniffling some more, Fluttershy continued, saying, "Everyone thinks that I'm going to lose... that I'm going to disappoint the whole school..." Nearly beginning to cry, she then added, "And quite frankly, I think they're right..."

Rainbow Dash felt really sorry for her best friend, but she wasn't going to let the other students' low expectations of her put her down like this. She then suddenly stood up out of her chair, which startled Fluttershy a little. "Flutters, that's not true!" she told her. "None of that junk is!"

"Wh... wha...?" the timid girl replied.

"You can't let those guys get to you that easily!" Rainbow then told her, in an attempt to lift up her spirits. "They don't know you as well as me and the rest of our friends do! I know something like this SEEMS scary, but you can get through it, no problem!"

"...Easy for you to say, Rainbow..." Fluttershy said with a sigh. "You've never been afraid of anything ever... Unlike me..."

"...Well..." Rainbow began to say in an uneasy-sounding tone, "that's actually not entirely true..."

"Huh?!" gasped the timid girl, not expecting to hear something like that. "Wh-what do you mean??"

The athletic teen sighed and responded, saying, "Fluttershy, you and me have been friends for a really long time; to be honest, I feel like you're the only one among our friends that, well... that I can talk to about anything, if you know what I mean: Stuff that I wouldn't say to Rarity, AJ, Sunset, Pinkie, or even Twilight."

The pink and yellow girl listened carefully, wondering where Dash was going with this.

"So... that bein' the case," the cyan girl continued, "I'm gonna tell ya something that I've NEVER told anyone. Something that I'd never admit to the others or anyone else... So promise me that you won't blab about it to anybody, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded yes and said, "I promise."

Rainbow Dash then cleared her throat and told her, "You see, Fluttershy... I wasn't always the super-tough, super-confident chick I am now... Long before we met, I was actually a lot like you."

"Y-you were??" asked the timid teen, surprised to hear that.

"It's the total truth, Flutters." the cyan girl confirmed. "I was shy and scared and didn't really want to be around anyone else at all. Not only that, everything that I tried to do only ended in failure, and the other kids made fun of me for it." Sighing again, she then told her friend. "Back then, I never thought that I'd ever be good enough to do anything, and I felt real down just thinking about it."

"Oh my..."

"Then one day," Rainbow Dash continued, "My mom and I were at the grocery store, pickin' up some things for dinner. I had some of my allowance with me, but I didn't know what to do with it. That's when I spotted a pack of Duel Monsters cards near the registers. I decided to buy the pack, and when I opened it..." She then reached into a pocket in her skirt and pulled out a card from inside of it as she spoke. "I found this card was inside..." She then showed her friend the card that she was talking about...

*******************************

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 7/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn, during either player's turn, when another Level 5 or higher monster activates its effect on the field: You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a monster effect is activated that targets exactly 1 Level 5 or higher monster on the field (and no other cards): You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. If this card's effect destroys a monster, this card gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK until the end of this turn.

*******************************

Fluttershy let out a loud gasp when she saw her friend's shiny Duel Monsters card. "Oh my!" she said in astonishment. "You actually have Clear Wing?! That card's really, REALLY rare! How did you find it??"

"I just told ya: It was in that first pack I bought when I was little." Rainbow Dash reminded her. "And yeah, I was just as shocked as you were when I first got it. But not because of its rarity; I actually didn't know just how rare it was back then." Looking at the card's artwork, she then told her best friend, "Y'see, once I got a good look at the dragon on this card, I was immediately taken in by how powerful it looked; to me, this guy looked like he wasn't afraid of anything, and that he could take on any challenge or danger that came to him! And that's when I thought, 'Why can't I be like that?' I wanted nothin' more than to be as strong and as confident as that dragon. So that's when I made up my mind that, no matter what, I would give a hundred-and-twenty percent of myself every day, and do my best at whatever I set my mind to! And, well... the rest is history."

"Oh, wow..." said the yellow girl, impressed by her friend's story. "So that card gave you the confidence to be at your best at just about everything?"

"Not quite, but you're on the right track." the cyan girl answered her. "This card didn't GIVE me any more confidence in myself than I already had. But it did help me learn something about being at my best: It taught me that, no matter what people might say about you, or what low expectations they might have towards you, you have the power to get out there, do your best, and prove the naysayers wrong. You've gotta take everything they throw at ya and bounce it right back at 'em! All that matters is what YOU think of yourself; not what other people think of you... Do you understand?"

Fluttershy was completely silent after hearing what her friend had said. She had never thought about her situation that way before, and it was beginning to make her start to re-evaluate herself. She sighed a little and said, "...I do, Rainbow Dash, and you're absolutely right: I... I can't let what others think of me get in the way of doing my best... Like it or not, I was chosen to represent the entire school... And I have to make my school proud, no matter what!"

"So... does this mean that you're-"

"Yes, Rainbow." the now-no-longer-timid girl interrupted. "I'm going to go through with this Duel. And I'll fight my hardest out there and show everybody my true strength, just like you do every day!"

"I'm really glad t' hear that, Flutters." the athletic teen said with a smile. She then held out the card she had shown her friend and told her, "Here... I want you to have this."

Fluttershy gasped. "Y-you what?!" she exclaimed. "I-I-I can't take that from you! It means so much to you!"

But Rainbow Dash shook her head no and told her, "You and the others mean a WHOLE lot more to me. In fact, you were the first friend I ever had ever since I got my Clear Wing card. Like I said, all this card did was show me that I had the power to do anything I set my mind to, and you and the rest of our friends have shown me so much more. Clear Wing did its job helping me see all that, and I'll always be grateful for what it did... But I also know that I can't depend on it forever, and that I'll have to let him go. So that's why I want you to have it; maybe it might be able to draw out that spark in ya like it did for me."

The animal-loving teenager stared at the ultra-rare card for a long time, still shocked that the cyan girl was really just giving it to her. Still skeptical, Fluttershy then asked, "Are... you really sure about this, Rainbow...?"

"VERY sure." the athlete answered. "At least twenty percent more sure than ya think."

The pink and yellow girl blushed a little, pleased by how kind Rainbow Dash was to her right now. Now confident that her friend had made up her mind, Fluttershy nodded and said, "O-okay then... I'll take it." She then reached out and took Rainbow's Clear Wing Synchro Dragon card from her. She then stared at the valuable card for a while before telling her, "I promise that I'll take very good care of it, Rainbow..."

"Heh, you'd better." the cyan girl replied with a chuckle. "Now c'mon... let's go and meet up with the others."

"Okay..." Fluttershy said with a nod. As they headed towards the door, the yellow-skinned girl then spoke up, saying, "R-Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah?"

The animal lover then gave her best friend a hug and told her, "Thank you... You said a lot of things that I really needed to hear... So again, thank you so much..."

"No prob, Flutters." the cyan girl said in a casual tone. "That's what friends do for each other." The two of them then left the classroom and made their way to the music room to meet up with the rest of their friends.

About an hour or so later, Sunset and her friends left Canterlot High School after they were finished with practicing their music. The others were happy to see that Fluttershy was beginning to feel better since she had been selected to participate in the Inter-school Duel against Griffonstone High School. The pink and yellow girl was still nervous about the whole thing, though, and it was quite apparent to her friends.

"So, you're really gonna go through with this, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked her timid friend.

"Mhmm..." Fluttershy responded, nodding her head. "I'm still not sure how well I'll do, but at the very least, I have to try."

"That's a good attitude to have, Fluttershy." Sunset told her. "After all, you'll never know if you can or can't do something without making an attempt at it; that's something the Princess taught me back in Equestria."

"Are you sure you'll be okay for it, though?" asked Rarity out of concern. "After all, you're trembling even more than usual..."

"Yeah! You're shaking even more than Mrs. Cake's chocolate shakes!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "And that's saying something!"

"Well, to be honest," the shy girl told them, "I don't know if I'm really ready to take on anyone from Griffonstone... After all, they have..." She then gulped a little out of nervousness. "...they have quite the reputation, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, they can be pretty brutal, I hafta admit..." stated Rainbow Dash. But she then put on a smile and told her best friend, "But you've got something that the other guy doesn't have: You've got all of us t' help ya out!"

"R-really?" asked Fluttershy in a hopeful tone.

"Of course." Sunset Shimmer informed. "We've all agreed to give you all the help and support you'll need to be at your best when you compete in the Duel on Friday. I promise you: We'll make sure that you're completely ready for when you go out there."

"Oh, that's so nice of you all..." the shy girl said, feeling better about herself.

"That's what friends do for each other, Fluttershy." Rarity told her. "On that note, I have a most EXCELLENT idea of how to boost your confidence, and I am going get to work on it immediately!" She then ran off and added, "I'll see you all tomorrow, girls! I have a lot of work to do, and not much time!" Everyone else stared at Rarity as she left the group and headed for who-knows-where.

"Huh... Anyone know what's on Rarity's mind?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"Not sure," answered Applejack, "but if Ah know Rare as well as Ah think Ah do, Ah've got a feelin' that her sewin' machine's gonna be involved in all'o this." She then said to Fluttershy, "Anyhoo, we'll do our part in helpin' ya out too, Fluttershy. We'll be practicin' 'til we're blue in the mouth!"

"Oh thank you... thank you all so much...!" the shy teen replied, happy to know that her friends would support her in her time of need.

Several minutes later, Fluttershy met with Sunset Shimmer in her apartment. The otherworldly girl brought her friend to her home in the city so that they could have some one-on-one time in preparation for the upcoming Duel. Once Sunset unlocked her door (and after waving hi to the landlord, Manny Roar, as he passed by), she and Fluttershy sat down at her dining room table, across from each other, so that they could get to work.

"So, um... what should we do first, Sunset?" asked the animal lover.

"Well, I think the first thing that I'll do is to take a look at your Deck, and see if I can help make any improvements to it." stated the red and yellow girl.

"Oh, I understand..." Fluttershy said as she grabbed her backpack and pulled out a bright yellow deck box, in which was her Duel Monsters Deck. "Here you go." she said as she handed her cards over.

"Thanks." Sunset replied. She then carefully opened the deck box and pulled out Fluttershy's Deck. She then examined the cards carefully, one at a time. "Hmmmm..." she hummed to herself as she evaluated her friend's cards.

"So... um..." Fluttershy began to say, "Is it any good...?"

Sunset placed the Deck onto the table and told her friend, "Fluttershy... this Deck... I have to admit, it's very well-made!"

"I-it is...?"

"Totally." the otherworldly girl responded. "You have a very good balance of different types of cards and some really good combos, too. Quite frankly, it's one of the best Decks that I've seen, and I don't just say that about everyone."

"Oh, well... thank you, Sunset." the shy girl replied. "Quite honestly, I wasn't sure if my Deck was good enough for something like the Inter-school Duel..."

"Well, if it'll help you feel a little better, think about this:" Sunset Shimmer began. "Remember what Princes-er, Principal Celestia said earlier?"

"Um, what exactly?"

"She said that they selected you out of EVERYONE in the school, based solely on your dueling records." the black jacket-wearing teen told her friend. "The fact that you were chosen for it meant that you must have been doing something right!"

"Oh wow... I never thought about that!" Fluttershy responded with a gasp after realizing that.

"Well don't feel too bad about it; apparently that fact was lost on everyone at school, too." stated Sunset. "But all that means is that it'll be all the sweeter once you go out there and prove them all wrong!"

"You really think I can win?" asked the pink and yellow girl.

"I know you can, Fluttershy." said the otherworldly girl. "And that's why I want to help you as much as I can." Getting up out of her seat, she then told her friend, "And the next thing we'll do is to research some cool combos that you can use in your Deck. Follow me over to the computer, and we can start right away."

"O-okay!" Fluttershy replied with a nod as the two of them walked over to Sunset's computer to study up on different tricks and combos that could be applied to the animal lover's Deck.

Some time later, Fluttershy left Sunset's apartment and continued her training with her other friends, starting with Rainbow Dash. The cyan teen had recently finished her new Deck and wanted to try it out, so she and Fluttershy had a sparring match with each other so that they could both refine their skills. During the Duel, Rainbow taught her best friend to always go with her gut when making tough decisions, and that she should always take any opportunity she could get to take control of the game. The pink and yellow girl took those lessons to heart, and in the end, they actually helped her win their little match. Normally, the competitive Rainbow Dash didn't like to lose at anything, but since the purpose of their game was to help out a friend, she didn't mind and was actually quite proud of Fluttershy for how well she did.

The shy girl then headed for Pinkie Pie's house next, and just like she did with Rainbow, Fluttershy would have a Duel with Pinkie as well. During their game, the silly pink girl taught her friend to always keep her opponents guessing, and not to let them predict your next moves. Unfortunately for Fluttershy, she didn't fare as well against Pinkie as she did with Rainbow Dash, as the party-loving teen had managed to beat her, albeit by a small amount.

Taking off her Duel Gazer, Pinkie said to her friend, "Sorry, Fluttershy... But ya gotta play to win, you know?"

"It's okay." replied the shy girl. "I had such a great time dueling you, that I'm not depressed about it at all."

"That's so good to hear!" the party girl said to her friend. "The most important thing about playing Duel Monsters is having a great time when you're playing! That's even more important than winning! Don't get me wrong; you try to win of course, it's just that-"

"I think I understand, Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy interrupted. "Thank you very much." Pinkie smiled and giggled a little in response.

Later on, Fluttershy made her way over to Applejack's farm for dueling advice, as well a chance to play against her friend in some more sparring matches. After playing a few rounds, the two took a quick break, though the farm girl continued to offer her advice. "One important thing t' remember when y'all are duelin'," she told the shy girl, "is to always act like you've got the upper hand, even when your opponent's in the lead."

"Why is that?" asked the pink and yellow girl.

"Because that'll make yer opponent feel uneasy n' stuff." Applejack answered. "They'll think you've got somethin' planned for 'em, and that might make 'em second-guess their next move. Then, sooner 'r later, they'll make a mistake, and that's when y'all can swoop in and take the lead for real."

"But... it sounds a little dishonest, especially coming from you..." noted the timid teen. "If you... don't mind me saying."

"Ah get what yer sayin'," the orange girl replied. "But it's like they say: 'Alls fair in love n' war.' Duel Monsters is a game of the mind, so there's a lotta psychology n' stuff that goes into it. And besides, there's a good chance that your opponent might try t' do the same thing t' you, so you have t' make sure that y'all don't show any fear in front o' them, got it?"

"...Got it." Fluttershy said with a nod. Standing up, she then asked, "Um, Applejack? Can... can we play one more round? I'd like to practice trying to perform what you taught me, if that's okay with you."

"No prob, Sugarcube." the country teen responded, readying her dark-brown Duel Pad. Fluttershy activated her light green-colored device as well, and the pair began to play another game with each other.

The next day at school, Fluttershy walked down the hallways towards her first class. She did her best to ignore any stares or snide comments directed towards her. Her thoughts of her friends helping her out was all that she needed to keep her spirits up. When she turned a corner, she was surprised to see her friends nearby the door to her classroom. "Oh! What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you'd already be in class by now..."

"We've got plenty of time." said Rainbow in her usual casual tone, putting her hands behind her head. "Besides, we all want to be here for your big surprise."

"Sur-surprise?" asked the yellow girl. "What kind of surprise?"

Rarity then stepped forward and told the animal lover, "This kind of surprise, darling." The fashionista then took out a yellow, rectangular present tied up with a shiny, pink ribbon from out of her backpack. "Here. This is my contribution towards helping to boost your confidence before tomorrow's Duel. It took me almost all day yesterday to make, but it was all worth it to help you out."

Fluttershy took the package and opened it slowly. The others watched, still wondering what it was that Rarity had made. The pink and yellow girl gasped when she saw a well-made outfit inside. The outfit consisted of a short dress, jacket, and long pants, along with a pair of gloves. The clothes were colored mostly white, with several green and pink stripes decorating it. The gloves were of a light bluish-grey, with a pink stripe along the top. The jacket also had a pair of small, metal shoulder pads on it, and the skirt portion of the dress was held together with a belt that had a butterfly-shaped buckle upon it. A pair of light-grey boots (which were seperate from the items in the package) with pink soles and black on the tops completed the ensemble.

"Oh... WOW...!" replied an amazed Fluttershy. "It's... it's wonderful!"

"So awesome!" commented Rainbow Dash. "This is the coolest thing you've ever made, Rarity!"

"Yeah, it looks like it came from the future!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Or at least an upcoming series."

"Thank you all for your comments, girls." stated Rarity. "I think it's one of my best works yet, if I do say so myself." She then went on to explain, "I've always believed that, every now and then, a nice change of clothes helps to change one's inner self as well. I guarantee you, Fluttershy, once you put this outfit on tomorrow, you'll feel ten times stronger than ever before!"

"That's very sweet of you, Rarity. I like it very much." Fluttershy told her friend as she held her new clothes. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, darling." the violet-haired girl replied, giving the shy girl a hug. She then asked the others, "So, how did things go with her yesterday while I was busy?"

"Pretty well, as a matter of fact." Sunset answered. "I think she's ready to win that Duel tomorrow, for sure."

"Yeah, Fluttershy's gonna beat that other guy, no matter who it is!" Rainbow added. She then said to the pink and yellow girl, "Just remember everything that we've taught ya, and you'll do great out there!"

"I will, Rainbow Dash. I'll do my best." Fluttershy said. "Win or lose, I'll make the whole school proud!"

Sunset and the others gave out looks that told each other that their once-timid friend was more than ready for whatever challenge that awaited her tomorrow. They knew that she'd give the whole school a Duel to remember for years to come.

The very next day, in the large soccer field out in the schoolyard, the bleachers were filling up fast with students from both Canterlot High and Griffonstone High. It was now time for the big event: The Inter-school Duel. Just about everyone from both schools attended the event, eager to see the competition duke it out.

On the soccer field, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna greeted the principal from Griffonstone before the Inter-school Duel began. The man seemed to be in his senior years, as he was very much older than either of the two women. He had grayish-pink colored skin, with a few dark-colored spots, including two large ones around his eyes. He lacked a bit in terms of hair, having only dark-grey strands growing on the back of his head, just above his neck. On his head was a burgundy fez hat with a light yellow stripe and tassel. His outfit consisted of a dark grey coat over top of a grey undershirt, complete with a light grey tie. His slacks were of the same color as his coat, and his leather shoes were a very deep black color. On the right side of the chest area on the coat, there was a golden-yellow emblem that appeared to look like a Griffon, a mythical creature that combined the traits of a lion and an eagle.

"It's good to meet you again, Principal Gruff." said Celestia, shaking the much older man's hand.

"You as well, Ms. Celestia." the other principal, named Gruff, replied. "And a hearty hello to you as well, Ms. Luna."

"Hmmm. Indeed..." the vice principal told him. "Just do not expect this year to end like last time, Mr. Gruff. This year, the trophy will be in OUR school."

"Peh, we'll see about that." Principal Gruff responded with a smirk. "As you know, I've selected our best young Duelist to take part in the festivities; a student that, up to this point, remains undefeated. I hope that fact doesn't dampen your school's confidence any..."

"I don't think we'll have to worry too much." Celestia told him in her usual relaxed manner, pretty sure that things would turn out well. "Just don't expect an easy win, Mr. Gruff."

"Hmph." the old man huffed. "Let us just make our way to the center of the field; this Duel isn't going to start itself, now is it?" The other two principals nodded and the three of them prepared to make their way over to the microphone stands that were set up in order to make the opening announcements.

Clearing her throat, Celestia then spoke into the mic, saying, "Everybody, may I have your attention, please?" Everyone quieted down after the Canterlot High principal spoke to them. "Now then," she continued, "I, Principal Celestia, my sister, Vice Principal Luna, and Principal Gruff from Griffonstone High School, all wish to thank you for coming to see our annual Inter-school Duel!"

The crowds from both schools cheered loudly, eager to see the big Duel.

"Now," spoke Vice Principal Luna, taking the microphone from her older sister, "as you know, the competition has been quite fierce over the past few years that we've held this annual event. The Inter-school Duel Trophy has moved back and forth between our two schools, which shows just how much both Canterlot and Griffonstone have grown in strength over the years. So I can say, with complete confidence, that this Duel will be filled with excitement and unexpected twists like none we've ever seen before!" The crowds cheered even louder after Luna got them all pumped up.

"I have to admit, your sister knows how to get the students excited." Gruff told Celestia.

"Well, she's always told me that, if she weren't a vice principal, she would most definitely have done well as a motivational speaker." the light pink woman replied with a chuckle.

Luna then smiled and said to the crowds, "Without further ado, let us begin the Inter-school Duel by introducing the first competitor!" Gesturing her hand over towards the gymnasium's back doors, she then announced, "Representing Canterlot High School, I am proud to present a Duelist that, at first glance, doesn't seem like the type that would be suitable for a major competition such as this. However, numbers do not lie, and they have shown that this competitor has had an extremely impressive track record with her Duels. Therefore, my sister and I are proud to present our Duelist for the Inter-school Duel... Ms. Fluttershy!!"

The students from both sides watched as the first set of double doors opened. Canterlot's students weren't expecting much, since they still didn't think that Fluttershy was a good choice for the big competition. But when the pink and yellow girl stepped out of the building, there was a sudden and collective gasp amongst the audience when they got a good look at her...

Fluttershy was wearing her new outfit that Rarity had made for her, and just as the violet-haired girl had told her friend, the animal lover definitely felt more confident just simply by wearing it. In addition to her new clothes, Fluttershy had also styled her hair differently to better match her new look. It had a more modern-looking appearance, with the length of her hair on the left side of her head positioned above her forehead, and some of the hair on the top of her head cascading down just slightly over top of it.

"Woah... Is that really Fluttershy?" asked one of the Canterlot High girls in slight astonishment. "I almost didn't recognize her... And not just because of the outfit."

"Duuuuuude... Has she always looked that good...?" gawked one of the male CHS students.

Following Fluttershy from behind were Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. They still had their usual outfits on, with the addition of light-green coats worn over top. On the left side of the chest area on each coat was a small emblem of three pink butterflies, and on the back of each coat were the words, "Team Fluttershy".

"Who are you supposed to be?" Principal Gruff asked the shy teen's friends.

"What does it look like?" Rainbow asked rhetorically. "We're the cheering section!"

"Cheering section??" The old man then asked Celestia, "Is that even allowed...?"

"As long as they don't give her any direct advice during the Duel, it's fine by me." the light pink woman answered.

"We won't need t' feed her any info." Applejack then told the adults. "She's already got everythin' she needs to win this!" She then turned over towards Fluttershy and asked her, "Ain't that right, Sugarcube?"

"Um... I guess so..." the animal-loving teen replied meekly.

"Do as you wish..." Gruff told them all. He then walked over and took the microphone from Vice Principal Luna so that he could introduce the other competitor. "Students, may I have your attention please? Representing Griffonstone High School, we have brought with us, our school's best Duelist! She has competed in many major competitions throughout the high school and elsewhere, and to this day, remains totally undefeated!"

"Oh my..." muttered Fluttershy, getting a bit worried.

"So now, without further ado, I bring you our other competitor!" Gruff announced. "Presenting Griffonstone's pride and joy: The warrior woman! The fierce female! The girl who takes no guff! The-"

"Oh, C'MON already!!" shouted a tough-sounding voice from nearby. "You're borin' everyone t' death, old man!"

Everyone turned to look towards the source of the voice and saw a teenage girl standing there. She had golden-brown skin and long, messy hair that was colored a very light grey and looked feather-like in appearance. She had deep yellow eyes, with blotches of grey around those eyes, and a look that told those around her that she wasn't one to be messed with.

Her clothes had a rugged appearance to them that added to her tough-looking personality: She wore a black leather jacket over top of a grey shirt that had the same Griffon emblem on it that Principal Gruff had on his coat. The shirt was torn along the bottom; whether it happened naturally or not remained to be seen. Her jeans were dark blue in color, with similar torn bits at the bottom of each of the leggings, and held up with a black belt. She also wore a pair of black boots, each fastened with a pair of buckles, and on her wrists were two gold bracelets. On her right arm was a Duel Pad, but it had a slightly different appearance compared to the ones that Sunset and the others wore. It was brown in color, and seemed to resemble a wing of some sort.

The girl walked onto the field and snatched the microphone away from Principal Gruff before telling him, "Since you're CLEARLY not gonna get to it anytime this century, I'll introduce MYSELF, Pops."

Gruff grumbled a little and said, "Fine... go ahead." He then walked off, muttering to himself. "Kids these days... no respect... I remember in my day..."

The tough-looking teenager then spoke into the microphone, saying, "Griffonstone, you guys already know me pretty well... But for those of you from Canterlot High, I'll introduce myself to you. And I promise to use small words and talk reeeeeal slowly so that you can understand what I'm sayin'."

That insulting comment spurred CHS's students into booing her. "What's THAT supposed t' mean?!" shouted Scootaloo, who was sitting next to her friends Apple Boom and Sweetie Belle.

Chuckling a little to herself, the Griffonstone girl then cleared her throat and said, "As for who I am, the name's Gilda: Best Duelist in Griffonstone High!" She then glanced over at Fluttershy and added, "And after I whup Ms. Flashy-Pants over there, I'll soon become the best in the whole city!"

Upon hearing the girl's name, Rainbow Dash grumbled a little. Sunset noticed her friend growling and asked her, "Dash, is something wrong?"

"Maybe..." the athletic teen. "It's just that I should've known that they'd pick HER to be Fluttershy's opponent..."

"Don't tell me that you actually KNOW that ruffian, Rainbow dear?" inquired Rarity, surprised.

"Yeah, I do." Dash answered. "Gilda and I used to be friends back in Middle School... and I emphasize the words, 'used to be'."

"What happened?" asked Applejack, wondering why the two of them weren't friends anymore.

"Well, back then, she and I were beasts out there when it came to sports and stuff." Rainbow Dash explained to her friends. "Nobody could beat us, and we knew it." She then sighed and continued, saying, "The problem was that, because we were so good at physical stuff, Gilda felt like that was enough of an excuse to make others do whatever she wanted them to do. She'd rough 'em up in order to make things go her way... I didn't believe the rumors until I caught her in the act one day. When I scolded her for it, she got all mad and, well... that was it."

"Woah..." Sunset said with a gasp. She then felt a little sick to her stomach, as what Rainbow had told them all reminded her of how she used to act.

"Oh dear..." Rarity responded in a worried tone. "She sounds like nothing but a common brute... I hope Fluttershy will be okay out there..."

At that moment, the Griffonstone girl, named Gilda, walked over to Fluttershy and the others. As the shy girl's friends gave her nasty looks, the roughneck then said to the pink and yellow teen, "So you're the chick I'm Duelin' against..." Snickering, she then told her, "You look like you're scared just to be standing here, let alone having to take me on."

"Don't y'all even start, gal..." Applejack told her sternly. "We're not just gonna let ya badmouth our friend like that, so just get t' your side of the field n' clam it!"

"Pfft. Like THAT'S gonna make me flinch." Gilda responded in an uncaring tone. Glancing over at her ex-friend, she then told her, "Looks like you haven't changed a bit, Dash; Back in Middle School, you and I could've had anything we wanted... but you decided to go soft and weak. And I don't got the time to deal with weaklings."

"Yeah? Well, I don't have time to deal with bullies that pick on other people for the fun of it!" Rainbow Dash rebutted.

"Oh, you've got the 'fun' part of that right." Gilda replied. "And I'm gonna have a blast taking your wimpy little friend down!" Turning around and heading back to the field, she then told her opponent, "So good luck; it STILL won't be enough t' save ya." And with that last remark, the girl from Griffonstone made her exit.

Fluttershy was now trembling even more than she was earlier, but she stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Eep!" she shrieked, looking over at the hand, only to see that it belonged to Rainbow Dash. "R-R-Rainbow...?"

"Listen, Flutters," the athletic teen said to her, "don't let Gilda get to ya; she's always acted like that. But don't worry about anything she tells you; her bark's a LOT worse than her bite, believe me."

"I... I don't know..." the animal-loving teen responded, still slightly intimidated.

"Look, Gilda thought I was weak just because I didn't act like her and bully other people to do whatever I wanted." Rainbow explained. "She thinks that being kind to other people also means being a wimp. But she's wrong, Fluttershy: Being kind to others makes us stronger, not weaker. After all, we've given you plenty of help and support for this Duel, and now you're stronger than ever! And you need to prove that to Gilda by beating her right here, right now!"

Fluttershy was still a bit nervous, but she knew that Rainbow Dash was right. Putting on the best look of determination that she could, she nodded and told her friend, "I'll do my very best."

"That's the spirit, Sugarcube!" cheered Applejack.

"You've no chance of losing, darling!" added Rarity. "With all of us supporting you out there, you can do anything!"

"Except flying." added Pinkie Pie. "You can only do that after Ponying Up... But other than that, Rarity's right!"

"Now you go out there and show her what a real Duel is all about!" Sunset told her.

Fluttershy nodded and ran over to the soccer field, taking her place on the side opposite from Gilda. Holding out her left arm, she shouted (in a slightly quiet tone), "Duel Pad activate...!" After her device unfolded its card tray, she then took out her Duel Gazer from a pocket on her skirt and placed it over her left eye. "Duel Gazer, activate...!" Gilda then did the same, putting on her lens and activating her Duel Pad which, after it completely unfolded, looked much more like a big, brown wing, with each of the five, large, feather-shaped plates containing a Monster Zone.

"AR Vision Link established." said a female-sounding computerized voice as a digital copy of the schoolyard formed around everyone.

"Let the Inter-school Duel between Canterlot and Griffonstone begin!" announced the three principals in unison.

"Let's Duel!!" shouted both Gilda and Fluttershy (Fluttershy: LP 4,000) (Gilda: LP 4,000).

Fluttershy's best friends (who, like everyone else, had switched on their Duel Gazers) sat down on a bench in front of the bleachers where their fellow CHS students were sitting as the normally-shy teen began what they knew would be a very tough Duel. As they watched the competitors draw their opening hands, Rarity then said to the others, "Well... we've done all we can for Fluttershy... The rest is up to her now."

"Ah just hope she'll be able to do well against an opponent like that Gilda person..." Applejack noted. "She seems like the type that doesn't hold nothin' back, even on somebody like Fluttershy."

"Got that right." Rainbow Dash agreed. But she then smiled and added, "But I know Fluttershy can beat her! No doubt about it!"

"Same here." Sunset chimed in. "She just needs to keep a cool head, and not let anything that Gilda says get to her."

On the field, Gilda sneered and asked her opponent, "Well, are ya gonna make a move already? I'm getting impatient, and I wanna get t' kickin' your butt sometime today!"

The shy girl trembled a little, but kept calm as she thought about her strategy. After figuring out what to do first, she then took a card from her hand and placed onto the Duel Pad, saying, "I-I place one monster face-down in Defense Mode... and then place one face-down card... Then, I end my turn."

"Pfft... about time you did somethin' other than quake in fear." the rude Duelist responded. "Now let me show you how this game is REALLY played. I draw!" After drawing her first card of the Duel, Gilda then declared, "I'll start by placing two cards face-down..." After setting her two cards (including the one she had just drawn), she then pulled out one of her Monster Cards and added, "and then I'll summon this guy in Attack Mode! Go! Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!"

The Griffonstone girl's first monster appeared to be a large, mechanical bird. It was strengthened with all sorts of strong body armor that consisted of many different colors, including green, blue, and silver (Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1600).

"What kinda monster is that?" asked Applejack. "Ah've never seen one like that before."

"I think she called it a, 'Raidraptor'..." Sunset answered her. "Must be a new archetype or something. Right now, all I'm worried about is what they can do..." The rest of Fluttershy's friends nodded in agreement.

Gilda then continued her move, saying, "By Normal Summoning Vanishing Lanius, I can activate his effect: It allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Raidraptor monster straight from my hand!"

"A-another one??" asked Fluttershy, surprised.

"That's right!" confirmed the roughneck. Taking out another card from her hand, she then shouted, "So now I'll bring out Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius to the field in Attack Mode!!" She then played her card, calling up another robotic-looking bird to her side of the field. This bird was mostly covered in red armor that, true to its name, consisted of pieces that were almost as sharp as any sword (Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000).

"But that ain't all!" Gilda continued. "Next I play the Continuous Spell Card, Raidraptor - Nest!"

*******************************

Raidraptor - Nest:
(Continuous Spell Card)

If you control 2 or more "Raidraptor" monsters: You can add 1 "Raidraptor" monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Raidraptor - Nest" once per turn.

*******************************

"I'll use the effect of my Spell Card to take Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius from my Deck and put it in my hand!" Gilda informed her foe. Her Duel Pad then auto-shuffled her cards, leaving her chosen card sticking out of the top of her Deck after it was done. She then took it out and added, "Next, I'll Special Summon Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius straight from my hand, since I control a Raidraptor monster other than Fuzzy Lanius on my field!"

Everyone from CHS gasped when the roughneck summoned her third monster this turn. Her newest monster was yet another mechanical bird, this one covered with body armor that was colored mostly in dark blue and violet (Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 1500).

"Did she just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?!" asked Pinkie Pie, astonished. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"Um, no... it isn't." Sunset told her. "Only one of those was a Normal Summon; the other two were Special Summons."

Pinkie seemed a bit disappointed. She huffed a little and said with a sigh, "Oh well... I guess the whole funny line about money doesn't really work in this situation anyway."

Fluttershy shook a bit after she watched Gilda summon her three monsters to the field. The Griffonstone girl then smirked and told her enemy, "Now let's do the math here: I've got three super-strong monsters on my field, and you've got just one measly monster on yours... By my count, you're about to take a ton of damage on just my first turn!" Pointing straight towards the shy teen's face-down monster, Gilda gave out her order: "Go! Sharp Lanius! Attack her monster!!"

In an instant, the red armored bird flew towards Fluttershy, slashing apart her face-down monster and sent it to the Graveyard (Naturia Cherries: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 200).

Chuckling, the rude Duelist then told Fluttershy, "And now I can go for your Life Points next..."

But the shy teen told her opponent, "Um... actually, you can't."

"Say what?"

"By destroying Naturia Cherries, you've, um... activated its special ability." Fluttershy informed Gilda. "It lets me Special Summon two more copies of it from my Deck in Defense Mode." Her Deck then gave her the two other Naturia Cherries that she had on her. After taking them both, she then placed them face-down on her Duel Pad.

"Why you little..." grumbled Gilda, knowing that she wouldn't be able to inflict any real damage this turn. Huffing a little, she then said, "Fine, have it your way. I'll just tear those two monsters apart instead! Attack, Fuzzy Lanius and Vanishing Lanius!!" And with that order, the roughneck's other two monsters eliminated the other two Naturia Cherries that Fluttershy had just summoned.

"Not a bad move at all." noted Rarity. "Fluttershy just saved herself from taking any damage to her Life Points this turn."

"Yeah, but that Gilda chick's still got three monsters on her field." Applejack reminded everyone. "She's still not quite out of the woods yet."

"C'mon, Fluttershy!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Those three monsters aren't nothin' ya can't handle! So go out there and give 'em a pounding for us!"

"O-okay." the pink and yellow girl replied. Facing her opponent, she then said, "It's my turn... I draw." She then took her next card and began to think of what to do next. She then tried her best to remember everything that her friends had taught her, starting with Pinkie Pie, in that she needed to do something that her opponent wouldn't see coming. Getting an idea, she then announced (in her usual quiet tone), "I'll set another card face-down... and then... um... I'll Summon Naturia Cliff in Attack Mode."

Fluttershy's new monster was a large slab of rock with two beady red eyes, as well as red grass on the top of it that was meant to resemble hair (Naturia Cliff: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"Hmph. You finally Summoned a decent monster for a change." noted Gilda. She then smirked and thought, (But if you try to attack, I'll have my Trap Cards ready for ya...)

But the shy girl surprised everyone by saying, "I... end my turn."

Gasping, Sunset asked everyone, "She isn't going to attack?! But her monster could easily take out two of Gilda's!"

"Is she scared of Gilda's facedown cards, perhaps...?" inquired Rarity.

"I wouldn't jump t' conclusions just yet, guys..." stated Rainbow Dash with a smile. "I think Flutters knows what she's doin'."

The Griffonstone girl grumbled a bit. (Your wimping out saved you this time...) she thought to herself. She then shouted, "Fine! If you won't attack, I will!! Now I draw!!" Picking up her next card, she then declared, "I activate the Trap Card, Icarus Attack! By releasing a Winged Beast-Type monster that I've got, I can destroy any two cards on the field!"

"Uh oh... that sure don't sound good..." noted Applejack.

"So I'll release Fuzzy Lanius," Gilda started, "and destroy your monster, along with the facedown card on your right!" After making that declaration, Fuzzy Lanius was bathed in a bright light that expanded itself into a much larger light that looked like a mighty bird. It then dove straight towards Fluttershy, intending to take out its targets...

"I'm sorry, but... I can't let you do that...!" said Fluttershy, tapping her Duel Pad. "I activate the Counter Trap, Exterio's Fang!"

"What?! A Counter Trap Card?!" exclaimed the Griffonstone girl.

"Awesome!" cheered Dash, pumping her fist into the air. "Gilda sure didn't see that one comin'!"

"I'll say." stated Sunset. "Counter Traps are among the most powerful type of Trap Cards out there, because only another Counter Trap can respond to one."

"Now," began Fluttershy, "Exterio's Fang has the power to negate your Trap Card and destroy it, as long as I control a face-up Naturia monster."

Gilda growled a little. "So that's the REAL reason you put your monster in Attack Mode..." she deduced, realizing her opponent's plan.

"That's correct." the shy Duelist confirmed. "So now I negate and destroy your Icarus Attack...!" After she said that, the light energy from her opponent's Trap Card dissolved into the air, vanishing completely. After doing so, Fluttershy then sent one of the cards in her hand to the Graveyard, due to the other part of her card's effect.

"Yes!" cheered Rarity. "Fluttershy got her opponent to waste a very powerful card, along with one of her monsters! She's off to a very good start!"

Gilda didn't seem to be as happy about it, considering that she was the one who ended up paying for it. "Well, I suppose a wimp like you might be able to make ONE good move every now and then... But let's be realistic here: You don't stand a chance against me, and I'm gonna make that painfully clear to ya!" Placing another monster onto her Duel Pad's tray, she shouted, "I Summon Battlestorm in Attack Mode!!"

Gilda's next monster was a tall, tough-looking human man with fiery orange and silver body armor, metal gloves with talon-like fingers, a pair of gold-colored boots, and a pair of pitch-black wings on his back (Battlestorm: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000).

"Thanks to Battlestorm's effect," the Griffonstone Duelist continued, "he gains 100 extra attack points for every Winged Beast-Type monster on my side of the field! Since I've got three of them, that's an extra 300 points (Battlestorm: ATK 1700 + 300 = 2000)! But that's not all! I'll activate his other effect as well!"

"Wh-what does that do??" asked Fluttershy.

"It's pretty simple to figure out, even for you." Gilda told her. "Since I have three Winged Beasts on my field, his other power lets me destroy one Spell or Trap Card that you've got on the field! But since you only have one, I'll go for that!"

The others could only watch as Gilda's new monster slashed its claws and destroyed the pink and yellow girl's only face-down card. Fluttershy instinctively put her hands in front of her face to shield herself from the impact.

"Heh, so much for whatever secret plan you had for that card, wimp." the rude girl said with a sneer. "Whad'ya got to say to that?"

"Um... actually... I was... kind of hoping that you would do that..." Fluttershy told her.

"Wh-what??"

Taking the card that Gilda had destroyed out of her Duel Pad and showing it to her, the animal-loving teen explained, saying, "The card that you destroyed was Miracle Synchro Fusion... When it's destroyed while it was face-down because of an opponent's card effect, I can then draw one card from my Deck..." And she did just that.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" exclaimed Gilda, not expecting that.

"Woah, did y'all see that?" asked Applejack. "Fluttershy even made Gilda's move work out in her own favor!"

"But how did she know that Gilda would attempt something like that?" Rarity inquired.

"It's 'cause she decided to trust her instincts." Rainbow Dash told them. "That's somethin' that I taught her back when we were helpin' her out. I'll bet that she figured that Gilda would try to destroy her Spell and Trap Cards at some point, so she decided to set a decoy to trick her."

"Well, that sure seemed to work out." Sunset chimed in. "Let's just hope that Fluttershy can follow that up with some even better plays next."

Gilda was getting a little annoyed by how easily someone like Fluttershy was able to trick her. (This little wuss is REALLY beginning to tick me off...) she pondered. (But I ain't gonna let her win this! I'll make her pay for tricking me like that!) The Griffonstone Duelist then yelled, "Time for my Battle Phase!! I attack Naturia Cliff with Battlestorm!! Go! Razor Talon Slash!!"

Fluttershy braced herself as Gilda's powerful monster slashed its claws across the target monster's stone body. Afterwards, it was reduced to nothing but rubble, and the impact caused some slight damage to the shy Duelist (Fluttershy: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500). But Fluttershy stood her ground and gave out her best look of confidence towards her opponent.

"Wh-what's that look for??" asked Gilda, confused. "I just wiped out your monster! And five hundred of your Life Points!"

"Maybe so..." the pink and yellow teen told her, "but by destroying Naturia Cliff, you activated his special ability."

"Grrr... what NOW??" asked the rude teen, not too psyched to know about what her foe was going to do next.

"When my monster is sent from the field to my Graveyard, its effect permits me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Naturia monster from my Deck to replace it..." Fluttershy explained. Taking out her chosen card, she then announced, "I choose to Summon Naturia Dragonfly from my Deck in Attack Mode...!" She then placed the card on her Duel Pad, causing an adorable-looking dragonfly with big, blue eyes to fly out in front of her (Naturia Dragonfly: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 400).

"So what? My Raidraptors'll devour that bug in no time." Gilda told her enemy, not caring in the slightest. "Especially since its attack points are so low."

"Well, not really, actually." Fluttershy rebutted. "Because of its effect, Naturia Dragonfly gains 200 more attack points for every Naturia monster that I have in my Graveyard..."

"Huh??" asked the Griffonstone girl.

"I currently have five Naturias in my Graveyard, including the Naturia Beans that I sent there after using Exterio's Fang, so Naturia Dragonfly gains an additional 1,000 attack points..." the shy teen told her opponent (Naturia Dragonfly: ATK 1200 + 1000 = 2200). "That means its attack points are higher than any of yours..."

(Why that little...!) Gilda grumbled in her mind. (I don't get it! I've got more monsters on my field than she does! I've destroyed four of her monsters so far! I've even damaged her Life Points! But somehow, I'M the one at a disadvantage!) Huffing, she then told her foe, "Make your next move, already!"

"Just say you're ending your turn!" Rarity scolded Gilda. "You do not have to be rude about it!"

"...Whatever." the roughneck sighed.

"It's my turn... I draw!" Fluttershy then pulled her next card and placed it into her hand, then took out a different card and placed it on her Duel Pad. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Naturia Vein...!" she shouted (quietly). Her new monster appeared to be an imp of some sort that was made completely out of bright green leaves (Naturia Vein: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 300).

"A Tuner??" asked Gilda, having a good feeling about what her opponent would do next.

"Oh yeah... With all that she's done so far, Ah almost forgot..." Applejack began. "Fluttershy's Deck is pretty heavy on Synchro Monsters."

"Well, this is probably the best time for her to get a powerful monster on the field, since Gilda used up most of her strongest cards so soon..." Sunset Shimmer noted.

"Go for it, Fluttershy!" cheered Rainbow. "Teach that jerk a lesson about how a REAL Duelist does things!"

Fluttershy took a deep breath and then declared, "I now tune the Level 1 Naturia Vein... to my Level 4 Naturia Dragonfly." Her newly summoned monster then glowed brightly as it transformed into a single ball of light that hurled itself into the air. It then came back down as a green ring that surrounded her Insect-Type monster, causing it to glow as well. "Blessed forest, give me your strength!" the shy girl began to chant. "Call forth the beast as green as the trees to protect the creatures that dwell within it! Synchro Summon!"

After her chant, Naturia Dragonfly turned itself into four smaller lights within the green ring before both were engulfed by a column of bright green light (Level 1 + Level 4 = Level 5).

"Hear my call! Level 5! Naturia Beast!!" Fluttershy shouted, finishing the Summoning Chant. At that moment, a large creature emerged from out of the green light column, revealing itself as a massive, green-colored tiger that appeared to be just as much a plant as it was an animal. It gave out a ferocious roar that caused everyone, even Gilda, to cover their ears (except for Fluttershy) (Naturia Beast: Level 5 / ATK 2200 / DEF 1700).

"Woah! I didn't know Fluttershy had that card!" said one of the male CHS students. "That thing's super-strong!"

"You think she might actually win this now...?" one of the female CHS students asked another.

"...Maybe..." replied the other girl, still not completely sure about it.

Gilda was the most surprised; she did not expect someone like Fluttershy to have such a strong card in her Deck. Grumbling a little, she thought to herself, (Apparently, this wimp's a little tougher than I thought she was...)

The normally-shy girl then took the card that she had just drawn and said, "I now play the Spell Card, Leodrake's Mane, from my hand."

*******************************

Leodrake's Mane:
(Normal Spell Card)

Select 1 face-up "Naturia" monster you control. Its ATK becomes 3000, and its effects are negated, until the End Phase.

*******************************

"I use the effect of my Spell Card to increase Naturia Beast's attack power to 3000!" Fluttershy announced.

"I know what you're tryin' to do, but I'm not about t' let my Raidraptors take that big of a hit!" Gilda informed her foe. "I activate the Trap Card, Raidraptor - Readiness! Which means that, this turn, my Raidraptors can't be destroyed in battle!"

"Well, in that case," the pink and yellow girl began to say, "I'll have my Beast attack Battlestorm instead." (Naturia Beast: ATK 2200 > 3000) She then pointed forward and softly shouted, "Go...! Naturia Claw Strike!"

Fluttershy's powerful Synchro Monster then pounced towards Battlestorm and slashed at him with its powerful claws, destroying it and sending it to the Graveyard. In addition, the force of the attack also struck Gilda, depleting some of her Life Points as well (Gilda: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000).

"No way..." said a male Griffonstone student in the audience. "She actually damaged Gilda?? That never happens!"

Mr. Gruff seemed to be just as surprised when he saw his star Duelist take the heavy hit. Celestia then asked him, "So... it seems that the outcome of this Duel isn't quite so clear now, is it?"

"Hmph... not quite, Ms. Celestia." the elderly principal told her. "Gilda's just getting started with your student; In fact, much like a wounded animal, my little rising star is about to show you and her just how vicious she can truly be..." Luna and Celestia looked at one another, getting a little worried by what Principal Gruff had told them.

After making her only attack so far in the entire Duel, Fluttershy then said, "I now end my turn, which means that the effects of Leodrake's Mane are over now." (Naturia Beast: ATK 3000 > 2200)

Now Gilda was beginning to get angry; she couldn't believe that she had just taken damage from Fluttershy. Snarling, she then told her enemy, "Alright, I have had just about enough of you, girl... Up to this point, I was goin' easy on you because I thought you were a total wuss... But now you're starting to annoy me!!"

"Oh... my..." was all that the timid girl could respond with.

"You'd better get ready, you wimp! 'Cause I'm not gonna just stand here and let you make a fool outta me!!" Drawing her next card, Gilda then shouted, "I use the effect of Raidraptor - Nest, and pull another Raidraptor out of my Deck!"

But Fluttershy told her, "I'm sorry... but I have to stop you from doing that..." Taking two cards off of the top of her Deck and placing them into her Duel Pad's Graveyard slot, she then declared, "I use the effect of Naturia Beast...! By sending the top two cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, I can negate your Spell Card and destroy it."

"WHAT?!?" screamed the Griffonstone Duelist as, once more, her opponent managed to stop her move and eliminate her card.

"Yeah! Nice one, Flutters!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"She stopped her again!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, hopping up and down on the seat they were sitting on, causing it to shake rapidly. "She's doing so superly-super well!!"

"Pin-n-nkie!! Sto-o-op sha-a-aking the ben-n-nch!!" shouted Sunset.

The silly pink girl immediately stopped hopping excitedly, sat down, and responded with, "Sorry. My bad."

Gilda grumbled again and thought, (Crud... I forgot that her monster could do that!) The Griffonstone girl was so flustered from what had happened to her so far, that she couldn't think straight right now. Looking at her hand, Gilda continued to ponder, (I don't have any other monsters in my hand... Just the two that I've got on my field...)

She then looked straight towards her foe and put on an angry face. (I knew I should've used Sharp Lanius's effect or Raidraptor - Nest earlier on, but I didn't think I'd need to use them against a weakling like her...!) Growling a little, Gilda then thought, (Even so, I've still got ONE card that she WON'T be able to stop, no matter how strong she thinks she is!)

"Alright then, Butterfly or Bumblefly, or whatever your name is..." the Griffonstone student told her opponent, "you've gotten this far, but your beginner's luck ends right now! Just remember: You FORCED me to do this!"

"Um... oh dear..." Fluttershy responded, getting even more worried.

"Now I overlay Vanishing Lanius and Sharp Lanius, both Level 4!!" yelled Gilda as her two monsters transformed into a pair of dark purple lights that were sucked up into a large portal in front of her.

"Uh oh... she's performing an Xyz Summoning!" Rainbow Dash commented.

"Oh dear... You don't think she has a Number card, do you??" asked Rarity out of concern.

"I sure hope not..." said Sunset, clutching onto her special key necklace.

After her two monsters were drawn into the summoning portal, the Duelist from Griffonstone began to chant: "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon!" The portal then let out a powerful explosion of dark energy, which began to form into a monstrous shape. Two large, spiky wings emerged first, followed by clawed hands and feet, then the rest of its body, which included a dragon head on a very long neck. "Appear now! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Gilda said, finishing the chant.

The entire creature was indeed a dragon, colored mostly black, dark-purple, and dark grey. Its chest area had several red lights glowing on it, and its long tail had a pair of claw-like spikes at the end of it.

*******************************

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

2 Level 4 monsters
You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; its ATK becomes half its current ATK, and if it does, this card gains that lost ATK.

*******************************

The students of Canterlot High, including Fluttershy and her friends, gasped at the sight of Gilda's super-powerful monster. "Ah don't believe it..." said Applejack, astounded.

"She has THAT Xyz Monster?" asked Rarity. "That extremely rare dragon??"

"I thought it was just a myth..." added Pinkie Pie, who for once, didn't have that usually-happy look upon her face.

"I've only heard about that powerful card;" noted Sunset. "I've never actually seen it before..." She then sighed a little and added, "But at least it's not a Number card; in comparison, that would've been a whole lot worse."

"Maybe so," Rainbow Dash chimed in, "but that thing on Gilda's side of the field is still pretty tough..." She then thought in her mind, (Don't get scared, Fluttershy... You're gonna need every bit of courage you can muster if you wanna take THAT ugly thing down!)

Fluttershy, of course, was shivering at the sight of Gilda's Xyz Monster. "Oh dear... this isn't good..." she said to herself. "Now how am I going to win??"

"You won't." Gilda answered with a sneer. "Dark Rebellion's my ace card, and nobody's ever been able t' beat it! And d'ya wanna know why that is?" Chuckling, she then added, "Well, maybe I'll just SHOW you what I mean..." The rude Duelist then shouted, "I activate Dark Rebellion's effect!"

Everyone leaned closer to the edge of their seats, wondering what was going to happen next...

"First, I remove BOTH of his Overlay Units!" Gilda started, sending both of the cards underneath her Xyz Monster card to her Graveyard. As she did, the two purple lights that were swirling around it phased into the two large orbs on both of its wings (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OLU 2 - 2 = 0). Afterwards, the monster then shifted parts of its wings, revealing a pair of smaller orbs that unleashed several bolts of purple lightning. The bolts shot towards Fluttershy's Naturia Beast and constricted it like ropes, causing the giant tiger to roar in pain.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" asked the pink and yellow girl, getting scared.

"Dark Rebellion's effect allows me to target any one monster you have on the field and cut its attack power in half! (Naturia Beast: ATK 2200 ÷ 2 = 1100) But just so those attack points don't go to waste, my monster then takes those points and adds them to his own, making him even more powerful!!"

"It can WHAT?!?" shouted Fluttershy's friends in unison upon hearing that.

All the shy girl could do was watch in horror as her monster was weakened significantly, while Gilda's Xyz Monster grew even stronger than it was before (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 2500 + 1100 = 3600).

"This ain't gonna be pretty..." noted Applejack. "Her Synchro Monster's done for!"

"Oh dear... I can't watch!" Rarity chimed in, covering her eyes.

"Now, Dark Rebellion!! Attack that wimp's Naturia Beast!!" ordered Gilda. "Go!! Revolt of the Lightning!!!" And with that order, the powerful dragon then spread its sharp wings, which began glowing a bright blue. It then flew forward, charging up electrical energy into the spike on its chin and then stabbed it into Fluttershy's Synchro Monster, destroying it and causing a massive electrical explosion.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" screamed the pink and yellow girl as she took heavy damage from the assault (Fluttershy: LP 3,500 - 2,500 = 1,000). She was thrown to the ground as a result of the impact.

"Oh no! Fluttershy!!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

"You alright, Sugarcube??" asked Applejack, concerned.

The timid girl struggled, but was able to stand straight up. Physically, she was okay, but mentally, she was devastated. A tear began to well up in her left eye as she trembled even more.

"Oh dear..." said Sunset. "She took a heavy hit there, and I don't just mean to her Life Points... That attack probably shook her confidence and is making her too afraid to go on..." Looking up at the rest of CHS's students behind them, she added, "And it's not like the rest of the students here are any help... I don't think they believe in her one bit..."

Rainbow Dash growled to herself and got up out of her seat. She then turned towards her fellow students and shouted to them, "Hey! Are you guys just gonna sit there or what?! Fluttershy's in a tough spot and she needs our support!!"

"What's the point?" asked a young girl with silver-grey skin and glasses. "She's just gonna lose anyway, so why should we even bother?"

"Because if she does lose, it'll be all YOUR fault!!" the athletic teen told them in a scolding tone.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" asked a girl with blue skin and striped hair that was colored an even lighter blue. "Trixie demands an explanation!"

"You want an explanation?" asked Dash. "Then I'll give ya one: The only reason that Fluttershy is nervous and scared out there is because none of ya believe that she can do it! You don't think she can win, and that's not gonna help her out there!"

The rest of the students gave out blank stares as Dash told them all exactly what she thought about their negative attitudes right now.

"I don't care how tough Gilda's cards are!" the rainbow-haired teen continued. "I don't care how many Duels she's won! And I don't care what Fluttershy's actual odds are against her! I know Flutters can win this, because she has my support! And she's also got the support of the rest of my friends as well!" She then gave the audience a piercing stare and told them, "And if you guys have any respect for her or our school, you'll give her your support as well! Do I make myself clear?!"

The shy teen gasped a little and thought, (Clear...? Wait a minute...)

The other CHS students were dead silent after Rainbow told them off. Now they began to feel really bad about how they were treating Fluttershy. At that moment, Scootaloo stood up out of her seat and said, "Rainbow Dash is right! Like it or not, Fluttershy's representing our school, and she's fighting her hardest out there for all of us! She's always been so good and kind to every one of us, and this is how we're gonna repay her? By making her feel like she can't do anything?!"

"Ah'm with ya, Scoots!" said a young girl with yellow skin, orange eyes, red hair, and a pink bow. She also wore a green shirt and blue jeans, along with a pair of yellow boots. "If Fluttershy's gonna beat that Gilda jerk, she needs t' know that we're behind her all the way!"

"I agree, Apple Bloom!" said the voice of a girl equal in age to both the pink bow-wearing girl and Scootaloo. She had white skin, green eyes, and pink and purple hair done up in swirls. She wore a pink and white-striped top and a long, yellow skirt, with a hot pink coat worn over top. She also had on a pair of long, pink boots. The girl stood up and shouted, "You can do it, Fluttershy!! You'll beat that meanie or my name's not Sweetie Belle!!" Pausing for a moment, she then asked her friends, "Wait... if she doesn't win this, does that mean I'll have to change my name?" That comment elicted a groan out of both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

After Rainbow's speech, and after the comments given by the three young girls, the other students finally realized that they had to support Fluttershy and help her feel like that she could win, despite the apparent odds. "Go get 'er, Fluttershy!" shouted one of the boys, who just so happened to be Flash Sentry.

"You've got this one in the bag!" shouted the voice of Lyra Heartstrings next.

"Same here!" added Bon Bon.

"I don't usually support anything even remotely violent..." added a hazy, female voice, coming from a green-skinned girl with braided, orange hair, "but I'm, like, totally with everyone else here... So I'm gonna, like, send every last one of my good vibes your way..."

Before long, Fluttershy began to finally hear cheers coming from her fellow students. Now they were finally supporting her in her tough battle instead of making her feel nervous. For the first time since the Duel began, the now-no-longer-timid teenager smiled warmly and said, "Thank you... Thank you everyone..." No longer feeling scared, she then gave her opponent a glare and told her, "I'm sorry, Gilda... but you're not going to win this Duel!"

"You've gotta be kidding me..." huffed the girl from Griffonstone. "A buncha your wimpy classmates become your cheering squad and suddenly you feel like Wonder Woman? Pathetic."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Gilda." the pink and yellow girl told her. "But I suppose you probably wouldn't understand; after all, I'll bet no one's ever wanted to cheer for you when you Duel, right?"

The rude girl grumbled and said, "Just make your stupid move already... I'm getting impatient."

"Very well then..." Fluttershy then prepared to draw her card. Before she did, she closed her eyes, and did her best to "feel" the positive attitudes of everyone from her school, wishing her the best of luck. Opening her eyes, she then shouted, "I draw!!" Taking her new card and looking at it, she was pleased by what she had gotten. Placing the new card in her hand for the moment, she then said, "First, I summon Naturia Stinkbug in Attack Mode!"

The animal lover's next monster was a large, green beetle. It had small roses at the end of each of its antennae, and its folded wings appeared to actually be leaves (Naturia Stinkbug: Level 3 / ATK 200 / DEF 500).

"You kept me waiting this long just t' bring out THAT wimpy little bug?!" yelled Gilda. "Are you trying to be as pathetic as possible in front of everyone here??"

But Fluttershy kept her confidence and ignored Gilda's rude remark. Taking the card she had just drawn, she then announced, "I now play this Quick-Play Spell Card from my hand! I activate Naturia Soothing Aroma!!"

"What??" asked the Griffonstone Duelist. "What's that card do??"

"Well, since I control a face-up Naturia monster on my field," the pink and yellow girl explained, "I can make the attack power of all of your monsters become their original attack power once more."

"Say what?!" asked Gilda.

"That means that your dragon's attack power returns to what it was when you Summoned it!" Fluttershy then told her.

Her Spell Card then gave out a sweet-smelling aroma that was enjoyed by everyone around them. The audiences from both schools, the three principals, and Fluttershy's friends all happily smelled the wondrous odor that surrounded them. "Oh my..." said Rarity with a pleased sigh. "What a WONDERFUL smell..."

"Ah have t' admit..." added Applejack, "it's quite intoxicatin'..."

"I could just sit here and smell it all day..." Sunset Shimmer chimed in.

Gilda grumbled as she looked at her Xyz Monster. Upon smelling the aroma, its urge to fight began slowly ebbing away (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 3600 > 2500). Scowling, she then told her foe, "You think a little stink cloud like that'll stop me?!"

"It will be a start." answered the animal lover. She then told her opponent, "After my Spell Card is finished, its other effect lets me draw one card for every monster that was affected by it..." She then drew one card from her Deck and placed it into her hand. "And with that, I end my turn."

"My turn then! I draw!!" Gilda then drew her next card and thought, (Even though her dumb Spell Card weakened my monster, it's still powerful enough to destroy her Stinkbug and take her Life Points down to zero...) But when the rude girl looked at her foe, she saw that she still had that newly-gained look of pure confidence on her face. (But wait... she should know that too... So why isn't she scared right now??) For probably the first time in her dueling career, Gilda was beginning to second-guess herself, and wasn't sure about what to do.

"Woah... check out Gilda, everypo- er, everybody..." Sunset said, pointing to the person in question. "She seems to be having a hard time making up her mind."

"That's 'cause Fluttershy is givin' her a real mighty stare." Applejack informed the otherworldly girl. "She's keepin' a confident look on her face to make her opponent feel like she's up t' somethin'."

"Heheheh, never thought I'd see the day that Gilda would actually BE intimidated by anyone." Rainbow said with a chuckle.

Gilda then began to worry that everyone was going to think she was actually scared of her opponent. Shaking her head, she then blurted out, "Dark Rebellion!! Attack her Naturia Stinkbug!!!" The rude girl's powerful dragon then flew in to attack once more.

"Gilda!! Don't do it!!" shouted Principal Gruff, instinctively trying to warn her. But it was too late to take it back now.

"I knew you would do that, Gilda..." Fluttershy then said to her. She then declared, "I activate Naturia Stinkbug's effect!!" At that moment, the green beetle on her field turned its back to Gilda's dragon, and let out a cloud of the worst-smelling odor that anyone ever experienced. And unfortunately, EVERYONE got a whiff of it.

"Ewwwww!! That's disgusting!!!" complained Diamond Tiara, coughing a little from the smell.

"I can hardly breathe...!" gagged the silver-colored girl sitting next to her, sticking out her tongue.

"Oh man...!!" complained Rainbow Dash. "That was NASTY, Fluttershy!!"

"What a horrid odor!!" added Rarity, holding her nose. "Just what kind of smell is that?!"

"I'll tell ya what it isn't:" Pinkie replied. "It's certainly not fresh-cut spring flowers spewed across a babbling brook with a hint of lemon..." She then looked ahead and added, "And yes, everyone... the whole point of this scene was to make a reference to Ed, Edd, n' Eddy." Of course, none of her friends knew what she was talking about.

Once the smell was finally gone, Gilda then asked, "What was THAT for?! Did you just cut one in front of my monster?!"

"I'm really sorry, everyone..." Fluttershy apologized, "but I had to do that in order to use Naturia Stinkbug's effect. Since you attacked one of my Naturia monsters, in this case, the Stinkbug itself, I can send it to the Graveyard. Then, not only does it negate your attack, but it also ends your Battle Phase automatically."

"Hmph... so you bought yourself another turn, so what?" the Griffonstone girl said in an uncaring tone. "You're just delaying your defeat, that's all." Taking the card that she had just drawn out of her hand, she then told her enemy, "And just to make certain that you WON'T beat me, I'll play this Spell Card from my hand! Poison of Lost Souls!!"

"P-Poison of Lost Souls?!" Fluttershy said in surprise.

"I take it that you know what it does?" asked Gilda. "All I have to do is banish any number of DARK monsters out of my Graveyard, and for each one that I get rid of, I can hit you for 200 points of damage!"

"Hey!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Don't forget, that card also damages you, too!"

But Gilda huffed and told her former friend, "As if I really care about that!" She then took out some cards from her Graveyard slot and said, "I'll just banish all four of the monsters in my Graveyard, and then we'll both take 800 points of damage!"

Fluttershy gasped as a dark purple portal appeared in the center of the field. Out from the portal came a black mist that flowed towards both her and the Griffonstone Duelist, inflicting damage on them (Gilda: LP 3,000 - 800 = 2,200) (Fluttershy: LP 1,000 - 800 = 200).

"That jerk..." grumbled Rainbow. "That was such a cheap shot!"

"If Fluttershy doesn't do somethin' on her next turn, she's done for!" Applejack noted.

"All the more reason that we need to cheer her on and bring her to victory!" Pinkie Pie told them all. "Because that TOTALLY makes all the difference!"

"I agree wholeheartedly!" said Sunset.

"Same for me!" added Rarity. She then shouted, "You can still win this, Fluttershy! With all of us behind you, there's no way that you can lose!!" The rest of their classmates gave cheers of their own as well.

Fluttershy nodded, still feeling strong despite what she was up against. She then faced her opponent and said, "Do you hear that, Gilda? With my friends and my school backing me up, I have no more reason to be afraid of you!"

"Oh, can it already..." Gilda told her. "You're gonna make me throw up... Just make your move and lose already!"

"I'll make my move..." the pink and yellow girl began, "but I won't be losing! I have too many people depending on me to just let you walk all over me! Maybe you would understand that if you had friends of your own, Gilda..."

"...Touché." the Griffonstone Duelist replied. Even she had to admit that her opponent had a point there.

"It's my turn now... I draw!!" said Fluttershy as she swiftly pulled her next card. Once she got a good look at it, she let out a surprised gasp. "N-Naturia Pumpkin...! I remember this card...!" she said to herself. She then thought, (Sunset told me about a really good combo that I can use with this card... One that will allow me to Summon a even more powerful monster... But which one should I bring out...?) After looking over at her friends on the sidelines, particularly Rainbow Dash, the decision wasn't hard for her. "I'll do it..." she said to herself. "I have to do what Rainbow Dash told me; I have to trust my instinct... and take any chance that I have to win this Duel...!"

Placing her newly-drawn card onto her Duel Pad, Fluttershy shouted, "I Summon Naturia Pumpkin to the field in Attack Mode!!" The new monster was a sleepy little green pumpkin holding a small, yellow flower (Naturia Pumpkin: Level 4 / ATK 1400 / DEF 800).

"Pffft... that thing's nothin'." Gilda told her. "My dragon'll chew that thing up and spit it out!"

"I don't think so!" the pink and yellow girl rebutted. "Because I'm activating my monster's special ability! It allows me to Special Summon any Naturia monster from my hand if you control at least one monster! And I choose to Summon the Tuner Monster, Naturia Rosewhip!" She then placed the card horizontally on her card tray, causing a flowering plant to grow in front of her. Once it was fully-grown, it then formed a rose flower on its head, sported a pair of red eyes, and brandished a pair of thorny whips, all the while giving out a toothy grin (Naturia Rosewhip: Level 3 / ATK 400 / DEF 1700).

"A-another Tuner Monster?!?" asked the brown-skinned teenager.

"She's gonna Synchro Summon again!" said Applejack. "But what's she gonna bring out this time?"

Rainbow then looked at the Levels of Fluttershy's two monsters closely... and then let out a gasp, followed by a chuckle. Sunset, noticing this, asked her athletic friend, "What are you laughing at...?"

Rainbow chuckled a little more and answered, saying, "I think I know what she's planning to do..."

But Gilda didn't have any idea what her opponent was planning. "What could you possibly be tryin' to do NOW?!" she asked in a frantic tone. "You don't got anything left to fight me with!!"

"I have plenty left, Gilda." Fluttershy told her sternly. "Thanks to the help and support that my friends have given me, I have everything I need to defeat you and make my school proud!" Raising her hand into the air, she shouted, "I tune Naturia Rosewhip, Level 3, to Naturia Pumpkin, Level 4!!"

Everyone watched in anticipation as Rosewhip lashed out its namesake weapons and began to glow brightly. It then transformed itself into three small lights that flew into the air and came back down as a trio of green rings. The rings surrounded Naturia Pumpkin, causing it glow as well (Level 3 + Level 4 = Level 7).

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings and strike down your enemies at the speed of light!" chanted the animal lover with pure confidence in her voice. "Synchro Summon!" And after she said that, her Pumpkin turned itself into four small lights that were soon engulfed in a tower of bright, blinding light. "Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The pillar of light soon faded away, and out of it came a ferocious dragon. Its body was mostly colored blue, white, and black, and it had large, clear blue wings growing out of its back that almost looked mechanical in appearance. Its large hands each had six, long claws growing out of it, and its long, striped tail had a large spike at the end of it. Its bright eyes let out a shimmering yellow color as it roared into the heavens above (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

Needless to say, everyone was shocked by Fluttershy's new Synchro Monster; out of all of the cards they expected to see in her Deck, that was the LAST one they thought that they would see. "Th-that's NUTS!!" said one of the male CHS students. "Where'd Fluttershy get a card THAT rare from?!?"

"Trixie has never seen such a mighty dragon before!" said the blue-skinned girl. She then grumbled and added, "Some people just have ALL the luck..." After saying that, she gave a passing glance towards Sunset, still grumbling a little.

Even the principals seemed to be astonished by the appearance of the extremely rare and powerful monster. "Wh-wh-what is that thing...?!" asked Principal Gruff, almost at a loss for words.

"Sister..." Luna began to ask Celestia, "did... you know that Ms. Fluttershy had that rare card? More importantly, where did it come from??"

The light pink woman thought about it for a while, trying to figure that out. A thought then came to her as she glanced over at Fluttershy's friends, praising her for her awesome move. She then smiled and thought, (I think I might know how Fluttershy obtained that dragon...) She then silently thanked Rainbow Dash and the others for giving their friend the help and support that she needed.

Gilda was dumbstruck by what had just happened. "...You... You've gotta be kidding me...!" she stuttered, still not believing what she was seeing. "How'd this loser get such a rare card?? I've never even seen it before, much less know what it does!" She then growled and added, "That chump totally lucked out!"

Fluttershy, who was anything BUT shy right now, stared straight at her opponent and told her, "Since my Clear Wing's attack power is the same as your monster's, I won't attack just yet. So I'll end my turn."

"Pfft... and here I thought you'd stopped bein' a complete wimp. So much for that." the Griffonstone girl told her mockingly. Even so, she knew that she had to try and get rid of the Synchro Monster. But she still had no idea what it was capable of doing, and Gilda was getting more worried just thinking about it. "I-it's my turn! I draw!!" When she pulled her next card, she let a out a gasp and began to chuckle loudly. "Ha! Perfect!! Just what I needed to end this once and for all!"

Fluttershy braced herself for anything that Gilda had planned, but she kept her brave attitude.

"From my hand," the brown-skinned girl began, "I play two copies of Overlay Regen!!"

"Uh oh..." noted Sunset, getting a little worried. "After that Spell Card is played, it then becomes an Overlay Unit for one of Gilda's Xyz Monsters. But since she's playing two of them..."

"It means that her monster gets back BOTH of its Overlay Units at once!" Applejack said, finishing her friend's comment. "And that's all that it needs t' use its special ability again!"

"Does that mean that Fluttershy is in trouble right now?" asked Rarity.

"Not a chance." Rainbow Dash told them all. "She'll be just fine!"

Pinkie then gasped a little and said, "Hold on! I almost forgot! That card used to be yours, right Dashie?" The cyan teen nodded yes in response.

"Are you saying that Fluttershy has a way of getting out of this after all?" Rarity inquired next.

"You got it, Rarity." Rainbow responded. Pointing towards the soccer field, she then told them, "Just keep an eye on the field and don't blink."

Gilda then told her foe, "Now that my monster has both of its Overlay Units again, I'll wipe out that dragon of yours before you can do anything with it!" (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OLU 0 + 2 = 2) Pointing ahead, she then shouted, "I activate Dark Rebellion's effect once more! I target Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and steal half its attack points!!" Immediately after that, the giant, dark-colored dragon absorbed its Overlay Units (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OLU 2 - 2 = 0), and fired many bolts of lightning at Fluttershy's new monster.

"Fluttershy!! Watch out!!" shouted Scootaloo from the audience.

But the animal-loving teenager told her opponent, "I'm afraid that won't work a second time, Gilda!"

"Say what??" asked the Griffonstone girl, taken completely off-guard.

"I activate the effect of Clear Wing!!" shouted Fluttershy as she raised her hand into the air. In an instant, her Synchro Monster then let out a roar as its wings began to glow bright green, creating a circuit-board like pattern upon them. It then put up a powerful shield of green-colored energy around itself. When Dark Rebellion's energy bolts struck it, the shield deflected them all, and prevented them from causing any damage.

"What the crud just happened?!" asked Gilda, shocked. "Why didn't his effect work?!?"

"I'll explain..." Fluttershy began. "Clear Wing's special ability activates when you target a Level 5 or higher monster on the field with another monster's special ability. And since you targeted Clear Wing itself, who is Level 7, then not only does it negate your monster's effect, but it can also destroy your dragon and take its attack points for one turn!"

"WHAT?!? NO!!!!!" screamed Gilda upon hearing that.

After all of the purple lightning bots were dealt with, Clear Wing deactivated its shield and prepared for its next move. "Now, Clear Wing! Destroy Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" ordered Fluttershy. The massive creature roared as it fired large green rays at Gilda's monster, exterminating the menace once and for all (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: ATK 2500 + 2500 = 5000).

Everyone gasped when they saw that Gilda's so-called un-defeatable monster... was defeated. "What... just happened...?" asked one of the female Griffonstone students, completely flabbergasted.

The three principals were also shocked by what they saw, especially Mr. Gruff. Still in a state of shock, he thought to himself, (That... can't be... No one has ever been able to defeat her Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon before...! Who IS this young lady...??)

Of course, the one that was most shocked by what happened was Gilda herself. For the first time since she showed up to the competition, her attitude had completely changed: No rude comments, no snide smirk on her face; she just stood there in total disbelief, eyes wide with a blank stare, and her mouth not making any sounds whatsoever.

Fluttershy, a bit surprised by Gilda's actions (or rather, inaction), asked her, "Um... Gilda? Are you okay...?"

The once-rude girl let out a long, sad-sounding sigh. She then looked up towards Fluttershy and told her, "...I've got nothing left... So just finish me off and get it overwith..."

For the first time, the pink and yellow girl actually began to feel sorry for her opponent, even though Gilda had given her such a hard time. Still, she knew that she had one more thing to do before the Duel would be over. "It's my turn... I draw." Fluttershy drew her next card and shouted, "Now! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!! Attack Gilda directly!! Whirlwind Dive Slasher!!!"

Fluttershy's dragon then roared as its wings began to glow again. It then took flight, sheathed itself in a mass of green energy, and hurled itself like a meteor straight towards Gilda. The Griffonstone girl stood her ground, not flinching even once as she took the hit. And with that, the Duel was over (Gilda: LP 2,200 - 2,500 = 0) (WINNER: Fluttershy).

"The Inter-school Duel is now over!" announced Principal Celestia. "Fluttershy is the winner!"

The entire audience was shocked by the end result of the Duel. Canterlot's students were surprised, but excited that Fluttershy had won the Duel. Griffonstone, however, couldn't believe that their best Duelist had actually lost.

"Way to go, Fluttershy!!" creed Rainbow Dash. "You won!!"

"I knew you'd do it, Fluttershy!!" Pinkie screamed enthusiastically. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!!"

"That was an incredible victory, darling!" Rarity chimed in.

"It may've looked bad every now n' then, but you managed to pull through in the end!" Applejack then told her. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you... thank you everyone..." said the pink and yellow girl, smiling and wiping a happy tear from her eye. "I couldn't have done it without all of your support... So again, thank you very much...!"

"You're welcome, Fluttershy." Sunset told her with a smile of her own. "That's what friends do for each other."

Back on the other side of the soccer field, Gilda still couldn't believe that she had actually lost the Duel. "I... I don't get it..." she muttered to herself. "I didn't do anything different than before...! I dueled just like I always did in the past... And yet... I lost... Why??" The girl then looked ahead and saw Fluttershy's friends congratulating her on her victory. But instead of getting angry about her loss, she actually began to ponder about the scene in front of her. "No one's ever cheered that much for me whenever I won a Duel..." she noted to herself. "At least... not lately..." Thinking about it some more, she then sighed and told herself, "Now I get it... Now I can see how she won..."

The Griffonstone girl then walked over towards her opponent and her friends, which caused them to stop their cheers once they saw her coming. "What do YOU want?" asked Rarity, a bit miffed.

"...I... I just wanna talk." Gilda answered. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Kinda, seein' as how nothin' you've said so far to us or to Fluttershy here has been real nice." Applejack told her with a stern voice. "Maybe y'all are just better off turnin' around and-"

"Applejack, no..." Fluttershy interrupted. "Let her speak."

"Fluttershy? What're ya sayin'?" asked the orange-skinned girl, surprised.

"If she wants to say something to us, she can." the pink and yellow girl replied. "Just because she's been rude to us, that doesn't give us the right to be rude back to her." Applejack sighed, knowing that her friend had a point. Fluttershy then said to Gilda, "Okay... go ahead. Just tell us whatever is on your mind."

The Griffonstone girl paused for a moment, letting out a deep sigh. "...Look... Fluttershy...?" she began, feeling a bit uneasy. "This... this isn't real easy for me t' say this, but... well..." Sighing again, she then finally told her, "I... I'm... sorry..."

The others were surprised when they actually heard the once extremely rude girl actually apologize.

"I'm sorry... about what I said to ya..." Gilda told them. "If it makes ya feel any better, I really didn't mean any of it... I was just frustrated and stuff, and I was just taking it out on you..."

"Being frustrated is one thing." Rarity told her. "Being mean to someone is another."

"I know that..." the brown-skinned girl told her. She then told them, "But... the reason that I was frustrated was because... well, I was kinda jealous of all the support she had during the Duel... No one's ever given me that kind of praise in the past." She then looked over at Rainbow Dash as she continued to speak. "After Dash and I ended things between us... things... hadn't gone so well for me since then..."

"Whad'ya mean?" asked the athletic teen, curious to know what was on her former friend's mind.

"Back before we stopped bein' friends," Gilda continued, "I became so tough, that I thought that that's all I needed to excel in the world... That I didn't need anyone's help to make it out there... So I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that, by bullying them and forcing them to do anything that I wanted them to do. But then I lost you as a friend, Dash..." Sniffling a little, she then told them, "After that... I had virtually nothing left..."

The six girls listened to the Griffonstone student's story carefully. As she spoke to them, they were actually beginning to feel sorry for her, due to her past troubles.

"Dash... when you stuck your neck out for the guy I was roughing up, I felt like you betrayed me by looking out for someone weaker than we were..." Gilda told her ex-friend. "But now I realize that I was the one doing the betraying; both to you and myself. I thought that in order to be powerful, you had crush everyone that stood in your way and force them into respecting you..." Turning over to Fluttershy, she then said to her, "But you're different, Fluttershy..."

"I-I am?" the shy girl asked.

"You're a very strong person, but you didn't use it as an excuse to be cruel to other people... Not like me. And because of that, you got all these friends to support you..." the Griffonstone girl explained. "What I'm saying is that... well, the better person won today. And now I realize that you can be strong and kind at the same time... So again, for what it's worth... I'm sorry..."

Fluttershy thought about Gilda's words for a while. In the end, her kind and forgiving personality could not allow her to be mad at her. Giving her opponent a comforting hug, she then told her, "Apology accepted..." The Griffonstone girl then returned the hug, a tear welling up in her right eye as she did. Fluttershy's friends then agreed that this outcome was probably the best one, and they finally decided to forgive Gilda for her actions as well.

Gilda then looked over at Rainbow Dash and asked her in an uneasy tone, "Say, uh... Dash? I was wonderin'... Do ya think that... well... that we could, y'know... start over...?"

The smile on the cyan girl's face told everyone all that they needed to know. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Gilda." she told her, giving her a comforting hug as well. "To be honest, I was kinda hoping that we could make up and be friends again."

"Same here." the Griffonstone girl told her. "And I promise that I'll be a much better friend this time." Dash and the others smiled, knowing that Gilda was going to change for the better.

Just then, the seven of them heard sounds of someone blubbering behind them. They turned around to see none other than Principal Gruff making those crying sounds, "Oh, Gilda...! That was real beautiful of ya! I've been waitin' a long time to hear ya say all of that!"

Gilda rubbed the back of her head and told him, "Yeah, I can bet that ya have been..." She then apologized to him, saying, "Sorry that it took this long for me to figure that out, Grandpa."

The other six girls gasped when they heard her say that. "Wait a sec," began Applejack, "Griffonstone's Principal is your grandfather?!?"

"Yep." answered the Griffonstone Duelist. "He had to take over when the last principal was forced to retire. In fact, Grandpa here was the guy who taught me how to play Duel Monsters."

"Really? Your grandpa taught you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It's not really that unusual, Dashie." Pinkie Pie told her. "Grandpas teaching their grandchildren how to play card games is a lot more common than you might think. In fact, I think it's kind of a tradition, actually."

At that moment, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna walked over to the group to say some things of their own. "Ms. Fluttershy, on behalf of all of us here at Canterlot High School," said Celestia, "my sister and I wish to congratulate you for your amazing victory!"

"Thank you, Principal Celestia." Fluttershy replied with a slight bow. "And thank you both for choosing me to represent the school."

"You're very welcome." Luna replied. She then said to her, "I'm sorry if this experience was frightening or stressful for you..."

"I have to admit... this was probably the scariest thing that I've ever had to be a part of..." the shy girl admitted. She then turned over to her friends and added, "But with the help and support of all of my friends here, I was able to find the courage I needed to go through with it." She then pulled out her Clear Wing Synchro Dragon card, smiling as she stared at it. She then said to the Griffonstone Duelist, "Gilda... thank you for being my opponent. It was an honor to Duel someone as strong as you..."

"Same here, Fluttershy." Gilda told her, shaking her opponent's hand. "You're a tough chick, and I respect ya for it." She then smirked and told her, "But just 'cause we're friends now doesn't mean that I'm gonna forget this loss. I can guarantee that we'll duel each other again someday, and by then, I'll be even tougher than before!"

Fluttershy smiled and told her, "I'd be more than happy to duel you again. And I promise that I'll be stronger, too." The two of them shared a friendly laugh as they cemented their new-found friendship/rivalry.

"Well, Ah'm glad t' see that everythin' all worked out in the end." stated Applejack.

"Yeah, with all of us being friends after everything's all said and done." Sunset chimed in. "I don't think we could've asked for a better outcome than this."

"I most certainly agree, Sunset." Rarity told her.

Gilda's eyes widened a little bit upon hearing the otherworldly girl's name being mentioned. "Wait, hang on: You're Sunset Shimmer?" she then asked her.

"Um... yeah, why?"

"Well, word around Griffonstone is that YOU'RE actually the best Duelist in Canterlot High." Gilda told her.

"Well, I do my best, I suppose." Sunset told her, trying to remain modest. She then asked, "Why did you want to know?"

"I was hoping to, well... ask for your help with something; though if we didn't make up and become friends after all this, I kinda doubt that you would've helped me. If I had I known you were Sunset, I probably would've been a LOT more polite to you and your friends..." the brown-skinned girl told her.

"Eh, don't worry about it. That's all behind us now, so let's just forget it and move on." the red and yellow girl then asked, "What do you need my help with?"

Gilda answered her, saying, "Well, you see... there's some weird stuff going on in Griffonstone; stuff that's even got ME creeped out by it."

"What kind of stuff, exactly?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"I don't have enough time to tell you all now..." Gilda told them as she looked over at her fellow students, who were all getting ready to leave. "Listen," she then began to inform them, "meet me over at Griffonstone's front entrance tomorrow at noon, and I'll tell ya everything about it. Until then, see ya..." And with that, the no-longer-rude girl left to join the rest of her classmates on the trip back to their own school.

Sunset and her friends were still puzzled by what Gilda had said before leaving. "What do you suppose she was talking about?" asked Rarity.

"Dunno..." Rainbow answered her. "But it sounds pretty serious if she's asking somebody for help; she almost NEVER does that."

Sunset still wasn't sure what Gilda wanted her help with, but she suddenly began to get an unsettling sense of déjà vu. She then clutched onto her key necklace, already having a feeling that things were going to get even more crazy and perilous for her and her friends...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 7: Crime and Punishment:

Author's Note

This episode, which directly follows Rank 6, features Martin, an original character that was made just for the series. We also get to see a bit more of Gilda's Raidraptor Deck, which features another very popular Xyz Monster. What is it? ...You'll just have to read on to find out. :raritywink:

RANK 7: Crime and Punishment:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Just recently, Canterlot High School held its annual Inter-school Duel competition with one of its rival schools, Griffonstone High School. Both schools would select their best Duelists to participate in the contest, and the winning Duelist's school would obtain the coveted Inter-school Duel Trophy. Canterlot's principals, Celestia and Luna, surprised everyone when they picked Fluttershy to represent the school for the big event. Though nervous at first, she was able to go through with it, thanks to the support of her friends.

Of course, the competition wasn't going to be easy for the young animal lover, as her opponent in the Duel was a Griffonstone student named Gilda, notorious for showing no mercy to her foes, as well as having a bad attitude. However, even though Gilda proved to be a fierce opponent, Fluttershy was able to find her courage, and summoned her Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, which she had gotten from Rainbow Dash prior to the event, defeating the roughneck once and for all. After her defeat, Gilda apologized for her actions towards Fluttershy and her friends. In the end, they decided to forgive her, and they were all able to become friends in the end.

However, after everything was said and done, Gilda mentioned to Sunset Shimmer that something weird was going on in Griffonstone, and that she wanted her help to get to the bottom of it all. What the problem was exactly was anyone's guess, but the otherworldly girl knew in her heart that things were about to get even more perilous for her and the others...

It was certainly a day of celebration for Sunset Shimmer and her best friends. With Pinkie Pie's help, everyone put together a congratulatory party for Fluttershy after her impressive victory in the Inter-school Duel. The party took place in Sunset's apartment, and many were invited. Besides Sunset and her friends, Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna, the landlord, Manny Roar, and Flash Sentry were all there to enjoy themselves and to give Fluttershy their congratulations.

"Great job, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash cheered for her. "You were awesome out there!"

"Thank you, Rainbow..." replied Fluttershy, who was still wearing the cool-looking outfit that Rarity had made for her before the big Duel. She then said, "It was really scary, but I'm glad that I decided to go through with it... I feel a lot stronger inside now than I've ever felt!"

"Well, we wouldn't have picked you to represent the school if we didn't think you could do it." Celestia informed her. "I knew the whole time that you would make us all proud, no matter the result."

"Thank you for saying that, Principal Celestia..." the shy girl replied. She then said to her friends, "And thanks again to all of you, for giving me all of your support."

"It was our pleasure, Fluttershy." Sunset told her with a smile, taking a small sip of soda from a glass that she was holding. "And we'd do it all over again in a heartbeat."

Fluttershy giggled a little in response, happy to hear that. She then took a deep sigh and said in a tired tone of voice, "Oh dear..."

"Fluttershy, darling," Rarity began to ask, "are you all right?"

"Just... a little exhausted... That's all..." the pink and yellow girl answered. She then asked, "Um, Sunset...? Would you mind if I... well, if it's alright with you... um..." The timid teen then meekly pointed towards the red and yellow girl's bathroom.

Knowing what her friend was asking of her, Sunset Shimmer nodded and said, "Sure. You can use the hot tub if you want to. After everything you've been through today, some relaxation could do you some good."

"Oh thank you..." Flutterhy replied with a slight bow. "Now... if you don't mind... I'd like some privacy please..." She then slowly walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, locking it so that no one could come in.

After Fluttershy made her comment, Rainbow Dash then glanced over at Flash Sentry, who was eating some cake that Pinkie had gotten from Sugarcube Corner. Noticing the cyan girl staring at him, he then asked, "What's that look for...?"

"Just wanting to make sure that EVERYBODY respects Fluttershy's request, if you know what I mean..." she told him.

Flash sighed and told her, "Look, you know me too well to think that I'd do anything like that... And besides that, I'm not really interested in Fluttershy that way, anyway. I mean she's nice and all, but she's not my type."

"I know. I was just teasin' ya a little bit." Rainbow said to him with a chuckle. "Besides, we ALL know what type you're into..."

Pinkie Pie then popped out of nowhere and asked, in a very rapid tone, "You mean human teenage girls that aren't really human teenage girls but in reality are magical pony princesses that can talk and fly and use magic and come from another world?!"

"Uh... yeah, let's go with that." the athletic teen responded to her silly friend.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Ah'll get it." Applejack said, walking over to the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see who was standing there. "Gilda??"

Sure enough, the girl from Griffonstone High School, the one who was Fluttershy's opponent in the Inter-school Duel, was standing in front of the entrance to the apartment. "Um... Hey there." Gilda responded. "Am I too late for the party?"

Rainbow Dash walked in front of Applejack and told the brown-skinned teen, "Nah, we just got started. Come on in!" The Griffonstone girl smiled a little and nodded before walking into the room.

"Um, Rainbow dear..." Rarity began to ask, "Why is Gilda here?"

"Now guys, be nice." the athletic teen told her and the others. "Pinkie and I invited Gilda here so that she could enjoy the party with us and have a good time, ain't that right, Pinks?"

The party-loving teen nodded vigorously and told her, "You know what they say: The more, the merrier!"

"You can say that again." Rainbow replied.

"Well, I might not want to." Pinkie rebutted. "I'm afraid that if I say that phrase too many times, it'll get really super-annoying, and end up becoming a shadow of its former self."

"Um, I... guess that makes sense." Sunset spoke up with a chuckle. She then said to Gilda, "Anyway, we'd love to have you here with us. And by the time this party's done, you'll see that being friends with us has its fringe benefits."

The congratulatory party continued on, with everyone in the living room having all sorts of fun in various different ways. Sunset and Pinkie Pie supplied all of the party guests with tasty snacks and drinks from the bar counter in the living room, ensuring that no one stayed hungry the whole time. The games they played included a video racing game (which Rainbow Dash practically dominated in), Pictionary (in which Rarity did well, since she had lots of artistic experience), and of course, Duel Monsters.

Celestia and Luna watched as the young teens competed in friendly Duels against each other, pulling off all sorts of stellar moves and strategies. Even Manny Roar decided to get in on the action as well, and he competed in a Duel against Rarity. He used his Vylon Deck while the fashionista stuck with her favorite Gem-Knight Deck. The landlord had his Vylon Soldier on the field (Vylon Soldier: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000) up against Rarity's mighty Gem-Knight Ruby (Gem-Knight Ruby: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1300). The fashionista had one face-down card on her field as well. Their Life Points were very close (Manny Roar: LP 1,200) (Rarity: LP 1,400), and it was Manny's turn.

"It's my turn! I draw!" The landlord pulled his next card and played it immediately. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Vylon Prism!!" His monster was shaped like a glass prism with long, mechanical-looking arms, and wore bright white and gold armor all over itself (Vylon Prism: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1500).

"Here comes one of Manny's Synchro Monsters..." Luna told her older sister.

"I tune both of my Level 4 monsters; Vylon Prism and Vylon Soldier!!" shouted the landlord as his Tuner Monster gave off a blinding flash of light, transforming itself into four lights that, in turn, became four green rings that surrounded his other monster (Level 4 + Level 4 = Level 8). Manny then chanted, "Great soldier of Heaven! Charge into battle with your holy weapons and declare war upon the unworthy! Synchro Summon!" After he said that, his other monster transformed into four more lights within the rings. "Descend now! Level 8! Vylon Epsilon!!"

Manny then called up an incredibly powerful monster to his field; It was L-shaped in appearance, with two long arms and two large wings coming out of its body. On its shoulders were decorative rings that were shaped like the Greek letter Epsilon (Vylon Epsilon: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 1200).

"Oh wow... what a beautiful creature!" complimented Rarity. "You don't often see ones like that in this game."

"Oh, it's more than just a pretty face, little miss." Manny told her. Playing his next card, he then said, "I'll arm Epsilon with the Equip Spell Card, Vylon Filament!" After his monster gained a pair of electrically-charged guns upon its arms, he then said, "However, I'll send my Equip Card to the Graveyard to activate Epsilon's effect! It allows me to destroy any monster on your field! And I select your Gem-Knight Ruby!" After ditching the Spell Card, Manny's Synchro Monster then charged up a ball of energy in its hands, which it then threw at Rarity's Fusion Monster.

"Not so fast!" shouted the violet-haired girl. "I activate De-Fusion!!" After she flipped her Quick-Play Spell Card face-up, Ruby then transformed into light energy that split into a pair of human-like creatures; one clad in red armor (Gem-Knight Garnet: Level 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 0), and one in yellow armor (Gem-Knight Tourmaline: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1800). After that happened, the energy blast whizzed right between the two monsters, missing them completely.

"Aw, crud..." groaned Manny Roar.

"Unfortunately for you," Rarity began to tell her opponent, "De-Fusion allows me to send my Fusion Monster back to my Extra Deck. Then, I can Summon the two monsters that I fused together to create it. As a result, because your monster lost the target of its effect, it has been completely nullified!"

"Smart play there, young lady..." Manny told her with a smile. "But since I sent my Vylon Filament to the Graveyard from the field, I can take Vylon Material from my Deck to replace it!" After taking his card, he then shouted, "Now Vylon Epsilon! Attack Gem-Knight Garnet!!" Manny's Synchro Monster then shot a pair of lasers from its eyes, exterminating the red-armored man in one shot. Luckily, Rarity had the right mind to put her monsters in Defense Mode. "You're lucky that I used up both of my Vylon Component cards," the man told her, "or I would've won after that attack... So I'll just play my Vylon Material on Epsilon and end my turn." (Vylon Epsilon: ATK 2800 + 600 = 3400).

"Very well, then... I draw!" Rarity then pulled her next card and smiled. "Not bad at all..." She then played the other card that was in her hand and declared, "I Summon Gem-Knight Emerald!!" After she played her monster, a man in sparkling, green armor appeared in front of her (Gem-Knight Emerald: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 800). "Next," she continued, "I activate Particle Fusion, and fuse both Tourmaline and Emerald!"

Everyone watched as Rarity's two monsters turned into pure energy and merged with each other in order to create a more powerful entity. "Ah wonder which monster Rarity's goin' for this time..." pondered Applejack.

Rarity then began to chant, "Gem tinged with lightning! Brilliant emerald of good fortune! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new, dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear! The one who pursues victory, Gem-Knight Topaz!!" After she was finished, a large man wearing yellow-orange armor and wielding a pair of bizarrely-shaped axes took his place in front of his controller (Gem-Knight Topaz: Level 6 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1800).

"Impressive..." complimented the landlord, "but my Synchro Monster has higher attack points."

"Not for long..." Rarity told him with a smile. "Since I used Particle Fusion to Summon Topaz, I can activate my Spell Card's second effect! By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can then have my Fusion Monster absorb the attack points of one of the two monsters that I used as his Fusion Materials!"

"Huh??" gasped Manny Roar.

"I choose to add Emerald's attack points to Topaz for one turn!" the fashionista declared as she removed the Spell card from her Graveyard, causing a bright green energy to flow into her Fusion Monster (Gem-Knight Topaz: ATK 1800 + 1800 = 3600). "Also," she continued, "Whenever Topaz destroys a monster in battle, I can then inflict damage to you equal to your destroyed monster's attack power!"

"Oh no!!" shouted the landlord, realizing that he was in trouble now.

"Now, Gem-Knight Topaz!! Destroy Vylon Epsilon!!" Rarity ordered her monster. Topaz then slashed its axes across Manny's monster, slicing it into pieces and eliminating it, as well as damaging the landlord's Life Points slightly (Manny Roar: LP 1,200 - 200 = 1,000). However, the pieces of his Synchro Monster then exploded in a flash of yellow light that finished him off for good (Manny Roar: LP 1,000 - 3,400 = 0) (WINNER: Rarity).

"Alright! Way to go, Rarity!" cheered Sunset. "You won!!"

"Great job as well, Manny!" Luna said to her friend. "Despite what happened, you fought very well out there!"

The landlord smirked and said to the violet-haired girl, "Great job, missy. That was an impressive comeback. Though it's quite clear to me that I'm starting to get a bit rusty; I need to practice more."

"Well, for having rusty skills, you fought quite well, and I had a great time dueling you." Rarity complimented him. Manny chuckled a little, along with everyone else.

Fluttershy, in the meantime, was in such a state of relaxation in Sunset's hot tub, that she had only heard bits and pieces of what was going on in the living room. The pink and yellow girl sighed happily as she continued her soak.

About a hour had passed since the party began and things began to wind down a little. Celestia and Luna said their farewells before leaving for home, and Manny left for his office to take care of important matters regarding the apartment building. Flash Sentry also said his goodbyes before leaving as well. Only the seven teenage girls remained in Sunset's apartment. They all decided to sit down and take a break from the party before eventually heading for home as well.

"Wow... I'm pooped..." Pinkie said with a happy sigh as she lay on the large, L-shaped couch. "It's been a REALLY long time since I've been to a party THIS good..."

"Tell me about it..." Rainbow Dash chimed in, sighing contently as well. "Right now, the only thing I wanna do is sit and just veg out for a while."

Sunset, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Gilda were all sitting at the round table in the living room, just across from the bar counter. They decided to talk with one another, mostly with the Griffonstone student, as they wished to get to know her better. "So, what did you think of the party, Gilda?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"I really enjoyed it." the brown-skinned teen answered. "You guys sure know how to have fun." She then smirked and added, "Of course, if you wanna see some really cool parties, you should swing by the ones that we throw over at Griffonstone. I tell ya, we can get pretty crazy over there, but it's all in good fun."

"Well, we'll be sure t' check 'em out sometime, then." Applejack said.

"Speaking of Griffonstone," Rarity began to ask, "what was it that you were telling us all just after yours and Fluttershy's Duel? Something about strange things happening over at your school...?"

Gilda hummed a little and responded, "Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea t' fill you all in on what's goin' on over there..." Clearing her throat, she then told them all, "Well, to start things off, there's this kid at our school named Martin... And let's just say that you could call him your typical bully magnet."

"How so...?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, he's small, for starters..." the Griffonstone girl explained, "not very strong in the physical sense, kinda nerdy, scared of his own shadow, and he's a freshman, to boot." She then told them, "Just about everybody picks on the guy on a daily basis..."

"...Including yourself?" Rarity asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Gilda paused for a moment, looking down at the table with a guilty look on her face. That was enough to tell them all that the brown-skinned teen had done her fair share of giving this Martin kid a hard time. Seeing the sad look on her face, Sunset put a hand on her shoulder and told her, "It's okay, Gilda... Trust me, I know how you feel."

"Thanks, Sunset." Gilda responded. She then told the others, "And if it'll make you all feel any better, I'll never do anything like that again; I promise."

"That's good t' hear." Applejack told her with a smile. She then asked, "So if this Martin guy isn't so tough, then how come y'all are concerned about 'im?"

"Because recently, he hasn't been acting like himself." Gilda answered. "See, like me, he plays Duel Monsters, but he wasn't very good at it; in fact, everyone considered him to be the weakest Duelist in the whole school... But in the past few days, I've heard rumors that he's been beatin' people left and right... I even heard of one Duel in which he won just by making only one move..."

"Really?" asked Fluttershy. "That sounds pretty scary..."

"So he got better at Duel Monsters; why's that such a problem?" asked Rainbow Dash, overhearing the conversation from across the room.

"Because I've also heard rumors from the people he's beaten, that Martin got his hands on some super cards that are supposedly impossible to beat." the Griffonstone girl answered her best friend. "I didn't get the name of the cards, but there's been one word that I've heard from everyone that I've asked: 'Number'."

Everyone in the room gasped loudly once they heard that word. "Number?!" exclaimed Rarity. "You mean this Martin individual has a Number card??"

"A what?" asked Gilda, not understanding what they were talking about.

Sunset then took out her deck box and pulled out two of her Number cards: Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech and Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk. "These things." the red and yellow girl informed the Griffonstone student. "They're very powerful cards that can only be defeated by each other." She then sighed and added, "However, these cards can also corrupt and possess the people that hold them, making them even more dangerous than ever... And from what you've told us, it sounds like this Martin kid got his hands on one, and that's why he's become what he is now..."

"But that doesn't make any sense..." Gilda calmly protested. "I've never heard of a trading card that can turn people into complete jerks."

"Well, it is most certainly true..." Rarity told the brown-skinned teen. Shuddering a little, she added, "I should know; I was possessed by a Number card some time ago myself. It was the worst feeling that I've ever had in my entire life..."

Gilda was still slightly skeptical, but believed that her new friends weren't lying about what they were saying. "Well, if what you're sayin' is true," she told them all, "then this problem might be even bigger than I thought... But that just gives me another reason to put a stop to it!" She then told the otherworldly girl, "That's why I asked for your help, Sunset. Since you're Canterlot High's best Duelist, I know you'll be a big help in takin' Martin down for the count! Whad'ya say?"

Sunset Shimmer nodded, telling her, "I'm in, Gilda. If this guy has a Number card, then I have no choice but to fight him... Not only that, but once we defeat him, I'll take his Number card away, which will also take away the power that puts him under its control."

"Thanks, Sunset." Gilda told her. "With your help, I know that we can stop that guy's rampage once and for all!" Standing up, she then said, "Like I said earlier, meet me over at Griffonstone High tomorrow at noon, and we can discuss our plans further." Sunset nodded yes to say that she understood. Afterwards, Gilda left the room, heading back home.

"So... looks like it's back t' business as usual, huh Sunset?" asked Applejack.

"Seems like it." the red and yellow girl replied. "But I've got a bad feeling that this battle's gonna be a tough one..."

"You'll do just fine, Sunnie!" Pinkie Pie assured her. "You've got nothing to worry about at all! In fact, I'll even come with ya to give lots and lots of moral support!"

"You sure about that?" asked the otherworldly girl, slightly concerned. "It could be dangerous..."

The silly pink girl giggled and told her friend, "Of course I'm sure! I laugh in the face of danger!! Which isn't easy, since danger really doesn't have a face!"

Sunset chuckled a little, as did the others. "Well, if you're sure about it, then it's fine by me." the red and yellow girl told her. "Just be careful, okay?" Pinkie nodded vigorously, promising that she would do just that. Afterwards, the girls spent a little more time with each other before finally deciding to part ways for the rest of the day.

The very next day, Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie were making their way to Griffonstone High to meet up with their new friend Gilda so that they could find and defeat a student named Martin in a Duel. Pinkie was looking at a large map of the city so that both of them could find their way to the other high school. "Oooooooookaaaaaaaay... I think we're just about there, Sunnie." the pink girl told her friend.

"That's what you said a half hour ago..." the otherworldly girl informed her. "Are you sure we aren't going around in circles?"

"Trust me; I know where I'm going..." Pinkie Pie assured her. "After all, this is the best map that I've got of the city of..." She then looked closely at the city name on the map curiously, reading, "...um... Tol... ret... nac..." Confused, the party lover then asked, "Tolretnac? That sounds like a city in Middle Earth..."

Sunset glanced over at the map... and then promptly groaned and slapped her face. "Ugh! No wonder we're lost!" she said loudly, grabbing the map. "You printed the map BACKWARDS!" She then pointed out that the city name that Pinkie had read was just "Canterlot" in reverse. Groaning again, the red and yellow girl complained, "We could be just about ANYWHERE in the city, and we have no way of knowing exactly where we are!"

"Hey! Sunset!! Pinkie!! You're right on time!" shouted a familiar voice.

Sunset's eyes widened upon hearing the voice behind her. When she turned around to look, she was shocked to see a large school building behind her, made from bright red bricks and nestled among several tall trees. Standing in front of the school's front doors was none other than Gilda; it was her voice that both Sunset and Pinkie had heard.

"We're... here...?" the otherworldly girl asked herself, surprised that they had somehow managed to make their way to Griffonstone High School, despite Pinkie's error. Turning towards her silly friend, she then told her, "Pinkie, I have no idea how you did that... but you have to teach that trick to me sometime."

"Sorry, Sunnie; there are some things in this world that are not meant to be known to mortals." the pink teen told her.

Gilda walked over to the pair and said to Sunset, "Glad you could make it here. 'Course, I didn't have any doubts about whether you would show up or not." Glancing over at Pinkie, she then added, "Huh, didn't know you were coming here, too."

"She insisted on it." Sunset informed Gilda. The otherworldly girl then asked her, "So, why did you want us to meet here to find this Martin guy? Today's Saturday; the school's closed."

"Yeah, but this is where Martin spends most of his time, regardless of what day it is. His dad's a teacher here, so he was allowed to have a key to get in so that he could work on his school projects." the Griffonstone student explained. "If I know the guy as well as I think I do, he'll probably be here."

"But how are we gonna get in?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Don't worry 'bout that." Gilda answered, showing the two a large key around her pointer finger. "I told my Grandpa about the whole thing, and I was able to convince him into letting me borrow the school's master key."

"How'd you do that...?" asked Sunset, impressed.

"Well, being the granddaughter of Griffonstone's principal has its pros..." the brown-skinned girl told them both. Presenting the key once more, she then added, "With this key, we can get in any room in the school, and we'll be able to find where Martin's hidin'."

"Then let's get in right away, Gilda." Sunset suggested. "The sooner we get the Number card away from him, the better."

"Yeah, let's go! Let's go!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. Gilda then shoved the key into the keyhole on the front doors and turned it, unlocking them and allowing the trio entry into the building. However, the three were unaware that they were being watched by someone that was peering out from a second-story window.

"Heh... so big bad Gilda's finally coming after me, huh?" the figure said to itself. "And she's even brought along Sunset Shimmer to help her..." Chuckling wickedly, it then said, "This is TOO perfect. Not only will I get my revenge on Gilda, but I'll also be the one to defeat Canterlot High's so-called best Duelist!" The figure then held up a pair of Duel Monsters cards and added, "And the best part is, with these cards, there's no WAY that I can lose!" As it spoke, the two cards became surrounded by a shadowy aura; not only that, two marks appeared on the backs of the figure's hands: One looked like a 13, and the other, a 31...

Sunset, Gilda, and Pinkie Pie wandered the unlit hallways of Griffonstone High School. Even with the afternoon sun shining through most of the windows, many of the halls were still pretty dark. An eerie silence permeated the air, signalling the calm before the storm that would eventually follow. "Wow... this place is REALLY spooky when everything's all dark and quiet..." the pink girl noted, shivering a little.

"Don't worry, Pinkie." Sunset said to comfort her friend. "I'll be right here to watch your back." Pinkie smiled a little, happy to hear that.

Gilda looked around, but couldn't find any trace of the student they were looking for. So far, none of the doors they had checked were unlocked, and they couldn't hear any voices or anything that could have alerted them all to his presence. "He's GOTTA be around here somewhere..." the brown-skinned teen said, slightly frustrated. "So where could he be??"

"So you showed up at last, did you Gilda?" boomed a loud voice nearby.

Upon hearing the voice, the three of them looked around, but couldn't find out where it was coming from. "Martin?! Is that you?!" shouted Gilda. "Where are ya hidin'?!"

"Don't bother looking around: You're nowhere near where I am right now." the boy's voice told them.

Sunset then glanced up above one of the classroom doors after hearing the voice a second time, and realized where the source of the voice was. "Look! Up there!" she said to her friends, pointing at where she was looking. "There's a loudspeaker set up over there! He's talking to us via the PA system!"

Martin's voice chuckled. "That's quite right, Ms. Shimmer..." he then told her. "And not only that, I'm watching every move you make in this fine establishment that we call Griffonstone High School. Now... the real question is: Can the three of you find me...? Heh heh heh..."

Gilda growled a little and yelled, "Why should we have to?! Why don't you just come down here and face us like a man instead of hidin' and waitin' for us?!"

"Tsk tsk tsk... always the impatient one, aren't you?" Martin taunted. "I'm afraid that you'll have to come to me, as originally planned. I'm sure that, even with your inferior intelligence, you should find me in at LEAST 15 minutes. Still, don't keep me waiting for you...!"

"Grrr... that little..." Gilda grumbled. "He's messin' with us!"

"Don't let him push your buttons." Sunset told her. "He's just trying to put us off balance by toying with us. We have to stay calm and try to figure out where he is."

"Hmmmmm..." hummed Pinkie Pie. "He DID say that he was watching every move we make..."

Sunset gasped a little. "That's right! He did say that!" she exclaimed, realizing something. "And the only way he could do that is if he was watching the security cameras set up all over the place!"

"That means there's only one place he can be..." Gilda noted.

"The Security Room!" they all shouted in unison, figuring it out together.

"Follow me!" the brown-skinned girl told the others. "I'll show you where that room is! It's on the second floor of the school!" Sunset and Pinkie nodded as they followed the Griffonstone student to the correct location.

The trio ran up the stairs to the second floor and headed for the Security Room, where they believed that Martin was currently hiding in. Once they arrived at the door, Gilda took out the school's master key and used it to unlock the door. She then forcibly opened the door and shouted, "Alright Martin, you've got nowhere left t' hide! Come outta there before I MAKE you come out!!"

After Gilda made her demand, the trio heard soft, slow clapping from behind a large revolving chair that was facing all of the TV monitors that displayed whatever the security cameras were looking at. The chair then slowly spun around to face the three girls. Sitting in the chair was a young boy with very light brown skin with red eyes; one of the eyes was slightly darker in color compared to the other. He had white, feather-shaped hair like Gilda had, though his was cut much shorter. His outfit wasn't much; just a grey shirt made of a light fabric worn over a plain, white undershirt, bright cyan-blue pants, a pair of black shoes, and a pair of black wristbands that had the same yellow Griffon emblem that Gilda had on her shirt. He also had on a Duel Pad and Duel Gazer as well.

"So... we meet again, Ms. Gilda..." the boy remarked with an evil smirk.

"Oooh! Oooh! I know it!! I know this reference!!" shouted Pinkie Pie, waving her arms. "Ernst Blofeld, right?"

"Who?" asked Sunset and Gilda confused.

The pink teen put on a bewildered expression of her own and asked, "You SERIOUSLY don't know who Ernst Blofeld is?? Haven't you guys ever watched James Bond?! Sunset, I can kinda understand if SHE hasn't, and I know he's missing the fluffy kitty-cat, but still-"

"Hey!! Who said that you could interrupt me?!" the young boy angrily shouted at Pinkie Pie, getting up out of the chair. "Here I am, trying to be as intimidating as possible, and you TOTALLY killed the mood!!"

"You're a lot of things, Martin," Gilda told him, "but intimidating ain't one of 'em."

"In the past I may have not been very threatening, but I've changed, Gilda..." Martin told the brown-skinned girl. "I'm not yours or anyone else's punching bag anymore... And it's high time that I got my revenge on you for EVERYTHING you and the others put me through!!"

"Well, that's not going to happen, Martin." Sunset told him in a stern voice. "Even though you may be justified in what you plan on doing, that still doesn't make it right! Especially if your plans of revenge involve the use of Number cards!"

"Number cards...?" asked Martin curiously. Chuckling to himself, he then added, "I see... so that's what they're called." Looking over at Sunset, he then told her, "Well, it doesn't matter what YOUR opinion is, Sunset Shimmer... I've made up my mind: I plan on crushing Gilda, and I don't need YOU interfering with me!!"

Sunset and Gilda scowled a little upon hearing him say that.

But the boy then adjusted his glasses and told them, "Then again... perhaps I might have been a bit too hasty with that remark... Perhaps having you involved in all of this might not be a bad idea after all..."

"What're ya talking about?" Gilda then asked him.

Martin snickered a little and asked them, "I like to make a proposition to the two of you: Since the odds of you defeating me in a Duel are as close to zero as possible, why don't the two of you take me on as a team?"

The three girls gasped when he told them that. "You can't be serious..." Sunset told him. "There's no way that you can defeat us both on your own!"

"Yeah, you're comPLETELY crazy!!" Pinkie told the boy. "And I know crazy when I see it, believe me!"

Martin chuckled and responded to their comments, saying, "Listen... I've crushed every other Duelist here in Griffonstone without having to do much of anything. To be honest, it's become quite a bore... So what's the problem with me wanting to make things a little more interesting...? Still, I suppose the choices are yours and yours alone."

"Oooh! I know that one, too!" Pinkie then interrupted again. "That was from Legends of the Hidden Temple!!"

"Would you QUIT DOING THAT?!?!" yelled Martin, whining a little. "I can't sound menacing if you keep interrupting me like that!!!"

The silly girl huffed and told him, "Yeesh, sor-RY... I can't help that I like a good reference when I hear one..."

Gilda then glanced over to Sunset Shimmer, who looked back towards her. "I think we should take up his offer, Sunset..." the Griffonstone student suggested. "If the rumors I heard are true, then we'll need all the power we can get to take him down."

"I suppose you have a point, Gilda." the otherworldly girl told her, deciding that it would be best to team up with her. "I've got a bad feeling about this Martin guy myself now that I've seen him... Besides, it would be interesting to see how well our Decks can work together..." The brown-skinned girl nodded in agreement.

"So you do plan on taking me on together, then?" asked Martin. "Fine by me..." He then smirked and thought, (This is working out even better than I hoped! Once I win this Duel, I'll not only get my revenge on Gilda, but I'll also have the honor of crushing Canterlot's best Duelist at the same time!)

Sunset and Gilda both activated their Duel Pads and Duel Gazers, as well as sliding their Decks into the Deck Zone slots in order to prepare themselves for their Duel against Martin. He too, activated his devices so that he could participate. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the hallway outside of the Security Room projected around them.

"LET'S DUEL!!" shouted Sunset, Gilda, and Martin (Sunset Shimmer & Gilda: LP 4,000) (Martin: LP 4,000).

All three Duelists drew their opening hands as Pinkie Pie put on and activated her Duel Gazer so that she could watch the Duel. Once everyone was ready, Martin then told his opponents, "Alright, here's how things will work: First, Sunset will take her turn. After she's done, I'll make my move. Then, after I finish, control will pass over to Gilda, then back to me, and then repeating back to Sunset."

"In other words," the red and yellow girl deduced, "you take your turn between each of ours, right?"

"Exactly." confirmed the boy. "In addition, to keep things fair, the two of you can only have a total of five cards in your Monster Zones and five cards in your Spell & Trap Zones at once, as if you were using just one Duel Pad. However, your Graveyards and banished cards are shared between you. Is that clear to the two of you?"

"I think I got the gist of it..." Gilda said with a nod. She then looked over at Sunset and told her, "Alright, you're starting us off... So make this first move count."

"I plan to." Sunset Shimmer then glanced at her cards as she began her turn. "First, I'll Summon my Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" In an instant, her disk-shaped monster appeared on the field in front of her (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"Next, I'll play the Field Spell, Chronomaly City Babylon!" Sunset declared. Upon playing her card, the area around them transformed into a floating, stone arena. "Next, I Special Summon Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem from my hand, which I can do if I activated a Chronomaly Spell Card this turn!" the otherworldly girl stated. Her second monster then emerged onto the field, showing off its bizarre, bright red body (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"Yay!! Sunnie got out two Level 4 monsters already!" cheered Pinkie Pie.

"I overlay my two Level 4 monsters, Nebra Disk and Aztec Mask Golem, to build an Overlay Network!!" Sunset shouted as her two monsters turned into a pair of lights, one yellow and one orange, that were drawn into a galaxy-like portal. After the portal exploded, it then left behind a symbol that looked like a 36. "I Xyz Summon... Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!" And with that, Sunset's sphere-encased fortress appeared from out of the sky above, surrounded by two yellow lights (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2500 / OLU 2).

Gilda gasped a little after Sunset summoned her Xyz Monster. "So that's a Number card..." she said to herself, impressed by its appearance.

Martin chuckled a little. "So that's how you know about the Numbers, isn't it?" he asked with a smirk. "I admit, it seems pretty strong... but it won't help you in this Duel, I can guarantee that!"

"We'll see, Martin." Sunset Shimmer told him. Taking the last two cards out of her hand, she then said, "I'll end my turn by setting two cards face-down." She then thought to herself, (I don't know what kind of Number he has, but if it's as powerful as Gilda believes it is, I'll have to do whatever I possibly can to protect us from it... If he attempts an attack, I can use Chateau Huyuk's effect to counterattack... Hopefully, that will be enough...)

"It's my turn. I draw!" said Martin as he pulled the top card of his Deck. After he did so, he then chuckled to himself and thought, (Heh... it seems I've already won this Duel anyway... All I have to do after this turn is wait patiently...) Taking out a card from his hand, he then declared, "I activate a Spell Card: One for One!"

*******************************

One for One:
(Normal Spell Card)

Send 1 monster from your hand to the Graveyard; Special Summon 1 Level 1 monster from your hand or Deck.

*******************************

"I send my Archfiend Inmate to the Graveyard," Martin began, taking a card from his hand and shoving it into the Duel Pad's Graveyard slot, "and Special Summon Wightmare from my Deck in Attack Mode!" After which, a skeletal figure with short, dirty blond hair (along with a similarly-colored mustache), and old, Victorian-style clothes appeared on the field, holding a teacup and saucer (Wightmare: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 200).

"What the heck is that supposed to be?" Gilda mocked him. "Are we dueling, or are we havin' a tea party?"

"Peh... that's it, just laugh it up..." the boy snickered. "I assure you, you won't be laughing for much longer..." Taking out another card from his hand, he then declared, "I play another Spell Card from my hand! The Cheerful Coffin!"

"Huh? Why'd he play that card?" Sunset asked both herself and Gilda. "All that card allows him to do is discard up to three monsters from his hand..."

"Yeesh, what an idiot..." stated the Griffonstone girl. "That ain't gonna help him at all!"

But the red and yellow teen wasn't so sure. She started to get an unsettling feeling that Martin was up to something as she watched him send two more cards from his hand to the Graveyard.

Giving out a sinister smirk, the boy then told them, "Now it's time to show you what trouble you have just gotten yourselves into... From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, Tri-Wight!! This allows me to Special Summon up to three Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters from the Graveyard!"

Sunset and Gilda gasped; now his moves were beginning to make sense. "So that's it..." the otherworldly girl figured out. "He's been sending his monsters to the Graveyard so that he could Summon them back with just that one card!"

"But I still don't get it." Gilda rebutted. "Tri-Wight only brings back weak monsters; they shouldn't be able to stand up to your Xyz Monster..."

"Oh don't worry, Gilda... You'll get it soon enough; in more ways than one!" Martin told her menacingly. He then shouted, "I now revive all three of my Archfiend Inmates from the Graveyard!!' After he said that, three dark-purple portals appeared on his field; out of each one came a small, demon-like creature (shaped like humans), wearing black-and-white striped prison uniforms and practically covered in heavy chains (Archfiend Inmate [x3]: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 200).

"No way... He just Summoned four monsters in just one turn!" Gilda exclaimed.

"And most importantly, they're all Level 1..." Sunset observed. Tensing up, she then added, "He's about to bring out his Number card..."

Martin snickered, which soon turned into cackling, as he declared in a loud voice, "I overlay Wightmare and Archfiend Inmate, both Level 1, and create an Overlay Network!!" Two of his monsters then transformed into a pair of purple lights that were sucked into a galaxy-like portal in front of him. "Arise, Number 13!" chanted the sinister student. "Emerge from the realm of darkness and pass your sinister verdict on my foe! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 1! Embodiment of Crime!!"

The galaxy portal then exploded, leaving behind a mark that looked like the number 13. Afterwards, a large, spiked ball covered in chains descended from above, with two purple spheres orbiting it. The spiked ball then unfolded itself, revealing its true form as a large, evil-looking creature made up of petal-like appendages with a horned head towards the top of it. Below the head was a cross-shaped stone slab, and several chains; one of which had a large, circular saw at the end of it. On its side was a red 13, which also appeared on Martin's right hand.

*******************************

Number 13: Embodiment of Crime:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fiend-Type/DARK/Rank 1/ATK 500/DEF 500)

2 Level 1 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. This card cannot declare an attack. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; change all monsters your opponent controls to face-up Attack Position, also all monsters your opponent currently controls must attack this card this turn, if able. While you control "Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment", this card gains these effects.
* This card cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects while it has Xyz Material.
* Your opponent takes any battle damage you would have taken from attacks on this card.

*******************************

Sunset and Pinkie stared in slight terror as they saw the sinister-looking monster before them. "Wh-what's that thing??" asked the party lover, trembling.

"Quite possibly the creepiest-looking Duel Monster that I've ever seen..." Sunset answered.

Gilda sweated a little; even she couldn't help but feel even a little intimidated. However, she then noticed something peculiar: "Hold on..." she began, "he only used two of his four monsters to Summon that thing... So why'd he go through the trouble of bringing them all out if he didn't need them all?"

"Heh heh heh heh... Because I'm not quite done with my turn, Gilda..." Martin told her in a darker tone of voice. "You've only gotten a taste of the terror that awaits you both... Now it's time for the main course!!" He then raised his hand into the air and yelled, "I overlay my two Level 1 Archfiend Inmates and create ANOTHER Overlay Network!!"

The three girls gasped in shock and horror as the boy appeared to initiate another Xyz Summoning. "Th-this can't be!" said Sunset in slight fear. "He's summoning ANOTHER Xyz Monster?!"

"Uh oh... I don't like this..." said a shivering Pinkie Pie.

Martin's other two monsters then transformed into purple lights and were drawn into another galaxy-like portal. The boy then chanted, "Arise, Number 31! Drag the guilty into your dark realm and torture them until their ends! Xyz Summon!" The portal then exploded, leaving behind a giant 31 mark on the ground. "Come forth, Rank 1! Embodiment of Punishment!!"

From high above, another spiked ball descended to the ground and unfolded itself. The second monster was revealed to be similar-looking to the first one; the only differences were that its head horns pointed down instead of up, its body's color scheme was the opposite of its twin, and the end of its long chain had a spiked mace attached to it. In addition, the top of its body had the same 31 mark on it that had briefly appeared on the ground. That same symbol then began glowing on Martin's left hand. The boy's eyes then turned pitch-black, save for his glowing red irises, and he displayed a crazed, evil grin on his face...

*******************************

Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fiend-Type/DARK/Rank 1/ATK 500/DEF 500)

2 Level 1 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. This card cannot declare an attack. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; change all monsters your opponent controls to face-up Attack Position, also all monsters your opponent currently controls must attack this card this turn, if able. While you control "Number 13: Embodiment of Crime", this card gains these effects.
* This card cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects while it has Xyz Material.
* Your opponent takes any battle damage you would have taken from attacks on this card.

*******************************

Needless to say, Sunset was shocked by Martin's move. "This can't be..." she said in stunned silence. "He... he had TWO Numbers..."

Gilda was also surprised by Martin's move... but mostly by the way he looked after he brought them out. "What's up with that guy...?" she asked herself. "After he Summoned those two monsters, he started acting even weirder than when we started... What's his deal??"

Snickering, Martin then told his enemies, "Everything's all set... now you'll all pay for your crimes... And you will fall before the dark justice of my Numbers!!" Pointing towards Sunset, he then shouted, "Embodiment of Crime!! Begin the trial of darkness!!!"

The otherworldly girl stepped back a bit as Martin's first Summoned Xyz Monster floated towards her. Then, all of its chains shot forward in her direction, wrapping around her waist, both of her wrists, and around her ankles. "H-hey!! What're you do-WAAAAAGH!!!!" But before she could finish, the chains then pulled her backwards towards the Number monster, pinning her to the cross-shaped slab below its head.

"SUNSET!!!" shouted Pinkie and Gilda out of concern.

The red and yellow girl struggled, but for some reason, she couldn't free herself from the chains that were holding her down. "What's going on here?!" she protested. "I-I can't move!!!"

Growling, Gilda then yelled at Martin, asking him, "What do you think you're doing?!?"

The Griffonstone boy cackled and answered, telling her, "That's my Number's power... Your little friend has gone from being a participant... to being the accused. Soon, she will become a prime example of what will happen to you!"

"Hey! That's not fair!!" yelled Pinkie Pie. "Leave Sunnie out of this!! What did she ever do to you?!?"

"Quiet!!!" Martin yelled to the pink teen. "I wouldn't be so quick to boss me around if I were in your shoes... After all, I have the power to do the very same thing to you if I choose to..." Glaring over at Gilda with a sinister smirk, he then added, "Luckily for you, I have bigger fish to fry... For now it shall be Gilda's turn to be brought to justice!! Embodiment of Punishment, go and ensnare-"

"Hold it!" shouted the Griffonstone girl, raising her hand.

"What...?" asked the boy, stopping himself in mid-sentence.

The roughneck girl then chuckled a bit and told her foe, "Now I see what the deal is... Now I can see how you've been 'winning' your Duels..."

"What are you talking about?" Martin asked her.

"Don't play dumb." Gilda told him. "I can see how you've managed to beat everyone. All you've been doing is Summoning those weird monsters of yours and having them tie their chains around your opponents so that they can't move or reach their cards!"

"What?! How dare you say that!!" shouted Martin angrily.

"Why?" asked Gilda. "Because it shows everyone here that you're nothing but a total coward? I'll bet you couldn't win a Duel against me without having to resort to your wimpy little tricks! If you're so tough, then prove it right here!"

"Why do I have to?!" asked the boy, clearly getting more ticked off by what Gilda was saying to him. "I could just stop you right here right now whenever I please!!"

"Fine... go ahead." the Griffonstone girl told him. "But just remember this: if you do that... Then I'll make sure that the whole school knows just how much of a wimp you were for not even TRYING to fight me fair and square... If you've got something to settle with me, then quit tryin' to wimp out and face me like a man!"

Martin grumbled to himself; he was beginning to think that his foe had a point. (I hate to admit it, but she's right...) he pondered. (The whole point of this was to get revenge on her... But clearly using my Numbers' powers to ensnare her isn't going to work; she won't consider it a loss if I do that... and if that happens, I won't be completely satisfied with defeating her...!) Sighing, he then told her, "Very well... have it your way, Gilda... I'll spare you of the fate that befell your teammate, if only to prove that I am now more powerful than you are!"

"That's more like it." the brown-skinned girl told him.

"However, I am sorry to tell you that in Ms. Shimmer's case, I can't release her, even if I wanted to..." he informed them all. "As long as the Number that she's chained to remains on the field, she won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Sunset groaned. "Well THAT'S just great..." she said sarcastically, already getting a cramp in her wrists from the chains. She then turned her head around towards her silly pink friend and told her, "Hey Pinkie! I need you to do a favor for me: When it's my turn, I need you to draw my cards and play them exactly as I tell you to, understand?"

"You've got it, Sunnie!" the party lover replied with a wink and thumbs-up. She then ran over to the field beside her friend. She then glanced up at the face of the Number card that captured Sunset and stuck her tongue out at it. As she did so, a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Number 13's head.

"Fine, whatever! Let's just continue the Duel!" Martin shouted. "I activate Crime's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can force all of your monsters to attack it this turn!" One of the swirling orbs then phased into the head of the monster that Sunset was chained to (Number 13: Embodiment of Crime: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).

"What kind of effect is that?" asked Gilda. "If you're trying to win this Duel, forcing us to attack YOUR monster isn't exactly a top-of-the-line strategy..."

But the boy snickered and told her, "As always, you're wrong... I forgot to mention: When both Crime AND Punishment are on the field, they cannot be destroyed in battle by your monsters as long as they have at least one Overlay Unit... Not only that, YOU take all the damage from the battle instead of me!"

"Say WHAT?!?" exclaimed the three girls.

Sunset could only watch as her own monster then turned towards her and charged up energy into itself. It then released it into a stream that hit her hard and took out most of hers and Gilda's Life Points. "AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!!!!" she screamed upon taking the hit (Sunset Shimmer & Gilda: LP 4,000 - 1,500 = 2,500).

"Sunnie!!! Are you alright?!" asked Pinkie Pie, concerned for her friend's safety.

"Ugh... I've been better..." the red and yellow girl groaned. "But if he does that a few more times, we'll lose the Duel for sure..." Turning over to Gilda, she then told her, "Gilda, it's up to you! You have to stop him on your turn!"

"My pleasure, Sunset." the brown-skinned teen replied. "I'll get him back for what he did to you, I promise!" She then drew her next card and tried to come up with a strategy that would get them out of their sticky situation. "First, I'll play one card face-down..." she said, starting her move. "Then next, I'll Summon Summoner Monk!" Gilda's first monster was an old man with white hair, bleached blue skin, and red eyes, wearing a white and purple cloak (Summoner Monk: Level 4 / ATK 800 / DEF 1600). Though she played it in Attack Mode, its effect immediately put it in Defense Mode instead.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of Summoner Monk!" Gilda then declared. "By discarding a Spell Card from my hand, I can bring out a Level 4 monster from out of my Deck!" She then sent her Overlay Regen card to the Graveyard, which caused her monster to begin chanting in a bizarre language. "Now I Special Summon Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius in Defense Mode!" She then called up another of her mechanical-looking birds, this one clad in mostly gold and white armor, and carrying what appeared to be a dark energy orb in its talons (Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1100 / DEF 1900).

"Next," the roughneck girl continued, "since we have an Xyz Monster on our side of the field, I can also Special Summon Raidraptor - Singing Lanius from my hand!" Gilda's third monster was of a stout chick with small, armored, yellow wings, and a body that was mostly yellow and brown in color (Raidraptor - Singing Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 100 / DEF 100). "Finally, I'll Summon Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius from my hand, since I have Raidraptors on the field other than him!" And with that, she then called up her purple and blue armored bird to the battlefield (Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 1500).

"That was amazing...!" Sunset complimented.

"Yeah!" cheered Pinkie. "Gilda can Summon monsters just as fast as that crazy, evil guy can!" Martin just grumbled, both in response to Gilda's move and Pinkie's comment about him.

"Now I'll activate Mimicry Lanius's effect:" Gilda told her opponent. "Once per turn, I can increase the Levels of all the Raidraptors on the field by one!" The glowing of the orb on the gold and white bird began to intensify, and its power was felt by both itself and its comrades (Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius: Level 4 + 1 = Level 5) (Raidraptor - Singing Lanius: Level 4 + 1 = Level 5) (Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4 + 1 = Level 5).

"Now she has three Level 5 monsters out..." noted Sunset. "She must be going for a very powerful Xyz Monster." She then thought to herself, (I just hope it can somehow overcome those two Number cards...)

"I now overlay Mimicry Lanius, Singing Lanius, and Fuzzy Lanius, all Level 5!!" Gilda shouted as her three birds turned into a trio of purple lights that flew into a red summoning portal. "Ferocious falcon! Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes!" the roughneck then chanted. "Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 5! Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon!" In an instant, a much larger bird, clad in red and black armor and possessing bizarrely-shaped wings, flew out of the portal with three purple orbs orbiting it. It then let out a shrill cry as it took its place beside its user (Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon: Rank 5 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000 / OLU 3).

"Hmmmm... impressive, but I'm afraid it won't help you. Did you already forget? Neither Crime, nor Punishment, can be destroyed in battle while they're both on the field!" Martin reminded his nemesis.

"Maybe so," Gilda then said to the boy, "but your monsters aren't his target; see, Blaze Falcon's ability allows it to attack you directly if it has at least one Overlay Unit attached to him."

"What?!" he gasped in surprise.

"You realize it, don't ya?" the brown-skinned girl told him with a smirk. "Your monsters might be invincible... but that doesn't mean that YOU are."

"Alright! This might just work!" Sunset said, regaining hope. "His monster's effects won't matter if she's attacking him directly!"

"Yeah!! We might win this after all!!" Pinkie Pie added, getting back her smile.

"Go! Blaze Falcon!!" Gilda ordered her Xyz Monster. "Attack Martin's Life Points directly!!" Her monster then flew towards the crazed student, ready to strike him down.

"If you think I'll let you get out of this one, you're sadly mistaken!!" shouted Martin. Taking a card out from underneath one of his Number cards, he then declared, "I activate the effect of Punishment!! So now all of your monsters must attack it instead!!" (Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment: OLU 2 - 1 = 1)

"What the-?! He can use that effect outside of his turn?!?" asked Gilda, shocked.

"Heh heh heh heh...!" the boy laughed. "Now because of your sloppy move, You and your friend will be taking a total of 2,300 points of damage, leaving you with just a mere 200 Life Points left!! Then next turn, I'll exterminate you all for good!!" Gilda could only watch in horror as her monster swerved away from Martin and went to attack his other Xyz Monster.

But just then, Sunset said to Pinkie Pie, "Pinkie, quick! Activate the face-down card on my left!"

"Huh?" the pink girl perked her head up when she heard that. It took her a second, but she got the message and tapped the otherworldly girl's Duel Pad, activating the card that she had told her to play. The card then flipped face up, revealing itself as...

"Waboku?!? No!!!" screamed Martin in despair.

"That's right." Sunset told him, keeping her look of confidence, despite being hung up at the moment. "This Trap Card makes all of the battle damage we take this turn become zero! Which means our Life Points won't be going down!"

Gilda watched as Blaze Falcon struck Martin's Number card with a fiery dive-bomb, followed immediately by a giant laser from Sunset's Chateau Huyuk, as well as a blast of violet-colored magic from Summoner Monk. Although Punishment couldn't be destroyed because of its own effects, Sunset's Trap Card nullified all of the damage, sparing them all. The look on Gilda's face was one of horror and astonishment.

Martin then screamed at his enemies, "How dare you defy my brand of justice with such a card!! You'll pay dearly for that!!!"

Sunset huffed a little, not allowing his words to intimidate her. "Sunset... I'm... I'm so sorry..." Gilda then apologized to her. "We almost lost the Duel because of what I just did..."

"Don't worry, Gilda... we'll still beat him, I promise." the red and yellow teen told her teammate. "But right now, we need to keep him from damaging us... If his Deck relies on those two Number cards as part of his main strategy, then he'll probably have ways of restoring their Overlay Units..."

"You think he'll try to do that?" asked the Griffonstone girl.

"I know he will. If I were him, that's what I'd do." Sunset confirmed. Looking over at her teammate's hand, she then told her, "Gilda, play that Spell Card in your hand right now; it will allow us to hold out until we can think of a new strategy..."

"Uh, yeah... whatever you say." the brown-skinned girl replied. Placing the card in question into a slot on her Duel Pad, she then declared, "I activate Nightmare's Steelcage!" After she played her Spell Card, a metallic, cage-like wall materialized between them and Martin.

"Urrgh... you just HAD to play that card, didn't you?" asked the crazed boy.

"As long as this card's in play," Gilda then explained, "neither of us can attack with our monsters! Which means that for now, our Life Points will be safe from your Numbers' powers!"

"Don't forget, your Spell Card goes away after the end of my second turn, following its activation." Martin reminded his enemy. "It won't last you forever!"

"Two turns is all we need to kick your butt and win this Duel!" the roughneck assured him.

"Whatever... my turn, then..." The boy then drew his card and smirked when saw what it was. "Not bad at all..." He then told his foes, "I activate the card I just drew: Overlay Regen!!"

(Woah... that was a close one...) thought Gilda, getting a little worried. (Good thing Sunset figured that he'd use a card to restore his monsters' Overlay Units... But I have to ask: How's she remaining this calm, even though she's chained up to that slab and getting hit by our own monsters...?)

Martin then chose to use his Spell Card to restore an Overlay Unit on Embodiment of Punishment (Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment: OLU 1 + 1 = 2). "Since we can't battle each other while your Nightmare's Steelcage card is in effect, I have no choice but to end my turn." the boy said. He then snickered and said to Sunset Shimmer, "It's your turn now... Are you sure you're fine with continuing on? After all, I can imagine just how tight those chains wrapped around you are... You must be getting quite a cramp by now... Heheheheh..."

"You just worry about yourself." the otherworldly girl told him, not showing any signs of cracking under the pressure. She then said to Pinkie Pie, "Okay, you ready?"

"Mhmm!" the pink girl replied with a nod. She then drew Sunset's next card and showed it to her. "D'ya think this might help?" she then asked.

"Maybe..." Sunset answered. "But we've still got to find a way to get rid of these annoying Numbers of his... As much as I don't want to give him an inch, it IS starting to get a little uncomfortable up here..."

"Then just leave that all to me!" Gilda suddenly spoke up, tapping her Duel Pad's screen. "I'll activate my Icarus Attack!! By releasing one of my Winged Beasts, I can destroy up to two cards on the field! So I'll release Blaze Falcon... and destroy both of your Number monsters!!" And with that, the Griffonstone girl's Xyz Monster turned into pure energy, which shot at both of Martin's monsters.

"Alright!!" cheered Pinkie. "Bye bye, creepy Numbers!!"

Sunset was a bit skeptical. (It couldn't be that easy...) she thought. She then glanced over at their opponent, who didn't seem to be too worried at all, even as both of his monsters were struck by the deadly energy of Gilda's Trap Card.

The energy streams let out a pair of explosions that shook the area around them all. Thick clouds formed as a result of the impact, covering the entire battlefield. But once the dust settled, the three girls watched on and saw that... absolutely nothing had happened: Both of Martin's monsters were still there, to their astonishment. "HUH?! It didn't work?!?" asked Gilda.

"What happened??" asked Pinkie Pie, getting a little worried again.

"Heheheheh... Did you really think your weak little Trap Card was going to eliminate my powerful Numbers?" Martin asked in a mocking tone of voice. "Too bad... I'm afraid that, due to their effects, Crime and Punishment can't be destroyed by card effects when they're both on the field and have at least one Overlay Unit!"

"But you said that they couldn't be destroyed by battle!" Gilda protested.

"It's probably both." Sunset noted. "Apparently, Martin 'conveniently' left out that important little detail when he told us about their abilities..."

"That's so underhanded, Mr. Meanie-Mean-Pants!" Pinkie yelled at the boy.

"Hmph... I didn't think I needed to explain EVERYTHING to you simpletons..." Martin told them all as he adjusted his glasses.

"Crud... even THAT wasn't enough to stop him!" grumbled Gilda. "I'll just have to be even MORE aggressive on my next turn in order to beat him!"

"Gilda, I don't think that's a very good idea." Sunset informed her teammate.

"Huh? Whad'ya mean?"

"Just think about it: His monsters are designed to make it so that, the more force we use against him, the more damage that gets sent back on us..." the otherworldly girl explained. She then told her, "Listen, Gilda... there's something else you need to know concerning the Number cards..."

"What's that?" asked the brown-skinned girl.

"When a Number card is first found, it doesn't have a picture." Sunset said to her teammate. "But after someone picks one up, it then gains a physical form and special powers... From what I've observed so far, the Numbers take on their appearances based on the feelings and desires of whomever holds them."

"Really?" asked Gilda.

Sunset Shimmer nodded and continued, saying, "It's just a hunch, but if my theory is correct, Martin's Number cards might have forms based on his feelings; according to you, he's been constantly bullied and made fun of ever since he came to this school. It's very likely that because of all of the torment that he's suffered, he began to harbor feelings of hatred towards not only you and the other people that picked on him... but quite possibly everyone else; even people that had nothing to do with what happened to him."

Gilda stood there, completely stunned by what she had heard.

"Once he got his hands on those Number cards," Sunset continued to say, "his desire to punish those that bullied him, and everyone else, turned them into those monsters that he has on the field right now... And their abilities came from his desire to use his tormentors' own strength to do them in... That's why I think that becoming even more aggressive against Martin is not how we'll win this Duel."

"But how else are we gonna beat him?" asked the roughneck, confused.

"I'll answer that by asking you this question:" the red and yellow girl responded. "What would Fluttershy do in your situation?"

"Fluttershy...?" Gilda asked. This made her think about her Duel yesterday against the shy yellow girl. As she replayed the Duel in her mind over and over, Gilda then recalled that she tried to use pure, brute force to try and defeat her. But Fluttershy made the right decision to hold back and play passively until an opportunity to win presented itself. Sighing a little and calming herself down, the Griffonstone girl then said, "...I think I get it now, Sunset. Brute force didn't help me in my Duel against Fluttershy, and it won't help me here... If I'm going to be of any help to you, I'll need to start playing a lot smarter."

Sunset smiled after hearing that. "Thanks, Gilda." she told her. "We just need to wait for an opportunity to win this instead of trying to force it to happen." She then added, "Right now, we need to keep our Life Points from taking too many more heavy hits..." She then announced, "For my next move, I release my Chateau Huyuk to Tribute Set a monster in Defense Mode!"

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" said Pinkie as she took Sunset's Number card off of her Duel Pad and placed it (and both of its Overlay Units) in the Graveyard. She then placed the only card in her friend's hand facedown on the tray in its place. Martin grumbled a bit at that move.

(I get it...) thought Gilda. (By getting rid of our monsters with high attack points, we'll take less damage from his Number cards' effects... But is that her only plan...?) She then glanced at the lone face-down card in front of her teammate, wondering what it could have been. She did, however, assume that it was part of Sunset Shimmer's strategy.

"Next," Sunset declared, "I'll switch my teammate's Summoner Monk to Defense Mode and end my turn." Gilda then did just that before control passed back to their opponent.

"It's my turn... I draw!" Martin then pulled his next card and looked at it. Grinning wickedly, he then said, "Perfect!!" The boy then declared, "I activate the Spell Card, Magical Reference Search!"

*******************************

Magical Reference Search:
(Normal Spell Card)

Add 2 Spell Cards from your Deck to your hand, but you can only activate 1 of those Spell Cards this turn (but you can Set both). This card cannot be moved from the Graveyard to the Deck or hand, and it cannot be banished. You can only activate 1 "Magical Reference Search" per turn.

*******************************

"Using this Spell Card," Martin told his opponents, "I add Mystical Space Typhoon and Overlay Regen to my hand!" After he took his cards, he then declared, "Next, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Nightmare's Steelcage!"

The three girls gasped when the boy's Spell Card whipped up a powerful tornado that was strong enough to smash apart the large metal wall in-between them all. "No! Now he can damage our Life Points again!" said Gilda in distress.

"For once, Gilda, you're quite correct!" Martin said in a menacing tone. He then took away one of the cards underneath one of his Number cards and said, "I activate Punishment's effect once more!" (Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment: OLU 2 - 1 = 1)

After activating his monster's effect, Gilda's Summoner Monk switched back to Attack Position. In addition, Sunset's face-down monster flipped face-up, revealing itself as Chronomaly Moai Carrier (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800). Upon doing so, both monsters rushed in to attack Martin's monster, with Gilda's monster firing a spell, and Sunset's monster shooting a pair of laser beams. Of course, because of its ability, Embodiment of Punishment sent all of the damage right back at them, staring with Moai Carrier's lasers (Sunset Shimmer & Gilda: LP 2,500 - 400 = 2,100), followed by the spell from Summoner Monk (Sunset Shimmer & Gilda: LP 2,100 - 300 = 1,800).

Martin cackled in a demented tone and said to his enemies, "It's only a matter of time before I end you both once and for all... Next turn, I'll be able to play my second Overlay Regen, which will restore an Overlay Unit on one of my monsters... And I'll use it to eliminate the remainder of your Life Points! Soon... so very soon, I'll make you and everyone else pay for what I've had to endure during my time here in this school!!"

Gilda, after hearing that, told him sternly, but calmly, "That's not going to happen."

"Why not?!" yelled the boy. "You deserve everything that I'm doing to you, and not even you can deny it!!"

"You're right about that." the brown-skinned girl replied, admitting to that. "I did bully you a lot... and I did some things to you that I'm not exactly proud of anymore..." She then gave Martin an angry glare and told him, "Even so, that's no excuse for what you're doing to Sunset right now!"

"Huh...?" the boy remarked, confused.

"You heard me." Gilda informed him. "She has absolutely nothing to do with anything that's happened between us, and yet you're trying to hurt her, too! You claim that you want to punish people for bullying you, but all you've done so far is torture a completely innocent person for no reason! You're acting no better than I did when I was bullying you! In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that you're acting even WORSE than I did!"

"How dare you!!!" yelled Martin in anger. "Are you suggesting that I'M being a bully?! ME?!?!"

"I'm not suggesting nothing!" the brown-skinned girl answered. "I'm outright TELLING it to you! You're nothing but a total hypocrite; you don't care who you hurt, just as long as you get what you want in the end!" Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she then added, "And now that I've seen it for myself, I now totally realize what a jerk I've been to you and other people... And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything that I've put you through..."

Martin was stunned when he actually heard Gilda apologize to him. But he then told her, "You can take that apology and shove it down your throat! I'm getting my revenge on you, and that's that!! I'll punish you and everyone else with the full weight of my anger and hatred!!"

"Is that so...?" the Griffonstone girl asked him. "Then there's no other choice for me to make: I'll face that anger and hatred head-on and eliminate it forever!" Gilda then pulled her next card and looked at it. She then thought, (I just drew Raidraptor - Nest... I can discard this card and use Summoner Monk to Special Summon a Level 4 monster from my Deck again... Then, I'll have enough monsters to bring out an Xyz Monster. But which one should I go with?) She then pondered, (I could go for Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon... but that wouldn't do us any good; He'll just use his monster's effect to force it into attacking, and we'll lose...)

Gilda looked over at Sunset, who said to her, "You can do this Gilda... Just remember: Standing up to a bully doesn't mean using force against them." She then smiled warmly and added, "Sometimes, it pays to be a little passive-aggressive, just like our friend, Fluttershy." Pinkie Pie nodded to say that she agreed with that statement.

"Be passive-aggressive...?" asked the brown-skinned girl. She then thought, (But no matter what we do, we can't destroy those stupid monsters of his!) Just then, she let out a gasp as an idea came to her. (Wait! That's it! How could I have forgotten about it?? There's one card in my Deck that can help us defeat him!) Gilda then smirked as she stared down the crazed boy, which made him step back a bit.

"I activate Summoner Monk's effect!" Gilda declared. "I discard my Raidraptor - Nest, and then Special Summon a Level 4 monster out of my Deck! Go, Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius!!" After she took the card out of her Deck, she then played it onto her Duel Pad, calling up a red and white-armored bird (Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). "And now I've got all I need to bring out the monster that'll wipe you out for good!"

"Sunnie, is she going to bring out that big, scary, dragon monster from yesterday?" asked Pinkie Pie.

Sunset Shimmer pondered to herself about that. (I'm sure that Gilda knows full well that Dark Rebellion won't help us here...) She then smirked and thought, (Heh... I wonder what she's got planned?)

Martin chuckled and asked, "So you're finally going to do it, huh? That's just fine!! Bring him out!! Bring out Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!!"

But the Griffonstone girl chuckled to herself, asking him, "Whoever said I was bringing out Dark Rebellion?"

"Y-you're not??" asked the boy, not sure what was going on.

"Nope... I've got another monster in my Deck that's not quite as tough, but his special skills will prove to be far more useful in this situation!" Gilda then shouted, "I overlay my Summoner Monk and Sharp Lanius, both Level 4, and build an Overlay Network!" Everyone watched as both monsters transformed into a pair of purple lights that flew into a red summoning portal. "Noble marksman of the sky! Raise your mighty rifle in the name of justice and fell your enemies with skillful precision!" the roughneck chanted, "Xyz Summon! Take your place! Rank 4! Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer!!"

From out of the red vortex, a figure appeared that seemed to be a cross between a human and a bird, along with two green orbs circling around him. He wore a blue uniform that came with a long, flowing cape and a hat that were the same color. The hat had a red plume decorating the top of it, and on his back were a pair of bright, fuchsia-colored wings and tail feathers. His weapon of choice was a musket rifle, which he proudly held in his hands (Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Wow... I didn't know she had that card..." said Sunset. "Now I see what she's trying to do..."

Martin, however, had no clue what his foe was attempting. "What's the deal, Gilda?" he asked her. "That monster can't destroy my Number cards! It's not even a Number, so it couldn't destroy Crime or Punishment even without their defensive effects!"

"Really now?" she then asked him with a smirk. "You keep telling us how 'inferior' our minds are, and yet you don't seem to be aware of what I'm about to do?"

"What could you possibly do?" Martin then asked her. "I told you, my monsters can't be destroyed!"

"...Except that destroying your monsters isn't my goal." Gilda rebutted. She then declared, "I activate the effect of Castel! First, I remove both of his Overlay Units..." When she did, the two green orbs flew into the bird-man's gun, and he immediately pointed the weapon towards the Number card that Sunset was chained to (Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer: OLU 2 - 2 = 0). The Griffonstone girl then told the boy, "Now, using his ability, I can select any card on the field, and send it back to its owner's Deck!"

"WHAT?!? NO!!!" shouted Martin in distress.

"You get it, don't you?" asked Gilda. "Xyz Monsters can't exist in your hand or your Deck... Which means that there's only one place it CAN go..."

"N-n-no... this can't be...!" said the boy, getting scared for the first time since the Duel began. "If she uses that effect on one of my Number cards... then they'll be sent back... to my Extra Deck!"

"That's right!!" the roughneck confirmed. She then shouted, "Go, Castel! Send Embodiment of Crime back to Martin's Extra Deck, and make it snappy!"

Martin could only watch in horror as Gilda's Xyz Monster fired its rifle, sending out of it not a bullet, but a super-strong whirlwind that hit Embodiment of Crime hard. In fact, it hit it so hard, that the chains that held Sunset onto its stone slab loosened and fell off, freeing the otherworldly girl and dropping her to the ground below. Luckily, she didn't fall far, and she landed safely onto her rear end. The Number card wasn't so lucky, as the whirlwind blew it completely off of the battlefield, and not long after that, it vanished into thin air.

"Sunnie!! You're free!! You're free!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, running over to her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Getting up, Sunset Shimmer told her friend, "Just a little sore in some places, but I'll live." She then turned to Gilda and said to her, "Gilda... thank you so much for getting me off of that thing."

"Heh, no prob." the Griffonstone girl casually responded. "Last I checked, friends help friends, right?" Sunset nodded yes to say that she agreed with that. Gilda then told her, "But now that you are free, I think it's high time Martin here learns his lesson about how karma works." The boy began to tremble upon hearing that, knowing that he was no longer in control of the Duel anymore.

"I think so too, Gilda." the red and yellow girl replied with a smirk. "So I think now's the perfect time to play this card that I've been saving for just such an occasion..." Tapping her Duel Pad's screen, she declared, "I activate the Trap Card, Xyz Reborn! This card allows me to bring back any Xyz Monster from our Graveyard back to the field! And I'm going to use it to revive this monster!" Taking out a card from her own Graveyard, she then declared, "Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk! Return to the field!!

Martin gasped when Sunset brought back the Number card that she had Summoned at the beginning of the Duel. The bright, blue sphere took its place above its controller, ready to do battle.

"Oh, and as an added bonus," the otherworldly girl continued, "After it brings back a monster, Xyz Reborn then becomes an Overlay Unit for the monster it Summons!" And true to her words, the Trap Card then turned into a pink light that shot up into the air, before returning as a yellow orb that orbited Sunset's Number card (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU 0 + 1 = 1). "But it won't stay there for long," Sunset continued, "because I'm removing that Overlay Unit to use Chateau Huyuk's effect (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU 1 - 1 = 0)! This allows me to reduce the attack power of your remaining Number card to zero!"

"Oh no!!" shouted Martin as he watched Embodiment of Punishment lose all of its power (Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment: ATK 500 > 0). However, there was nothing that he could do to save himself from defeat now.

"Yeah! Yeah! YEAH!!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Now let him have it!!"

Sunset and Gilda nodded as they began their final attack...

"Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!" the red and yellow girl started.

"Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer!!" the Griffonstone girl added.

"ATTACK!!!" they both shouted in unison.

And with that simultaneous order, both of their monsters began to attack. Sunset's monster attacked first, releasing a gigantic stream of deadly energy that obliterated Martin's remaining monster in one shot and inflicted massive damage on him as well (Martin: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). Once his Number card was gone, Gilda's musketeer then initiated his attack, firing his rifle and striking the boy hard, instantly ending the Duel (Martin: LP 2,000 - 2,000 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer & Gilda).

"Alright!!! You won!! You WON!!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, hopping up and down excitedly. "I knew you could do it!!!"

Gilda let out a sigh of relief, as did Sunset. "Whew... that was a tough one..." the red and yellow girl said to both herself and Gilda. "But we did it..." Looking at her now-glowing necklace, she then added, "There's just one last thing to do now..." She then held up her hand towards Martin, who was now lying down on the tile floor of the hallway, stunned but still breathing. A pair of light balls phased out of his chest area and flew towards the otherworldly girl's hand. Afterwards, they transformed into the troubled boy's Number cards. "I'm taking these Numbers so that they'll never harm anyone ever again... That sound good to you, Gilda?"

But the Griffonstone girl said nothing; instead, she walked over to Martin, just as the kid regained consciousness. When he looked up at Gilda (with light purple-colored eyes instead of deep red ones), he immediately yelped and shuffled back towards the wall. He then pleaded, "G-G-Gilda... p-please...! D-d-don't hurt me!! ...Okay, if you're gonna hurt me, at least don't touch my face!!"

But the brown-skinned girl told him in a calm tone of voice, "Martin... you don't need to be scared anymore... I'm not going to hurt you at all."

"Y-you aren't?" he asked, bewildered. "Even after all that I was doing to you and Sunset??"

"I'm not." she confirmed, shaking her head no. "It's all my fault that you were acting that way... You were just angry at me for bullying you, and you had every right to be. But when you tried to hurt Sunset the way you did, you were beginning to lose your focus, and you ended up becoming the very thing you hated." She then sighed and told him, "I had no idea just how you felt whenever me or anyone else at school picked on you, and I feel really bad about it now... So, for what's it's worth... I'm... I'm sorry."

"You are...?" the boy asked meekly.

Gilda nodded, smiled and said, "From now on, I promise that I'll never pick on you or anyone else ever again... In fact, if anyone at school tries to do that to you anymore... They'll have to get through me."

Martin felt very touched that Gilda was going to stand up for him instead of torment him like everyone else. "Th... thank you..." he said to her. "That's... that's so nice of you... How did you change so quickly?"

"...I met some good friends recently, that's what." the Griffonstone girl told him. She then glanced over at Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie; Sunset gave her a wink and a thumbs-up, while Pinkie waved her left hand in the air excitedly.

Minutes later, the four of them were standing outside of the school, ready to leave the area and head home. "Sunset," Gilda began to say to the red and yellow girl, "thanks for all of your help. I have t' say, this whole mess ended better than I thought it would."

"I'm just happy to see that you're going to be nicer to Martin from now on." Sunset replied. "I think deep down, he didn't really want to hurt anyone... I think all he really needed was a friend." She then asked the boy, "Isn't that right?"

"Y-yeah... that's right." he replied. It was quite clear that, without the Numbers controlling him, Martin was actually a very friendly and kind person. In fact, he seemed to act a lot like Fluttershy.

"Well, I think Gilda'll be a great friend to you, right Gilda?" Pinkie asked.

"Well, let's just say, I learned from the best." the Griffonstone girl replied with a wink. "And I promise to use what I learned and become a much better person now."

"And I think you'll be a lot happier that way." Sunset Shimmer then said to her.

Gilda then walked towards the otherworldly girl while reaching into a pocket in her leather jacket. "And to show my appreciation for everything you and your friends have done for me, I'd like you to have something; I think it might help you collect the rest of those Number cards..." She then pulled out a Duel Monsters card and showed it to her.

"Huh? Castel??" Sunset inquired. "Isn't this the card that was in your Deck during the Duel?"

Gilda chuckled a little. "I'm being nice, not stupid." she told the red and yellow girl. "That ain't the same monster that's in my Deck, it's a spare that I picked up a while back. I don't have any use for it, but I think it'll be a big help to you in your future Duels. So take it; I insist."

Sunset was quite surprised, yet happy, to see just how generous Gilda had become. Nodding her head yes, the otherworldly girl said, "Alright then, I'll take it." She then took the card that Gilda offered her and placed it into her deck box. "I'll take very good care of it, Gilda." she promised.

"Good t' hear, Sunset." the brown-skinned girl told her. "And hey, don't be a stranger; feel free to come and visit us here again if you've got the time."

"Sure." Sunset replied. "And feel free to come to my apartment for sleepovers if you want to." The Griffonstone girl nodded as everyone waved goodbye. The four of them departed the school and headed back for their homes.

As Sunset and Pinkie Pie headed back towards the city, the pink teen then said to her friend, "Ahhhh... I just love these happy endings... With everybody being friends and smiling at the end..."

"Yeah, me too." the black jacket-clad teen agreed. She then asked her pink friend, "So... this James Bond... Does that have anything to do with ropes or something?"

Pinkie giggled and pulled her friend closer to her. "Aw, Sunnie, you Silly-Billy... But don't you worry! When you come to my house tomorrow night, I promise to make a fan out of you, or my name's not Pinkamena Diane Pie!" Sunset still seemed a little confused, but decided to go along with it. The two continued to walk down the sidewalk as Pinkie hummed a little tune to herself: "Dun-dun-DA-DAAAAA-da-dun-aaaaa....!! Dun-na-naaaa... da-dun-aaaaa..."

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (8 Numbers total):

Number 13: Embodiment of Crime
Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment

RANK 8: What's Up, Dueling Doc?:

Author's Note

This episode is my biggest one so far. A new character makes their first appearance here, using a very familiar Deck.

One of the concerns of writing a fanfic is that something new might happen in the canon that would conflict with things that you had written prior to finding out. However, I don't plan to change what I've written so far if and when things like that occur. Like how the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga are often different from each other, it's best to treat this and other stories on here the same way, and just enjoy them for what they are.

RANK 8: What's Up, Dueling Doc?:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Sunset Shimmer has, so far, done well in stopping the powerful and corrupting effects of the mysterious Number cards. She has been able to defeat every Duelist that had Numbers in their Deck, which included the two owned by Martin, a student at Griffonstone High School. His hatred towards the bullies that tormented him every day at school turned him into a sadistic individual that desired to take revenge on everyone. But with the combined efforts of both Sunset and Gilda, he was defeated, and his Number cards were taken away.

Now Sunset currently possesses eight Number cards. So far, her goal of preventing their power from being misused is coming along nicely.

But is she the only one that is after the mysterious cards...?

Cheese Sandwich Family Fun Center / Time: 1522 hours (a.k.a. 3:22 p.m.)

Down the road leading out of Canterlot City, there was a rather large building: It was known as the Cheese Sandwich Family Fun Center, which was a place for people of all ages to go and enjoy themselves. There were all sorts of fun activities, such as an enormous arcade, a laser tag arena, miniature golf, and batting cages. But today, someone was making the fun center a lot less fun for everybody.

Inside the building, a young teenage girl was running up several flights of stairs as fast as she could. The girl had light peach skin, along with short, blue hair and light purple eyes. She wore a cobalt-blue sleeveless top with a small picture of a pair of white sneakers printed upon the chest area. She had on a pair of navy-blue athletic shorts, tied with a drawstring, and a pair of white running shoes. On her wrists were a pair of white wristbands. She eventually got to the top of the staircase, opening the door wide and entering the room beyond it.

"Mr. Sandwich!! Mr. Sandwich!!" shouted the girl. "We've got an emergency!!"

"Please, Adrenaline Rush, call me Cheese." said a man inside of the office room. "MISTER Sandwich is my father's name." The man turned around to face the girl named Adrenaline Rush (or Addie for short). The man had bright orange skin and long, curly brown hair with a tuft of hair sticking up above his forehead, along with bold, green eyes. He wore a bright yellow shirt and long, blue pants, the latter of which was held up with a belt that had a picture of a grilled cheese sandwich painted upon the buckle. The simple ensemble was completed with a pair of red sneakers with white soles and rainbow-colored shoestrings.

"Um... sure. Whatever you wish, Cheese." Addie said to him, responding to his earlier comment. She then told him, "Anyway, we've got an emergency!"

"Lemme guess:" Cheese Sandwich responded. "A little kid crawled into the Skill Crane game?"

"No."

"Someone's doing a swan dive into the Bumper Boat pool?"

"No."

Gasping and putting on a horrified expression, Cheese then asked, "Don't tell me that someone figured out the patterns in Ms. Pac-Man and beat my high score?!?"

"Um... I don't think you'll need to worry about that." Addie then informed him, "Earlier, I was checking on the Batting Cages and making sure that everything was alright... Then all of a sudden, I heard some sort of commotion nearby! I think it was coming from the Go-Kart Track, but I didn't see what it was yet."

"I guess we'd better check it out, then." Cheese suggested. He then smirked and told her, "I'm sure it's nothing, Addie... So don't worry your head off; you only ever get one."

Unbeknownst to either Cheese or Addie, however, the commotion at the Go-Kart Track was far from being "nothing". Several people were shrieking as they managed to swerve out of the way of a speeding kart. The driver of the kart was a teenage girl with aqua green-colored skin and medium-length orange hair with lighter-colored streaks running all over it. She had violet eyes and wore earrings shaped like small lightning bolts, along with a pair of goggles on her head.

The outfit that she wore appeared to be a school uniform; more specifically, it was the school uniform for Crystal Prep Academy, another rival high school to Canterlot High. The uniform was mostly red-violet in color; the short-sleeved top had a bluish-violet ribbon tied on top of it, along with light-blue buttons running down to secure the garment. The skirt had a plaid design, consisting of thin lines, colored yellow, blue, and purple, against the red-violet background, with violet along the waist area. She wore a pair of navy-blue shoes that had a lighter blue streak design on either side of it, and a small ribbon tied on the top of it that was of the same color. Her socks were also violet-colored, and they sagged a little above the tops of her shoes.

The girl snickered and laughed as she continued to drive like a total maniac. "Ha ha ha ha!!! That's right! Get outta my way!!" she shouted as she cackled. "Slowpokes like you aren't worthy of racing on the same track as me!!!" The crazed teen then looked ahead and saw two more karts ahead of her, one pink and one silver, driving alongside of each other. The girl smirked as she slammed the gas pedal, propelling herself forward.

The drivers ahead of her just so happened to be none other than Diamond Tiara and her friend Silver Spoon. When the pair heard the insane driver coming towards them, they moved out of the way at the last second, allowing the aqua-green girl to speed right between them. "Hey!!" shouted an unhappy Diamond Tiara. "Watch where you're going, you lunatic!!"

The insane driver then slowed down, but only to turn the kart around to face them. "Sorry 'bout that..." she told the two of them in a sinister tone. Punching the gas, she then added, "This time, I won't miss!!"

Diamond and Silver gasped when they realized that the teen was trying to run them down on purpose. In an instant, the two of them quickly spun their karts around and drove as fast as they could in the other direction to try and get away. However, the crazed girl was slowly gaining on them. "D-Diamond...!" Silver Spoon said worryingly. "She's still behind us! If she catches up, it'll be all over for us!"

Diamond, for once, was just as worried as her friend was. Sweat and tears running down her face, she then said, "If we get out of this somehow, Silver... I'm turning over a whole new leaf! I'll stop picking on Apple Bloom and her friends! I'll get involved with a charity! I'll clean my plate! Anything!!"

The crazy aqua-green teenager was getting closer and closer towards the two young girls. It seemed inevitable that Diamond and Silver would be severely injured... or worse. The berserk kart driver got closer... and closer... and closer... until...

...nothing.

All of a sudden, the girl's go-kart had stopped completely, even though her foot was right on the gas pedal. "Huh?!" she asked herself. Looking down at the machine, she repeatedly stomped the gas, pounding it as hard as she could. "What the-? C'mon, you stupid piece of junk! MOVE!!!" But no matter how hard she tried, the small vehicle wouldn't move.

The girl grumbled and looked around her. She gasped when she saw that her go-kart wasn't the only thing that wasn't moving. Everything and everyone around her seemed to be completely frozen. Diamond and Silver still had their horrified facial expressions, even though they appeared to be completely motionless; they weren't even blinking. And not just them: All of the other patrons weren't moving at all either, and the aqua-green girl had no idea why.

"Wha... what's goin' on??" she asked herself. "Why's everything stopped all of a sudden?? Why am I the only one that can move?!"

Just then, the girl heard a bizarre sound coming from behind her. It appeared to be a slow, soft song, played on a harmonica. She turned around in the direction of the music and saw a tall man walking towards her. The man had a walnut-brown face and short, spiky dark brown hair, along with blue eyes. He wore a long, flowing brown overcoat over top of a white shirt, green necktie, and blue pants. He wore a pair of black-and-white shoes on his feet, and on the right side of his coat was a picture of an hourglass. On his left arm was a Duel Pad, which seemed to have a steampunk-like appearance to it. Last but not least, in his hands, was the bronze-colored harmonica that he was playing.

"Who the heck are you?" shouted the aqua-green colored girl.

The man then stopped playing his small instrument and looked over towards the teenager ahead of him. "Hmmmm..." he hummed as a small, red mark appeared over his left eye for about a second. He then looked at the back of the girl's closed fist, spotting a mark that appeared to look like a 91. The man then sighed and asked, "You must be Lightning Dust, am I correct?" His voice appeared to have a British accent to it.

"Huh?! How'd you know my name??" she asked in surprise.

"I know a great deal about you." the man told her. "You are currently sixteen years of age, but you will be seventeen in about... ohhhhh... three months and... one week, if I recall correctly. You are also a student at Crystal Prep Academy, and a member of their Lacrosse team; although I've heard that recently, you were suspended for two games due to, 'unsportsmanlike conduct'. Apparently you got a little TOO aggressive against the other team, even by CPA's standards..."

"Okay, buddy... you're startin' to creep me out here..." said Lightning Dust. "How do you know so much about me? And why?!"

"...How I know are details you would never understand in your lifetime." the man calmly told her. "As for why, the answer is quite simple, really... You have something that I want, and if I plan on obtaining it from you, I'll need as much information on you as possible, in order to plan for every possible contingency."

"What're ya talkin' about?!" asked Lightning, getting more irate. "You're makin' no sense at all! What is it you want from me?!"

"...Your Number card." he answered.

"My what?"

"Number cards only possess other Duelists." the man told her. "And I know for certain that you have one."

Lightning Dust then gasped a little and pulled out a card from a pocket in her skirt. "Hold on... are you talkin' about this card?" she asked, holding it up to him...

*******************************

Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 2000)

3 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can activate 1 of these effects.
* Detach 3 Xyz Materials from this card; destroy all other face-up monsters on the field.
* Detach 5 Xyz Materials from this card; destroy all cards your opponent controls.

*******************************

The aqua-green girl snickered wickedly and told the man, "I don't know where this card came from, or why... But ever since I got it, I've been livin' life in the fast lane! With this thing in my hand, I'll prove that NO ONE is faster than me! And I'll knock away anybody that tries to get in my way!!"

The tall man sighed and said to her, "Just like the others... you've fallen prey to the card's darkness as well. But that will soon change once I confiscate your Number card!"

"You think you can?" asked Lightning Dust mockingly. "Just who do you think you are sayin' junk like that without any way t' back it up?! Who are you?!?"

The man kept his calm demeanor and told her, "In the time it would take for you to pronounce my name, a million galaxies would be destroyed and reborn."

"...Huh?"

"You may simply refer to me as... The Doctor." he then added. "Of course, right now, I also go by another identity, known only by my adversaries: The Number Hunter."

"Number... Hunter?" asked Lightning. She then grumbled and yelled, "Oh who cares?! I'm gettin' real sick n' tired of that annoying attitude of yours!!" Getting out her Duel Pad and Duel Gazer, she then angrily added, "You want my Number card so bad?! Well, get ready, 'cause you're gonna get it!!"

"Yes, 'getting your Number card' is what I intend to do." The Doctor then activated his Duel Pad; a large panel slid out from the top of the touch screen, followed by two more panels that slid out from either side of the first one. Instead of putting on a Duel Gazer, the large red mark that had appeared over his left eye earlier showed up on his face again, this time staying there for good. "It's time to Duel!!"

25 minutes later...

What followed after the Doctor's declaration was an epic Duel between him and Lightning Dust. Although everything and everyone around them were still frozen in place, the contest between them was full of action as their monsters fiercely battled each other. But now, by this point, the Duel was about to end...

Lightning Dust shivered in fear as she stared down what appeared to be a humongous dragon. "What... what's that thing...?" she asked, whimpering a little. "I've never seen a monster that powerful before...!"

Drawing a card from his Deck, the Doctor then shouted, "Now, my great beast! Attack!!!" And with that order, the giant dragon behind him let out a powerful blast of light that sped towards his foe, striking her hard.

"AAAAAAAACKKKK!!!!!!" Lightning screamed as she took the heavy hit (Lightning Dust: LP 2,000 - 3,000 = 0) (WINNER: Dr. Whooves). She then toppled over, falling flat on her back, completely knocked out.

The Doctor then watched as a small ball of light phased out of Lightning's chest area. He then pressed a button on his Duel Pad, causing a small electrode to protrude from the front of the device. It then began to charge up with energy, which then caused the ball of light to drift towards it, as if it were a magnet. The electrode then completely absorbed the light ball, and a second later, a card came out of the Duel Pad's Graveyard slot: It was, of course, Lightning Dust's Number card, Thunder Spark Dragon.

"There we go..." the man said to himself as he stared at the card, his red eye mark disappearing as he did so, "Number 91 has been secured." After pocketing the card away in his deck box, he then looked at the chaotic scene in front of him. The now driver-less go-kart was still right on the tails of both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "There's just one matter left to attend to..." The Doctor then walked over and picked up Diamond from out of the go-kart. He then placed her outside of the track, on the other side of the wire fence. He then did the same with Silver Spoon.

Once he was content, The Doctor then reached into a pocket in his overcoat, pulling out a small communicator, which he placed over his right ear. He then pressed a small button on it, and after a while, began speaking into it. "Assistant? Are you there?" he said into the device. "...Good. I've located Ms. Lightning Dust and obtained her Number card... Yes... Yes, bring the Tardis over immediately. Once I enter, deactivate the device as we take our leave, as usual... Alright, then."

The man then stuffed the communicator back into his pocket. Not long after he did, a large object began to appear in front of him. It appeared to be a large, blue phone booth (in actuality, it was a police call box, commonly found in England). Once it fully materialized, its door opened, and the man walked inside of it. After the doors shut closed, the booth began to vanish into thin air.

Almost immediately as the strange object vanished, the patrons were able to move again. Diamond and Silver kept right on screaming in terror... until they realized that they weren't in their karts anymore. Before they could say anything, they saw the kart driven by Lightning crash into theirs, all of which of course, were now unoccupied. The three small vehicles were heavily damaged, but no one was hurt.

"Uh... Diamond? What just happened?" asked Silver Spoon, confused.

"Don't look at me, Silver..." the pink-skinned girl replied. "I have no idea what just happened... Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"Hey! Is everybody alright??" shouted a girl's voice from far away. Everyone turned around to see both Cheese Sandwich and Adrenaline Rush running towards them.

"Uh, yeah... we're just fine." Silver told them both. "...Somehow."

Cheese glanced over at the wrecked remains of the three go-karts and sighed, saying, "Aw man... those karts are completely totaled! Good thing I've still got plenty of cash from my album sales..."

"Let's just be glad that nobody got hurt from what happened here." Addie told her boss. "The last thing we need is a lawsuit against the place all because somebody went totally nuts." She then asked Diamond and Silver, "Speaking of which, could the two of you tell me who's responsible for all of this?"

"Hmph! It would be my pleasure!" the pink, tiara-wearing girl replied. "It was some crazy girl with bluish-green skin and yellow hair that did all of that!"

"...You mean her?" asked Addie, pointing to Lightning Dust, who was still lying down on the ground after she was defeated in a Duel earlier on (which nobody in the area even knew took place).

"Huh??" Diamond and Silver glanced over at the aqua-green teenager, now more confused than ever. "What's she doing over there??" Silver then asked. "Last time we saw her, she was behind us in her go-kart!"

"I don't know, but I'll get her to talk! Just watch!" Diamond then put on an angry face as she grabbed Lightning Dust by her shirt collar and brought her to face level with her. "Alright, you jerk!" the pink girl snapped at her. "Why'd you try to run us over?! What do you have to say for yourself?!?"

Lightning Dust groaned as she opened her eyes, which were now bright yellow, as opposed to earlier, when they were purple. In a groggy tone, she began to speak. But all she said was, "N... Number... Hunter... Num... ber... Hunterrrr..." After uttering those words, she then fainted and fell back onto the ground.

"Uh... what's she talking about, Diamond?" asked Silver Spoon.

"Heck if I know..." the pink girl replied. By this point, everyone in the area had gathered together, curious to know what had happened.

Among those in the crowd was Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister. After she heard what Lightning Dust had said, she began to ponder about it some more. (Number Hunter...?) she asked herself in her mind.

"A what hunter?"

"Number Hunter, Sunset." Applejack answered her friend, Sunset Shimmer, while they were having lunch at the cafeteria. With them was Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "Yesterday, when Ah came to the Fun Center t' pick up mah sister and her friends, she told me that Lightnin' Dust was tryin' to run over Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on the Go-Kart Tracks."

"Wait, did you say Lightning Dust?" asked Rainbow Dash. "From Crystal Prep?"

"Uh huh." the farm girl confirmed, nodding her head yes. "Then, all of a sudden, just when it looked like she'd hurt the two of them, Diamond and Silver were off of the track and out of danger, just before the karts crashed into each other. As for Lightnin', Apple Bloom told me that she was lyin' down on the ground, totally knocked out..."

"Woah..." was all that Sunset could say in regards to Applejack's story.

Fluttershy then decided to speak, telling them, "I've heard that, because of what happened, Lightning Dust was admitted to the hospital for a check-up. It wasn't anything serious, but there's a rumor that, as a result, she actually decided to drop out of the Friendship Games this year. l... I heard that someone named Indigo is going to take her place instead, though it hasn't been confirmed..."

"Hmph... Forgive me for saying this, but I don't feel too sorry for her." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "She's super-annoying, especially in a competition: She's overconfident, boastful, and doesn't think ahead... Not like me." Rainbow's friends just gave her an unconvinced look in response to that comment.

"What about that other thing you mentioned?" Sunset then asked Applejack. "You know... about this 'Number Hunter'?"

"Ah don't know much, Ah'm afraid..." the orange-skinned teen told her friend. "All that mah li'l sis told me was that 'Number Hunter' was the last thing Lightnin' Dust said before she fainted completely."

Sunset Shimmer pondered about that for a while, wondering what those words meant. Just then, Fluttershy gasped and asked, "Oh dear... You don't think that... there's someone else out there collecting those Number cards, do you...?"

The other three girls stopped what they were doing when they heard their friend say that. "No way... You really think that could be true??" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, it is a possibility." Sunset responded. "As we already know, the Number cards are extremely powerful, even by the usual standards of an Xyz Monster... So it wouldn't surprise me if there were more people out there trying to get them all."

"But if that's true," Applejack began to say, "then... there's a mighty good chance that this 'Number Hunter', whoever they are... might come after you, Sunset..."

"Oh... my..." squeaked Fluttershy, trembling at the thought of that. Sunset didn't show it on her face, but she did feel worried after Applejack had made that statement.

"Aw, whad'ya got to worry about?" asked Rainbow Dash rhetorically. "Sunset's the toughest Duelist here at school! There's no way she'd lose to some guy just like that!"

"That still doesn't mean that I shouldn't be cautious about it if it IS true." the otherworldly girl informed her. "Whoever this guy is, he must have some extremely powerful skills, especially if he's actively fighting against other Number users... Don't forget; Numbers can only destroy each other in battle, so his Deck must have some sort of strategy to fight them, regardless of that effect that they all have..."

"Well, don't get too worried 'bout it all, Sunset." Applejack told her in a calm tone of voice. "Ah'm sure you'll be able to deal with that guy, if'n when he shows up. You're a smart cookie, and we know you'll come up with somethin'."

"And don't forget, we're all right here by your side t' support ya." Rainbow then said. "Even if it's just in spirit." Fluttershy nodded to say that she felt the same way.

Sunset Shimmer breathed out a happy sigh. "Thanks, girls..." she responded. "That makes me feel a little better... But only just a little."

The other three girls could tell that their good friend was still a little nervous. Suddenly, Applejack spoke up and asked, "Ah got an idea: Ah'm not doin' much after school today... perhaps Ah could come over to your place for a sleepover tonight?"

"A sleepover?" asked the red and yellow girl.

The country girl nodded and added, "Ah was just thinkin' that you'd feel a little better if one of us stayed by your side, just in case."

The otherworldy girl thought about it for a while, thinking of what to do. She then smiled and said to Applejack, "You know... that actually would help me feel a lot better if you did that." Nodding her head yes, she then added, "Alright then, I'd love to have you stop by. I'll just have to let Mr. Roar know that you'll be showing up." The orange girl smiled after hearing that.

Rainbow Dash then took her left hand and placed it upon Sunset's right hand, which was resting on the cafeteria table, saying to her, "You've got nothin' to worry about, Sunset. I know for a fact that you'll be okay... There's no way some guy from out of nowhere will be able to beat you just like that. We know first-hand how tough you are, and you'll be able to beat him at his own game!"

Sunset blushed a little after hearing that. Chuckling a little, she then told her cyan friend, "What I wouldn't give to have even a shred of the confidence and courage you have every day, Rainbow." The athletic teen smirked a little in response as they all shared a small chuckle amongst each other.

Meanwhile, far away from Canterlot High, in what appeared to be a humongous laboratory of some sort, an adult man was strolling past the many strange machines that dotted the facility. The man was none other than the mysterious Duelist that, earlier on, had defeated Lightning Dust in a Duel and took her Number card: The man known simply as, "The Doctor".

Heading towards a large computer system, he stopped a short distance away from a black leather swivel chair. "Good afternoon, my assistant." he spoke, directing his voice towards the chair. "How goes everything?"

The chair spun around to face The Doctor, revealing that there was a young teenage girl sitting in it. The girl had light-grey skin, long blond hair, and golden yellow eyes. However, one of the eyes appeared to be misaligned, giving her an odd-looking appearance. She wore a light blue shirt with a darker blue collar and sleeve cuffs, a yellow necktie, a green skirt with a bubble design printed on it, and small, green shoes with long, white socks.

"Oh! Hi, Doctor!" the girl responded with a cheerful voice. "Everything's going great! I haven't found anyone else with a Number card yet, but that's good news too, right?"

"I suppose it is, Ms. Derpy." The Doctor replied with a smile, patting her on the head a little. "If the computer cannot trace a Number card, then that only means that their power is not controlling anyone." He then asked, "Speaking of which, did you record the most recent Number that I've collected?"

The girl, Derpy Hooves (who was also called "Muffin" on occasions), gasped and said, "Oops! I almost forgot to do that! Just hang on a second..." The grey girl then began to rapidly type up information into the large computer in front of her. After she was done, she then told the man, "All done! With your newest one, you now have a total of four Number cards!"

"Excellent. Things are moving quite smoothly so far!" Putting on a more serious face, he then told his assistant, "Even though it is good to know that no one has become possessed by a Number at the moment, I do hope that one is found soon... The fate of this world depends heavily on it."

"Don't worry, Doctor! I know you'll be able to get them all!" Derpy assured him. "You're such a strong Duelist, especially considering the fact that you've only recently started playing the game! No one will ever be able to get the better of you, because there's no one that's stronger or smarter than you are!"

The man smiled, happy to hear her say that to him. Sighing contently, he told her, "That's what I like about you the most, Ms. Derpy: You're just so optimistic and cheerful, that even the most dire of situations do not feel impossible with you keeping my spirits up... That's just one of the many reasons that I took you on as my assistant." He then said to her, "I just hope that you don't mind having to miss out on school or anything else this year while you're traveling around with me..."

"I told you before," the grey girl told him with a smile, "I'm perfectly okay with it. Sure, I'll miss everyone I know at school, and all of the other stuff back home... But the time that I've spent here with you has been so amazing, that I do not regret this experience for one second!"

The Doctor was also happy to hear that statement as well. "I'm glad you feel that way, Ms. Derpy." he replied. "And it has been a great pleasure to have you here as my assistant." The grey teen smiled back in response.

Just then, the two of them heard a beeping sound coming from the computer. "The scanners!" Derpy exclaimed. "They've found another Number card!"

"Hmmm... that certainly was fast." The Doctor then instructed his assistant, "Trace the signal and find that Number card's current owner, as well as their whereabouts."

"On it." the grey girl stated, typing commands into the computer. The computer screen then displayed a large map of Canterlot City and its surrounding area. Eventually, the systems were able to lock in on the target that it detected, displaying all sorts of information to the two of them. Derpy let out a horrified gasp and said, "Oh no... Of all people to have a Number... why'd it have to be THAT person...?"

"Do you... know this individual...?" asked the man, curious.

"Mhmm..." the grey-skinned teenager meekly answered, nodding yes.

"...And I can only assume that your relationship with this person wasn't exactly a good one?" the Doctor then asked.

Derpy shook her head no and told him, "It wasn't... This person's mean; and I mean REALLY mean. That person's caused SO much trouble in school... They didn't care who they hurt, as long as they got what they wanted!"

"And did they... do anything particularly upsetting to you in the past?" asked the man. Derpy then nodded yes to answer his question. The Doctor then put on a serious expression and said to his assistant, "In that case, this mission will be more than just simply obtaining another Number card... It will also be about getting you justice for whatever happened between you and this person..."

"So what's your plan, Doctor?" Derpy asked him.

"...Set a course for Canterlot City." he instructed her. "And once we arrive... I promise you that I will seek out and vanquish the one known as..."

Sunset Shimmer spent the hours following the end of the school day at her apartment in the building on Jump Street. After informing the landlord, Manny Roar, that a friend of hers would be coming by to visit, the gruff, but kindly man made sure to allow her inside when she arrived. As the afternoon ended and dusk began, the otherworldly girl heard a knock on her door while she was watching TV. "I'm coming!" she called out as she got up off of her sofa and ran to the door.

Opening the door, she then saw that her friend Applejack had finally shown up, carrying some things in a suitcase. "Howdy, Sunset!" she greeted. "Sorry Ah'm later than Ah said Ah'd be; just had t' tie up some loose ends at the farm, some of them actually involvin' tying somethin' up."

"It's okay, Applejack." Sunset told her. "Better late than never, as they say. Come on in."

Applejack walked into the super-sized apartment and set her bag down next to the sofa that Sunset had previously been sitting in. Letting out a short whistle, she then told her red and yellow friend, "Ah'll still never get over how amazin' this place of yours is..."

"That makes two of us." Sunset chimed in. She then asked her friend, "So... what do you want to do first?"

After discussing it for a while, the two of them made a decision: The first thing that they did was pop up some popcorn, change into their pajamas, and watch some DVDs that the farm girl had brought with her from home. It was from a show that the red and yellow girl had never seen before, so of course, she had asked a few questions about it.

"Sooooo... lemme get this straight:" Sunset began to inquire, "This show's about some guy who's stuck up in outer space with these robots... and they're all forced to watch really bad movies?"

AJ gulped down some popcorn kernels and answered her, saying, "That's right. So to keep themselves from goin' crazy n' stuff, they make fun of the movie the entire time they're watchin' it."

"Sounds like an odd premise for a TV show." the otherworldly girl noted. "But I guess since it went on for so long, it must be pretty popular."

"Pretty popular?" repeated Applejack. "Y'all don't know the half of it." Munching on some more of the popcorn, she then added, "Actually, Big Mac's the one who got me into it; we've been collectin' the DVDs ever since."

"I can see why; it does get pretty funny after a while." Sunset coughed a little and told her friend, "Yeesh... all of that popcorn is making me thirsty; I'm gonna go and get some drinks from the soda fountain. Do you want anything?"

"Sure. Get me a Palomino Punch, if y'all don't mind." the country girl replied. The otherworldly girl nodded and headed towards the bar stand in the corner, to the left of the room's entrance.

Outside, on the apartment building's roof, a large object had slowly materialized itself into existance. It was the police call box that was owned by The Doctor. Once it came into view, its door opened, allowing the overcoat-wearing man to exit. Glancing around, he seemed unaffected by the cold nighttime winds that were blowing past him and causing the bottom of his overcoat to flutter around.

"Here we are..." he said to himself. "It's time to get to work..." He then strapped on his Duel Pad and pressed a button on it, activating some sort of device...

Back inside of Sunset's apartment, the red and yellow girl made her way to the soda fountain that she had behind the bar counter. She then took one of the glasses next to the machine, placed it under one of the taps and pressed the switch to dispense the liquid inside. However, nothing came out of it.

"Huh?" Sunset asked herself when she saw that the fountain wasn't doing anything. She pressed the tap again, but still nothing happened. "Aw man... is this thing broken?" she asked herself. "Great..." Walking back over to her friend, she began to tell her, "Uh, sorry AJ... the fountain's broken; I'm gonna go and tell Mr. Roar that-" But she cut her sentence short when she saw a rather odd scene in front of her:

Applejack was sitting completely motionless on the couch, seemingly unaware that Sunset was standing right nearby her. The show that they had been watching seemed to be stuck on one scene and was making no sound whatsoever. Finally, there were several pieces of popcorn floating in mid-air near Applejack's mouth; it seemed that the farm girl had begun tossing the kernels into her mouth before the bizarre event occurred.

"A-Applejack?? Applejack!" Sunset shouted, waving her hand in front of her face. But the orange teen made no response at all. Getting worried, the otherworldly girl thought, (What's going on here...? Why does she look like she's frozen??)

Running out of the room, Sunset looked around for any clues pertaining to Applejack's current state. But all she saw was more of the same: All around her, she saw tenants and staff frozen in action, completely unaware of the red and yellow girl's presence. The large grandfather clock in the hallway was also stopped, its long pendulum not moving back and forth like it usually did.

"What... what could have done this...??" asked Sunset, trembling a little.

Just then, the pajama-clad teen heard a loud voice around her, seemingly coming from a speaker of some sort. "May I have your attention please?" said the voice, with a hint of a British accent to it. "Would Ms. Sunset Shimmer please report to the roof of the building with your dueling Deck immediately? I repeat: Would Ms. Sunset Shimmer please report to the roof of the building with your dueling Deck immediately? Thank you."

"The... roof?" Sunset asked herself, not sure what was going on. Eventually, she decided that she should follow the voice's directions and head to the roof, assuming that she would find an answer there...

On the roof of the building, in front of the large, blue call box, The Doctor stood waiting for something... or someone. As he waited patiently, he took out the communicator in his coat pocket and placed it on his right ear before speaking into it. "Ms. Derpy? Are the video and audio feeds working properly?" he asked.

"Yes, Doctor!" the grey-skinned girl spoke from the other end. "I can see and hear you perfectly well!"

"Good." the man replied. "Now remember: I want you to remain in the Tardis at all times. As long as you are in there, my device will not affect you. But the very moment you leave the Tardis, you will be frozen in time like everything else."

"Don't worry, I remember." Derpy told him. She then asked the man, "Doctor... are you sure you want to fight Sunset? I told you earlier; she's not exactly a nice person... and that was BEFORE she got a Number card."

"I'll have to face her sooner or later, Ms. Derpy..." The Doctor told his assistant. "Better I fight her now, than after she obtains any more Numbers..."

"I suppose you make a good point." the grey-skinned girl told him. "Still, be careful, okay...?"

"I promise." the man told her. Just as he switched off his communicator, he heard footsteps coming towards him. The door ahead of him opened and out from behind it came Sunset Shimmer, wearing her pajamas and pink, fluffy Unicorn slippers, as well as her Duel Pad and Duel Gazer. "I see that you've decided to arrive, Ms. Shimmer." he told her.

"Who are you?" asked the red and yellow girl. "Did you have something to do with freezing everypo-er, everybody in the building?!" Her face and tone of voice told everyone that she wanted some answers right now.

"...You can call me The Doctor." the man told her, answering her first question. "As for your second question, the answer is yes... as well as no."

"What do you mean by that...?"

"You are correct that I had a hand in operating a device that has affected every tenant and staff member in this block of flats." The Doctor informed her. "However," he then said, "they are not actually frozen." Turning around and pointing to the call box behind him, he added, "As we speak, a device that I have built into the Tardis - that is the booth that lies behind me - is projecting a powerful energy field. This field has the ability to slow down time to one-ten thousandth of its normal speed, which merely gives the illusion that time has stopped dead in its tracks."

"Well, I guess that explains WHAT is going on around here..." Sunset noted. "Now I just want to know WHY... What are you getting out of slowing down time whenever you want?"

"It's very simple, actually..." the man then said. "Notice how everything here is moving slow except for the two of us? That is because only type of person can move freely within this field..." Narrowing his eyes, he then told her, "Only those who possess Number cards are unaffected."

Sunset let out a gasp when she heard him say that. At that moment, an ill feeling came over her when she realized something about the man after he made that statement. "Wait a minute..." she muttered. "That must mean... that you're that Number Hunter guy that I've heard about!"

Derpy, who was watching from inside of the Tardis, gasped a little when Sunset said that. "She already knew about him??" the grey-skinned girl asked herself. "How is that possible?"

The Doctor also seemed slightly surprised that Sunset knew about him already. "Hmmm... impressive. You have heard of me... I didn't know that my reputation would spread this quickly. But I suppose anything is quite possible." Looking straight at Sunset, he then asked her, "So... since you already know of my other identity, you must also know what I am here for."

"Believe me, I know exactly what you want from me, sir." the red and yellow girl answered. "But you're not going to get it! I won't allow you to take my Number cards!"

The Doctor hummed a little to himself and responded, saying to her, "I am afraid that it is for your own good that I take them, Ms. Shimmer. That sort of power does not belong in your hands. Better I take them now before you unleash their wicked energy on someone."

"Well, if you think that they're so wicked," Sunset then began to inquire, "then why are YOU collecting them? Why would you willingly put yourself at risk of falling prey to their power by obtaining them? And what's more, how do I know that you're not going to use them for some malicious reason?"

The man said nothing at first to answer the questions that she gave to him, as if he wasn't expecting her to ask something like that. Coming up with an answer, he then told her, "My reasons for doing what I am doing are not any of your concern... But I can assure you that my actions are just."

"Oh really?" asked the otherworldly girl, still not totally convinced.

"...Believe me or don't. It matters not." The Doctor said. "What does matter is that I have my mission, and I suppose that you have strong convictions of your own as well... The only way that we will be able to settle this dispute between us is through a Duel, don't you agree?"

Thinking for a while, Sunset then asked the man, "Not that I think it would matter, but... what if I were to refuse?"

"You do not have that option, I'm afraid." The Doctor informed her. "My device will not stop projecting the energy field until we duel; once the Duel's result has been decided - win, lose, or draw - the energy field will slowly vanish, along with its effects. Now do you understand the gravity of the situation, Ms. Shimmer?"

"I get it now." the red and yellow girl replied. "That device doesn't merely allow you to find Number holders, it also ensures that they don't have a choice but to duel you. You'll keep the field going until they accept your challenge."

"Precisely." The Doctor confirmed.

Sunset sighed and said to him, "Well, I guess that means that you'll get what you want... at least as far as a Duel." Activating her Duel Pad and Gazer, she then told him with pure confidence in her voice, "But don't expect an easy win! I won't let you defeat me!"

"Hmmmm... if I had a pound for every time I've heard that from an opponent," the man told her, "...well, I suppose that I would have three pounds so far." The Doctor activated his Duel Pad, just like Sunset had done before him. After doing so, the red mark on his eye reappeared. "I do not expect you to make it easy, but I made a promise that I would stop you! Now prepare to face the power of the Number Hunter!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000) (Dr. Whooves: LP 4,000)

Derpy, from inside of the Tardis, watched as both Sunset and The Doctor drew their first five cards from their respective Decks. She then looked over at the red and yellow girl on the computer screen with a slightly angry glare.

"This is it..." the grey girl said to herself. "The Doctor's finally going to fight her..." Growling a bit, she then added, "Finally, Sunset... you're going to pay for what you did to everyone at school... What you did to me... I still remember the last time you bullied me like it was yesterday..."

One year ago...

In a relatively empty hallway in Canterlot High School, the young teenager Derpy trembled as she backed up against a wall of lockers. "P-p-please..." she meekly said as she shook. "Please don't be mad... I'm... I'm sure that there's a way that we could work things out... I-I'm sure there was some sort of mistake..."

Standing in front of the scared girl was none other than an angry Sunset Shimmer. Back when this event took place, Twilight Sparkle had not yet visited the school, and Sunset was still a cold, cruel individual. Behind her were two younger boys: One was Snails, who had dirty orange skin and bluish green hair, and the other was a blue-skinned boy with messy orange hair named Snips.

"I didn't ask you to start making excuses, Weird-Eyes." Sunset told her in a forceful tone of voice. "What I asked you to do is to explain to me WHY that article about me in the school newspaper didn't get printed!"

"B-b-but I-I'm not in charge of that, Ms. Sunset...!" Derpy whimpered. "I'm not the one who decides what gets printed in the Foal Free Press and what doesn't..."

Grumbling, Sunset then told her, "Look: I made one simple request; one teeny-tiny little request... I wrote up an article to inform the whole school as to why I should be elected as this year's Fall Formal Princess... And I thought I made it QUITE clear to you that I wanted it printed IMMEDIATELY! So what happened?!?"

"Um... um..." Derpy knew the reason, but she was too scared to say it: The self-praising article that Sunset had written was pushed aside to allow room for more important articles instead.

Groaning out of frustration, the red and yellow girl then told her, "Luckily for you, I have OTHER matters to attend to before the Fall Formal begins in three days, so I'll deal with you later..." She then turned to the two boys behind her and told them, "Snips! Snails! Let's go." The three of them then left the hallway, leaving a frightened and trembling Derpy behind...

"You hurt a lot of people, Sunset Shimmer..." Derpy said to herself with a scowl, "but now the shoe's on the other foot... And once The Doctor gets through with you, you'll be the scared, miserable wreck instead!"

Back outside, Sunset and The Doctor were ready to begin their Duel. But both sides seemed a bit unsure about the other. (What's this guy's deal...?) the otherworldly girl thought to herself. (What does he want the Number cards for?) Sunset noticed something else about the strange man that only raised more questions...

(What's more...) she continued to ponder, (he isn't acting like the any of the other Number users that I've dueled against... He still appears to be sane; and besides that, that glare he's been giving me is making me think that there's more to this than just taking my Number cards... like he's got some personal grudge against me. But I know that I've never met him before... so what's he got against me?)

The Doctor was not sure about his opponent either. (This girl... she seems different from the other three people that I've dueled against so far...) he thought. (So far, the Number holders that I've encountered were acting completely out of their character, becoming violent, reckless, and dangerous... But none of them questioned why I wanted their Number cards, or asked me what I planned on doing with them. This girl, however... seems to be the exceptional case... Something tells me that this won't be like the other encounters.) Shaking his head, he then told himself, (No matter... I promised Ms. Derpy that I would defeat this person for her... And I always make good on my promises!)

"I'll begin this Duel, if you don't mind." Sunset informed her opponent. Taking out a card from her hand, she declared, "I Summon Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" After playing her card, her green disk-shaped monster appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500). "Next, I activate Nebra Disk's effect and take Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet out of my Deck." She then told the man. "Lastly, I'll set one card face-down to end my turn."

"Very well, then. I draw!" The Doctor pulled his first card from the top of his Deck and looked at it. (This will be needed much later.) he thought as he placed the card in his hand before taking out a different card. "From my hand," he then declared, "I activate Photon Veil!"

*******************************

Photon Veil:
(Normal Spell Card)

Shuffle 3 LIGHT monsters from your hand into the Deck, then add 1 to 3 Level 4 or lower LIGHT monsters from your Deck to the hand. If you add 2 or more monsters, they must have the same name.

*******************************

The Doctor then selected three monsters in his hand and shuffled them into his Deck. "Now," he said, "I shall take three new monsters from my Deck to place into my hand!" After he took his cards from the Deck, he then shouted, "Next, I shall play Photon Lead, which permits me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower LIGHT-Attribute monster from my hand in Attack Mode!" Taking out one of his other cards, he then placed it onto his card tray. "Come forth, Daybreaker!"

The Doctor's first monster was a tall knight in bright white armor. He wore a long, flowing cape that was colored red, wore a helmet that covered all but his eyes, and carried a large sword with a spiked handle (Daybreaker: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 0).

Just then, Sunset gasped after seeing her opponent's first move. "I see what you're doing...!" she told him.

"Hm?" hummed the man.

"Don't think that I'm not onto your plan, Doctor." the otherworldly girl said. "You used that first Spell Card of yours to pull three of those Daybreakers out of your Deck. You did that because you had a way of Special Summoning one of them and triggering its ability. An ability that will let you Special Summon the other two cards, am I right?"

"Hmmmm... impressive. You actually figured out my strategy." the man replied, legitimately impressed by Sunset's sharp mind.

"Well, it's been done before." the red and yellow girl informed him. "It's not news to me."

"Well, you are correct:" The Doctor confirmed. "By Special Summoning Daybreaker, I can now Special Summon another Daybreaker from my hand." He then took a second copy of the card and placed it onto the Duel Pad's tray in Attack Mode. "And the second Daybreaker's effect then allows me to Summon the third one!" And he did just that, playing his third monster onto the field.

"Which means that you have enough monsters to bring out an Xyz Monster..." noted Sunset Shimmer.

"Indeed, you are correct." the man told her. "But now let's see if you can overcome my strategy as easily as you predicted it!" Raising his hand into the air, The Doctor shouted, "I overlay my three Level 4 Daybreakers to create an Overlay Network!!" In an instant, his three monsters transformed into three balls of yellow light that were sucked into a galaxy-like portal in front of him. The portal then exploded, revealing a mark on the ground that looked like a 91. "I Xyz Summon... Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon!!"

Sunset braced herself as a giant ball of electricity descended from the clouds above, bringing with it large lightning bolts that struck the roof around them. The white ball of light then began to form into a different shape, becoming longer and more serpentine in appearance. The creature that appeared was a large, snake-like dragon with a blue, scaled body, sharp teeth, and long, yellow whiskers coming from the sides of its head. Just beside its left eye was a purple 91 symbol (Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon: Rank 4 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000 / OLU 3).

"Woah... he just played a Number on his first turn..." Sunset said to herself in awe.

The Doctor stood proudly beside the giant creature that he had summoned as he told his opponent, "This is my newest Number card, courtesy of Ms. Lightning Dust... And with its power, I shall defeat you and obtain your Numbers as well!"

"Just try it!" the otherworldly girl told him without fear.

"As you wish." The Doctor then pulled out the three cards underneath his Xyz Monster and declared, "I remove all three of Thunder Spark Dragon's Overlay Units! By doing so, I can now destroy all other face-up monsters on the field!!" (Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon: OLU 3 - 3 = 0)

Sunset gasped as a bolt of lightning shot from the clouds above and shattered her only monster on the field. Derpy, watching from the safety of the Tardis, cheered for her friend. "Yay! Way to go, Doctor!" she said happily.

The mysterious man then told his opponent, "Now that you have no more monsters on the field, I can strike your Life Points directly! Go, Thunder Spark Dragon!! Attack with Lightning Blitz!!" The giant serpent then let out a powerful shriek as it summoned a giant thundercloud above its head. From out of that cloud came many lightning bolts that shot towards Sunset Shimmer. The girl shielded herself from the attack as best as she could, but the bolts still managed to knock her down, causing her to fall on her rear end (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 2,400 = 1,600).

The Doctor then said to Sunset, "It appears that my move has caused quite a bit of damage to you... Seems as though you can't predict everything."

Sunset slowly got up onto her feet and told him, "That's what you think..." Tapping her Duel Pad, she then shouted, "I activate my Trap Card, Hope for Escape!"

"Hope for Escape??" asked the man. "But that card can only be activated if I have at least 1,000 more Life Points than you..."

"Exactly." the otherworldly girl confirmed. "Given your reputation, I figured you'd pull off a strong move right away, so I prepared for it. Thanks to this card, I can pay 1,000 of my Life Points to draw one more card for every 2,000 points of difference between our scores!" She then drew her next card and added it to her hand (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,600 - 1,000 = 600).

"Maybe so... but that move brought you down to just 600 Life Points." The Doctor reminded her. "Which means that if I land one more successful attack, you'll have lost without causing even one point of damage to me! But don't feel too bad: No one else has been able to damage me in a Duel so far."

"Well, don't get too cocky... there's a first time for everything." stated the red and yellow girl.

The man wasn't even slightly intimidated by Sunset's words as he took out the last card in his hand and placed it into the Spell & Trap Zone slot on his Duel Pad. "I'll set a face-down card and end my turn for now." He then thought to himself, (Now... let's see what you can do, Ms. Shimmer...)

Sunset prepared to draw her next card, still breathing heavily after the blow she received earlier. (This guy's tough...) she thought to herself, (one of the toughest Duelists I've faced so far... Now I can see how he's been able to deal with the Number cards...) Putting on a look of determination, she then said in her mind, (But I'm not gonna back down! I don't know what he's planning to do with those Numbers once he gets them all... and I don't want to risk the safety of myself and the rest of my friends just to find out... So I have no choice but to take him down!)

"It's my turn! I draw!!" the girl shouted as she drew her next card. After looking at it, Sunset then took out a different card (specifically, the one she drew with the effect of her earlier Trap Card) and declared her next move. "First, from my hand, I play the Spell Card, Shard of Greed!"

*******************************

Shard of Greed:
(Continuous Spell Card)

Each time you draw a card(s) for your normal draw in your Draw Phase, place 1 Greed Counter on this card. You can send this card with 2 or more Greed Counters to the Graveyard; draw 2 cards.

*******************************

(She's planning to reinforce her hand later in this Duel...) The Doctor hypothesized. (But I'll defeat her before she can make good use of those extra cards!)

"Next, I'll Summon Chronomaly Gordian Knot in Attack Mode!" Sunset Shimmer declared, placing the Monster Card on her Duel Pad's card tray. In an instant, the confusing knot-shaped monster appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Gordian Knot: Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 900). "And when Gordian Knot is Normal Summoned, its effect lets me Special Summon another Chronomaly from my hand to join it! And I choose to play Chronomaly Crystal Skull!" She then played the card that she had just drawn this turn, calling up her shiny, skull-shaped monster (Chronomaly Crystal Skull: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 600).

"Sunset just Summoned two monsters with the same Level..." noted Derpy, still watching the Duel on the giant computer screen. "Does this mean that...?"

(...She's about to bring out her Number card.) thought The Doctor. (I knew it was only a matter of time.)

"I overlay my Level 3 Gordian Knot and Crystal Skull, and create an Overlay Network!" shouted Sunset Shimmer as her two monsters transformed into a pair of lights, one orange and one yellow, that flew into a red portal that opened in front of her. "And now... I Xyz Summon... Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut!!"

Out of the red spiral portal, a human-shaped figure clad in purple armor leaped out and took its place in front of Sunset. Its shiny armor shone in the bright moonlight as it folded its arms in front of itself (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: Rank 3 / ATK 2100 / DEF 1000 / OLU 2).

The man put on a perplexed look after Sunset brought out her Xyz Monster. (Wait a moment... That isn't a Number card...) he thought, slightly confused.

"Huh? What's going on??" asked Derpy, also unsure of what was going on. "She DIDN'T summon a Number? That doesn't usually happen..."

The Doctor didn't understand why Sunset didn't bring out one of her Numbers, but decided to push that question aside for a moment to focus his attention back to the Duel. "Your monster may be... interesting, to say the least," he told her, "but it has less attack points in comparison to mine... You would have been better off using a Number of your own to fight mine."

"Actually, that probably wouldn't have helped me in this situation." Sunset told him. "You are right: my monster is weaker than yours... right now, at least." She then showed her opponent a card in her hand: Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet. "Did you already forget about the card that Nebra Disk put in my hand last turn?" she asked him with a slight smirk.

The Doctor gasped; he DID forget about that card. "Oh no...!" he spoke.

"I play the Continuous Spell, Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet!" shouted the otherworldly girl. "This card increases the attack power of all of my Chronomaly monsters by 800 points!" After playing the card, a powerful-looking red aura surrounded her Xyz Monster, strengthening it considerably (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: ATK 2100 + 800 = 2900).

"Uh oh..." Derpy said, trembling a little. "Now Sunset's monster is more powerful!"

Growling a bit, The Doctor then reminded his opponent, "You do know that my Thunder Spark Dragon cannot be defeated by anything except another Number?"

"That doesn't matter! You'll still take damage equal to the difference between their attack power!" shouted the red and yellow girl. "Chrononaut!! Attack his dragon!!"

Sunset's monster then took a mighty leap into the air, positioning itself in front of Thunder Spark Dragon's face. It then pulled its arm back and delivered an ultra-powerful punch to the side of the Number card's face, knocking it down to the ground hard. Though the dragon wasn't destroyed by the attack, the force of the blow caused some slight damage to The Doctor's Life Points (Dr. Whooves: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500).

"Urrrgh!!" grunted the man upon taking the hit. Though the damage to his Life Points was small, the force of the attack felt very powerful to him.

"Oh no! Doctor!!!" screamed Derpy. "Are you alright?!"

"...Urrgh... I'm fine." he said to his assistant through the communicator. "I just didn't expect to take that hit, that's all..." Looking back towards Sunset Shimmer, he then pondered to himself, (Something's off about all of this... She didn't Summon a Number to fight me with... and yet... the force of that attack of hers was very powerful, considering the fact that the damage was only 500 points... There's clearly more to this girl than meets the eye, and it seems that not even using one of my Numbers on her will be enough to faze her.) Smirking a bit, he then thought, (But I think I might have ONE monster in my Deck that will do the job nicely...)

"Alright, that's the end of my turn, then..." Sunset told the man. "So make your move."

"Very well then... I draw!" The Doctor pulled his next card from the Deck and looked at it. Smiling, he told his foe, "You're definitely different from the other Number users that I've fought so far, Ms. Shimmer; you're much more powerful... So I suppose I should take this Duel a bit more seriously."

The otherworldly girl raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant by that.

"I reveal my face-down Trap Card, Flash of Hope!" The Doctor told her, flipping over his Set card. "By banishing two LIGHT-Attribute monsters from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 new LIGHT monster from my Deck in Defense Mode. So I banish two of the three Daybreakers in my Graveyard..." He took out two cards from his Graveyard slot and placed them in his coat pocket as he spoke. "...and then call Cybernetic Magician to the field!!"

The Doctor's new monster was a white-skinned human with yellow hair, wearing a white outfit with silver armor. Under the outfit was a blue pair of pants, and in his hand was a silver wand with a blue jewel on the front of it (Cybernetic Magician: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1000).

"Of course, Flash of Hope does have its negative side effects." the man then stated. "The monster it Summons has its effects negated and it is destroyed at the end of my turn."

"Then what was the point?" asked Sunset Shimmer. Just then, the answer came to her. "Wait a second...! You're going to use it to Summon an even stronger monster, aren't you?!"

"Very perceptive, Ms. Shimmer." The Doctor answered her. Holding up the card he had just drawn, he told his opponent. "The monster in my hand is a creature like none you have ever faced before... It's a monster so powerful, that it can even bring a Number card to its knees..."

"I don't like the sound of that..." the red and yellow girl replied, getting a bit worried.

"I now release both Thunder Spark Dragon and Cybernetic Magician to Special Summon my most powerful monster to the field!!" shouted The Doctor. In an instant, both of his monsters were sucked into a pair of whirlwinds which then merged together into one large cyclone.

"Huh?!? Did he just get rid of his Number card?!" Sunset asked herself, astounded by the shocking move of her opponent.

"Yes!!" cheered Derpy, getting her hopes up once more. "Sunset's REALLY gonna get it now!"

When the cyclone disappeared, it left behind a strange, cross-shaped, boomerang-like object. The Doctor then began to chant, "The galaxy that lurks in the darkness. Become the light of hope and my very servant!" He then grabbed a hold of the bizarre object and hurled it into the air as hard as he could. "Descend now, embodiment of light!" he shouted as the object stopped high in the air and began to get brighter and brighter by the second.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Sunset asked. Looking up at the object in the air (and shielding her eyes from its intense light) she then thought to herself, (That... that thing is pulling in all of the light around us...!)

Placing the card in his hand onto his Duel Pad, The Doctor then finished his summoning chant. "Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

The object in the air then let out a brilliant flash that shone for several seconds, bathing the surrounding area with its intense light. The light then began to form into a large shape, which Sunset immediately recognized as a dragon. The dragon seemed to be made of pure energy, its body mostly light-blue in color, sparsely covered with bits of red and dark blue armor. It had enormous wings that shone brilliantly in the moonlight, and it had a long, spiked tail that looked like it could topple a building with one swipe. Its eyes had large, swirling lights where its pupils would have been that looked like galaxies; apparently, that's where the monster had gotten its name from.

*******************************

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon:
(Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 3000/DEF 2500)

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by Tributing 2 monsters with 2000 or more ATK. During either player's Battle Step, when this card battles an opponent's monster: You can target the monster this card is battling; banish both the opponent's monster and this card. At the end of the Battle Phase, return any monsters banished by this effect to the field, and if the other monster was an Xyz Monster, this card gains 500 ATK for each Xyz Material it had when it was banished.

*******************************

Sunset Shimmer was at a loss for words when she saw the uber-powerful monster that The Doctor Summoned to his side of the field. (What... what is that thing...?) she thought. (What kind of monster is that...? It's like nothing I've ever seen before... That thing makes the giant dragons in Equestria look like kittens in comparison!) The red and yellow girl trembled, not sure what to expect now.

"Are you scared, Ms. Shimmer?" asked The Doctor. "Well, I can't say that I blame you; Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon is the most powerful monster in my Deck... and no creature of this world is able to touch it, let alone defeat it..."

"Every card has a weakness, Doctor..." the otherworldly girl told him sternly. "And I'll find your dragon's weakness before this Duel ends!"

"I'm afraid that won't happen, Ms. Shimmer." the mysterious man informed his foe. "My Galaxy-Eyes will devour your remaining Life Points... and then justice will finally be served!"

"What are you talking about...?" asked Sunset, confused by what he meant with his last remark.

"You'll see soon enough!" The Doctor then shouted a command to his mighty dragon. "Go! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!! Attack Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut!!" The massive creature then let out a loud roar that shook the area around them.

"Bad move, Doc!" Sunset told him. "I now activate the effect of Crystal Chrononaut! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can make him indestructible for the rest of this turn, and send all the damage from this battle right back at you!!" Her monster then absorbed one of the yellow spheres that orbited around it into its mirror, preparing to use its ability (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: OLU: 2 -1 = 1).

"Hmph... did you honestly believe that I wasn't aware of your monster's effect?" asked The Doctor. "I knew that you would do something like that!"

"Y-you did??" asked the red and yellow girl in shock.

"Your monster is not the only one with a special effect, Ms. Shimmer!" the man told her. "Now behold the true power of Galaxy-Eyes!!" At that moment, the gigantic dragon's body began glowing even brighter than ever, covering the surrounding area in a light so intense, Sunset and Derpy had to cover their eyes so as not to go blind from it. When the light finally died down, Sunset gasped when she saw the scene in front of her...

"N-no way...!" she stuttered. "Both of our monsters are gone...!!"

"Quite correct." The Doctor replied. "Whenever Galaxy-Eyes battles an opponent's monster, I can choose to banish both your monster and my dragon from the field! As a result, your Chrononaut's ability has been nullified, since it is no longer on the field!"

"Perhaps... but it cost you your monster as well." Sunset Shimmer reminded him. "Seems like a tactical error to me..."

The mysterious man chuckled a little and asked his opponent, "...Oh, is it?" He then told her, "I now end my Battle Phase..."

And right after he said those words, a large ball of light began to materialize in front of them. Before Sunset could ask what was going on, the ball exploded into a flash, and soon after, the otherworldly girl saw that both of their monsters had returned to the field. "They're... they're back?!?" she asked in surprise. "What's going on??"

"After the end of the Battle Phase," The Doctor explained, "all the monsters that Galaxy-Eyes banished return to the field, in the same battle positions that they were in. Of course, your monster looks worse for the wear..."

Sunset looked at her monster and realized an important fact: because it had left the field, its last Overlay Unit was sent to the Graveyard (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: OLU 0). (No...!) the girl thought to herself. (I can't use his effect to protect him anymore!)

"And that's not all, I'm afraid." the man then told her. "My dragon has one more effect: Since it banished an Xyz Monster, it gains an additional 500 attack points for every Overlay Unit your monster had, prior to being banished!" As he said that, a yellow orb emerged from a violet-colored portal in the center of the battlefield and phased itself into his dragon, increasing its power by a small amount (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: ATK 3000 + 500 = 3500).

Sunset gasped when she saw the man's powerful dragon become even more powerful. "So not only can it remove itself from the field, it can also gain power from Overlay Units?!" she asked in shock.

Derpy smiled; normally, she didn't get enjoyment out of watching someone squirm. But Sunset was the exception. "Now you're in deep trouble, Sunset..." she said. "The Doctor's gonna beat you just like that other girl did last year!"

The Doctor then told his opponent, "My Galaxy-Eyes has 3,500 attack points right now, which is 600 more than your Crystal Chrononaut. And 600 also happens to be the exact amount of Life Points you have left. So unless you do something on your next turn, you will lose."

Sunset was a bit scared of the giant creature that the strange man had Summoned, but wasn't going to let that fear get in the way of her dueling. "Well, doing something on my next turn is exactly what I had in mind!" she told him as she drew her next card, Fire Ant Ascator (Shard of Greed: Greed Counters 0 + 1= 1). After looking at it, she thought, (Darn... this won't be able to help me right now... I need to try and hold out for a little while longer until I can find a way defeat his dragon...)

"First, I switch my Crystal Chrononaut to Defense Mode." the otherworldly girl then told the man. "Then, since I only control Chronomaly monsters on my field, I can bring back Chronomaly Nebra Disk from the Graveyard!" After she said that, her green disk monster emerged from a violet-colored portal on her side of the field and put itself in Defense Mode. "Lastly, I'll set one card face-down to end my turn."

"My turn, then... I draw!" The Doctor shouted as he drew his next card. "And now I Summon the monster I just drew in Attack Mode! Sunlight Unicorn!!" His next monster was a large, white Unicorn with a flowing, blue mane and tail and a dark grey horn (Sunlight Unicorn: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000).

(A... Unicorn?) Sunset asked in her mind. (...Really?) The irony of the situation was that, in Equestria, Sunset Shimmer was also a Unicorn.

"And now, I attack your Chrononaut with Galaxy-Eyes!" shouted the man as he stretched his hand out towards his foe. "Go!! Photon Stream of Destruction!!" The giant beast then let out a powerful blast of energy from its maw, reducing the red and yellow girl's Xyz Monster to nothing more than a vapor. "And next, my Sunlight Unicorn shall attack your Nebra Disk!!" The Doctor then shouted as his second monster galloped forward and rammed itself into Sunset's remaining monster, horn-first. Nerba Disk was shattered into many small pieces as a result.

(Rrrgh...! He just wiped out all of my monsters!) thought the otherworldly girl in despair. (But I can't give up now...! I have to try and beat him!) She then shouted, "I activate the Trap Card, Stonehenge Methods! This lets me replace my destroyed Chronomaly monster with another one from my Deck that's Level 4 or lower! And I choose my Chronomaly Golden Jet!" She then took the appropriate card from out of her Deck and placed it horizontally on her Duel Pad. After doing so, a gold colored jet plane-shaped monster flew in from out of the sky (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400).

(Hmmm... she's still not giving in.) The Doctor thought to himself. (I'll just have to push her even more... It's the only way that she will Summon her Number card... Once she does, it will confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is possessed by one.) He then told her, "In that case, I will activate the effect of Sunlight Unicorn: Once per turn, I can excavate the top card of my Deck and reveal it; if that card is an Equip Spell Card, I can put it in my hand."

Sunset watched as the man took the top card of his Deck and showed it to her. Her heart sank when she saw what it was. "Fairy Meteor Crush...?!" she asked in disbelief.

"Indeed, Ms. Shimmer." The Doctor confirmed. "This card grants any monster on the field the power to inflict piercing battle damage... So when I play it on my Galaxy-Eyes next turn, I will be able to defeat you once and for all..." He then told her, "And once I do, I'll have fulfilled my promise to her by defeating you right here!"

"Wait... 'her'?" asked Sunset. "Who's 'her'?"

"I suppose you wouldn't remember, Ms. Shimmer..." the man then stated. "You stepped on so many people at your school, you couldn't honestly remember them all... But my assistant is still frightened to death of you for how you treated her in the past, and I promised that I would punish you for your actions against her!"

(What's he talking about...? Who in CHS could still possibly hate me??) Sunset wondered. (I thought that after I saved the Fall Formal this year, everyone in school finally forgave me for what I did...) Just then, a sudden thought came to her, (Wait... everyone at school was there when I fought Rarity's Number card that night... except for one person...) She then gasped when she realized who that person was. (Derpy! She wasn't there at the Fall Formal! In fact, I haven't seen her here at school at all this year... The last time I saw her was during last year's Battle of the Bands competition...)

Sunset now realized what was going on. (So this is what she's been doing this whole time...) she continued to ponder. (She's been with this Doctor guy all year so far... Which means that she doesn't know that I've changed my ways since last year...) She sighed a little to herself as she contemplated the situation. (I guess she must still be bitter about how I bullied her in the past, especially in regards to that selfish article I wrote about myself for the school newspaper...) Thinking about that day some more, she then continued to say in her mind, (I can't say that I don't deserve to punished for what I did to her... But I need to show her that I'm not that kind of person anymore, and that getting revenge on me now won't do any of us any good... And there's only one way that I can do that!)

"This Duel will soon end, Ms. Shimmer..." The Doctor told her. "Do you have any last words to say to me before I defeat you?"

"Actually, there IS something I'd like to say..." Sunset answered him, "but not to you."

"Hm?" The perplexed man raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more in response to the girl's comment.

The red and yellow teen then looked up at the large call box, the Tardis, and asked, "That booth of yours has all sorts of complex functions and gadgets built into it, correct?" She then added, "Which means that, in all likelihood, your assistant can see and hear everything that's going on here, am I right?"

The Doctor nodded yes to confirm that.

"In that case, now that I know all of that," the otherworldly girl responded, "I can say what I have to say." She then turned to face the Tardis and said, "Derpy Hooves... If you can hear me, there's something that I've wanted to tell you for a while now..."

"Huh...?" asked the grey-skinned teen, watching and listening from in front of the large computer.

Sunset sighed and told her, "Derpy... I... I'm... I'm sorry."

Derpy gasped when she heard that. "What? She's... apologizing??" she asked in surprise.

"Derpy..." she continued to tell her former victim, "what I did and said to you in the past was wrong... especially that thing with the school newspaper. I wasn't thinking about your feelings when I was giving you such a hard time over it... I was so focused on wanting power and notoriety, that I didn't realize that there was another way to be happy in life... And now that I fully realize that, just thinking about what I did to you and other people makes me feel horrible inside... So, for what it's worth... I'm sorry for everything, Derpy..."

"...Sunset..." the grey girl replied softly after hearing the red and yellow girl's heartfelt apology.

"And now that I know all of that, I need to prevent you from making the same mistake that I made." Sunset told her. "I know that I deserve to be punished for what I did to you... but getting revenge on me this way won't solve a thing. You still won't feel better after it's all over, because in the end, you'll still see me the way you did back then. If it's all the same to you, Derpy... I'd rather resolve this conflict between us peacefully: With words and understanding... Anger and vengeance clouded my thoughts back when I was bullying you and others, and I know now that they don't resolve anything in the long run. So please, Derpy... I'm pleading with you; don't go down the destructive path that almost ruined me... Let's talk about this and try to help each other move on..."

The grey-skinned girl was at a loss for words after hearing everything that Sunset Shimmer had told her. Now her perception of her former bully had totally changed: At first, she didn't believe her, and thought that she was fibbing just to save face... But the more Derpy pondered about it, she became less sure that her initial thought was true, and she became more sure that Sunset was truly sorry for her actions.

"Hmmm... very heartfelt, Ms. Shimmer." The Doctor told his opponent. "But I'm afraid you're one apology too late; this Duel between us will not end until one of us falls in defeat."

"In that case," the otherworldly girl responded, "I'll use this Duel to find a way to resolve all of this!" As she prepared to draw a card, she then thought to herself, (There's one card that I can use that might help me out here... I need to figure out a way to end this Duel without any further conflict. It won't be easy... but I know that I can do it! Even though they may just be here in spirit, I know that my friends are behind me all the way to give me their support!)

In her mind, Sunset looked around and saw all of her friends surrounding her: Applejack tipped her brown hat towards her and nodded, and Rainbow Dash gave her a wink to tell her that Sunset had her support. Rarity and Fluttershy nodded to her, while Pinkie Pie jumped up and down excitedly in the air. "Wowee...! This is what the inside of your mind looks like, Sunnie?!" asked the pink girl. She then shouted, "Echo...! Echo... echo... echo...!"

Sunset Shimmer glanced to her left and saw Flash Sentry and Gilda, both giving her a thumbs-up, telling her to keep on fighting the good fight. Beside them were Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, smiling from how proud they were of Sunset right now.

Finally, one more figure appeared before her: It was a girl with light purple skin, long, straight, purple hair with pink and differently-colored purple streaks running along it, and deep purple eyes. She wore a light blue top with a pink bow on the collar area, along with a purple skirt with a picture of a pink, six-pointed star and several small, white stars surrounding it. She also wore a pair of black shoes and purple socks on her feet.

The purple-skinned girl smiled warmly and said, "You can do it, Sunset. With all of us, along with the Magic of Friendship by your side, there is nothing that you can't do!"

Sunset smiled and nodded, saying to the girl, "You're right. I can do this. And I will do it... for all of us." Bringing herself back into reality, she then shouted, with confidence in her voice, "It's my turn! I draw!!" (Shard of Greed: Greed Counters 1 + 1= 2). She then stated, "I now activate the effect of Shard of Greed! Since it has two Greed Counters, I can send it to the Graveyard and draw two more cards from my Deck!"

"Hmmm... relying on luck of the draw this late in the Duel?" asked The Doctor. "It probably might be easier for you if you simply surrendered."

"Perhaps it would be easier... but no one gets ahead in life by giving up." the otherworldly girl informed him. "And furthermore, I'm not relying on luck to get through this Duel; just as you fight hard for your assistant, I fight for my friends! And with them backing me up, I know that I can overcome any obstacle that comes my way!"

The Doctor, as well as Derpy, were amazed at how brave Sunset was right now, despite being far behind in the Duel. It was as if they could feel her true feelings resonating from her.

Sunset then closed her eyes as she placed her right pointer and index fingers on top of her Deck, preparing to pull the top cards from it. (My friends...) she thought to herself, (please... give me your strength...) Then, all around her she felt the presence of each and every one of her friends beside her; everyone that she had seen in her mind and giving their support each placed their hands on top of Sunset Shimmer's Deck, and they all pulled the cards simultaneously.

Sunset then took a look at the cards she pulled... and smiled. "It's about time I evened the score in this Duel, Doctor." she told him without any fear in her voice.

(...What did she pull...?) wondered the man.

"From my hand, I Special Summon Chronomaly Moai in Defense Mode, since I control a Chronomaly monster!" Sunset shouted as she summoned her Easter Island head statue look-a-like to her side of the field (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600). "Then," she continued, "I Normal Summon Fire Ant Ascator in Attack Mode!" She then brought out her giant ant monster, placing it beside Chronomaly Moai (Fire Ant Ascator: Level 3 / ATK 700 / DEF 1300).

"A... a Tuner Monster!" exclaimed The Doctor.

"That's right!" Sunset then shouted, "I tune my Fire Ant, Level 3, to Moai, Level 5!" After making her declaration, Fire Ant Ascator transformed into a trio of fireballs that then became small, white lights that shot into the air. After that, three green rings flew down and surrounded Chronomally Moai, turning it into five small lights within the rings (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8). "Dragon deity of the Sun, illuminate all the darkness! Brighten the day with your benevolent light!" the girl chanted. "Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Sun Dragon Inti!"

In a burst of intense flames, Sunset Shimmer's red-scaled, four headed, dragon monster appeared behind her, giving out a powerful roar from each of its heads (Sun Dragon Inti: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2800).

"Wahhh!! That thing's HUGE!!!" commented Derpy.

The Doctor then noticed that Sunset's Synchro Monster had almost equal attack power to his dragon. He then smirked a little and asked his opponent, "So you're going to try and take out Galaxy-Eyes with a suicide attack? I'm afraid that won't work, Ms. Shimmer. Thanks to its ability, my dragon has 500 more attack points than your monster! And even without those extra points, I can just simply take both of our monsters off of the field! So your attack on my dragon won't do you any good!"

"Hmph... who said I was going to attack your dragon?" the red and yellow girl then inquired.

"You're... not?" asked the man.

"I know brute force won't work on your Galaxy-Eyes, so I'm not planning to attack it." Sunset then put on a smirk of her own and added, "But I do plan to get rid of that dragon this turn..."

Both The Doctor and Derpy gasped when they heard that bold statement. (This must be it...) the man thought. (She's going to play her Number at last...)

"For my next move," Sunset continued, "I'll activate the Spell Card, Xyz Reception! By targeting one monster on my field, I can then bring out another monster from my hand with the same Level, as long as I reduce my new monster's attack and defense points to zero! So by selecting my Golden Jet on the field, I can then Special Summon Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem in Defense Mode!!" After playing her card, her red-colored golem appeared on the field in front of her (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 > 0 / DEF 1000 > 0). "And now I overlay it and my Level 4 Golden Jet to create an Overlay Network!!" And with that, her two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights, one yellow and one orange, and were drawn into a portal in front of her.

"Here it comes..." The Doctor said to himself, "She's Summoning her Number now..."

Sunset then began her summoning chant, saying, "Noble marksman of the sky! Raise your mighty rifle in the name of justice and fell your enemies with skillful precision! Xyz Summon!" She then placed her chosen card on her Duel Pad in Attack Mode. "Gilda, lend me your strength! Rank 4! Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer!!"

In an instant, Sunset Summoned the newest addition to her deck, calling up the human-bird hybrid that carried a powerful rifle in its hand (or talons), displaying its mighty and beautiful wings after taking its place in front of Sunset Shimmer. Surrounding it were two green orbs that circled around it constantly (Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Wh-WHAT?!" exclaimed The Doctor, taken by surprise. "That... that isn't a Number either!!" Try as he might, he couldn't figure out what was going on, and why Sunset had not used a single Number card against him. (I don't understand...) he pondered. (I know my scanners are working perfectly... I know she has a Number card! In all of my Duels against those possessed by Numbers, they are compelled to Summon that Number, even if doing so would cause them to lose the Duel...) Just then, he gasped when he finally realized something. (Does this mean that... this girl is NOT possessed?!)

"I know you want me to bring out one of my Number cards, Doctor." Sunset told her opponent. "But I don't NEED a Number to get through this Duel! The only thing I need is the support of my friends!" Pointing to her newly Summoned Xyz Monster, she then told him, "I got this card from a good friend of mine, as a sign that she would always be there to support me in the tough times ahead! And I'd say that situations don't come any tougher than right now!"

"What's Sunset planning to do...?" Derpy asked herself, not sure about what the red and yellow girl's plan was.

"I now activate the effect of Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer!" Sunset shouted. "I remove both of his Overlay Units, which then lets me target any other face-up card on the field. And that card gets sent back to its owner's Deck!"

"Back to the Deck?!?" asked The Doctor. "You mean...?!"

"Exactly." the otherworldly girl finished. "While your Galaxy-Eyes may be immune to attacks, special effects such as Castel's are beyond its control. And once it's gone, you'll be wide open to attack!"

(This can't be...) thought the man, completely in shock. (If she sends my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon back into my Deck, I'll have no way of stopping her attacks this turn! She'll destroy my only other monster and deal a total of 3,200 points of damage to my Life Points!! That will only leave me with 300 points remaining!) Looking at his Deck, he continued to think, (And the odds of me drawing a card to counterattack or even defend myself are depressingly low...!) Still in disbelief, he then asked himself, "Am... am I actually going to lose...??"

Sunset Shimmer then removed both of the cards out from underneath her new Xyz Monster (Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer: OLU 2 - 2 = 0), triggering its effect. "Go, Castel!!" she then shouted. "Send Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon back to his Deck!!" The bird-man then drew its two swirling orbs into its rifle, and fired out a powerful tornado straight towards the massive dragon. As powerful as Galaxy-Eyes may have been, even it was unable to withstand the mighty cyclone. It let out a roar as it was flung into the air, vanishing away completely.

The Doctor did his best to shield himself from the force of Castel's powerful tornado. But when he looked up to see if it was finished, he saw something coming towards him: It was a chunk of brick that had been lying on the rooftop, and it was being carried along the cyclone's winds. Although he saw it coming, it was too late for him to do anything about it. The brick struck him in the head and, along with the force of the tornado, sent him flying into the air, heading towards the edge of the roof.

Sunset gasped when she saw him flying into the air. "Oh no!!" she shrieked in horror.

Watching from the Tardis, Derpy was equally as horrified when she saw her mentor and friend in danger of falling fifteen stories to the hard ground below. "DOCTOR!!!!" she screamed. Instinctively, she got up out of her chair to leave the call box and help him... but she stopped when she remembered something important: "Hold on... if I go out there, I'll be frozen by that device! If that happens, I won't be able to help him at all!!" She then contemplated switching off the time-slowing machine, but then she wouldn't able to leave the Tardis in time to save The Doctor. She had no idea what to do as tears ran down her face. Then, all of a sudden...

"Hold on!! I'm coming!!!" shouted Sunset's voice from the computer.

"Huh?!" The grey-skinned girl immediately ran back to the computer and saw something that shocked her: Sunset Shimmer was running as fast as she could to the other side of the roof, towards where The Doctor was sent. Then, just as he fell off the side of the building, the red and yellow girl managed to just barely grab onto his left arm, saving him from certain death.

"Don't worry...!" Sunset grunted as she pooled all of the strength she had to hold onto his arm. "I've got you...!"

"S-Sunset?!?" exclaimed Derpy in shock. "She's... she's trying to save him?!" The grey teen then began to ponder in her mind, (The old Sunset that picked on me would have NEVER done this...) She then gasped and realized something. (...She ...she HAS changed!) the girl exclaimed in her mind. Now she was praying that her former bully would be able to save The Doctor's life.

Back outside, Sunset was pulling with all her might to try and get her opponent back onto the roof and safe from harm. But that task was difficult, given the man's weight. "Urrrgh...! URRRRRGH!!" the otherworldly girl grunted as she pulled on the mysterious man's arm. "This guy's so heavy... it's getting too hard to pull him out of there..." But she then told herself, "But I can't let him fall off the building! Even at my absolute worst, I'd never let someone die right in front of me! Enemy or not... I have to save him! I HAVE TO!!"

Then, at that moment, a red, sparkly aura began to surround Sunset Shimmer. She was too focused on trying to save The Doctor's life, that she didn't notice what was happening to her. All of a sudden, her human ears vanished from the sides of her head, immediately being replaced with a pair of pointy ears directly on top. Not only that, her hair began to grow into a super-long ponytail that almost reached the soles of her slippers.

All of a sudden, Sunset felt something inside of her after the physical changes to her body. "What... what is this...?" she asked herself. "This... power... It feels... familiar..." She then put on a determined look and began pulling the man off from the side of the building once more. But this time, she found the arduous task much easier, as if her strength had suddenly multiplied ten-fold. Then, with a loud cry, Sunset managed to pull The Doctor up and hefted him over her head and out of danger.

"She did it!!" cheered Derpy, relieved that her mentor was safe.

The otherworldly girl gently set the man down onto the roof of the apartment building and breathed heavily, exhausted after carrying a full-size adult human. "I... did it..." she said in between breaths. "I saved him... But... how'd I do it? I know I'm not THAT strong in the physical sense..." She then went to wipe some sweat from her forehead... and that's when she felt something on the top of her head. "Huh?" The teen then quickly looked at her reflection on her Duel Pad's touchscreen and saw the physical changes to her body.

"So that's what happened!" she exclaimed. "I must have ponied up from the stress... and that gave me the strength to pull him to safety!" She didn't know for sure if her transformation happened because of that, but she was glad that it happened when it did. She then turned her attention back to The Doctor, who was knocked unconscious when he had been hit in the head by the brick. Sunset immediately picked up his hand and put her fingers on his wrist to check for a pulse. She then breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Celestia... he's still alive."

Noticing the slight gash on his forehead, the otherworldly girl then quickly ripped off a sleeve from her pajama top and tied it around his head as a makeshift bandage. "There... that's all that I can do for you right now..." she told him, even though she knew he wouldn't be able to respond to her comments. "I'm sure your assistant will be able to take care of things from here." She then raised her hand and placed it on his chest, saying to him, "Don't you worry... I know you'll be just fine."

Not long after her hand touched his chest, Sunset's key necklace began to glow brightly. "What the-? What's this thing doing??" she asked. Before she could ask another question, everything suddenly went white around her...

When her vision returned, Sunset found herself in a room that was covered with all sorts of bizarre machines, as well as pipes that zigzagged all over the ceiling overhead. "Huh?? Where am I?" she asked herself. Looking down at herself, she saw something else surprising. "My... my clothes! These are the robes that I had on in my dream with that strange gate! What's going on??"

Just then, the otherworldly girl heard the sound of a door opening behind her, followed by footsteps. When she turned to look, she saw two people walking towards her. She was shocked to see that they were none other than The Doctor and Derpy Hooves. "Wah! It's them!" she cried out. Frantic, she then said to them both, "L-l-listen! I can explain!! I-I don't know how I got in here!!"

The two people didn't hear her and just continued walking closer to Sunset. They came closer... and closer... and closer, until... they walked right through her; literally.

"What the...?" Sunset asked, not sure what just happened. "Did they just... walk right through my body?" She then called out to them, "H-hey! What's going on here??" But they just kept right on walking, completely ignoring her. (I don't understand... It's like I'm not even in here...) the red and yellow girl wondered.

"Wow, Doctor!" cheered Derpy. "That was the greatest adventure yet!"

"I must admit, I enjoyed our visit to the Bo Dimension, no matter how little sense it and everyone living in there made..." The Doctor answered her. "I have no idea how that man was able to grow such long nose hair like he did... but, for once, I'd be better off not knowing about it."

"I liked that little orange spiked guy, though." the grey girl then told him. "What was his name again...? Don...? Poppa...?"

Sunset was confused as to what was taking place around her. "What is it that I'm looking at...?" she asked herself. She wondered about it for a while, trying to figure it all out. Then suddenly, it came to her. "Wait a second... are these... Am I looking at this guy's memories??"

Before she could think about it anymore, a beeping sound could then be heard by everyone. "Um, Doctor?" Derpy asked the man. "Your thingy is beeping again... What does that mean?"

"Well, it means that someone is trying to contact us..." The Doctor told her. "How they found us here, I don't exactly know... But we'll see who it is in a few seconds..." The man then began fiddling with the computer as Derpy and Sunset watched. For a while, it didn't seem like there was any progress being made...

But then, the monitor screen began to fill with with static, and a scratchy-sounding voice could then be heard. "...--cto-...D--tor...ca-...-ou...h--r m-...?" said the voice, though what it said was nearly impossible to hear.

"What was that??" asked Derpy. "I didn't quite catch that..."

"It appears our caller is not coming through very well..." The Doctor answered her. "There's no video feed, but we do have some audio... I'll just focus all of the power into increasing the strength of the audio feed, and we'll at least be able to HEAR who it is that's calling us..." The man began to type in some more information into the computer. After he was done, he then spoke into a nearby microphone and said, "There... can you hear me now?"

"...Yes... I can hear you perfectly well." the voice responded, now sounding a lot clearer. "Though it seems that I cannot see you..."

"You and me both, sir." the man told him. He then asked, "Now who are you?"

"Before I answer that, I must ask to speak to the one that they call, 'The Doctor'." the voice requested.

"That is me." The Doctor told him.

"Good..." The voice then told them both, "As for who I am... I cannot yet reveal my full identity to you right now, but I can tell you where I am from, and why I have contacted you."

"Very well then." the man replied. "I suppose it's better than nothing."

"Currently, I am contacting you from a world far beyond your own." the voice then informed him. "A nonphysical realm of existence that lies within the stars... The Astral World."

"Astral World...?" Sunset asked herself.

"Astral World? What's that?" Derpy also inquired. She turned towards her mentor and asked him, "Doctor, do you know anything about an 'Astral World'?"

"Only a little..." the man answered her. "From what information that I have, the Astral World is a higher plane of existence; a parallel dimension that transcends all other worlds. But... I am afraid that not much information exists that can tell us more, as this world is difficult to see, let alone enter. It seems that only people with certain criteria can bear witness to the Astral World... What those criteria are, I do not know..." Getting an idea, he then smiled and suggested, "But I suppose our new friend here might be able to shed some light on his home for us..."

"Very well, then..." the voice then said, agreeing to The Doctor's wishes. "It will help explain why I have come to you in the first place, so I suppose I can tell you more." The voice stopped talking for a moment before telling them, "The Astral World is a parallel world without Chaos; a true utopia. Great power freely flows within it and around us... But as you said, only certain beings are allowed to see my world... Only those who have spiritually ranked-up can enter the Astral World."

"Ranked-up?" asked Derpy.

"What does that mean...?" wondered Sunset.

"Although the criteria for seeing our world are strict," the voice continued, "there have been several beings throughout time and space that have witnessed the power of the Astral World. It can also be a safe assumption that many of your world's religions may have been born from the people who have seen my world."

"Well, if this world you come from is as powerful as you say it is," The Doctor spoke, "it's a very good possibility."

"Indeed, but we'll save that discussion for another time, Doctor... I must move on to the main point..." the voice said. "Yesterday night, on September the 13th in your world, a strange event had occurred that has troubled me greatly..."

"Wait... did he say September 13th?" asked Sunset. She remembered that day very well, and for good reason: "That's the night that I bought my necklace and had that weird dream...!"

"On that night... a doorway was opened between our worlds." the voice continued. "I am not sure how it has happened or why, but when that doorway was opened, a great amount of power from the Astral World escaped and now resides in your world."

"What kind of power?" asked The Doctor. "Is it dangerous?"

"Indeed." the voice confirmed. "This energy is sentient and is as much a resident of the Astral World as well as a power source. But not everyone is capable of controlling its power; even a small fragment of it can overwhelm one's spirit and make them subservient to that very power itself; a living corpse, if you will."

"Oh my... that sounds horrible..." Derpy commented, shaking a little. Sunset was also a bit worried from hearing that... as well from how familiar to her it all sounded, like she had experienced something like it before.

"This raw energy does not belong in your world." the voice told the two of them. "As long as it exists here, many who covet that power will seek it... And if that power falls into the wrong hands, many great disasters will befall your world, ranging from total enslavement... to total destruction..."

Derpy gasped, now more frightened than ever. Sunset was equally as horrified to have heard all of that.

"So... I can only assume, based on what you have told me and my assistant," The Doctor began to tell the being that contacted him, "is that you want my help in recovering all this power before something like that happens, am I correct?"

"That is correct." the voice replied.

"And... how would I be able to identify this power?" the man then asked.

"The power that has escaped from my world has split itself into many fragments..." the voice answered. "They have since taken on the form of ordinary objects, disguising themselves until they find a being to corrupt and enslave."

"And what do these objects look like?" The Doctor inquired further.

"...Duel Monsters cards." said the voice. "They are known as... 'Numbers'."

Sunset gasped loudly (knowing that nobody could hear her at the moment). "Did he say 'NUMBERS'?!" she exclaimed in shock.

"Numbers...?" asked The Doctor.

"Yes... and I need your help in gathering them all in order to ensure the safety of both of our worlds." the voice told them. "But it will not be easy... The Numbers have powers beyond those of this world; no creature of your realm can defeat them in combat."

"But how will we be able to stop them, then??" asked Derpy.

"It will take quite a bit of effort, but I believe that you, Doctor, will be able to succeed in the task..." the voice informed them both. "But I will not simply sit by and have you do all of the work yourself... so I shall lend you some of my power to assist you."

At that moment, a small ball of light appeared in front of The Doctor and Derpy. Sunset walked closer to them in order to see what was going on. The three of them watched as the light took on a different shape. Once the light faded, a blank Duel Monsters card appeared on the console of The Doctor's computer.

"A Number card...!" Sunset said to herself, recognizing it immediately.

"Um... why is that card blank?" asked Derpy. "What is it?"

"That is one of the Numbers." the voice answered. "It was the only one that I managed to recover after the energy from my world escaped. This card contains great power that will shape itself, based on the nature of your soul, as well as your deepest desires. But I have also infused it with some of my power; it will allow you to wield the card, without becoming corrupted by its power..." It then instructed, "Doctor... if you wish to assist me in my goal of recovering the Numbers... if you wish to save our worlds from a future of darkness... then take that card."

The Doctor and Derpy stared at the card in front of them. Sunset also watched as well, wanting to know more about what had happened during this point in time. "Wh... what are you going to do, Doctor?" the grey-skinned girl asked him.

"Well, you heard what our guest told us..." the man informed his assistant, "a great amount of energy from another world has come into this one, and is slowly corrupting those that come into contact with it." Looking at the card again, he added, "I'm... not sure that I can completely trust this person, but if there's a chance that our world and/or any other is in peril... then I have no other choice."

Without any more hesitation, The Doctor reached out and picked up the card in front of him. Once he did, a powerful light surrounded him and the card. Derpy stood back a bit as the energy around him grew even more intense. As the light flowed around him, a red mark began to appear over his left eye; the same mark that appeared whenever he dueled. After a few seconds, the light energy faded away, though the red mark remained over his eye.

"Doctor!! Are you okay?!" asked Derpy.

"Urrgh... Yes, Derpy... I believe so..." the man told her. When the two of them got a look at the card, they gasped when they saw something new upon it. "Oh dear... there's now a picture on this card!" he exclaimed.

"Oh wow... that monster looks so powerful..." Derpy commented, impressed by whatever was shown on it.

Sunset also managed to sneak a peak at the card for a few seconds. "Woah... and I thought his Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon was powerful..." she said to herself. "But that thing seems to be in a whole other league...!"

"Hmmmmm... I knew that I made a good choice in enlisting your help." the voice then said. "It seems that your spirit is even stronger than I first perceived it to be. But that only means that I have no doubt that you will succeed in fulfilling my wishes... With the power that I have given to you, you will excel greatly in hunting down the Numbers and those who are possessed by them..."

After that last comment, everything around Sunset Shimmer went white again, and before she knew it, she found herself back on the roof, still sitting next to the unconscious Doctor. "What... what did I just see...?" she asked herself. "What did I just hear...?"

The otherworldly girl was still at a loss for words after bearing witness to what she assumed to be The Doctor's memories. What she did know, however, was that her opponent in the Duel had a legitimate reason for collecting the Number cards; he was just trying to prevent their power from causing any trouble, just as she was trying to do.

Looking around her, Sunset saw that everything around them was still being affected by the time-slowing device. "According to this Doctor guy..." she noted to herself, "time will only begin to move again when this Duel ends... But with him unconscious, there's no way that we can continue." She then thought, (But now that I know why he's doing what he's doing, there's no point in either of us taking the other's Number cards... All he and I want is to protect who and what we care about, that's all...)

Making her final decision, Sunset then tapped on her Duel Pad and selected the option to offer a draw. After doing so, she then moved to The Doctor's Duel Pad screen and tapped on it to confirm the option. As a result, neither of them won or lost the Duel, so neither of them would lose their Number cards to the other. Once she did so, she picked up the man again (she was still in her ponied-up state, so the task wasn't difficult) and placed him in front of the door to the Tardis. She then quickly knocked on the door and left for her apartment, her pony ears and ponytail disappearing as she did so.

Not long after that, time began moving again; the popcorn kernels that Applejack had tossed into her mouth finally completed their journey, and she happily munched on them as she laughed at what was happening on the TV. "Aheheheh! That was a real funny one!" she commented. "Ah didn't hear that joke the first time Ah watched this! What did y'all think, Sunset?"

But when she turned around towards the bar counter, she didn't see her friend over there. "Huh? Sunset? Where'd ya go??" she asked. Before she could ask again, she heard a knock on the door. Applejack then paused the DVD and went to the door to open it. When she did, she gasped when saw an exhausted Sunset Shimmer standing there with a missing pajama top sleeve, supporting herself by leaning on the door frame with her right hand. "S-Sunset?! What happened t' ya?!" she asked out of concern. "Y'all look like you've been in a fight or somethin'!"

The red and yellow girl breathed heavily, tried from her entire ordeal. "You don't know the half of it, AJ..." she said in an exhausted tone. "It's a long story... but I'm too tired to tell you right now..."

"Th-that's alright... y'all can tell me later when you're feelin' up to it." stated Applejack. Taking her left arm and putting it over her shoulders, she helped her friend to stand up and move. "Here... lemme help ya over to the couch... Y'all can rest there for a spell."

"Thanks, Applejack..." Sunset responded with a tired smile. "I'm glad to have such a helpful friend like you around..."

"Anytime, Sugarcube... anytime." the orange girl replied with a smile.

"Urrgh... urrgh..."

"...Doctor...?" said a calming, concerned voice. "Are you okay...?"

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes as he finally recovered from the blow to his head. He slowly sat up and saw that he was now inside of the Tardis and no longer on the apartment roof building. He looked around, trying to find Sunset Shimmer, but only Derpy was there, sitting by his side.

"D... Derpy...?" the man said in a tired tone, still trying to recover from what had happened to him.

"Oh, thank goodness!! You're awake!!" the grey girl cried out, hugging him tightly. "Don't EVER scare me like that again, Doctor!" Tears of joy rolled down her face as she "scolded" him.

"Um... what happened?" he then asked her. "Why am I in the Tardis? The last thing I can remember was that I was dueling Ms. Shimmer..."

"You were." Derpy answered him. "But then you got hit in the head pretty badly... and after that, you almost fell off of the building... You almost died..."

"I... I did...?" the man asked, astounded to know that his life was in jeopardy. "Well then... I suppose that I owe a great deal to you for saving my life..."

"Um... actually, about that..." the grey teen began to tell him, rubbing the back of her head, "I wasn't the one who saved you... It was Sunset."

The Doctor gasped when he heard that. "S-Sunset?!" he asked in shock. "She saved me?! Are you absolutely sure??"

"Look, I know only one of my two eyes works properly, but I know what I saw!" she told her mentor. "After that brick hit you, you flew off of the roof and off the side of the building... But then Sunset managed to grab onto you and pull you to safety... She even tore off a sleeve from her shirt and used it to bandage the wound on your head."

"She did?" The Doctor then touched his forehead and felt something soft and cottony. By this point, he figured that it was okay to untie the bandage, so he did just that. He then held it in his hands, looking at the red bloody mark that was left behind; the only evidence that he had that confirmed that he had received an injury. He also saw that the red-violet color of the bandage matched the pajama top that Sunset was wearing during their Duel.

(She's... she's right...) the man thought, amazed by the evidence in front of him. He was also a bit confused. "But... I don't understand, Derpy..." he then said to his assistant. "You told me that Sunset Shimmer was the cruelest person you had ever met..."

"She was..." the grey-skinned girl replied, "but... I don't think she's like that anymore... I mean, you heard that apology she made to me, right? Not to mention that you would've been killed if it weren't for her." Feeling bad about it all, she then told him, "I wanted to get back at Sunset for everything she did to me... I wanted revenge on her for treating me like a doormat..." She sniffled a little as she spoke. "But she's right... even if I got my revenge, I wouldn't have felt better in the long run... All I would have done was cause her problems like she did with me, and nothing would have been resolved. Besides, seeking revenge on others, even if it's justified, just isn't who I am... And I hope you can forgive me for getting you involved with my problems..."

Sighing a little, The Doctor then said to his assistant, "Well... I suppose we were all wrong about Ms. Shimmer. One thing is for certain: She is not possessed by her Number cards... I am not sure how, but I am quite confident that she is not under their influence." Looking at his Duel Pad, he then added, "Especially considering the fact that she had declared the Duel a draw... when she could have just as easily forced me to forfeit while I was unconscious."

"Which means that you still have all of your Numbers." Derpy concluded. "And she still has hers."

Pondering for a while, the man thought about what to do next. "Derpy... I think I might have an idea." he told the girl after coming up with something.

"What is it?"

"...I'd like for you to return to your school for a while."

"Huh? Why?" asked Derpy.

"Hear me out..." the man told her. "We got into this mess because we didn't know enough about Sunset Shimmer... That lack of information nearly cost us all dearly. My life was in danger because of it; next time, it could be your life at risk, or both of us..."

That comment got Derpy's attention, and she decided to listen to what her mentor had to say.

"So I believe that, in the best interest of us both, as well as for Ms. Shimmer," he continued, "Our best course of action is to learn more about this young lady... And I feel that you would be the best candidate for finding that sort of information."

"Are... you asking me to SPY on Sunset?" asked Derpy, taken aback.

"Sort of..." the man replied. "I just need you to observe her daily routine, and see what she's really like. Watch her, converse with her, obtain info from other students, things like that. I believe that, this way, we can learn more about why Sunset is collecting Numbers, do you understand?"

"I think so..."

The Doctor then spoke again, telling Derpy, "I challenged Sunset to a Duel tonight because I wanted to get her Number cards before she could obtain more, because we thought she wanted them for malicious purposes... But since that's clearly not the case in this situation, we would be better off leaving her to her own accord and focus our attention on the Number holders that are actually causing trouble."

"That makes sense..." the grey girl responded. "No point in trying to fight her again if she's not possessed by a Number."

"And while I continue my search for Numbers," he then added, "your job will be to learn more about Sunset and what her true intentions are. Are you okay with that, Derpy?"

The grey girl thought about it for a while; she then recalled that, when Sunset apologized to her for mistreating her in the past, the red and yellow girl stated that she wished to resolve their issues peacefully through words instead of fighting. Taking up The Doctor's request would give her that opportunity. Derpy smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, Doctor! I'll do it!" She then shook his hand to confirm her decision.

"Thank you very much, Derpy." he then said to her. "I knew I could count on you." He then stated to his assistant, "I'll write up a letter to your Principal, stating that, beginning next Monday, you are to return to school, and that the time you've spent with me should positively count towards your grades this year. I'm sure she would comply with a simple request such as that."

"I think so too." agreed the girl. "And I promise that I'll learn as much about Sunset as possible... and maybe... she and I can even be friends."

"Well, I suppose that could be quite an ideal outcome."

Derpy then stood up from her chair and told him, "Anyway, I'm gonna go to the drug store to get some more things for you to help with your recovery. And I think that you should put a hold on dueling for a while, at least until we know that you're completely okay, that is." Giggling a little, she then added, "You know, I just realized something: I'm playing Nurse... to a Doctor!" She then giggled a little more about the whole thing.

The Doctor chuckled a little himself at the irony. "Yes, I suppose you are, aren't you?" he replied.

Giggling a little bit more, Derpy then told him, "Anyway, you just stay here and worry about getting better... Until then, I'll do my part and help you out as much as I can, okay?"

The man nodded and said, "Thank you very much, Derpy... I must tell you, I have had many assistants over the years, helping me with my work... but you are particularly remarkable: You are bright, kind, caring, and you always have a knack for making the best out of even the worst of scenarios... To me, you're more than an mere assistant; you are also my friend. And I will always remember the good times that we've shared together."

Derpy wiped a happy tear from her eye after hearing him say that to her. "Thank you..." she told him. "And I feel the same way towards you, Doctor." Heading to the entrance of the Tardis, she then said, "Anyway, I'll be back in a few minutes... Just rest there and take it easy for a while, okay?"

"Okay." he responded. After Derpy left, The Doctor then continued to think about everything that had happened... as well as Sunset Shimmer. "That girl..." he said to himself. "There is more to her than meets the eye... As much as I hate to admit it, she fought very bravely, even against seemingly impossible odds... In all my years, I have never met someone with that kind of courage... I would like to know where she gets such feelings from... But one thing's for sure: This won't be the last time our paths will cross... We will face each other again one day, and see just whose convictions are stronger in the end..."

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Dr. Whooves (4 Numbers total):

Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon

RANK 9: The Mysterious World:

Author's Note

For this major episode, I introduce the next main hero along with a very familiar Number card. But most shocking of all... Zecora stops rhyming temporarily. :pinkiegasp:

Another thing to make a note of is that, for the legend behind the Astral World in this series, I decided that, while I would adopt most of what has been established by ZEXAL, I would give my own take on what the Astral World is. The reason being is that, in the ZEXAL anime and manga, they have wildly different takes on that world, and rather than choosing one over the other, I decided to just do my own thing. Because it's more fun that way. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

RANK 9: The Mysterious World:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Some time ago, Sunset Shimmer encountered another Duelist that, like her, was seeking out the powerful Number Cards. His true identity was unknown, and he was simply known as, "The Doctor". He challenged Sunset to a Duel to not only claim her Number cards, but also to seek revenge on her on behalf of his assistant, Derpy Hooves. However, when his life came under peril towards the end of the Duel, Sunset surprised everyone by saving his life.

After doing so, Sunset was given a glimpse into The Doctor's memories, and learned why he was collecting the Number cards. He was working for an individual from a dimension known as the Astral World. This stranger claimed that a great amount of power escaped from his world one night and took on the form of the Number cards. Sunset then recalled that, on that same night, she witnessed a similar event in what she believed to be a mere nightmare...

Sunset has learned a bit more about the mysterious cards, but is still not sure about many things regarding them. She and her friends hope to find out more today, but right now, the six of them have gotten themselves into an... interesting situation...

"Ugh... HOW do I get myself into these situations...?" groaned Sunset Shimmer, sighing as she placed her hand on her forehead.

"Huh... I never thought that I'd see something like this happen..." Rainbow Dash commented as she, along with Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, witnessed the rather bizarre scene in front of them.

Standing in front of them all were a pair of young boys: Snips and Snails. At one time, they were Sunset Shimmer's minions during the time that she was still mean to everybody. But after the otherworldly girl decided to change her ways, she pretty much cut all ties with them from that point forward. But now the two boys stood before the girl that used to order them around all the time, wearing a pair of sinister-looking smirks on their faces.

"Ugh... what do YOU two want??" Sunset asked her former cohorts. "I told you two already: I don't want anything more to do with you guys... So just leave me and my friends alone!"

"Hehehehehhh... well, that's too bad, Sunset..." Snips said to her with a slight cackle. "'Cause we're not leavin' until we settle things with you once and for all!"

"Settle things...?" asked the red and yellow girl.

"That's right!" the pudgy, blue boy told her. "We've got beef with you, and we're not goin' anywhere until we take care of it!"

"Uh... beef?" asked Snails in his usual clueless tone. "But we already had burgers yesterday!" Snails groaned a little at his friend's bone-headed comment.

"I must say," Rarity began, "this is quite a strange scene that we are witnessing..."

"Ah can certainly agree with ya there, Rare..." Applejack chimed in. "Ah mean, jus' think about it: Sunset's old lackeys confrontin' her like this n' all... It's pretty ironic, ain't it?"

"But why...?" asked Fluttershy. "What would make them want to do this now?"

"Well, based on how this series has been going so far," Pinkie Pie began, giving her friends another of her typical silly answers, "they must have recently picked up Number cards, and it's caused them to go all creepy-crazy-cuckoo."

"Is that true?" Sunset asked her former cohorts. "Do you two really have Number cards?"

Snips chuckled as both he and Snails held up a black-framed card in each of their hands. "You betcha, Sunset!" the blue boy answered her as a purple mark resembling the number 56 appeared on the back of the hand that held the bizarre Duel Monsters card. "We've heard that you use cards just like ours... And now that we have Number cards of our own, we can finally get back at you for what ya did to us!! Ain't that right, Snails?"

"Uh huh! Uh huh! Uh huh!!" the dopey orange-skinned boy replied as a red mark resembling the number 63 emerged on the side of his left arm.

"Get back at me?" asked Sunset Shimmer. "For what??"

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know!" Snips snapped at her. "You think that YOU had it bad after what you did at last year's Fall Formal?! Well, you weren't the ONLY one that everybody started hating after your little temper-tantrum!! Everybody picked on us and started sayin' mean stuff about us too!! And it's all your fault!!"

Sunset sighed a little and told them, "Look, I know how you two probably feel... and as far as that, I'm sorry that all of that stuff happened to you because you associated with me back then." She then informed the two boys, "That being said, though, you didn't HAVE follow me around and do what I told you to do... To be honest, I probably would have been better off looking for someone else to order around instead of you two."

"Oh, so now we're not GOOD enough to be your cronies?!?" yelled Snips, getting angry again as his eyes began to glow purple, like the number mark on his hand. "You're a real piece of work, ya know that?!?"

"But you just told me that-" Groaning and face-palming, Sunset Shimmer, in a frustrated tone, asked the dopey pair, "Look, what do you two want from me?! Because so far, the only thing you're doing right now is wasting mine AND my friends' time!!"

"We told you already!!" Snips answered her. "We want revenge on ya! And now that we have the power of these Number cards helpin' us, we'll beat the leather outta your jacket!"

"Bleh... you call THAT a witty comment?" asked Pinkie Pie rhetorically. "It wasn't even mildly amusing... I give it a two out of ten, and that's only because I'm being nice." The silly pink teen then pulled out a large, white card from out of nowhere; printed on it was a large "2". It was similar to the ones used by figure-skating judges.

"So it's a Duel you want?" Sunset asked Snips and Snails. "You two can't be serious about that... You wouldn't last two minutes against me." Sighing, she then added, "But if it'll get you to leave us all alone, have it your way..."

The two boys snickered, still sure that they could beat their former boss in a Duel, despite their general lack of skill and intelligence. The blue-skinned boy then hummed a bit and asked his companion, "So... uh... who should Duel her first?"

"Um... I think you should." Snails replied.

"Urk! Me?!" asked Snips in shock. "Nonononono! I think YOU oughtta fight her first!"

"What?!? Are ya nuts?!?" the orange boy inquired, sweating a little. "Whad'ya take me for, an idiot?!?"

"Yes, but that's not the point!!!" the blue boy responded. "I think YOU should duel Sunset first!"

"No, YOU duel her first!!" snapped Snails.

"No, YOU first!!"

"No, YOU!!!!"

The two continued to argue with each other over who would take on Sunset first. But neither of them could come to a decision, and it seemed like their bickering could go on forever. Needless to say, this annoyed Sunset and her friends.

"Rrrrgh... this is so stupid..." groaned Rainbow Dash. "A pair of cinder blocks could agree on something faster than these two!"

Fluttershy then spoke up, trying to say something to the arguing boys. "Ummm... is... is your argument going to be much longer...? I... kind of... have to use the little girl's room..." Of course, they didn't hear her one bit.

Finally, when it seemed like nothing else was going to happen, Sunset Shimmer, in a moment of pure frustration, grumbled and shouted at the pair, "WOULD YOU TWO IDIOTS CLAM IT ALREADY?!?!"

Everyone in the immediate area, including her friends, glanced over at the otherworldly girl after her outburst. Though she did her best to try and keep her anger under control, there were times when Sunset just couldn't hold it in. And this time appeared to be one of them.

Realizing that everyone's eyes were on her after her brief moment of anger, Sunset took a deep breath and apologized, saying, "...Um, sorry about that, girls." Her friends then nodded, to say that they understood why she had yelled at Snips and Snails just now. The black jacket-wearing teen then looked over at the boys and told them, "Look, since you two can't agree on who's going to fight me first, I have another idea..." She then pointed to both of them and asked, "Why don't BOTH of you duel me at the same time?"

Everyone gasped when they heard her say that. "Duel them BOTH?!" asked Applejack in shock. "That's nuts!"

Snips and Snails were equally as surprised when they heard Sunset offer to duel both of them at the same time. Chuckling, the pudgy blue boy then asked, "Are you REALLY sure you wanna do that, Sunset? After all, it'll be two against one!"

The red and yellow girl then smirked and told them, "If you each took me on one at a time, it wouldn't be a challenge for me... I figured that, if we did things this way, your two brains combined would at least add up to a full-size one."

"OOoooooooooo! She burned 'em goooooooood!" Pinkie commented, chuckling after hearing Sunset's witty comment. Rainbow Dash, of course, was laughing hysterically at it. Applejack chuckled a little to herself as well, and even Rarity and Fluttershy found it amusing as well.

Of course, Snips didn't find it too funny (Snails, on the other hand, didn't get it). Grumbling, he shouted, "How DARE you make fun of us!!! Just for that, Snails and I are gonna beat ya TWICE as hard!! Now let's duel!!!"

The three combatants strapped on their Duel Pads and Gazers, readying themselves for their Duel. Sunset's friends then put on their Duel Gazers so that they could watch what was going on. In less than a minute, the Duel was ready to begin (Snips: LP 4,000) (Snails: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000).

"I'll start off this Duel!" said Snips, taking out a card from his hand. "I play The Cheerful Coffin!! This allows me to discard up to three monsters from my hand to the Graveyard. And I choose to discard these three!" The boy then took three cards out of his hand and placed them into the Graveyard slot. Then, he took out the last card in his hand and shouted, "Then I play Tri-Wight, which allows me to Special Summon three Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters from my Graveyard!"

"Hey... I remember this!" Pinkie suddenly spoke up. "That Martin guy in Griffonstone played a move just like this!"

Taking out three cards from out of his Duel Pad, Snips then declared, "I summon three Volcanic Rats from the Graveyard, all of them in Attack Mode!!" After he placed the cards onto the card tray, three small fireballs burst out of the ground, forming into a trio of rat-like creatures. They were glowing red and yellow and appeared to be covered in small flames. Each of them puffed out a small flame from their mouths after emerging onto the field (Volcanic Rat [x3]: Level 1 / ATK 500 / DEF 500).

"He just got three Level 1 monsters on the field at once..." noted Fluttershy.

"Yep, and we all know what that means..." Applejack chimed in.

Snips thrust his right arm into the air and shouted, "I overlay all three Level 1 Volcanic Rats to create an Overlay Network!!" After he made his declaration, his three monsters transformed into a trio of red lights that were soon drawn into a galaxy-like portal in front of the blue boy. After the portal exploded, it left behind a purple 56 mark. "I Xyz Summon... Number 56: Gold Rat!!"

Everyone else watched as a figure emerged from out of the sky, falling straight down to the ground. It appeared to be a rat, but it had a very mechanical-looking appearance. Its body shone in the sunlight, radiating a powerful golden glow. Just behind its head, the same purple 56 appeared on the monster's body. In addition, three yellow lights orbited around the Xyz Monster continuously.

*******************************

Number 56: Gold Rat:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Beast-Type/LIGHT/Rank 1/ATK 500/DEF 600)

3 Level 1 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; draw 1 card, then shuffle 1 card from your hand into the Deck.

*******************************

Snips chuckled loudly, confident that he was untouchable now that he had summoned his Number card. "Just you wait, Sunset," he told his opponent, "'cause you're goin' down for the count!" He then glanced over to his companion and told him, "Alright, it's your turn now, Snails!"

"Oh! Okay!" the dopey orange boy responded. He took out a card from his hand and said, "I Summon Dancing Elf in Attack Mode!!" His first monster was a small-sized woman with blond hair, peach skin, a long, flowing, blue dress, and a pair of blue wings growing out of her back (Dancing Elf: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 200). "Then I play One for One from my hand!" Snails added. "By sending a monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Level 1 monster from my hand or my Deck! I'll get rid of my Wingweaver, and then summon Key Mace from my Deck!"

The boy's second monster was a very small sprite wearing a blue and yellow outfit and hovering in the air with a pair of tiny wings. In its hand was a key, which it may have used as a weapon or a staff of some sort (Key Mace: Level 1 / ATK 400 / DEF 300).

"Awww... aren't those monsters just so adorable?" Fluttershy asked, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah... not to mention weak." Rainbow commented. "I've never heard of any serious Duelist that uses THOSE cards."

"Perhaps, but it matters very little right now..." Rarity noted. "After all, he's just summoned two Level 1 monsters, so it is quite obvious that he, too, is going for an Xyz Summoning."

"I overlay Dancing Elf and Key Mace, both Level 1, and build an Overlay Network!" shouted Snails as his two monsters transformed into a pair of lights, one green and one yellow, and sent them into another galaxy portal. The portal soon exploded as well, leaving behind a red 63 mark on the ground. "I Xyz Summon Number 63: Shamoji Soldier!!"

Everyone looked on as a large bowl with red and white stripes dropped slowly down to the ground. The bowl was filled to the brim with rice, and also had a rice paddle (for which the monster was named after) and a pair of chopsticks inside. Just then, an entire upper body emerged from out of it, with the rice paddle serving as its head. A pair of tiny feet then popped out of the underside of the bowl, and a long cape then appeared on the monster's back. It then used its hands to pull out the two chopsticks, holding one in each hand, and as it did so, a large red 63 appeared on the top of its head.

*******************************

Number 63: Shamoji Soldier:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Rank 1/ATK 0/DEF 2000)

2 Level 1 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. You can only use the effect of "Number 63: Shamoji Soldier" once per turn. You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then activate 1 of these effects;
* At the start of your opponent's next Standby Phase, each player draws 1 card.
* Each player gains 1000 LP.

*******************************

"Well Ah'll be... they BOTH managed t' Summon a Number on their first turn!" Applejack noted.

"Or more realistically," Rainbow chimed in, "one of them Summoned a rice bowl to fight Sunset with, and the other brought out Ratzilla... For bein' Number cards, they ain't that tough-looking..."

"Perhaps not..." Rarity agreed. Looking over at Snips and Snails, she then added, "Still, they don't seem to be worried about it at all, even though they probably should be."

Sunset wasn't too worried either, especially now that she had gotten a better look at the boys' Number cards. "That's really the best you have?" she asked them, trying to hold back a giggle. "I would tell you that I expected better out of you... but quite honestly, I didn't."

"Yeah, just laugh it up, Sunset!" cackled Snips. "You're never gonna beat BOTH of our Numbers! So just give it up!"

"Yeah! Give it up!" repeated Snails. He then asked, in his usual dopey tone, "Uh, what's she giving up, Snips...?" The blue-skinned boy groaned and slapped his face in response.

"...Well, you guys are at least confident, I'll give you that." the otherworldly girl told them. "But now let's see what happens on my turn... I draw!" After looking at her new card, she let out a slight gasp and told her opponents, "Well... it looks like this Duel is gonna end sooner than even I thought it would."

"Huh?" asked both Snips and Snails, not sure what she meant by that.

"I'll play the card that I just drew." said Sunset, placing the card into the Spell & Trap slot in her Duel Pad. "I activate Raigeki!"

"Uhhhhh... what does that card do...?" asked the orange-skinned boy.

Snips, with a crestfallen look on his face, answered his buddy, telling him, "It... destroys all of our monsters on the field..."

"Uh oh..." Snails replied, not happy to hear that.

"'Uh oh' is quite right..." Sunset told the dopey pair. "In fact, it's about to be a really BIG 'uh oh'! Now say goodbye to BOTH of your Number cards!!" And with that, the skies above began to darken, and a pair of huge lightning bolts shot down, frying both of the boys' Numbers at the same time and sending them on a one-way ticket to the Graveyard.

"Uh... Snails?" Snips began to ask. "T-tell me that didn't just happen...?"

"Uh... it didn't happen...?" the orange boy replied.

"Wow... not bad at all..." said Rainbow Dash, impressed. "Now those two dopes are defenseless! All Sunset's gotta do now is to wipe out their Life Points!"

Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "Now I'll Summon Chronomaly Mud Golem from my hand in Attack Mode!" Her first monster was a large, brown statue with a gold, featureless face and a pair of shiny, bladed weapons in its both of its hands (Chronomaly Mud Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1700 /DEF 1000). "Then, from my hand, I'll play the Spell Card Xyz Reception!"

*******************************

Xyz Reception:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 1 face-up monster you control that has a Level; Special Summon 1 monster with the same Level as that monster from your hand. Its effects are negated, also its ATK and DEF become 0.

*******************************

"I'll use the effect of my Spell Card to bring out Chronomaly Nebra Disk from my hand!" Sunset then played her second monster to the field, placing it right next to her Mud Golem (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 > 0 / DEF 1500 > 0). "Now let me show you two what a REAL Number card looks like!"

"Oh, she's gonna do it! SHE'S GONNA DO IT!!!" screamed Pinkie Pie excitedly.

"I overlay Mud Golem and Nebra Disk, both Level 4, and create an Overlay Network!!" Sunset Shimmer shouted as both of her monsters turned into a pair of lights, one orange and one yellow, and were drawn into yet another summoning portal. It then exploded, revealing a blue 36 on the ground. "Descend now, Number 36!" the red and yellow girl chanted. "Great palace of unknown origin, show yourself and display your mystical might! Xyz Summon!! Temple of Artifacts! Rank 4! Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!" After the chant was complete, Sunset's spherical monster flew down from the heavens above, shining an intense light over the entire battlefield (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2500 / OLU 2).

"But... that's not fair...!" whined Snips. "How come we didn't get awesome-looking Number cards like that one?!"

"That'll be the least of your worries, Snips..." the otherworldly girl informed him. Taking out another card from her hand, she then announced, "Now I play the Spell Card Limiter Removal! This card will double the attack power of all of my Machine-Type monsters for one turn!" As she did so, Chateau Huyuk's glow turned from blue to bright red (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: ATK 2000 x 2 = 4000). Sunset then took the last card in her hand and shouted, "Finally, I activate Oni-Gami Combo! By removing all of Chateau Huyuk's Overlay Units, I can now have it attack twice this turn!!"

"WHAT?!?!" shouted both Snips and Snails.

"No way..." Applejack said with a gasp. "That means that she can attack them both durin' the same Battle Phase! An' since she doubled her Number card's power, it's strong enough to wipe 'em out right now!"

"A One-Turn-Kill..." added Rarity, also surprised. "I never thought that I would ever see one for myself."

"That's Sunset for ya." Rainbow chimed in with a smirk. "Never fails to impress."

Sunset then put her right arm out forward and shouted, "Go! Chateau Huyuk!! Attack both Snips AND Snails directly!!" (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU 2 - 2 = 0)

The two boys sweated and whimpered as Sunset Shimmer's Number card fired a pair of large, red beams, striking them both simultaneously. "AAAAAAAAACCCKKK!!!!" they both screamed, taking the hit dead-on and falling over onto their backs (Snips: LP 4,000 - 4,000 = 0) (Snails: LP 4,000 - 4,000 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"She did it...!" said Fluttershy. "Sunset won the Duel...!" The other girls cheered in response to their friend's victory.

Taking a deep sigh, Sunset then raised her hand once more as a pair of light orbs phased out of the boys' chests. The orbs then flew into her outstretched hand. After that, the orbs transformed into Snips and Snails's Number cards, adding themselves to the otherworldly girl's collection.

After Sunset put away her new Number cards, Pinkie then clicked the button on top of a stopwatch that she had been holding in her hand. Looking at the time display on it closely, she then said, "One minute aaaannnnnnnd... six seconds!" She then told her red and yellow friend, "You were right, Sunnie! They DIDN'T last two minutes against you!"

"That was a mighty sweet victory, Sunset!" Applejack congratulated her friend. "You beat 'em both so fast, they didn't even know what hit 'em!"

"Yeah, just look at those two..." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "They still look totally clueless after it all... Oh wait: They ALWAYS look like that."

"Um... yeah, thanks girls..." Sunset replied in a less than enthusiastic tone.

Noticing that something was wrong with her friend, Rarity then asked her, "Sunset darling, is something the matter?"

"Um... well... uh, I..."

"...You know that you can always tell us if something is bothering you..." Fluttershy reminded her. "We only want to help you..."

The red and yellow teen sighed a little and replied, saying, "...Okay... I'll tell you. But not out here... I'd feel more comfortable if we talked about it somewhere where we can be in private..."

"Of course, Sunset... we understand." Applejack told her with a nod. "But where WOULD ya like t' talk about it?"

The six girls thought for a while, trying to think of a place that they could go to in order to chat privately. Just then, Fluttershy let a gasp, smiled and asked, "I know! How about we all go to the animal shelter to talk about everything? I have to check some things there anyway... Unless someone else has a better idea, of course."

"Actually, with what I have on my mind right now," Sunset began, "that might be the best idea, Fluttershy. Maybe being around the pets at the shelter will help me feel a little better..."

"Then it's decided!" Pinkie shouted with her usual enthusiasm. "To the animal shelter!" Everyone else nodded to say that they agreed and headed for the place in question soon after.

At the Canterlot City Animal Shelter, there was always a lot of activity as the staff and numerous volunteers took care of business, attending to all of the shelter animals. This included feeding them, training them, getting them exercise, and even adopting them out to new families. Of the many people that volunteered their time and energy to the facility, Fluttershy was the one who did the most for the shelter. Her love of animals gave her all the motivation she needed to do a good job there day after day. Though she had received several awards from the shelter staff for all of her hard work, Fluttershy always believed that the only reward she ever needed was the knowledge that she had made one little animal's life better in one way or another.

As the pink and yellow girl started her usual duties, her five friends sat down on several chairs in the large animal playroom. This was where patrons could go to spend time with the pets that they considered for adoption. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were busy playing with a small Golden Retriever puppy. Pinkie Pie was busy watching a medium-sized iguana in its glass tank home, giggling as she watched it move around slowly. Rarity glanced over near the pet hamsters in their maze-like dwelling, shuddering a little as they looked over at her. Sunset stayed in her seat, petting a fluffy, white Persian cat that hopped up onto her lap.

Noticing that her friend seemed a bit more relaxed, Rainbow Dash asked Sunset, "So... ya feelin' any better?"

"Mhmm." the red and yellow girl replied with a nod, still stroking the fur of the cat in her lap. "Only a little bit, but better than I was a few minutes ago..."

Rarity returned to her seat and then inquired, "So... what has caused you to have such a downcast attitude recently?"

"Well..." Sunset began to explain, "it all started two nights ago... at the apartment building..."

"Two nights ago?" asked Applejack. "That was when Ah came over t' spend the night with ya..." Recalling the event in question, the farm girl then added, "Ah remember that, when last Ah saw ya, you seemed to be all worn out, not t' mention that you were missin' a sleeve from your sleepin' shirt..."

"That's right." confirmed the otherworldly girl. Sighing, she the continued, telling them all, "The reason for that was because... was because I met HIM..."

"Who's 'him'?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"...The Number Hunter."

All of the girls gasped when they heard Sunset tell them that. "You're SERIOUS?!" asked Rarity out of shock. "You had an encounter with that person?!" Sunset nodded yes to say that she did.

"But... how come Ah didn't know anythin' about it?" asked Applejack, scratching her head out of confusion. "Ah can only assume that you dueled this guy, but Ah probably would've noticed if there was a Duel goin' on..."

"Well, there's a reason for that, actually..." Sunset informed her orange-skinned friend. "But... I don't think any of you would believe me if I told you."

"Why are ya so worried about that, Sunnie?" asked Pinkie Pie, suddenly popping out from behind the chair Sunset was sitting in. "We've seen all kinds of crazy, dangerous, magical stuff already!"

"Pinkie's right, Sunset." Rainbow Dash then told her. "After everything we've been through, I'm willin' t' believe ANYTHING." The other three girls nodded to say that they agreed with the two of them.

"Well, if you think that, then I guess I can tell you what happened..." the red and yellow teen replied. "Okay then, here goes..."

For the next several minutes, Sunset Shimmer told her friends exactly what had happened that night on the roof of the apartment building. She told them all about the Number Hunter, and his other identity as "The Doctor", the device he used to slow down time, as well as the Duel that she had against him. She also told them all about what had happened afterwards, when she saved him from falling off of the building... and when she had gotten a look into The Doctor's memories, telling them all about the supposed conversation between the mysterious man, and the even more mysterious individual that had paid him a visit.

Needless to say, Sunset's friends were pretty stunned after hearing everything. "Woah..." Applejack said, still trying to take it all in.

"Oh my..." was all that Fluttershy could say about it.

"Hold up... lemme see if I've got this right:" Rainbow Dash spoke up, trying to figure everything out. "You're tellin' me that this guy stopped time in order to force you into a Duel with him...? And that these Number cards are actually from another dimension??"

"That's what I got out of it all." Sunset replied.

"...Well, I said that I'd believe anything." the cyan teen commented. "And I guess that there's no way that you could've made all this up."

"Someone else could've, Dashie." Pinkie Pie told her. "In fact, this could make for a pretty good series."

Rarity was still a bit confused about everything. "So... according to what you told us, this 'Doctor' person is collecting the Numbers on behalf of someone else... But who is this individual? And why do they want the Numbers?"

"I don't know..." answered Sunset. "But to me, that's not the thing that has me worried... at least not right now..." Letting out a sad groan, she then told them, "What's really got me down is something else that I heard the guy tell The Doctor."

"And what is that?" Fluttershy asked.

"According to what that guy said," the otherworldly girl explained, "the Number cards, or the power that became them, escaped as the result of a breach between his world and our world... A breach that he said... was opened on September the 13th."

"Hold on a sec!" gasped Applejack. "Wasn't that the same day that y'all had that nightmare with the big door and everythin'?"

"Mhmm..." Sunset hummed, nodding her head yes. "I'm sure it doesn't take two and two to figure out what's going on here..." The girl sighed sadly and continued, saying, "If you remember, I told you that, in my dream, I saw this huge door that told me to open it. And when I did, a huge rush of energy shot out towards me..." Taking out a card from her red deck box (specifically, Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech) she added, "Then, right after my dream was over, I found my first Number card... Do you see what's going on here, girls?"

The other five teens pondered about their friend's words for a while. Then suddenly, it hit them: "Hold on..." Rainbow started, "are... are you saying that-"

Sunset sadly nodded and told them, "That's right... It's because of ME that the Number cards are here in the first place..."

The others gasped a little upon hearing this shocking discovery. "Are... you serious, Sugarcube?" inquired Applejack.

"I'm pretty sure of it..." the red and yellow girl answered her. "That dream I had... the Number cards' power... what that guy said to The Doctor... it all fits in perfectly." Shedding a small tear, Sunset continued to say, "This means that everything that happened so far because of those cards is all MY fault! Even when I'm trying to be good, I still find a way to cause trouble for everyone...! What's wrong with me?!"

At that moment, Rarity stood up out of her chair and told Sunset, "There is NOTHING wrong with you, Sunset! And none of this is your fault!"

"Huh?? It isn't??" asked the otherworldly girl, confused. "I don't understand... How is it NOT my fault?! I opened that door and let those cards loose in our world! It was because of me that you were possessed by a Number!"

"It's not because of you that I fell under control of that card." the fashionista informed her. "I got possessed by it because I was careless, and nothing more. In fact, if it wasn't for you, I'd still be under its control." She then told Sunset, "And while it may be true that you opened the door that released the cards here, it is not your fault that they are doing what they are doing."

Sunset was about to say something, but decided to stay silent and listen to what Rarity had to tell her.

The violet-haired teen then said, "It would have been different if you knew what was behind that door and opened it anyway... But you know as well as I do that there was no possible way that you could have known what would happen after it was opened. After all, everything that you told us concerning the door happened in a dream... You could not have possibly known that what you did in that dream would have an effect in the real world. And what's more, you're doing everything in your power to stop the Number cards from harming innocent people..." Rarity then told Sunset, in the most confident-sounding tone that she could muster, "That is why I believe that you are not to blame for everything that has happened! The fact that you are showing remorse for what has happened, along with the fact that you are trying to fix everything as best as you can, proves that you would never intentionally cause harm to anyone else!"

Sunset thought about everything that Rarity had just said to her. The red and yellow girl dwelled on it for a while; the more she thought about it, the more sense those words made to her. Sighing, she then told her fashion-forward friend, "Perhaps you're right, Rarity... Blaming myself for what's happened isn't going to solve anything. What matters right now is dealing with the problem and fixing everything before it's too late."

"Um... I think I have an idea..." Fluttershy muttered softly, but no one heard her.

"But what're we gonna do?" asked Rainbow Dash. "There's still a whole lot we don't know about these Number cards, or about this other guy that's collecting 'em!"

"Um... I have an idea..."

But Fluttershy's comment was once again ignored when Applejack asked, "But where're we gonna find out anythin' about 'em? It ain't like there's a whole section in the school library labeled, 'Interdimensional Tradin' Cards' or somethin' like that!"

"Um... excuse me...?"

"But we have to try and do something..." Rarity informed everyone else. "We can't afford to continue going into these types of situations completely blind!"

As the five of them tried to come up with an idea, Fluttershy attempted to get their attention. But no matter how hard she tried, they didn't hear her. She then glanced over at the cat that was on Sunset Shimmer's lap, now sitting on a table next to her. The animal lover then whispered something into the feline's ear. The cat nodded and walked over to a nearby blackboard and began scraping its claws on it. This caused an ear-piercing sound to fill the whole room, causing everyone else to stop talking and cover their ears.

"AAAAAGHHH!!! What the hay is that noise?!?" Sunset shouted. "It's giving me a headache!!"

"Make it stop already!!!" yelled Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy then tapped the cat's back, which prompted it to stop scratching the blackboard. Once the noise was done, the shy girl then spoke, saying to her friends, "I'm really, REALLY sorry that I had to resort to doing that... but, well... um... I... I actually had an idea of what we could do..."

"You have an idea?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Why didn't ya say so?"

"Um... well, actually... I did..."

"Oh... sorry 'bout that." Applejack apologized. She then asked, "So, what were y'all thinkin' of doin'?"

"Well... I couldn't help but notice that... um..." the timid teen began, "whenever Sunset takes someone's Number card, that necklace that she wears starts glowing first..." Fluttershy then turned towards Sunset and said to her, "And if I remember correctly, in your dream, when you opened the door, you used the necklace to unlock the door like a key, is that right...?"

The otherworldly girl gasped and answered her, saying, "Yeah, that's right!" Holding the necklace around her neck, she then added, "In fact, all of this stuff didn't start happening until after I bought this at the flea market."

"So... I was thinking that... maybe we should find the person that Sunset had bought the necklace from, and see if they might know anything about it." the pink and yellow girl suggested. "Um, unless you have a better idea, that is..."

"That's a great idea, Flutters!" Rainbow Dash praised her. "We can go find the guy that sold Sunset that thing, and then teach them not to sell dangerous stuff like that to people!"

"Hold on there, Dash..." Applejack spoke up, "Ah don't think she sold that thing-a-ma-bob t' Sunset because she knew what it was capable of... In fact, on the day that Sunset got the necklace, she told us that she didn't know anythin' about it in the first place... Ah'm pretty certain that if she knew it was dangerous, she wouldn't have had it out on display."

"Good point..." the cyan teen responded. She then asked, "But if that's true, then what's the point of going to her if she doesn't know anything about that necklace?"

"There's always a chance that she might have found out some things afterwards..." Sunset Shimmer answered her. "Besides, it's not like we have any better options anyway. This necklace is the only clue we have towards solving this mystery, and we have to make the most of it."

"Then it's settled: We're goin' with Fluttershy's plan and see what we can find out." stated Applejack. "Pack your bags, gals... we're off t' see Zecora!"

After Fluttershy finished things up at the Animal Shelter, the six girls went into town, searching for Zecora, the woman that had sold Sunset the necklace that she wore. Applejack led the way, as she had visited the woman's place of business in the past, so she knew where it was. After a few minutes of walking around, they finally located the small shop. All around the outside, there were displays of tribal masks, spears, shields, and other bizarre items that you would never find in any other type of store. The shop had a mysterious look and feel all around it.

"Well, here's the place, gals..." AJ told her friends. "Zecora's Curio Shop..."

Rarity trembled a bit; she had been by the shop before, but never had the courage to walk inside. "Ughhh... do we REALLY have to go in here...?" she asked the others. "You know how much this place gives me the creeps..."

"What's so creepy about it?" asked Pinkie Pie, popping out from behind the fashionista. "These are the COOLEST things that I've ever seen! I can't wait to see what she has in there THIS time!!" Before another word could be said, the silly pink girl ran as fast as she could to get into the shop.

Sunset sighed and told the others, "We have to go in and see Zecora... She might be the only person who can tell us about the necklace and this Astral World place..."

"I agree, Sunset." Rainbow Dash commented. "I don't care if Jason or Predator or whoever is hidin' in that store! We've got a job to do, and we're gonna do it!!" She and Sunset then ran inside of the store as well, with Applejack following them close behind.

Rarity sighed sadly, still not too pleased with having to go into a store that she considered creepy. Fluttershy, understanding her concern, put her hand on her shoulder and said, "We should follow them, Rarity... The sooner we go in, the sooner we can get it overwith..." Rarity nodded, agreeing with her shy friend's words as they walked inside the shop together.

Inside the shop, there were all sorts of strange, mysterious objects strewn across the floors and shelves. The items seemed to come from almost every possible corner of the world. As bizarre as they looked, it was quite an impressive collection of rare artifacts. Zecora herself was nowhere to be seen, so the six girls decided to glance around until she showed up.

Rarity was still not too happy to be in the shop, evidenced by the grimace that was displayed prominently on her face. Wiping her finger on one of the items for sale, she stuck out her tongue and complained, saying, "Bleck! Not only are these things creepy... they're covered in DUST! ...Not to mention that there is little to no organizational plan in this place whatsoever! Even if I wanted something from here, Heaven forbid, I wouldn't be able to FIND it!"

"I agree..." whimpered Fluttershy, "this place is... kind of scary..."

"Scary?" asked Pinkie Pie as she rummaged through a box full of tribal masks. "No way!! These things are the best!!" She then hopped into the box of masks, continuing to rummage through them all. "Hey, Fluttershy! Check this one out!!" The pink girl then popped out, wearing an over-sized green mask with bulging bug eyes, a orange and purple-striped nose and a big toothy grin. "BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!!!" Pinkie shouted.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" screamed Fluttershy, fainting and falling onto her back.

Pinkie threw off the mask and giggled a bit at her practical joke. Just then, however, an antique rolling pin fell from a shelf above and struck the pink girl on the head, which stopped her laughing. "OW!!!" Pinkie grunted, rubbing the sore spot with her right hand. "What'd I do??"

Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were looking at all of the antique weapons that were on display, particularly the rack full of spears. Even though they were too young to purchase weapons, they could still admire them from a distance. "Those things look mighty sharp, don't they Dash?" asked the farm girl.

"Sure do." the cyan-skinned teen replied. "I'd bet, with one'a those things, I could be some super-tough warrior or somethin'! No one would be able t' beat me!"

"Unless, of course," Applejack told her, "Ah was your opponent, that is..."

"Peh! In you dreams, AJ... I could beat ya single-handedly!" bragged Rainbow. The two of them shared a smirk with each other; though they were friends, they were often rivals with each other when it came to physical sports and games.

Sunset, of course, had only one thing on her mind as she wandered around the small, cluttered shop. She walked up to the front counter, where an old-style cash register sat, ready for use. (Heh...) she thought to herself, (that looks just like the cash registers in Equestria... only ours are still brand-new.) Finding a small bell on the counter, she rang it and called out, "Excuse me?? Ms. Zecora? Are you there??"

Not too long after that, a woman walked out from a room behind the front counter. It was none other than Zecora herself, still clad in her animal skin-like outfit. "Ah, Sunset! It is you. What can I do?" she asked in her usual rhyme.

"Hello, Zecora..." the otherworldly girl spoke to her. Showing the woman the necklace around her neck, Sunset asked, "I was wondering if I could ask you something concerning this necklace that I bought from you a while back..."

"Oh my... is there something wrong with it?" asked Zecora. "If so, I can refund you, bit by bit..."

"Oh, no... I'm not here for a refund, Ms. Zecora." the red and yellow girl told her. "It's just that... have you been able to find any information on it since you sold it to me? Like... about a place called the, 'Astral World'?"

The striped woman gasped a little when she heard that. "Did... did you say... the Astral World??" she asked. "...Hmmm... I am glad that you have come to see me, girl..."

"You know about it?" asked Sunset.

"I do indeed, and I should have known, where that necklace of yours has come from..." Zecora answered. "Follow me... and see..." She then beckoned the young teen to follow her into the room in the back.

Sunset then called over to her friends, shouting, "Hey girls! Zecora wants us all to follow her into the back! Let's go!" The others stopped what they were doing and walked with the otherworldly girl into the backroom.

The group of teens watched as Zecora looked through her bookshelves in the back of the store, searching for some sort of reference material that was pertinent to their current situation. Once she found it, she pulled it out and said, "Ah! Here it is! Now listen to this..." She took the book over to a nearby table (after pushing aside some old maps and papers scattered all over the surface) and opened it to a particular page. "This page should tell you the info you need," Zecora continued, "now please go and take a seat while I read..." The striped woman was about to being reading the material in front of her...

But at that moment, Rainbow Dash spoke up and asked, "Uh, Zecora? Could ya do us all a little favor? Could you explain all of the stuff in that book to us WITHOUT doing that rhyming thing that you always do? No offense, but it'd make you a bit easier to understand..."

The mysterious woman hummed a little to herself, thinking about Dash's request. Sighing a little out of disappointment, she then answered her, saying, "...Very well. If I must." She then added, "I suppose it would have been hard to try and put all of this information into the form of a rhyme anyway." She then cleared her throat and explained to them all, "This ancient tome that is in my hands comes from an ancient civilization that existed around 3,000 years ago, during the same era as the ancient empire of Egypt."

"Egypt?" asked Sunset, becoming interested.

Zecora nodded and continued to tell them, "These people and their society once worshiped a powerful source of energy that they believed existed long before humans and all other life came into existence. They believed that this energy came from a nonphysical realm that existed far beyond our own world... Thus, they called this mysterious place, 'Asutoraru Sekai'."

"Asu-what?" asked Pinkie Pie, not sure what those words meant.

"Roughly translated," the striped woman continued, "it means, 'Astral World': A world among the stars."

"Oh wow..." gasped Rarity. "That world must be quite beautiful with a name like that..."

"So, where was this ancient Egyptian society, exactly?" asked Applejack, curious to know.

"Oh no... this civilization did not exist within Egypt, Ms. Applejack." Zecora corrected her. "According to archaeologists, this society was believed to exist somewhere in the Himalayas..."

"The Himalayas? Isn't that a mountain range that's nearby India and China?" asked Fluttershy.

"It is indeed, Ms. Fluttershy." the striped woman confirmed. She then pointed at Sunset's necklace and told them, "And it just so happens that I found that item from within those very mountains."

"Y-you did?" asked Sunset Shimmer. "But why didn't you tell me about all of that before?"

"...If you recall, Ms. Shimmer, I had told you that I was not aware of the necklace's true origins at first." reminded Zecora. "After I sold it to you, I decided to look through all of my reference materials to try and find more information." She then walked over to another pile of papers and pulled a few out to show the girls. "And that's when I came across these: These pictures came from the most recent archaeological dig concerning the ancient civilization I mentioned earlier. They were posted on the museum's blog, and I decided to print them out to look through later."

The six teenage girls looked at the pictures closely; there were all sorts of strange, yet interesting things to see on them. They mostly consisted of drawings of people and things that were painted or chiseled on stone slabs. One thing that caught the girls' attention the most were the pictures of what appeared to be several creatures under the command of human masters.

"Um... is it just me," Rarity began, "or do the stone drawings here look... sort of familiar?"

"Well... kind of..." Fluttershy responded. "But where have we seen them before?"

Sunset looked at the pictures as closely as possible... and then let out a gasp. "It can't be!" She then quickly reached into her purse and pulled out her Deck. Taking out one of the cards she had in her Deck (specifically Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut), she put it next to one of the creatures that had been drawn on the stone slab. To everyone's surprise, the pictures on the slab and on the card were almost exactly the same.

"Wowee!!" said Pinkie Pie. "They look just like each other!"

"So wait a sec..." started Rainbow Dash, "is this supposed to be a picture of... people dueling?"

"That's what it looks like, but it can't be true..." pondered Applejack. "Everybody knows that Maximillion Pegasus designed Duel Monsters durin' the mid-90's! So how in the hay could it have existed over 3,000-somethin' years ago?!"

(Wait... the creator of Duel Monsters has "Pegasus" as his last name?) Sunset asked in her mind. (...Really??)

"That is quite true, Ms. Applejack." Zecora informed the farm girl. "However, it is a little-known fact that Pegasus came up with the idea of the card game from his visits to many archaeological sites in Egypt and elsewhere. Using what he learned of these ancient monster battles, he decided to recreate them in the form of a card game, and thus, Duel Monsters as we know it today was born."

"Wow... so that's how it happened." Rarity commented.

"So, basically..." Rainbow Dash added, "he sorta ripped it off of a game that was played thousands of years ago?"

"It is best to think of the whole thing as Pegasus trying to recreate the game for modern times, and as a way for it to be played in a much safer setting..." Zecora explained. "Or at least, that was his intention... But as you all may know, there have been bizarre occurrences involving the game of Duel Monsters that many are unable to logically explain."

"Ya mean stuff like what happened a coupla years back? Such as the Battle City Tournament all the way over in Japan?" asked Applejack. "Ah heard that there were reports of competitors gettin' injured and collapsin'..."

"Don't forget about Duelist Kingdom before that!" Pinkie Pie reminded the farm girl. "There was some really weird stuff going on over there, too! And I'm not just referring to how weird the card effects were back then!"

"Come to think of it..." Fluttershy spoke up. "I heard a few rumors about some things that happened at one of the Duel Academy schools... Something about Sacred Beasts, I think... or, was it about some giant demon creature in a stone slab?" The girls looked at one another after recalling all of these strange, unexplainable events throughout the history of the Duel Monsters card game, feeling a tad nervous after hearing about all of it.

"It is quite distressing, I must say..." Zecora told them all, "but luckily, occurrences such as these are few and far in-between."

"So what does all of this have to do with my necklace?" asked Sunset. "And this Astral World place?"

Zecora took out another photograph that she had printed from the Internet and showed it to the otherworldly girl and her friends. "Perhaps this picture might assist you in finding the answer..." the striped woman said to them. "The supposed ancient society in the Himalayan Mountains were protected and governed by a small group of men and women, throughout many generations. They were exceptionally skilled in magic, and were capable of summoning monsters to fight those who would dare threaten their very way of life; much like the sorcerers in Ancient Egypt. They were called, 'Diak Ums': Duel Priests and Duel Priestesses.

"This picture here shows one generation of Diak Ums..." Zecora noted, pointing to the eight figures painted on the stone tablet in the photograph. The figures consisted of seven women, and one man. The drawings were relatively simplistic and didn't show a lot of detail, but based on the overall quality of the paintings, it was clear that they were highly respected during their time in this world. "These seven priestesses and one priest were thought to have been the most powerful of them all. The Diak Ums were all quite strong, but these eight individuals were particularly powerful, and knew a great deal of the energy that lived within the Astral World. And even then, not one of them ever considered abusing that power for their own personal gain; rather, they ensured that it would be used for the benefit of everyone in their society."

"Woah... that sounds pretty cool..." noted Rainbow Dash, now getting more interested in the whole thing.

Pinkie Pie looked at one of the figures in the painting and giggled a bit. "Hey, Sunnie!" she said to Sunset, pointing to one of the priestesses in the picture. "This one has your hair!"

"She does, does she?" asked the otherworldly girl, looking at the picture herself. As she gazed at the painting, something about it seemed to really interest her. Why, she didn't know. She then asked Zecora, "Say... could you make a copy of this painting for me?"

"Of course." the striped woman replied, taking the picture and heading for her computer, which had a printer/scanner hooked up to it. It didn't take long for her to make a quick copy of the photo and give it to Sunset Shimmer.

"So... what happened to these people in the painting?" asked Rarity. "I mean, besides the fact that they are most likely deceased, of course."

"That is a very good question." Zecora told her. "No one seems to know... In fact, the only records that exist that prove that the Diak Ums were alive are these ancient paintings. Even in the tombs of their city, there is no trace of their remains anywhere."

"How is that possible?" asked Sunset.

"Based on their scriptures," Zecora answered, reading the book once more, "they believed that individuals that are noble and pure of heart ascend into the Astral World and are reincarnated. Of course, it is unknown if this is true or not... but if it is, then it is quite possible that the Diak Ums became part of the Astral World after their physical bodies died. But what awaited them there is another story, one that has not yet been uncovered."

The six girls weren't sure what to make of everything they heard. They didn't know whether to believe it or not, but they knew for sure that it meant something big was on its way... something that they weren't sure that they were ready for...

Sunset Shimmer and her friends soon left Zecora's Curio Shop and headed off into town together. Eventually, they made their way into the city park where people did all sorts of outdoor activities, such as playing sports, walking their dogs, or gazing at the natural setting that the park offered. The group sat down on some nearby park benches as they thought about everything that Zecora told them.

"So... do you guys believe all that stuff she told us?" Rainbow Dash asked the others. "I mean... there's no way that it could all be true, could it?"

"Well, I do admit that it seems quite far-fetched to me..." Rarity noted. "But... I have this feeling that it may indeed have some merit, regardless of how impossible it may seem..."

"Yeah... I don't know why," Fluttershy meekly chimed in, "but all of it seemed... oddly familiar to me, even though I'm sure that this is the first time that I've heard about this Astral World..." Blushing a little, she then added, "Oh... I hope you don't think I'm strange for thinking that..."

"If you're strange for thinking all of that, Fluttershy," Sunset began to tell her, "then I guess that I am too. The more I think about what Zecora told us... and from what I heard when I looked into The Doctor's memory, the more it feels that I know about it all already... but I'm not sure how..."

The five other girls looked at one another and Sunset, not sure what to make of it all.

"There's something else too..." the otherworldly girl told them. "While Zecora was reading that book, I managed to get a peek at one of the photographs in it; I saw a picture of a stone slab with some sort of text written on it... and the writing looked exactly like the text on all of my Number cards."

"Really??" asked Applejack, startled a bit by what Sunset had just said, as were the others.

"Believe me, I'm not making this up." stated the red and yellow girl. "The writing on that slab looked just like the glyphs on the Number cards."

"Come to think of it..." Rarity spoke up, "I saw that picture in the book as well... And from what I remember from the time that I had my Number card, that text in the photograph looked very much similar to the text on the card that I had."

"So you think Zecora was tellin' the truth about everything?" asked Rainbow Dash, still somewhat skeptical, but interested in the whole thing.

"I'm not sure if everything she told us is true or not," Sunset answered, "but we can't deny that there's some link between the Numbers cards and this Astral World place. And I think that if we can learn more about this other world, we can figure out more about what the Number cards are, and why they are doing what they're doing."

"But how...?" asked Fluttershy.

The otherworldly girl sighed sadly and answered her, saying, "That... I have no idea..." Looking at her necklace, which she figured was the key to the whole mystery, she then added, "These Number cards and their users are becoming more and more dangerous every time I have to fight them..."

"Except for Snips and Snails." Pinkie interrupted.

"...Okay, besides Snips and Snails," Sunset continued, "these Number cards are getting more powerful with each Duel I fight involving them... Not to mention that there's some other guy collecting them as well. And who's to say that there aren't OTHER people that are actively collecting Numbers, too?" Sighing, she then said, "It's times like this that I really wish Twilight were here..."

"Yeah, I can agree with you on that one for sure..." stated Rainbow Dash. "I mean the only thing better than having one egghead trying to figure this whole mess out, is having TWO eggheads workin' on it."

"Yeah, I'll bet the two of you combined would be able to figure out all of this Number and Astral World stuff in a coupla minutes!" stated Pinkie Pie. Gasping, she then asked, "I've got an idea! Why don't you use your magic book-thingy and ask her to come by, Sunnie?"

Sunset sighed again and told her, "Believe me, I'd want nothing more than to ask her to come and help us with all of this... But I can't."

"You can't??" asked Rarity. "Why not?"

"Don't you remember?" the otherworldly girl asked her friends. "Twilight's a Princess back in Equestria; more specifically, the Princess of Friendship. I'm sure that, back in her world, she's got all sorts of problems and things to care of on a daily basis. And if that's the case, I don't want to disturb her. Like it or not, this is a problem... that I'll have to figure out without her..."

Sunset's friends could tell from the tone of her voice that, if she felt that she could, she would want nothing more than to have Twilight come back to their world and help them all out. But they understood Sunset's concerns about disturbing the Princess when she more than likely had things of her own to deal with. Still, none of them were comfortable with the idea of trying to resolve this issue with the Number cards without Twilight to assist them.

"Look, girls... let's not get so down 'bout all of this..." Applejack told them all. "Ah'm sure we'll figure out a way to resolve everything, with or without Twi's help." Patting Sunset on the back, she then added, "Long as we all remember to stick together n' support one another, we'll get through it all, Ah guarantee it."

The red and yellow girl smiled after hearing that. "You're right, Applejack. One way or another, we'll find a way out of this mess... together." The others smiled as well, knowing that they would do their best to solve the mystery of the Number cards and the Astral World.

Later that night, Sunset returned to the apartment building that she lived in. After saying hi to Manny Roar, she made her way into her apartment using her key and set all of her things down. She made herself something to eat with her microwave while watching her favorite game show on TV. After it was over, she walked into her bathroom, took a quick shower, and tied on her crimson-colored robe before walking into her bedroom.

Sunset then took her necklace and lay it on the nightstand next to her bed. This way, it would be within her eyesight, just in case anything were to happen to it. The red and yellow girl let out a deep yawn; after everything she and her friends had done that day, she was quite exhausted, physically and mentally. She was so tired, she decided to just go to sleep while wearing her robe, not bothering to change into her pajamas like she usually did (which made sense, considering that the shirt had its sleeve ripped off after her encounter with The Doctor; she had not yet purchased any new sleeping clothes yet). Pulling the covers over herself, she let out another deep yawn before going to sleep...

Hours later, though unbeknownst to her, Sunset's key necklace began to glow brightly. The otherworldly girl was sleeping so soundly, she didn't even notice what was happening around her; not even when a small ball of light came from out of the necklace and began swirling around in the air for a while. Eventually, the light ball phased right through the back wall of Sunset's bedroom, appearing outside of the apartment building, several feet in the air. The sphere began flying through the air, apparently heading for a particular destination that only it knew.

It wasn't much longer before the ball of light had made its way to Canterlot High School. As it was a late Friday night, the school was locked up tight. But the sphere wasn't interested in going into the building itself (not that it couldn't, since it was capable of moving through solid walls anyway); instead, it flew over towards the large horse statue in front of the school. On the large pedestal that the statue stood upon were four large mirrors. The ball of light flew around the statue several times... before it stopped in front of one of the mirrors. Then, all of a sudden, it phased into the mirror and disappeared completely...

Ponyville, Equestria: Time 1:16 a.m.

In another world entirely, night had long since fallen upon a small town that was made up mostly of small houses and buildings with straw-covered roofs on them. The town was known as Ponyville; to most, it seemed like any other small town. But it was often the site of many events that took place that would determine the fate of country of Equestria; the former home of Sunset Shimmer. While most of Ponyville seemed ordinary and unassuming, there was one structure that definitely stood out: A gigantic castle on the outskirts of town that was made up of purple and blue crystals. Just like the rest of the houses in Ponyville, the castle's interiors were nearly pitch-black, save for the bit of moonlight that crept inside, indicating that those who lived within it had turned in for the night...

However, deep within the castle's basement, one of the items in the large room began to start glowing, as if it had been activated somehow. It was a tall mirror, and the reflective surface had begun to ripple as a small light came out of it. Once it fully emerged, the sphere began whizzing around in circles inside the dark room. Eventually, the ball of light phased through the ceiling above, emerging into a long hallway. It then flew down the hall, passing by several large and extravagant rooms.

Eventually, the sphere of light stopped when it reached what appeared to be some sort of a meeting hall. Inside of the room was a large, circular table made of crystal, surrounded by six, tall chairs (and one short chair). Each of the tall chairs had a large symbol emblazoned upon the top of them: A trio of balloons, a trio of pink butterflies, a trio of blue diamonds, a rainbow-colored lightning bolt, a trio of bright red apples, and a pink, six-pointed star. Above the giant table was what appeared be to the bottom half of a tree with several, jewel-shaped ornaments hanging from its roots.

The ball of light slowly flew into the large meeting hall, approaching the large table. It then sat gently onto the surface of the table, flattening itself into the shape of a thin rectangle. It then began blinking, providing the only source of light in the darkened room.

Not long after that, a flushing sound could be heard from nearby, indicating that the castle bathroom had just been used. After the light in the room had been switched off, a figure came walking out of it. It was a little pony with a lavender-colored coat and a straight purple mane and tail with hot pink streaks running down them. She had purple eyes, along with a long, pointy horn on her forehead. On her back were a pair of large, purple wings that matched her coat color perfectly. On both sides of her rear end was a small emblem, known as a "cutie mark"; the mark was a six-pointed pink star that looked exactly like the one imprinted upon one of the tall chairs in the meeting room.

The lavender-colored pony yawned deeply as she walked down the hallway, her eyes drooping. Sighing and groaned from her tired state, she said to herself, "That's the third time tonight that I've had to get up to go to the bathroom..." Sighing again, she then added, "That does it: That's the LAST time that I let Pinkie Pie talk me into ordering a jumbo-size strawberry milkshake at the Hayburger Stand..."

As the pony walked down the hallway leading back to her bedroom, she passed by the meeting hall... and noticed a faint light coming from out of that room. "Huh?" She stopped after noticing the light and glanced over towards it, peeping into the room. She then saw the blinking light coming from the top of the circular table. "I thought I switched off the map for the night..." she said to herself. Not sure what it was at first, the lavender pony trotted over to investigate it.

"What is that...?" she asked herself as she looked at the blinking object closely. She then saw that the object was some sort of black-colored card. "A... trading card...? Where did this come from? It doesn't look like any trading card that I've ever seen..." She then placed her left front hoof on the card as she leaned over to take a better look at it...

But when she did so, the black card began to glow even brighter, surrounding itself with a white-colored aura. That aura also covered the lavender pony as well. "What the-? What's going on?!?" she asked, becoming frightened from what was happening in front of her. She tried to back away, but some sort of invisible force was preventing her from taking her hoof off of the card on the table. The pony covered her face with her other foreleg as the light around her got even brighter, filling the room completely. "Rrrrrrgh!!! Would somepony explain to me why this thing is going crazy?!?" she yelled.

Just then, all of a sudden, the light finally began to die down, and the room became dark once more. The pony noticed that the light had faded, and she immediately opened her eyes and moved her foreleg away from her face, placing it back onto the floor. Taking a deep breath, she then asked herself, "What... the hay... was THAT??" She then glanced over at the card that she found on the table and saw that it had changed: There was now text written on the card in various places, and a picture of a white and golden-armored warrior had appeared on what used to be a blank, white space. The pony looked closely at the card and began reading it...

*******************************

Number 39: Utopia:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When any player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the attack. When this card is targeted for an attack by a "Number" monster, while it has no Xyz Materials: Destroy this card.

*******************************

The pony had no idea what the text on the card meant. More so, she didn't recognize the writing that made up the card's text as any language that she knew of from her past studies. Yet, she was able to read the text perfectly as if it were written in English. "This doesn't make any sense..." she said to herself, confused by what had taken place so far. "I've never seen this language before, so how is it that I can read it? And what was with that crazy light that came out of it...?"

Sighing, the pony said to herself, "Forget it... I'm too tired to try and figure all of this out right now... But first thing in the morning, I'll gather up my friends and see if we can figure it out together." Pondering some more, she then added, "Hmmm... perhaps it might not be a bad idea to get the Princesses here as well..." She then pointed her horn at the strange card. A second later, both the horn and the card were surrounded with a violet-colored aura. The card then began to levitate off of the table and was dropped into a small, pink, wooden chest with gold-plated trims. The chest was then closed and properly secured, ensuring that no one would try to open it anytime soon. The pony then yawned deeply and continued heading for her bedroom in order to get back to sleep.

Morning soon came to the small town of Ponyville, and all of its residents were awake and ready to begin the day. Much like the individual that lived within the large crystal castle, almost everyone that lived in Ponyville (and Equestria as a whole) were ponies as well. But unlike the equines that occupied the world where Sunset Shimmer lived, they were capable of speech and many other human-like traits.

Inside of the large crystal castle, the lavender pony that lived within it had walked into the large meeting room. After glancing at the large table in the center, which now appeared to display a holographic map of some sort upon it, she then looked behind her and said, "It's in here, everypony... Be careful, though; I'm... not sure what will happen from this point forward..."

The lavender pony then strolled inside the room, followed by eight other individuals: First, there was a cyan-coated Pegasus pony with a rainbow-colored mane and tail with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt mark that flew in the air as she entered the room. Following her was a yellow Pegasus that walked on the ground, who had a pink mane and tail, and a mark that showed a picture of three pink butterflies. Next came a white Unicorn pony with a beautiful violet mane, with a picture of three blue diamonds on her flank. Walking right beside her was a young dragon with purple and green scales.

Next to enter the room was an orange-coated pony with a blond mane and tail. She wore a brown cowgirl hat on her head and had a mark that showed a picture of three, shiny, red apples. Behind her hopped a pink pony with a poofy, cotton candy-like mane and tail, and a picture of three small balloons on her rear end. Last to enter the room were two exceptionally large ponies known as Alicorns, which was also the same species that the lavender pony was as well. One had a pure white coat, a long horn, and a pair of huge wings. Her mane and tail consisted of several colors of blue, pink, and green that flowed freely in the air. The mark on her flank was a large, bright sun. The other Alicorn was slightly shorter than the other, and had a dark-blue coat color in addition to a long horn and large wings. Her blue mane also flowed freely, and her cutie mark was a white moon in the night sky. Both the larger ponies wore crowns on their heads, signifying that they were of royal status.

The lavender Alicorn pony strolled up to small, pink chest and used her magical powers to levitate it off of the table she put it on. "Carrying" it over, she then told everyone else in the room, "Here it is... This is the reason that I've brought you all here today."

"This thing?" asked the orange pony with a southern Texan accent. Looking at it curiously, she then inquired the lavender pony, "But... what's in it, Twilight?"

"I'm glad you asked, Applejack." the purple-maned Alicorn, named Twilight Sparkle, answered her. She then opened the chest with her magic and explained, saying, "Last night, when I was passing by this room, I saw a strange object sitting on the map here... When I went over to investigate it, I saw that it appeared to be some sort of card..."

"A card?" asked the white Unicorn. "You mean like a trading card, Twilight dear? Doesn't seem that unusual to me..."

"Yeah, Rarity's right..." the rainbow-maned Pegasus added, "Collecting trading cards seems like somethin' that eggheady nerds like you would do all the time. So why'd you bring us all out here just t' tell us that??"

Twilight narrowed her eyes a little and said to the cyan-coated pony, "I don't exactly appreciate being called an, 'eggheady nerd', Rainbow Dash... but right now, that's not important. And you'll let me continue, you'll all know why I'm so concerned about this card..." Using her magic, she then hovered it towards the pink pony in the room and asked her, "Pinkie Pie, you collect trading cards, right?"

"I sure do, Twilight!" the pink pony answered her. "Isn't that totally convenient to the plot that I just so happen to do that?"

The lavender Alicorn didn't know how to respond to that bizarre remark at first. Pushing the confusing words out of her mind for the moment, she then asked Pinkie, "Whatever... do you recognize this card at all? Have you ever seen it before?"

The pink pony looked carefully and closely at the black card that was in front of her. She hummed... and hummed... and hummed some more, apparently in deep thought. Suddenly, she let out a loud, happy gasp and said, "Oh yeah! I've got it!! I've got it!!!"

"You know something about it, Pinkie Pie?!" asked Twilight in a hopeful tone of voice.

"Yeppity-yep-yep!!" the pink pony told her. "I one-hundred percent know that, beyond a shadow of a doubt... that I have never seen this card before in my life." Most of the others in the room groaned loudly after hearing what she had said.

"Rrrgh... Ah should've seen that one comin'." replied the orange pony, named Applejack.

The yellow, pink-haired Pegasus pony then looked at the card next and said, "I don't recognize this card either... Mr. Duck and Mr. Beaver don't have any cards that look even close to that in their collections..."

"Wait a sec, your animals collect cards, Fluttershy?" asked the cyan Pegasus, named Rainbow Dash.

"Oh yes... they do." the timid yellow pony answered her friend. "In fact, they're very competitive whenever they play cards with each other, among other things... But... I get the feeling that Mr. Duck and Mr. Beaver don't really get along with each other very well; I think they might be a little TOO competitive..."

Twilight sighed to herself and then walked over to the other two Alicorns in the room. "Princess Celestia..." she began to ask the large, white pony while presenting the strange card to her, "do you recognize the language on this card at all?"

"Hmmmm..." The white Alicorn, named Celestia, looked at the card closely, studying each and every one of the glyphs printed upon it. The dark blue Alicorn then took a glance at it herself, hoping to identify the bizarre language as well. Celestia then sighed and told the lavender pony, "I apologize, Twilight... but I'm afraid that I have never seen a language like this one in my entire life..."

"You... haven't...?" asked Twilight in a disappointed tone of voice.

"My sister would not lie about something like that, Princess Twilight." the dark-blue Alicorn told her. "And I can say most certainly that I, too, do not recognize this form of writing at all either..."

"Really? You don't know what it is either, Princess Luna?" Twilight asked the dark-blue pony. Looking at the card again, she then added, "But if neither of YOU know about this language, then how is it that I am able to read it perfectly?? This is TOO weird..." Sighing, the lavender pony then added, "Of course, that wasn't the ONLY thing about this card that was strange..."

"Really?" asked the little dragon as he walked towards her. "What else did this thing do?"

"Well, for starters, Spike," Twilight began to explain, "when I first saw the card, there was nothing on it; no picture, no text, nothing. But then, after I touched it, it started radiating this extremely powerful light for about half a minute before anything else appeared on it..."

"Radiating light?" asked Pinkie Pie in a casual tone. "You mean like what it's doing right now?"

"Huh??" Twilight immediately looked back at the card that she was holding with her magic, gasping when she saw that it was glowing once more, just like it did that night. "Oh no!! It's doing it again!! Everypony, get back!!!" the lavender pony shouted to everyone else in the room as she dropped the card on the reflective floor before joining the others. They all stepped back, distancing themselves as far as possible from the strange trading card.

The card began glowing brighter and brighter, and before long, a galaxy-like portal formed where it lay. The vortex drew in large amounts of light energy, storing it inside of itself. Then, a second later, the portal exploded violently, leaving behind a large, red mark that looked like the number 39.

"Wh-wh-wh-what in Equestria is that?!?" asked Rarity out of fear.

"Forget that, Rarity!" shouted Applejack, pointing towards the ceiling. "What the hay is THAT thing?!?"

The other seven ponies and one dragon looked straight up at where the orange pony was pointing, gasping as a large, white and gold object began to descend to the floor in front of them. After it stopped coming down, the front parts of the object unfolded, revealing themselves to be incredibly large wings.

"Wh-what is that thing supposed t' be??" asked Rainbow Dash. "Is it some sorta spaceship or somethin'??"

The group continued to watch as the inner part of the object, which had previously been obscured by the large wings, began to change shape. It then began to unfold into a human-like being that was covered in bright, shiny armor that was white and gold in color, with some sort of green "core" on its chest, and armed with a pair of large swords sheathed at both sides of its hip area. Its head was mostly covered by a similarly-colored helmet that had a pair of golden scythe-like protrusions coming out of the sides. Only a pair of small, red eyes could be seen underneath it. On its left shoulder pad, there was a red symbol resembling the number 39. The figure that had appeared before them was the same figure on the card's picture, and after it had fully emerged, it clenched its fists and outstretched its arms, displaying a powerful-looking pose.

"That's not a spaceship, Dashie..." Pinkie Pie said to her rainbow-maned Pegasus friend. "It's a Transformer...!"

(A what...?) thought the others.

The figure, so tall that its head was almost high enough to reach the ceiling of the meeting hall, looked around at all of the occupants in the room. Its eyes then glanced over at Twilight Sparkle, focusing its attention on her specifically. When the lavender Alicorn saw that its eyes were on her, she began to feel a little nervous; even more so when the armored figure pointed at her. "You..." it said to her in a low, masculine voice. "Are you the one called Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight, still a bit intimidated by this strange figure, meekly answered him, saying, "Um... I-I-I am..."

The figure did not respond at first; he just continued to stare at the lavender pony with his glowing red eyes. Then, he began to move and, to everyone's surprise, he bent down on one knee and bowed respectfully in front of the young Princess. "Forgive me for my appearing so suddenly in front of you as I have... but rest assured, I come in peace, Your Highness." he then told her.

"You... do?" asked Twilight. "Who are you?"

Standing back up, the armored man then answered the lavender Alicorn, telling her, "You should already know who I am; it is written upon the card that bears my image..."

"The card?" Figuring everything out, Twilight then began to say, "Then... that means that you must be-"

"Correct." the figure interrupted her. "I am Utopia; The King of Hope and Wishes."

"King of Hope and Wishes...?" Celestia repeated to herself. She then told the armored giant, "That is quite an impressive title. Did you come up with it yourself?"

"I am what I am due to the deepest desires of the one who has awakened me." Utopia replied. Pointing at Twilight again, he then added, "It is because of this young girl that I have my physical form and power."

"Me??" asked the young Princess. "But... what did I do?"

"More than you may realize." Utopia told her. "But I suppose that I cannot blame you for feeling somewhat confused. So perhaps explaining more will help you to understand what is going on."

"It would probably help." Luna agreed. "Now tell us; what are you? And where is it that you come from?"

Utopia then pointed to his left shoulder pad (the one that had the red 39 on it) and began telling them, "I am known as a 'Number', one of one hundred beings that originate from a world far beyond yours or any other, known as the Astral World."

"Astral World?" asked Twilight. "Never heard of it..."

"Indeed... Not many outside of our world have knowledge of it." the man informed her. "Very few have heard of the Astral World, and even fewer have beared witness to it. It is a nonphysical realm of existence that existed before all others; the Alpha and the Omega."

The occupants of the meeting hall listened closely to Utopia's words, but not everyone understood what he was talking about. Scratching her head a little, Applejack then asked her friends, "So... do y'all know what the hay that Utopia guy's sayin? 'Cause Ah sure don't..."

"Nope." Rainbow Dash simply responded.

"Not a clue!" Pinkie Pie added enthusiastically.

"Well, whatever he's saying, it sounds very important..." noted Fluttershy.

"I believe so too, Fluttershy dear." Rarity chimed in, rubbing the underside of her chin. "But why did he come here? And why did he wish to see Twilight?"

"I don't know, Rarity..." Spike said to her, "but I just know it's gonna be something big..." He then walked over to Pinkie Pie and pulled a handheld day planner from out of her poofy mane and used a pencil that he had with him to cross out several days on it. "So much for my plans this week..." he said to himself as he finished his work and stuffed the planner back into the pink pony's mane hair. "Thanks for holding onto that for me, Pinkie." the little dragon told her.

"No problem!" Pinkie responded with a smile.

Rarity's question as to why Utopia had come looking for Twilight was also the question that was on the lavender Alicorn's mind. "Why have you come here, Utopia?" the young Princess asked him. "More importantly, how do you know my name?"

"The answers to both of your questions are one and the same." Utopia told her. "I have come here... to seek your help."

"M-my help...? With what??"

"From the world that I have come from, there is a great battle taking place:" the armored giant answered. "A battle to claim the power that we hold. However... our power cannot be wielded by just anyone; those that are unable to handle it risk becoming enslaved by it. This presents a problem for us and the residents of that world, as you can imagine."

"Sounds like it..." agreed Twilight.

"Yes, but that is not all..." Utopia continued. "I have sensed that there are wicked forces within that world that are also seeking our power. If they were to claim all of it, this other world would be doomed to a future of darkness and despair..."

"That sounds horrible..." stated Rarity in a sad-sounding tone of voice.

"I know..." Pinkie chimed in, also feeling down just hearing that. "A world where everypony is all sad, mopey, and not having any fun? I can't imagine ever living in a world like that!"

"Yes, indeed... Such a future cannot be allowed to emerge." Utopia told them. "If these evil forces succeed in obtaining us all, they will have power that no other force could ever hope to match. And once they conquer the world that I have come from, they will no doubt seek to control other worlds as well: Your kind may very well become their next victims..."

"We can't let that happen!" shouted Twilight. "We have to do something!"

"I agree completely, Your Highness." the armored man responded. "And that is why I have come seeking your assistance. Your power, along with your good intentions and feelings, may be just what is needed in order to vanquish these wicked forces and prevent them from succeeding in their heinous goals. The fates of this world and many others are at stake; we must win this battle at all costs." Utopia then asked the young Princess, "So... I ask you, Your Highness: Will you assist me in reclaiming our power and to keep it out of the hands of evil?"

The other occupants in the room thought about what had happened so far, as well as what had been told to them. Twilight pondered about it for some time, wondering what she should do. In the end, the lavender Alicorn realized that there was no other decision she could come to. With a look of determination upon her face, she said, "I will, Utopia. I'll do whatever I can to help you!"

"Are y'all sure about this, Twi?" asked Applejack, slightly concerned. "Are ya sure you can trust him?"

"If there's a chance that our world is in danger, then I don't have any other choice but to trust Utopia." Twilight answered her orange-coated friend. "As a Princess, I have to do whatever I can to make sure that everyone is safe... The last thing I want to see is something bad happening to this world and all of you... It's my duty to help protect Equestria and everypony that lives here. And that goes for any other world that might be in danger, too. So backing out of all of this is out of the question!"

"Well said, Princess Twilight." complimented Luna.

"Ah suppose you're right." Applejack responded. "Ah guess Ah would've done the same if Ah were you."

Twilight then turned to face Utopia and stated, "That being said, there's still one thing that puzzles me..." She then asked the armored man, "Utopia, how did you know who I was... and how did you know where to find me?"

"...Since you decided to help me with my concerns, I suppose that is only fair that I elaborate on those details." Utopia then explained to the young Princess, "I knew who you were and of the world from whence you came, because I have actually come seeking your assistance on someone else's behalf."

"Someone else?" Twilight inquired. "Who?"

"A person that you seem to be on good terms with, and to which the feelings are mutual." the armored man answered. "She is the one you call... Sunset Shimmer."

Everyone in the room gasped when they heard that name. "Sunset?!" asked Twilight, not sure if she heard him correctly.

"...Sunset Shimmer...?" repeated Princess Celestia in a slightly solemn tone. Just hearing the name of her former protégé brought back memories of the good times they shared together... as well some not-so-good times.

"Hold up a sec... Sunset Shimmer?" asked Rainbow Dash. She then looked towards Twilight and inquired, "Ain't that the name of that pony that stole your crown a while back?"

"Yes." answered the lavender Alicorn. "Not to mention that it's ALSO the same one that regretted doing that and is trying her best to change her ways as well." she then reminded her cyan-coated friend.

"...Oh yeah. Right." Rainbow responded, rubbing the back of her head. "I forgot about that..."

Twilight then turned back over to Utopia and asked him, "So Sunset Shimmer sent you to come find me?"

"Not necessarily..." the man replied. "She did not tell me to do such a thing directly. In fact, she does not know that I exist, much less that am I here speaking with you. However, she had desired for you to come to the world that she resides in to assist her and her companions in this battle as well..."

"You mean to tell me that Sunset and all of them are involved with this too??" asked Twilight in a surprised tone. "But... if she wanted my help, then why didn't she write to me in my magic book and ask for it?"

"She had contemplated such an idea," Utopia answered, "but I feel that she didn't do so simply because she wished not to disturb you..."

"Disturb her?" asked Fluttershy. "How?"

"...I think I understand." Twilight spoke up, having figured it all out. "She must have felt that by asking me to come and help her with what's going on in her world, she would be bothering me and tearing me away from my responsibilities as a Princess."

"I suppose that sounds plausible..." Celestia figured.

But Twilight then told them all, "But... she should have known that I would always be there to help her when she needs it." With a smile, she then added, "Helping others, especially my friends; those ARE my responsibilities as a Princess!" Putting on that determined look again, she stated, "So whether or not she thinks she needs my help, I'll go and do what I can to assist her!"

The others in the room were pleased to hear her say that, especially Princess Celestia. "Twilight, I am very proud to hear that from you." the white Alicorn told her. "You truly know what it means to be a Princess, and that is to always be there to help those that need it."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." Twilight responded with a nod. She then turned back over to Utopia and told him, "Utopia, you can count on me! I promise to help both you and Sunset as much as I possibly can!"

"Thank you, Your Highness..." the armored man replied. Though his face was covered, everyone could tell that he felt pleased to know that Twilight was on his side. "And rest assured, I will use all of my power to assist you as well: As long as I remain with you, you shall not fall under the control of any of the other Numbers. I promise to remain loyal to you, even at the risk of my own life."

"Thank you, Utopia." said the lavender Alicorn. "And please, just call me Twilight; I really prefer to be called that, if that's okay with you."

"As you wish then, Twilight." Utopia responded.

About an hour had passed since Twilight's meeting with Utopia. After she learned that her friend, Sunset Shimmer, had been fighting hard to prevent the mysterious Number cards from falling into the wrong hands, the young Alicorn Princess decided to go to her world and lend her assistance. Since then, she and her friends were hard at work, packing away all of the things that Twilight felt that she would need for her trip (mostly books, of course). As Twilight and her friends kept themselves busy, Celestia and Luna spoke with Utopia for a while; both of them learned a great deal about each other's homeworlds, and they also enjoyed each other's company as well.

Once Twilight had all of her things together, the group made their way to the meeting hall once more. However, there was something new in the room: It was a large mirror, which had been brought up from the castle basement. Of course, it wasn't just any ordinary mirror; it was actually a gateway between Equestria and the world where Sunset lived. Normally, the mirror could only open at certain times, but Twilight was able to construct a device to it that allowed her to freely open the portal anytime she wanted to.

Twilight checked all of her bags and said to her friends, "Okay... I think I have everything I need..." She then used her magic to grab the small wooden chest that held Utopia's card inside and placed it gently into her saddlebags as well. "Yep, I'm all set to go."

"Twilight..." Utopia spoke to her. "before you go through the portal, there is something else that you should be aware of." He then explained to the young Princess, "Due to the large amount of magical energy that freely flows in this world, I was able to gain my physical form so that I could communicate with you all... However, once you enter the world that your friend resides in, I will not be able to freely emerge from within my card."

"You won't??" asked Twilight. "Then how will you be able to help me?"

"In order for me to lend you my full power," he then instructed her, "you will have to obtain some special equipment that will allow you to Summon me, should you require my help. But do not worry, I am certain that your friend will help you get what you require." Utopia then stated, "In addition, I will still be able to speak to you in your mind and offer you advice."

"I suppose that's good to know..." Twilight then turned over to the others in the room and said to them, "Well, I guess I'll get going then..."

"Have a safe trip, Sugarcube." Applejack told her, giving her Alicorn friend a comforting hug.

"And do not worry about your castle, dear." stated Rarity. "We will happily look after it in your absence."

"Thanks, everypony. I really appreciate it." Twilight then glanced over at Pinkie Pie and said to her, "And I can trust that there WON'T be any wild parties held here that would make a mess of the castle, correct?"

"Yeesh, Twilight...! What do you take me for??" asked Pinkie, sounding a little offended by that remark. "Of COURSE I'd never do anything like that! Right, Dashie?"

"Uh, yeah! Of course not!" Rainbow Dash replied, sweating a little bit. She then asked, "Could you excuse us for a sec? Gotta use the, uh... little filly's room."

"Um, me too!" Pinkie chimed in.

The two of them then ran out of the room, heading for not the bathroom, but the front doors of the castle. They then opened the doors, revealing that there were three ponies standing there: A white Unicorn with an electric-blue mane and tail, a pair of sunglasses, and an eighth-note cutie mark that had lots of heavy sound equipment with her, an orange pony with a curly brown mane and tail, a yellow shirt, and a grilled cheese sandwich cutie mark, and a grey pony with a dull purple mane and tail that were perfectly straight, wearing a short, dull blue dress.

"Um, sorry guys..." Rainbow Dash told the three ponies outside. "Twilight said no..."

"Awwww..." the three other ponies groaned in disappointment.

"That's a shame..." the grayish pony responded in a slightly monotone-sounding voice. "I was really looking forward to having some fun..."

"It'll be okay, Maud." Pinkie told her. "We'll just have to have the party somewhere else! We'll keep in touch with all of you, don't worry." The three other ponies nodded before leaving the area.

Shortly after that, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash returned to meeting hall. Twilight, raising an eyebrow, asked them, "Uh... what was that all about...?"

"Nothing!!" they both told her very quickly.

The lavender Alicorn sighed a little and glanced around the room, noticing that someone was still missing. She then shouted, "Spike! Are you ready yet?! I can't wait here all day for you!!"

"Hold on! Hold on! I'm comin'!! Don't leave without me!!" shouted Spike's voice from a room nearby. In an instant, the baby dragon came running into the meeting room, carrying something in his tiny little arms. They were gemstones, which were his favorite thing to snack on. Spike stuffed his mouth full with as many gems as he could before reaching Twilight and the others.

The lavender Alicorn looked at her tiny little assistant and asked him, "Um... were you... having a snack this whole time we've been waiting??"

"Well, YEAH..." the dragon admitted. "Once we enter that other world, I'll turn into a dog again... So I'm gonna have my fill of jewels while I still can!"

"Ugh... fine. Let's just get moving; we can't afford to waste any more time." Twilight then walked over to Celestia and Luna to say her goodbyes to them for now. "Goodbye, Celestia... Goodbye Luna... I promise that I'll return here safe and sound."

"We know you will." the dark blue Alicorn responded.

Celestia then gave Twilight a small request, telling her, "Please... make sure that Sunset remains safe. You know I still worry about her well-being every day."

"Okay... I promise that too, Celestia." the young Alicorn replied. Spike then hopped onto Twilight's back as she approached the magical mirror. As for Utopia, he used his powers to return to his card, safely put away in the lavender pony's bags. "Goodbye, everypony!!" she said to the others, waving to them before entering the mirror.

"Goodbye, Twilight!!" they all said, waving back. "Come back soon!!"

As the young Princess disappeared into the magic mirror portal, her friends watched, wondering what would happen to her on the other side. "Do you think Twilight will be okay...?" asked an unsure Fluttershy.

"Ah'm sure she will." Applejack told her, putting her left foreleg around the back of the yellow Pegasus's head to comfort her.

"Let us hope so..." Celestia responded, still feeling a little worried, both for Twilight and for Sunset...

Canterlot City Suburbs: Time 10:45 a.m.

On a bright Saturday morning in the city of Canterlot, all was quite calm, especially in the suburban residences... well, unless you counted the commotion that Rainbow Dash made as she glided down the sidewalks on her in-line roller skates. She sped down the path, trying to move as fast as possible. Despite the incredible speeds at which she was moving, Rainbow had never once collided with anyone in her path. Not only was she fast, but she also had expert control of her skates. She swiftly made her way down the sidewalk before finally stopping in front of their high school, where Pinkie Pie was standing and holding her stopwatch.

Taking off her helmet, Rainbow then asked her pink friend, "So how was that, Pinks? What's my time?"

The pink girl then looked closely at the watch. Putting on a smile and gasping happily, she shouted, "I don't believe it! It's a new record!!"

"Awesome! I knew I'd beat my old time sooner or later!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly.

"Yeah! At this rate, we'll do superly-super well in the next Friendship Games, coming next year, on September 26th!" stated Pinkie Pie.

"Uh, yeah. I know when the games are coming, Pinkie." the cyan teen told her silly friend. "I told ya; I marked my calendar already." Smirking, she then said, "But you are right: If we keep training hard like this every day, we'll beat Crystal Prep so hard, they won't be able to live it down!"

Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously to say that she agreed with that statement. She then asked her athletic friend, "So what's next, Dashie?"

"Well, now it's your turn on the inlines this time, Pinkie." Rainbow Dash told her as she pulled off her roller skates. She then reached into her backpack (which Pinkie had been holding onto the whole time) and pulled out her regular shoes. As she put them back on, she then continued, telling her, "After that, we'll need to ask Sunset t' help us with the math part of the competition... As much as I ain't looking forward to it, we might as well get it out the way now."

But before Pinkie Pie could make another comment, they were suddenly interrupted by a strange noise nearby. When they turned to look, they saw that the source of the noise was coming from the large horse statue in front of the school. Not only that, a bright light was coming out of it as well. "Hey, Dashie! Look!!" the pink girl said to her friend. "There's a light coming out of the school statue!"

"Yeah, there is...!" noted the cyan teen. Smiling a little, she then added, "And we both know that there's only one reason why it would do that..."

Letting out another happy gasp, Pinkie began to ask, "You mean...?!"

"I sure do!" Rainbow answered her, already knowing what the pink girl was going to ask her. The cyan teen then told her, "I'll go over to the statue. Meanwhile, phone up the rest of the gang and we'll meet over at Sugarcube Corner. But don't tell 'em why just yet, got it?"

"All righty-righty, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie said in a cheerful tone as she pulled out her cell phone.

Several minutes later, Pinkie Pie, along with the rest of her friends (minus Rainbow Dash) sat in Canterlot City's popular sweet shop, waiting for the cyan teen to arrive. However, none of the others knew why they were waiting there, as Pinkie had not told them the reason yet, by Dash's request.

"So... any of y'all know what Pinkie brought us all out here for?" asked Applejack.

"If I knew, I would have said something, Applejack dear." Rarity responded. She then turned around to Fluttershy and asked her, "What about you? Do you know why she asked us to come here?"

"I'm sorry, Rarity... but I don't know..." the shy yellow teen answered her. "She didn't tell me..."

"That's absolutely correct, Fluttershy!" the silly girl chimed in. "I Pinkie-Promised Rainbow Dash that I wouldn't say a word about it! And I ALWAYS make good on a Pinkie-Promise!"

"Fair enough." Sunset said, deciding that it was useless to try and probe the information out of Pinkie if she wasn't willing to say anything. She then told the others, "The only thing I know is that, when Pinkie told me to come over here, she sounded pretty excited, so I can only assume that it's a good thing... Am I right, Pinkie?"

"Oh, you don't know how right you arrrrrrrrre...!" the pink girl responded, raising the pitch of her voice with each word that she said. She then looked out the window and gasped when she saw Rainbow Dash coming down the sidewalk towards the shop. "She's here!! She's here!! She's here!!!" the pink girl cheered.

The other four girls looked at one another, anxious to know what this was all about. They then watched as Rainbow opened the door to the shop and walked in. "Hey, everybody! I'm here!" she greeted her friends.

"So, what's going on here, Rainbow Dash?" Sunset Shimmer asked her. "What's this big surprise that you and Pinkie have for us?"

"Well, I guess you guys have been patient for long enough..." the athletic girl said to them. "You guys want a surprise? Well, I'll start by tellin' you all... that I didn't come over here all by myself."

"Huh?" Applejack began to ask. "What d' y'all mean by that, Dash?"

Rainbow chuckled a little to herself while glancing over to her left and shouting, "Okay, you can come in now!"

Everyone else watched the front door of the shop as they heard the pitter-patter of footsteps gradually coming towards them. And when the person making those footsteps entered the store, the other four girls gasped in total shock. "No way..." Applejack responded, totally surprised.

"I don't believe it...!" added Rarity.

"Is... is that...?" stuttered Fluttershy, not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.

"It... it is...!!" Sunset told them. She was the most surprised of all by what they saw.

Standing there at the door to Sugarcube Corner was a lavender-skinned girl with long, violet hair with pink and purple streaks running along it. She had deep purple eyes and wore a blue shirt with a pink bow on the front of the collar area. She also wore a purple skirt with a pink, six-pointed star emblazoned upon it, a pair of violet-colored socks, and small, black shoes.

The girl smiled as she looked towards the others in the room and said to them, "Hey everyone... Did you miss me?"

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (10 Numbers total):

Number 56: Gold Rat
Number 63: Shamoji Soldier

Twilight Sparkle (1 Number total):

Number 39: Utopia

RANK 10: The Return of Twilight Sparkle:

Author's Note

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions comes out this week (as of writing this comment), and I'm pretty interested in seeing it. Hopefully, it will be good, but I'm not too worried.

Anyway, this Rank continues directly from where the previous one left off, and two more characters' Decks will be introduced. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

RANK 10: The Return of Twilight Sparkle:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Approximately one day ago, Sunset Shimmer and her best friends paid a visit to the mysterious Zecora, who had sold the otherworldly girl a strange, key-shaped necklace. What Sunset and Zecora didn't know was that the necklace seemed to hold special powers connected to a dimension known as the Astral World; the world that the dangerous Number cards were believed to have come from. Though Sunset and her friends have learned a great deal of information, they still had little to no knowledge concerning the Numbers, the Astral World, or the necklace.

However, that following night, while Sunset Shimmer was asleep, a strange light had come from out of her necklace, making its way to Canterlot High School. From there, it found the dimensional passageway that connected Sunset's current home world with her former home world, the pony-populated country of Equestria. The light then transformed into a card, which was then found by Twilight Sparkle, not knowing that it was one of the Number cards. Fortunately, this Number, known as "Utopia", did not desire to control Twilight. Instead, he was seeking her help to locate the remaining Number cards.

Once Twilight discovered that Sunset Shimmer was also trying to collect the Numbers, the Princess of Friendship made the decision to enter the magic mirror portal and assist her. Currently, both she and her baby dragon assistant, Spike, have successfully made the jump back into the human world to meet up with the people that they know there...

"No way..." Applejack said, totally surprised.

"I don't believe it...!" added Rarity.

"Is... is that...?" stuttered Fluttershy, not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.

"It... it is...!!" Sunset told them. She was the most surprised of all by what they saw.

The girl smiled as she looked towards the others in the room and said to them, "Hey everyone... Did you miss me?"

"TWILIGHT!!!" cheered the six girls happily as they ran over to their old friend and gave her a group hug to welcome her.

The purple-skinned teen chuckled a little and said to them, "I guess this means you did."

"Of course we missed ya, Twi!" Applejack told her. "It ain't too often that y'all come by these parts!"

"Oh, it is so good to see you again, Twilight dear!" added Rarity. "It has been way, WAY too long!"

"Rarity's right..." added Fluttershy. "After all, it's been months since you helped us at the Battle of the Bands..." She then asked the purple girl, "Um... did you bring... did you bring Spike with you...?"

At that moment, a small, purple puppy poked his head out of Twilight's backpack. It was none other than Spike; whenever he traveled through the magic mirror portal, he transformed into a puppy instead of a human. "You bet she did, Fluttershy!" the puppy spoke to the shy teen. Fluttershy squealed a little out of happiness as she picked Spike up and out of the backpack and began hugging him.

Twilight then looked off to the side, noticing that her old friend Sunset Shimmer was approaching her. Turning around to face her, the purple-skinned girl then told her, "It's good to see you again, Sunset."

"Ummm... yeah, same here, Twilight." the red and yellow teen replied in a slightly unsure tone. She then asked her, "But... I have to ask: Why did you come here to this world again? Is there something wrong?"

"Well, nothing that I can think of..." Twilight answered, "but there is a reason I came by here."

"And that is...?" Sunset inquired further.

Twilight then reached into a backpack that she was wearing and pulled out a small box. She then opened it, took out the item inside, and showed the item to her human world friends, asking, "Do you happen to know anything about this?"

Sunset and the other girls gasped when they saw what was in Twilight's hand: It was a Duel Monsters card; more specifically, it was the Utopia card that had entered Twilight's home world to meet up with the young Princess. When they saw the strange writing on the card, as well as the red 39 imprinted on Utopia's left shoulder, they knew what it was right away.

"Oh no!! Twilight has a Number card!!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

"It's true!!" Rarity cried out. "She does!!"

Twilight, of course, had no idea why they were acting so distressed. "Um... girls...?"

Rolling up her sleeves, Rainbow Dash put on a fierce look and said, "Don't ya worry, Twilight, I'll get that card away from you! I ain't gonna let that thing take over your mind!"

"Wait! Hold on, Rainbow Dash!" Sunset suddenly told her while putting her hand up, performing a "stop" signal.

"Huh? Sunset...?" the cyan teen began to ask, confused as to why she was asked to stop.

Putting her arm back down, the red and yellow teen then stated, "I don't think Twilight's possessed by that Number card... Just look at her: She doesn't seem to be acting any different than how we're used to seeing her."

"Yeah... now that y'all mention it..." Applejack chimed in, "she seems perfectly fine. She certainly ain't actin' weird or crazy or whatever..."

"I know..." added Rarity. "She most certainly isn't acting the same way that I did... Perhaps Sunset is right; perhaps Twilight is NOT possessed by that card..."

"But... how...?" asked Fluttershy, still petting Spike.

Twilight still had no idea what the others were talking about. "Okay... could somepony - excuse me - someBODY please explain to me what's going on??"

"Um, it's kind of a long story, Twilight," Sunset Shimmer said to her purple friend, "but I'll be happy to fill you in on the details."

"Um... okay. Thanks..." Twilight replied.

"No problem." the red and yellow told her with a smile. "And don't worry about the whole somepony/somebody thing; I still mess it up every now and then." The purple teen chuckled a bit as the whole group walked over to a nearby table.

For the next several minutes, Sunset and her friends told Twilight and Spike about everything that had happened to them recently. They told her all about the strange dream that Sunset had, the appearance of the Number cards, the people that were possessed by them, as well as what they had learned from Zecora yesterday concerning the mysterious realm known as the Astral World.

"...Okay, let me see if I've got all of this right:" Twilight Sparkle began, trying her best to piece together everything that her human world friends had told her. "So you're saying that a bunch of trading cards from another dimension suddenly showed up here in your world and are brainwashing everyone that comes into contact with them? That sounds pretty intense..."

"Oh, it is, Twi." Rainbow Dash stated. "I didn't believe it at first until I saw it with my own eyes."

"Basically, what happens is that when somebody picks up a Number card," Applejack said to Twilight, "they start actin' completely outta their mind! They do things that they would never normally do, and they don't seem to be able to stop themselves." Turning over to Sunset, she then added, "All except fer Sunset here; for some reason, the Number cards don't affect her at all, but we ain't sure why yet..." Glancing back over to Twilight, the farm girl then asked, in a slightly suspicious voice, "You sure you ain't actin' funny or anythin'...?"

"I... don't think I am." the purple teen answered in an uneasy tone. "I still feel like myself... on the inside at least."

"I don't think we need to worry about Twilight, girls." Sunset told her friends. Looking back at Twlight, she then stated, "I'm pretty certain that Twilight isn't being controlled by the Number card that she has..." Rubbing her chin, the red and yellow girl pondered, "Still, this does raise a few more questions: First off, how is SHE also immune to the Numbers' power? And how did she get a Number in the first place? As far as I can remember, Duel Monsters cards don't exist in Equestria... Care to elaborate, Twilight?"

"Well, I'm not really sure about your first question, concerning why my Number card hasn't caused me to go crazy or anything," Twilight began. She was then ready to say something else, but then stopped her thought for a moment when another thought suddenly came to her. "...Wait, hold on... Now that I think about it, maybe I actually DO know why that is..."

The other girls leaned in closer to listen to what their OTHER otherworldly friend had to say.

"Last night," Twilight started, "when I was walking around the castle, I noticed this card on the table in the meeting hall. I didn't know what it was at first, because there wasn't a picture on it. But all of a sudden, after I touched it with my hoof, there was this crazy light show... and after it was done, the blank card turned into what it looks like now."

"Just like with all of the other Numbers..." Sunset interrupted. "They all start out as blank cards until somepo- er, someBODY touches it. Then, it goes under some sort of transformation or something." Having finished her comment, she then allowed Twilight to continue speaking.

The purple girl then continued telling them about how she got her Number card. "The next morning, I brought my Ponyville friends over to come and see the card, along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Unfortunately, they didn't know much more about it than I did. Then, as we were all talking, the card began floating in the air..." Looking at the card, Twilight continued, saying, "and this large, gold warrior, the same one on the card, emerged from out of this huge vortex that looked just like a galaxy..."

"Are you serious?!" asked Rarity. "You mean to tell me that your Number card Summoned ITSELF?! Without the aid of a Duel Pad?!"

"Actually, it is quite possible." Sunset told her fashionista friend. "With all of the magical energy that freely flows in Equestria, there is a good chance that the Number was able to Summon itself, considering that it's supposed to be from some other dimension." She then asked Twilight, "But why did it appear in front of you? What purpose did it have?"

"Well, according to Utopia," the purple girl answered, "he said he came looking for me because he needed my help."

"Your help...?" asked Fluttershy. "With what?"

"Well, he told me that several others just like him had been pulled out of their world, and he wants to return back there with all of them before somepony - excuse me - somebody tries to take their power and use it for evil purposes..." Twilight replied. "And from what you all have told me already, it appears that he was quite right about it, since his story and yours seem to match up perfectly."

(Evil purposes...?) thought Sunset Shimmer, feeling a bit worried. (But the only other person I know that's collecting Numbers is that Doctor guy. And I know for a fact that he's not trying to use them for evil at all...) She began to wonder just who else could possibly be after the Numbers and what their intentions were.

"So after Utopia explained everything to me, he then asked me to help him find his friends so that they could return home." Twilight continued to tell them. "Of course, I agreed to do just that, so I packed my things, stepped into the mirror with Spike, and well... here I am."

"So he didn't force you to do anything for him?" asked Rainbow Dash. "He actually asked you for permission?"

Twilight nodded. "And I think that's why he hasn't tried to possess me or anything like what you told me." she then stated. "Because he knows that he needs my help. At least... that's what I think it is right now."

"Well, Ah suppose that explains why your mind's still one hundred-percent okay." Applejack spoke up. "But what Ah don't get is how this Utopia guy knew to come and find you all the way over into the world that ya live in..."

"Well, actually... he told me how he knew all of that." the purple girl answered. "He told me that he came looking for me on someone else's behalf. Because someone here really wanted my help..."

"Whoever could that be?" asked Rarity.

"...It's Sunset, isn't it?" Pinkie Pie suddenly said, answering the purple-haired teen's question in an unusually quiet and serious voice (well, unusual for her). The other girls, except for Sunset, gasped a little after the pink teen said that.

Twilight nodded yes and said, "That's what he told me." Turning over to the red and yellow girl, she asked her, "Isn't that right?"

Sunset sighed and sheepishly answered, "...Yeah, that's right. I really did want you to come and help us out, just like you did before with the Dazzlings. But... well I, ...I just didn't want to-"

But the purple girl smiled and interrupted her by saying, "You don't need to explain anything to me, Sunset... I know that you didn't want to pull me away from my Princess duties. But I'm not just any Princess, Sunset; I'm the Princess of Friendship... And helping others in need, especially my friends, ARE what my duties are all about. So I have no problem coming all the way here to this world to do just that. No matter what world they come from, I would NEVER abandon my friends when they need me the most."

Sunset Shimmer said nothing at first as she began to process everything that Twilight had just said to her. Just then, she formed a smile, gave out a small chuckle, and replied, saying, "You're right, Twilight... I should've known that you'd always be happy to help us out... Please forgive me for thinking otherwise. You know as well as I do that I'm still getting used to the whole 'friendship' thing."

"It's okay, Sunset." Twilight replied, smiling. "And I do appreciate that you were being considerate of my feelings by what you were trying to do, or rather what you WEREN'T trying to do. But in any case, I'm here now, and I'm ready to do whatever I can to help resolve all of this and make sure that everyone here can live in peace once again!"

"Well, if that's what you really want, Twilight, then there's no way that I can say no." Sunset told her, deciding that it was a good idea to have her help out after all. The two of them shook hands to say that they were both okay with the decision.

"Well, it's good to know that we'll have somebody else to help us figure out all of this business concerning the Number cards." Rarity stated, feeling better knowing that their friend Twilight was here to lend them a hand. But just then...

"Wait!! I just realized something, everyone!!" Pinkie shouted. "Didn't Sunset just say that there aren't any Duel Monsters cards at ALL in her world??"

"Wait, she's right!" gasped Applejack. "Which means that Twilight doesn't know anything about it! And that also means that she doesn't know how to play the card game, either!"

"What are you girls talking about?" asked the purple girl.

"Um, well..." Rarity spoke, after clearing her throat a little, "to put it simply, Twilight dear, in order to obtain a Number card from somebody that has one is defeat them in a game of Duel Monsters... The problem is that, if you don't know how to play it..."

Twilight then gasped, realizing what the purple-haired teen was getting at. "That means... that I won't be of any help at all...!"

"Now calm down, everyone. No need to get worried." Sunset told her friends. "I've thought about that problem, and I have already come up with a solution to it." Folding her arms in front of her, she then stated, "Since Twilight here doesn't have any knowledge of the Duel Monsters card game, the obvious answer is that someone here needs to teach her how to play it. And I've decided that I'll be the one to teach her."

"Y-you'll teach me how to play it?" asked Twilight, a bit surprised. "Really?"

Sunset looked at her purple-skinned friend and told her, "Twilight... you've done so much for me in the past few months; you've helped me to completely change my whole outlook on life and made me into a better person. Not to mention that you've lent me and the rest of my friends a hand when the Dazzlings tried to brainwash everybody in school... You've helped me so much, that I think it's only fair that I should return the favor and help YOU out for a change."

"Wow... thank you..." Twilight replied. "I'm so glad to hear you say that."

"You said it was your duty to help friends out when they needed it," the red and yellow teen told her with a warm smile, "and I feel that it should be my duty as well." Putting her hand on top of Twilight's hand on the table, she then added, "With my knowledge and your determination, I promise that you'll be ready for anything out there!"

The purple-skinned girl was still astounded by what she was hearing; Sunset had certainly changed a lot since the day they had first met. In fact, she seemed to be even more knowledgeable on the concept of friendship than she had been since the Dazzlings incident. Twilight was certainly happy to know that Sunset Shimmer was truly taking to heart everything she had learned about being a good friend.

Smiling, Twilight told her, "Sunset, if only Princess Celestia could see you right now... I know that she'd tell you how proud she is of you. Because I certainly am."

Sunset Shimmer felt happy hearing that from her. The red and yellow girl then glanced over to her friends and told them, "I'm gonna go and take Twilight to my apartment and help her learn how to play Duel Monsters. However, I'd like all of you to lend a hand as well."

"How so?" asked Fluttershy.

Sunset reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. Taking out some of the money inside, she then handed it over to Rarity and told her, "Here... I want you to use this to..." Sunset then began whispering the rest of her instructions in the fashionista's ear so that Twilight wouldn't know anything about it. Once she was done, she then asked, "Did you get all of that, Rarity?"

"Every word of it." the violet-haired teen replied. "You can count on me!"

Turning over to Fluttershy, Sunset then whispered more instructions to her, asking her to lend Rarity a hand with whatever she was asked to do. The shy yellow girl nodded yes to say that she would do just that.

"What about us?" asked Rainbow Dash, pointing to herself, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack.

"I'll let you guys know what I need you to do tomorrow." Sunset responded. "But I will tell you this: I'll need you to bring your D-Pads and dueling Decks with you, so make sure you have them ready to go."

"We won't let ya down, Sunnie!" Pinkie Pie told her enthusiastically.

"We'll all help ya out with whatever ya need us fer." Applejack added, tipping her hat to Sunset.

Twilight wasn't sure what was going on. "Um... what was that all about, Sunset?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it for now, Twilight." the red and yellow girl told her. "We've got a lot of other work that we need to do first, so come and follow me back to my place."

"Your place? You have a home now?" asked Spike, popping out of Twilight's backpack. "Since when?"

"I'll fill you in along the way." Sunset told both him and Twilight. "Let's just get going for now." And with that, the seven girls left Sugarcube Corner and headed back for their homes while Sunset and Twilight headed for the apartment building on Jump Street.

Later, in the early afternoon, Sunset unlocked the door to her apartment and switched on the lights. Once Twilight and Spike got a look at the huge room that they were in, they let out astonished gasps. "Oh wow...!" said the purple girl. "This place is amazing!!"

"Yeah! It's so big and everything!" added Spike, running on all fours and hopping onto the plush L-shaped sofa. "It's almost as nice as the castle back home!"

"Yeah... I know..." Twilight responded, still amazed. She then asked her friend, "And you said that your world's Luna just GAVE it to you??"

"Apparently." Sunset answered. "She and Celestia told me that it was a reward for all of the good things that I've done lately, including saving this year's Fall Formal from becoming a total disaster."

"I suppose that explains this photo you have here..." Twilight stated as she looked a framed picture on the wall. It was a picture of Sunset, her friends, and the two principals, taken on the night that Sunset had been unanimously elected to be that year's Fall Formal Princess. "I didn't think you'd ever go to a Fall Formal again after... well, you know."

"Not at first, but the others talked me into it, and I'm glad they did." the red and yellow teen replied. "And based on the fact that everybody at school voted for me to be the new Fall Formal Princess, I don't have to worry about anyone hating me for my past mistakes anymore."

"I'm glad to hear that, Sunset." Twilight said to her with a smile. "I can kind of understand how uncomfortable you must have felt, knowing that everyone around you was treating you like an outcast..."

"Well, I brought it on myself, so I kinda had it coming. But I know better now, so there's no chance of that happening again." replied the red and yellow girl.

At that moment, a thought came to Spike as he perked his head up. "Hey, Twilight! I just realized: Where are ya gonna stay while we're here in this world??"

"Urk...! I didn't think about that!" Twilight began to sweat a little as she said in a panicking tone, "The first time I was here, I slept over in the school library! Then the next time I came by, we all slept over at Pinkie Pie's house! I didn't even begin to consider what my living arrangements here would be this time!! Oh no... what am I gonna do?! I'll have to look at all my maps to find all of the possible places to live, and then I'll have to get MORE information from my charts and graphs in order to make sure that each location could meet the needs of both Spike and myself, and then after that-"

But before Twilight could say another word, Sunset put her hands on each of her friend's shoulders and told her, "Twilight! Calm down...! You don't need to get all worked up over this!" She then smiled and added, "I've already come up with a solution to that problem."

"You... you have?" asked the purple teen, easing up a little bit.

Sunset nodded yes and asked, "Why don't the two of you just stay here with me?"

"Huh? With you?" asked Twilight, not expecting to hear that.

"Of course." the red and yellow girl answered. "Think about it: It's only the most logical choice. You won't be far away from me or the rest of our friends, you won't have to worry about any expenses, you'll have all the space to move around that you could ever need, and well..." Sunset's voice began getting a little softer, as she started to feel a little shy about what she planned on saying next. "...To be honest," the girl continued, "I could use the company; it gets kinda lonely here, living all by myself..."

"...I can imagine..." uttered Twilight as she glanced around the apartment. "If I didn't have Spike around to keep me company, I'd feel the same way about living in my castle..." Smiling, the young Princess then looked back at her inter-dimensional friend. "Sunset...?"

"Yeah?"

"...I think I'll take you up on your offer." Twilight told her.

"You will...?" asked Sunset, wanting to make sure.

The purple girl nodded to say that she had made her decision. "I will." she replied.

"ALRIGHT!!" cheered Sunset Shimmer excitedly. Then, realizing that her sudden outburst wasn't in her mind, she quickly regained her composure, cleared her throat, and said, "I mean... alright then. I guess that settles that." She also let out an embarrassed chuckle.

Twilight giggled a little to herself as well as she set her things down. She then asked her inter-dimensional friend, "So, what should we do first? In regards to teaching me how to play this Duel Monsters game, that is."

"Well, the first thing we have to do is to help you build your first Deck." Sunset told her. "You can't duel without one, so we need to make sure that yours will be strong enough to handle almost anything." She walked over to a nearby closet and opened it, revealing several large, white, cardboard boxes were inside, along with a few binders as well. The red and yellow girl then motioned Twilight to come over to her, which she did. Handing her a box, Sunset told her, "Here, take a box and follow me over to the round table."

"Um, okay." the young Princess replied, doing just as she was told.

After about a minute or so, Twilight and Sunset moved all of the boxes and binders over to the large table in the living room. The two girls then sat down as the red and yellow girl then opened one of the boxes, revealing that there many Duel Monsters cards sitting inside of it. Twilight let out a gasp as she saw just how many cards her friend had managed to collect. "Wow... are all of these really yours?" she asked her inter-dimensional friend.

"Yep." answered Sunset Shimmer. "I started collecting Duel Monsters cards a while ago; to be more specific, it was a little while after Luna forced me to fix up the school's front entrance."

"Really? It was that long ago?" asked Twilight.

Sunset nodded yes. "Pinkie was the one who got me into it, actually." she explained. "She wanted to help break the ice between me and the others when I met up with them all that night after the Fall Formal."

"I'm not surprised to hear that; the Pinkie Pie in my world is the same way." Twilight told her. "She always knows how to help anypony feel better and have fun, even those that felt very uneasy coming in."

"That sounds like the Pinkie I know here." stated Sunset. "If there's one thing about Pinkie Pie that we can be sure of, it's that it's impossible to stay sad or angry whenever she's nearby."

Twilight nodded to yes to say that she agreed with that statement. Changing the subject, she then asked, "So, Sunset... can you tell more about these Number cards? Utopia said that you had collected a few so far..."

Sunset nodded yes and pulled out her red deck box from her purse. She then pulled out her Deck and placed the ten Number cards that she had gotten so far onto the table in front of Twilight. The otherworldly Princess saw that, just like the card that she had, all of Sunset's Number cards had the bizarre writing upon them as well. Spike hopped over from the sofa for the moment so that he could look at them too.

"Woah..." the little dragon-turned-puppy began. "They sure look weird..." He then glanced over at two of the cards in particular - Number 13: Embodiment of Crime and Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment - and shivered a bit. "Not to mention creepy..."

"So you got all of these by winning games, Sunset?" asked Twilight.

"Not all of them." the red and yellow girl responded. She then picked up Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech and Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk and explained, saying, "These two here are ones that I found myself, when they were still blank cards, much like how you got your Utopia card. The other eight, however, were owned by other people until I defeated them in Duels."

"I see..." Twilight replied, understanding everything.

For the next several minutes, Sunset told her the stories behind each of the other Number cards that she had. She also told her about what their former owners had done while under the control of them, such as how Octavia was spurred into attacking her best friend Vinyl Scratch, how Photo Finish nearly became a peeping tom, how Manny Roar almost became more of a tyrant than a landlord, and how a bullied student developed a sinister and sadistic personality brought on by constant torment. However, Sunset told Twilight that the most upsetting moment came when Rarity fell victim to Number 52: Diamond Crab King and almost ruined the Fall Formal until Sunset stopped her. The red and yellow girl also mentioned to her friend to not bring that event up in front of Rarity, as she still felt bad about it, despite that she had no control over herself at the time.

"Wow... I don't believe it..." stated Twilight, amazed by what had been told to her. "Utopia was certainly right about the Numbers being dangerous."

"I'll say." Spike chimed in. "Whod've ever thought that a few little cards could cause so much trouble?"

Sunset Shimmer sighed a little and said to her friend, "I hope what I just told you won't deter you from helping us out with all of this..."

"Quite the opposite, actually." stated the young Princess. "Now that I know just how dangerous these cards are, I'm more determined to help you guys out and prevent them from causing any more problems."

"...I knew you'd say that, Twilight, but I just needed to make sure." Sunset replied, happy to hear her friend say that. "And I promise to make sure you'll be ready out there." Putting away her Deck for the moment, the red and yellow girl then said, "Now, let's get right into it and help you get your new Deck together."

"Of course. Let's get started." the purple girl responded. As was her nature, she was always ready to learn about something new.

"Now," Sunset began her instructions, "as with any card game, it's important to have a good balance of different types of cards. Fortunately for you, I've got LOTS of different cards right here, and I'm willing to loan you some of mine to help you out." Twilight smiled, pleased to see that Sunset was being so generous right now.

"Of course, while having good balance in your Deck is important," the red and yellow girl continued, "what's most important is to pick out the cards that you like the best and build something around them." Pushing the box over to Twilight she then said, "Go ahead and choose the ones that look the most interesting to you."

"The most interesting...?" asked Twilight. "But... how do I know which ones are the best to choose? I've never seen any of them before..."

"Don't worry about that." Sunset replied. "Just page through them all and put aside the ones that seem good to you. After you do that, I'll get out some other cards that will support your choices the best."

"Oh, I see... I think I understand now." said the young Princess. "Okay... here goes." Twilight decided to look through one of the binders first. As she flipped through the pages, one card immediately caught her eye: It had a picture of a young wizard in a navy blue costume with an orange flame-like pattern decorating it in several places, and a long, shiny chain encircling him. Liking how it looked to her, she picked that card out and put it aside.

Sunset seemed pleased when she saw Twilight do that. (Not bad for a first pick...) she thought. (Even though this is her first time ever seeing these cards, I know that she'll make some good choices...)

After Twilight had picked out a few more cards, both from the binders and the boxes, Sunset looked over them all to determine what sort of strategy could be used with them. Once she figured out the best type of Deck to include them in, Sunset began rooting through the rest of her collection to find some good support cards. As she did, the red and yellow girl explained to Twilight exactly what she was including and why, as well as explaining most of the basic rules of the game. Naturally, Twilight had no problem with retaining it all; every bit of information, no matter how small, was picked up by the young Princess and stored in her brain.

After gathering together every possible card that she felt would help her friend out, Sunset then began arranging them all into a suitable Deck, making sure to include as many of Twilight's previous choices as possible. As she built the Deck, Sunset remembered the day that her friends had helped her to build her first Deck, as well as all the fun they had dueling each other. And now she was going to do the same for Twilight.

"Thirty-seven... Thirty-eight..." Sunset Shimmer counted as she put the last few cards into Twilight's Deck. "...thirty-nine... Forty! There we go!" Presenting the neat pile of cards to her friend, like it was an award, she told her, "Twilight Sparkle, I present to you your first dueling Deck."

The purple girl smiled as she took the Deck and looked through all of the cards inside. "Wow... this looks great!" Twilight said to her friend, "I just hope it will be strong enough to help you and the others find those Number cards."

"I'm sure it will." Sunset assured her. "After all, you picked out some very good cards in the beginning, so it wasn't hard to find others to help support them. With that Deck, and with the help of everyone else, you'll be a great Duelist!" At that moment, Sunset then recalled something else and said, "Oh! I almost forgot..." Handing her a few more cards, she added, "Here's your Extra Deck. I put in some good Xyz Monsters that will assist you in your Duels as well."

"Thanks." the purple teen replied politely. "I'll make good use of them." She then took the cards and put them and the rest of her Deck into a pink deck box that Sunset also had given to her to store her cards in. Looking at the now-closed box, she then stated, "Now all I really need to do is to try and play a game, now that I know what all the rules are..."

"You've got it." Sunset replied. She then glanced over at her clock on the wall and gasped a little when she saw how late it was. "Sweet Celestia! It's already past ten?! Wow, we spent lot more time putting your Deck together than I thought!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it either!" added an equally-astonished Twilight Sparkle. "Pinkie Pie was certainly correct about time flying by when you're having fun." She then glanced over back to Spike, who had moved back over to the sofa some time ago. Twilight saw that he was resting peacefully on the comfortable cushion and snoring. "Looks like Spike's already fallen asleep..." she said.

Sunset let out a deep yawn and stated, "Well, he's got the right idea... I think we should get some rest too. We've got a lot more to do tomorrow."

After the two of them washed up and changed into suitable sleeping clothes (Sunset had just today picked up some new pajamas for herself and Twilight on the way over to her home), the two walked over to the super-large bed to go to sleep in. Twilight glanced over to the writing desk and noticed an old-looking book sitting on it, recognizing it as the magic book that Sunset could use to communicate to her while she was in Equestria. She also saw a newly-framed picture above the desk; it was the photo of Sunset and Princess Celestia that was taken back when they had visited an amusement park a long time ago.

Sunset pushed back the covers on the left side of the bed so that she could climb in. Twilight then did the same thing on the right side and got into bed as well. "Sunset...?" she began to ask.

"What's up?" asked the red and yellow girl.

"I... just want to say that... that I'll do my best to help you and the others." the young Princess replied. "I just wanted you to know that..."

Sunset smiled warmly and told her, "I know you will, Twilight. I have total confidence in you. Princess Celestia chose you to be a Princess because she knew you'd do a good job... And I know you'll do a good job here as well, just like you always have." Sighing sadly a lttle, she added, "If only I'd been the kind of student you were back then..."

Sensing that her good friend was feeling a little down, Twilight put her arm around her shoulder to help comfort her.

"Twilight... I'd like to ask a favor from you." the red and yellow girl began to say.

"Anything. What is it?"

"...I'm not sure when, but... one day, either when you're here or when you're back in Equestria..." she told her Princess friend, "I might ask you to let me through the mirror portal for a little while, so that I can have the opportunity to personally apologize to Princess Celestia for the horrible things I said to her before I left and came here... And when I do, I'd really appreciate it if you could be there to give me some support."

"Of course I will, Sunset." Twilight said, accepting her request. "And I think you know as well as I do that Celestia would be happy to see you again." Leaning in closer to her friend's ear, she whispered, "Don't tell her I said this, but before I got here, she asked me to make sure that you would be safe from whatever is going on right now with these Number cards; I just thought that you should know that she still cares about you, even after all this time."

Sunset smiled a little; she was happy to hear that, even after how badly she treated Celestia, the Sun Princess still cared for her well-being. "Thanks, Twilight..." she told her. "I really needed to hear that."

"Anytime." the young Princess replied. Yawning and laying down, she then said, "Good night, Sunset."

"Good night, Twilight." the red and yellow girl replied, turning the light off. The two of them then went right to sleep in order to prepare for the next day. As they did, Sunset continued to ponder something else in her mind. (Twilight said that Princess Celestia still cared about me, even after what happened in the past...) she thought. (But if that's so, then... why didn't she follow me into this world and convince me to come back?) This was a question that had always been on her mind for a while, but she could never figure out the answer, but she always told herself in the end that there must have been some reason for it. Whatever the reason, Sunset knew that she wouldn't be able to figure it out right now, and pushed those thoughts out of her mind for the moment so that she could get to sleep.

The next day, at around 7:45 in the morning, both Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle got up out of the queen-size bed, ready to start their day. The red and yellow girl turned on the TV, switching to the local news while she went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for not only herself, but also for Twilight and Spike. She cooked up a nice meal of blueberry waffles with buttered toast and orange juice for them all to enjoy. And enjoy it they did; the young Princess was certainly impressed by how good of a cook Sunset was.

After the two of them changed out of their pajamas and put on their outfits for the day, Sunset, Twilight, and Spike (who had hopped into the purple teen's backpack, as usual) left the apartment and departed from the city to the suburbs. As they walked down the sidewalk, several of Sunset's classmates passed them by and greeted both her and Twilight.

"Hey, Sunset! Hey, Twilight!" said a passing Vinyl Scratch. "How's it goin'?"

"Pretty good, Vinyl." Sunset replied. "How's your new song coming along?"

"Should be finished with it soon." the music-lover answered her. "When I'm done, I'd like it if you could give me some input; y'know, to make sure it's perfect and stuff."

"You just let me know when and where, and I'll be there." the red and yellow girl promised. Vinyl smiled and nodded before continuing on her way.

"Hi, Sunset!" said another girl's voice. It was Roseluck, who was busy carrying a beautiful rose growing out of a flowerpot.

"Hey, Roseluck. How are you doing today?" Sunset asked her

"Just great! I wanted to thank you and your friend Applejack for the fertilizer you brought over to the flower shop last week." the flower-loving girl told her. "My plants have never looked healthier than they do right now!"

"Hey, no problem at all, Rose." stated the red and yellow girl. "Just wanted to lend a hand, that's all."

"Well, I certainly appreciate it. Thank you very much!" Roseluck told her before heading on her way.

Twilight felt very pleased after hearing all of the nice things that people were saying to her inter-dimensional friend. "I've got to say, Sunset," she began to tell her, "it certainly feels refreshing to see that people are treating you a lot better than they were the last time I was here."

"I know; I feel the same way." Sunset responded. "I have to admit, it feels a lot better having people like you because they WANT to like you. I just wish I knew that when I first came to this world."

"Better late than never, I suppose." stated the purple teen. She then asked her friend, "So, where are we going, Sunset?"

"We're meeting up with the others at the school." the red and yellow girl answered.

"The school?" asked Twilight in a confused tone of voice. "But... isn't today Sunday? I thought that schools close during the weekends."

"We're not going IN the school, Twilight; we're heading for the soccer field behind the building." Sunset informed her. "From this point on, I'm going to continue with your lessons on Duel Monsters."

"Continue with my lessons?" repeated Twilight. She then began to ponder in her mind about what Sunset had planned for them both today.

The two girls eventually reached the familiar horse statue that stood proudly in front of Canterlot High School. Though the building was locked up for the day, the students that attended the school often congregated there to chat or just to simply hang out. Some even went to the open fields in the back to play sports or duel each other.

Sunset and Twilight walked around the building, with Spike poking his head out of the backpack to see what was going on around him. It wasn't long before the three of them saw their friends Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity sitting on the bleachers, chatting with each other while they waited for them to show up.

Fluttershy glanced over and saw their other friends coming their way. "Oh! Everybody...! Twilight and Sunset are here...!" she informed them all.

The other four girls looked over to see Sunset and Twilight walking towards the bleachers that they were sitting on. "Alright! Y'all made it!" Applejack called over to them.

"What took ya so long?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash, be polite; It IS a long walk from the city to here." Rarity informed her cyan-skinned friend. The fashionista strolled over and said to Sunset and Twilight. "Good morning to you both. How was your stroll to the school?"

"Pretty good. It was no trouble getting here." Sunset answered.

"How did things go last night with Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "If you don't mind me asking..."

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of things..." stated the young Princess. "Sunset helped me build a Deck and taught me about some of the basic rules so far."

"She's picking up on it almost as quickly as I did." Sunset added. "Of course, given how smart Twilight here is, I'm not surprised. I think she'll do very well as a Duelist once we're through." The purple-skinned girl blushed a little after hearing the compliment. The red and yellow teen then asked, "Oh! Speaking of which: Rarity, did you and Fluttershy find that thing that I asked you to find?"

"We most certainly did, Sunset dear." the violet-haired girl responded, pulling out a box from a blue reusable shopping bag that she had with her. Showing the box to Twilight, she then told her, "This is for you, darling."

"For me?" asked the purple girl. "What is it?"

"Something that you'll need in order to play Duel Monsters." Sunset answered. "Go ahead; open it."

Twilight nodded and took the box from Rarity. She then slowly opened it as Spike watched from over her shoulder. Inside, there was a violet-colored tablet and a pink-colored lens that was designed to fit on one's ear. "Uh... what are those things?" asked the little purple puppy.

"Yeah... what are they?" Twilight asked as well.

"A little gift from me to you." Sunset replied. "It's your new Duel Pad and Duel Gazer."

"My new what and what?" asked Twilight, not understanding.

"It's a super-special-awesome device that allows you to play Duel Monsters anywhere and anytime!" Pinkie Pie told her. "But the BEST part about it is that it makes it look like you're Summoning REAL monsters right in front of you!"

"Really?" asked Twilight. She then looked over at Sunset and asked her, "Is that really necessary to play a simple card game? It seems a bit over-the-top."

"Maybe, but it does make the game a lot more interesting." the red and yellow girl told her. She then added, "I asked Rarity and Fluttershy to pick one out for you yesterday and gave them some of my money to purchase it for you."

"Really? You went and did all that for me?" asked the young Princess.

"Of course, Twilight dear." Rarity replied. "Keeping up with my generous nature, I feel that there is no expense spared when it comes to helping out a friend." She then reached into her purse and took out a small amount of money before telling Sunset, "Oh, before I forget, here is your change, Sunset."

"Eh, that's alright. You can keep it, Rarity." the red and yellow girl informed her. "Think of it as a thank-you to both you and Fluttershy for helping us out." The fashionista smiled after hearing that, thanking her friend before evenly splitting the change with Fluttershy.

"So... how does this device work?" asked Twilight, looking at the tablet curiously.

"Here, I'll help ya set this thing-a-ma-bob up." Applejack said, offering her assistance. She helped switch on the device and worked together with the young Princess to put in all of the necessary information into the tablet. After all of the work was done, the Duel Pad displayed a main menu of sorts in front of a colorful background. Twilight immediately noticed that the symbol on the background resembled her cutie mark.

"So, what do you think of it, Twilight?" asked Sunset.

"I think it looks really nice." the young Princess said, looking at it after strapping it onto her left arm. "Thank you very much for getting it for me."

"It was our pleasure." stated the red and yellow girl. She then told her friend, "Now that we've gotten all of that taken care of, it's time to move on to the next part of our itinerary."

"Intiner-what?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"She means what we are going to do next, Rainbow." Rarity informed her athletic friend. The cyan girl nodded to say that she got it.

Walking over to Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, she then told them, "Now that Twilight has a good grasp on the game so far, I think it would be best if she saw how a real Duel goes for herself." Pointing to her orange and pink-skinned friends, she told them, "Applejack, I'd like you to duel against Pinkie Pie."

"Huh? Me against Pink?" asked the country girl, wanting to be sure that she heard Sunset correctly.

"Oh wow! That's great!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Now I'll finally get to see your new Deck, AJ!!"

Sunset nodded and told Applejack. "I think that it would be a big help to Twilight if the two of you did this. What do you say?"

"Hmmmm... well, if it's to help out Twi, then Ah suppose it's okay with me." the country girl said. "Besides, Ah've been pretty curious t' see what Pinkie's been workin' on lately; she's been pretty tight-lipped about her Deck other than the fact that she's been makin' a new one." She then asked the silly pink girl, "So, y'all feel like lettin' us all in on what yer new Deck is, Pinkie?"

But the pink teen shook her head no and told her, "Sorry, AJ! You'll just hafta see what it is when we start dueling!"

The orange girl sighed and said, "Fine, have it your way..."

"Hey! What about me??" asked Rainbow Dash. "I haven't gotten a chance t' help Twilight out at all yet!"

Sunset put her hand on the cyan girl's shoulder and told her, "Don't worry, Dash: I've got something real special planned that I'll need your help with later on. For now, just be patient a little while longer."

"Ugh... fine." Rainbow responded with a sigh.

Sunset then took out her Duel Gazer and placed it over her eye. She then then told Twilight, "Alright, take that lens out and put it over your left eye; you'll need it to see what's going on during the Duel."

"Um... Okay, I see..." the purple girl replied, taking the lens out of the box that her Duel Pad was stored in and fitted it over her eye, resting it on top of her left ear. The rest of the girls did the same thing.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack stood at opposite ends of the soccer field, strapping on their Duel Pads and sliding their dueling Decks inside. "So, Pink... y'all ready fer this?" asked the country girl, clearly pumped up and ready to take her friend on.

Pinkie Pie giggled and answered her, saying, "I'm ready if you arrrrrre!!" It seemed that she, too, was excited to duel. Stretching her left arm out, she then shouted, "Duel Pad, activate!!" At that moment, the pink and blue-colored device's card tray slotted out and unfolded.

Applejack did the same thing with her brown-colored Duel Pad as she activated it. She then clicked a button on the side of the lens she wore and said, "Activatin' Duel Gazer!!" As she did that, Sunset then motioned to Twilight to press the button on her Gazer in order to switch it on while she and the rest of her friends did the same.

"AR Vision Link established." said a computerized voice as a digital copy of the soccer field projected around them all. Twilight, while not making any sounds at all, was certainly impressed so far by the advanced technology this world appeared to have.

Spike, of course, couldn't really see anything, since he didn't have a Duel Gazer like the others. "What's going on??" he asked, looking around the area. "I can't see anything!"

Just then, Fluttershy pulled out a small item from out of her purse: It was a smaller Gazer that appeared to be dog-sized; likely, it was custom-made, since a regular dog would not normally have a need for one. "Don't worry, Spike... I didn't forget about you." the shy animal-lover told him. "I got this one while Rarity and I were shopping for Twilight's Duel Pad."

"Aw thanks a lot, Fluttershy!" the puppy exclaimed, happily taking the lens and putting it over his left eye so that he could watch the Duel.

"Alrighty, Pinkie..." Applejack began to say to her friend/opponent, "don't expect me t' go easy on ya just 'cause we're friends..."

"That's okay, AJ! I don't want you to go easy on me!" the pink teen responded with a cheerful giggle. "Gimme your best shot! Otherwise, the episode won't be very interesting to read at all!"

"Uh, sure... whatever ya say." Applejack told her. The two of them then shouted, in unison...

"LET'S DUEL!" (Pinkie Pie: LP 4,000) (Applejack: LP 4,000)

After a quick coin toss, it was determined that Pinkie Pie would make the first move of the Duel. Both she and Applejack drew their opening cards and gave them a good looking-over in order to figure out what their strategies would be. As they did, Sunset and the others continued to explain the rules to Twilight and Spike. The red and yellow girl reminded her Princess friend that, at the beginning of the game, both Duelists would draw five cards, and that the player that made the first move was not permitted to draw a card or battle on their first turn. Twilight nodded to say that she understood as she and Spike continued to watch the Duel.

"Alrighty, Pink... let's get this Duel goin'!" Applejack told her, ready to get started.

"Ah-ah-ah... be patient, AJ..." Pinkie told her friend while wagging her index finger. "A good strategy requires a LOT of thought." Looking over her opening hand some more, she then said, "Okay! I've got it!" Taking a card out of her hand and placing it into her Duel Pad's Spell & Trap Zone slot, she then declared, "First, I'll place one card face-down!" Taking another card out of her hand, she then added, "And neeeeext... I'll Normal Summon Madolche Mewfeuille in Attack Mode!"

After playing her Monster Card, an enlarged digital copy of the card appeared in front of Pinkie Pie. Then, from out of the card came a small, pink cat with blue eyes, wearing a long, brown, belt-like garment around itself. It seemed to look more like it was a stuffed toy, based on the stitchings that appeared to encircle the bottoms of its four paws (Madolche Mewfeuille: Level 3 / ATK 500 / DEF 300).

"Huh? A Madolche monster?" asked Applejack, sounding a little surprised.

"Huh... I shoulda seen that one coming..." Rainbow Dash commented. "That Deck type suits Pinkie perfectly."

"Next," Pinkie started, continuing her move, "since I Normal Summoned Madolche Mewfeuille, his special effect activates! So now I get to Special Summon ANOTHER Madolche monster from my hand!"

"Another one??" asked AJ.

"Yeppity-yep! Mewfeuille just hates being all by itself, you know?" Pinkie informed her opponent. "And luckily, I already have his best friend right here to join him!" Taking out another card from her hand, she then shouted, "I Summon Madolche Messengelato in Defense Mode!!" Her second monster was a small-sized human boy who was dressed like a mailman. He carried a large, green bag full of letters while also holding one envelope in his gloved hand (Madolche Messengelato: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1000).

"Wait, hold on... I'm confused..." Twilight muttered before turning over to Sunset to ask her a question. "Sunset, I thought you told me that you could only Summon ONE monster per turn."

"You're almost right." the red and yellow girl answered her. "You can only Normal Summon or Set a monster once per turn... However, in the case of a Special Summon, you can do that as much as you want every turn, provided that you have effects that allow you to do so."

"Oh, I see..." the purple teen replied, understanding.

Pinkie, continuing with her move, then stated, "Now I'll use the effect of my Madolche Messengelato! Since I Special Summoned him, and I also have a Beast-Type Madolche monster on the field with him, I can now take any Madolche Spell Card or Trap Card out of my Deck! And I choose to take Madolche Chateau!" After she said that, her Duel Pad automatically shuffled her Deck; when it was finished, the card that she chose was left sticking out of the Deck Zone slot so that she could put it into her hand. After she took it, Pinkie Pie then shoved the card into her device and exclaimed, "And now I'll go right ahead and play my Field Spell Card right away!"

Upon playing her card, Pinkie's side of the field began to change. In an instant, a large castle appeared behind her. The building was quite... unique, to put it lightly; it appeared as though the entire structure was made out of sweet foods such as cake, cookies, flan, pancakes, and more. The ground underneath Pinkie's feet changed as well, creating a jigsaw puzzle-like design, which also appeared to be made of sweets.

*******************************

Madolche Chateau:
(Field Spell Card)

When this card is activated: Shuffle all "Madolche" monsters in your Graveyard into the Deck. All "Madolche" monsters on the field gain 500 ATK and DEF. If a monster(s) in your Graveyard would be returned to the Deck by the effect of a "Madolche" monster, you can add it to your hand.

*******************************

Pinkie Pie giggled and said to her opponent, "Now all of my monsters are much, MUCH stronger!" (Madolche Mewfeuille: ATK 500 + 500 = 1000 / DEF 300 + 500 = 800) (Madolche Messengelato: ATK 1600 + 500 = 2100 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500)

(Just great...) thought Applejack. (It's only her first turn, and she's already given herself a major advantage!)

"Hmmmm... well, I don't think I'll be able to do anything else just yet, so I'll end my turn." said the silly pink teen in a casual tone of voice.

"Alright then, get ready Pinkie Pie..." stated the orange teen. "Ah'm gonna show ya that you ain't the only one that can make a good move on their first turn!" Applejack then drew her first card and looked at it. "Not a bad start..." she said to herself, happy with what she managed to draw. "Ah'm gonna go and play the card Ah just drew! Go, Sylvan Charity!"

"Ooooooo... that's a really good card, AJ!" complimented Pinkie Pie.

"Well, thanks... Ah think so too." Applejack replied with a smile. "Especially since this card lets me draw three new cards from mah Deck!" After she did that, she then added, "Of course, there is a small price: Ah have t' take two cards from my hand and put them both on the top of mah Deck in any order. And Ah'll choose these two: Sylvan Lotuswain and Twilight Rose Knight!" After putting her two cards away, she then said, "Next, Ah'll set a card face-down, then I'll play mah own Field Spell Card, Mount Sylvania, from mah hand!"

Just as how Pinkie's side of the field became different when she played her Field Card, Applejack's half of the field also changed dramatically. When the light show was over, a large rainforest appeared behind the country teen, with a gigantic mountain overlooking it all.

"Now they both have one of those Field Cards out..." noted Twilight, making sure to learn everything she could from what she saw.

"Yep." stated Sunset Shimmer. "In the past, the rule was that only one Field Card could be in play at a time, no matter who played it. But recently, they changed that rule so that BOTH players could have one out."

"Either way, it's so amazing how it all looks..." said an impressed Spike. "These Gazer thingies really DO make it all look so real! It's so cool!"

"I have to say, I certainly agree with you, Spike." Twilight told him. "I used to think that magic didn't exist in this world, but it seems I might have been mistaken..."

"I thought the same thing the first time I put on one of these Duel Gazers..." Sunset stated. "Now I can see that magic isn't always just spellbooks and incantations: It seems that every world has its own kind of magic just waiting to be discovered."

Back at the Duel, Applejack then told Pinkie, "Now Ah'll activate the effect of Mount Sylvania! Ah'll send Rose Lover from mah hand to the Graveyard, which allows me t' place any Sylvan card in mah Deck on the TOP of mah Deck! And Ah think that Ah'll choose to move mah Sylvan Hermitree." After doing that, she then took out one more card in her hand and stated, "Lastly, Ah'll set a monster in Defense Mode to end mah turn." After placing her card onto the tray face-down, she then nodded to Pinkie Pie to say that she could go ahead and take her turn.

"Okie-dokie-lokie! It's my turn!!" the silly pink girl said as she happily drew a card from her Deck. Although she seemed quite happy with her draw, she decided to save her new card for later in the Duel. Placing another card onto her tray, she stated, "I'll Summon a monster in Defense Mode, change my Messengelato to Attack Mode... and then I'll go ahead and move onto my Battle Phase!" Pointing ahead, she then ordered, "Go! Messengelato! Attack AJ's monster!!"

The others watched as Pinkie Pie's mailman monster ran towards Applejack's hidden card. Once it got close enough, it swung its mailbag like a club and struck the card. The country girl's monster revealed itself as a short, firey mushroom holding a staff (Sylvan Komushroomo: Level 2 / ATK 100 / DEF 2000).

"Ha! Ah was hopin' y'all would do that!" shouted Applejack with a smirk. "By attackin' mah Sylvan Komushroomo and flippin' it faceup, you activated its ability! Now Ah can harvest up to five cards from the top of mah Deck!"

"Harvest...?" asked Twilight.

"She means Excavate." Sunset informed her Princess friend. "It's when you take cards off of the top of your Deck and show them to both Duelists. However, whenever AJ does it, she likes to call it 'harvesting' for some reason."

"I suppose it's okay..." Fluttershy commented. "After all, if it helps her enjoy playing the game, it can't be a problem."

After thinking about her next move, Applejack then decided, "Okay... Ah think I'll harvest three cards from mah Deck." She then took the three cards, revealing them to be Sylvan Hermitree, Mount Sylvania, and Sylvan Flowerknight. "Not bad at all..." She then told Pinkie, "Now listen up: After Ah harvest mah cards, Ah have t' send all of the Plant-Type monsters that Ah get to the Graveyard. So Ah'll ditch Hermitree and Flowerknight... After that, Ah'll put the Spell Card that Ah got on the bottom of mah Deck." Once she did that, Pinkie's monster then finished its attack, eliminating the small mushroom monster.

"Earlier, Applejack used an effect to put a card on the top of her Deck..." stated Rarity. "So why did she allow it to be thrown out so easily...?"

"I know..." Fluttershy began to answer her. "It's because the Sylvan cards all have effects that activate if they're excavated and sent to the Graveyard by card effects... I know because I played against her Deck before the Inter-school Duel."

Twilight pondered to herself after hearing what the shy teen had said. (Wow... it sure sounds like there's a lot more complexity to this game than I first thought... I just hope I can keep up with it all...) she thought to herself.

"And now Ah'll activate the effects of the two monsters Ah sent t' mah Graveyard!" declared Applejack. "First, Ah'll use Flowerknight's effect to move another Sylvan Hermitree to the top of mah Deck. Then, the effect of the first Hermitree that's in the Graveyard lets me rearrange the top three cards of mah Deck in whatever order Ah want them t' be!" And she did just that.

"Hmmm... you're clearly setting up something big, AJ." Pinkie observed. "So I'd better beat ya fast before I have to worry about it! And I'll start by having my cute little Mewfeuille attack you directly!" The pink girl's tiny kitty-cat then pounced towards her friend/opponent and slashed her with its claws.

"Aaaaaack!" shouted Applejack after taking the hit (Applejack: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000). Sighing, she then smirked and asked, "That all ya got, Pinks?"

"Yep. At least for this turn." Pinkie answered with a smile. "Your turn!"

"Alrighty then, I draw!" the country girl then drew her next card. Of course, she knew exactly what it was, since her earlier card effect let her freely rearrange her Deck. She then told Pinkie Pie, "Ah now activate the effect of Rose Lover in mah Graveyard! All Ah gotta do is banish it, and that lets me Special Summon any Plant-Type monster that Ah've got in mah hand!"

"Oooooooohhhhh... so THAT's why you wanted to rearrange your Deck, isn't it?" asked the pink girl.

"Right on the dot, Pinks." confirmed Applejack. "So now Ah'll bring out my mighty Sylvan Hermitree in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was a gigantic tree with red and green leaves and a large face upon the tree trunk. Above its eyes was a large, red jewel, which began glowing brightly (Sylvan Hermitree: Level 8 / ATK 2700 / DEF 1800).

"Amazing!" said an astounded Rarity. "She set things up so that she could easily Summon a high-level monster when she needed it the most!" Twilight continued to pay attention to every move made in order to learn the advanced tactics of the game.

"Now Ah activate the effect of Sylvan Hermitree!" declared Applejack. "Once per turn, Ah can harvest the top card of mah Deck, and then if it's a Plant, Ah have t' send it to the Graveyard." She then pulled out the top card and allowed both her and Pinkie Pie to see it. "Alright! It's mah Sylvan Cherubsprout! That means Ah can send it to the Graveyard!" She then placed the card in the correct slot and added, "And not only that, Ah can draw one more card with Hermitree's effect!" After drawing her card, she then told her opponent, "Next, since Sylvan Cherubsprout was sent t' the Graveyard after bein' harvested, its ability lets me Special Summon a Level 1 Plant-Type monster from out of mah Deck! And Ah'll select mah Sylvan Snapdrassinagon!"

Placing her next monster in Defense Position, her newest creature appeared to be a small human-like creature with a scarf covering its face. On its head were many pink flowers, some of which were still in the process of budding (Sylvan Snapdrassinagon: Level 1 / ATK 900 / DEF 400).

"Even though she's ahead of Pinkie right now," Sunset stated, "it seems that Applejack is still trying to plan some bigger plays for later on. Unfortunately for Pinkie, the Sylvans' effects make it very easy for their user to have almost total control over the cards they get."

Twilight stayed silent, though she kept on thinking about everything she had been told, as well as what she had observed from the Duel so far. As she saw, the young Princess could tell that this game wasn't too much different from the strategy games she had seen in the past, in the fact that victory almost always favored the player who could think several moves ahead of their opponents.

"Now Ah think it's time for me t' take control of this game!" shouted AJ as she played her next card. "Ah summon Copy Plant in Attack Mode!!" Her next monster then grew out of the ground in front of her, appearing to be nothing more than a mass of brown vines wrapped around itself (Copy Plant: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0). "Next, Ah'll use the effect of Copy Plant: By targeting one other Plant-Type monster on the field, Ah can alter Copy Plant's Level to match it! And Ah select mah Level 8 Hermitree!!"

After the order was given, Applejack's Copy Plant began to grow wildly, altering itself to look like a vine-covered version of her Sylvan Hermitree (Copy Plant: Level 1 > Level 8).

"I know what's comin' next..." Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"So do I." Sunset responded. Turning over to Twilight Sparkle, she then instructed her, "Pay attention to this move, Twilight: You'll need to know about it once you start playing." The young Princess nodded and watched the next move carefully.

"Ah now overlay mah Level 8 Hermitree and Copy Plant and create an Overlay Network!!" shouted the farm girl as her two monsters turned into a pair of lights; one red and one green. The two lights were then drawn into a red portal that formed in front of Applejack. "Great Guardian of the Sylvans!" she chanted. "Let loose your mighty roar and drive away those who would harm your blessed forest! Xyz Summon!!" Taking a card from her Extra Deck and placing it onto her card tray, she then finished her chant, saying, "Appear now, Guardian! Rank 8!! Alsei, the Sylvan High Protector!!"

Applejack's new monster emerged from out of the red vortex with two swirling yellow lights surrounding it. The monster appeared to be a large, white lion, only instead of hair, its large mane appeared to made of bright green grass. It also had two branches extending out of its head like horns, with a pair of earring-like pieces of jewelry attached to them. Around its neck was a collar with a large bell, and its size easily dwarfed all of Pinkie Pie's monsters (Alsei, the Sylvan High Protector: Rank 8 / ATK 2300 / DEF 3200 / OLU 2).

"So that's an Xyz Monster..." said an astounded Twilight.

"Th-that thing's humongous!!" added Spike, trembling a little.

Pinkie Pie wasn't scared, despite the fact that she was staring down an incredibly powerful monster. In fact, she was happier than ever. "Oh wowee!!" she cheered. "That guy sure looks super-tough! Great job, AJ!!"

"Well, don't go thankin' me just yet, Pink." the country girl told her. "After all, you're the one who's gotta fight it. But first things first, I'll use the first effect of Alsei, the Sylvan High Protector. Now Ah declare one card name, then Ah harvest the top card of mah Deck. If Ah get it right, I get t' put it in mah hand. But if Ah don't, Ah have t' toss it in the Graveyard."

"That's crazy...!" said Twilight. "There's no way that Applejack could guess the top card of her Deck like that!"

"That may be true, Twilight dear," Rarity replied, "but I don't believe that Applejack will be trying too hard to guess correctly."

"My thoughts exactly." Sunset agreed with a nod.

Placing her middle and index fingers on the top of her Deck, the farm girl then said, "Alright... Ah'm gonna guess that mah top card is... Sylvan Hermitree!" She then pulled the next card and looked at it. Letting out a sigh (but still smiling), she said, "Aw crud... It's Sylvan Flowerknight! Looks like Ah got it wrong..." Of course, from the tone of her voice, it was obvious that she was faking her "disappointment". After placing it in the Graveyard, she then told Pinkie, "Course, that does mean that Ah can put any Sylvan card Ah want on the top of mah Deck, like mah Sylvan Sagequoia!"

"I see... she guessed wrong on purpose in order to use the effect of another Sylvan card, right?" asked Twilight.

"Uh huh..." Fluttershy answered, nodding yes. "Applejack has a very tricky Deck; I should know... it took me about five games with her before I was able to beat it..."

Taking a card out from underneath her Xyz Monster, Applejack then declared, "Now I'll ditch one of Alsei's Overlay Units! In exchange, Ah can use its second power t' send any card on the field back to the bottom of its owner's Deck! And Ah'll choose your Madolche Messengelato!"

"Uh oh...!" said Pinkie Pie, getting a little worried.

The large, lion-like beast opened its maw and devoured one of its swirling orbs (Alsei, the Sylvan High Protector: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). After taking in the energy that it needed, Alsei belted out an incredibly loud roar that forced everyone but Applejack into covering their ears. Pinkie Pie's mailman monster couldn't take the scary noise and made a run for it, retreating to the bottom of Pinkie Pie's Deck.

"Looks like your little messenger won't be deliverin' any mail to Mount Sylvania for quite a while." noted Applejack. Throwing a forward air punch, she then shouted, "Alright, Alsei! Attack her little kitten!!" The beast roared once more as it leapt forward and stomped right on top of Pinkie Pie's Madolche Mewfeuille.

Pinkie Pie sighed sadly a little after taking the hit to her Life Points (Pinkie Pie: LP 4,000 - 1,300 = 2,700). But she smiled once more and said, "Nice play, AJ! But I'm afraid it's not over yet!"

"Come again?" asked the country teen.

"Since my Madolche Mewfeuille was destroyed," the pink teen continued, "he gets shuffled back into my Deck... Orrrrrrr that WOULD have been the case, if not for my Field Spell, Madolche Chateau! Thanks to my Chateau, my little kitty-cat gets placed back into my hand instead!"

"Crud... that means that you can just keep bringin' it back as much ya want, no matter how many times I destroy it!" noted Applejack.

"That's riiiiiiiight!" Pinkie giggled as she took her card and put it back into her hand.

"Then I guess that's the end of mah turn then." the farm girl replied. She then thought to herself, (Knowing her, she'll probably use that cat to summon more than one monster on her turn... Ah'd better be ready; even though Ah've got a tough Xyz Monster on mah field, there's always the chance she'll whip out somethin' even stronger... Luckily, Ah planned some moves in advance, just t' be on the safe side...)

"My turn!" cheered Pinkie as she drew a card. She looked at it and got excited, "Alright! That's just what I wanted to get!!"

The others watched on, wondering what the pink girl's next move would be.

"Once again! Madolche Mewfeuille in Attack Mode!!" shouted Pinkie as she summoned her cat monster once more (Madolche Mewfeuille: ATK 500 + 500 = 1000 / DEF 300 + 500 = 800). "And now I use his effect to summon another Madolche from my hand!" Taking the card she had just drawn, she added, "Madolche Anjelly! Let's have some fun!!"

Her next monster was an adorable little angel girl with long brown hair, a pretty white dress, and small little angel wings. In her hand was a small spoon. At the moment, there appeared to be some red gelatin in the utensil, which Anjelly immediately put into her mouth, letting out a content sigh from how good it tasted (Madolche Anjelly: ATK 1000 + 500 = 1500 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500).

Fluttershy and Rarity immediately took notice of how cute Pinkie's new monster was. "Oh my! It's so precious!!" Rarity shrieked happily. "I just want to go over there and hug it!!"

"Me too...!" added Fluttershy. She, too, was quite taken by Anjelly's cuteness.

Applejack had never seen Pinkie's new monster before, so she asked, "What's that little sprite supposed t' do?"

"Oh, she has a REALLY strong power!" answered the silly girl. "By releasing her, I can Special Summon any Madolche monster that I want from my Deck!"

"Wait, ANY one y'all want?!" asked the farm girl, startled a little.

"Uh huh! So I'll trade her out for my Messengelato!" Pinkie responded. Anjelly then sang a short, but beautiful song. After she vanished, Pinkie Pie's mailman monster reappeared on the field (Madolche Messengelato: ATK 1600 + 500 = 2100 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500).

"No way... Ya brought him back out??" asked Applejack.

"Yep!" answered the pink girl. "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor giant, scary lion/plant monsters will keep him from his appointed rounds! And thanks to his ability, I can now take another Madolche Spell or Trap Card from my Deck! And I choose my Madolche Ticket!" After getting her next card, she played it onto the field right away.

"Now what're y'all up to?" asked Applejack, not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

"You'll see..." Pinkie told her with a smirk. "But first, I'll Flip Summon my Madolche Marmalmaide and put her in Attack Mode!" After flipping her facedown monster face-up, it was revealed to be an orange-haired girl wearing a maid's outfit. In her hand was a book titled, "Madolches' Manners" (Madolche Marmalmaide: Level 4 / ATK 800 + 500 = 1300 / DEF 2000 + 500 = 2500).

"Now Pinkie has two Level 4 monsters out!" said Rainbow Dash. "She must be planning to summon an Xyz Monster, too!"

"You've got it, Dashie!" shouted the pink teenager. Putting her right arm up into the air, she shouted, "Messengelato! Marmalmaide! It's Overlay Time!!" After she said that, the two monsters in question turned into a pair of orange lights that flew into a red portal in front of the poofy-haired girl. "When this queen comes to power, you KNOW something sweet is around the corner!" the pink girl chanted. "Xyz Summon!! Sweet Queen of Treats! Rank 4!! Madolche Queen Tiaramisu!!"

From out of the red portal came a large and beautiful throne. Sitting on that throne was an even more beautiful woman. She wore a crown on top of her lilac-colored hair, along with dazzling robes of gold and chocolate-brown that draped to the ground. In her hand was a long scepter that shimmered in the sunlight. Swirling around her were two orange-colored orbs of light (Madolche Queen Tiaramisu: Rank 4 / ATK 2200 + 500 = 2700 / DEF 2100 + 500 = 2600 / OLU 2).

Once again, Rarity and Fluttershy had stars in their eyes when they saw Pinkie's new monster. Rarity was taken in by the beautiful outfit that the queen wore, already thinking about trying to make a similar dress in the real world. As for Fluttershy, she liked it simply for how cute and pretty she looked.

"Dangit..." sighed Applejack. "Ah was hopin' t' win this Duel BEFORE she got that card out...!"

"If you like Tiaramisu right now, then you'll love this!" said Pinkie as she pulled out a card from underneath her Xyz Monster. "By removing an Overlay Unit from her, I can have her send one Madolche monster in my Graveyard back into my Deck!" After she said that, Tiaramisu raised her scepter and drew one of her orange orbs into it (Madolche Queen Tiaramisu: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). Pinkie then used the effect to send Anjelly back into her Deck. "Not only that," she then told her friend/opponent, "but now her power lets me shuffle one card on YOUR side of the field back to YOUR Deck!"

"Say WHAT?!?" exclaimed Applejack.

"Sorry, AJ... but I gotta send your big, scary lion back to your Extra Deck! Bye-bye!" And with those words, Pinkie Pie had her Xyz Monster send Applejack's off of the field, leaving only one monster left on the country teen's side to defend her.

"No way... Pinkie just did to Applejack what she had done to her last turn..." stated Rainbow Dash, impressed by her pink friend's move.

"Wow... it's amazing how control of the game can change so easily..." noted Twilight. "It's hard to tell who will win this one..."

Pinkie then continued with her turn, telling Applejack, "Now for the best part! Now that I used my Madolche Queen to put Anjelly back in my Deck, the effect of Madolche Ticket now activates! So now I can Special Summon another Madolche monster from my Deck in Attack Mode! So here comes my Madolche Cruffsant!" And in a flash, Pinkie summoned another monster onto her field, bringing her to three monsters. Her new creature was a small puppy with a brown and white coat. It wore a collar with a bell on it, along with a tiny, yellow hat (Madolche Cruffsant: Level 3 / ATK 1500 + 500 = 2000 / DEF 1200 + 500 = 1700).

"Not bad at all..." Sunset said to the others. "While Applejack plans her moves ahead better than Pinkie does, Pinkie has one thing on her side: The element of surprise. She always keeps her opponents guessing as to what her next move will be, and often does something completely different to catch them off guard... And right now, it seems as though it's working..."

"Indeed..." Rarity agreed. "Pinkie is in quite a good position: If she can attack successfully with all three of her monsters, she'll win the Duel." The girls (and puppy) watched to see what would happen.

"Alright! Time for my Battle Phase!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "I attack Sylvan Snapdrassinagon with Madolche Mewfeuille!" The pink kitten pounced forward, easily disposing of Applejack's only monster on the field.

Letting out a slight grunt out of frustration, Applejack then shouted, "Ah activate Snapdrassinagon's effect! Ah harvest mah top card, and then send it to the Graveyard, since it's a Plant-Type monster!" After doing that, she then added, "And since Sylvan Sagequoia was the one that got sent to mah Graveyard, his effect lets me put any Sylvan Spell or Trap Card in mah Graveyard back in mah hand! And Ah pick mah Sylvan Charity!"

"Nice move, but I'm afraid that it won't help you now!" Pinkie told her country girl friend. "Because I'm not done attacking yet!" Pointing forward, the pink teen then ordered, "Tiaramisu! Attack Applejack directly!!" The regal queen then stood up out of her throne and held up her scepter, drawing in enormous amounts of energy in order to prepare for a powerful attack.

"Uh oh... looks like Applejack's not going to win this game..." Twilight stated.

"...Don't count her out of this just yet, Twilight." Sunset said to her. "I have a feeling that she's got a backup plan all ready for it..." She then pointed her finger at the face-down card that the orange teen had sitting on her side of the field.

Applejack chuckled a little and shouted, "Sorry, Pink! But Ah ain't about t' let y'all win this Duel THAT easily!" Tapping her Duel Pad's touch screen, she then declared, "Ah play mah Trap Card: Sylvan Blessing!!"

The others gasped a little when the country girl flipped her card face-up... except for Sunset Shimmer. "I thought so..." the red and yellow girl said, "I didn't think she'd leave herself wide open like that..."

Applejack then explained what her Trap Card's effect did: "Thanks to this card," she told Pinkie Pie, "Ah can send one card from mah hand to either the top or bottom of mah Deck." Applejack then took a card from her hand (the Spell Card Reasoning) and placed it on the bottom of her Deck. She then told her friend/opponent, "Then, in exchange for that, Ah can then Summon a new Sylvan monster from either mah hand or mah Graveyard!" After thinking about it for a few seconds, the farm girl decided to Special Summon another Sylvan Komushroomo from her hand in Defense Position.

"So, does that mean that Pinkie's queen monster now has to attack that mushroom instead?" asked Twilight.

"Correct." Rarity answered. "Pinkie originally initiated an attack on Applejack directly. But before the attack could be completed, Applejack summoned a monster to defend herself with. The rules state that, if the number of monsters on your opponent's field change after you declare an attack, the Replay Rule goes into effect. Now Pinkie has to choose to either continue her attack with Tiaramisu and target the new monster, or abandon the attack altogether."

"Hmmmm... I see. Sounds pretty tricky." stated the young Princess.

"It took me a while to figure it out too, don't worry." Sunset admitted.

Pinkie sighed a little out of disappointment. "Awwwww...! That stinks! Now I can't win the Duel on this turn!" Sighing a second time - this time to regain her composure - she added, "Oh well, not much I can do about it, I suppose..." Pointing towards AJ's new monster, she shouted, "Tiaramisu! Attack Sylvan Komushroomo!" Of course, the queen had no problem defeating the tiny mushroom as she let out a powerful shot from her staff and blasted it off of the field. "And now, I attack directly with my Madolche Cruffsant!"

The little brown and white puppy barked loudly as it ran towards Applejack and bit her in the leg. "Yeeow!!" she screamed after taking some damage (Applejack: LP 3,000 - 2,000 = 1,000). "Get offa me, ya flea-bitten mongrel!" she shouted. After she said that, the country girl then looked over towards Spike and told him, "Uh, no offense there, Spike."

"None taken." the purple puppy replied.

"Hmmm... looks as though she still took a bad hit there..." noted Twilight.

"Perhaps," Sunset replied, "but more importantly, Applejack didn't lose the game. She may have lost a monster and all but a quarter of her total Life Points, but she still has one more turn to fight back." Turning over to her inter-dimensional friend, she then informed her, "That's something you should always remember, Twilight: If it comes down to a choice between losing some of your Life Points or losing all of them, always pick the lesser of two evils."

"That makes sense." the purple teenager responded, seeing the logic in it.

After her last attack, Pinkie Pie then said, "Well, I guess the only other thing I can do is this: I'll activate the special ability of my Madolche Cruffsant! By sending my Madolche Mewfeuille back into my hand, I can increase Cruffsant's Level by one and its attack power by 300!" The silly girl then took her kitten monster off of the field, allowing the puppy to gain even more power (Madolche Cruffsant: Level 3 + 1 = Level 4 / ATK 2000 + 300 = 2300). After that, she then ended her turn.

"I see what she did there..." Fluttershy said to her friends. "She did that so that Applejack couldn't attack her Mewfeuille during her turn."

"Yeah, I see..." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "Smart move, considering that her cat was the weakest monster that she had out."

Twilight then said, "Well, I'm not too surprised, to be honest; if your world's Pinkie Pie is anything like the one from mine, then it's safe to assume that she's a lot more intelligent than she makes herself seem..."

Sunset Shimmer nodded yes to say that Twilight's assumption was quite correct. "Pinkie's a very tough customer when it comes to Duel Monsters... In fact, she's only ever lost once, and that was to me."

Twilight was a bit startled after hearing that. "Really? You're the only one that ever beat her?"

"Yep, and even then it took me about nine games before it finally happened." the red and yellow girl stated. Turning back to the Duel in progress, she added, "Applejack's going to have to pull out all the stops if she's planning on winning..."

"For her sake, let us hope she does..." Rarity commented.

Applejack smiled as she stared down her friend/opponent, saying, "You're still as tough as Ah remember, Pink... But if y'all think that I'm gonna surrender now, then you're even crazier than I think you are!"

"Believe me, AJ," Pinkie replied, "you have NO idea how crazy I can get." Putting on a fierce look (but still smiling), she shouted, "Gimme your best shot! I can take it!"

"If y'all say so... I draw!" The country girl then drew her next card and looked at it closely. Putting on a huge smile, she cheered loudly, shouting, "Ah don't believe it! I drew EXACTLY what Ah needed!" Playing her new card right away, she then declared, "Ah Summon Lonefire Blossom in Attack Mode!!"

Applejack's next monster began to grow out of the ground, sprouting several small, purple leaves from its stem. A flower then bloomed at the top of the stalk, revealing what appeared to be a beige, spherical bomb (Lonefire Blossom: Level 3 / ATK 500 / DEF 1400).

"Huh? What's that do?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Ah'm glad ya asked, Pinks..." the farm girl replied. "See, by releasin' one Plant-Type monster on mah field, mah Lonefire lets Special Summon any Plant-Type monster from mah Deck!" The pink teen gasped after hearing that; now SHE was the one that had been caught off-guard for once.

"But... she doesn't have any other monsters out..." noted Rainbow Dash. "How's she gonna use the effect?"

Twilight thought for a bit... and figured it out. "I know how..." she told everyone. "She's planning to release Lonefire Blossom itself to do that!"

The others gasped in surprise; both out of Applejack's brilliant play, and from the fact that the young Princess had figured it out all by herself. (Impressive...) thought Sunset Shimmer. (I didn't even have to tell her about that trick...) Turning back over to the Duel, she then pondered, (Since Lonefire Blossom's effect doesn't exclude it from being part of the Tribute cost, to Applejack, that card is basically a free pass to any monster she wants.) She then glanced back at Twilight and smiled, proud of her for being able to figure out that move as easily as she did.

"Alright, Lonefire Blossom!" shouted Applejack. "Ah release you from the field!" Upon saying that, the bomb at the end of Lonefire's stem exploded, creating a large cloud of smoke all over the field. "And with its effect," the farmer girl continued, "Ah choose t' summon Sylvan Sagequoia from mah Deck in Attack Mode!!" Once the smoke cleared away, a large tree could then be seen in front of the orange-skinned teenager. It had healthy, green leaves growing on its branches and a large face on its trunk. On that face were a pair of small glasses and a beard made out of vines (Sylvan Sagequoia: Level 7 / ATK 2600 / DEF 2100).

"Um... are you REALLY sure you wanna do that, AJ?" asked Pinkie Pie. "After all, he's not strong enough to defeat my Tiaramisu..."

"But I ain't quite through just yet, Pinkie." Applejack told her. Taking her last card out of her hand, she then declared, "Ah also activate mah Sylvan Charity again! So now Ah get to draw three more cards!" Looking at her Deck, she then thought to herself, (If Ah'm gonna beat Pinkie, Ah'm gonna need t' draw that card next... C'mon Deck, don't fail me now...)

Everyone watched as Applejack drew her next three cards, wondering what she would do next. "What do suppose she is hoping to draw?" Rarity asked.

"Maybe something that will support her Sagequoia...?" asked Fluttershy. The others could only wonder what the orange teen's plan was.

Applejack then took a peek at her new cards... and smiled. "Yes!! Ah drew it!!" Taking two of the cards that she drew, she then told Pinkie Pie, "Ah'll now place these two cards back on top of mah Deck!" After she did that, she then stated, "Next, Ah activate the effect of Sagequoia, which allows me to harvest the top card of mah Deck! And as y'all know, Ah can send it to the Graveyard if it ends up being a Plant monster!"

"And since Applejack just placed two cards back on top of her Deck," began Twilight, "that means that she must have put something there that will activate another effect once it gets discarded!" Once again, Sunset was happy to see that her friend was able to figure that out.

Applejack then sent the card that she pulled from the top of her Deck straight to the Graveyard, knowing full well that it was a Plant-Type monster. After she did that, she then said, "The monster I just placed in mah Graveyard was mah Sylvan Princessprout! And when it gets placed there after bein' harvested, Ah can Special Summon it and alter its Level from anywhere between one and eight!"

"Uh oh! That doesn't sound good!" Pinkie replied, sweating a little.

"As y'all can probably guess, Ah choose to bring Princessprout back to the field as a Level 7 monster!" the country teen informed her friend/opponent. After doing so, a small girl decked out in colorful, leafy robes appeared on the field and sat down on her knees (Sylvan Princessprout: Level 1 > Level 7 / ATK 100 / DEF 100). "And now Ah overlay her and mah Level 7 Sagequoia to create an Overlay Network!!"

The rest of the girls gasped as they saw both of Applejack's monsters transform into a pair of lights - one yellow and one green - and entered a large summoning portal. "So this was her plan!" Rarity exclaimed. "She was planning another Xyz Summoning!"

"Winged deity of Mount Sylvania!" Applejack chanted. "Spread your wings and unleash the fury of nature upon my foe! Xyz Summon!!" The portal then exploded, unleashing a column of red light that erupted from out of it. "Soar to the heavens! Rank 7!! Orea, the Sylvan High Arbiter!!" the country girl shouted, finishing her chant and playing her Xyz Monster.

The others could only watch with astonished looks as a pair of golden-yellow wings emerged from either side of the red light. After that, a white-colored head that resembled that of a bird poked out next. On top of its head were many red flowers that were meant to resemble feathers. Its large, white body was decorated with a necklace of red flowers and a silver medal around its neck, and several long, red, rope-like objects draped behind its back.

*******************************

Orea, the Sylvan High Arbiter:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Plant-Type/DARK/Rank 7/ATK 2800/DEF 2500)

2 Level 7 monsters
Once per turn: You can send 1 Plant-Type monster from your hand or face-up from your side of the field to the Graveyard; look at a number of cards from the top of your Deck equal to the Level that the sent monster had in the hand or on the field, then place them on top of the Deck in any order. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; choose a number from 1 to 3, then excavate that many cards from the top of your Deck, send any excavated Plant-Type monsters to the Graveyard, and if you do, return up to that many cards on the field to the hand (min. 1), except this card. Also, place the other cards on the bottom of your Deck in any order.

*******************************

"There it is..." Sunset told everyone. "That's Orea; the strongest member of the Sylvans..."

"I didn't even get to see this card when I dueled Applejack..." Fluttershy noted, staring at the magnificent creature before them. "It's so beautiful..."

"Yeah, and I'll bet it's got some super-tough powers, to boot..." Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"Wow..." was all that Twilight could say as she was nearly mesmerized by the impressive bird monster that Applejack had summoned.

Pinkie was also quite taken in by the impressive creature. "Wowee..." she said in a slightly quieter tone. "I guess you're done messing around if you decided to bring THAT guy out, huh?"

"Ya got that right Pinkie..." the farm girl told her. "Just like you, Ah plan on winnin' this Duel, and Orea's gonna help me do just that! And I'll start by activatin' its ability!" She then took one of the cards underneath her Xyz Monster and sent it to her Graveyard in order to use her monster's power (Orea, the Sylvan High Arbiter: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "After gettin' rid of one of its Overlay Units," Applejack continued, "Ah can choose t' harvest up to three cards from the top of mah Deck!"

"And then what...?" asked the pink teenager.

"Well, for every Plant-Type monster that Ah harvest and then send to the Graveyard," the country girl explained to her, "Ah can then send up to equal number of cards - other than Orea itself - on the field back to a player's hand!" Pinkie Pie gasped in shock after hearing that.

"So that's her plan..." stated Rarity. "She's going to try and send all of Pinkie Pie's monsters back into her hand so that she can attack with her Xyz Monster directly!"

"Uh huh, that's right." confirmed Sunset.

"That means if Applejack can harv-... excuse me - excavate at least two Plant monsters from her Deck, she'll win the game!" Twilight figured out. It was clear that the young Princess had grasped a good amount of knowledge on Duel Monsters so far.

Applejack smirked as she said, "Alrighty then... Ah'll go right ahead n' havrest THREE cards from mah Deck!" She seemed pretty confident as she pulled her top three cards. But her smile faded once she saw them all. "Aw CRUD!! Ah only managed t' pull ONE Plant monster!!"

Pinkie Pie let out a sigh of relief, happy that she wasn't going to lose the Duel now.

Grumbling a little, Applejack took the one Plant that she did manage to excavate and said, "Well, since Ah WAS able get one Plant monster, that means Ah can send it to mah Graveyard..." She then pointed forward towards Pinkie's Xyz Monster and added, "And that means Ah can send one card you've got off of the field, like your Tiaramisu!"

The regal queen monster let out a cry as she was whisked off of the field and returned to Pinkie Pie's Extra Deck. In addition, its remaining Overlay Unit was sent to the Graveyard as well.

"As for the other two cards Ah harvested," the country girl continued, "Ah must place them both on the bottom of mah Deck in whatever order Ah want." After she did so, she then added, "Next, since mah Sylvan Lotuswain was harvested n' sent to the Graveyard, its effect lets me return up t' five Sylvan cards in mah Graveyard back to the bottom of mah Deck!" She then selected the cards that she wanted (two Sylvan Hermitrees, two Sylvan Sagequoias, and her Sylvan Flowerknight) and placed them back in her Deck. Once she finished with that, Applejack then shouted, "Alright, Orea! Go n' attack her little mutt!! Rainbow Feather Storm!!"

The large bird let out a piercing cry as it whipped up a fierce gust of wind. As it did, it shed several of its colorful feathers, sending them into the gust and firing them like bullets. The feathers struck Pinkie's Madolche Cruffsant, destroying it and inflicting some damage to his controller (Pinkie Pie: LP 2,700 - 500 = 2,200).

"I use the effect of my Field Spell, Madolche Chateau!" the pink teen announced. "Which means that Madolche Cruffsant returns to my hand instead of getting sent back into my Deck!" After taking her card back, she then added, "Next, since a Madolche card was sent back to my hand by a card effect, my Madolche Ticket lets me put Madolche Chouvalier into my hand from my Deck!"

"Not bad, Pinks... but you're still in a heap of trouble:" Applejack told her with a smile. "Mah Orea's the strongest monster in mah entire Deck! Ah'd certainly like t' see how you'd get outta of this one..."

"You would, AJ?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Well, okay then! I'll go and do just that, since you asked for it!"

"Uh... Ah was bein' sarcastic." the farm girl responded in a low tone.

But Pinkie wasn't listening as she drew her next card and looked at it. "Huh?" The silly girl looked at the card she drew carefully, thinking deeply about it for some reason. (Madolchepalooza?) she pondered. (Talk about déjà vu... It feels like I've seen this card already, but from where...?) Suddenly, her eyes widened as she let out a small giggle and lightly slapped the side of her head, as if she had come to a sudden realization. (DUH!! Of course! I remember now! I had one right at the beginning of the Duel! Silly little me!) Giggling some more, she then said to herself, "Well, better late than never I guess."

"What're y'all talkin' about, Pinkie...?" asked Applejack, slightly confused.

Not answering the question, Pinkie Pie tapped her Duel Pad's screen. After she did so, the face-down card that she had on the field revealed itself. "I activate Madolchepalooza!!"

"A Trap Card?!" exclaimed the farm girl.

"Oh dear...! I forgot that she had set a card during her first turn!" Rarity gasped.

Fluttershy gasped as well, remembering something about it. "That card... She used that to beat me when I dueled her...!" the shy girl informed her friends.

"You serious?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What does it do?"

"Well... if I remember correctly..." Fluttershy recalled, "it allows Pinkie Pie to Special Summon any Madolche monsters that she has in her hand for the rest of this turn."

"No way! She can bring out any monster she wants?!" asked Twilight.

"MonsTERS." the pale yellow teen repeated. "She can Summon more than one if she wants to..."

"That doesn't sound good for Applejack..." stated Sunset. "With that kind of power, Pinkie could try almost anything..."

Taking out two cards from her hand, Pinkie then told her friend/opponent, "I'll use my Trap to bring out these two Madolches!! Come on out, Madolche Puddingcess and Madolche Chouvalier!!"

Pinkie's first summoned monster was a young, blonde-haired girl with greyish-colored eyes. She wore a diamond-studded tiara on her head, there was a large cherry entwined in her hair, and her clothes appeared to be a fusion of both a royal dress and a sweet cake with its frosting-like design (Madolche Puddingcess: Level 5 / ATK 1000 + 500 = 1500 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500).

The second monster was a blonde-haired boy wearing what appeared to be a French-inspired army uniform, colored black with a piano-key design along the bottom, and topped off with a black hat that was decorated with a large, red feather. In his hand, he brandished a sword that seemed to be made out of a candy cane. The boy rode on top of a light blue pony with a light green-colored mane and tail that was as cute as a button (Madolche Chouvalier: Level 4 / ATK 1700 + 500 = 2200 / DEF 1300 + 500 = 1800).

"What're ya plannin' on usin' those two for??" asked Applejack.

"Uh uh uh! Can't ruin the surprise, AJ!" Pinkie told her, wagging her index finger. Taking out another card from her hand, she then announced her next move, saying, "Now I play the Spell Card, Instant Fusion!!"

"Instant Fusion?!" exclaimed Sunset. "She actually has that ultra-rare Spell Card?! I had no idea!"

Pinkie Pie giggled as she told the country teen, "Now with this card, I can Special Summon any Level 5 or lower Fusion Monster straight outta my Extra Deck! And it only costs me 1,000 of my Life Points to do it!" (Pinkie Pie: LP 2,200 - 1,000 = 1,200) Taking out a card from her Extra Deck, she then declared, "Now I summon Flower Wolf from my Extra Deck!"

Pinkie Pie's third monster was a large, navy blue wolf that had several pink flower petals growing out of its body. It let out a snarl as it jumped into the battlefield (Flower Wolf: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1400).

"Ohhhhhh... I get it now..." Fluttershy said to herself. "THAT's why she wanted to trade with me for that card... Now I understand..."

Applejack was slightly puzzled by Pinkie's move. "Ah don't get it: Flower Wolf ain't very strong at all, and it's got no special effects. Not only that, it can't even attack me because of your Spell Card's effect. So what was the point?"

"I could tell you," the pink girl said to her, "but maybe you should check your Duel Pad and see for yourself!"

"Huh?" The orange teenager did just that, tapping the images of all of her friend's cards and looking at all of their information. Eventually, she let out a gasp when she finally figured it out: "No way...!" she said loudl. "Two of her three monsters are both Level 5!!"

"So that's it!" Twilight exclaimed. "She wanted to bring out enough monsters to do that X-Y-Z thing again!"

"Correct." Sunset responded. She then informed her Princess friend, "And by the way, you're not actually supposed to say each letter individually; you pronounce it all as one word: Xyz."

"Oh... sorry." the purple teen replied, rubbing the back of her head and blushing.

"Don't worry about it, Twilight." the red and yellow girl said to her with a smile. "Lots of other people get that wrong too."

"Alrighty then! Time for an Xyz Summon!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Madolche Puddingcess! Flower Wolf! It's Overlay Time!!" After shouting those words, both of her chosen monsters transformed into a pair of orange lights and flew into a newly-opened red portal. "She's cute, she's yummy, and she's ready to party!!" the pink teenager chanted. "Nobody can stay bored when this little princess is ready to have fun! Xyz Summon!! A royal treat! Rank 5!! Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode!!"

A tiny figure then jumped out of the large, red portal. As it turned out, Pinkie's Puddingcess had returned to the field, putting her hand on her hip area and striking a cutesy pose in front of Applejack. The girl's appearence was slightly different, however; her tiara was replced with a fancy, brown crown, and her mostly-white dress was now a deep chocolate brown. In addition, a pair of orange orbs swirled around her.

*******************************

Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fairy-Type/EARTH/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 2200)

2 Level 5 EARTH monsters
You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a Rank 4 or lower "Madolche" Xyz Monster you control as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that monster also become Xyz Materials on this card.) Once per turn: You can target 1 "Madolche" card in your Graveyard; shuffle it into the Deck. While this card has "Madolche Puddingcess" as Xyz Material, when a "Madolche" card(s) in your Graveyard is shuffled into the Main Deck (except during the Damage Step): You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; Special Summon 1 "Madolche" monster from your Deck in Attack Position or face-down Defense Position.

*******************************

"What the hay is that?!" asked Applejack. "There's ANOTHER Madolche Xyz Monster?!"

"Yeppity-yep-yep!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Chocolat-a-la-Mode is my newest and strongest card! And thanks to my Field Spell, she's even stronger!" (Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode: ATK 2500 + 500 = 3000 / DEF 2200 + 500 = 2700).

"Th-three thousand a-a-attack points...?!" the farm girl stuttered. "That's strong enough to take down MY monster!"

"Sorry, AJ... but I gotta play to win!" Pinkie then ordered, "Chocolat-a-la-Mode!! Attack her Orea with Choco-Boot Kick!!" The tiny little princess then jumped foward towards AJ's Xyz Monster. Though Chocolat-a-la-Mode was practically one-fiftieth the size of the Applejack's giant bird, she showed no fear as she delivered a power kick right in Orea's face, destroying the creature in the process (Applejack: LP 1,000 - 200 = 800).

"Now, Madolche Chouvalier!! Attack her directly!!" Pinkie then announced, sending her second monster into battle. The young soldier then slashed his candy cane sword at the farm girl, taking out the rest of her Life Points.

"Urrrgh... dang it..." sighed Applejack as she fell down to one knee. "Ah lost..." (Applejack: LP 800 - 2200 = 0) (WINNER: Pinkie Pie)

Pinkie Pie walked over to Applejack after winning against her and asked, "Um... are you gonna be okay?"

The country girl sighed a bit and did her best to smile, despite having lost the Duel. "Ah'll get over it, don't y'all worry about me." Putting her hand out, she then said to her friend, "Great Duel, Pinkie; Ah have t' say, you certainly earned that victory."

Pinkie Pie giggled as she shook the orange teen's hand. "Thanks, AJ!" she told her. "You did really super-good, too! I actually thought I was gonna lose at one point!"

"Yeah, Ah thought fer sure that I had ya there with Orea's effect." Applejack told her. "But Ah guess that ya can't always plan for everything, can ya?" The two of them laughed a little, happy that they could have such a wonderful Duel with each other.

"That's so nice..." Twilight commented as she and the others watched the scene in front of them. "Even though Applejack lost the game, she still seems like she enjoyed herself... And Pinkie is even complimenting her for how well she played, too."

"That's what I always wish to see after a Duel." Rarity told her purple-skinned friend. "With both players being friends with each other, despite who won and who lost."

"Same here." Sunset added, smiling and nodding. "I believe that the most important thing that a Duelist should remember is to always enjoy themselves when they play, no matter who comes out on top. After all, if somepon- er, somebody can't even enjoy winning against someone else, then that's just sad..."

"Can't argue with that." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "I feel the same way out on the soccer field. Of course, I try to win, don't get me wrong, but I always have fun first."

Sunset then turned over towards Twilight and asked her, "So, now that you've seen how a real Duel goes, what do you think? Give me your honest opinion."

"Well, I have to say, after seeing something like that for the first time," the young Princess started, "I have to admit; I'm a little nervous about it... There are so many possibilities and variables to consider with every move you make, and just one little mistake could cost you everything..." The purple teen then smiled and added, "But... even knowing all of that, I'm also excited to try playing it! This Duel Monsters game really does look like something that I could get into! I can't wait to play a game for myself!"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you're that interested, Twilight." the red and yellow girl replied, smiling. She then got up out of her seat and told her inter-dimensional friend, "And I think I might be able to help you get into the action right away."

"Y-you do...?" asked Twilight, not expecting that response.

"I do." Sunset then walked over to Rainbow Dash and said to her, "Rainbow, I'm sure you've been wondering what it is that I'd like you to do in order to help out Twilight, huh?"

"Yeah, so far I'm the only one who hasn't gotten a chance to help out yet..." the cyan teen reminded her. "Why is that?"

"Because you have the most important job of all." the red and yellow girl answered. "I'd like you... to be Twilight's first opponent!"

"WHAT?! Me versus TWILIGHT??" asked Dash in surprise.

"Hold on...! I-I-I have to fight RAINBOW DASH?!" Twilight inquired, getting nervous again.

"Exactly." Sunset Shimmer told them. "I really think that it would best if you two paired up and dueled each other. The experience would do nothing but benefit you both."

"But... are you sure that I can do well against her...?" asked the young Princess.

"...Who wins and who loses the Duel isn't what's important here." Sunset told her. "What does matter is how much you can learn from it."

"I... I'm not sure..."

Sensing that her friend was a bit nervous, the red and yellow girl then came up with an idea, "How about this: Try not to think of this as a Duel... Try to think of it as a... as a... a pop quiz! Like the ones Princess Celestia probably gave you in the past."

"A... a pop quiz??" asked Twilight, snapping out of her timidity. Gasping out of happiness, she then said, "Of course!! A pop quiz!! That's all that this is!!" Shaking Sunset's hand, she told her, "Thanks for saying that! I think I can relax now!"

"Uh, glad to help out, Twilight." the red and yellow girl responded with a chuckle.

"Pfft, figures..." Rainbow began to say. "Only eggheads like Twilight and Sunset would be excited over a pop quiz..." Shrugging, she then added, "Ah well, at least this means that Twilight won't be shaking in her shoes the whole time." Getting her blue and red Duel Pad out, as well as her deck box, she then said to her purple friend, "Alright then, you ready to get this game going, Twilight?"

"I guess we'll see soon enough..." the young Princess told her athletic friend. Although Twilight was still a little nervous about taking on an experienced player like Rainbow Dash, she was determined to do her best anyway. She knew that her first Duel would be her most important one, and she was ready to learn as much as she could from it.

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 11: A Royal Beatdown:

Author's Note

It's the moment you've been waiting for: Twilight plays her first Duel in the series, and I'll also be revealing Rainbow Dash's Deck as well. This Rank ended up being a bit shorter than most of the others, but I'm still happy with how it turned out, and I hope that you all think so too.

RANK 11: A Royal Beatdown:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Sunset's battle to obtain the Number cards has recently taken an rather interesting turn when Twilight Sparkle, a young Princess from Equestria (Sunset's former home), entered their world through the magic mirror portal. The Princess came to their world because Utopia, one of the many scattered Number cards, had come before her seeking her help on behalf of both himself and Sunset Shimmer. After everything was explained, Sunset and her friends agreed to accept her help in reclaiming the powerful and dangerous Number cards.

The only trouble was the fact that Twilight did not know how to play Duel Monsters, as the card game does not exist in her own world. Fortunately, Sunset Shimmer has taken it upon herself to show her the basic rules and help her inter-dimensional friend build her first Deck. In addition, Sunset's friends agreed to help out as well: Rarity and Fluttershy purchased a Duel Pad for her to play the game on, while Applejack and Pinkie Pie competed in a Duel against each other in order for Twilight to witness a real game for herself. As for Rainbow Dash, she had the most important job, according to Sunset: The athletic teen would be Twilight's opponent in her first Duel.

How will the Princess of Friendship fare in her first game of Duel Monsters? The answers lie ahead...

The sun was still shining brightly on a Sunday morning in Canterlot City and its surrounding suburbs. Some people were still at home, while many others were out, at either work or church. One of the people that had gone out for the day was the young teenage boy, Flash Sentry, who was riding his bike down the streets in order to get some early morning exercise. Though he had often beared witness to many of the strange happenings that had taken place at Canterlot High School, for the most part, he acted just like any ordinary boy his age as he casually rode his bike, not really heading for any specific destination.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air, Flash said to himself, "It sure is a nice day today... Perfect weather for just riding around town in." As he continued forward down the street, he saw that the high school was just ahead. Seeing the school made him wonder what Sunset and her friends were up to today; they always seemed to have some sort of thing going on with them. Every now and again, he would pass by them while they were doing something fun and often joined in on their merriment if he didn't have anything more pressing to do at the time (which was fairly often).

Then, just as he passed by the high school's horse statue, he heard the sounds of cheering people nearby. "Huh? What was that?" he asked as he stopped his bike for a moment. He then looked in the direction of where he had heard the cheering, guessing that it was coming from somewhere behind the school. Curious, Flash Sentry got off of his bike and wheeled it around as he walked towards the school, heading for the direction of the soccer fields behind the building.

As he got there, Flash then saw some familiar faces sitting on the bleachers. "Hm? That's Sunset and her friends over there at the soccer field..." he noted to himself. His eyes then moved past the bleachers and onto the field itself, where he saw Rainbow Dash strapping on her blue Duel Pad. "Oh, I see... it looks like they're dueling with each other." the boy figured out. "But who's her opponent?"

Flash looked over towards the other side of the field... and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who was over there. "T-Twilight?!" he gasped when he saw the young purple-skinned girl, who was also putting on a Duel Pad, though she was doing it a little slower than Dash was as her face showed a look of uncertainty. Flash's mouth hung open, his face blushing as he was surprised to see the young girl again after so long. Not content to sit secretly on the sidelines any longer, the blue-haired teen locked his bike up at a nearby bike stand and ran over to join the others. "Hey!!" he shouted. "Hey, guys!!"

Sunset perked her head up when she heard the familiar voice shouting to them all. Looking over, she gasped a little when she saw who was coming their way. "F-Flash Sentry??" she asked, not sure if it was him at first. The other girls looked over at the boy as he ran towards the soccer field. Twilight glanced over as well, blushing a little after seeing who it was. However, she said nothing else as she just continued to stare at him.

Once he finally reached them all, Flash greeted them properly, saying, "Hey... good morning, everyone."

"Uh, good morning, Flash..." Sunset greeted back, trying her best to hide a slight blush of her own. It was a widely-known fact that, back before Twilight entered their world, Sunset and Flash used to date each other. At some point, they split up, though no one knew who broke up with who. After Sunset changed her ways, the two of them agreed to just be friends with each other; nothing romantic. Even so, the red and yellow girl still couldn't help but to blush a little whenever he was around, and it seemed that Flash, too, had that same problem.

Breaking the awkward pause, Applejack then asked the boy, "What're y'all doin' here, Flash?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh, I... I just happened to be passing by on my bike when I heard you guys." Flash answered her. "I saw that you were dueling, so I decided to come over and check it out. Is that okay if I do that?"

"Of course it is." Rarity responded, shuffling aside to allow the boy to come over and sit down with them all.

After Flash took his seat on the bleachers (sitting between both Rarity and Sunset), he then asked the red and yellow girl, "So... uh, I see Twilight's back in town; why didn't you tell me she came back here?"

"Well, she only just got here yesterday." the red and yellow girl told him. "That, and we've been pretty busy teaching her how to play Duel Monsters."

"Really? You guys are teaching Twilight how to play the card game?" the boy asked, becoming more interested.

"Sure are!" Pinkie answered him loudly as she leaned over from her seat above him. "In faaaaaaaact, you got here just in time to see Twilight play her first Duel!"

"Really?" asked Flash.

"Yep!" the silly pink girl told him. "Talk about a co-inky-dink; Twilight's about to compete in her first-ever Duel, and the boy that really likes her lots and lots just so HAPPENS to come and watch her play!!"

"Aheheh... well... I don't know about lots AND lots, but... oh boy..." the blue-haired teen said, rubbing the back of his head and trying to hide his newly-formed blush from the others as they gave out a slight chuckle in response. Spike, who was sitting on Fluttershy's lap at the moment, just rolled his eyes a little.

Back on the soccer field, Rainbow Dash gave out a slight smirk and said to her friend/opponent, "So, you ready t' do this, Twilight? After all, your boyfriend's watchin', and it'd be pretty rude of ya t' make him wait forever."

"B-boyfrend?!" asked the young Princess in a startled tone. Hiding her face a little, she then told her athletic friend, "D-don't be ridiculous, Rainbow... I-i-it wouldn't work out between us; I mean, I'm a pony, and he's a... a..."

"Human." the cyan girl finished for Twilight.

"Yeah, that."

Rainbow Dash snickered a little and told her inter-dimensional friend, "Aw, lighten up, Egghead! I'm just messin' with ya a little. I'm sure the me in your world does that to you a lot, right?"

"You don't know the half of it..." Twilight told her. "Wait... actually, you might..." Shaking her head, she then asked, "Look, are we going to do this or not?"

"Alright, alright already..." the cyan teen responded. Stretching out her left arm, she then shouted, "Duel Pad! Activate!!" After she said that, the card tray then emerged out of her tablet-like device. Pulling out her Duel Gazer, she then fitted it over her left eye and clicked a button on the side of it. "Duel Gazer! Let's go!!" Once Rainbow Dash was all ready to go, she then told Twilight, "Okay Twi, now you've gotta activate your Duel Pad so that we can start."

"Oh! Okay! I'll do that." The purple-haired girl then looked around on her device, trying to find something that would get it all set up. But she couldn't find anything of the sort. "Um... uh..."

Sighing, Rainbow then explained to her, "It's voice-activated, Twilight... You're supposed to yell out, 'Duel Pad activate'."

"Oh! Right... sorry." the young Princess apologized. Leaning over towards her device, she then said, in an uneasy tone, "Um... Duel Pad activate?" Right after she said those words, the card tray suddenly shot out of her tablet just inches away from her face, which startled her. "Sweet Celestia!!" the purple girl shouted. "That thing almost hit me in the head!!"

"Yeah, that's why the instruction booklet tells you to keep it AWAY from your face when you activate it." Rainbow informed her. She then told her friend, "Okay, now get out your Duel Gazer - that's this little lens thing here - and put it over your left eye." The cyan teen then pointed to her own Duel Gazer so as to help Twilight find and put on her own.

Twilight took out her violet-colored lens and placed it over her left eye, just as Dash had told her. "Like this?" she asked, wanting to make sure she did it right.

"Yep, you've got it." confirmed the athletic girl. "Now just face me and click the little button on the side; once ya do that, your Gazer will sync up with mine, and then we'll be able to Duel."

Twilight nodded as she did just that, following her friend's instructions carefully. Once she clicked her Duel Gazer's button, a green haze then flooded the area. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the soccer field surrounded them all.

"Alright, get ready Twilight..." Rainbow Dash told her. "It's time to Duel!"

"Um... okay! Let's do this, Rainbow!" Twilight responded, ready to compete in her first Duel (Rainbow Dash: LP 4,000) (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000).

The rest of girls, Flash Sentry, and Spike all activated their Duel Gazers in order to watch Twilight and Rainbow's Duel. Sunset then called out to her cyan friend, "Okay, listen Rainbow: This is Twilight's first Duel, so try and go a little easy on her, got it? Make it challenging, but not TOO challenging."

"I hear ya, Sunset." Rainbow replied with a nod. "Don't worry; I can play with a handicap."

After the red and yellow girl sat back down in her seat, Fluttershy then asked everyone, "Do you think Twilight will able to do well against somebody like Rainbow Dash?"

"Hard t' tell..." Applejack replied, unsure about how things would go. "Rainbow's quite the competitive type; she plays t' win, an' she doesn't let anyone get the better of her that easily."

"Well, as long as she remembers to hold back on using her best moves on her, Twilight will do just fine." Sunset then told her friends. "At least, I hope she will..."

"Of course she'll do just fine!" Spike told the red and yellow girl. He then shouted out, "Go, Twilight!! You can do it!!"

Rainbow Dash and Twilight then drew their first five cards, forming their opening hands. The young Princess then looked at the cards that she pulled, trying to figure out what they all did and how she should use them. The trouble is, since she hadn't looked at them much yet, she still wasn't entirely sure of what to do.

Noticing her friend's worry, Dash asked, "Uh, you alright there, Twi?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh... y-yeah... don't worry about me." Twilight said nervously. "I'm just... trying to remember what each of these cards do, that's all..." Rainbow sighed a little, knowing that her friend would need some time to figure everything out.

Sunset noticed Twilight's nervousness and called out, "Hey! Rainbow Dash!!"

"What is it??" asked the cyan teen.

"I think Twilight could use some extra time to look over her cards and figure out her strategy..." the red and yellow girl informed her. "So I think it would be best if you went first, understand?"

"Oh! I get it, no problem. I suppose that would help her a little." Rainbow Dash then asked her friend/opponent, "That okay with you, Twi?"

"Yeah, it's fine." agreed Twilight. "Go right ahead."

"If you say so." Rainbow Dash then took a card from her opening hand and announced, "I'll just place a monster in Defense Mode, and that'll be it." After she played her card face-down and horizontally on her Duel Pad, an image of a face-down card appeared in front of Rainbow Dash. Looking over at Twilight, she then told her, "Okay, it's your turn. That means you've gotta draw a card from your Deck."

"Wait... but doesn't the rule book say that I can't draw on my first turn?" asked Twilight, confused a little.

"That only applies to guy who makes the first move in the Duel." Rainbow Dash told her. "In this case, that means just me. But since you're going second, you DO get to draw a card, get it?"

"I think so. Thanks." The purple-skinned teenager then took the card on the top of her Deck and pulled it out of the holder. She then looked at it and began thinking about what to do first. (Now let's see...) she thought, (in order to get rid of Rainbow Dash's monster, I'll need to attack it using one of my own... Now, if I remember correctly, Rainbow put her card on the field face-down and horizontally; she called it Defense Mode...) Looking at a Monster Card in her hand, she then said to herself, (That's right...! Sunset told me that I have to place my Monster Card vertically and face-up to put it in Attack Mode... And right now, this monster here has the highest attack, so I should go with this one!)

Placing her chosen card on the tray, Twilight shouted, "I'll... Summon Gogogo Golem!" After she played her card, a large creature that seemed to be part-human and part-fortress came out of the ground in front of the young Princess. The monster flexed its blue and silver-colored mechanical arms as it showed off its olive green stone body. As it stood intimidatingly in front of Rainbow Dash, its single red eye began to glow brightly (Gogogo Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"Not a bad start for Twilight." commented Rarity. "That monster may be able to defeat Rainbow's monster easily."

"Yeah! Twilight's off to a great start!" cheered Spike enthusiastically.

"Maybe." Sunset chimed in. However, she began to feel as though the cyan teen had something planned for her opponent.

Twilight then took a deep breath and said, "Okay... Gogogo Golem, attack Rainbow Dash's monster...!" Once her monster heard the order that the young Princess gave to it, Gogogo Golem raised its fists and slammed then down onto the face-down card that Rainbow Dash had on her field. The card revealed itself to be a blond-haired woman with a green outfit, a brown hat, and a heavily tattered cape before it vanished from the field.

"Cool! Twilight managed to destroy it!" cheered Flash Sentry, impressed with the move, as was everyone else.

Twilight seemed a little surprised that she had managed to destroy Rainbow Dash's monster that easily. "Wow... that was great! I managed to take it down!" she said cheerfully.

"Heh, not bad, Twi." complimented Rainbow Dash. But the cyan teen put on a smirk and added, "Too bad that I WANTED you to do that just now."

"Huh?? You did?? Why?" asked the purple girl, confused.

Taking her destroyed monster off of the tray, she then showed it to Twilight and told her, "That's the thing about face-down monsters: You never know what they're capable of until you reveal them with your attack. Just take a look at this one here..."

*******************************

Warrior Lady of the Wasteland:
(Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1200)

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 EARTH Warrior-Type monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck, in face-up Attack Position.

*******************************

"I knew it... Rainbow Dash wanted Twilight to destroy her monster so that she could put a more powerful monster out." Sunset noted. "I THOUGHT it seemed a little too easy..."

"That doesn't sound good..." Spike responded, getting a little worried.

"Now that you've taken out my Warrior Lady," Rainbow Dash told Twilight, "I can use her ability to bring out a new monster to replace her." Her Duel Pad then auto-shuffled her cards, leaving her chosen card sticking out when it was finished. Taking out the card from her Deck, she then played it and shouted, "I Special Summon Ultra Athlete Goalkeeper!!"

Rainbow Dash's new monster then ran onto the field and took up a defensive stance, even though he was played in Attack Position. His appearance was that of a soccer goalie, but he wore a very futuristic-looking uniform that almost looked like that it could be armor of some sort (U.A. Goalkeeper: Level 6 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2800).

"Oh no...! This isn't good..." Twilight said, getting nervous again. "I should've known she had something planned, but I got a little too eager to make my move..." Looking at the rest of her hand, she told herself, "I'd better come up with a backup plan, or I might be in trouble later..."

"Stay calm, Twilight..." urged Sunset. "You won't be able to make any good moves if you're stressed out. Just take a deep breath and continue with your turn."

(She's right...) admitted the young Princess. (Just like Celestia taught me, I can only make good decisions if I keep calm...) She then looked at her cards, reading the text on them carefully. She then saw a Trap Card in her hand that she thought could help her out. Remembering what she had read in the rule book, she then took the card and placed it into her Duel Pad's Spell & Trap Zone slot. "I'll set one Trap Card face-down on the field!" Twilight declared as a digital image of the card appeared in front of her.

There was a bit of dead silence in the air after the purple teen had made her move. The others just stared at Twilight with wide eyes, as if something had been seen or said that caught them all off-guard.

Noticing that all eyes were on her, Twilight then asked, "Um... why is everypony looking at me...? Did I do something wrong...?"

"Well, it's not that bad, really..." Rarity began to say, "but you ought to know: You don't HAVE to tell your opponent that you're setting a Trap Card on the field."

"I... don't?"

"She's right, Sugarcube." Applejack commented. "You can place Trap Cards AND Spell Cards face-down. You don't have to tell your opponent which type of card you're playin'... The less your opponent knows about your strategy, the better."

"Oops... I didn't know that!" the purple-skinned teen responded, panicking a little. "I just assumed that you had to, that's all!"

"Don't worry about it, Twilight." Sunset told her to help her calm down. "Just remember that the next time you play, understand?"

"Don't worry, I will." Turning over to Rainbow Dash, the young Princess then told her, "Okay, it's your turn now."

"Alright then, here I come!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she drew her next card. After looking at it, she smiled and said, "Alright! I drew the card I was hoping for...!" Placing the card in her hand for the moment, Rainbow then turned the Monster Card on her Duel Pad around so that it lay horizontally on the tray. "I'll put Goalkeeper in Defense Mode, since its defense points are higher than its attack points." she told Twilight, explaining why she was switching her monster's battle position. Then, Dash took the card that she had just drawn from her Deck and played it, shouting, "Now I'll Summon Ultra Athlete Midfielder!!"

Another human-like monster appeared on the cyan girl's side of the field. Like her first monster, this one appeared to be a soccer player wearing a futuristic-looking jersey. However, it was clearly not a goalkeeper. As its name stated, this one was a midfielder, and after it took its place on the field, it tossed a glowing-blue soccer ball into the air and bounced the ball back and forth on each of its knees (U.A. Midfielder: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000).

"Here it comes..." stated Fluttershy, already aware of what her athletic friend was planning.

"Here what comes?" asked Flash, curious as to what the shy animal lover was talking about, as was everyone else.

"This is Rainbow's favorite trick..." explained the pale yellow girl. "That Midfielder is what will allow her to Summon her strongest monsters... I should know: She used the same cards against me when she and I were practicing before the Inter-school Duel."

"Well, hopefully Rainbow Dash remembers not to play her strongest cards too quickly..." Sunset reminded them all. "Twilight needs some time to ease herself into the rules of the game."

Twilight looked at the monster that Rainbow Dash summoned, noticing that its attack points were rather low. "Um... why'd you play that card? If I'm not mistaken, your card has less attack points than my Golem... right?"

"Well, you are right about that, Twi." the cyan teen told her. "However, I didn't Summon him to the field to attack. I've got bigger plans for him instead."

"Bigger plans...?" asked the young Princess, getting a little nervous.

"My Ultra Athletes all have a very special power." Rainbow explained. "Y'see, I can Special Summon any one of them straight from my hand, regardless of their Level. And all I have to do is to send one of them on the field back to my hand!"

"Y-you can do that?!" asked Twilight in surprise.

"I sure can!" confirmed the athletic girl. "So I'll just take Midfielder off of my field and put him back into my hand..." She then took the card off of the Duel Pad and replaced it with a different card before announcing, "...and then I'll tag in my Ultra Athlete Perfect Ace!!"

At that moment, Rainbow Dash's Midfielder glanced behind it as another athlete, wearing a mostly-black armored jersey with large wing-shaped appendages in the back, ran towards him. The two athletes then raised their hands and high-fived each other, at which point, Midfielder then left the field and disappeared, allowing Perfect Ace to take its place (U.A. Perfect Ace / Level 5 / ATK 1500 / DEF 2500).

"Not bad..." noted Applejack. "She was able to bring out a higher-level monster so easily with that move... This could be trouble for Twilight..."

Taking out another card in her hand, Rainbow Dash then stated, "Now I'll activate this Equip Spell Card from my hand: Ultra Athlete Powered Jersey! This card gives my Perfect Ace an additional 1000 attack and defense points! That'll make it strong enough to take out your Gogogo Golem!" After playing the card, Perfect Ace's armor began the change color slightly; the black parts of the uniform turned into a glowing red, and a bright red aura surrounded the man, showing that it had become much stronger (U.A. Perfect Ace: ATK 1500 + 1000 = 2500 / DEF 2500 + 1000 = 3500).

"Not only that," Fluttershy added, "but her monster can now double any damage that it inflicts on Twilight... And if it destroys her monster, she can then have it attack a second time...!"

"But... if she does that," Flash chimed in, "then that'll be enough to allow her to beat Twilight!"

Sunset glared a little at Rainbow Dash, not exactly pleased with what she was doing. (What are you doing, Rainbow...?) she asked herself in her mind. (This isn't what I told you to do...!)

"Alright then! Go Perfect Ace!! Attack Gogogo Golem!!" shouted Dash. Her monster then created a ball of red energy in its right hand and threw it straight towards Twilight's monster.

At first, Twilight wasn't sure what to do. But then she remembered something; she took a look at her Duel Pad and tapped the face-down card on her field that was displayed on the touchscreen. After its information was displayed in front of her, she quickly read all of it and was able to come up with a plan. She then tapped the card again and shouted, "I-I activate my Trap Card!!" Her face-down card then flipped face-up, revealing itself to everyone watching.

"Half Unbreak?" asked the athletic teen.

"Yeah, that's what my face-down Trap Card was." the purple-skinned girl told her friend/opponent. "According to what the text on the card says, it has the power to prevent my Gogogo Golem from being destroyed... Plus, any damage that I take from this battle is halved as well."

After the card was revealed, a flurry of large, blue bubbles began spraying out of the card, forming a barrier around Twilight's monster moments before Perfect Ace's fastball struck it. Thanks to its new shield, the attack was buffered, preventing Gogogo Golem from being destroyed. Twilight still took some damage from the attack, but it, too, was weakened, dealing only half damage (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 700 = 3,300).

"Not bad, Egghead." said Rainbow Dash. "Looks like you were able to get out of that okay." Taking out a card from her hand, she then stated, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

Just then, Sunset Shimmer stepped up out of her seat and shouted, "Rainbow Dash, what the hay was THAT all about?!"

"Huh? What're ya talkin' about?!" asked the cyan girl, confused as to why her friend was yelling at her.

"I told you to go easy on Twilight!!" scolded the red and yellow girl. "In case you forgot, this is her first Duel! And last time I checked, trying to inflict an OTK on her ISN'T going to help her in any way!!"

"Shows what you know, Sunset!!" argued the cyan girl. "I wasn't expecting my move to work on her! I remembered that she had a Trap Card on the field, so I fell for it on purpose knowing that she'd use it! I was HELPING her, get it?!"

"Hmmmm..." hummed Sunset Shimmer, displaying a look on her face that showed that she wasn't convinced.

"...Um... if I could interrupt," Twilight said in an uneasy-sounding tone, "can I go ahead and take my turn now?"

Stopping their argument for the moment, Sunset then looked over at her purple friend and answered her, saying, "Um, yeah. You can go ahead, Twilight."

"Alright then..." Twilight then drew her next card and placed it into her hand. (Now... what should my next move be...? Her monster has very high attack points, thanks to that Spell Card that she just played... Maybe I should try to do the same...) Taking out a different card in her hand, she told Dash, "I'll summon Zubaba Knight in Attack Mode!"

The Princess's next monster revealed itself as a knight wearing shiny gold armor with bits of red and silver in some places. It wore a red cape and wielded a pair of swords with jagged blades. It leapt onto the field from the sky above and shouted, "Zubaba KNIGHT!!", after it took its place in front of its controller (Zubaba Knight: Level 3 / ATK 1600 / DEF 900).

"Hmmm... now that card might be able to help her..." noted Flash Sentry.

"How so?" asked Rarity.

"Well, Zubaba Knight has the power to destroy any face-up monster in Defense Mode, regardless of its defense power." explained the boy. "So Twilight might be trying to use it to destroy Rainbow Dash's Goalkeeper this turn."

"Yeah, but that still leaves that super-charged baseball pitcher t' deal with..." Applejack reminded everybody. "How's she gonna topple that thing?"

Sunset continued to watch Twilight's moves, hoping that she would come up with a plan to keep herself in the game. (C'mon, Twilight... I know you can do this...) she urged in her mind.

"Now, just like you did with your Perfect Ace," began the Princess of Friendship, "I'll use one of MY Spell Cards to strengthen my monsters!" Taking out another card from her hand, she shouted, "I play Blustering Winds on Gogogo Golem!!"

*******************************

Blustering Winds:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 1 face-up monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK and DEF until your next Standby Phase.

*******************************

After Twilight played her Spell Card, a huge gust of wind began to blow upon the battlefield. Everyone shielded their faces as the fierce winds whipped around them. Before long, the gusts surrounded Gogogo Golem's fists, which served to strengthen them greatly (Gogogo Golem: ATK 1800 + 1000 = 2800 / DEF 1500 + 1000 = 2500).

"Now Twilight's monster is strong enough to take down Rainbow Dash's athlete!" cheered Spike.

"Yay! Go for it, Twilight!! Take her down!!" Pinkie Pie cheered. She then sheepishly added, "Um... no offense, Dashie." Rainbow Dash simply rolled her eyes a little, but said nothing else in response to the pink teen's comment.

"Alright, go Gogogo Golem!!" shouted Twilight as she pointed ahead with her left hand. "Attack Perfect Ace!!" The giant fortress monster then pumped its fists into the air and threw a punch that fired a fierce whirlwind straight towards Rainbow Dash's powerful monster.

"Not so fast, Twi... check this out!" Dash then tapped her Duel Pad's screen and shouted, "I play the Trap Card Compulsory Evacuation Device!"

"That card lets Rainbow send any monster on the field back to its owner's hand..." noted Applejack. "Is she gonna use it to get rid of Twilight's golem?"

"No..." answered Sunset, already aware of what the cyan girl was up to. "She's going to send her own monster off of the field!"

And her words were true: Rainbow Dash targeted her own Perfect Ace and used her Trap Card to send it back to her hand. Its Equip Spell was then immediately sent to the Graveyard, but thanks to one of its effects, it was ALSO sent back into Dash's hand. The massive whirlwind then blew right by the athletic teen, missing her and her other monster completely, causing Twilight to gasp in surprise.

"But... why would she wanna get rid of her OWN monster?" asked Spike. "That doesn't sound like a good idea at all."

"Actually, it was a good idea for Rainbow to do that..." Fluttershy told him. "The Spell Card that she had equipped to Perfect Ace had a negative side effect that would have banished the monster equipped with it on her next turn. But since she removed it from the field before that could happen, she was able to save it. In addition, the Spell Card was ALSO put back into Rainbow's hand because the monster that had it returned to her hand as well."

"Urgh... I'm getting a headache just trying to process all of that..." complained the little purple puppy.

Twilight huffed a little, annoyed that her attack didn't work. (Well, at least that Perfect Ace guy isn't on the field anymore... Now she just has one monster left. If I can get rid of it with Zubaba Knight, then Rainbow Dash will be defenseless!) Nodding her head, she then shouted, "I attack Goalkeeper with Zubaba Knight!!"

"ZUBABA KNIGHT!!!" shouted Twilight's monster as it leapt forward, ready to slash Dash's remaining monster into ribbons. But at that moment, the buff soccer goalie raised both of its hands and projected a powerful blue barrier around itself. When Zubaba Knight's swords struck the monster, the shield deflected the attack, sending the knight back to Twilight's side of the field. In addition, the failed attack also caused some damage to Twilight as well (Twilight Sparkle: LP 3,300 - 1,200 = 2,100).

"Huh?? NOW what happened?!" asked the young Princess.

"Heh, that's my Ultra Athlete Goalkeeper's effect, Twilight." explained Rainbow Dash. "During your turn, I can have it protect one of my Ultra Athletes from being destroyed by battle or card effects! So naturally, I chose to have him protect himself."

"Urrgh... you've gotta be kidding me..." complained Twilight, now starting to get a little frustrated.

"Looks as though Twilight's plan didn't exactly work out too well..." noted Rarity.

"Yeah, I didn't know Rainbow Dash's monster had that kind of power..." admitted Flash.

"Well, let's not count Twilight out of this just yet, guys..." Sunset told them all. "It may look bad now, but I'm sure she'll find a way to take control of the game sooner or later... Just as long as Rainbow Dash doesn't go too overboard with her moves."

"So, is there anything else you plan on doing this turn?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Ummmm... let me check..." stated Twilight, looking over the rest of her hand. She then spotted another Spell Card in her hand; next to where the word, "Spell Card" was written, there was a small icon of a lightning bolt. (A lightning bolt...? What does that mean again...?) She then looked at her Duel Pad and saw a button labeled, "HELP" in the top right-hand corner. When she tapped it, a large screen then overlapped the field display, gleaming all sorts of information.

"Wait... are these instructions?" Twilight asked herself. Looking over the Help Screen, Twilight then clicked entry labeled, "Spell Cards". A sub-menu then popped up after she did that. Looking over the menu, the young Princess then saw a picture of the lightning bolt icon next to the words, "Quick-Play Spell Cards". Twilight then tapped the icon, and read the words on the next screen that showed up. Luckily, the information that was displayed helped her to remember what Sunset had told her last night.

"Of course! Now I remember what this card was used for!" Giggling a little, Twilight then thought to herself, (I wish I had known about this Help Screen sooner... That would have made things a LOT easier for me!) Taking the Spell Card from her hand, she then shoved it into her Duel Pad and shouted, "I'll set one card face-down, and that will end my turn!"

(Hmmm... Twilight's voice sounded a lot more confident this time...) Rainbow Dash thought. Looking over at Twilight, she saw that the young Princess was tapping her Duel Pad a few more times, smiling as she looked upon it. (Oh, I think I get it...) the cyan teen deduced, (she must've found the D-Pad's Help Screen. She probably used it to figure out some sort of strategy last turn. Well, in any case, it's my turn now... and I plan on showing her some strategies of my own!)

"It's my turn! I draw!!" Rainbow shouted as he drew her next card. When she got a look at it, she grinned, thinking, (Aw yeah!! Jackpot!! This'll put me in the lead for sure!)

"Looks like Rainbow Dash seems pretty pleased by what she drew..." noted Applejack. "I mean, just look at 'er..."

Sunset then leaned over in her seat, trying to make out what card her athletic friend had just drawn. When she saw the newly-drawn card, she gasped and said to the others, "Oh no...! Not that card! Not Raigeki!!"

The others gasped as well when they heard Sunset say the name of the card. "Wait a moment... Raigeki?? You mean the same card that you used to defeat Snips and Snails?" asked Rarity.

"Uh huh, the very same..." sighed the red and yellow girl. "If you recall, it's a rare card that allows its user to destroy every monster on their opponent's field..."

"Huh? But that'll leave Twilight totally defenseless!!" Pinkie responded in shock.

"That's right, Pinkie..." Glaring a little at Rainbow Dash, Sunset grumbled and added, "And knowing Rainbow Dash's competitive nature, she'll play it right now..."

"So much for going easy on Twilight..." Applejack said. "Dash's gonna whup Twi if she plays that card!" Everyone else got a little worried for their purple-skinned friend.

(Not if I can help it...) Sunset thought to herself.

Rainbow Dash was so psyched that she had drawn one of her best cards, that she quickly forgot about her promise to hold back against Twilight. She then held her card up and shouted, "Alright!! I activate the Spell Card..."

"RAINBOW!!! Don't you even THINK about it!!!" shouted Sunset.

"Huh?!" The cyan teen stopped her move short before turning around to face the red and yellow girl. "NOW what is it?! What am I doin' wrong this time?!" she asked in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"You REALLY need me to explain it to you?!" asked Sunset. "Can't you see that if you play that Spell Card, you'll put Twilight at MASSIVE disadvantage?!"

"Uh, duh... that's the whole point of the card's effect, isn't it??" Rainbow Dash argued.

"But I told you to hold back on using your strongest cards on Twilight!" shouted the black jacket-wearing teen. "You can't expect her to get the hang of the game if you keep playing overpowered cards on her!!"

"Hey, I agreed to go easy on Twi! But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna just throw the game on purpose!!" yelled the cyan teen.

"That's not what I asked you to do and you know it!!" shouted the red and yellow girl.

As Sunset and Rainbow Dash argued with each other, everyone else began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Twilight just stared at the quarreling girls; if there was one thing that Twilight didn't like seeing, it was two friends getting into a heated shouting match with each other. Watching the two of them become increasingly angrier with each other and getting nowhere with their argument was something that the Princess of Friendship would not allow. At that moment, Twilight then shouted, "Sunset!! Rainbow Dash!! That's ENOUGH!!!"

The purple girl's sudden outburst immediately put a halt to their yelling. The two girls, along with everyone else, looked over towards Twilight, saying nothing.

Noticing that everyone was looking at her, Twilight then told them all, "Forgive me for shouting just now... but I just don't like seeing two best friends fighting with each other over something like this... I may not know much about Duel Monsters yet, but I know for a fact that playing a game is supposed to help strengthen our bonds, not tear them apart... After all, isn't the whole point of a game to have fun when you're playing? If it is, then I'm pretty sure that I can say for all of us that shouting and yelling at each other over something in the game isn't helping anyone enjoy themself..."

Twilight's calm words quickly dispelled the anger between Sunset and Rainbow Dash. The two of them looked at each other, feeling really bad about their argument. "She's right..." the red and yellow girl replied. "This whole argument was stupid from the beginning..."

"Yeah, it was..." replied the cyan teen, rubbing the back of her head and blushing out of embarrassment. Turning back over to Sunset Shimmer, she told her, "I'm really sorry, Sunset... I should've just did what ya told me to and take it easy on Twilight..."

"Yeah, well... I'm sorry too." Sunset responded as she got up out of her seat and walked over to Rainbow. "I shouldn't have made a big deal out of it... There's no excuse for yelling at you the way I did... Can you forgive me?"

"Sure, no prob, Sunset." replied the athletic girl. "And can ya forgive me for acting like such a bonehead?"

Sunset chuckled a little and answered her, saying, "Sure I can." The two of them then hugged each other to show that they were done fighting, elicting an "Awwww..." out of everyone watching.

Twilight was just happy to see that the two of them were able to patch things up before things got out of hand. She then cleared her throat to get their attention before saying, "If it's okay with the two of you, I'd like to ask for a small favor..."

"Anything." agreed Sunset. "What do you want us to do?"

Taking a deep breath, the purple-skinned girl surprised everyone by saying, "I want you to allow Rainbow Dash to play that card she just drew."

This request shocked everyone. "Wait, she actually WANTS her to play that card?!" asked Flash Sentry.

"What is she thinking?!" inquired Rarity.

Rainbow and Sunset were surprised by Twilight's bizarre request and were understandably curious as to why she asked them that. "A-are you sure you want her to do that?" asked the black jacket-wearing girl. "I'm sure you've already heard; what she drew was an extremely powerful card... If she plays it, you'll be at a disadvantage..."

"I gotta side with Sunset here..." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "You might end up losing your first Duel if I do that..."

"Maybe so..." the young Princess replied. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather lose while facing Rainbow at her best... than win because she was holding back." Explaining her reasons further, Twilight then added, "Back in Equestria, Princess Celestia taught me that losing one battle or failing one test isn't the end... Rather than try to ignore your faults or give up on them, she told me that becoming a success at anything meant learning from your past mistakes and figuring out what you did wrong back then that caused those mistakes... From the very beginning, nopony took things easy on me; from the day that I took that test to be accepted as Celestia's student... the day that I met my friends for the first time... the times that I worked with them to keep Equestria safe... and the day that I became a Princess and learned my true purpose in life..."

Everyone just stood there, listening to Twilight's speech carefully. Sunset was especially interested in what her inter-dimensional friend had to say.

"The point that I'm trying to make here," the young Princess continued, "is that I became who I am today because I took on all sorts of tough challenges and faced them head-on! As far as I'm concerned, this Duel isn't any different; if I'm going to get good at this game, then I have to be able to handle anything that comes my way! And while I am nervous about what might happen at the end of this, I'll never back down and give up! So I'm asking you, as my friends: I don't want either of you to take things easy on me... I want to fight you at your best and nothing less! So take your best shot! I can handle it!!"

Everyone was surprised at how courageous Twilight was right now. Her voice was full of confidence, and her face showed absolutely no fear. "Wow..." Pinkie suddenly spoke up. "That was the best speech I've ever heard ever...!"

"Yeah, Ah know..." agreed Applejack. "What Twi just said there is pretty inspirin', Ah have to admit."

Wiping a small tear from her eye, Rarity added, "Indeed, Applejack dear... It was the most beautiful thing that I've ever heard in my life..."

"It sure was..." Flash stated, also moved by Twilight's inspirational speech. Fluttershy simply nodded yes to say that felt the same way.

"Well, wha'd you guys expect?" Spike then told them. "She IS the Princess of Friendship, after all."

Sunset sighed happily to herself and said to her purple friend, "You know... you're absolutely right, Twilight. I guess I was just worried for you; I didn't want you to lose your first game and get discouraged from dueling because of it... But I guess I was wrong about that; I have a feeling that will never happen with you. No matter how this Duel ends, I know you'll come out of it just fine."

"I agree." Dash responded. "I gotta say, you're a tougher chick than I gave ya credit for, Twilight. And I can totally side with you on the whole 'learn from your mistakes' thing. After all, it took me years to become the super-tough, super-awesome person I am right now, and it wasn't easy. But I stuck it out and showed everyone that I had the skills to make it out there, no matter what kinda challenge got in my way! That's the first rule in 'Rainbow Dash's Law': Never say 'no' to a tough challenge!"

Twilight smiled and nodded to say that she completely agreed with her cyan friend.

Turning over to Sunset, the athletic teen asked, "So whad'ya say, Sunset? Should I play it or not? It's your call."

But the red and yellow girl smiled and shook her head no, telling her, "You're wrong; it ISN'T my call. You and Twilight are the ones dueling, not me. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not any more involved with this Duel than the others sitting on the bleachers." Putting her hand on Dash's shoulder, she then added, "You do what you feel is right."

Rainbow Dash then looked over at Twilight, whose eyes still showed fierce determination and fearlessness. The young Princess did not need to use words to convey her feelings right now; her expression was enough to tell everyone that she was ready to face her opponent at nothing but her best. Smirking, the cyan teen then held up the card that she had just draw and shouted, "I activate the Spell Card, Raigeki!!"

Everyone looked on as a huge thundercloud formed directly above Twilight's side of the field, casting a dark shadow over both of her monsters. Then, from out of the cloud came a pair of large lightning bolts that struck both Gogogo Golem and Zubaba Knight. The bolts proved to be too much for Twilight's monsters; they were automatically destroyed by the overwhelmingly powerful attack.

"Crud... there go both of Twilight's monsters..." noted Applejack. "Now's she's completely defenseless!"

"Maybe so..." said Fluttershy, "but Twilight doesn't seem worried at all... Just look at her face." And when everyone else looked over at their purple-skinned friend, they were surprised to see that Twilight's look of confidence was still there.

"You're... you're right, Fluttershy!" Rarity stated. "She doesn't appear to be afraid at all!"

"Wowee..." said a wide-eyed Pinkie Pie. "I'd give up my garage full of decal stickers to have THAT kinda confidence..." Humming a bit to herself, she then retracted her statement, saying, "...Well okay, maybe HALF the stickers... maybe."

"Even though her back's against the wall, Twilight's still got the guts to keep going..." stated Flash Sentry, impressed by the girl's bravery, even when the odds seemed to be against her.

"She sure does!" Spike told the boy. "Twilight's one of the bravest ponies I know! I mean, you guys should've seen the stuff that she's done back in Equestria! Solving the biggest friendship problems... fighting against the toughest, meanest monsters ever seen... No matter what task it is, Twilight's not afraid to get in there and do her best!"

Sunset had just sat back down in the spot that she had been sitting in earlier, but she had heard everything that Spike and the others said. (I know first-hoof what he means by that...) she thought. (Twilight's one of the most amazing people that I've come to know, and I know for a fact that she's always willing to take on even the toughest challenges; challenges that anyone else would never even think of attempting... And that's how I know that she'll do well in this Duel.) Pumping her fist into the air, she then shouted, "C'mon, Twilight! You can do it! I know you can!!"

Twilight nodded to say that she heard the message loud and clear. "I will, Sunset. Don't worry about a thing!" she replied.

Rainbow Dash then told her friend/opponent, "It's still my turn, Twilight, so you'd better get ready for this!" Playing a card from her hand, she announced, "I summon my Midfielder again!" Once the soccer player jumped onto the field, the cyan girl then added, "And next, I'll send Midfielder back to my hand and bring back my Perfect Ace!" After swapping the two cards, Rainbow's baseball pitcher monster came back to fight once more. Taking out one more card, the athletic teen then shouted, "Then, I'll play my Powered Jersey again and equip back onto Perfect Ace!" (U.A. Perfect Ace: ATK 1500 + 1000 = 2500 / DEF 2500 + 1000 = 3500)

"If that attack hits, Twilight'll lose the Duel!" said a concerned Flash Sentry.

"Don't worry, Flash..." Sunset told her ex-boyfriend. "I'm pretty sure she's ready for it. Just watch..." The others did just that, wondering what would happen next.

"It's been fun, Egghead," Rainbow Dash told Twilight, "but I'm afraid your first Duel won't be ending in victory!" Pointing ahead, Rainbow then gave out her order to her monster. "Perfect Ace! Attack Twilight's Life Points directly!" The buff baseball pitcher then created another energy ball in his right hand, ready to throw it.

But before he could launch his attack, Twilight smirked and said, "Sorry, Rainbow! But I'm not going to let you win THAT easily!" Taking out a card from her hand, and placing it onto the field, she then shouted, "I Special Summon Gagaga Gardna in Defense Mode!!"

Twilight's new monster was a human man wearing a mostly black and blue outfit underneath a black overcoat. He wore a pair of black sneakers with bright orange stripes, along with a silver helmet on his head. On top of the helmet were a pair of goggles and there was an orange bandanna covering the lower half of his face. In his left hand, he carried a shield that was almost as tall as himself that was colored navy blue, red, and yellow, and printed upon it was some sort of red symbol (Gagaga Gardna: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 2000).

"Huh?? How'd you do that??" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It's simple, actually..." Twilight told her. "When you declared a direct attack on me, I was able to Special Summon Gagaga Gardna from my hand to protect me, thanks to his special effect."

"That means that Rainbow now has to attack that new monster instead!" Applejack stated. "Which means that Twi's Life Points are safe!"

The cyan teen grumbled a bit because she couldn't beat her right away, but even she had to admit: Twilight's timing on her move was excellent, especially since this was her first time playing. "Not bad, Twi... but your monster's defense points aren't enough to save it from being destroyed!" Smirking a little, she then added, "I should also mention something else: When the monster that has the Powered Jersey destroys a monster in battle, it can attack you a SECOND time!"

The others gasped when they heard that. "Oh dear! I'd forgotten about that!!" protested Rarity. "She can attack more than once with that monster, thanks to the Spell Card that it has!"

"But then that means that Twilight's move was useless...!" Flash noted. "Rainbow Dash will just destroy her monster and then use the Equip Spell's effect to wipe out her Life Points!"

"Don't be too sure of that..." Sunset told him, not afraid for Twilight's well-being as everyone else was.

"Why do you say that?" asked Pinkie Pie. But Sunset Shimmer simply pointed ahead, which told them all that if they wished to know why she made her comment, they would just have to see for themselves.

"Alright, Perfect Ace! Strike out her Gagaga Gardna!!" ordered Rainbow Dash. And with that order, the pitcher then threw the energy ball at Twilight's monster. "Looks like I'm gonna win this anyway!" said the cyan teen, who was quite sure that nothing could stop her now.

"Looks can be deceiving, Rainbow Dash..." Twilight told her with a smile as she took the last card in her hand and shoved it into her Duel Pad's Graveyard slot. After she did so, the energy ball struck Gagaga Gardna with incredible force. Then, to everyone's surprise, the energy ball evaporated, and Twilight's monster was completely unharmed.

"WHAT THE-?!" exclaimed a shocked Rainbow Dash. "My attack didn't work?!"

"Exactly!" Twilight answered her. "I activated the OTHER effect of Gagaga Gardna: By discarding a card, I can save him from being destroyed in a battle!"

"No way...!" the cyan teen replied, still not believing it.

"Yes, and because you couldn't destroy him, your Spell Card's other effect doesn't get to activate! So you're done attacking me this turn!" the young Princess reminded her.

"That was incredible...!" stated Rarity. "Twilight had the perfect plan to stop Rainbow Dash's attack, even though she seemed completely defenseless earlier!"

"Yeah, that was a really good move..." added Applejack. "Especially considerin' that this is the first time that Twilight's played the game."

"I knew she'd pull it off." Sunset chimed in. "Just like how I know that Twilight's going to follow up with something even better on her next turn."

Rainbow Dash was also impressed with Twilight's great move... though now it left her in a rather dicey situation. (This ain't good...) she thought to herself. (I was planning to take out all of her Life Points this turn with my Perfect Ace, but it didn't work... And if he stays on my field until my next Standby Phase, he'll get banished and I might be in even bigger trouble!) Looking at her hand, she saw that she still had her U.A. Midfielder. (I guess I don't have a choice...)

Taking out a card from her hand, Rainbow Dash said, "I'll bounce Perfect Ace back into my hand and tag in Midfielder." After switching the cards, Rainbow Dash's soccer player entered the field for a second time this turn, putting itself in Attack Mode. "Then, I'll take my Powered Jersey card back in my hand with its effect. That'll end my turn."

Twilight looked at the field closely, and then glanced at her Deck. (Alright... it comes down to this... If I'm going to win this game, I have to pull of that special move that Sunset taught to me... And to do that, I have to draw just the right card...) Gulping a little, she said to herself, "Here I go... I draw!!" She then pulled her top card and looked at it. She gasped a little when she saw what it was. (No way! It's this card! What are the odds I'd pull this one?) Twilight then smiled and said, "Well, let's see if the first card that I chose for my Deck will help me out here..." Placing the card on her Duel Pad's tray, she shouted, "I Summon Gagaga Magician in Attack Mode!!"

Twilight's new monster was another human man. He wore a mostly blue outfit with an orange flame pattern along the bottom. He had bronze shoulder pads on his coat and a large, crooked hat on his head. a long chain with a gold plate connected to it wrapped decoratively around his outfit, and a long red scarf covered the bottom half of his face.

*******************************

Gagaga Magician
(Effect Monster/Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1000)

Once per turn: You can declare a Level from 1 to 8; this card becomes that Level until the End Phase. You can only control 1 "Gagaga Magician". This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster.

*******************************

"Woah... So that's Gagaga Magician..." said an impressed Applejack.

"I've never seen that card in action before..." Rarity noted. "But I've heard that its powers are incredible...!"

Sunset was also quite pleased to see it. She recalled that Gagaga Magician was the very first card that Twilight chose to use in her first Deck. To draw it at such a crucial moment in the Duel was nothing short of amazing. (Not bad, Twilight Sparkle...) the red and yellow girl thought to herself. (That card is the key to unlocking her Deck's true potential...)

Looking at her Help Screen again, Twilight was able to remember the special move that was taught to her by Sunset. (Alright... the stage is all set... It's time to do this!) Thrusting her right hand into the air, Twilight shouted, "Now I overlay Gagaga Gardna and Gagaga Magician, both Level 4, and create an Overlay Network!!"

Everyone looked on as Twilight's two monsters transformed into a pair of lights, one orange and one purple, and were immediately drawn into a red vortex in front of her. "She's really doing it! She's really DOING IT!!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, ecstatic to see what would happen next.

Twilight then closed her eyes and began chanting, "Legendary warrior of the Gagaga clan... Unsheathe your swords and strike down all the enemies that oppose you! Show no fear as you face the challenges ahead!! Xyz Summon!!" At that moment, a large pillar of red light erupted out of the portal in front of the young Princess. "Come forth! Rank 4! Gagaga Samurai!!"

When the pillar of light faded, a powerful Samurai warrior stood in front of Twilight Sparkle, wielding two katana. His outfit was mostly red and smoky grey in color, with long, orange scarves that fluttered in the wind (Gagaga Samurai / Rank 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1600 / OLU 2).

"Look at that! Twilight performed her first Xyz Summon!" cheered Applejack.

"Most impressive!" Rarity said with a smile. "She made that move as if she had been playing Duel Monsters her whole life!"

"Aw yeah! Way to go, Twilight!!" Spike cheered, hopping up and down on Fluttershy's lap. "Way t' show these guys the power of a Princess!!"

Rainbow Dash was astounded by how quickly Twilight was learning the rules of the game. (Woah... Twilight's gettin' good at this... I never would've expected her to figure out Xyz Summoning THIS fast! So I'd better not take any chances...) The cyan girl then shouted, "I activate the effect of Goalkeeper! I use it to protect my Midfielder this turn! So now you can't destroy him!!" Her soccer goalie monster then projected its shield around Midfielder to protect it.

But Twilight wasn't finished with pulling off incredible moves yet as she gave off a smirk. "Sorry, Rainbow... but that won't save you this time! I now activate the effect of my Gagaga Samurai!" she announced. "By removing one of its Overlay Units, I can have any of my Gagaga monsters gain the ability to attack twice this turn!" She then pulled out one of the Monster Cards from underneath her Xyz Monster Card and sent it to the Graveyard (Gagaga Samurai: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). Pointing to her Xyz Monster on the field, she then finished, saying, "Of course, my Gagaga Samurai is my ONLY Gagaga monster, so I'll have him use the effect on himself!"

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed the athletic teen, not seeing that move coming.

(Not bad... she's already mastered how to use an Xyz Monster's Overlay Units to trigger their abilities...) Sunset thought to herself. (Rainbow Dash might be in big trouble now...)

"Now! Go, Gagaga Samurai!!" shouted the young Princess. "Attack Rainbow's Midfielder!!" The powerful Samurai then leapt forward, ready to slice apart the armored athlete. But then the purple-skinned girl added, "And at this precise moment, I activate my face-down card!! I play the Quick-Play Spell Card, Ego Boost!!"

"You're kidding me!!" protested Rainbow Dash, shocked by that move as well.

"Thanks to this card," Twilight explained, "I can give my attacking Gagaga Samurai an additional 1,000 attack points for one turn!!" The Spell Card then sent an enormous amount of green-colored energy to Twilight's monster, making it more powerful than it was before (Gagaga Samurai: ATK 1900 + 1000 = 2900). After that happened, the Samurai then slashed his sword, striking Midfielder and sending a wave of white energy towards the cyan girl, knocking out some of her Life Points (Rainbow Dash: LP 4,000 - 1,700 = 2,300).

"Urrrgh... that stung a little..." groaned Rainbow Dash, a little winded after the impact of the attack.

"I'm not done just yet, Rainbow..." the purple-skinned teen informed her friend/opponent, "If you recall, I used Gagaga Samurai's effect; which means I can attack with him again!" Pointing forward, she then ordered, "Go!! Attack her Midfielder a second time!!" And Twilight's monster did just that. Only this time, it managed to destroy the soccer player monster and send it to the Graveyard, in addition to causing more damage to Rainbow Dash (Rainbow Dash: LP 2,300 - 1,700 = 600). The force of the blow was powerful to send the cyan teen toppling to the ground on her back.

Needless to say, the others were shocked at their purple friend's excellent move. "That was incredible!!" exclaimed Flash Sentry, mouth hanging open in shock.

"She just depleted over three-fourths of Rainbow Dash's Life Points in one move!" Rarity observed.

"YEAH!!! That was AWESOME, Twilight!!!" cheered Spike, happy for his friend.

Even Sunset seemed to be surprised at how good Twilight's move was. (Unbelievable...) she thought. (It took even ME a long time to get the hang of the rules of the game... And Twilight's managed to pull off such a powerful combo as if it was nothing!) Though she did feel slightly jealous of how easily the young Princess was mastering such powerful moves, for the most part, she was happy to see that Twilight was doing so well... and enjoying herself while playing. (I never expected any less of you, Twilight Sparkle... I know that you'll be a great Duelist!)

Back at the Duel, Rainbow Dash was shocked at how easily Twilight was able to overcome her strategy. (No way... this can't be!) she thought. (Twilight must've known that I'd use Goalkeeper's effect to protect my monster! So she Summoned the one card that could stop that trick and cause even more damage to me!! Although Goalkeeper was able to protect Midfielder from the first attack, it couldn't protect him from the second one... And because of her monster's effect and that Spell Card she used on it, I'm actually BEHIND Twilight in Life Points!)

"My turn is now over," stated the young Princess, "which means that Ego Boost's effect expires. So Gagaga Samurai's attack power returns to its normal value." (Gagaga Samurai: ATK 2900 - 1000 = 1900)

Getting back up onto her feet, Rainbow told Twilight, "Heh... not bad, Egghead... Even when I'm playing at the top of my game, you're tough to beat. I've gotta admit, you're a natural at this game, and you'll get even better... I guarantee it!" The cyan teen then placed her right middle and index fingers on her Deck, ready to draw her next card. "But this Duel ain't over just yet; I've still got some Life Points left, and I'm not ready to give up this fight! Now watch out, 'cause I'm comin' for ya!!"

Twilight took a defensive stance and said, "I'm ready, Rainbow! Give me your best shot!!"

Dash then pulled her next card and looked at it. "Heh, not a bad pull at all, if I do say so myself..." Looking over at her opponent, she then told her, "You wanted me at my best, right? Well, you're about to get it!!" Taking the card that she had just drawn, she then declared, "I'll send my Goalkeeper back to my hand and tag in my Ultra Athlete Dreadnought Dunker!!"

In an instant, Rainbow Dash's soccer goalie stood up and ran towards another approaching man. The new athlete was wearing another metallic-looking uniform that was mostly silver and black, with bright orange lines going every which way around it. He also wore headgear that matched the colors of his uniform, complete with a pair of shades. His overall appearance resembled that of a basketball player. The two athletes then high-fived each other before switching places (U.A. Dreadnought Dunker: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1800).

"But that ain't all!" Rainbow then added. "Next, I'll play Transmodify from my hand!"

"Oh my... she has that rare card too?" asked Fluttershy. "I didn't even see her use it on me when we practice-dueled...!" The others watched on, wondering what Dash was planning to use her card for.

"So, um... what does that card do?" asked Twilight, getting a bit worried.

"It's pretty simple:" the cyan girl began to explain. "By sending a monster that I've got on the field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a new monster from my Deck with the same Type and Attribute, but one Level higher!" This elicited a gasp out of the young Princess upon hearing that.

"Dreadnought Dunker was a Level 7 monster..." Applejack noted. "Which means that if she sends it to the Graveyard, she can bring out a Level 8 monster to replace it!"

"That doesn't sound good for Twilight..." said Sunset, feeling concerned.

Rainbow Dash took her recently-summoned basketball player monster and placed it in her Graveyard, saying to Twilight, "Alright, your Highness, get ready t' meet the Team Captain of my Deck!" After taking her chosen monster from her Deck, the cyan girl then announced, "I Summon Ultra Athlete Playmaker in Attack Mode!!"

In an instant, an incredibly buff man began running towards the soccer field from behind Rainbow Dash, wearing full football gear. He carried with him a ball of yellow energy in the shape of a standard-size football as he took his place in front of his controller. His size and attack-ready pose made him quite an intimidating sight.

*******************************

U.A. Playmaker
(Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 8/ATK 2600/DEF 2000)

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by returning 1 "U.A." monster you control to the hand, except "U.A. Playmaker". You can only Special Summon "U.A. Playmaker" once per turn this way. When another "U.A." monster you control declares an attack: You can have this card lose exactly 800 ATK, and if you do, your attacking monster gains 800 ATK.

*******************************

"Wow... that guy sure looks tough..." noted Applejack. "And just when Twi' was doin' so well last turn..."

"Twilight..." said Flash Sentry, getting worried for the purple girl as well.

The young Princess just stood there, wondering what Rainbow Dash had planned for her next. However, she wouldn't have to wonder for much longer, as her opponent played her next card. "Now, once again, I play Powered Jersey and give my Playmaker an additional 1,000 attack and defense points!" (U.A. Playmaker: ATK 2600 + 1000 = 3600 / DEF 2000 + 1000 = 3000)

(And because of her Spell Card's effect...) thought Twilight, (any damage she does to me is doubled...) The purple girl did the math in her head... and knew that the damage would be enough to end the Duel. But she didn't seem sad about it; instead, she smiled, happy for her friend for treating her as a worthy opponent. "Go for it, Rainbow... Do what you have to do." she told her.

Dash paused for a moment, wondering if she should really go through with her next attack. But when she saw that Twilight was ready to accept the outcome of the Duel, the cyan teen nodded to her and shouted, "Here I go! Playmaker, attack Gagaga Samurai!! Charging Tackle!!" And with that order, the powerful quarterback monster ran forward and rammed Twilight's Xyz Monster, destroying it with one attack.

Twilight simply stood there, not moving an inch. Her smile stayed on her face even as a small tear ran down her left cheek (Twilight Sparkle: LP 2,100 - 3,400 = 0) (WINNER: Rainbow Dash). Wiping away the tear, the young Princess then sad to her friend, "Great job, Rainbow Dash... You win."

Sunset and the others could only look on as the Duel concluded. "Oh dear..." said Fluttershy. "Twilight lost..."

"Poor thing..." said Rarity. "And she did so well too..."

"Well, she may not have won," started Flash Sentry, "but look at her: She doesn't seem to feel too down about it at all..."

"You're right, Flash." Sunset told him with a warm smile. "Twilight still did very well in her first Duel, and there's no shame in that."

"You can say that again, Sunset." Applejack replied, smiling as well. "Twi oughtta feel pretty proud of herself fer puttin' up such a good fight against a tough opponent."

Walking over towards Twilight, Rainbow Dash took off her Duel Gazer and asked her, "Say, uh... You gonna be okay there, Twilight?"

Though the young Princess had just wiped a tear away from her eye and sniffled a little, her bright smile never disappeared from her face. "Don't worry about me, Rainbow..." she told her, "I'll get over it pretty quickly. I may not have beaten you, but I did my best out there... and that's what really matters."

The cyan teen nodded and replied, "I'll say you did great out there. I didn't expect you to pull off that great combo with your Xyz Monster and that Ego Boost card... It's one of the best moves I've ever seen, I gotta tell ya."

"Thanks for saying that, Rainbow Dash." Twilight responded. "And thank you for facing me with your full power... I know that this Duel will help me to become even stronger. Believe me, I don't plan on losing next time we Duel!"

"Heh, I'll be looking forward to that." stated Dash as she and the young Princess performed a fist-bump with each other out of respect.

Soon, the rest of their friends got up out of the bleachers to join them. Sunset walked over to the pair first and congratulated them, saying, "Great job, Rainbow Dash. And you too, Twilight. You played such a great Duel out there!"

"Thanks, Sunset." Twilight responded with a nod. "But I couldn't have done it without your help; everyone's help. I'm glad to have friends like you around."

"No prob, Sugarcube." Applejack told her while tipping her hat. "That's what friends r' for."

"We were more than happy to help you get your start as a Duelist." Rarity added. Fluttershy simply nodded to say that she agreed with that statement.

"Sooooooooo... what did you think of it, Twilight?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Did you enjoy playing it?"

"I sure did! I had a lot of fun playing this game!" the young Princess told them. "Any game that requires a lot of thinking and complex strategies is an instant winner in my book! I can't wait to play another Duel!"

"Well, I think we probably should wait for now..." suggested Sunset as she placed her hand on her inter-dimensional friend's shoulder. "You'll need some time to rest up and refine your skills before your next Duel. Besides, now that you're back in town, there's all sorts of things we'd like to do with you while you're staying here."

"Like what?" asked Twilight.

"Weeeeeeeeeell... for one thing, the carnival's coming back tonight!" Pinkie Pie informed them. "Remember how much fun that was, Twilight?"

"It was pretty fun, actually." stated the purple-skinned girl. "Though I seem to recall that Sunset wasn't there with us the last time."

"Yeah, well this time, I don't plan on letting you guys have all the fun for yourselves." the red and yellow girl told them. "Last time, I didn't show up because most of the school still didn't like me... But now that all of that's in the past, I'm ready to go out there and enjoy myself with my best friends!"

"I'm glad to hear that, Sunset." Twilight told her. "We'd be more than happy to have you come along." Sunset smiled warmly and nodded to say that she would join them. The young Princess then glanced over at Flash Sentry and asked him, "Would you like to come along, too?"

"Umm... you want me to join you guys...?" he asked, blushing a bit.

Rainbow Dash put on a smirk and told him, "I think she's really asking you to join HER... As in on a date."

Twilight's eyes grew wide after hearing that. "RAINBOW!! Th-that's not what I meant at all!" Trying to hide her quickly-forming blush, she then stated, "I-I-I just... didn't want him to feel left out, that's all!"

"Yeah, sure... whatever you say, Twi." the cyan girl responded, not buying her purple friend's words at all. "Who're tryin' to fool? Me, or you?"

"C'mon, that's enough, guys..." Sunset said to them. "Let's go and buy our tickets for the fair before they're all sold out." The others nodded and left the school, with Spike hopping into Twilight's backpack to ride around in.

Little did they all know that, from an upper window in the school building, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were watching everything, including the Duel between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Needless to say, they were quite impressed with what they saw. "Well, it seems our young Princess did quite well in her very first Duel, wouldn't you agree, Sister?" asked Luna.

"I certainly do." replied the older sister. "I know that her friends have given her a good head start in learning the game..." Rubbing her chin, she then added, "However, I do suspect that Ms. Sparkle might actually have some natural dueling talent as well... I would be very interested to see just how strong she can become."

"I as well, Older Sister." the dark-blue woman responded. "And I also know that she will be a great help to her friends in whatever task is set before them." She then said to her sibling, "I guess we had better be ready to welcome Ms. Sparkle when she arrives at school tomorrow."

"I suppose we should." agreed Celestia. "And we should do whatever we can to aid her as well. After all, it's become quite clear that Twilight has come here for a very important reason, and there is a great possibility that the fate of our students, and maybe much more, all depend on the success of her and her friends..." Luna nodded to say that she agreed with her older sister. The two of them knew that Twilight's arrival in their world meant that something even bigger was coming their way, and they had to do whatever they could to prepare for it...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 12: Duel History 101:

Author's Note

I made this episode for the few remaining people reading this that still may not really know much about Yu-Gi-Oh!, particularly the anime and manga. The facts and stories told here are based on my own observations of the first three series (Original, GX, and 5D's), and it may or may not be totally accurate. Of course, this story DOES take place in an alternate universe, so I feel that it doesn't have to be totally accurate, but I did my best to get it all as close as possible.

So for people who still have not watched the show or read the manga, here's a quick glimpse of the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!. For those who already know it, consider this a refresher course. And don't worry, there's some really interesting stuff that happens towards the end, so even if you know it all already, there's still something new to see.

RANK 12: Duel History 101:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

After Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, entered the home world of Sunset Shimmer to aid her and her friends in collecting the Numbers, the group of teenagers did everything possible to aid Twilight in learning how to play the game. Sunset Shimmer helped her inter-dimensional friend build her first Deck, Rarity and Fluttershy purchased a Duel Pad and Duel Gazer for her, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie played a Duel against each other so that their friend could see how a real game was played.

After their game, Twilight and Rainbow Dash immediately competed in a Duel with each other. This was the young Princess's first-ever Duel, and though things got off to a rocky start, Twilight was able to impress her companions by putting up a fierce fight against her cyan friend. Despite her best efforts, however, Twilight could not defeat Rainbow Dash in her first Duel. However, there were no hard feelings between them, and the young Princess was excited to play another game very soon.

Twilight has gotten off to a good start in learning the mechanics of Duel Monsters, but her training has only just begun. Now, today, the Princess of Friendship will continue her lessons during a very special trip...

It was 6:30 in the morning throughout the city of Canterlot. It was Monday, meaning that all the schools were ready to begin another week of lessons for the arriving students. In the large, fancy apartment building that towered over Jump Street within the city, the residents inside were either still asleep or just getting up to begin their day.

In room number 14, the apartment where Sunset Shimmer currently lived, loud snoring sounds could still be heard from inside. The snoring was coming from none other than Twilight Sparkle, Sunset's best friend and (for the moment) her new roommate. Clad in light purple pajamas, the young Princess was sprawled out all over Sunset's queen-size bed, still in a deep sleep. She was even too tired to realize that Sunset had already gotten up out of bed and was making breakfast for them both.

The red and yellow girl, still in her sleeping clothes, walked over to the bed and looked down at her snoring friend from another world. In Sunset's arms was Spike, a purple puppy dog (but really a dragon) that had come with Twilight when they left Equestria to enter this world. Staring at the purple-skinned girl, Sunset then asked Spike, "Is... she always like this in the morning?"

"More than you'd think." answered the puppy. "All of her studying and Princess duties really wear her out, even though she never admits it. So yeah, she's kind of a heavy sleeper..."

"Wow... I knew she was busy every day, but even I never imagined that it would take this much of a toll on her..." Sunset stated. Chuckling a little, she then added, "Of course, we did get a little crazy having fun at the carnival yesterday, not to mention that we spent a lot of time on her Duel Monsters training as well..." After Spike hopped out of her arms and onto the bed, the red and yellow girl told him, "Well, be that as it may, we can't let her stay snoozing here forever; we've got school today."

"Not to worry, Sunset... I'll handle this." Spike told her confidently. Smirking a little, he then walked over to Twilight, stopping right next to one of her ears. He then shouted, "Twilight!! Twilight!!! You've gotta help us!! Tirek's on the loose again!!!"

"WHAT?!?!" screamed the young Princess, quickly waking up from her deep snooze. The shock of what Spike told her caused her to jump out of bed so quickly, she ended up clumsily falling off. "Woah!! WAAAUUUGH!!!" she yelped before hitting the carpet and landing on her back. Rubbing her back and let out a strained groan, she put on an annoyed face and said to her dragon/puppy companion, "Spike!! That wasn't funny! I thought I told you to stop doing that!"

"Hey, it's not my fault that you sleep like a rock every night." Spike informed her. "I don't know how else to get you up every day."

"Maybe... but we're still gonna talk about this later..." Twilight responded, dusting herself off a little.

"Good morning, Twilight." Sunset Shimmer greeted her.

"Um, yeah... Good morning, Sunset." the purple teen replied. "I just wish mine started off a little better than this..."

"Well, while I don't approve of the way he woke you up, Twilight," the red and yellow girl told her friend, "we had to get you up somehow; after all, we've gotta get to school today, remember?"

Twilight gasped a little. "Oh right...! I almost forgot about that! It's been a long time since I've been in a school, I'm not used to going back there... I hope I didn't delay you for too long, Sunset..."

"Aw, don't worry about it; we've still got plenty of time before Pinkie comes by to give us a ride." Sunset said to her. "Still, we don't want to take too long, so I just whipped up something quick for us to eat. How about some Honey Bunches of Oats?"

"Oats?" asked Twilight as they both left the bedroom. "I thought you didn't have that sort of thing here...? When I was in Sugarcube Corner during my first visit here, I asked for some, and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about..."

"Well, it's not like the kind that's in Equestria, but... well, you can hardly taste the difference." Sunset informed her. "You'll like it, I'm pretty sure of it."

The two of them sat down at the dining room table to enjoy their breakfast cereal. And Twilight found that she did enjoy what Sunset had prepared for them both, and the additional honey taste made it even better. After they were both finished with their morning meal, the two washed up and got their clothes on for the day. By the time they were finished, the clock showed that it was now 7:06 a.m. Not long after they looked at the clock, Sunset's cell phone began to ring.

Taking the phone off of the table in front of her television set, Sunset tapped the screen with her thumb and spoke into it, saying, "Hello? ...Oh! Hi, Pinkie Pie! ...Yeah... yeah we're all ready to go... Okay... okay, we'll meet you in front of the building... Good... Okay, bye." Tapping her phone to end the call, the red and yellow girl said to Twilight, "Alright, let's get going; Pinkie's right outside, so let's not keep her waiting."

"Sure, let's go." Twilight replied. She then asked Spike, "Are you going to be okay while we're gone, Spike?"

At that moment, the two girls saw the little puppy walking on his hind legs while holding a bowl of popcorn and a can of Colta-Cola with his forelegs, using them like arms. "I think I might manage..." he casually said as he made his way over to the TV. Sunset and Twilight looked at each other and shared an amused grin before leaving the apartment. Spike placed the items on the L-shaped couch before hopping onto it himself. He then stretched out, picked up the TV remote, and switched on the device, ready to enjoy his day.

Outside, Sunset and Twilight walked through the apartment building's doors to exit the structure. Upon stepping onto the sidewalk, the pair saw Pinkie Pie standing there in front of them, her pink Volkswagen Beetle still running. "Hi, girls!!" she cheered, waving to them with both of her hands.

"Hi, Pinkie. Good morning." Twilight greeted her politely.

"Yeah, good morning." Sunset chimed in.

"It sure is!" the pink-skinned girl told them both. "It's such a bright and sunny day today, and I get to spend the ride over to school with two of my best friends! So I'd say that calling it a 'good morning' is an understatement!"

"Well, it's good to see that you're as chipper as ever, Pinkie." stated the red and yellow girl. Sunset then opened the passenger's side back door of Pinkie's car and gestured to Twilight to sit on the seat inside. After the purple teen did so, Sunset walked around to the other back door and entered the car from there. Pinkie then walked back over to the driver's side door and sat down in front of the steering wheel. Once everyone was settled in and buckled up, the pink teen then shifted the vehicle into drive and began heading towards the school.

On their way over, Sunset decided to pass the time by talking to Twilight about various things. Of course, one of the things that she always liked to discuss with her Princess friend was what she was up to in Equestria. "So," she began to ask the young Princess, "anything new going on in Equestria? Any other friendship problems or anything big like that?"

"Well, there is one thing that's been on my mind for a while..." Twilight began, speaking in a slightly solemn tone of voice. "Though, I'd hate to talk about it for fear that it might spoil this good morning so far..."

"How so?" asked the red and yellow girl.

Twilight did not respond at first, as she was still contemplating over whether or not she should talk about what was bothering her. After thinking about it for a few seconds, she made her decision: "...No, maybe it would be best if I told you; perhaps you might be able to help me figure out what to do about it..." she said.

"I'll... try my best." the red and yellow girl told her. "So what's up?"

"Well, a while ago," Twilight began, "my Ponyville friends and I traveled to this really strange village; one that we've never been to before. When we got there, we met with a whole bunch of ponies that seemed just as bizarre..."

"Bizarre how?" asked Sunset.

"Well, according to what they told me," the purple girl continued, "they claimed that they were convinced into giving up their cutie marks..."

"You're kidding me...!" the red and yellow girl replied in shock. "That really happened? What could have possibly made them want to do something like that?!"

"Well, there was this Unicorn that governed the village that talked them into doing it." answered Twilight. "Her name was Starlight Glimmer; and she said that she wanted to create a society where everyone was equal to one another... But she did so by using a magic spell to steal the cutie marks of everyone who lived there and sealing them all away... And unfortunately, that nearly happened to my friends and I as well..." The young Princess shuddered a little, thinking about the brief moment when she had everything that defined her taken away.

"That's... that's incredible..." Sunset stated. "Not you and your friends losing your cutie marks, of course, but... I had never even known that there WAS a spell that would do such a thing!"

"Neither did I..." Twilight responded. "We almost lost our marks forever... But when it was revealed that Starlight had not done the same thing herself and given up her cutie mark, everypony realized that they had been lied to. So they destroyed the container that held everyone's marks and sent them back to their rightful owners before running her out of town. Since then, I've heard that they've been doing much better in their little village and are trying to help each other put the whole ordeal behind them..."

"And what about Starlight?" asked Sunset. "What became of her?"

"Well, unfortunately, she managed to get away before they could punish her for her actions." the purple-skinned teen answered. "She hasn't been heard from since... but I have a very bad feeling that she's hiding somewhere, just waiting for a chance to get back at me and the others for foiling her plans... And I have no idea what I'll do to stop her if she does come back..."

Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie were pretty stunned after hearing about the rogue Unicorn that had nearly succeeded in eliminating everyone's cutie marks forever. As an eerie silence filled the car, the red and yellow girl then thought about everything that she had heard, trying her best to offer advice to her inter-dimensional friend. "...Well, based on what you've said," she spoke up, "it sounds like this Starlight Glimmer seems to have some sort of grudge from the day you met her."

"But how?" asked Twilight. "I didn't even know her until I met her in that town..."

"I don't think it's a grudge against you or your friends in Equestria, Twilight." Sunset informed her. "I think she seems to hate the idea of cutie marks in general."

"Really?" asked the young Princess. Thinking back to that day again, she then added, "Yeah... yeah, you might be right about that! Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall Starlight saying things that suggested that she didn't like cutie marks... And that would explain why she was trying to get rid of them! But... what could make her dislike them so much? I don't get it..."

"Weeeeeeeeeell, if I could make a TEENY-tiny-little guess..." Pinkie Pie suddenly chimed in, "I'd probably say that something really super-upsetting must've happened to her that made her feel that way!"

"You think so?" asked Twilight.

"It's a safe guess." Sunset told her purple friend. "After all, the only reason I became a total jerk was because of something that upset me back when I was in Equestria. I thought that no one, not even Princess Celestia, was on my side and I began to feel hated and alone..." Smiling, she then turned over to Twilight and said to her, "But then you showed me that things didn't always have to be that way; thanks to you and the others, I was able to see that the only person that made me feel alone and friendless was myself, and I was acting the way I was because I didn't want to confront that sort of truth... But once I did, I was able to forget my grudges and finally move on with my life... And now I can finally feel happy about myself and others once all that anger and hatred went away."

"I'm glad that you feel that way, Sunset." Twilight replied with a smile. "And I was happy that I had a hoof- excuse me, HAND in helping you out."

"Thanks for saying that." the red and yellow girl told her. She then stated, "Y'know... now that I think about it, this Starlight Glimmer that you've told me about is, well, probably not that different from me."

"Why do you say that?" asked the young Princess.

"Well, if what Pinkie said is true," Sunset explained, "that something from her past caused her to develop a grudge against the world, then perhaps what you did for me might work as well on her, too. I think the only thing she needs is to learn that she doesn't have to feel alone and angry all the time... If she can learn about what it means to be a good friend and be able to care for someone besides herself, I think she'll figure out just how silly it is to cause so much unnecessary problems for those around her."

"You really think so?" asked Twilight.

"I'm pretty sure of it." Sunset said confidently. "And I know you'll be the one to show her that, Twilight. After all, you're the Princess of Friendship."

Twilight was quite pleased to hear that Sunset had so much confidence in her. To the red and yellow teen, it seemed that doing something like teaching Starlight about the Magic of Friendship was no problem at all, even though the task seemed daunting. The young Princess then smiled and said, "I'll do my best, Sunset. You can be sure of that."

"I know you will." the red and yellow girl responded, putting her hand on Twilight's shoulder to comfort her.

Just then, Pinkie Pie told the two of them, "Okay!! We're here, everybody!" The party-loving teenager then pointed ahead once the high school was within sight.

Pinkie parked her car in the parking lot, right in the shade of a very large tree. Once she and her two passengers left the vehicle, Sunset then said to Twilight, "Well, we'd better get inside, then. Even though classes won't start for another 30 minutes or so, we should go in and let the Principals know that you're gonna be here for a while."

"Smart idea." agreed the young Princess. "Let's go."

"Have a good day, you two!!" cheered Pinkie as she waved goodbye to her friends. After they left, the silly girl then walked over to her trunk and opened it, revealing that there were lots of car decal stickers inside. Afterwards, she then sped around her vehicle, removing all of the stickers that were already on it and replacing them with new ones in what seemed like a millisecond. "There we go!" she said to herself. "I was in such a hurry to drive Sunnie and Twilight over to school, that I had almost COMPLETELY forgot to put new stickers on my car for today!" Giggling a little, she then added, "Thank goodness I stuffed my trunk full of BACKUP stickers!! Otherwise, I'd look pretty weird." She then merrily skipped away with a smile on her face.

Inside of the school, Sunset and Twilight made their way over to the Principal's Office to meet up with Principal Celestia and Vice Prinicpal Luna. When they arrived inside, the two women were surprised and pleased to see the young purple teenager again. Sunset and Twilight told them about what was going on, that the young Princess had shown up to assist in dealing with the mysterious Number cards. Celestia and Luna understood everything and had agreed to lend their assistance to the two of them.

"Well, we're both happy to know that you'll be here to lend a hand concerning this Number card business, Ms. Sparkle." Celestia told her.

"Thank you, Prince- er, I mean, Principal Celestia." Twilight replied with a slight bow. "Sorry, I'm still not too experienced in this world's manner of speaking yet."

"Do not worry yourself, Ms. Sparkle." Luna replied. She then told the purple girl, "Now, as you remember, while you are here, you are expected to act as though you are an ordinary student, even though most of the student body and faculty know of your true identity."

"I fully understand, Ms. Luna." Twilight said to her. "Don't worry; I'll remember to keep as much of a low profile as possible."

"Very good." Celestia responded as she picked up a stack of papers in front of her. "Now... as for your arrangements here in Canterlot High, we still need to figure out which classes to put you in..." she stated to the young Princess. "But I believe that it would be best if you were to just simply be placed in the same classes that Ms. Shimmer is in."

"The same classes as me?" asked Sunset, a bit surprised.

"Exactly." Luna responded. "My sister and I feel that it would be best because this way, you will be able to help Ms. Sparkle adjust herself better here. And that task would be much easier if you were to be with her at all times, do you agree?"

"Um... I suppose that makes sense, Vice Principal Luna." the red and yellow girl answered, getting the point. "I'm okay with it if Twilight is."

"I'm perfectly fine with it." the young Princess stated. "Thank you both so much."

The two principals nodded to say that they were happy that they were able to work things out. Celestia then asked Twilight, "So, Ms. Shimmer had stated earlier in our talk that she has been teaching you how to play Duel Monsters, correct?" The purple girl nodded yes to confirm that fact. "Well then," the light-pink woman continued, "you have actually arrived in this world at a very convenient time."

"Why is that, Principal Celestia?" asked the young Princess.

"Well, it just so happens that, scheduled today, many of the classes are going to be partaking in a field trip to the Manehatten Duel Museum." Luna answered her.

"Wait... 'Duel Museum'??" asked Twilight. "There's an ENTIRE museum made just for a card game?"

"I know, it seems kind of silly at first, but that's just how big Duel Monsters has gotten." Sunset told her friend. "I've heard that it's pretty neat, so I think you might like it; I'm pretty sure I will too."

"And it may help her to learn more about the card game in general." Celestia added. "After all, the museum is famous for showcasing many of the strongest Duelists from years ago, even back when Duel Monsters was in its relative infancy."

"Really? That does sound sort of interesting, actually..." Twilight replied, thinking about it all. She then asked, "So when is everypo- er, everyBODY leaving to go there?"

"Not too long from now, as a matter of fact..." stated Luna, looking over at the clock in the room. "The buses will be departing at 9:00 a.m. and the trip will encompass a great deal of the school day." Turning to them both, she then informed Sunset and Twilight, "You had best get to your first class so as to not miss the deadline."

"Of course, Vice Principal Luna. And thank you both for sorting everything out with Twilight." Sunset replied.

"Yeah, thanks." Twilight told them as well. The two girls then left the office as Sunset Shimmer guided her inter-dimensional friend to the classroom that they had to go to.

"I guess we had better get ourselves ready for the trip as well..." Celestia told her younger sister. "After all, we had agreed to serve as the chaperones for the field trip."

"Indeed." Luna agreed. Of course, their reason for accompanying the students on this trip was because they wanted to see the section in the museum that showed off their careers as Pro Duelists (which is something that they went to see every time they went there). So naturally, the two sisters were just as excited to go to the museum as the students were.

More than an hour later, several buses and other vehicles had departed from Canterlot High School and were on their way to the close by, yet still relatively far away, city of Manehatten. Though Canterlot City was the region's capital city, Manehatten was actually much larger in comparison, and it was very heavily populated with people. Manehatten contained all sorts of wonderful sights and places to spend time in, so there was never a dull day in this bustling city.

As Twilight and Sunset looked around their fellow classmates, it was clear that everyone was excited to see Manehatten's Duel Museum. After all, just about everyone in the school played Duel Monsters, so spending the day at a facility that catered to nothing but the super-popular card game was almost like a vacation.

"Look at how excited everyone is, Sunset..." Twilight spoke. "They seem to be really anxious to get to this museum."

"Can you blame them?" asked Sunset with a smirk. "I told you; Duel Monsters is an incredibly popular game. This will probably be the only time that you'll ever see anyone THIS excited to go to a museum."

"I'm still finding it hard to believe that there's a place like that for a card game, of all things." the young Princess told her. "Next you'll tell me that there are special schools that teach people how to play it..."

"Well, actually... that's true, too." the red and yellow girl said to her inter-dimensional friend.

"Wait, REALLY??" asked Twilight, thinking that her ears were playing tricks on her. "You're kidding!"

"I'm not." Sunset informed her. "They're called 'Duel Academies'. They were actually set up in order to help train new generations of Duelists. Yes, it sounds kinda weird, but there are people that really take the game seriously; some of them actually make a living out of winning prize money in major tournaments."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess the whole idea of a card game school makes a little more sense... kind of." admitted the purple teen. She then asked, "Changing the subject, what's the plan when we all arrive at the museum?"

"Well, after the rest of our friends and the Principals show up, we'll all be in a group together." Sunset told Twilight. "It was Celestia's idea."

"Well, it's good to know that we'll all be able to enjoy the trip together." the young Princess said with a smile.

The trip to the museum was long, but by 11:30, the buses pulled up in front of a large building. It was silvery-blue and dome-shaped in appearance. However, it didn't look like the typical dome-shaped building: the design on the front of the structure appeared to look like a giant dragon head. On the sides of the building, away from the side windows, there was a pair of thorn-like protrusions built along the sides. They didn't seem to serve any purpose other than decoration.

Twilight stared in awe at the large structure's appearance. "Um... Sunset?" she began to ask, "is that supposed to look like a-"

"Yep. It's a dragon's head." Sunset interrupted. "More specifically, the Duel Museum was built to look like one of the most famous dragons in Duel Monsters: The Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"Really?" asked Twilight. Looking at the structure again, she then added, "Seems a little strange to me."

"Well, Kaiba Corp funded the museum's construction AND supplied the blueprints for its design." the red and yellow girl told her friend. "They insisted that it be designed to look like the Blue-Eyes. And seeing as how the workers were getting their paychecks directly from the company, they pretty much had to build it the way THEY wanted to."

(Reminds me of how that Filthy Rich guy operates back in Equestria...) Twilight thought to herself, rolling her eyes a little.

About a minute later, one the last few buses to arrive (numbered 5D) pulled to a stop in front of the Duel Museum. When the doors opened, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Flash Sentry all departed from the bus and stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the building. "Alright, we're finally here!" cheered Rainbow Dash excitedly. "About time!"

"Yes, we're finally here, Rainbow." Applejack told her cyan friend. "So y'all can stop askin' us, 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'..."

"Yeah, the only person who can say that and make it funny is Bart Simpson, Dashie." Pinkie chimed in.

"Ugh, fine... I'm sorry if that bugged you guys..." Dash replied, grumbling a bit. "I was just really excited to get here, that's all."

"Well so were we, but you didn't see ME repeating that irritating phrase over and over..." Rarity reminded the athletic teen.

"Calm down, everyone..." Flash told them. "We're here now, and that's what matters. Let's just focus on having fun, like everybody else." The boy then walked over to Twilight Sparkle and said to her, "Good morning, Twilight; glad to see that you and Sunset could make it here."

"Um... yeah, thanks..." the purple girl replied, blushing a bit. "I'm... glad to see you here as well."

Fluttershy then glanced over to her side and saw that another car, a white Mustang, had just parked itself in the parking lot. It was the vehicle that was owned by Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. "Hey, everybody...! The Principals just got here..." she informed the others.

After parking their car, the two older women got out and walked over to the group of seven girls and one boy. "Sorry we took so long, everyone." Luna told them all. "We got caught up in a bit of traffic on the way over."

"Only because you INSISTED on taking that so-called 'shortcut', Luna." Celestia told her. "You know we ALWAYS run into a traffic jam every time we use it to come here." The dark blue-skinned woman simply huffed a little in response to her older sister's comment.

"Don't worry about that." Sunset told them. "We only just got here a while ago, so we weren't waiting that long."

"Well, that's good to know." the light-pink woman replied. "Anyway, let us all go inside; I'm certain that all of you are just as excited to see the Duel Museum as much as we are."

"You know it!" Rainbow Dash said in her usual ecstatic tone. "So let's go already!" The rest of the group nodded and walked into the dragon head-shaped building together.

As the group of ten walked into the enormous museum's foyer, the first thing they saw were a trio of large statues on a circular pedestal. The statues were of three very powerful-looking figures: The first of the three was a tall human man wearing a purple costume and a pointed hat, also carrying a long, green staff. The second statue was of a muscular human man in what appeared to be a silvery-white bodysuit with a curved horn on the top of the head area, a blue "jewel" on the chest, and long, red lines running all over it. The third statue was of a giant, white dragon with silver wings, sky-blue parts on its body, and a deep purple chest area. The dragon's head appeared to resemble the shape of a starship.

"Wow... those guys look so cool..." said Rainbow Dash as she stared at the three statues.

"I know, Rainbow..." Rarity commented, also in awe of the sight before them. "The detail on them is absolutely perfect!!"

"So, are those supposed to be Duel Monsters?" asked Twilight.

"Not just ANY ol' monsters, Twi." Applejack informed her. "Those statues are of three of the most famous monsters in all of duelin'!"

"That's right." Sunset chimed in. "They were considered to be the best of the best." Pointing to the purple-wearing man first, she then told her inter-dimensional friend, "That guy right there is the Dark Magician, a very skilled Spellcaster. Rumor has it, this magician or one like him served one of the great Pharaohs of Egypt."

Luna then pointed to the man in the bodysuit and told everyone, "Next, there's Elemental HERO Neos, a powerful member of a team of Duel Monsters superheroes. The Elemental HEROs all had the ability to merge with each other and combine their powers, but Neos's otherworldly powers were particularly strong, and his ability to fuse with others was much more advanced."

"And last, but certainly not least," Celestia added while pointing at the dragon statue, "there's Stardust Dragon. This powerful beast was one of the six Signer Dragons, which were rumored to have fought a legendary battle against forces from the Netherworld long ago." She then stated, "Each of these three monsters were wielded by three of the strongest Duelists to have ever picked up a card."

"Who were they?" asked Twilight.

"You'll see soon enough." the light pink woman told her. "They each have their own special exhibits here at the museum, so we'll all get to see more about them in due time." Walking with Luna towards a hall on the right side of the room, Celestia then told everyone, "But first, I think it would be good if we started at the very beginning, and learn about the game's origins. So if you would all follow us, please, we can get started."

"Sounds good to me." Twilight replied as she began following the two Principals into the next hallway. The others followed her soon after.

The next section of the museum contained all sorts of ancient-looking artifacts, many of them Egyptian-like in appearance. Of course, there were artifacts that came from other ancient societies, like Ancient Greece and even the Roman Empire. Many students and other patrons were glancing around this section, such as Lyra and Bon Bon. Even Zecora had taken time off from running her curio shop to check out the museum, and she waved hello to Sunset and the others as they passed her by.

While the collection was impressive, Twilight was a bit confused. "I don't understand..." she told them. "If this is supposed to be museum about Duel Monsters, then why are there so many ancient-looking items here?"

"Yeah, what's up with that?" asked Flash Sentry. "What's the connection between these artifacts and a trading card game?"

Before another word could be said, Rainbow Dash suddenly spotted someone else in the room that she immediately recognized. "Hey guys! Look!" she said to the rest of the group while pointing ahead. "It's Gilda!"

The others looked in the direction that the athletic teen was pointing, and sure enough, they saw the dark-skinned girl from Griffonstone High School looking at some ancient stone paintings. Standing next to her was a smaller teenage boy. It was none other than Martin, the nerdy student that had once been possessed by Number cards until Sunset and Gilda managed to break the cards' control over him. It appeared that he was speaking with Gilda and showing her some of the artifacts on display.

"You're right, Dashie!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "And Martin's with her, too!" Without hesitating, the silly pink teen ran towards the two of them, calling out, "Hey Gilda!! Martin!! Over here!!!"

The two Griffonstone students glanced over to see Pinkie running towards them, along with the rest of Sunset's companions. Smiling, Gilda said to them, "Oh! You guys! Good t' see ya here!"

The rest of the group soon joined Pinkie Pie in order to greet their friend from another school. "Same here, Gilda." Rainbow told her. "I didn't know your school was comin' here too."

"Well, it wasn't exactly a planned trip..." the Griffonstone girl told them. "There's a gas leak at school, so we all came over here to the Duel Museum while it's gettin' fixed up."

"I see..." Sunset told her. "Well, in any case, it's good to see you two again."

Pinkie then walked over to Martin and asked him, "How've you been, Martin? Has Gilda been treating you well?"

"Y-yeah, she has actually." the slightly timid boy responded. "She's kept me safe from all of the other bullies at school, just like she said she would..."

"It's not that hard, actually." Gilda remarked. "I made it very clear to everyone at Griffonstone that I wasn't going to let ANYONE pick on him. And since no one at school wants t' get on my bad side, they got the message, crystal-clear."

"Gilda's been real good at helping me out, so I decided to help her out with her schoolwork as a way of saying thanks." Martin added. "We've had regular study sessions ever since, and her grades have improved tenfold!"

"Yep, Gramps was pretty shocked by how great my last report card was, I was praying that he wouldn't have a heart attack after seein' it." Gilda noted.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you guys have become such good friends with each other." stated Sunset. "And I'm glad I was able to help you two out back then."

Twilight looked at the dark-skinned girl and said to herself, "So that's what the Gilda in this world is like..."

"You know her, Twi?" asked Applejack, overhearing the young Princess.

"Sort of; I've met her counterpart in Equestria." answered the purple girl. "But the last time that I saw her, she acted liked a total jerk to everypony when she came to visit Rainbow Dash."

"Well, I know she was that way when we first met some time ago, when Fluttershy faced her in the Inter-school Duel." Rarity mentioned. "But after Gilda lost, she seemed to have seen the error of her ways and wanted to change."

"Hmmmm, that's interesting..." Twilight stated. "I heard something similar to that when my world's Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie met her again during a trip to the village of Griffonstone. They said that, after their meeting, they were able to help Gilda learn to make new friends and change her ways... And that happened a short while ago as well; I'm even willing to bet that it might have happened at the same time your world's Gilda changed as well."

"Wow... that's amazing..." noted Fluttershy. "And kind of... bizarre."

Twilight then walked over to Gilda and said to her, "Um... hello, Gilda. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Sunset and the others told me about you."

"So you're that Twilight chick I've heard about from the others here." noted the Griffonstone girl. "Pleased t' meet ya." she then greeted, shaking the purple girl's hand.

"Um, same here, Gilda." replied Twilight. It was a bit awkward speaking so kindly to someone that, in her own world, was remembered only for the bad things that she had done. However, she knew that her world's Gilda had decided to change, and either way, this Gilda was, for the most part, totally different. Therefore, she remained polite to her and shook her hand. The young Princess then turned over to Martin and asked him, "You seem to know a lot about the things in this room; could you explain to me how these artifacts are connected to a modern-day card game?"

"Sure! I was just explaining it to Gilda before all of you came by." the boy replied. "I'd be happy to tell you all about it as well!"

"That's great!" cheered Twilight as she got out a notebook and pencil. "In that case, explain away! And don't leave out ANY details!"

"Um, s-sure..." Martin replied, sweating a little. He then walked over to a sign placed in front of the display that he and Gilda were standing next to and began reading off of it. "Around three to five thousand years ago, Egyptian kings played a game of great and terrible power. According to ancient manuscripts and hieroglyphics, Pharaohs and sorcerers alike cast all sorts of spells and curses, and summoned powerful monsters to fight each other in these ancient contests. Many competed for wealth, power, fame... some even believed that the winners of these contests may have earned the right to rule the entire world."

"Woah, wouldn't that be something, huh?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Indeed..." Rarity chimed in. "If I had that sort of power, I would give all of my subjects only the best things to wear every day! No more dirty, poor rags for anybody if I were to rule the world!"

"Well, if Ah ruled the world," Applejack told her. "Ah'd open up a whole mess o' farms in every country all over so that everybody could make a livin' off of the land!"

Twilight was pretty interested in what Martin had said so far. "So you're saying that people here believe that competitions such as this really happened?" she asked him.

"That's what it seems..." the Griffonstone boy answered. "But there's more: As time passed, all sorts of horrible things began to happen with those involved with these contests... Many consequences came to those who lost these games; ranging from serious injury... to losing their very souls. For these reasons, these contests were unflatteringly called 'Shadow Games'."

"O-o-oh... my..." Fluttershy whimpered. "That sounds scary..."

"So what happened next?" asked Gilda. "You were about t' tell me before Sunset and her friends showed up..."

"Well, eventually... these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world." Martin explained, still reading off of what was written on the display's sign. "It was said that a powerful evil emerged from the shadows in order to bring about an apocalypse... This evil being nearly won, but just when all seemed lost, a brave and powerful Pharaoh locked the evil magic away for all eternity, imprisoning it within the seven Millennium Items..."

"The what items?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Pointing up to the slab behind the reinforced glass window, Martin told them, "See those carvings? Those are the only remaining pieces of evidence that prove that the Millennium Items existed."

The rest of the group looked at the detailed stone carvings and saw that there were seven objects pictured upon it: A pendant that seemed to resemble a three-dimensional pyramid puzzle, a set of scales, an ankh-shaped key, a ring with a pyramid shape in the center with five needles attached to it, a small, eye-like sphere, a necklace, and a rod.

"They say that these Millennium Items held the magic that allowed the ancient Pharaohs and priests to summon monsters to fight alongside them in battle." stated the nerdy Griffonstone boy. "However, despite repeated archaeological expeditions to the tombs of Egypt, the items have never been recovered... at least not recently, that is."

"That sounds very interesting," Twilight stated, "and it does seem like there are some similarities to this and the card game... But there's still a whole lot of questions I have that still puzzle me about all of this."

"Well, work is still being done in trying to figure out whether or not the legends of the Shadow Games are true..." Celestia stated. "However, whether the stories are myths or not, there is no denying that the Duel Monsters card game was inspired by these ancient tales and creatures."

Luna, along with her older sister, began to head forward towards another room. "If you'll follow us, we can show you more of the story of how Duel Monsters was created." the dark blue woman told their group.

"But of course, Vice Principal Luna." Rarity responded. "Let us go immediately."

"Martin n' I are just gonna hang over here for a bit." Gilda told them. "Why don't we all meet up over at the Food Court after we're finished?"

"Sounds good to me!" Rainbow Dash replied. "See ya then!" Everyone waved goodbye to each before the group departed, leaving Gilda and Martin alone to continue glancing at the artifacts on display.

Celestia and Luna led the others into another room, and the group immediately took notice of a statue depicting a tall human man with silver hair - some of it covering his left eye - and wearing a bright red suit. Surrounding him were many small monsters, all of which were various creatures depicted on Duel Monsters cards.

"Who is that supposed to be?" asked Twilight.

"That's Maximillion Pegasus." Applejack answered. "He's the creator of Duel Monsters."

"Hold on..." the purple girl began to say after hearing the name of the man. "His last name is-?"

"Yeah, I know." Sunset interrupted. "It weirded me out a little when I heard it myself."

Walking over to the signpost that had been placed next to Pegasus's statue, Celestia began reading off of it out loud: "In Pegasus's early days," she said, "he was a very well-known artist, and many of his early works were upon canvas. He was a very skilled painter, and he had a great passion for his talent."

"I can tell; these paintings certainly do look impressive..." stated Sunset Shimmer as she looked at a painting nearby the statue, which showed a picture of a blond-haired woman wearing a blue dress decorated with many pink bows.

"And mysterious..." noted Rarity. She was looking at a painting of what appeared to be a young boy with dark skin, clothed in long, white robes. Around his neck was a thick, brown string with a gold object dangling down from it. The object seemed to look exactly like one of the carvings on the stone slab that Martin had shown them earlier.

"Pegasus's father was a manager of many casinos and was immensely wealthy." stated Luna. "When Pegasus inherited his father's fortune, he wished to use that money in combination with his artistic talent in some way. He started by opening up his own gaming company, Industrial Illusions, in order to do just that. Then, not too much longer after that, he learned about the ancient legends of the Shadow Games and had traveled to Egypt many times in order to learn more about them. In time, Pegasus became so impressed by the ancient contests, that he decided to recreate the game for modern times."

"Pegasus then devoted all of his time and talent towards creating his new game." Celestia continued. "He wanted to perfectly capture the spirit of the ancient Shadow Games, but not their perilous outcomes. In other words, he wanted to craft the game in the form of something much safer that anyone could enjoy. After over a year of blood, sweat, and tears, Pegasus had finished his work, and Duel Monsters was born."

"Wow, that's amazing..." noted Twilight, still jotting down notes in her notebook, wanting to make sure that she wouldn't forget anything she had learned so far.

"Ah remember that Zecora told us about somethin' like that a couple days ago..." noted Applejack. "Ah'll admit, it seemed a bit far-fetched t' me at the time, but now, after hearin' all of this... Ah'm startin' t' wonder if all these rumors r' true..." Sunset wondered the same thing herself; for some reason, a reason that even she wasn't sure of, she seemed to think that these legends of the ancient Shadow Games were indeed truth.

"In order to create enough hype for the game," Luna then told the students, "Pegasus personally trained many skilled people to help make Duel Monsters the mega-hit that it was destined to be. He gathered together gaming experts, skillful artists, and many others to help create new cards for his game and mass-produce them for the public. He even trained the first generations of Pro Duelists at his island castle home."

"Oh yeah, I actually recall hearing about all of that..." Flash Sentry spoke up. Moving over to a set of photos that were part of the museum's Pegasus display, he then told everyone. "Pegasus traveled all over the world, searching for people that he thought would help Industrial Illusions, as well as the Duel Monsters card game, continue to prosper for many years to come. He specifically chose young orphaned children with talents that only Pegasus seemed to recognize and crafted them into some of the best designers and competitors in the whole world."

"That sounds awfully nice of him to do that for those poor little orphans..." Pinkie replied, happy to hear about that.

"But why'd he wanna go through all of that trouble?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well," Flash continued to explain, "they say that the reason he went looking for so many people to help him was because he had no children of his own to inherit his company on the day that he would pass away. He just wanted to make sure that his dream would continue on even after his journey ended."

"Oh my... I suppose that makes sense..." said Fluttershy.

Twilight then looked at the photos of people that Flash had been glancing at himself while talking about what he had known about the creator of Duel Monsters. Pointing to the four pictures on the display, she then asked the boy, "So... are these people here some of the orphans that this Pegasus guy tutored?"

"Yep. Sure are." Flash confirmed. He then pointed to two men that looked very much alike to each other. The one difference was that one had pink hair and the other had green hair. "These two are the Tenma Brothers; Yako and Gekko, the ones with the pink hair and green hair, respectively." he explained. "Pegasus trained them both to run the Industrial Illusions Asian offices. There, they produce the Duel Monsters cards in Asian languages such as Korean and Japanese, as well design new cards for the game in all languages. In addition, the two of them were very skilled Duelists, among some of the best in the world."

Flash Sentry then pointed to another pair of photos, showing two more young men. The one that was displayed on Flash's left had large, spiky hair and wore a large jacket with a fuzzy collar, along with a black shirt underneath and a pair of long pants. On his arm was a large, mechanical device that was colored jet-black. The photo to the right showed a man with a slightly empty-looking expression. He had short, black hair that really only covered the top of his head and a little bit of the back. His outfit consisted of a typical shirt and pair of long pants, both colored black as well, and the bottom of the shirt was opened up, showing off his midsection a little.

"Now these two guys here are among the most powerful Duelists that Pegasus tutored." Flash Sentry explained. "From left to right, they are Richie Merced and Depres Scott. What makes these two guys famous is that they were the most powerful members of an elite team of Duelists called, 'The Card Professor's Guild'."

"Card Professor's Guild?" asked Twilight, stopping her note-taking for a moment. "That sounds pretty big."

"They were, Ms. Sparkle." Celestia told her. "The Guild consisted of thirteen powerful Duelists, each with powerful Decks and strategies that were difficult to overcome. But Richie and Depres were the top two members, Richie being ranked #1. Some say that they were even the founders of the thirteen-strong guild, though they have never truly confirmed it."

"Thanks to all of the people that Pegasus trained, along with word of mouth, Duel Monsters became a smash hit practically overnight." Luna stated. "And it continues to grow in popularity to this very day, with people of all ages and regions enjoying the card game in their own way."

"I see..." Twilight replied, amazed at how much history there was to this game. "All of this is very interesting so far..."

"Well, if you think that's impressive, then you'll definitely wanna see the next room." stated Rainbow Dash. "C'mon! Let's go and see it!"

"Okay, we're moving already, Rainbow Dash...!" Sunset told her. "Believe me, we all want to go and see it."

"See what?" asked Twilight.

"Be patient, Twilight; you'll see soon enough...!" Pinkie Pie told her in a high-pitched tone of voice as they all walked into the next room.

The next section of the museum was incredibly large and full of all sorts of large exhibits. The things in the room that stood out the most were quite interesting to behold: One of the exhibits was what appeared to be a large, glass box with a doorway leading inside of it. Inside the glass box were a table and a pair of chairs. Connected to the steel base that the box sat upon were a pair of metal tubes that ran across the floor (passing by a sign that read, "Watch Your Step", placed so that no one would trip over it by accident) and hooked up to a medium-sized generator. The other object was even bigger and took up almost the entire space of the room. It appeared to be an arena of some sort with a pair of tall podiums on either side of it, one colored red and one colored blue. Placed on each corner of the arena was a large post with all sorts of reflective mirrors built on the tops of them. On both the left and right sides of the arena, the number "15" was printed in black.

"What the...?" Twilight began to say, gasping at the sheer sizes of the box and arena that were set up in the room. "What are THOSE things??"

"Those, Ms. Sparkle," started Luna, "are the birth of the Virtual Duel."

"The glass box-thingy on the right is called a Battle Sim Box." Rainbow Dash told her purple-skinned friend. "And the even bigger thing is a Virtual Dueling Arena."

"These devices were built in order to replicate real monster battles whenever two players competed in a game of Duel Monsters." Celestia explained. "They were the by-product of a partnership between Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corporation."

"Kaiba Corporation?" asked Twilight. "Sunset mentioned something about that company before we got inside the museum. But what is this company exactly?"

"Perhaps I might be able to enlighten you with that sort of information." said a voice that sounded both British and feminine. When the others turned to look, they saw that Octavia Melody and her friend Vinyl Scratch had approached them.

"Octavia! Vinyl! Good to see you both again!" Rarity greeted them.

"Same here." said the sunglasses-wearing teen as Rainbow Dash approached her. She and Dash performed a high-five to greet each other. "Always great t' see ya guys again."

Octavia then walked over towards Sunset Shimmer in order to speak with her. "So, how are you feeling, Octavia?" the red and yellow girl asked.

"Much better, actually." the cello player replied. She then said to her, "Ms. Shimmer, I want to properly thank you for helping me when that strange card caused me to act in such an uncouth manner... As much as Vinyl may get on my nerves from time to time, causing harm to her is something I would never want to even THINK of doing..."

"Hey, don't mention it, Octavia." Sunset responded. "I was just doing what anyone else would have done." She then told the sepia-skinned girl, "Anyway, since you're both here, perhaps you can help Twilight out; she's just learning how to play Duel Monsters, and she came to the Duel Museum with us in order to learn more about it. So, do you think that you and Vinyl can lend her a hand?"

"Sure. I suppose that it's the least that I can do for what you've done for me." Octavia replied with a nod. Turning back towards the large box and arena in the room, she then explained, "You see, Twilight, Kaiba Corp is one of the biggest gaming companies in the world. They have created all sorts of gaming platforms, arcade attractions, and even theme parks, all across the globe."

"However," Vinyl butted in, "their biggest-selling products are the virtual devices that are used to play Duel Monsters, such as the Battle Box and Virtual Arena."

"And those Duel Pad things as well?" inquired Twilight.

"Yeah, those too." the electric blue-haired girl confirmed. "Kaiba Corp's partnership with Pegasus's company pretty much brought out the best in both of them, and they became household names in an instant!"

Octavia then went on to tell them all, "The Battle Box and Virtual Arenas were invented by Kaiba Corporation's CEO at the time: Seto Kaiba." She then pointed to another display on the side wall and told the group, "That is a picture of him, on that wall."

The others looked at the detailed mural with wide eyes. The figure in the wall painting appeared to be a teenage boy with short, brown hair. He wore a black shirt and pants, the latter of which was held up with a belt that had the letters "KC" engraved on the buckle. Over top of the outfit, the figure wore a large, white coat with a red-colored velvet interior stitched inside. Strapped onto his left arm was a medium-sized, metallic device. His facial expression and pose showed off a great amount of power and authority.

"Oh wow..." said Fluttershy, trembling a little. "I'm glad that's just a painting... I'd be too scared to move or even speak if Kaiba were really standing there in front of me..."

"I wish I could get the name of his tailor..." Rarity noted. "That outfit is simply ravishing!"

Twilight then looked at the device that Kaiba had on his arm and asked, "Is he wearing a Duel Pad in that picture?"

"You're close, Twi." Applejack answered. "But that thing's actually the D-Pad's predecessor: The Duel Disk."

"Duel... Disk?" asked the young Princess. "But... it doesn't look like a disc at all..."

"No, but the prototype version of the device WAS, in fact, disc-shaped." Octavia told her. Walking over to a long glass case, she then motioned the rest of the group to follow. They all saw that, inside of the case were all sorts of devices that looked similar to the Duel Disk that was painted in the mural.

The cello-player then pointed to the first of the devices, positioned on the far left, showing that it was indeed circular. Several other Duel Disks were in the display as well, including the one painted in the mural. Others included a green-scythe-like one that was called the "Chaos Duel Disk", four rounder Disks that all looked similar to each other, though some had bits of color on certain parts that consisted of either red, yellow, or blue. Next to those four was another Disk that had a more rectangular shape to it, but seemed to operate in a similar manner. Last, but not least, on the far right, was a standard-color Duel Pad, with a Duel Gazer laying next to it.

"All of these varieties of Duel Disks, as well as the Duel Pads that we use today, are all products of Kaiba Corp, and each one is more powerful, more efficient, and more realistic-looking than the last." Octavia told them.

"That's amazing..." Twilight said, staring at the machines in the case. "It's pretty neat to see how something such as this has progressed and evolved over the years..." She then asked, "So... seeing as how that picture of this Kaiba person shows him wearing one of these things, it's safe to assume he was a Duelist, too?"

"You've got it, Twilight." Vinyl answered. "In fact, Kaiba was one of the best Duelists of his time. His specialty was using high-attack monsters to overwhelm his foes in battle. His favorite cards for that job were his famous Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Back then, it was the monster to beat, and not many people were able to defeat it, let alone survive an attack by it."

"Wow..." said Twilight. She then recalled that the outside of the museum that they were in was built to look like the Blue-Eyes, according to Sunset Shimmer. She remembered that just the face of this dragon startled her a little when she first laid eyes on it.

"That being said," Octavia told the group, "there have been a handful of Duelists that were able to not only face the Blue-Eyes in battle, but even managed to vanquish it. And one of those Duelists is being presented in a display in the adjacent room."

"Really?" asked Twilight. "Then I think that we should go and check it out, then."

"That's what I was thinking." Sunset chimed in, agreeing with her inter-dimensional friend.

"Octy and I already looked around that section, so we'll just stay put right here, if that's okay with you guys." Vinyl told them.

"No problem at all." Applejack responded. "After we're all done, y'all wanna meet up with us over at the Food Court? Two other friends of ours are gonna meet us there, and well... the more, the merrier, right?"

"Sure. That's cool with me." the sunglasses-wearing DJ replied. "That cool with you, Tavi?"

"Sounds good to me." Octavia agreed.

"Well, then we'll see y'all later." the farm girl told them. "You two go off n' enjoy yerselves."

"Same to you, Ms. Applejack, and your friends as well." the cello player told them, waving goodbye as they headed off into the next room.

After Twilight, Sunset, and the others left, Vinyl then asked, "Hey, Octy?"

"What is it, Vinyl?"

"I was wonderin'..." the young DJ began, "those guys might be a while in the next room..." She then glanced up at the large Virtual Arena as she spoke. "And since this thing's supposed t' be in perfect working condition, whad'ya say about a Duel with me?"

"A Duel? With you?" asked Octavia in slight surprise. "That sounds like a great idea, seeing as how patrons are permitted to try out the arena free of charge."

"Sweet!" cheered Vinyl. "Then let's get going right away!" In a flash, the electric blue-haired girl ran towards the red podium and the lift carried her all the way up to top. Octavia calmly entered the blue podium on the other side. Before long, some of the students from both Canterlot and Griffonstone took notice and stuck around to watch their game.

The two friends placed their Decks down as the virtual projectors activated automatically. Once they were ready, they both shouted to each other, "Let's Duel!!"

Twilight and Sunset's group walked into the next section of the museum together, a section that was arguably the most popular area of the facility. And due to the fact that many students and patrons were congregating in this room, it was an assumption that had a lot of merit. Inside the room were three more large exhibits, each one complimented with a gigantic wall painting.

The group of ten strolled over to the nearest display first, where a picture of a short, spiky-haired boy was shown on a portion of the wall right next to it. He had large, youthful eyes, and wore what appeared to be a school uniform, consisting of a shirt and pants that were both colored a deep blue. The boy wore a golden pendent with a small, eye-shaped emblem on the front of it that was connected to a chain around his neck. On his left arm was a Duel Disk that looked just like the one that could be seen in the large mural of Seto Kaiba.

Walking up in front of the large painting on the wall, Celestia told the rest of the group, "To start off our tour of this room, I can think of no better way to do so than by introducing Duel Monsters' first major champion." Gesturing her left hand towards the mural, she then announced, "Students, I present to you The King of Games himself, Yugi Muto!" Sunset and the others oooohed and ahhhhed at the sight of the legendary Duelist pictured before them.

Walking over to the sign posted next to the mural, Luna read off of it, saying, "Back in his generation, Yugi had the makings of a true champion: He was the first Duelist to ever defeat Seto Kaiba in Duel Monsters, as well as the first one to pull off the instant-win combo with the five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One - both accomplished in the same Duel!"

"Wow... he really beat someone like him?" asked Twilight. "That Kaiba person looked very tough in his picture, but you say that this other guy beat him, just like that?"

"That's right." the Vice Principal answered her. "And it was because of that accomplishment that he was recognized as a strong Duelist by Maximillion Pegasus himself. So strong, that Pegasus personally invited Yugi to compete in one of the biggest Duel Monsters competitions ever thrown: The Duelist Kingdom Tournament."

"Duelist Kingdom?" asked Twilight, interested in learning more.

"The tournament was held on Pegasus's private island; the one that we had mentioned earlier." Rarity told her friend. "The Duelists competed with each other in order to determine who would be able to enter his castle and duel Pegasus himself for the Championship."

"From what I've heard," added Flash Sentry, "the tournament took place all over the island, utilizing a special rule that allowed certain Monster Types to become stronger depending on the field that they battled upon. Many believe that Duelist Kingdom's special field rules would eventually inspire the creation of Field Spell Cards."

"I see..." Twilight noted. She then asked, "And I can only assume that this Yugi person won the whole tournament?"

"He sure did." Sunset answered her. "He made it into the castle and went on to win the finals. Afterwards, he would then compete in an epic Duel against Pegasus. Despite the man's near-limitless knowledge of the game's strategies and overwhelming number of cards at his disposal, even he proved to be no match for Yugi. As a token of his accomplishment, he won the prize money of $200,000. Of course, since Yugi was from Japan, that money would translate into around three million yen. It was also said that Yugi was allowed one request of Pegasus as an additional prize, but what he asked of the man was known only to him and Pegasus."

"Not too long after that," Celestia chimed in, "Yugi would go on to compete in another major Duel Monsters tournament, this time hosted by Seto Kaiba. It was called 'Battle City', because the competition took place all over Yugi's hometown of Domino City. The announcement of the tournament coincided with the release of the first mass-produced Duel Disk system."

"So what was this tournament like?" asked Twilight. "What was the prize for winning?"

"Quite a grand prize..." Luna told her. "Every Duel that took place in Battle City was an Ante Duel, in which each player bet one of their cards before starting the game. And whoever won the Duel was allowed to take the card bet by the loser."

"Wow... those Duels sound pretty rough." said the young Princess.

"They are, Ms. Sparkle." Celestia replied. "Not many Duelists play with an ante rule because there are often discrepancies over which cards are considered to be equal in value. Because of the possibility of fights or arguments involving an Ante Duel, Luna and I saw fit to outlaw those types of Duels on school grounds..." Glancing over at Sunset, the Principal then added, "...WITH the exception of the Duels involving Number Cards that Ms. Shimmer participates in, of course."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." agreed the purple teenager. She then asked, "So what else went on during this tournament?"

"Well, just like in Duelist Kingdom, players had to compete against one another in order to earn a spot in the Battle City Finals." Luna explained. "Only eight Duelists would get that honor, and the road to the finals was not an easy one. Especially because many of the competitors were not exactly... well, 'honorable' Duelists."

"How so?" asked Twilight.

"Because those competitors were members of a criminal organization called 'The Rare Hunters' or 'Ghouls'." answered Celestia. "They were called Rare Hunters because they were expert thieves that would, and could, steal all sorts of rare items to sell illegally on the Black Market. As for why they had gotten their other identity as Ghouls, it was because their tactics for stealing rare items often involved considerably despicable acts."

"However, of all the items that they had been known to steal, rare Duel Monsters cards were their favorite targets." Luna added. "As for why this is so, many believe that, due to the overall smaller size of the cards, they were easy to obtain and transport, not to mention being virtually untraceable. But they didn't stop there; they were also known to create counterfeit cards to flood the markets and make them even more money, while also hurting the gaming industry as a whole."

"That's horrible...!" gasped the young Princess. "It's scary to think that there are individuals that want to do something so terrible just to earn a quick bit!"

"You said it, Twi." Rainbow Dash said with a nod. But then she smiled and added, "Luckily, after Yugi defeated their leader, Marik, at the end of the Battle City Finals, the Rare Hunters were totally disbanded. Since then, they've never been heard from again."

"That's a relief..." said Fluttershy, still trembling a little after hearing about the Rare Hunters.

"Not only did Yugi succeed in disbanding the Rare Hunters by winning the Battle City Tournament," Celestia told them, "but he also was able to obtain the three rarest, and still most powerful, cards in the entire game: The Egyptian God Cards."

"God Cards?" asked Twilight. "What are they?"

Applejack walked over to a large computer touchscreen that was set up near the mural of Yugi. "You can learn more about 'em over here, by scanning through Yugi's Virtual Deck." she told the purple teen.

"Virtual Deck?" the young Princess inquired.

"It lets y'all look through a Duelist's entire Deck and see what they used back then." the farm girl answered her friend. "Using this system to showcase a Duelist's Deck is much safer than havin' the ACTUAL Deck on display; there was a report that Yugi's Deck had once been stolen from an event held at one'a the Duel Academy schools, an' since then, the Virtual Deck System was set up so that nothin' like that would ever happen a second time."

"Makes sense to me, I suppose." agreed Twilight. "After all, if were I Yugi, I probably wouldn't like to hear that my whole Deck had been stolen..." Walking over to the screen, she then asked, "Okay, so where are these God Cards on here?"

"Here, lemme help ya out..." the orange-skinned girl said, walking over beside her Princess friend and tapping on the screen. After a while, the images of three cards showed up on the computer display: Their names were Obelisk the Tomentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra.

The rest of the group walked over in order to take a look at the digital versions of the one-of-a-kind God Cards. "Oh my..." said Rarity in astonishment. "They're absolutely amazing...!"

"Yeah..." agreed Rainbow Dash. "What I wouldn't give to have even just ONE of those cards in my Deck..."

"Even though they're just digital scans of the real cards," Sunset chimed in, "I can still feel a great amount of power just by looking at them..."

"So what happened to the cards?" asked Twilight. "Are they still with Yugi?"

"Some think so." Celestia answered. "Others say that Industrial Illusions reclaimed them in order to study their powers. Others say that the cards were eventually destroyed... But no one knows for sure which rumor is true, if any of them."

"What IS crystal-clear is that, God Cards or no God Cards, Yugi was one of the best Duelists of his time, perhaps one of the best overall." Luna added. "He essentially became the perfect example of what the ultimate Duelist should be: Strong, smart, but above all else, having faith in their cards and always believing that no challenege is too difficult to overcome."

"Wow... that's pretty inspiring." noted the young Princess. "And he also sounds like he would make for a good friend, too."

Celestia then led the group away from the exhibit of Yugi Moto and told them, "Yugi's legendary Duels inspired many others to follow in his footsteps, and that reason, among many others, is why the Duel Academies were built. They, too, were a product of Kaiba Corporation, and the idea for them came from Seto Kaiba himself." Stopping next to another mural, she then said, "Attending one of the first Duel Academy schools was another legendary Duelist. And his name was-"

"Jaden Yuki!" interrupted a young-sounding voice. Sunset's group looked over at where the voice had come from, seeing that it had come from a young boy with brown skin and dark orange hair with peach-colored streaks. He wore a red and white-colored beanie on his head with a little green propeller on the top of it. He wore a black shirt that showed what appeared to be pixel art of a man brandishing a powerful whip while fighting against a vampire, along with a pair of jeans and sneakers.

"Hiya, Button Mash!" greeted Pinkie Pie. "Good to see you!" Looking at his shirt, she then asked him, "Oooooh!! Is that a Castlevania T-shirt?"

"Uh huh!" replied Button. "It's one of my favorites! Yesterday, I was wearing my Gradius shirt, so I figured that I'd go with this one today."

"No way! You have a Gradius shirt?!" asked Pinkie excitedly. "I've never even SEEN one before!! You've gotta show it to me someday!"

"Um... hate to interrupt," Rainbow Dash began, "buuuuuut are we gonna continue the tour here, or are you guys just gonna sit there n' geek out all day?"

Realizing that they were holding up the others, Pinkie Pie and Button Mash stopped their conversation short. "Oopsie... sorry, Dashie." the pink girl told her while rubbing the back of her head in slight embarrassment. "You know I just can't help myself sometimes..."

Sunset walked over to Button Mash and said to him, "I had a feeling that you'd be over here at this exhibit, considering who that exhibit's about." Looking up at the wall mural, they saw a picture of another young boy with short, brown hair. He wore a red blazer and light grey pants, complimented with a pair of red and black shoes. On his arm was a Duel Disk that looked differently from the one Yugi and Kaiba had on in their paintings. It had a much rounder, smoother appearence to it, and there were parts along the rims that were red in color instead of silver, like the rest of it.

"You know it!" Button replied. "Out of all the Duelists out there, Jaden Yuki's my favorite! I know just about everything about him!"

"Oh you do, do you?" asked Luna with a smile. "In that case, perhaps YOU'D like to talk about him and enlighten us all about your favorite Duelist?"

"Sure, Vice Principal Luna!" the little boy replied. Turning back over to the mural, he then told them all. "Jaden Yuki attended one of the very first Duel Academies that Kaiba built. He got in by winning an entrance exam Duel, in which his opponent was actually one of the strongest Duel Instructors that worked there!"

"You mean... he managed to defeat a teacher at the school he was trying to get into at the time?" asked Twilight. "That's incredible!"

"I think so too!" said Button Mash excitedly. "Jaden was able to get into the school, and from there, he began winning Duels left and right, even managing to do well against some of the highest-ranked Duelists in the world! The way he used those Elemental HERO cards, the way he was able to think quickly on his feet every time he competed in a Duel; it's reasons like those that made me want to learn more about him and become a great Duelist, too!"

Looking at some of the items in the glass case next to the painting, which included a circular, golden pendent, along with what appeared to be a key of some sort, Luna then asked, "Say... about this Jaden person; wasn't he involved in some of the incedents that arose at that Duel Academy? I seem to remember some things about Sacred Beast Cards... or something called the, 'Society of Light'..."

"I've heard about them, too..." noted Fluttershy. "What are they about...? If you don't mind me asking..."

"Oh yeah, those things. Yeah, he was there at the time." answered Button Mash. Looking at a sign posted in the exhibit, he told them, "According to reports by the school's chancellor, a group of shady Duelists had invaded the island in order to claim a set of cursed Duel Monsters cards, known as the Sacred Beasts. The cards' magic was so great, they had to be sealed deep under the school and locked up tight. Although the group's leader had managed to release the Sacred Beasts temporarily, Jaden was able to defeat them and prevent their powers from causing harm to the world."

"Sounds interesting..." said Flash.

"What about the other thing that Luna had mentioned?" asked Rarity. "That light society thing, I mean."

"Well, apparently, there was this really strange man that was putting together some sort weird cult or something that he called the Society of Light." Button Mash answered. "According to rumors, he was trying to brainwash the whole school or whatever to eventually take over the world, or something like that."

"Hmmm... brainwashing every student at school with a weird magic spell in a plot to take over the world..." thought Rainbow Dash. Glancing over at Sunset, she added, "Now doesn't sound sorta famil-"

"Don't even start..." Sunset replied, a little miffed at Rainbow's comment.

"I'm just messin' with ya..." the cyan girl told her. "Lighten up a little, already." The red and yellow girl just groaned a little in response.

Button Mash then continued talking, telling the group, "Anyway, this weirdo tried to hijack an entire space satellite so that he could take over the minds of lots and lots of people! But Jaden used his Elemental HEROs to stop his plans and rid the guy of the power that controlled him! Or something like that."

"What happened after that?" asked Twilight.

"Well, from what I've heard," the boy replied, "at some point, Jaden had decided to drop out of the academy in order to travel around the world. But although he had never officially graduated from Duel Academy, he earned a reputation as one of the most powerful Duelsits of all time, inspiring a lot of new players to try playing Duel Monsters, just like Yugi did before!" Looking back over at the mural of Jaden, he added, "And I wanna be just like him one day!"

"That's perfectly fine and all," Celestia told Button Mash, "but just make sure that you don't emulate his study routine... or rather, the lack thereof."

"Uh, yes Principal Celestia..." Button responded, nodding his head.

"So where to next?" Twilight then asked the Principals.

"Well, there's one more famous Duelist to talk about in this room," stated Luna, "and he's right nearby this exhibit. If you would please follow my sister and I, we can continue on." The rest of the group nodded and said goodbye to Button Mash before heading to the next display.

Sunset and the others stopped in front of one more wall painting; the third one in the room. The mural was of a young man with spiky, black hair with yellow streaks. He wore a blue jacket with orange shoulder pads over top of a black shirt with a red circle design printed upon it. He wore a pair of navy blue pants, with orange knee pads sewn onto them, along with a pair of brown boots. On his face was a yellow line mark that rand down from his left eye all the way down to the left side of his chin. Just like in the murals of Kaiba, Yugi, and Jaden, this person also wore a Duel Disk. While it looked similar to ones that Kaiba and Yugi wore, there were a few notable differences, as if it had been slightly modified. Behind the young man was a large, red motorcycle that was quite impressive-looking.

"Students," Celestia began, "this exhibit is about one of the more relatively recent Duel Monsters champions, and I'm sure that a few of you here might already know who he is..."

"Well, duh... of COURSE we know that guy." said Rainbow Dash. "I mean, who HASN'T heard of Yusei Fudo, the greatest Turbo Duelist of all time?"

"Turbo Duelist?" asked Twilight. "What's that?"

"Well, durin' Yusei's time in the spotlight," Applejack explained to her purple friend, "a new type of Duelin' was introduced." Pointing to the object behind Yusei Fudo in the mural, she asked Twilight, "Y'all see that big motorbike in the picture?"

Twilight nodded her head yes to say that she did.

"That thing-a-ma-jigger's called a Duel Runner, or a D-Wheel as they're also known by." the farm girl answered. "Y'see, durin' a Turbo Duel, Duelists drive these motorcycles at super-high speeds, while at the same time playin' their cards and attackin' their opponents."

"So," the young Princess began to ask curiously, "you're saying that people were playing card games on motorcycles?"

"CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!!" Pinkie suddenly screamed in an excited tone. Everyone else, including the other patrons that were looking around, just stared at her. Once she realized that everyone had their eyes on her, Pinkie then blushed a little and said, quietly, "Um... sorry about that. You were saying, AJ?"

"Um.... yeah, anyway... as Ah were sayin'." Applejack continued, "the Duel Runners provided some of the most realistic Duelin' experiences ever designed at the time. Usin' a power called Ener-D, they could focus that energy into their monsters' attacks, creating a force known as 'Sense'. This Sense power increased the impact of the Duelist's attacks, among other things. But it's difficult to explain exactly what Sense is, since that power behaves differently for each Turbo Duelist."

"I see..." Twilight responded. Pointing to the picture, the young Princess then asked, "So how did this Yusei guy get into it?"

"Well, it's actually very interesting." Celestia answered her. "Yusei Fudo's journey towards becoming a legendary Duelist was a literal rags-to-riches story."

Picking up from where her sister left off, Luna told the group, "Yusei grew up in an area known as Satellite, a slum area that was located not far from New Domino City. Of course, as you would expect from the more well-off citizens of the city, they did not think too highly of the people in Satellite, considering them to be second-class... or perhaps even lower."

"Well, that doesn't sound fair at all..." Twilight noted. "Why should anyone be looked down upon or hated just simply because of where they were born and raised?"

"Well, Yusei thought that it wasn't fair either." Celestia told her. "So he made it his mission to end that prejudice forever and give the people of Satellite hope for the future. And his powerful Deck and Duel Runner were the means to achieve that lofty goal."

"Yusei gained a reputation as the strongest Duelist in all of Satellite." Sunset Shimmer told her inter-dimensional friend. "No one could beat him, not even the Sector Security agents that patrolled the slums. With the power of his Deck and his Duel Runner, Yusei was able to expose the reason why the higher-ups in New Domino were oppressing the citizens of Satellite."

"And what was that reason?" asked Twilight.

"Well, apparently, there were these sinister Duelists that called themselves the 'Dark Signers'." answered Luna. "They established themselves as the mortal enemies of original Signers, who wielded the powers of six dragons."

"Wait, I remember:" the purple teen interrupted. "Celestia had mentioned something about that a short while ago, when we saw that statue in the foyer."

"That's correct, Ms. Sparkle." the light-pink woman told her. "Yusei's Stadust Dragon was proof that he was one of the Signers, who had direct access to a legendary power, which also took the form of a dragon: The Crimson Dragon."

"It was the power of the Signers, their dragon servants, and the might of the Crimson Dragon that had defeated the Dark Signers' titanic beasts, the Earthbound Immortals." Luna then explained. "These horrible creatures, and their dark power, lay hidden underneath the town of Satellite for years. Some even say the door to the Netherworld had been formed there as the result of an accident that caused a great amount of destruction." Smiling, she added, "But luckily, thanks to Yusei and his allies, the Dark Signers were defeated and the whole world was saved from the threat of the Earthbound Immortals."

"And because of his heroism," Celestia chimed in, "Yuesi became highly respected by both Satellite and New Domino, and the prejudices between the two cites was over at last. A good thing, too: Because he would need their support to combat other threats that would plague the city, such as the terrible Meklord Emperors and their masters... And a being that was known only as Z-ONE."

"That sounds amazing..." said Twilight.

"And inspiring." Rarity added. "Yusei showed the whole world that anyone has the potential to do good and become a success. Where you were born, or what your background is, are not factors that determine who can become great and who cannot. It's what you are on the inside that truly matters."

"I can certainly agree with that." said the young Princess. Looking up at the three murals of Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei, she then told her friends, "I'm glad that I was able to come and see this place, as well get into playing Duel Monsters. After learning about the game and the people that made it so great, I'm even more excited to start playing it again!"

"Glad t' hear ya say that." Applejack said to her. "Even though people may think of Duel Monsters as just another card game, or a way for someone t' make quick cash, to many people, especially these three Duelists, it meant a whole lot more. They saw the true magic n' passion of the cards in every Duel they competed in or witnessed."

"You've got that right, Applejack." Sunset responded, agreeing with her orange friend. "And not only that, they always did their best to enjoy every Duel they played... even the ones where the world's fate was dependent on the outcome. And I like to believe that those thoughts are the reason that they became the legends they were meant to be."

Just then, the entire group began hearing grumbling sounds coming from nearby. They all looked around, but couldn't find anything. Then, when the sounds emerged again, they all looked over at Fluttershy, who was clutching onto her stomach. Looking up at all of the others, she said in her usual shy tone, "Um... I'm sorry... I guess I'm a little hungry, that's all... I haven't had much to eat yet today..."

"Yeah, me neither." stated Flash Sentry. "I could go for a quick bite to eat right now, myself."

"In that case, why don't we all head over to the Food Court?" Celestia suggested, glancing at her watch. "After all, it is around lunchtime right now."

"Sounds good to me, Sister." Luna agreed. She then asked the students, "What do all of you say to that idea?"

"I say let's go right now!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"First thing I'm gonna do is find the All-You-Can-Eat Dessert Buffet!" cheered Pinkie Pie, eager to get some food in her belly. "Let's go!!" The rest of the group nodded and headed out of the room that they were in.

The gang of ten eventually made their way to the Duel Museum's Food Court, where many of the students had gathered together in order to have lunch with each other. There were all sorts of stands selling many different types of food and drinks. Finding a pair of large, circular tables, the group sat down, taking turns to head off towards the food stands to get something to eat. Sunset, Twilight, and Fluttershy got an extra-large garden salad at one of the stands to enjoy together. Applejack and Pinkie Pie headed over towards the All-You-Can-Eat Dessert Buffet table and each got something from there; Applejack got herself a slice of apple pie (naturally) to go along with a six-inch sub sandwich with ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pepper that she picked up earlier. Pinkie, on the other hand, got herself SEVERAL slices of different flavors of pie, including (but not limited to) cherry, blueberry, lemon meringue, pumpkin, pecan, and even rhubarb.

Applejack, holding her tray full of food, which also included a cup of pink lemonade, looked over at her pink friend and asked her, "Um, how're y'all managin' to carry all eleven of them pie plates at once?" The silly girl had one plate in each of her hands, one on top of her head, and the remaining eight she balanced on her her arms; four plates on each of them.

"Years of practice, AJ. Years of practice..." Pinkie told her, not offering much more explanation than that.

Rainbow Dash was in a hurry to have something to eat, so she got a quick meal of two hot dogs, fries, and a bottle of water at the hot dog stand. Rarity got herself a plate of pasta with rich tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, topped off with a sprig of parsley on top. Flash Sentry got himself a ham and steak sandwich from the same sandwich stand that Applejack had gotten some of her food from earlier, while Celestia decided to have something small, settling for bowl of vegetable soup with some Italian bread on the side. Luna, however, was in the mood for something a bit bigger, ordering a pair of Sloppy Joes for herself.

Celestia glanced over at her the meal her sister chose and asked her, "You really got that, Luna? Doesn't that seem a bit much?"

"Of course I did." the dark-blue woman said, answering the question in a tone that made it seem as if the answer was obvious. "What I wish to ask is why you only ordered a tiny bowl of soup and nothing else."

"Well, we can't ALL be able to eat as much as we want and still have a small waistline..." the light-pink woman replied, hinting a little at the fact that she was a bit jealous of her younger sister being able to do just that.

Once everyone had sat down with their meals, Sunset then said to Twilight, "I'm glad that you liked coming to the Duel Museum as much as we did." Taking a quick bite from the salad that she was sharing with Fluttershy and the young Princess, she then added, "And I can tell from your face alone that you're really that psyched to Duel again as you said you were."

"I sure am!" Twilight answered before taking a bite of the salad herself. "I'm still not sure how well I'll do in my next game, but I'm determined to keep at it until I can be the best that I can be!"

"That's great to hear, darling." Rarity said to the purple girl. "And as long as you remember to enjoy yourself during that time, that's all that really matters."

"Of course, Twilight'll HAVE to start winning soon if she plans on stopping those meanie Number cards from causing a world crisis!" Pinkie Pie noted.

"Pinkie, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Applejack informed her. "No sooner. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to not put any pressure on Twi before she starts duelin' again."

"Oh... I'm sorry." the pink girl replied, twiddling her thumbs.

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie." Twilight told her. "I was nervous about that sort of thing even without you mentioning it... But I don't think I really need to worry about something like that too much. I mean, yeah, it'll be scary once I finally go up against somepo- er, somebody with a Number card, but I can't let something like that frighten me from trying. I just have to remember everything I learned here today, and what I learned from hearing about all those powerful Duelists; no matter how tough a situation may seem, I have to find the courage to push forward and believe that I can do it."

Fluttershy smiled a bit and said to her, "That's what everyone else told me when I had to compete in the Inter-school Duel; I was scared at first, but I was able to tough it out, thanks to all of the support my friends and the rest of the school gave to me... And I know that you'll do the same, Twilight. And we'll all be right there with you, to face these things together..."

"Thanks, Fluttershy." the young Princess told her, smiling as well. "That means a lot."

At that moment, five other people showed up at their tables to meet with the group. They were none other than the other people that Sunset and the others had talked to during their tour: Gilda, Martin, Vinyl, Octavia, and Button Mash. "Hey, guys... we're here." Gilda told them all. "Sorry it took us a while; Martin wanted to be sure that I got all the notes I needed from the exhibit that we were at."

"It's true..." the Griffonstone freshman replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Eh, no big deal." Rainbow Dash told them casually. "All that matters is that ya got here. So sit down already." The five of them nodded and joined the others at their tables.

Luna then glanced over at Vinyl and Octavia, who had sat down next to her and Celestia. "I noticed that, as we were leaving," the Vice Principal began to tell the up-and-coming DJ, "you and Ms. Melody had a Duel. How did it go?"

"...Don't ask." Vinyl grumbled softly.

"Oh, don't be a sore loser, Vinyl. It doesn't make you look good." Octavia told her.

"Easy for you to say; you whupped me." the electric blue-haired girl responded. "How the heck Sunset beat you last time, I'll never know..."

Gilda sat next to Rainbow Dash and said to her, "Hey Dash, I nearly forgot to remind ya with everything's that's happened..."

"Remind me of what?" asked the cyan teen, taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Well, if you click on your D-Pad, they're gonna show the live stream of the Regional Turbo Duel Finals right now." the Griffonstone girl told her.

Rainbow Dash nearly gagged a bit on the water that she had been drinking after hearing that. "Aw crud! I forgot about that!!" she exclaimed. "I marked it on my calendar so that I wouldn't forget to watch it!" In a hurry, she got out her Duel Pad and switched it on.

"Turbo Duel Finals?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, they're going on right now as we speak." Sunset told her. "Why don't we all check it out and pass the time?"

"Sounds good to me." stated Celestia as she got out her Duel Pad, which was different from most of the others, as it was oval-shaped instead of rectangular, as well as being orange in color. Luna got out her oval-shaped D-Pad as well; hers was navy blue-colored.

"Sure, it might take my mind off of getting beat in a Duel earlier..." Vinyl Scratch said as she and Octavia switched on their Duel Pads, along with everyone else. After a few minutes, everyone had the tournament live stream displayed on their screens.

"Alright! We didn't miss anything!" Rainbow said happily. "They're just gettin' started right now!" The others watched their screens to watch the Duel that would soon take place.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the announcer declared loudly to the audience in attendance. "Welcome, one and all, to Cloudsdale Stadium here in our own city of Canterlot! In just a few minutes, the Regional Turbo Duel Finals will begin! It has been an epic tournament so far, but of the thirty-two competitors that participated here, only two remain!"

On the large racetrack in the center of the gigantic stadium, there were two people, each standing next to an elaborate-looking motorcycle. The first one was a young man with sky-blue skin, just like Rainbow Dash's skin color. He had short, dark blue hair and bright green eyes. He wore racing gear that was mostly blue and decorated with yellow lightning bolts, along with an emblem of a smaller lightning bolt with white wings attached to it. He had on a pair of cobalt-blue finger-less gloves and a pair of black shoes. He carried a dark-blue helmet that had the same winged bolt emblem on either side of it, along with a wing-like protrusion put on top of it. His motorcycle, which was the same color as he was, had the appearance of a Pegasus, with a horse head on the front, a pair of large wings on the side, and a tail on the back end.

"Presenting, on the right," the announcer said, referring to the sky-blue man, "we have a dynamite Duelist who aced his way through the tournament with little trouble. Not surprisingly, this young man has become the favorite to win the competition. So let's all give a warm, Cloudsdale Stadium welcome to Soarin, member of the elite Turbo Dueling team, the Wonderbolts!!" The audience cheered loudly to show their support for him.

Next to Soarin was another young man with crimson-red skin and short, blond hair. He had a bandage underneath his left eye, and wore a blue and white-colored jacket, along with a pair of blue jeans and white sneakers with red on the soles. He stood next to a mostly-red motorcycle, though it wasn't as highly decorated as Soarin's. The red male seemed to scowl a little at his opponent as the announcer continued. "On the left is his opponent, hailing from Skyes Duel Academy... I present to you the Dueling Jock, Chet!" There was an applause from the audience, but it was nowhere near the praise that Soarin had gotten, making the red-colored man grumble a bit.

Soarin then looked over at his opponent and said to him, "So... you ready to get this going? Or are ya gonna turn tail and run?"

"Grrrrr... I ain't gonna run from someone like you, Soarin!" Chet told him angrily. "And after I whup you in this Duel, I'LL be the one getting all that praise from the audience instead!"

Soarin sighed a bit and told him, "Look, you may think you're hot stuff, but Dueling's much more about the passion for the game than about getting fame and fortune. I've fought lots of people like you in the past, Dueling only for their own selfish reasons, but none of them could ever beat me."

"Pffft! What-EVER, buddy." replied the red-skinned male, not really caring about what his opponent had to say. "Let's just get this goin'! I've got a Duel to win!"

The sky-blue Duelist sighed and said to him, "Suit yourself..." The two of them then put their helmets on and got onto their motorcycles.

Soarin then pressed a button on his vehicle, causing a tray similar to the ones seen on the Duel Pads to emerge. "Duel Mode Engaged..." said a female-sounding computerized voice. A screen then lit up, showing a digital display of the opposing field. Chet then did the same on his vehicle.

"The Duelists have engaged their Duel Runners and are ready to start!" the announcer declared. "So let's get this Duel started!!"

"DUEL!!" shouted both Soarin and Chet as they revved up their bikes and zoomed forward.

"In this Turbo Duel, just like with all of the others in this tournament," explained the announcer, "the Duelist who reaches the red line before the first turn gets to make the first move! And it appears that these two are fighting tooth-and-nail just to take the initiative!"

It was true: Both Chet and Soarin were neck-and-neck as they approached the red-painted line ahead of them. In the end, Chet managed to pull ahead and cross the line first. "Looks like I've got the first move!" chuckled the red-skinned Duelist (Chet: LP 4,000).

"Hmmm, not bad." Soarin replied casually. "I'll have to admit: you're pretty fast on that thing." (Soarin: LP 4,000)

(Grrrr... he's still messing with me!) thought Chet. (I take the lead, and he doesn't seem like he could care less!) Grumbling, he then shouted, "Whatever! After I smash you into the pavement, maybe THEN I'll get the respect I deserve!"

(Don't worry, you'll get that. I guarantee it...) Soarin thought, smirking a little.

Looking over his hand, Chet then announced, "I'll kick things off by Summoning X-Head Cannon in Attack Mode!!" The red Duelist's first monster was a blue and yellow-colored robot that floated in the air, wielding a pair of strong cannons (X-Head Cannon: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"Then, I'll play the Continuous Spell, Frontline Base!" Chet then told to his opponent. "Now once per turn, I can Special Summon one Union Monster from my hand that's Level 4 or lower!" Taking out another card from his hand, he then said, "So now I'll bring out my Y-Dragon Head!!" His second monster was a red-colored dragon robot that flew through the air on its lightweight metal wings (Y-Dragon Head: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1600).

(Ah... so this is your strategy... I see.) thought Soarin.

"And now I'll Summon Z-Metal Tank!!" Chet shouted, putting a third monster card onto the field. This robot was also robotic in appearance, colored yellow with a small body attached to a pair of large tank treads (Z-Metal Tank: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1300).

"Wait a second," said Twilight as they watched the Duel on their Duel Pads, "how did he do that? I thought you can only Normal Summon once per turn."

"In a normal ground Duel, yes." stated Gilda. "But in a Turbo Duel, there's a special rule that allows the player that's in the lead to Normal Summon twice each turn."

"That's right, Ms. Gilda." Celestia chimed in. "That's one of the reasons why expert use of the Duel Runner is equally as important in a Turbo Duel as the actual Duel itself." Twilight found the information very interesting as she continued to watch the game.

"And now, I banish my three Machine monsters in order to Summon my ace card!!" Chet shouted as he removed the three monsters he had just Summoned and placed them into his deck box. "XYZ-Dragon Cannon!! Crush this wimp into dust!!"

The red Duelist's three monsters then docked onto on another, connecting to each other and combining their individual powers into a single, super-powerful entity. After their merging, a pair of cannons came out of Z-Metal Tank, ready to fire at anything that moved and turn it into vapor.

*******************************

XYZ-Dragon Cannon
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2600)

"X-Head Cannon" + "Y-Dragon Head" + "Z-Metal Tank"
Must first be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by banishing the above cards you control. (You do not use "Polymerization".) Cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. You can discard 1 card, then target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target.

*******************************

"And there it is!!" shouted the announcer. "The monster that helped carry Chet all the way to the Finals, and he managed to Summon it right on his first turn!"

"Yeesh, buddy... going all-out right from the get go?" asked Soarin. "Didn't anyone tell you that patience is a virtue?"

"Say what ya want, jerk... but this Duel's mine!" Taking a card from his hand, the red-skinned Duelist announced, "I equip my Dragon Cannon with the Gravity Blaster Spell Card!" After playing the card, a pair of silvery-gray blasters attached themselves onto each of his Fusion Monster's cannons. "Now, once per turn, I can raise my Dragon Cannon's attack power by 400 permanently! Which I'll do right now!" At that moment, the blasters energized his monster with bolts of orange light, making it more powerful (XYZ-Dragon Cannon: ATK 2800 + 400 = 3200). "Now just TRY and get past him, buddy!" Chet taunted.

"Heh... better watch what you wish for, kid." Soarin warned his opponent while keeping his smile. "You just might get it." He then placed his fingers on his Deck, ready to draw. "It's my turn!" he shouted as he drew his card.

(Peheheh... not even a Wonderbolt can take down my Dragon Cannon, especially since I got it out right on my first turn!) Chet thought, feeling oh-so-sure of himself. (This game's over!)

Soarin looked at the card he drew (Hmmm... Ego Boost...) he thought to himself. He then looked at the rest of his opening hand and said to himself, (With this hand I can... Yes! I can!) Placing his drawn card into his hand, he took out a different one and said, "First, I play the Spell Card One for One, which lets me Special Summon a Level 1 monster from my hand or Deck by sending another monster from my hand to the Graveyard!" After sending one of his cards to the Graveyard, he then announced, "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Jet Synchron from my Deck!"

Soarin's first monster was a white-colored jet rocket that flew down from the skies above before taking its place besides Soarin's Duel Runner. The cone attached to the front of the engine's turbine had a pair of red eyes, and even had a pair of arms and legs built onto it, which folded out once it showed up on the track (Jet Synchron: Level 1 / ATK 500 / DEF 0).

"So what? That puny thing can't fight my Dragon Cannon!" Chet informed his foe.

"Yeah, but my monsters never fight alone!" Soarin told him. Taking out another card from his hand, the sky-blue Duelist shouted, "I Summon another Tuner! Come on out, Junk Synchron!!"

A second monster then emerged from a blue portal that materialized itself beside Soarin. It wore orange armor and what appeared to be a pair of glasses. A white scarf was around its neck, and it had a "hat" that appeared to actually be a discarded metal pot (Junk Synchron: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 500).

"After Junk Synchron is Normal Summoned," Soarin explained, "his effect lets me revive one Level 2 or below monster from my Graveyard!"

"But that won't work!" Chet argued. "I couldn't have possibly sent any of your monsters to the Graveyard yet! It's only the first turn!"

"Hmmm, you don't get it, do you?" asked the sky-blue Duelist. "Did you forget that I had to send one of my monsters to the Graveyard in order to activate One for One?"

"Urk!" The red male had forgotten that his opponent had done that earlier, or more accurately, wasn't really paying much attention.

Pulling out a card that emerged from his Graveyard slot, Soarin shouted, "I Special Summon Speed Warrior in Defense Mode!" After placing the card on the field, a violet portal formed next to Junk Synchron. Out of the portal came a man wearing silver armor and racing on a pair of inline skates (Speed Warrior: Level 2 / ATK 900 / DEF 400).

"No way!" Chet gasped, not believing what was happening. "You got three monsters out, too?!"

"Yeesh, buddy... what d'ya take me for?" Soarin asked rhetorically. "I'm not even close to being done yet!" Looking at his hand once more, he then added, "Since I've got a Junk monster out on my field, I can bring out THIS guy! Go, Junk Servant!!"

The sky-blue man's fourth monster was a short, red-armored person (its gender wasn't known). It emerged onto the field, placing itself besides Junk Synchron (Junk Servant: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"Unbelievable!" shouted the announcer. "Soarin was trailing behind when this started, but now he's managed to Summon even MORE monsters than Chet has! I'd be worried if I were him!"

"Yeah! He's gonna do it!" cheered Rainbow Dash, getting excited.

"Uh, what IS he going to do?" asked Twilight.

"Just watch." Sunset instructed her. "You're about to get your first look at a Synchro Summon!"

"Synchro-what?" asked the purple teen.

Pointing up into the air, Soarin then cried out, "I tune Jet Synchron, Level 1, to Junk Servant, Level 4!!" The jet engine monster then began to glow as it transformed into a small, white light that flew into the air, coming back down as a green ring that surrounded the other monster. It then transformed into four more balls of light within the ring (Level 1 + Level 4 = Level 5). "Clustering stars fuel the jets that pierce the heavens! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Soarin. "Synchro Summon!! Come forth! Level 5! Jet Warrior!!"

The ring and light spheres were then engulfed by a column of light. When the light vanished, a monster with black armor now appeared on the sky-blue Duelist's field. It looked very much like a small jet plane, having a pair of smaller jet engines instead of one larger one. It's arms and legs looked much stronger than Jet Synchron's and it seemed more than capable of battle (Jet Warrior: Level 5 / ATK 2100 / DEF 1200).

"Hmph, that guy's nothin'!" Chet told his enemy. "His attack points are way lower than my monster's!"

"That doesn't matter, because I'm using Jet Warrior's effect!" Soarin informed his opponent. "By successfully Synchro Summoning him, I can target any card you've got on the field and return it to your Deck!"

"HUH?!? What'd you say?!" asked the red-skinned Duelist, shocked.

"I'll use the effect to send your XYZ-Dragon Cannon back to your Extra Deck!!" Soarin declared. In an instant, Jet Warrior flew up in front of Chet's powerful monster and revved its turbines in reverse, sending high-speed gusts of wind towards it. Despite its weight, the wind was powerful enough to blow it right off of the track and out of sight. As a result, the card it was equipped with was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, leaving nothing left on Chet's side of the field.

"Aw, C'MON!! I just Summoned him!!" the red-skinned Duelist complained with a slight whine.

"That's how things go in the Pro Leagues, kid." Soarin informed him. "But I'm not quite finished yet!" Raising his hand into the air again, he shouted, "Now I tune Junk Synchron, Level 3, to Speed Warrior, Level 2!!"

Junk Synchron then grabbed a small, green handle built onto its armor and pulled the cord it was attached to. This caused the monster to glow and transform into a trio of lights. They flew up into the air and came back down as three green rings that surrounded Speed Warrior and turned it into a pair of light spheres (Level 3 + Level 2 = Level 5).

"Gathering wishes, pool into my engines and propel us towards victory!" the sky-blue male chanted. "Race towards our dream with unparalleled speed! Synchro Summon!! Accelerate! Level 5! Accel Synchron!!"

Once more, a column of light emerged and out of it came a red motorcycle that rode beside Soarin's Duel Runner. Twilight looked at the second motorcycle and saw that it looked EXACTLY like the one in the painting of Yusei Fudo. Then, the bike jumped into the air and transformed into a robotic creature, forming arms and legs, with parts of the motorcycle becoming its armor. It then floated in the air beside its controller, ready for action (Accel Synchron: Level 5 / ATK 500 / DEF 2100).

"Another Synchro Monster..." said Chet, sweating a little. Shaking off his uneasiness for a moment, he then said to his foe, "So what?! Even if they both attack, I'll still have some Life Points left!"

"That's where you're wrong, kid." Soarin told him, still smirking. "I've still got one more move to make, and it'll show you just how much difference there is between our skill levels!" Pointing to his newly-Summoned monster, he then explained to his opponent, "You see, Accel Synchron is a very rare type of card; it's not just a Synchro Monster... it's ALSO a Tuner Monster!"

"What?! That can't be!!" protested Chet.

"Oh my goodness..." Octavia said as she and the others watched. "A Tuner Synchro Monster... I've heard of them, but I have never SEEN one before..."

"Simply astonishing...!" Rarity added, also in awe. "What does he plan on doing with it, I wonder?"

"Just watch, guys; you'll see." Rainbow Dash told them all.

"Now..." began Soarin, "I tune Accel Synchron, Level 5, to Jet Warrior, also Level 5!!" The motorcycle monster then transformed itself back into its vehicle mode and sped forward, glowing with an intense light. It then split into five pink-colored lights that shot ahead in what seemed like an instant. After that, five red rings came from BEHIND Soarin, surrounding his other Synchro Monster, making it appear as if the lights did a lap around the world in only two seconds. Jet Warrior then began glowing a bright red before splitting into five small, white lights as well (Level 5 + Level 5 = Level 10).

Chet looked behind him and saw that his opponent was right on his tail and gaining on him. "Huh?! How's he moving this fast?!" the red male screamed, getting more worried by the second. He tried to move as fast as he could, but he couldn't shake the sky-blue Duelist off his trail.

"Gathering power that dwells inside my fist, transform into a will that can shatter even steel!" Soarin chanted loudly. "Become the path its light shines upon! Accel Synchro!!" As he said those words, after-images of him began to form behind him, creating an impressive display. "Appear, Level 10! Stardust Warrior!!"

After the end of his Summoning Chant, there was a blinding flash of light that filled the stadium. When the light vanished, a powerful, towering giant now flew beside Soarin. The man wore armor that had a dragon-like appearance to it, colored white and silvery blue, and was even complimented with a pair of large, mechanical wings. The warrior's helmet looked almost like a spaceship, and it brandished a pair of large fists that looked like it could smash just anything.

*******************************

Stardust Warrior
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/WIND/Level 10/ATK 3000/DEF 2500)

1 Tuner Synchro Monster + 1 or more non-Tuner Synchro Monsters
During either player's turn, if your opponent would Special Summon a monster(s): You can Tribute this card; negate the Summon, and if you do, destroy that monster(s). During the End Phase, if this effect was activated this turn (and was not negated): You can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. If this card is destroyed by battle, or if this face-up card you control leaves the field because of an opponent's card effect: You can Special Summon 1 Level 8 or lower "Warrior" Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Synchro Summon.)

*******************************

"N-n-n-no way..." Chet said meekly, shuddering as he saw the powerful monster looming over his head.

"Awesome... An Accel Synchro Summoning...!" said Gilda, impressed by the move.

"Ah thought it was just a myth..." said Applejack.

"They're not, Ms. Applejack." Celestia told her. "Accel Synchro Summons are an advanced version of the typical Synchro Summoning. They can only be used when all of the Material Monsters are also Synchro Monsters, such as in the case of Soarin. They are not always easy to accomplish, but the results are often worth the trouble."

"Wow..." said Twilight in astonishment. "Just when I thought I'd seen everything in this game, it throws me another curve-ball..."

"That's Duel Monsters for ya." Sunset told her. "There's always something new around the corner, whether it's a new card or a new ruling."

Back at the Duel, Soarin took out one more card from his hand and shouted, "I now attack directly with my Stardust Warrior!!" As his monster gathered up light energy into its fists, the sky-blue Duelist played his next card and added, "And at this moment, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Ego Boost! This'll grant my warrior one thousand more attack points, putting its power just high enough to take out all of your Life Points in one attack!!" (Stardust Warrior: ATK 3000 + 1000 = 4000)

"WHAT?!? No WAY!!!" screamed Chet. He realized that he was indeed correct about the Duel ending quickly. He just didn't think that he'd be the one that would lose.

"Now!! Stardust Warrior, attack!! Cosmic Fist!!" The mighty warrior then clenched its fists, both of which were glowing bright white and thrust them forward. As he did, Soarin then began closing the distance between him and Chet, his Pegasus-like Duel Runner also glowing brightly. "Prepare yourself!" Soarin shouted. "You're about to be hit with the full force of my Sense!!!"

Chet sweated even more, having nothing to say as his opponent darted slightly off to the side and pulled ahead.

Speeding forward, Soarin then yelled, "Go!! CROSS SENSE!!!!" And with that shout, Stardust Warrior slammed it's fists right into Chet, knocking him and his Duel Runner for a loop and causing him to crash into a nearby wall. Though his gear, along with the durability of his vehicle prevented him from taking serious injury, his Life Points weren't nearly as lucky (Chet: LP 4,000 - 4,000 = 0) (WINNER: Soarin).

"And just like that, it's all over!!" the announcer declared. "With an amazing One-Turn-Kill, Soarin has won the Duel and the Championship!!"

"YEAH!! Soarin won the Duel!! I knew that other guy wouldn't stand a chance!" Rainbow Dash cheered.

"That was incredible!!" chimed in an astonished Twilight. "How did he manage to send the other player crashing into the wall like that?! I thought the monsters weren't real..."

"While the monsters are just Augmented Reality images," explained Martin, "the energy from their attacks react to the Ener-D power that helps fuel the Duel Runner. The impact from a Turbo Duelist's Sense energy becomes stronger or weaker depending on many conditions, such as speed, the strength of the monsters and their owners, as well as many other factors. Take what Soarin did, for instance..."

"What about it?" asked Vinyl.

"Well," the Griffonstone boy told her, "Before Soarin initiated his attack, he drove his Duel Runner directly behind his opponent's. That's because the air resistance is the weakest there, so it makes it very easy for him to accelerate."

"Ah, so that's why he was able to move even faster!" Button Mash realized.

"Exactly." Martin confirmed. "By driving his Runner into his opponent's Turbo Stream - the area right behind him - Soarin amplified the power of his own Sense in order to take him down."

"Hmmm... I think I get it." Luna responded. "By using the energy in the Turbo Stream, he made the most of that energy to strengthen his own Sense." She then asked, "What is it that he called it? 'Cross Sense'?"

"Ah think that's what he called it." Applejack answered, trying to remember.

"I thought so... that's why it sounded familiar." the Vice Principal replied. "Cross Sense is an incredible power that only one other Turbo Duelist had ever managed to master... and that was Yusei Fudo himself."

"Really?" asked Rainbow Dash. Thinking for a bit, she then stated, "Then again, it's a widely-known fact that Soarin's a huge fan of the guy... In fact, they say that he got into playing the game after watching all of Yusei's past Duels."

"Based on all of that," Celstia chimed in. "it appears that Soarin... could possibly be trying to become the next Yusei Fudo. In fact, Soarin's Deck seems to use many of the same cards..."

"Well, if he's tryin' to be like that Yusei guy, he's just gotten himself in a loooooong line of other Duelists wanting to do that same thing." Vinyl noted.

"Maybe, but I think he's got what it takes." stated Sunset Shimmer confidently. "It seems like he's made quite a bit of progress on it already, and he can only get better." She then glanced at the screen as Soarin happily waved to all his fans in the audience. Sunset then began to wonder how well she could do if she decided to give Turbo Dueling a try...

Sunset, Twilight and the rest of their friends, now joined by Gilda, Martin, Octavia, Vinyl, and Button Mash, later left the Food Court together to enjoy the rest of the tour. They eventually made their way to the section that Celestia and Luna had wanted to get to during the whole trip: The exhibit that showcased their former careers as Pro Duelists. Twilight and the others were amazed to see the exploits of their Principals during their dueling career. They spent quite a lot of time looking around the exhibit, while Celestia and Luna simply stood there, smiling as they looked at themselves on the wall murals and remembering how much they had enjoyed themselves back then.

Of course, no museum about Duel Monsters would have been complete without a gift shop that sold cards and other dueling supplies. Celestia and Luna took their group to the shop so that they could all purchase some souvenirs and some new cards. In fact, the two Principals allowed all of the students a gift of up to five Duel Monsters booster packs, which they would pay for (any additional ones had to come out of the students' own wallets). Naturally, the Canterlot High students were more than ready to accept the gift, and Griffonstone's Principal, Mr. Gruff, decided to do the same for his students as well. In the end, everyone from both Canterlot and Griffonstone High enjoyed their trip.

Once the field trip had ended, all of the students boarded the buses, heading back to their respective schools. Once all of Canterlot High's buses dropped off their students, Sunset and the others said their goodbyes for the day, promising to meet up again at school tomorrow. They went their separate ways for now, with Sunset and Twilight heading back to the apartment. The trip to the Duel Museum taught them a lot about the game, as well as many other things that they knew would help them in the future. And with many more Number cards scattered all over the city, they knew that they would need all the help that they could get...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 14: Eve of the Engine of Destruction:

Author's Note

This chapter introduces a new character, as well as a monster that many of you might already be familiar with. Just what do I have planned involving this newcomer? You'll just have to find out.

And if you do manage to figure it out, don't post spoilers in the comment section; send me a note instead. :raritywink:

RANK 14: Eve of the Engine of Destruction:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Although the battles against the Number cards and the Duelists that hold them are growing more difficult, Sunset and her friends still continue to fight the good fight. Now supported by their friend Twilight Sparkle, a Princess from another dimension, they have been able to deal with several of the Numbers' owners, which recently included a young boy named Shining Spoon, whose obsession with being a perfect chef created his Number card, Number 59: Crooked Cook.

Now, twelve of the Number cards have been collected between Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. However, Sunset knows that there are others out there seeking the dangerous cards as well, such as the Number Hunter, also known simply as, "The Doctor". Luckily, he is collecting the Numbers for the purpose of saving others, just as Sunset and her friends are doing.

But now, a new player in the war of the Number cards is about to emerge, and what their intentions are for collecting them is not yet known...

It was a slightly cloudy day on another Friday morning in Canterlot High School. It was pretty cool outside, so many students were wearing coats to shield themselves from the chilly air. Walking down the sidewalk together were Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, chatting with each other as they made their way to school.

Stretching her arms, Sunset let out a content sigh, saying, "T.C.I.F., am I right, Twilight?"

"You bet, Sunset." the purple teen responded. "As fun as studying in school is, there's just something about the upcoming weekend that just... well, makes you feel good inside." Taking out her Deck and looking at it, she continued, saying, "Of course, part of that reason might be because of that Duel I won earlier in the week. And because I did, we're one more Number card closer to stopping this problem with them all."

"I have to say, I'm impressed with how skillfully you played that Duel." the red and yellow girl informed her. "If there's one thing you're really good at, it's that you can pick up on things fast, such as how easily you were able to adjust to becoming a human. It took me a bit longer than two days to get accustomed to it."

"Well, don't sell yourself short, Sunset. You're one of the brightest individuals that I know, and I'm glad that I'm your friend." Twilight told her.

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset responded with a slight blush.

Twilight then looked ahead and changed the subject, saying, "Not that I don't enjoy walking, but I wonder why Pinkie Pie didn't show up to take us to the school?"

"She told me that she had something important that she had to do right away, and that she didn't have the time to come and get us." Sunset answered. She then looked ahead and saw Pinkie Pie, sitting beside CHS's horse statue, writing something down on a piece of index paper. "There she is, over there." the red and yellow girl added, pointing to her. Twilight looked over in the same direction before they both ran over to say hello.

The pink teenager glanced up when she sensed that someone was nearby. "Oh! Good morning, Twilight! Good morning, Sunnie!" she greeted them with a big smile on her face. "Sorry that I couldn't come over to pick you guys up, but I had something REALLY super-important to do today!"

"We understand, Pinkie." Twilight told her. "Besides, it's good to go out and stretch your legs out, even if you only have two of them." She then asked, "So what was it that you had to do? I'm a little bit curious, actually."

"Just writing a little letter to my pen pal, that's all." Pinkie answered.

"I didn't know you had a pen pal." Sunset told her. "Who is it?"

"The only person that truly understands me, inside and out." the pink teen replied. She then paused for a moment to write down the last little bits of her letter before putting it in an envelope. Once the letter was sealed away, Pinkie Pie then took the envelope... and pushed it against one of the mirrors on the horse statue, causing the letter to phase through it and enter the portal that Twilight used to come to their world.

This sudden action caught both Twilight and Sunset off-guard, as they weren't expecting it. "Did... you just send that letter into the magic portal?!?" Sunset Shimmer asked, not believing what she had just seen.

"Yeppity-yep-yep-yep!" the silly girl responded as if it was nothing.

Twilight then pondered this action in her mind, along with what Pinkie Pie had told them earlier, coming to a sudden conclusion. "Wait a second..." she began. "Then... are you saying... that your pen pal is-?"

But the pink teen interrupted her, saying, "Ooop! Hold on! I'm getting a response right now!" The three girls looked at the portal and saw a pink envelope coming out of it and falling to the ground. Pinkie then quickly took it, opened the envelope and read the letter aloud: "Dear, Pinkie Pie (the human one)... Thanks for the letter you sent! I'll definitely have to try that new cake recipe that you just sent to me! I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Cake will love it! Hope to hear from you again! Signed... Pinkie Pie (the pony one)."

Twilight and Sunset just stared at Pinkie Pie, then at each other, not making any sound at all. Finally, the red and yellow girl spoke up and asked, "So... are you saying that you're pen pals with the other you from my home world? How long's this been going on?"

"Since after the Battle of the Bands." Pinkie Pie replied. "I... kinda snuck a letter to me - um, her - in Twilight's backpack before she left, to tell the other me that we should write to each other."

"So that's it... I was wondering where that envelope came from..." the young Princess pondered. "But how'd Pinkie learn how to use the portal...? And how's she been using it without me knowing about it...? Hmmmm..." Instead of answers, all that Twilight and Sunset could come up with were more questions concerning this strange event.

But their thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice greeted them, saying, "Howdy, girls! Glad t' see ya!" The three of them turned around to see their friend Applejack, who had just parked her pickup truck into the student parking lot. Noticing the weirded-out looks that Twilight and Sunset had, the country girl asked them, "Um, are y'all okay? What's up?"

"Um, nothing really, AJ." Sunset replied. "We just found out who Pinkie Pie's pen pal was."

"Ya did? Who is it?"

"Um... we'll tell you about it later." Twilight responded, rubbing the back of her head.

Applejack wasn't sure what the deal was, but decided to worry about it later. "Well, anyhoo, did y'all hear the rumors about what's happenin' today?" she asked her friends.

"What rumors?" asked Twilight.

"Well, word 'round the school is that we're gettin' a new teacher today." the orange teenager replied.

"A new teacher?" asked Sunset. "Now that sounds interesting. Who are they?"

"Alls Ah know is that the teacher's a woman." Applejack told her. "Other than that, nobody here knows anythin' else about her."

"I just hope she'll be just as super-fun and cheery as Mr. Cranky-Doodle!" Pinkie Pie replied.

"Um... super-fun?" asked Applejack, confused. "Are ya sure we're talkin' 'bout the same Mr. Cranky?"

Twilight smiled a little and said to her friend, "Wow... a new teacher. You guys sure are lucky! I wonder what she's like..." Gasping in pleasure, she then asked, "Oh my! I wonder what she'll teach?! What will her lessons be like?! What kinds of homework would she give out?!? Oh my, I can't wait to see her!!"

"Calm down, Twilight. I'm pretty sure we'll all get to see this teacher soon, whoever they are." Sunset informed her otherworldly friend. "Believe me, I'm just as anxious to see what she's like, and I'm certain that we'll know who she is at some point today."

"Yeah, I guess so." the young Princess responded, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Speakin' of teachers, we'd better go and meet up with ours before the bell rings." Applejack suggested.

"Yeah! Let's get going, girls!!" cheered Pinkie Pie as they all walked into the school together.

As the four of them entered the school with their classmates, a lone figure standing beside a nearby tree watched them from out of their eyesight. After the girls went inside the building, the figure walked off on its own, heading for a destination that only it knew of.

A while later, after 1st Period, the voice of Vice Principal Luna was heard through the school's PA system. "Attention all students! Attention all students!" she announced. "Please make your way to the Assembly Hall immediately! I repeat: Please make your way to the Assembly Hall immediately!"

In but a few minutes, the school's Assembly Hall was fully occupied by every student in CHS. Naturally, Sunset and Twilight sat together with their friends. Two rows behind them, Flash Sentry sat down to converse with the male classmates that he was friends with. In that same row, Derpy Hooves sat next to one of her friends, Golden Harvest (a.k.a. Carrot Top by her close friends, including Derpy). As the two of them chatted with each other, the grey-skinned girl looked at the rows ahead of her, specifically the row where Sunset was sitting. Ever since the red and yellow girl had her Duel with The Doctor, of whom Derpy was an assistant to, the grey teen was instructed by him to observe Sunset and learn more about her. She wasn't yet ready to meet with her directly, but knew that she would have to talk with her one-on-one sooner or later.

On the stage, Principal Celestia rose up from a seat that she was sitting on and moved over to a podium in the center, preparing to speak to the entire student body, along with the teachers and staff that were all in attendance as well. "Attention, everyone! Attention!" she said, urging them to quiet down so that she could make her announcement. Once the students were silent, Celestia spoke to them, saying, "Thank you. I have called you all here today to make a wonderful announcement: As I'm sure you've heard, we are receiving a new member to the CHS family today, and I feel that it would be proper to give her the praise and attention that I feel she deserves. So please give a warm, Canterlot High welcome to our new history teacher, Mrs. K.!!"

The students applauded as a young adult woman walked towards the podium. She had very light-peach skin, silvery-blue hair that came down as far as her waist, and aqua blue-colored eyes. In her hair, she wore a barrette with eight yellow-colored jewels on it. She wore a tan-colored blazer and skirt, the latter of which had a square-patterned design along the hem, along with a silver pendant with small dragon wings around her neck. On her feet, she wore a pair of blue, high-heeled shoes with buckles on the ankle areas. The woman had a mysterious, but pleasant aura around her.

Celestia stepped to the side to allow Mrs. K to approach the podium and speak. "Thank you, Principal Celestia." she told her in a calm voice that was pleasing to the ears. Mrs. K then turned towards the students and said to them, "And thank you all for your generous applause. I must say, I am happy to see that the students of Canterlot High are as nice as I have heard. Although Canterlot High will be my first school in my new career as a teacher, I am sure that many of you might already know that I am a skilled historian and archaeologist. I have uncovered many amazing finds during my lifetime, and have chosen to come to your school in the hopes that I can present to you the fruits of my efforts."

"She's a historian...?" asked Twilight quietly. "That's really interesting..."

"Indeed..." Rarity whispered. "Mrs. K is quite the accomplished woman; though she has not been in her profession for very long, she has uncovered all sorts of amazing information, much of which has completely changed what we know about history as a whole...!"

"They say her knowledge of history is quite impressive... almost as if she was there to witness it all herself..." Fluttershy chimed in.

Mrs. K then continued her speech, telling the students, "As for why I have chosen CHS as my first school for my teaching career, it is actually quite simple: I am also aware that this school has a great interest in the game of Duel Monsters; after all, your Principal and Vice Principal were very accomplished Pro Duelists." Celestia and Luna blushed a little after hearing that comment about them. "Much of the discoveries that I have made in my work as an archaeologist have links to the modern-day card game that you play today. Of course it is common knowledge that Duel Monsters's origins lie in the ancient Shadow Games of Egypt, but since that discovery, many more details and findings have been unearthed to tell us more about what took place concerning these games, as well as the supposed crises that emerged from them. More information is needed to prove or disprove these theories, but we hope to find out more someday.

"But for now, let us move onto the matter at hand." the new teacher continued to say. "I will begin my lectures starting next semester, and anyone who is interested in attending my class is more than welcome to sign up. And I can promise that you will be very interested in what I have to teach, and I am very anxious to meet all of you individually." After she finished her speech, the students applauded as Mrs. K returned to her seat, sitting beside Vice Principal Luna.

Principal Celestia then returned to the podium and said to the new teacher, "Thank you, Mrs. K. I'm sure many of our students here will be very interested in the knowledge that you have to offer them." She then turned towards the students and announced to them, "On that note, for those of you who wish to attend Mrs. K's class next semester, please come and see either me or Luna at the soonest possible time so that you may sign up. This will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, so if you wish to attend, do not hesitate to come and see either of us, or you may miss your chance." Once she made that announcement, Celestia then finished things up, saying, "That is all for today; please make you way to your 2nd Period destinations for the day, and do not forget to come and see us if you wish to be in Mrs. K's class." The students understood what she had told to them, and after everything was said done, they all filed out of the Assembly Hall to go to their next class.

Over an hour or so later, by the time that Canterlot High's students had gone to either their 3rd Period classes or to the cafeteria for lunch, Mrs. K was in Principal Celestia's office, speaking to both her and Vice Principal Luna. In the few short minutes between 2nd and 3rd Period, there had already been a lot of students that had come by to sign up for the new teacher's class. "Well, I must say, you certainly won't have to worry about being short on students for your class next semester." Luna told Mrs. K. "We have met with many students so far that were interested, and I am certain that many more may show up... even though we have already reached the maximum quota allowed for your class."

"Indeed..." Celestia said with a heavy sigh. "I'm certainly not looking forward to having to tell anyone else that we won't be able to place them in your class; I'm certain that they'll be quite disappointed..." The principal then managed to form a smile and added, "On the brighter side, I have never seen such enthusiasm from our students for attending a new class."

"I agree, Principal Celestia." Mrs. K responded with a smile of her own. "It is obvious that many of your students are quite passionate about learning something new."

"That or it might be because you mentioned about how your lessons will supposedly relate to Duel Monsters." Luna pointed out. "That's probably the main reason that you have received so many requests in such a short time."

"Possibly." the blue-haired woman replied. She then asked Celestia, "Speaking of which, have either Luna or yourself arranged a list of who will be attending my class yet?"

"We have, as a matter of fact." the principal answered, pulling out a paper that she had printed out earlier, before speaking with the new teacher. "Here, you may take a look at it, if you wish to."

"Thank you." Mrs. K politely responded before taking the paper. She then looked over the list, which had the names of twenty-eight students that had signed up for the new history class. After looking through the list, one name caught her eye. "Hmmmm... interesting..." Mrs. K hummed. "This student here; Number 6... She wouldn't happen to be THE Sunset Shimmer? The one that I've heard is your school's strongest Duelist?"

"That's correct." Celestia confirmed. "She has certainly gained a reputation here at CHS; one that I'm sure she's actually proud to have. And it is not just here that she does well; Sunset has competed in many major tournaments here in the city, including the one that she had won last summer."

"Yes, I know. That is how I have heard of her." Mrs. K informed them. She then asked, "I... don't suppose you have a photo of her that you can show me, by any chance? I only ask because, while I have heard of Ms. Shimmer, I actually do not know what she looks like."

"Hmmmm..." Luna pondered to herself, thinking about the blue-haired woman's request. "A rather unusual request, but I do not see why not. After all, she will be in your class next semester, so it would do you good to know what she looks like... What do you say, Sister?"

"Well, I suppose it is okay." Celestia answered her younger sibling. The white-skinned woman then walked over to a secured file cabinet that was nearby her desk. Celestia then used a small key to unlock the cabinet and opened one of the drawers. Inside were files containing the permanent records of each student in Canterlot High School. "Let's see... Rover... Scootaloo... Scratch... Ah, here are are! Shimmer!" said the principal after searching through the files and locating Sunset's permanent record. Opening the folder, she then pulled out a large-sized photo of Sunset; it was one that the red and yellow girl had taken recently, evidenced by the fact that her smile was much more pleasant-looking compared to her previous picture, not to mention that this photo showed her wearing her key necklace.

"So this is Sunset Shimmer..." Mrs. K commented, looking over the photo. The woman then noticed something that made her gasp and nearly do a double-take. (What's this??) she thought to herself. (That necklace...! How did SHE come across the Emporer's Key??)

Noticing the slightly-startled look that Mrs. K appeared to have, Celestia asked her, "Is something wrong? You seemed surprised at something when you looked at that picture..."

"Hm? Oh! I-it's nothing." the blue-haired woman replied. "It's just... my friend's daughter, Bumblesweet; she has similar hair to this girl, that's all. Apparently, they seem to go to the same hairstylist. That's all. Nothing that important." Mrs. K then handed the picture back to Celestia.

"Okay then." Luna said to the new teacher as Celestia put Sunset's file away and locked the cabinet up tight. "My sister and I have some more work to do, concerning where your classroom shall be. We'll let you know as soon as we work things out."

"Very well then." Mrs. K replied. "Have a good day, and give my thanks to the school board for allowing me to have a class here."

"We'll let them know." Celestia informed her. "You have a good day as well." The new teacher nodded and got up to leave the office.

Hours later, the final bell had rung, signalling to the students that school was done for the day. Mrs. K was walking over towards her car, reading a book that she had with her when she heard a voice from nearby. "So, did you sign up for Mrs. K's class, Sunset? Because I did!" asked the voice, which belonged to Twilight Sparkle.

"Hm?" The young woman stopped walking upon hearing Sunset Shimmer's name. She glanced behind her and saw that Twilight, Sunset, and the rest of their friends were chatting with each other as they left the school building. Mrs. K stayed by her car and listened to what they were saying.

"I sure did, Twilight." Sunset Shimmer said to Twilight, answering her question. "I think it'll be interesting to see what she has to teach us." The red and yellow girl then asked the others, "What about you, girls? Did any of you sign up, too?"

"You bet I did!" Pinkie Pie answered with her usual enthusiasm. "I just know it'll be great!"

"Dash n' I signed up fer the class, too." Applejack told Sunset.

"We were actually the first ones to get to Luna's office." Rainbow Dash commented. "So I know for a fact that we'll get in, no prob!"

"Fluttershy and I decided to take the class, too." Rarity chimed in. Fluttershy simply nodded to say that what her violet-haired friend had said was true.

"This is great!" Twilight spoke up. "If all goes well, we'll be in a class together! I couldn't ask for anything better than that!"

"Me neither." Sunset added. "I can't wait for the next semester to start so that we can all see what the class is like together."

As the seven teenagers talked with one another, Mrs. K continued to watch and listen. As she did, the woman couldn't help but notice something about them that she couldn't really explain, as if there was something to them that set them apart from normal humans. That feeling was reinforced by the key necklace that Sunset Shimmer wore.

"So, whad'ya guys wanna do tomorrow?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Weeeeeeeeeell..." Pinkie Pie began, "I did hear that there's a new card store in town! Maybe we could all go check it out!"

"You mean that one down on Maiden Street?" asked Sunset. "I've been wanting to take a look inside, but I never found the time."

"Ah dunno..." Applejack began to tell the others, "Ah've heard some things 'bout that place, and they ain't good things. There's some rumors floatin' around that there's some crooked things goin' on in there."

"What kinds of crooked things?" asked Twilight.

"Nothin' that's been proven, mind you, but I heard rumors that people came outta that shop only t' discover that they ended up purchasin' counterfeit cards." the orange-skinned teen replied. "But again, that's just what Ah've heard."

"Oh my... that doesn't sound good at all..." Rarity commented.

"Um... then... maybe we shouldn't go there then..." Fluttershy recommended.

"Well, let's not jump to conclusions just yet." Sunset responded. "Just because there's rumors about something, that doesn't mean that they're true. I say we go over to that shop anyway, and if it ends up that we don't like it, then we don't need go back there anymore. What do you think?"

"Makes sense t' me." Dash responded, agreeing with Sunset, as did everyone else.

"Alright, then Twilight and I will see you all at the apartment building tomorrow." the red and yellow girl stated. "Let's say... um... no later than eleven?" The others nodded in agreement.

"Then I guess we'll see each other tomorrow then." Twilight said. "Have a good day, all of you."

"Same t' you two as well." Applejack replied with a smile. The seven of them parted ways, heading for home.

After the girls left the school, Mrs. K then thought to herself, (I have heard about those rumors as well... I wonder if they're true...?)

"I tell ya, I don't know what's wrong with it!" said the voice of a male teenager nearby. The new teacher glanced over and saw two boys walking out from the school's front entrance. The boy that had spoken earlier was Thunderlane, who was holding a Duel Monsters card in his hand. The boy that was with him was Flash Sentry. "I tested this card out on my Duel Pad, but it couldn't Summon the monster right!" he then added.

"It couldn't?" asked Flash.

"Nope. It couldn't." the jet-black teenager replied. "I know there's nothing wrong with my Duel Pad; I ran a test on it with some of my other cards, and they worked just fine! So why just this one??"

"Hmmmm..." hummed the yellow-skinned boy as he thought about the situation. He then asked his friend, "Where'd you get that card from?"

"This one?" asked Thunderlane. "I got it at that new card shop. Y'know; the one on Maiden Street?" When the boy said that, Mrs. K let out a slight gasp, as that was the same store that Sunset and the others were talking about earlier.

"...Could I see that card for a second?" Flash requested.

"Uh, yeah. Sure, Flash." the other boy replied, handing his buddy the card. "Here ya go."

Flash Sentry then took the card from Thunderlane and looked at it very closely. As he did, Mrs. K continued to watch the scene in secrecy. After about ten seconds or so, Flash returned the card and said, with a slightly solemn-looking facial expression, "I'm... sorry to tell you this, Thunder, but... I'm afraid this card's a fake."

"Huh?! Are you sure?!"

"I'm certain of it..." the yellow-skinned boy answered. "See, the color of the card frame is much paler than usual, the text doesn't seem to be written in the same font, and the hologram on the bottom-right corner doesn't look right... In fact..." Flash paused for a moment and used his pointer finger to scratch the hologram on the card, and was able to easily peel it off. "...just as I thought. The hologram shouldn't come off like that."

"I don't believe it! How could I not have seen that?!" asked a distressed Thunderlane. "Rrrgh!! Wait 'til I get my hands on that Smooth Talker guy! It's guys like him that give honest collectibles stores a bad name!"

"Now don't rile yourself up, Thunder. It won't do you any good to get this angry about it." Flash told him. "There's always the chance that he may not have known it was fake either. I'm sure if we went there and told the guy about it, he'd understand and give you a refund."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right." Thunderlane replied, calming down. The two of them continued down the sidewalk together, still talking about what had happened.

Mrs. K, however, was a bit suspicious after having heard the whole thing. (Perhaps there may be some merit to those rumors after all...) she thought to herself. (But what can I do about it?)

At that moment, a sudden force compelled the woman to reach into her purse and pull out a small white box. "Hm? What is it?" she asked, seemingly talking to the box. "...Mhmm... I see... I see... Very well then. I shall look into this matter tonight." She then put the box back into her purse, entered her car and drove away from the high school.

Later that night, in the middle of town, the owner of a small shop had just finished serving its last customer for the day. This was the shop that Sunset and her friends had talked about visiting the next day, the card store that was on Maiden Street. A young girl and her mother had exited the store after making a purchase for some Duel Monsters cards. "Thank you very much, Mister!" the little girl said, waving good-bye to the shop owner, who was an adult man with light grey skin, dark-green hair that was slightly spiked, and wearing a pair of tan overalls.

"You're very welcome... Please come again." he said to her in a slightly strained voice. But as soon as the mother and daughter had left, the man put on a sinister-looking smirk and said to himself, "Heh heh heh... another day, another sucker..." Walking over to the nearby cash register, he opened it and stared at all of the money that he had made during the day today. As his eyes sparkled with greed, he continued to say, "Those newbie collectors'll pay any amount of money for one of these cards when they think it's rare and valuable, just as I expected."

Keeping that mean-looking grin on his face, the man then continued to gloat to himself, saying, "Little do those morons know... those cards that they've been buying here aren't genuine; they're merely bootleg cards that I've made myself!" Taking out a card from out of a pocket in his overalls, he told himself, "I knew sooner or later that I'd make some profit out of those printing machines that I've 'borrowed' from the police station evidence lockers... Thanks to my buddy on the inside, I've been able to make use of those old bootleg card printers..." Looking at his card again, he then finished his monologue, saying, "But the real help came when I found this card, and got the whole brilliant idea in the first place! And thanks to this, I'll be even richer than Filthy Rich!!"

Just after he finished his bragging, the shop's front door opened up, indicated by the ringing of the bell placed above said door. "Hmmm??" the man grunted as he quickly pocketed away the card that he was holding before turning around to face the door. "Hey! We're closed already! Come back tomorrow!"

But the shop's visitor did not listen to the owner's words as they stepped into the shop and gently closed the door behind them. Once the figure stepped into the light, they were revealed to be none other than Mrs. K. Only this time, her pleasant smile was gone, replaced with a serious look that told everyone around her that she meant business.

"Hey!! Didn't you hear me?!" yelled the man. "I said we're closed!!"

"I heard you just fine." Mrs. K responded to him. "But I am afraid that the matters that I have to discuss with you cannot wait until tomorrow."

"Matters? Discuss? What're you talking about?!" asked the shop owner.

"I'm referring to matters that I'm sure you cannot afford to let leak out to the general public, Mr. Smooth Talker." she answered him.

"Huh?! How'd you know my name?!" asked the shop owner. "And just what do you mean by that?! Start making some sense!!"

"As you wish." Mrs. K then told him, "The matters that I mentioned earlier are two-fold: The first one has to do with your business here. You set up this little shop of yours only a few months ago, more specifically during the month of September... Yet, in that short amount of time, you have made an unusual amount of profit, and have moved an incredible amount of product from here, more than what would be expected from a small-time card and collectibles store..."

"So what's your point?" asked Smooth Talker, not sure where she was going with this.

"My point, is that I suspected your shop of conducting questionable business, a theory that a few others in town seem to share." the young woman explained to him. "I did some research of my own on your store, and have come across something peculiar: Your store has sold several Duel Monsters cards, and yet, there seems to be no record at all of Industrial Illusions commissioning any product deliveries here... It seemed suspicious to me, so I decided to check things out for myself. And it seems that my theory about you and your operation were correct."

"Um... uh..." Smooth Talker tried to come up with something to say, but he couldn't. He was beginning to get nervous.

"...Just as I was about to open the doors, I couldn't help but overhear something you said after you attended to your last customer..." Mrs. K continued to say to him. "Something about you obtaining 'bootleg card printers' and 'someone on the inside'...?"

(Urk! What?!) thought the crooked man. (How did she hear all of that?! These doors and windows are totally soundproof!! There's no way that she could have heard me!!)

A faint glow could be seen coming from out Mrs. K's purse as she continued to speak, telling him, "As for the second matter, it has to do with that card you have; the one you keep in the left pocket of your overalls."

"What the-?! How'd you know about-?!" Smooth Talker said angrily as he reached into the pocket in question, pulling out the Duel Monsters card that he was looking at before.

"How I know about that card, as well as your counterfeiting operation are the last things you need to concern yourself with." Mrs. K informed the shop owner. She then put on a fierce look and told him, "I challenge you to a Duel, and you will ante that card on the outcome. And if you refuse this Duel, I will make sure that the public knows what is REALLY going on here."

Smooth Talker was incredibly frustrated by what was currently happening; his entire scam was about to go under, and he didn't many options to get himself out of his situation. (I don't believe this...! How did she discover that I've been selling bootleg cards from my store?!) he thought to himself, sweating even more. Looking over at Mrs. K, he snarled and continued to say in his mind, (I can't let this woman leave here knowing my secret, or I'll be completely ruined!!) He then yelled at the woman, "Very well, then...! I agree to your terms! But if I defeat you, then I'll take more than just your cards! You won't leave my shop alive..."

"Hmph... your empty threats do not frighten me." Mrs. K told Smooth Talker calmly. "I can sense that it is you who is afraid... and it shall be your fear that will be your undoing. Now prepare to pay for those that you have cheated!" Mrs. K then pulled out a silver-colored Duel Pad from out of her purse with her Deck already loaded into it. The card tray then unfolded, revealing that it was shaped similarly to a large dragon wing. In addition, a red, wing-shaped mark appeared over her left eye, which now had a darker-colored blue than it did earlier. The crooked man on the other side prepared his Duel Pad and Duel Gazer, activating them both.

"LET'S DUEL!!" shouted both combatants as their game began (Mrs. K.: LP 4,000) (Smooth Talker: LP 4,000).

The two Duelists drew their opening hands, ready to begin their battle. As they did, the room began to darken slightly, but neither Smooth Talker, nor Mrs. K seemed to notice, or at least did not make any reaction to it. The young teacher then said to her opponent, "We shall flip a coin to determine who makes the first move." The shop owner then began to reach into his pocket, but the woman stopped him, saying, "Don't bother. I know that coin in your left pocket is double-sided. I was planning to use one of my own."

"Grrr, have it your way then..." Smooth Talker grumbled, wondering how she knew that.

Mrs. K took out a half-dollar coin from her skirt pocket and tossed it into the air. After catching it and placing it flat on her palm, she told her opponent, "I believe it is tails." She then moved her hand, and revealed to both herself and Smooth that she had guessed correctly. "I suppose that means I get the first move." Mrs. K stated.

"Fine, whatever. It won't help you anyway." the crook responded rudely.

The woman looked at her hand and played a card from it, saying, "I'll start with the Spell Card, Trade-In. By discarding one Level 8 monster from my hand, I can draw two new cards." She then took one of the other cards in her hand (which had a yellow-colored frame) and placed it into her Graveyard. Afterwards, the D-Pad allowed her to draw her extra cards. Taking one of the new cards that she had drawn, Mrs. K placed it onto the card tray and told her foe, "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode." She then took out a second card, Dragon's Rage, and placed it in her device, adding, "I'll also place this card face-down. That will end my turn."

"Very well, then it's my turn!" Smooth Talker declared, drawing his first card. Placing it in his hand, he then took out a different card and told his enemy, "I Summon Golem Dragon in Attack Mode!" The man's first monster was of a large dragon with a brown, stone-like body and red eyes (Golem Dragon: Level 4 / ATK 200 / DEF 2000). "But that's not all:" Smooth continued. "I'll also send my Level 8 Darkstorm Dragon to the Graveyard. This lets me Special Summon my Hardened Armed Dragon to the field in Attack Mode!!"

The shop owner's second monster was another dragon, this one having a very skeletal-like appearance. Its wings and body were very bony, it had visible muscles and bright green eyes. It let out a piercing screech as it took the field.

*******************************

Hardened Armed Dragon:
(Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 800)

(This card is not treated as an "Armed Dragon" card.)
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by sending 1 Level 8 or higher monster from your hand to the GY. If you Tribute this card for the Tribute Summon of a Level 7 or higher monster, that monster cannot be destroyed by card effects.

*******************************

As the two dragons stared Mrs. K down, Smooth Talker snickered and told her, "You made a foolish mistake challenging ME to a Duel... You don't have a chance at defeating my Deck full of rare and valuable cards!!"

"...Cards that I'm certain you cheated out of people." the woman said, showing absolutely no fear. "If this is your best attempt at intimidating me, then it is you who is the fool."

"We'll see about that!" shouted the man. "I overlay Level 4 Golem Dragon and Hardened Armed Dragon to create an Overlay Network!" In that instant, the two dragons transformed into a pair of orange lights that flew into a galaxy portal that emerged in front of him. "Now prepare yourself for certain defeat!! I Xyz Summon... Number 82: Heartlandraco!!"

With that declaration, the summoning portal exploded into a flash of light, leaving behind a light-blue 82 mark on the ground. Then, from above, a winged toy ball, half salmon-colored, half light-peach, appeared on the field, surrounded by two orange orbs that orbited around it. The ball then began to unfurl, revealing its true form as a large dragon with maroon-colored eyes, four yellow horns on its head, a wind-up key where its bellybutton would have been, and a large, pink heart to the side of the key. Printed upon the heart was the same 82 symbol that appeared earlier, when the monster was Summoned.

*******************************

Number 82: Heartlandraco
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/EARTH/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 1500)

2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. While you control a face-up Spell, your opponent cannot target this card for attacks. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; this turn, this card can attack your opponent directly, but other monsters cannot attack.

*******************************

Mrs. K stared at the crook's Number card with that same confident look on her face. "So, it is true..." she muttered. "You DO possess a Number."

"Heheheh, that's right, lady." Smooth confirmed. "I found this card a couple of months ago, and thanks to it, I got the idea for this whole scam! A scam that will continue going on forever, because I'll make sure you won't blab about it to anyone else!"

"Your false bravado is not going to scare me." the young woman informed him, still not showing any fear. "Instead, we shall allow the cards to tell us how this Duel will end."

"Yeah, whatever! Just keep flappin' your lips while I beat you into the dirt!" the shop owner yelled as he removed a card from underneath his Xyz Monster. "I activate Heartlandraco's effect! By removing one of its Overlay Units, I allow him to attack you directly!!" The beast then absorbed one of its orange orbs into the heart mark on its belly, powering itself up (Number 82: Heartlandraco: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).

"Oh no...!" gasped Mrs. K, not expecting that sort of move.

"That's right! I don't need to attack your monster!" Smooth Talker shouted to her. "I'll just go right over it!" He then ordered his monster, "Heartlandraco! Attack her Life Points directly!!"

The large toy-like dragon then opened its mouth and shot out a blast of flames from its maw, bypassing Mrs. K's face-down monster and hitting her instead. "URRRRRGH!!!" she cringed as she took the hit (Mrs. K.: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). Once the flames dispersed, the woman still managed to stay on her own two feet.

"Yeah, that's right... keep that pathetic display of confidence..." the crook taunted. "It'll just make it all the more devastating when I crush you into dust!" After saying that, the room began to darken a little more.

But the young teacher was not afraid. "I do not fear you." she told him defiantly. "Your intimidation tactics are pointless against me. I have no reason to be afraid of someone such as yourself, for I can see you for what you really are."

"Peh! Listen, lady; I don't care WHAT you think! You'll lose to me, and my operation will keep on going without your interference!" the man cackled. Taking out another card from his hand, he then told her, "But just to make sure that you DON'T win, I'll play this Spell Card: The Dark Door!" After the card appeared on the field, a shadowy cloud surrounded it. "Thanks to this card, we're only allowed to attack with one monster each turn!"

(Hmmmm... I admit, that will make things more difficult.) Mrs. K thought to herself. (But that card alone cannot stop me from attacking his Number card next turn... There must be more to it than that.)

Chuckling to himself, Smooth Talker then told his foe, "Alright, let's see if you can get yourself out of this one. It's your move."

"Very well. I draw." the woman then drew her next card and looked at it closely. (This will do fine.) She then told her opponent, "Now... since you obviously were too afraid to attack my monster last turn, I shall reveal its identity to you this turn."

"T-too afraid?! That's a lie!!" yelled the man.

"We'll see..." Mrs. K said to him calmly. "But first, allow me to tell you this ancient legend from long ago; one of many that I have learned about during my time as an archaeologist."

"Huh??" asked Smooth, not sure what she was doing.

"In ancient times, there lived a young woman who wandered the harsh wilderness alone, with only the clothes on her back." the young teacher said. "But though she was physically weak, her spirit was quite remarkable, and her trials and hardships strengthened that spirit into a force that could not be matched. This strong spirit protected her from those that would do her harm; virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome power and lived to tell the tale."

"What're you talking about?!" shouted the shop owner as the room grew darker. "What's this got to do with this Duel?!"

"You will see." Mrs. K told him. "I now switch my face-down monster to Attack Mode. I Flip Summon... my Maiden with Eyes of Blue!!"

After the monster was revealed, it presented itself as a young woman that looked almost exactly like her controller: Long silver hair, a mostly tan outfit (though the Maiden's was more ancient-looking in appearance), and stunning blue eyes (Maiden with Eyes of Blue: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"Maiden with Eyes of Blue...?" asked the man, confused. "What kinda card is that?? I've never heard of it!"

"Next, I shall play this Spell Card." Mrs. K stated, taking the card that she had drawn this turn. "It is called Rush Recklessly. Now for the rest of this turn, this card will increase my Maiden's attack points by 700." After playing her card, a red aura surrounded the young lady on the field (Maiden with Eyes of Blue: ATK 0 + 700 = 700).

"That's still less than my Number card!" shouted Smooth Talker. "Just what're you trying to pull?!"

"You will see. And then you will lose." Mrs. K informed him. "I powered up my Maiden with Eyes of Blue not to overpower your monster, but to awaken her strongest power. By targeting her with a card effect, I can now Summon her guardian spirit to protect her!"

After making her declaration, the young woman's monster got onto her knees and began praying. As she did, a bright light surrounded her and shot up into the air above. "Wha-what's that??" asked the shop owner, getting a little nervous.

"It is the instrument of your defeat!" Mrs. K told him with an assertive voice as she took out a yellow-colored card from out of her Deck. "The ultimate engine of destruction!!" Reaching her hand into the air, she shouted out, "Descend now!! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!!"

From out of the dark clouds above, a white lightning bolt shot down to the floor, giving off an incredible amount of energy that caused Smooth Talker to flinch and step back a little. Then, the light began to form into the shape of a gigantic dragon with large wings, shimmering white scales, and bright blue eyes. It let out a roar that actually managed to frighten Heartlandraco, causing it to hunch down, cover its face, and tremble (Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2500).

The man was in total shock: It seemed that, out of all the monsters she could have Summoned, this was the last one he ever expected to see. "N-n-n-no w-way...!" he stuttered in fear. "That's... that's impossible!! How could you possibly have that card?!?" Growling, he then pointed right at her and yelled, "You must be cheating!! There's only one Duelist that owns that card, and that's Seto Kaiba!! That card has to be a fake! There's no other explanation!!"

But Mrs. K remained calm and told her opponent, "Hmmm... a very bold and interesting theory. But, not surprisingly, you're wrong." She then said to him, "My card is quite real, and all the evidence I need to prove that is right in front of you."

"What?" asked the clueless crook.

"As you can see, my Blue-Eyes White Dragon was able to appear on the field after I Summoned it." the teacher explained. "If your claim about my card being counterfeit WAS true, then my Duel Pad would not have recognized it. And if that was the case, my dragon would not have appeared on the field. Did you forget that both Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp have designed their recent products so as to prevent counterfeit cards from being used in a Deck, therefore preventing any possibility of cheating?"

"Urk...!" the man grunted, as he did indeed forget about that.

"But since my card DID appear on the field, I suppose this disproves your assumption about the legitimacy of my cards." the woman told him. The mighty dragon then gave a low snarl to tell the man that it was for real.

Smooth Talker still couldn't believe that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in front of him was for real, but eventually figured that arguing about it anymore wasn't going to do him any good. "Fine, have it your way... it's not like it matters anyway!" he told Mrs. K.

"And why is that?" she asked him.

"Your dragon may be powerful, but not even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon can defeat a Number card in battle!" he answered. "Not only that, but because I have my Dark Door Spell in play, Heartlandraco's effect prevents you from attacking it!"

"Hmmm... I see." the woman replied calmly. "I figured as such. But that will not be enough to save you from defeat." She then pointed to her Maiden and added, "Now I shall reveal the other power of my Maiden with Eyes of Blue!"

"OTHER power??" asked Smooth.

"Indeed." she replied. "You see, in addition to having the ability to call the Blue-Eyes to the field, she also happens to be a Tuner Monster."

"A TUNER?!" exclaimed the man. "You mean-?!"

"I do! And I will!" Thrusting her hand into the air, she shouted, "I tune my Level 1 Maiden to my Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!" The young lady on the field outstretched her arms as she was bathed in pure energy that shrunk her down to a small ball of light that shot up into the air. It then came back down as a Synchro Ring. However, instead of being the usual green color, this ring appeared as pure white as it surrounded the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, turning it into eight smaller lights (Level 1 + Level 8 = Level 9). Mrs. K then chanted, "Almighty engine of destruction! Bathe yourself in holy light and evolve to your most supreme form! Synchro Summon!! Annihilate! Level 9! Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!!"

The eight balls of light and the single white Synchro Ring were then engulfed into a larger sphere of white energy that began to shimmer like silver. Once the energy dispersed, a bright, silver-scaled dragon appeared, looking very much like the Blue-Eyes, but bigger. Its eyes shone like bright blue jewels as it let out a powerful roar and thrashed its twin tails (Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon: Level 9 / ATK 2500 / DEF 3000).

Smooth Talker, now trembling in his shoes, cried out, "That... that Synchro Monster...! I-i-it looks... just like the Blue-Eyes!!"

"Very observant." Mrs. K told him. "The Maiden's faith in her guardian spirit allowed it to evolve into a more powerful form. And soon, you shall be the first to bear witness to its great power. For now, however, I shall place Azure-Eyes in Defense Mode and set one more card from my hand face-down."

The crook then began to take his turn, but began trembling a little. (Who is this lady...?) he thought worriedly to himself. (I thought she was just some meddler, poking her nose where it didn't belong... But... something about her ain't normal... And what's more, how on Earth did she get those Blue-Eyes cards??) As those thoughts spun around in his mind, the room began to get even darker around both him and Mrs. K. (Calm down, Smooth Talker... you've got this in the bag...) he urged himself. (I just have to use Heartlandraco's effect one more time, and I'll beat her!)

"It's MY turn! I draw!!" he shouted as he drew his next card and placed it into his hand. "I now activate Heartlandraco's effect once again!!" (Number 82: Heartlandraco: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). Once the last Overlay Unit was gone, the man then shouted in a crazed voice, "Now!! Attack her Life Points directly and end this Duel!!"

The woman didn't flinch as the powerful Number card prepared to deliver the final blow. It then fired its flame breath directly at her. Just before it struck her, one of Mrs. K's face-down cards flipped face-up.

The flames fired from Heartlandraco caused a mighty explosion that shook the room. "Hahahaha!!!" Smooth Talker cackled. "You say that I'M a fool?! You say that I'M scared?!? Who's scared NOW?!?!" The man then continued to laugh, confident that he had vanquished his opponent. But after the smoke cleared, his laugh suddenly stopped when he saw that his opponent was still there (Mrs. K.: LP 600). "WHAT?!? You're still standing?!" the man shouted. "HOW?!?"

"Once again, your fear has caused you to make a mistake." Mrs. K told him. "You were so caught up in trying to end this Duel quickly, that you failed to notice my face-down cards... such as the one that activated before your attack struck me: My Gift of the Mystical Elf!"

"No!!!" protested Smooth, sweating a bit more.

"This card grants me 300 additional Life Points for every monster on the field." the young woman explained. "As there are two monsters on the field - my Azure-Eyes and your Heartlandraco - I gained 600 more Life Points (Mrs. K.: LP 2,000 + 600 = 2,600). Which means that your monster's attack power was not able to eliminate them all." (Mrs. K.: LP 2,600 - 2,000 = 600)

"Urrgh... you little-!" snarled the crook.

"Of course, that is not all that has happened:" she continued. "Now that you have used up both of your monster's Overlay Units, it can no longer strike me directly. Which means that my Life Points are safe."

"Rrrgh... that buys you just one turn! Just one!" Smooth Talker shouted. "So take your turn already!!" Once again, the room got a little darker after that outburst.

"Hmmm... You don't seem to realize that you are becoming your own worst enemy." Mrs. K stated. "But I will make that clear to you soon enough... Now I draw." After placing her new card into her hand, she then said, "Now that it is my Standby Phase, I can activate the effect of Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon. It allows me to revive any Normal Monster in the Graveyard." Taking a card out of her Graveyard slot, she then added, "And of course, the monster I choose shall be... my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"

The man gasped as a dark purple portal appeared on the field. Afterwards, the mighty three thousand-attack point dragon came out of the portal and returned to Mrs. K's field in Attack Position. "No!! Not again!!" yelled the man. Grumbling, he then told his foe, "Y-you still can't defeat me! My Heartlandraco's other ability is still in effect! As long as I have a Spell Card in play, you can't attack him!! So my Life Points can't be touched!!"

"That is only partially true." the woman told him. "While I cannot attack your monster, your Life Points are far from safe." Taking out a card from her hand, she then announced, "I activate the Spell Card, Tremendous Fire!"

"Aack! Not that!!" the man cried out.

"While this card does cause me to take 500 points of damage, it will ALSO deal 1,000 points of damage to you!" the young lady explained to him.

"Maybe so," the man began to her, "but that move'll take you down to just 100 Life Points! Which means if I can land just one more solid blow, you'll lose!!"

But Mrs. K stayed calm and told him, "You still are unaware of what danger you put yourself in. But this card will show you that this is no ordinary game." She then played her card, causing a deep fissure to appear in the center of the field. Before anyone could say another word, flames began to erupt from the fissure, spitting out at both Duelists and causing them damage.

However, when the fireballs struck Smooth Talker, something peculiar happened. "AAAAACK!!!! So hot!!! AHHHHH!!!" the man screamed as the damage was done (Smooth Talker: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000). Of course some of the flames hit Mrs K as well, and while she did let out a slight painful grunt, she made no other reaction to taking the damage (Mrs. K.: LP 600 - 500 = 100).

Breathing heavily, Smooth Talker tried to process what had just happened. "What was that...?!" he asked in an exhausted tone. He then looked at himself and gasped when saw that there were what appeared to be burn marks on his skin. "No way...! What happened?! How could those flames ACTUALLY hurt me?! They're just an AR special effect!"

"I am afraid that isn't the case in this Duel." Mrs. K told him. "I told you this was no ordinary game of Duel Monsters... And if you need any proof of that, then remove your Duel Gazer and see for yourself."

(Grrr... NOW what's she talking about...?) he asked himself. Despite that he had no idea what his opponent was getting at, he did as she said and took of his Gazer. But when he looked at the field, he gasped in complete shock. "No! What's going on?!" he asked in fear. "I took off my Gazer... but I can still see all of the monsters on the field!! What kind of trick is this?!?"

"...While it is not something I particularly enjoy doing," Mrs. K began to explain to him, "I am afraid that, in the case of someone as despicable as you are, there was no other alternative. For your crimes against your fellow man, the only suitable punishment... is a Shadow Game."

"A what??" asked Smooth, sweating a little.

"In ancient times, the Shadow Games were used to test the hearts and souls of whomever participated in them." she informed him. "In those days they battled using monsters and magic, just as we are doing right now. However, back then, the creatures and spells were very much real, as were the consequences of those who lost those games. The punishments ranged from losing their minds... to losing their souls."

"L-l-losing their s-souls...?" asked the man, now getting very scared. However, he then shook his head and, trying to hide his fear, shouted at her, "Th-there's now way that could be true!! You're just making all of that up!!"

"...You continue to deny the obvious, despite that all of the evidence is right in front of you." Mrs. K stated. "I can tell that victory shall not shine upon a heart and soul as weak as yours." She then started straight into his eyes and told him, "I'm afraid that, at this rate, your only chance to spare yourself of a horrible fate is to surrender to me now. So... are you going to concede this Duel and save yourself?"

But the man only let out an insane-sounding laugh in reply. "Me? Surrender??" he shouted crazily. "You're even crazier than I thought you were! I have thirty times more Life Points than you do! I have my Number card on the field to prevent your monsters from attacking me! If anyone should surrender, it should be you! So quit tryin' to bluff your way out of this one!! Because I'm the one who will win!! And you'll be the one to suffer a 'horrible fate!! Hahahaha!!!"

Mrs. K seemed disappointed by the man's response, even though she knew that he probably wasn't going to forfeit the Duel. "I gave you one chance to save yourself..." she told him quietly. "I showed you more mercy than someone as cruel and as pitiful as you deserves... But you chose not to listen to reason, and I am afraid that will be the one mistake that will cost you everything!"

"Just clam it already!" Smooth Talker yelled at her. "Is your turn over or not?!"

Mrs. K did not answer his question with words. She then took out a card from her hand and shoved it into her Duel Pad's Spell & Trap Zone slot, saying, "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn...!" the crook said, preparing to draw a card from his Deck. His fingers began to tremble as he pulled his next card. Looking at it with worried eyes, he then gasped and cackled loudly, saying, "HahahaHA!!! Perfect! Just what I needed to pull!" Showing his enemy the card he drew, he then declared, "I activate the Spell Card Dark Core!"

Mrs. K gasped a little, but showed no other reaction to her opponent's move.

"Now, after I discard one card from my hand," Smooth Talker explained, "this Spell can banish any monster on the field, taking it out of play for good!! And I think I'll choose your Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Once he's been banished, you won't be able to bring him back with your Synchro Monster's effect anymore!!" After playing the card and paying the activation cost, a pitch-black vortex appeared in the sky, ready to whisk the powerful dragon away.

"Not so fast! I activate a Trap Card!! Shift!!" Mrs. K announced, revealing her Set card.

"AACK!!! No!!" protested the man.

"With this card," she began to tell her opponent, "I can change the target of your Spell Card to another monster on my field. So instead of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I'll have your Dark Core take away my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon instead!!" And just as she told him, the vortex sucked away her Synchro Monster instead of its original target before vanishing from the field. (Forgive me, Azure-Eyes...) she said mentally.

Grumbling that she had thwarted his plans, Smooth Talker then yelled, "So what?! I STILL got rid of one of your monsters! And once I dispose of your Blue-Eyes, you'll have no way of bringing it back to the field!! This doesn't change a thing!!"

"You still don't seem to get it." Mrs. K told him in her usual calm demeanor. "Don't you realize that your fear of losing everything is what will cause your demise in the end?"

"You're STILL goin' on about that?!" he yelled at her. "I told you, I don't believe in that stupid junk!! You're just bluffing in a lame attempt to scare me!!"

"I don't need to bluff. You're scared enough as it is without any help from me." she rebutted. "I can see the fear in your eyes, and your fear is what strengthens the dark clouds around us."

"D-dark clouds...??" the crook asked. He then looked around and finally noticed that everything around them both was darker than the night sky. (What the-? How'd it get so dark in here so quickly?!) he thought to himself.

"This shadowy fog is the manifestation of your fears, Smooth Talker." Mrs. K informed him. "The more frightened you are, the darker they become, until they are strong enough to swallow one with a weak soul such as your own. The only ways out of this situation are either to defeat me, or surrender to me. So this is your last chance: Back out of this and admit to your weaknesses, or I promise that you will come face-to-face with them the hard way."

Now trembling all over, Smooth Talker wasn't sure what to do. For a second, he contemplated about forfeiting the Duel, but his pride and fear were too overwhelming. "I-I-I-I ain't surrendering to nobody!!" he responded with a stutter. "I... I switch Heartlandraco to Defense Mode and end my turn..."

"So you've made your decision." Mrs. K told him. "I'm afraid that you chose poorly; now you have no choice to witness the fate in store for you." She then drew her next card and added, "Now to finish the job that my Azure-Eyes started."

"What're you talking about this time...?!" asked the crook, a bit worried about what her answer would be.

"Thanks to Azure-Eyes, I was able to spare my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and set the stage for my final move." she replied. Taking another card out of her hand, she then declared, "I activate Silver's Cry! This Spell allows me to Special Summon one Normal Dragon from my Graveyard to the field!"

"But you don't have any!!" Smooth protested. "Your Blue-Eyes is already on the field!!"

"...As usual, you are wrong." she informed him. "But then, I can't blame you for thinking that, after all... you never SAW the card that I discarded when I played Trade-In."

"What?!" the man gasped, as he had forgotten all about that. "Then... does that mean...?!"

"Exactly! When I played my first card in this Duel, I sent a high-level monster to the Graveyard." Mrs. K told him. "And with Silver's Cry, I can now bring it to the field!" Taking the card in question out of the Graveyard, she placed it onto her tray and shouted, "I summon a second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!" And in an instant, a dark-purple vortex appeared behind her, and out of it came another large dragon, just like the first one.

"T-TWO Blue-Eyes White Dragons...?!?" the man said, quaking in fear.

"Indeed." the young woman confirmed. "Not even your Number card will survive my next move. Your fear and worry will soon lead you to the fate that was destined for you."

"Wh-wh-why do you think I'm afraid of you?!" yelled Smooth Talker, doing his best to hide how scared he was.

"Because I can see it from your Number card, that's why." she answered.

"M-my Number card...?"

Mrs. K then told him, "From what I have learned, Number cards all start out as blank cards. After someone picks one up, it shapes itself based on the nature of that person's soul." Pointing at Heartlandraco, she then added, "In the case of your Number card, it reflects your true personality: Someone who tries to appear powerful and intimidating, but in reality is a scared young child, reflected in the way that your Number has the appearance of a toy dragon."

Smooth Talker tried to say something back, but the words couldn't come out.

"You try to hide your fear from everyone, and especially from yourself." the young woman continued. "You keep telling yourself that you'll be rich and powerful, and that your plans will work forever, to convince yourself that you're fearless. But you couldn't possibly make your cowardice any more apparent than if you hung a sign around your neck."

"Wh-what are you saying...?" asked the man, getting more worried by every word that came out of her mouth.

"I'm saying that you will not be able to hide your true form any longer." Mrs. K informed him with pure confidence in her voice. "You shall lose this Duel to me, and you will have no choice but to confront your deepest fears."

"D-d-deepest fears??" stuttered the crook.

Placing a hand on her chest, the young woman then told him, "And now, since you were so generous to show me your Number card... Allow me to show you mine."

"What?! What did you just say?!?" shouted Smooth.

"I overlay the two Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragons to create an Overlay Network!!" shouted Mrs. K, thrusting her hand up into the air. Afterwards, the two mighty dragons transformed into a pair of bright yellow lights that were drawn into a massive galaxy portal that formed overhead. "Appear, Number 46!" the woman chanted, holding her arm in the air as high as she could. "The thunder roars. The lightning flashes. Manifest yourself, my golden dragon!! Xyz Summon!! Descend now, Ethereal Dragon! Rank 8!! Dragluon!"

After her Summoning Chant was finished, the portal exploded, revealing a bright yellow 46 in the dark skies above. Then, the shadowy fog on Mrs. K's side of the field began to disperse as a large object began to appear. It seemed to have the appearance of angel of some sort as it radiated a pure, bright light, joined by a pair of small yellow lights swirling around it. Not long after it showed up, long rays of light began to shoot out of it, forming a long tail and body, a pair of gigantic wings, and a large dragon head with light red eyes and a blue gem upon its forehead. The beast let out a loud roar that shook the entire store as it surrounded Mrs. K with its extremely long body.

*******************************

Number 46: Dragluon
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Rank 8/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)

2 Level 8 Dragon-Type monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, if you control no other monsters: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then activate 1 of these effects.
* Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand.
* Target 1 Dragon-Type monster your opponent controls; take control of that target.
* Dragon-Type monsters your opponent controls cannot activate their effects until the end of your opponent's turn.

*******************************

The man shook in both fear and awe at Mrs. K's mighty Number card. "No way..." he said, eyes widened with amazement. "She has... a Number card too...!"

The woman stared down her opponent with a serious look that made Smooth Talker step back a bit in fear. "This Duel shall soon be over..." she told him. "You will be defeated, and you will pay for all those you have cheated out of greed..."

"...D-d-don't try to fool ME into thinking you've got some advantage over me!" the crook snapped back. "You may have a Number card, but you STILL can't attack my Heartlandraco, thanks to his special ability!! Saying you'll defeat MY Number card?! Stop talkin' crazy talk!!"

But the woman simply closed her eyes and told him, "I said would defeat YOU. I never said anything about defeating your Number card."

"Wh-what's that mean...?"

"Your Number card is just an innocent victim of your greedy, selfish desires." Mrs. K answered him. "It wouldn't feel right to me to destroy it just because you want to hide behind him like a coward. So I plan to spare your Number card of any further pain and humiliation... You, on the other hand, shall not be as lucky."

Smooth Talker tried to reply, but he was too scared to say anything. He began to realize that when this woman made a threat, she was more than capable of backing it up.

"I activate the power of Number 46: Dragulon..." she began to tell him as she took one of the cards underneath her Number card and sent it to the Graveyard. "By removing one of its Overlay Units, I can use one of three abilities; abilities so strong, they can only be used if Dragulon is the only monster on my field."

"W-WHAT?!" the man yelped. "Th-th-then you let me eliminate your Synchro Monster on purpose... just so you could use your Number card's power?!?"

"Indeed. Though I am afraid that you are too late to stop me." she informed him. K then then explained, "Dragulon has three special powers, only one of which I shall reveal to you. With that power, I am now permitted to target one of your Dragon-Type monsters on the field and take control of it!!"

"NO!! But that means-!"

"It means you cannot postpone your defeat any longer, for I choose to take control of your Heartlandraco!!" Mrs. K announced. And with that, Dragulon bathed itself in a bright light as it absorbed one of its floating orbs (Number 46: Dragulon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). It then roared loudly and surrounded Smooth Talker's only monster with the same bright light. Heartlandraco's eyes then flashed white as it let out a small growl. Afterwards, it then turned to face his former master and glared at him angrily. Smooth could only look on as his Number card flew over to his enemy's side of the field, leaving him with nothing left.

"Now that your Number card has come to my side of the field, there's nothing that can save you from defeat now." Mrs. K told him.

"N-n-n-no! You CAN'T!!!" Smooth Talker protested feebly.

"I can! And I shall!!" the woman shouted. "Dragulon! Attack his Life Points directly!! Divine Fire Blaze!!!" And with that order, Dragulon then let out a blast of flames from its maw, sending them straight towards Smooth Talker.

"AAAAAAAACCKK!!!!" screamed the crook as the flames finished him off for good (Smooth Talker: LP 3,000 - 3,000 = 0) (WINNER: Mrs. K.). He then dropped down onto his knees, still in total shock, both from the intense attack and from the fact that he had lost. As he fell to the floor, his Number card fell down beside him, before vanishing in a flash of light.

Once the monsters and other cards vanished from the field, Mrs. K looked at her hand and saw that Heartlandraco's card was now in her possession. (I see... so the rumors are true.) she thought to herself. (In a battle between Number users, the loser must give up their Numbers to the winner.) She then decided to think about it another time as she put the card away in her deck box, along with the rest of her cards. She then walked over to her opponent and said to him, "You have lost, Smooth Talker... and unfortunately for you, the rules of the Shadow Games insist that a Penalty Game must be inflicted."

"P-p-p-please! Don't hurt me....!!" whimpered the fallen man. "I'll do anything!! I'll go legit!! I'll be honest from now on!! I swear!!!"

Sighing, the woman then said to him, "How pathetic... As I thought, your bravado was all just an act to hide your fear... But do not worry. I am not a murderer; you shall be spared of the worst agonies that have befallen many others that have lost a Shadow Game." She then clutched onto her dragon necklace and added, "And as for those promises of yours to become more honest.... I can assure you with certainty that you WILL keep them."

"Huh...?" the crook responded, not sure what was going to happen.

At that moment, the necklace that Mrs. K wore shone brightly; almost as bright as the light that Dragulon had unleashed earlier. Eyes shining, the woman then pointed at Smooth Talker and yelled, "PENALTY GAME!!!! Mind on Air!!!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH...!!!!" the man screamed as a brilliant flash of light surrounded him. It was so intense, Smooth Talker ended up fainting and fell flat onto the ground.

Mrs. K then stared down at her unconscious opponent as the shadowy clouds began to disperse. She had a look of disgust on her face, but not from thinking about the man's previous actions, but from what she herself had done to punish him. "Forgive me, master..." she said to herself. "Playing these dangerous games and inflicting such punishments is normally something that I would not do... but this man could not be allowed to continue his evil ways, and I had no other alternative."

The woman then turned towards the door to leave, but then stopped right in front of the doorway to turn around and look over at Smooth Talker once more. "When you awake," she began to tell him, "for the next few days, you will be compelled to reveal yourself. You will tell everyone exactly what has been going on, and how you have been cheating your customers since you opened up. No doubt, the proper authorities will hear of it and arrest you, along with your 'inside man' that supplied you with those illegal card printers... Hopefully, some time in jail will help you to reflect on your misdeeds." And with those last words, Mrs K. then opened the door and left the store, satisfied that her work was complete.

The very next day, at 10:55 a.m., Sunset, Twilight, and the rest of their friends were walking down Maiden Street. They were searching for the card shop that they had talked about the day before. Despite the rumors that the shop was involved in some shady business, the seven of them decided to go check it out anyway. "How much further away is it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Just one more block." Sunset answered, looking at a map of the city on her phone. "So not much further."

As they walked down the sidewalk, Rarity then glanced over towards Applejack and asked her, "So, what are you hoping to find for your Deck?"

"Well, Ah suppose Ah could use more copies of Orea and Alsei for mah Extra Deck." the farm girl answered. "Maybe even a Synchro Monster 'r two, seein' as how Ah've got Copy Plant in mah Deck." She then asked her friend, "What about you, Rare? Anythin' in paticular you're lookin' for?"

"Oh, absolutely!" the fashionista replied. "I heard about this Gem-Knight monster that I simply MUST add to my Deck! I believe it was called Lady Brilliant Diamond."

"Well, hopefully, we'll find something new to add to our collections today." Twilight chimed in. "Of course, I'm still relatively new to this game, so-"

"Don't worry about that, Twilight." Sunset said to her. "We'll help you find something good for your Deck as well."

But when the seven girls finally got to the store's address and looked at the building, something was amiss. The doors were locked, and the inside of the shop was dark inside. "It's... closed?" asked Fluttershy. "Did we... did we arrive here too early?"

"Maybe, but that don't make a lick of sense..." Applejack responded, scratching her head. "All the other shops n' stuff are open already, so why's this one still closed up??"

"Maybe the owner's late?" asked Twilight. "That's all I can think of..."

At that moment, another person approached the group of seven and asked, "Oh... what are the seven of you doing here?" When the others looked towards the source of the voice, they saw that it had come from none other than the new teacher at their school, Mrs. K.

"Mrs. K?" asked Sunset Shimmer, not expecting to see the new teacher so suddenly. "What are YOU doing here?"

"I was just running some errands when I saw all of you." the young woman answered. Looking over at the closed shop that she had visited on the previous night, she then asked them, "So I suppose that none of you had heard about what happened here yesterday night?"

"What happened?" asked Fluttershy. The group all looked at each other, wondering what the woman was talking about.

"Well, according to the news," Mrs. K explained to them all, "they said that the owner of this store was running some illegal business here. He was printing out fake Duel Monsters cards using old printing machines that had long ago been confiscated by the police. He then sold them to unwitting customers at inflated prices, either for cash or for other cards."

"You're joking!" exclaimed Rarity, in shock from what she had heard, as were the others.

"She's not joking, Rarity..." Pinkie Pie told her. "Trust me: I can tell."

"Indeed." Mrs. K confirmed. "They say that he had been running this counterfeiting operation since mid-September; the only reason that this became known was because the owner suddenly came to the police station and confessed to his crimes. According to the authorities, he actually seemed like he was begging the police to take him in, but they don't know why."

"Woah..." Sunset responded. "So I guess that means the rumors about this place were true?" She then also pondered something else: Mrs. K had mentioned that the shop owner had started making counterfeit cards in September, which happened to be the same month that Sunset Shimmer had her dream in which she released the Number cards from the giant demon-faced gate. She wondered to herself if the events were related.

"So, great... That means we walked all this way for nothin'?" asked Rainbow Dash, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, I suppose we did." the red and yellow girl replied, turning her attention back to her friends. "Sorry, girls."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Sunset." Twilight told her. "You didn't know what happened here, and neither did we. It's nopo- er, nobody's fault."

"Yeah, Twi's right." Applejack added. "An' besides: It ain't like this is the only card shop here in town. We'll just go t' one of our usual spots and get some stuff there."

"In fact, I believe there is one just two blocks away from here, if my memory is correct." Rarity chimed in, pointing down the sidewalk ahead.

"Yeah, you're right." Sunset said, her spirits lifting up a bit. "No point in getting distressed over a minor setback like this. We can still hang out somewhere and have a good day together anyway!"

"Now THAT'S more like it, Sunnie!" Pinkie Pie stated in a cheerful tone. She then pointed ahead with her right hand, put her left hand on her hip, and said, with a proud look on her face, "So what're we waiting for?! Let's get out there and have ourselves a super-duper, fun-filled day!!" And with that proclamation, it was impossible for any of the other girls to argue with her on that. They began walking down the sidewalk, with Pinkie leading them all.

Just then, Mrs. K suddenly asked, "Um, before you go, Sunset... I have to ask: Where did you get that necklace of yours? It... it looks very nice on you."

The group stopped for a moment after hearing the new teacher's question. Sunset looked at her key-shaped necklace and replied, saying, "Oh this? I got it from Zecora at the flea market. But if you're hoping to find one for yourself, I don't think she'll have another."

"It's fine. I was just curious, that's all." Mrs. K responded. She then asked, "Do you happen to know anything about what it is or where it came from?"

"...Why do you want to know?" the red and yellow girl inquired, not sure why the woman would ask such a thing.

"Well, she IS a history teacher..." Rarity mentioned. "It would only make sense that she would want to know about it."

"I suppose that's true..." Sunset replied. "But, the truth is, I'm not completely sure myself about what this thing really is. I've only heard rumors; nothing concrete yet. As for where it came from, Zecora said she found it somewhere in the Himalayan Mountains, I think. But whether it was there to begin with or if it was dropped there is something neither of us know... So, I'm afraid that none of us really know much yet."

"...I see." Mrs. K replied. "Well, then I won't pry any more into the matter if you truly don't know anything else. If there is any other information about it, I suppose we'll know in time. Who knows? With my experience as an archaeologist, perhaps I may find something new about it. And if I do, you shall be the first to hear of it."

"Oh... well, thanks I guess." Sunset replied. "Glad to know that." She and the others turned to leave as the red and yellow girl told the woman, "I'll... see you next Monday, then."

"Very well." Mrs. K replied with a smile. "Have a good day, all of you."

As the seven of them walked down the sidewalk, Twilight then asked Sunset, "What do you suppose that was all about? Why did she want to know about your necklace?"

"...Not sure." the red and yellow girl replied. "I don't know why she would suddenly ask me something like that."

"Well, Ah wouldn't worry about it too much right now." Applejack told them both. "It's like Rare said: She was just probably interested because she's into all'o that ancient history stuff."

(Maybe...) thought Sunset Shimmer, (but I have a feeling that there's more to that woman than what she appears to be... And I've also got a feeling that we're going to know more about her sooner or later...) For now, the red and yellow girl pushed that thought out of her mind for the moment so that she could enjoy the day with her friends.

As Mrs. K watched them leave, she then thought to herself, (So... she is not yet aware of what power that lies in the Emporer's Key... And it appears that her friends also do not know about it...) She then turned around and walked in the opposite direction from Sunset and the others. As she did, she then pulled out the Number card that she owned, Number 46: Dragulon, from out of her Deck and said to herself, "When I found this card, I learned everything that I needed to know... About myself, and about the power of the Astral World."

Stopping and turning around, Mrs. K then watched Sunset and her friends before saying to herself, "I also know that a great war will soon take place here in our world... And in order to win this war, we will once again need the power of the great Diak Ums of years past." After saying those words, the mysterious woman then pocketed her Number card (placing it beside the one that she had obtained from the crooked shop owner last night) and left for a destination that only she knew of.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Mrs. K: (2 Numbers total)

Number 46: Dragluon
Number 82: Heartlandraco

RANK 15: Green Eyes on the Prize:

Author's Note

This Rank was originally intended to be Rank 13 and intended to be Twilight's first Duel against a Number holder. However, it was pushed back because I hadn't yet finished the real-life version of Trixie's Deck. So I planned on pushing back the Rank until I could complete it. Luckily, I didn't have push it back far, so go ahead and enjoy another epic battle involving Twilight and Trixie!

RANK 15: Green Eyes on the Prize:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Sunset Shimmer began playing the game some time after last year's Fall Formal, and since then, she became one of the strongest Duelists not only at her school, but also in the city. She entered many tournaments, both minor and major, and played against many different Duelists and their Decks. Many Duel Monsters enthusiasts took notice of her skills and became eager to see her dueling prowess first-hand; either as a spectator or as an opponent.

Sunset, however, does not take all the credit of her success for herself. She has stated on numerous occasions that her expert Dueling is a result of the strong bond with her friends, as they had helped her get into the game and taught her everything they know. In addition, they are always there to cheer her on during her many Duels, giving their friend the good vibes that she needs to win.

Sunset always appreciates the support that her friends give her, and shares her success with all of them. And now Twilight Sparkle, Sunset's friend from Equestria, is witnessing her friend's stellar dueling for the very first time...

"It's my turn! I draw!" Sunset shouted as she drew a card from her Deck and placed it into her hand. The red and yellow girl was currently in the middle of a friendly Duel with one of her fellow students. The student's name was Crimson Napalm, a male student that had light-grey skin, bright-red hair done up into a Mohawk, and light-blue eyes. His outfit had the appearance of a punk rocker, consisting of an olive-green shirt with a skull on it, black pants and boots, a pair of spiked wristbands, a shiny belt, and black earrings.

Off to the side, Twilight Sparkle was watching the Duel closely along with her friends Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. From out of Twilight's backpack, Spike, the dragon-turned-puppy, watched Sunset's Duel, wondering what was going to happen next. Normally, he stayed in Sunset's apartment, but Twilight insisted on taking him along, believing that he was becoming a bit of a couch potato.

"Wow... this is so exciting!" Twilight said in an impressed tone of voice. "I know you told me Sunset was good at this game, but I never imagined she was this strong!"

"She sure is, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically. "Now you can see why everyone at school says that she's the best Duelist around."

"I sure can..." the young Princess agreed with a nod. "I hope I can be that strong soon... After all, being good at this game is the only way that I'll be of any help to you all with this Number card business."

"You're doing just fine, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie told her encouragingly. "After all, you were able to get one Number card already! You and Sunnie will be able to get all the rest in no time!"

"Pinkie is right." Rarity chimed in. "Don't be so worried about how your next Duel will progress. Just do your best out there, and you won't have any problems!" Fluttershy meekly smiled and nodded to say that she agreed with the fashionista.

"...Okay. I'll do it." Twilight responded, feeling better about it already. "I promise I won't let you all down!"

"That's the spirit, Twilight!" cheered Spike. "Now THAT'S more like the Princess of Friendship that I know." Twilight blushed a little, happy to hear that from him.

"Let's get back t' watchin' Sunset's Duel." Applejack suggested. "She's about t' make her next move."

At the moment, both Sunset and Crimson were pretty close in Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 800) (Crimson Napalm: LP 600). It was clear that the Duel wasn't going to last much longer, but who would come out on top was anyone's guess. On Sunset's field, she had Shard of Greed face-up (Shard of Greed: Greed Counters 1), and Crimson had two face-down cards out.

After looking over what she had in her hand, Sunset then declared, "I'll Summon Chronomaly Mayan Machine in Attack Mode!" After she played her monster, it appeared on the field as some sort of ancient-looking lawn mower with a creepy-looking face on the front of it (Chronomaly Mayan Machine: Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 700). "Next," she continued, "I'll play the Spell Card Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon a second time! So with the help of my Spell Card, I'll call up Chronomaly Crystal Skull, also in Attack Mode!!" Sunset said to her opponent before playing her next card. In an instant, her shiny skull monster appeared on the field, its eyes glimmering in the sunlight (Chronomaly Crystal Skull: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 600).

"Alright!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "She's bringin' out her Xyz Monster!"

"Go for it, Sunnie!!" screamed Pinkie Pie, pumping her fist into the air.

"I overlay my Level 3 Mayan Machine and Crystal Skull to create the Overlay Network!!" shouted Sunset as her two monsters transformed into a pair of lights - one orange and one yellow - and were drawn into a red Summoning Portal. "Ancient armored warrior of another world, stand at my side and display your mysterious power!!" Sunset chanted. "Xyz Summon!! Emerge from beyond! Rank 3!! Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut!!"

When her chant was done, the red and yellow girl's purple-armored Xyz Monster leapt out of the portal and took its place beside its master, arms folded out in front of itself (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: Rank 3 / ATK 2100 / DEF 1000 / OLU 2).

"Alright...! Sunset's going to win...!" Fluttershy said softly, but happily.

"Sure seems that way." Applejack added. Twilight wasn't too sure, however. She suspected that Crimson Napalm had something planned, since he didn't seem to be very worried.

Sunset was also a bit cautious as she looked over her opponent's field. While she saw that Crimson had two face-down cards, they had been on the field for several turns, and he had never activated them in response to her earlier attacks. The red and yellow girl decided that it was worth the risk and shouted to her monster, "Crystal Chrononaut!! Attack Crimson directly!!" The powerful armored monster then leapt forward, its arm outstretched for a mighty punch.

"Not gonna happen!" Crimson Napalm shouted in a grungy British accent (much different from how Octavia spoke). Playing a card from his hand onto the field, he then announced, "I Special Summon my Battle Fader, in Defense Mode!!"

The girls gasped a bit as a bizarre-looking monster appeared on Crimson's field. It had a demon face on the front, with a dangling pendulum attached to it. It had a pair of black arms, with one of them having a shiny bell attached to it (Battle Fader: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"When you try and attack me directly," Crimson explained, "this guy jumps out of my hand to protect me! And the best part is that, when I Summon him that way, he ends your Battle Phase automatically!"

"Rrrgh! No...!" Sunset responded, disappointed that her attack was so easily stopped. Having no other moves, she had no choice but to end her turn.

"Now it's my turn! I draw!!" Crimson declared as he drew his next card. After he got a look at it, he then smirked and said, "Looks like there's gonna be a new champ here in CHS! 'Cause I'm about to end this Duel!"

"Oh dear... I do hope he is bluffing..." Rarity said to her friends, getting a little worried.

"I don't think he is, Rarity..." Spike told her, also concerned.

"Now I'll release my Battle Fader..." the punk-rocker boy began, banishing his monster from play (due to its effect), "...and Summon me best monster! The mighty Skull Archfiend of Lightning!!"

In an instant, a bolt of lightning struck the spot where Crimson's first monster used to be. Afterwards, a large amount of lightning shot out from that spot like a geyser, sending sparks all over the place. Eventually, a towering figure began to form from out of the electrical storm. When it fully appeared, it looked like a gigantic skeleton creature with large horns, sharp claws, and a pair of mighty wings (Skull Archfiend of Lightning: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF1200).

"Is... is that the Summoned Skull?" asked Pinkie Pie, shaking a bit.

"Nope... that's the Skull Archfiend of Lightnin'." Applejack corrected her. "He's LIKE the Summoned Skull, but a heck of a lot meaner!"

Fluttershy hid her face behind her backpack and said, trembling, "P-p-p-p-please t-tell me when it's gone...!"

Sunset was astounded, but not scared as she told her opponent, "Your monster might be powerful, but he won't be able to attack my Crystal Chrononaut. My monster's ability will send the damage right back at you if you even try to strike him!"

"Oh, I'm well aware of that, Sunset." Crimson told her. "But I have a back-up plan!" Taking a card out of his Graveyard, he then announced, "I banish Breakthrough Skill from my Graveyard to use its effect, which lets me negate the effect of your Chrononaut!"

"Oh no!" shouted Sunset as a flash of light struck Crystal Chrononaut's mirror and shattered it, preventing its use.

"Too bad, Sunset..." the punk rocker told his opponent, "That's seven years' bad luck for you, startin' now!" He then gave an order to his monster, telling it, "Skull Archfiend!! Use your Lightning Attack and destroy her monster!!" The powerful Archfiend let out a frightening growl as it shot a blast of electricity at Sunset's monster, blowing it to pieces.

"Oh no!" shouted Twilight. "Are you okay, Sunset?!"

"Urrrgh... I am for now." the red and yellow girl answered (Sunset Shimmer: LP 800 - 400 = 400). "But if he gets off another attack like that, I'm done for..."

"Actually, I won't need to attack you next turn to beat you." Crimson Napalm told her. "Thanks to me Trap Card here." Flipping one of his face-down cards face-up, he then said, "I activate Battle-Scarred!!"

"What does that do?" asked Sunset.

"Well," Crimson explained, "in order to keep my Skull Archfiend on the field, I have to pay 500 Life Points durin' each of me Standby Phases. But thanks to this card, you also have to pay the cost as well!" Sunset gasped a little after hearing that.

"That means that if Sunset doesn't beat him next turn, she'll lose once he starts HIS turn!" stated Rainbow Dash.

"Oh dear..." whimpered Fluttershy.

But Twilight wasn't about to believe that her friend would lose that easily as she shouted to her, "Don't let him get to you, Sunset!! You can still win this!!"

After hearing her friend's words of encouragement, the red and yellow girl smiled and responded, saying, "Don't worry about a thing, Twilight! I'll take him down, no sweat!"

"Oh really?" asked Crimson, confident that he'd win. "Well, don't get your hopes up! I'm gonna beat you and there ain't a thing you can do about it!"

"If that's what you think, then prepare to be disappointed!" Sunset Shimmer said as she drew her next card (Shard of Greed: Greed Counters 1 + 1= 2). Once she got a look at it, she saw that it was The Supremacy Sun, her rarest card (not counting the Numbers of course). Smirking, she then said to Crimson, "I activate Shard of Greed's effect! I send it to my Graveyard and draw two more cards!" And once she did that, she put on a happy expression, satisfied with what she had drawn. "Ready to lose, Napalm?"

"Huh??" asked the punk rocker, confused.

"Since you have a monster on the field and I don't, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Crystal Bones from my hand in Attack Mode!" the red and yellow girl declared as she played her card, calling up her shiny headless skeleton monster (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400). "And because I did," she continued, "I can then Summon any other Chronomaly monster from my hand or my Graveyard to join it! And I choose Crystal Skull!"

"No way!! Two at once?!" asked Crimson Napalm.

"You've got it." Sunset replied with a smirk as her Crystal Skull returned to the field. "And now I'm all set to Summon something that your Archfiend won't be able to beat!"

"But... she couldn't be goin' for another Crystal Chrononaut..." thought Applejack. "She only has one in her Deck..." The farm girl then gasped and asked, "Wait! Is she gonna Summon-?"

"I think she is." Rainbow interrupted, already knowing what Sunset was planning.

"Summon what?" asked Twilight. "What's she going to Summon?"

"Just watch..." Rarity told her. "You have to see it to believe it." The young Princess nodded and watched the Duel eagerly.

"I release both of my monsters in order to Summon my ultimate monster!!" the red and yellow girl declared, removing both of her newly-Summoned monsters and sending them to the Graveyard. "Celestial being at the center of our star system! Arise and bathe the world with your blazing light!!" Sunset chanted. "Come forth, The Supremacy Sun!!"

At that moment, a tower of white and yellow flames poured out in front of Sunset Shimmer, eventually forming into a new shape. Seconds later, her most powerful monster appeared, shining brightly as the Sun itself (The Supremacy Sun: Level 10 / ATK 3000 / DEF 3000).

"No way...!!" Crimson said in disbelief. "You have THAT card?! How?!"

"Let's just say it's a trophy of my accomplishments as a Duelist." Sunset simply replied. "Right now, be more worried about the fact that your monster's attack power is weaker than mine is. Which means that you won't be winning this Duel after all."

"B-but even if you attack me, I'll still have one hundred Life Points left!" protested the punk rocker. He then looked at his remaining face-down card and thought, (Not only that, I've got Call of the Haunted on me field, which I can use to bring back me Skull Archfiend!)

"Not once I play this card, you won't." Sunset responded, taking out one of the other cards that she drew. "I play Big Bang Shot from my hand! This card grants my monster 400 additional attack points - just enough to wipe out your Archfiend AND your Life Points in one blow!" After playing the card, a pair of metallic braces appeared on The Surpremacy Sun to enhance its power (The Supremacy Sun: ATK 3000 + 400 = 3400).

"Aw NO!!" shouted Crimson.

"Yeah! Alright, Sunset!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Now let 'im have it!!"

The red and yellow girl nodded in agreement before turning back to face her opponent. "Surpremacy Sun! Attack Archfiend of Lightning! Solar Big Bang!!!" And with that order, Sunset Shimmer's most powerful monster charged up an incredible amount of fiery energy between its hands and shot it straight at Crimson Napalm's giant demon monster, blasting it to ashes.

"Arrrgh!!" groaned the punk rocker teen. "I don't believe it... I lost...!" (Crimson Napalm: LP 600 - 900 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"Yeah!! She did it!!" cheered Applejack. "Sunset won the Duel!!"

"I just knew she'd pull it off in the end!" Rainbow Dash added.

"I'm just glad that scary Archfiend monster is gone..." Fluttershy noted, still trembling a bit just thinking about it.

Sunset then walked over towards her opponent and shook his hand. "Great Duel, Crimson." she told him. "You certainly didn't make that win easy, I'll tell you that."

"Yeah, thanks." the punk rocker said in a sincere tone. "Now I can see why you're the school's best Duelist; you're beyond tough." Smirking a little, he then added, "But I'll beat you next time! That is, once I fix up me Deck, that is."

"I'm always up for another challenge, Crimson. I wish you the best of luck." the red and yellow girl replied with a smile.

But as Sunset and Crimson shook hands and the others cheered, there was one more spectator to the Duel whose presence was unknown to them all. It was none other than Trixie Lulamoon, who was watching every move and listening to every word closely. "Hmph...!" she huffed to herself, "She's the school's best Duelist is she? Well, we'll just see about that! I'll expose you for the sham you truly are, Sunset Shimmer... So says the Great and Power-!" she then stopped when she realized that she was speaking too loudly. Taking a deep breath, she then whispered instead, "...So says the Great and Powerful Trixie...!" The light-blue teenager then left the area and headed into the school's front door.

Trixie sat by herself at a smaller table in the school cafeteria, tapping her lunch tray with her fork, but not eating much of her meal. She was in deep thought over what she had seen and heard during Sunset's Duel earlier in the morning. Dropping her fork onto her tray, the light-blue teen groaned to herself and said, "Rrrgh! I can't stop thinking about it!! I can't stop thinking about that card Sunset used this morning! That Sun card!!" Growling a little, she added, "That was the card that I lost to her!! I must get it back, no matter what!!"

Regaining her composure for a moment, Trixie sighed and said to herself, "But the problem is HOW I will get that card... Although it pains me to admit this, Sunset is much stronger than she was in the past, and she was quite strong to begin with... At my current power, there is no way that I can win that card back!" Rubbing her temples vigorously, she told herself, "But there must be a way for me to crush her! What is it that makes her powerful?! What does she have that I do not?!?"

At that moment, Sunset Shimmer entered the cafeteria for her lunch period. Walking along with her were Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy. The five of them were chatting with each other as they made their way to the line leading into the kitchen. Trixie noticed them coming and quickly stopped talking to herself so that she could listen to what they were saying.

"I just gotta say it again: That Duel you had with Crimson was awesome!" Rainbow Dash told her.

"Thanks, Rainbow." the red and yellow girl replied. "I enjoyed it too." She then glanced over at Twilight and asked her, "What did you think of it?"

"It was incredible!" the young Princess answered. "You played that Duel so well! I had heard that you were the best player in this school, but seeing you dueling with my own two eyes was an altogether different experience!"

"Well, I didn't get that good overnight." Sunset informed her inter-dimensional friend. "I had to practice dueling for quite a long time. Luckily, my friends were a big help in that department."

"Well, we didn't do THAT much, honestly." Applejack said in a modest manner. "Y'all seemed to have a natural knack for duelin' in your bones."

"I agree..." Fluttershy chimed in. "You picked up on the rules and strategies so quickly, it was almost frightening..."

"Not as frightening as it is to anybody facing her." Rainbow noted. "Especially when she busts out that super-powerful Sun card that she's got. I dunno where she got it, but it seems to be a natural fit for her Deck."

"Well, it sure seems to be." Sunset replied, rubbing the back of her head a little. Though no one heard it, the comment that Rainbow Dash had made elicited a slight growl out of Trixie.

"I did notice something a little peculiar, though." Twilight spoke up, putting her pointer finger up to her chin. "Why didn't you use any of your Number cards against Crimson? You probably would have won much more quickly if you did."

(Number cards...?) Trixie asked in her mind. (That sounds familiar... Of course! I remember now! At the last Fall Formal!)

"Probably." Applejack began to say. "But Sunset chose not to use any Number cards against someone who didn't have even one."

"It's true." the red and yellow girl confirmed. "I only use the Number cards against someone that I know is using Numbers themselves. I felt it wouldn't be fair to give myself an unfair advantage by doing that. Besides, if I did use a Number against a non-Number holder, it would make the Duel way too easy, and where's the fun in that?"

"That's very nice to hear that, Sunset." Twilight told her friend. "I'm glad to know that you play this game fairly and not give yourself too much of an advantage. You've certainly learned quite a bit since the last time I was here."

"I try my best each day." Sunset simply told her. "Anyway, let's hurry up and get our food before it's too late." The other girls nodded to agree with her and stepped in line together.

Meanwhile, Trixie was thinking about their discussion, specifically the part about the Number cards. "I see now... That is what Trixie must do..." she grinned to herself as she got an idea; an awful idea...

"Trixie got a wonderful, AWFUL idea!" Pinkie Pie said suddenly.

"Hm? What did you say about me?" asked the blue teen, looking over at the silly pink girl with narrowed eyes.

"...Um, nothing." she replied. "Nothing at all! Just... carry on with your mean, evil plan!" And with that, Pinkie left the cafeteria for an unknown destination, leaving Trixie to her thoughts.

Sometime after school was done for the day, Trixie walked outside and sat on a bench just across from the parking lot, pondering over her plan to defeat Sunset Shimmer. "Number cards..." she said to herself. "Trixie had almost forgotten about them. During that Duel that took place at the last Fall Formal, Sunset and Rarity used them. And they certainly appeared to be very powerful..." Smirking to herself, the light-blue teen stood up out of her seat and added, "That is what I need to take that upstart down! I need a Number card of my own! One that's more powerful than any of hers!!"

Pausing for a moment, her smile faded when she realized a slight problem with her plan. "There's just one thing..." she mumbled as she sat back down on her bench, "I have no idea what one of these cards would look like, much less where I could find one. Trixie shall require some assistance if she plans on getting what she desires... Almost anyone shall do."

"Man, you totally killed out there at baseball practice!" said the whiny-sounding voice of a young boy nearby. Trixie, hearing the voice, looked up and saw Snips and Snails walking across the grassy area in front of her.

"Sure did, Snips!" Snails replied to his buddy's comment, waving a wooden baseball bat around. "I'm willing to admit that I ain't good at thinking really, really hard... But nobody can beat me at baseball!"

"Yeah, if only that Duel we had with Sunset last month was a baseball game," Snips told him, "then we probably could've beaten her!" Sighing, the pudgy boy added, "Aw well, those Numbers that we had were pretty lame anyway, so I don't feel too bad about losin' 'em."

(Numbers?!) thought a surprised Trixie. (They had Number cards?! And they both dueled Sunset?!) Humming to herself and forming a smirk, she then said to herself, "Trixie believes that she has found the assistance she needs..." The teen girl then got up out of her seat and started walking over to the two boys.

Snails glanced over to the side and saw Trixie walking towards them. "Hm? Hey, Snips," he said to his friend, "Look over there..." He then pointed to the girl coming their way.

"Huh?" asked Snips as he looked in the direction Snails was pointing. "Isn't that Trixie? Why's she comin' over to us?" His buddy shrugged his shoulders to say that he had no idea.

Once she made her way over to the pair, Trixie said to them, in a sweet and innocent-sounding voice, "Why hello there, Snips! And hello to you as well, Snails. I am so happy to see you both!"

The two boys looked at each, confused. "You are?" they asked in unison.

"Why of COURSE!" the teenage girl answered them. "I was actually hoping to run into you two today!"

"Uh... why's that, Trixie??" asked Snails.

"Because I have something that I need to do, but Trixie cannot POSSIBLY do it all on her own..." Trixie told them, putting on a bit of a dramatic show. "I need the assistance of two nitwi-... er, I mean... two BRIGHT young boys such as yourselves! If you can help me out with just one teeny-tiny little thing, I'll make it worth your while! So what do you say?"

Snails, eager to help a pretty girl, was about to open his mouth to speak. But at that moment, Snips grabbed his friend's mouth, keeping it shut. "Hold on a sec!" the pudgy blue-skinned boy said to her. "The last time we helped out a pretty girl, she turned out to be a total jerk! Gimme one good reason why we should believe that you'll be any better than Sunset was!"

"Ah yes, I had almost forgotten that you used to play patsy to Sunset Shimmer... Pardon Trixie's slight lapse of memory." the light-blue girl replied. "However, I can assure you that I am very much different from her. In fact, I am quite displeased with her myself, and if you'll help me, you'll finally get back at her for what she did to you both..."

The two boys weren't sure if they could believe her, but they were quite swayed by the fact that Trixie seemed to want to get a piece of their old boss as well. Snips then looked over at Trixie and asked her, in an unsure tone, "You PROMISE that you'll treat us better, Trixie...?"

"Why of course I promise!" the teenage girl replied. "You have Trixie's word!" Unbeknownst to the two boys, Trixie had her fingers crossed behind her back as she said that.

Snips hummed a bit more to himself, pondering about what they should do. "...Alright then, we'll help ya." the pudgy boy replied, letting go of Snails's mouth. The orange-skinned boy rubbed his mouth area, as it was a little sore from Snips's grip.

"Excellent! I knew that I could count on you both!" Trixie cheered. Bending down so that she was at eye-level with them, she then said, "Now, as for what I need you two to help me do... I need you to find me a Number card."

"Number card?" asked the two boys.

"Indeed." Trixie replied back. "I had heard rumors that you two had some a while back."

"Yeah, we did!" Snails told her. "But... uh, then we kinda lost them."

"It's true, Trixie." Snips chimed in. "When two guys with Number cards Duel, the winner gets all the loser's Numbers."

(Hmmmm... interesting...) thought Trixie. (This could work out even better than I hoped it would...) Putting that thought aside for the moment, she then asked the boys, "So... where, pretell, did you find your Number cards? What did they look like?"

"Uh... I'm not really that sure..." Snails told her, scratching his head.

"Ugh...! You really don't remember, Snails?!" asked Snips. "We found them in YOUR backyard!"

"Oh yeah!! That's right!!" the slow-witted boy responded. Scratching his head again, he then asked, "Now how'd I forget that...?"

"Oh yeah! There's one other thing ya gotta know;" the pudgy boy then told Trixie, "when we found our Number cards, they were totally blank at first!"

"Blank? You must be kidding me!" Trixie replied, not believing them.

"But it's true!" Snails rebutted. "Then, after we picked them up, there was this weird purple cloud, our heads hurt a little bit, we heard some kinda strange voice, and then... they weren't blank anymore!"

Trixie wasn't sure that what they were saying was true, as it seemed way too far-fetched. Still, she concluded that it was the best lead that she had, so she decided to go along with it for now. "Very well... I suppose blank-headed information is better than none at all..." she muttered to herself. She then told the boys, "Very well then... since you seem to know what these Numbers look like, you can lead the way... However, once you find one, I must be the one to pick it up, understand?!"

"Yes, ma'am! Understood!" the pair replied obediently. The two boys then went on ahead, looking all over the school grounds for any remaining Number cards.

Trixie then chuckled to herself, saying, "Now I see why you chose these two dolts as your cronies, Shimmer. They'll do anything you tell them to do! And once they locate a Number card for me, your former minions will be your undoing!"

For the next several minutes, Snips and Snails searched the school from top to bottom, looking for a Number card that had yet to be claimed by someone. Though they searched everywhere, the boys couldn't find anything. Trixie, following close behind them, was beginning to get impatient. "Rrgh...! Haven't you two found anything yet?" she asked them with a slight scowl. "Trixie felt as though we should have found a Number card already!"

"Hey, this ain't as easy as it looks!" Snips told her. "We're doin' our best here!"

"Yeah!" Snails added. "Tryin' to find one of these Number card thingies is like trying to find a hay in a needlestack!"

"Uh... you mean NEEDLE in a HAYstack." the pudgy boy corrected his buddy.

"...Ohhhhhhh... oh yeah, that makes a LOT more sense..." the orange-skinned boy responded with a chuckle.

"Would you two cut it out?!" Trixie scolded. "We cannot afford to waste any more time! I need to find a Number card as soon as possible! I refuse to believe that there's not a single one left in this entire school! There must be at least ONE more that no one's found yet!"

"But we've looked everywhere, Trixie!" whined Snips. "There's no rooms left to look around in!"

The light-blue girl growled a little in response. She about to scold them again, but at that moment, a strange feeling came over her; a powerful feeling. "Hm?" She then looked around the hallway that they were in, looking for the source of that strange feeling. Her eyes eventually fell upon a door at the other end of the hall; somehow, she could feel the sensation was strongest there.

Instinctively, Trixie began running towards the door that she saw. "Huh? Hey! Wait for us!!" shouted Snips as both he and Snails ran after her, wondering what she was up to now.

The trio eventually reached the door at the end of the hallway: The door to the Teacher's Lounge. "I can feel it." Trixie told her two helpers. "Trixie cannot explain it, but she can feel a great power coming from this room... It has to be a Number card!"

"But... but we can't go in there, Trixie!" Snails protested. "We're not allowed to go into the Teacher's Lounge!"

"Do not try and stop me!" the light-blue girl said to him. "You promised to help me find a Number card, and I have a feeling that one is in this room! Besides, it's the only other room we haven't checked in this hallway!" Trixie then opened the door wide to allow her and the two boys access inside. "Besides," she added, "if we were not wanted in here, they would not have left the door unlocked for us, right?"

"Uh... I guess not." replied Snips, still a little wary about the whole thing.

"Exactly. Now keep quiet and follow me inside!" Trixie told them both before walking into the Teacher's Lounge. Snips and Snails reluctantly followed her.

The Teacher's Lounge was a relatively small room, only about as big as a standard classroom, maybe a tad bigger. Inside the room were two tables with some chairs, some forest green sofas, a television set with a cable box hooked up to it, a microwave, a sink, and a computer hooked up in the back of the room. It wasn't much, but it was enough to help the staff relax during and after a hard day.

The three of them carefully looked around the room, making sure not to disturb anything; they didn't want anyone to know that they had been inside. "I still don't see anything, Trixie..." Snails stated.

"Y-yeah, me neither..." aded Snips. "Maybe we should just leave and forget about this whole thing..."

"That's not going to happen!" Trixie scolded him. "I know that there's a Number card in this room somewhere, and I intend to get what I came for!"

As Snails looked around inside the overhead cupboards, he then noticed something inside one of them. Among the glasses and mugs set up neatly inside, there was an object that didn't seem to belong in there. "H-hey! I think I found something!!" he told Trixie.

Trixie and Snips ran over to where he was and looked at the cupboard that he had opened. Snips tried to look inside, but he was too short to see. "What'd you find? What'd you find??" he asked, wanting to know.

"I'LL see what's inside this cabinet, if you don't mind." Trixie told them both, nudging Snails aside. She then looked inside and gasped when she what was in there: A black Duel Monsters card... without a picture. "That's it...! I knew it!" she cheered. "It's a Number card!"

The two boys wiped the sweat from their foreheads, happy to know that they were done working for her.

Trixie then took the card from the cupboard and looked at it with gleaming eyes. "It's bizarre..." she told herself, "this card is totally blank, but I can feel so much power coming from it!" As she spoke, a dark cloud formed around her. "Yes... Yes! YES!!!" she shouted. "I can feel it coarsing inside of me!!"

"Yes, Trixie..." said a voice inside of her head. "Let the Number take hold..."

Trixie's smile became more and more demented-looking as an orange-colored mark appeared over her left eye. The mark resembled the number 11 as it glowed ferociously. "Finally..." Trixie muttered softly. "Finally I have the power I've always WANTED!!"

"Uh... yeah! You certainly do...!" Snips chimed in, feeling a bit uneasy. "Now we can finally get back at Sunset!"

"Yeah!" added Snails. "Then WE will be the best Duelists in the whole school!"

Trixie chuckled a little upon hearing that as she turned around to face the two boys, staring them down with her now-bright orange eyes. "I'm sorry... did you say, 'we' would be the best Duelists in the school...?"

"Uh... yeah?" Snips replied. "After all, once we beat Sunset, then we'll be the toughest around!"

"Hmmmm... a nice plan, except for one thing..." the light-blue teenager told him. Holding up her new Number card, now no longer blank, she said to the two boys, "I shall be the strongest Duelist in school, and then the whole world! Only me!!"

"WHAT?!?" shouted Snips and Snails in shock.

"But we had a deal!!" the pudgy blue boy reminded her.

"Well, the deal's OFF!!!" she responded. "Now that I have this Number card's power, I don't need the two of you anymore!!" She then thrust out her hand that held the Number card. The card then began to glow and shot out a blue blast of energy at the pair, sending them falling onto the linoleum tile floor hard.

"AAACK!!!!" the boys shrieked as they landed on their rear ends.

Chuckling softly to herself and admiring her new prize, Trixie then said to herself, "Now it's time to settle my score with Shimmer, and teach her that no one gets between me and what I want!! So says the Great and Powerful... no, the MIGHTY and INVINCIBLE TRIXIE!!!!" She continued to cackle as she left the Teacher's Lounge and went looking for Sunset.

Snips and Snails groaned as they got back up. "Ugh... what happened...?" asked the orange-skinned boy.

"We got double-crossed, that's what..." groaned Snips, both out of pain and humiliation. "As bad as she may have been, Sunset never broke her promises to the two of us when we did something for her..."

"Yeah..." Snails simply replied. "Now what're we gonna do...?"

"We don't have a choice... We've gotta warn Sunset about this before Trixie finds her first!" the pudgy boy answered.

"But, uh... don't we hate Sunset because of what she did?" asked Snails. "Ain't she the reason why everybody picked on us?"

Snips sighed to himself and told him, "Not completely... Remember what she told us when we dueled her? She said that just because she told us to do what she wanted, didn't mean we HAD to. We could have stopped helpin' her anytime we wanted! We were just as bad as she was back then, and we've got no one t' blame but ourselves..."

"...Yeah..." the orange-skinned boy replied, realizing that his buddy was right.

Putting on a serious and determined face, the pudgy blue boy then told his buddy, "We have t' find Sunset and her friends and tell her about Trixie before it's too late! I mean, it's not like we've got any better options do we? Sunset's the only one that can fight those Number cards, after all, so she's the only one that can fix this!"

"Uh, I guess you're right..."

"Of COURSE I am!" Snips responded, slamming his fist into the palm of his left hand to emphasize his point. "Now hurry up and follow me!" he then told Snails. "It's after school, so Sunset n' the others must be in the Music Room right now!" The two boys then ran out of the Teacher's Lounge, hoping to find Sunset before Trixie did.

In the Music Room, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and all of their friends were hanging out after they had finished practicing their music for the day, though Rainbow Dash and Applejack were still doing a bit of work on their guitar solos afterwards. Fluttershy was busy playing with Spike while Pinkie Pie watched, Sunset was reading a novel that she had borrowed from the school library, and Twilight and Rarity were in the middle of an intense game of Chess.

The young Princess glanced over the placement of the pieces on the board for a while, and eventually came to a decision. Grabbing the black queen's pawn, she moved it forward one square, attacking a white pawn that was diagonally across from it. "There we go." Twilight said to herself. "Pawn to d6."

Rarity hummed a little, not sure what her friend was planning. They were both playing excellently so far, but it was clear to the fashionista that Twilight seemed to be more experienced. Still she wasn't about to give up yet, and moved her attacked white pawn away from Twilight's. "Pawn to e6." she responded. "I may not know exactly what you're planning, Twilight, dear. But I am not about to fall for it."

"I guess we'll see soon enough, Rarity." Twilight replied with a smile as she made her next move. "Knight to f4."

Pinkie strolled over towards the two of them and glanced at the chessboard with an expert eye. "Hmmm... wowee. Twilight's pretty good at this game, isn't she?" she asked.

"I must admit, she is most excellent." Rarity answered her friend as she continued to play the game. "I've tried everything I know, but she seems to have a counter for it ready to go at a moment's notice. She might be about as good at this game as Sunset is."

"It's a possibility." the red and yellow girl spoke up after hearing herself being mentioned. "Twilight and I were both Princess Celestia's personal students, and playing Chess was one of the things that she had us do in order to keep our minds sharp, right Twilight?"

"Mhmm." Twilight nodded as she made her next move. "Celestia and I played hundreds of games of Chess with each other, and it's helped me out a lot in the things I do every day." Giggling and blushing a little to herself, she then added, "Though it took a long time for me to finally beat her in a game."

"Well, you said your Celestia's over two thousand-somethin' years old, didn't ya?" asked Applejack. "She's probably had plenty of time to practice it, so I ain't too surprised that she'd be tough t' beat."

"Yeah, I don't think that I'd have the patience for something like that." Rainbow Dash admitted. "I'm better off just sticking to games that don't require too much deep thinkin'."

Sunset glanced over at her athletic friend and asked her, "You DO realize of course, that Duel Monsters requires a lot of complex thinking, and you play that, right?"

"That's different."

"Different how?"

"Uhhhhh... lemme get back to ya on that, Sunset." Rainbow Dash replied, chuckling awkwardly a little. "I, uh... gotta finish fine-tuning my guitar." The red and yellow girl just sighed a little to herself before going back to her book.

At that moment, Twilight made her next move in her Chess game, moving her king's rook in front of Rarity's king. With a proud voice, the young Princess declared, "Rook to f3: Checkmate!"

"I don't believe it...! She managed to corner me!" Rarity gasped, shocked by Twilight's game-deciding combination. With the best smile that she could muster, the purple-haired fashionista extended her hand and said to her friend, "Well played, Twilight dear. I must say, you did quite a fine job."

"You were pretty good yourself, Rarity." Twilight replied, shaking Rarity's hand. "I almost thought I was gonna lose that one."

"I must ask, though: How did you manage to overcome my best moves so easily?" the white-skinnned girl then asked. "It seemed as though you were ready for anything I could throw at you."

"It's not that big of a secret, really." the young princess replied. "I just always look at every possible outcome and then make my move based on what I believe is the most likely to occur. Just a simple matter of intuition, I guess."

"In other words, you simply trust your instincts." Sunset spoke up. "I can certainly agree with that."

"Trusting your instincts, huh?" pondered Rainbow. "That sounds a little more like me; maybe I should give this Chess thing another look... Later, of course." The others chuckled a little at their cyan-skinned friend's remark.

Just then, at that moment, the group could hearing loud, frantic pounding coming from the Music Room door. "Just a minute, just a minute! Ah'll get it!!" Applejack shouted to the people behind the door as she walked over to open it. And right when she did, Snips and Snails toppled over into the room, landing on top of each other, completely out of breath. "What the-?! You guys?!?" asked the country teen, who, like the others, weren't expecting to see them show up.

"My word! What are Snips and Snails doing here??" asked Rarity, not terribly pleased to see them.

"Acting like complete doofuses, what else?" Rainbow Dash replied.

"But, um... why do they look so exhausted...?" Fluttershy inquired. "It's like they were in a big hurry to get over here for some reason..."

"Don't worry, I'll find out what they're up to." Sunset assured her friends. She then walked over towards Snips and Snails and asked them, "Alright, what's going on? Why are you two here?"

Upon hearing their former boss's voice, the two panicking boys grabbed onto Sunset's jacket in order to pull themselves up off of the floor. "Sunset! Sunset!!" whimpered Snips. "We messed up! We messed up REALLY bad!"

"Yeah! REALLY bad!!" Snails repeated.

"What are you talking about?" asked the red and yellow girl. "Messed up how?"

"I-i-it's Trixie!!" the pudgy blue boy answered her. "She's gone totally crazy! And it's all our fault!!"

"Trixie??" asked the others.

For the next few minutes, Snips and Snails told the seven girls exactly what had happened between them and Trixie, and how the light-blue girl had gotten her hands on one of the Numbers. "So, let me get this straight:" Twilight began, trying to figure everything out. "The two of you actually HELPED Trixie find a Number card because she promised you revenge on Sunset? And you ACTUALLY believed her?"

"...Uh huh..." the two boys responded in guilty-sounding tones, knowing that they did something really bad.

"And you let her take that Number card when you knew first-hand how dangerous those things can be?" asked Rarity in a stern-sounding voice.

"We're really sorry..." Snips responded. "P-please don't be mad at us..."

Sunset Shimmer sighed and told him, "We're not angry at you two. Disappointed, perhaps... but not angry. Since you came and warned us about Trixie, I'm willing to look past your error in judgement." Looking over at her friends, she then said to them, "Besides, the important thing right now is to confront Trixie and get that Number card away from her before it messes with her head any more than it already has."

"But how're we gonna find her?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Easy. We don't try to find her." Twilight answered. "If she's looking for Sunset, then she'll find us soon enough."

"And when she does," Applejack added, "we'll be ready to give a real good kick in the pants!"

"I wish it were that easy, to be honest..." Sunset told them. "Trixie's not just any ordinary Duelist; she's one of the best I've ever seen. And who knows what she'll be capable of now that she's gotten a Number?"

"Aw, you worry too much, Sunnie!" Pinkie Pie told her friend. "We'll get her Number card and still make it back home for dinner!"

"Pinkie's right. We've gotta have a positive attitude about all this, or we'll already be beat." Rainbow Dash reminded everyone. "Now let's get out there and show Trixie who's REALLY Great and Powerful!" The others nodded in agreement and with that, they all left the Music Room to look for Trixie.

The group, led by Sunset and Twilight, departed from the Music Room together in search for Trixie Lulamoon, intending to Duel her and take away whatever Number card that she was holding. As they searched, Sunset then asked Snips and Snails, "Y'know, just out of curiosity, why did you warn us about Trixie? I thought you hated me because everyone at school picked on you for working for me..."

"Yeah, we did hate you for what happened..." Snips admitted with a guilty look on his face. "But, to be totally honest and stuff... you're a million times better than Trixie once she started going crazy..."

"Yeah! A million BILLION times better! It's the truth!" Snails chimed in.

"Uh... I guess I should take that as a compliment." Sunset responded, not feeling very flattered about the boys' response to her question.

"Well, let's not worry about that right now..." Twilight told her. "We have more important things to deal with..."

"Ya got that right, Twi." Applejack agreed. "Trixie's gone crazy, an' we have t' stop her before she hurts somebody!"

"Perhaps, but something still bothers me about all this..." Rarity spoke up. "What does Trixie have against Sunset, or any of us for that matter? What is her motive for this?"

"Well, we did sort of overshadow her winning the Battle of the Bands last year when we stopped the Dazzlings..." Fluttershy thought. "It could be that..."

"Maybe, but I kinda doubt it." Rainbow Dash stated. "Sure, she was a little miffed by that, but she seemed to get over it real quick." She then looked over at Snips and Snails and asked them, "You guys have any idea why Trixie went nuts or why she wants a piece of Sunset?"

"We don't know..." Snips answered. "All she told us was that she wanted to get back at Sunset for something; we never asked her why."

Sunset thought about what the others were talking about. Although no one seemed to know why Trixie was bent on revenge, the red and yellow girl had a feeling that she knew what was driving the magician wannabe. (Trixie...) she thought to herself, (could she still be bitter about... about that...?)

Twilight glanced over at her friend, seeing that she was in deep thought. But before she could say anything, she and the others heard a cry from far away. "EEEEEEEEEEKKK!!!"

"What was that?!" asked Pinkie Pie, startled.

"It sounded like it came from up ahead, near the library!" Applejack noted.

"Let's hurry and see what it is... It could be Trixie's doing." Sunset suggested. The others nodded and followed the red and yellow girl up ahead.

When they got there, the girls, along with Snips and Snails, saw what appeared to be the end of a tough Duel. On the ground, they saw a trembling young girl with light pink skin, golden-blonde hair, and light yellow eyes. She wore a yellow, floral-print dress on her body and a white lily flower in her hair. In front of her was Trixie Lulamoon, whose facial expression looked even more crazed and creepier than before.

"Isn't that Lily from Agriculture Class?" asked Rarity, pointing to the pink and blonde girl.

"It is...!" gasped Fluttershy.

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash chimed in. "And big surprise: There's Trixie over there, roughing her up!"

"Let's get over there before things get any worse!" Twilight suggested. The others nodded and ran over to the scene.

Lily, trembling, schooched away from the now-crazed (or crazier, depending on your point of view) Trixie and said, in a meek tone, "P-p-p-please... n-no more! You won the Duel...! So just leave me alone!"

But the light-blue teen just glared at her frightened opponent with her creepy orange eyes and said, "Look at you Lily, cowering in the presence of a real Duelist... And rightfully so: For there is no one that can best the Great and- er, excuse me... MIGHTY and INVINCIBLE TRIXIE!!"

"Oh, is that so?" asked Sunset's voice as she and her friends showed up to protect Lily. "I have a hard time believing any of that, Trixie!"

"Hmph... so you showed up at last, Sunset Shimmer." Trixie responded. Now that her attention was on Sunset, Lily took that moment to get away. "I was hoping that you'd show up to 'save the day'; it was worth Dueling a weakling like Lily if it meant I finally get a chance at you!" She then stared down the red and yellow girl and asked her, "And just why, may Trixie ask, do you not believe my words when it is quite clear that I am truly the strongest Duelist here at this school?"

"Because for one thing," Sunset answered her, "you're not exactly as invincible as you'd want us to believe. You and I know that better than anyone." Trixie just grumbled in response.

"And besides that," Applejack added as she helped Lily back onto her feet, "No REAL Duelist would rough someone up as bad as you did Lily just t' get Sunset's attention! You ain't no Duelist; you're nothin' but a bully!"

"Yeah!" Snips blurted out unconsciously. He then quickly covered his mouth when he realized that he had just agreed with them right in front of Trixie.

"Hmph... so I'm a bully, am I?" asked Trixie. "And I am NOT a real Duelist? Trixie is shocked that you would say such a thing about her, considering that the lot of you are buddying up with the worst bully this school has ever known."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Sunset, wondering what the light-blue girl was talking about.

"Oh just drop your little 'goody-goody' act, Sunset. You, I, and everyone else here knows it's all just a complete hoax!" Trixie snapped back.

"What did you just say?!" shouted Rainbow Dash, now getting angry.

"How dare you accuse our friend of such a thing!" Rarity scolded Trixie. "Sunset has learned from her mistakes and changed her ways! Whatever would make you think otherwise?!"

"Because I know about something she did to me that she probably neglected to mentioned to any of you..." the light-blue teen answered.

"What are you talking about...?" asked Sunset, confused. "I never did anything to you, even back when I WAS a jerk."

"Oh but you did, Sunset... And now I'm going to reveal that little bit of unsavory past to your closest friends right here, right now!" Trixie proclaimed. "And THEN we'll see if they want to continue associating with the likes of you anymore!"

The others just stood there, completely silent. They weren't sure what Trixie was going to tell them all.

"You see, everyone..." Trixie began, "your so-called 'friend' did something to me that I can never forgive her for, no matter how much she tries to fake being reformed..." She then pointed at Sunset menacingly and shouted, "I lost an extremely rare card a while back, and it's all because Sunset over there stole it from me!!!"

"Wh...what...?!" gasped the red and yellow girl, shocked by this accusation.

"She... stole a card from Trixie?" asked Fluttershy, stunned by what she had heard as was everyone else.

"That's... what she just said... Ah think." Applejack stated, also in disbelief.

"That... couldn't be right..." Pinkie said, unsure of who to believe. "Could it...?" Everyone just stared blankly after hearing what Trixie had said to them.

Trixie smirked a little and thought to herself, (Yes, now your friends - or perhaps I should say, your FORMER friends - now know you for what you truly are... You can't fake your way out of this.) The light-blue girl believed that, with what she had told them all just now, that they would no longer stick up for Sunset. But before another word could be said...

"THAT'S A LIE!!!" shouted the voice of none other than Twilight Sparkle, who looked quite furious at what Trixie had said.

"Huh??" The other girls, along with Snips and Snails, snapped out of their stupor after hearing the young Princess's outburst.

"Excuse me...?" Trixie asked. "Did you just suggest that I made that up?"

"You heard me, Trixie." Twilight told her in a stern voice. "I know what you just said was a complete lie! I know for a fact that Sunset wouldn't steal a card from you and that's final!"

"Oh, is that what you really think?" asked the light-blue teen. "You seem to have forgotten that Sunset stole something from you the first time you showed up here!"

"I haven't forgotten, Trixie." Twilight replied. "But that's all in the past. And I know that Sunset would never do anything like that ever again!"

"And what proof do you have that she DIDN'T steal from me?" asked Trixie, getting frustrated. "Huh? Answer that!"

"...I don't need any proof." the Princess of Friendship said calmly. "I just know that Sunset couldn't have done what you think she did. I don't have to be convinced by anyone or anything that she's innocent. I just believe in her, and that's all I need."

The others were amazed at how much faith Twilight had in Sunset, especially Sunset herself.

"Hmph... Trixie knew you were a fool, but even she could not have imagined that you were THIS delusional!" the light-blue girl mocked her.

"Oh really?" asked Twilight, not happy about that comment. "Well, what about you? You went looking for a Number Card, even though you KNEW just how dangerous they are; you tricked Snips and Snails into doing your dirty work by promising them something they wanted, only to go back on your promise after they weren't useful to you anymore! And not only that, you picked on another Duelist just for the sole purpose of allowing us to find you! And you're going to accuse Sunset of wrongdoing?!"

Realizing that Twilight had made a good point, the others snapped out of their shock and supported the young Princess. "Yeah, Twi's totally right!" Rainbow Dash. "You can't accuse somebody else of doin' somethin' wrong when you ain't exactly a saint yourself! You're nothing but a total hypochondriac!"

"Um, actually,... I think you mean 'hypocrite', Rainbow..." Fluttershy corrected her friend.

"Whatever." the cyan teen replied, blushing a bit out of embarrassment.

Applejack then stepped forward and said angrily to Trixe, "We're not just gonna stand here and let you badmouth our friend, especially when she's doin' her darndest to be a better person. So do us all a favor and stop spreadin' lies that you KNOW ain't true!!" The others' facial expressions said the same thing: They were determined to stand up for Sunset and not allow Trixie to give her a hard time.

Frustrated by their comments and by the fact that they didn't believe her accusations, Trixie calmly, but angrily said to them all, "So you don't believe me, do you? So be it... Even Trixie can see that talking to you about this is pointless." Looking over at Twilight, she then added, "I WAS planning to take my anger out on Sunset and get my revenge, but since your little friend from another world decided to stick her nose where it didn't belong, I'll take care of her first!!" As she said that, her Duel Pad then activated, its card tray unfolding.

Sunset and her friends gasped; they were shocked at what Trixie planned on doing, but not as much as when they heard Twilight tell the magician wannabe, "Fine! I accept your challenge!"

"Twilight! Are you sure you want do that??" asked Sunset. "Trixie may be a jerk, but she's an experienced Duelist! Are you sure you wouldn't rather have me take her on instead?"

"Thanks, Sunset... but I've made my decision." the Princess of Friendship replied. "I'm not going to allow Trixie to get away with saying all of that horrible stuff about you. I know she's probably had more practice than I have, but I'll find a way to beat her. Just have faith in me..."

Sunset said nothing for the moment after hearing her friend say those words. The red and yellow girl had promised Twilight a while back that she would indeed have faith in her, and she wasn't about to go back on her promise anytime soon. Nodding to the young Princess, Sunset told her, "If that's what you want, then go out there and teach Trixie a lesson she'll never forget!"

Twilight nodded and replied with a smile, "Believe me, it'll be my pleasure!" Stretching out her left arm, the young Princess activated her Duel Pad, shouting, "Duel Pad, activate!!" She then reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out her Duel Gazer and fitting it over her left eye. "Duel Gazer! Let's go!!" she then shouted, her voice full of confidence.

"AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the hallway around them appeared.

Smirking, Trixie then told her opponent menacingly, "You should have stayed out of my business when you had a chance, Twilight Sparkle... And now it's too late for you to back out of it all now!!" (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000) (Trixie Lulamoon: LP 4,000).

As Twilight and Trixie began their Duel, the others nearby put on their Duel Gazers to watch what was going on. As they did, Rarity then glanced over to Sunset and asked her, "Um, Sunset darling...? We... we know full well that you would never steal a card from anyone for any reason... But, I must ask: Why does Trixie seem to think that you did?"

Sunset sighed a little at first, not answering the question right away. After about two seconds, the red and yellow girl pulled out her Deck and replied to the fashionista's question, saying, "I suppose it is about time I told you all about this, especially since Trixie put it all out in the open."

"Wait... don't tell us that what Trixie said was true?" asked Applejack, growing concerned.

"Don't worry, girls... I didn't steal any cards from Trixie." the jacket-clad teenager reassured them. "She made up that story... And it seems she made it up so good, even SHE believes that it's true."

"Then... if you didn't steal anything from her..." Fluttershy began to ask, "then why is Trixie so angry at you?"

Sighing again, Sunset answered, "It's a long story... Real long..."

Meanwhile, Twilight and Trixie had drawn their opening hands and were ready begin their fight. "I'll take the first move, Trixie!" Twilight declared. "I Summon Gagaga Magician in Attack Mode!" After placing her card onto the card tray, her powerful Spellcaster appeared, ready to provide his assistance (Gagaga Magician: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000). "Next, I'll activate my Gagagawind Spell Card!" Twilight continued. "This allows me to play any Gagaga monster from my hand and Summon it as a Level 4 monster! And I choose my Gagaga Mancer!"

Twilight's next monster was of an adult human woman wearing an all-black suit complete with a flowing cape, a gold mask over her eyes, a blue rose in her mouth, and carrying a long sword weapon with an ankh serving as the handle.

*******************************

Gagaga Mancer
(Effect Monster/Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 100/DEF 100)

Once per turn: You can target 1 "Gagaga" monster in your Graveyard, except "Gagaga Mancer"; Special Summon it, also you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except "Gagaga" monsters. If this card is detached from an Xyz Monster and sent to the Graveyard to activate that monster's effect: You can target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; it gains 500 ATK until the end of this turn.

*******************************

"And now that I have two Level 4 monsters on my field," Twilight continued, "I'm ready to make my first big move! I overlay Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Mancer, both Level 4, to create an Overlay Network!!"

Everyone watched as both of Twilight's monsters transformed into purple lights and flew into a red summoning portal in front of her. "Woah! Twi's Xyz Summoning on her first move!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Awesome!"

"Celebrated marksman of the Gagaga clan... Draw your pistol in the name of justice!" the Princess of Friendship chanted. "Let your determination guide your aim!! Xyz Summon!! Fire away! Rank 4! Gagaga Cowboy!!"

After her summoning chant was finished, the portal began to glow brighter than before. Then, from out of the portal came a human man wearing typical western-style clothing, complete with a brown hat, an orange bandanna that covered the lower half of his face, a tan vest with a white shirt underneath, black pants with leather chaps and boots, and a tattered red cape. In his hands were a pair of shiny, silver pistols, loaded and ready to fire (Gagaga Cowboy: Rank 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 2400).

Trixie wasn't that impressed, however. "You do remember that the first player cannot attack on their turn, do you?" she asked smugly, not really caring about Twilight's move much.

"He won't need to attack you yet." the purple teen said back to her. "I'm putting Gagaga Cowboy in Defense Mode and activating his special ability. By spending one Overlay Unit, he can hit you for 800 points of damage, even if it's my first turn!" (Gagaga Cowboy: OLU 2 - 1 = 1)

"What?!" shouted Trixie. But there was nothing she could do as one of Gagaga Cowboy's floating orbs flew into one of his pistols. The man then fired the gun, sending a powerful shot of energy towards the magician wannabe and hitting her hard. "URK!!" she grunetd after taking the hit (Trixie Lulamoon: LP 4,000 - 800 = 3,200). "That was nothing but a cheap shot, Twilight... I'm not impressed...!"

"Then I guess I'm glad that I'm not trying to impress you." the Princess rebutted. "I'll set one face-down card and end my turn." Twilight then thought to herself, (Okay... I'm off to a good start so far. I got a good defense monster out, I have a face-down card ready for backup, and I even damaged her early. I just need to keep pressing forward like this and not leave her any openings...)

"If that's the best that you can muster, then claiming a victory against you won't require much effort at all!" Trixie taunted. "Now I draw!" As the others watched on, the light-blue girl then said to her opponent, "Perhaps this move will help teach you to mind your own business from now on... I'll Summon my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy in Attack Mode!"

Trixie's first monster was a young male human, wearing all blue and holding a spellbook in his hand. His facial expression suggested that he was in deep thought about something (Spellbook Magician of Prophecy: Level 2 / ATK 500 / DEF 400).

(Rrgh... She's using that Deck again...) thought Sunset, getting a little worried for Twilight.

Smirking confidently, Trixie then declared to her adversary, "Now, by simply Summoning my magician to the field, his effect permits me to move one Spell Card that contains the word 'Spellbook' in its name from my Deck to my hand. And I'll choose to add my Spellbook of Power to my hand." After saying that, her Duel Pad's auto-shuffle mixed up her cards, leaving the chosen card sticking out of the Deck after it had finished. Trixie took and placed it into her hand. "Now I shall play my Spellbook of Secrets! With this card, I can take any other 'Spellbook' Spell Card out of my Deck and add it to my hand, and I choose to take Spellbook of Eternity!" And she did just that.

"C'mon already!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "Are you just gonna shuffle your cards around, or are ya actually gonna make a move sometime this decade?!"

"Very well, if you insist..." the magician wannabe responded. "For my next move, I reveal Spellbook of Miracles, Spellbook of Power, and Spellbook of Eternity in my hand!!" And with that, she voluntarily showed Twilight and the others three of the cards in her hand.

"Ah don't get it..." Applejack said. "Why's she showin' Twi some of her cards if she ain't playin' 'em yet??"

"I know why. And it's not a good thing." Sunset answered. "This is just a set-up for one of the strongest moves that she can pull off with that Deck..."

"Please tell me that you're joking, Sunset..." Rarity replied.

"She isn't, Rarity." Pinkie Pie told her. "Trust me: I can tell."

Trixie, smirking once more, then shouted, "And now that I've revealed three Spellbook Spells in my hand, I can now call forth one of my most powerful servants!! I Summon the almighty High Priestess of Prophecy!!"

At that moment, a greenish-white light shot forth from right in front of Trixie. Spewing from out of the pillar of light were several arcane symbols that spiraled around the pillar. After about five seconds of this, a tall, adult human woman emerged from out of the light. She had medium-length pink hair and wore an outfit that was mostly white in color; it consisted of an elaborate-looking hat, a top that covered her chest area while leaving the midriff exposed, long white gloves, a long flowing sarong-like skirt, and long white boots, all adorned with large pieces of jewelry. Floating in front of her was a green spellbook, which was glowing brightly.

*******************************

High Priestess of Prophecy:
(Effect Monster/Spellcaster-Type/LIGHT/Level 7/ATK 2500/DEF 2100)

You can reveal 3 "Spellbook" Spell Cards in your hand: Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn: You can banish 1 "Spellbook" Spell Card from your hand or Graveyard, then target 1 card on the field; destroy that target.

*******************************

Everyone else was shocked at how easily Trixie was able to Summon such an extremely powerful monster on just her first turn. "You've gotta be kiddin' me!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "How's Twilight supposed to fight that thing?!"

"She isn't." Trixie replied, smug as ever. "This card alone will be too much for your little friend to overcome. In fact, I may just have a little fun and beat her just with my High Priestess! I doubt I'll even HAVE to use my new Number card at all in this Duel!!"

"Don't bet on it, Trixie." Twilight responded, not losing any of her self-confidence. "No good Duelist relies just on one card all by itself to win."

"Hmph! And how would an amateur like you know anything about that?" asked Trixie in a snotty tone. "Trick question; you don't. So butt out and allow a true master of this game to show you how a Duel is won! I'll activate the effect of my High Priestess! By banishing my Spellbook of Secrets from the Graveyard, I can now destroy any card on the field!" After removing her Spell Card from the game, she then told Twilight, "Say farewell to your Gagaga Cowboy!!"

The young Princess gasped as she watched Trixie's powerful monster thrust her arms forward, the glowing spellbook quickly opening to a specific page all by itself. A powerful green light then shot out of the book and struck her Xyz Monster, wiping it out with just one blast.

"Well? Now do you see why don't stand any chance against Trixie and her Deck?" asked the overconfident girl. "Maybe now you'll understand what really matters in a Duel! And that's overpowering your foes until they can't fight back!!"

But Twilight smirked and calmly stated, "Actually, I think there's one thing that matters more than that: Always have a backup plan, just in case." Tapping her Duel Pad, she then shouted, "I activate the Trap Card, Guard Go!!"

"What is that??" asked Trixie, having been taken off-guard.

"This card allows me to bring back the monster you just destroyed, as long as it was a Gagaga, Dododo, or Gogogo monster!" Twilight answered. Taking her Xyz Monster out of the Graveyard, she then placed it back onto the field in Defense Mode. All Trixie could do was grumble, annoyed that the effect went to waste.

"Phew... that was a pretty good recovery on Twi's part." noted Applejack.

"Indeed, but I have a feeling that Trixie has a lot more in store for her later on..." Rarity added. Sunset nodded in response, agreeing with her as if she knew exactly what Trixie was capable of.

"Hmph! So you stopped one move. That's all you did and will ever do right in this Duel!" huffed the magician wannabe. "Trixie shall show you just how feeble your so-called 'backup plan' really is!" Taking out another card, she shouted, "I activate my Spellbook of Power on High Priestess! This Spell Card grants an additional 1,000 attack points to my monster for the duration of the turn!" After playing the card, a bright red spellbook appeared in front of the Priestess, which she read carefully in order to use it effectively (High Priestess of Prophecy: ATK 2500 + 1000 = 3500).

"But why did she do that?" asked Fluttershy. "Her monster is already strong enough to defeat Twilight's cowboy without that Spell Card..."

"Because of the Spell's other effect, that's why." Sunset answered.

"Uh... what other effect?" asked Snips.

"You'll see soon enough..." Trixie replied. Pointing forward, she then ordered, "Go, High Priestess!! Attack Gagaga Cowboy! Arcane Wave!!" The tall woman then fired off a powerful wave of green energy that eliminated Twilight's Xyz Monster for the second time in a row. "And now that he's out of the way, I now activate the second effect of Spellbook of Power, which lets me add Spellbook of the Master from my Deck to my hand!" And she did just that.

"So that was her plan..." noted Rarity. "She played that Spellbook card in order to get another one out of her Deck."

"Exactly." Sunset confirmed, nodding her head.

"Now it is your turn, Spellbook Magician of Prophecy! Attack that meddler directly!!" Trixie then shouted. The young magician then swung his staff, letting out a small shot that did minimal damage to Twilight (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500). "Finally, I shall play Spellbook of Eternity. This card permits me to retrieve any of my banished Spellbook Spell Cards, such as my Spellbook of Secrets." After taking back her card, she then ended her turn, which also meant that her High Priestess' attack power returned to its normal value (High Priestess of Prophecy: ATK 3500 - 1000 = 2500).

As Twilight prepared to make her next move, Sunset then said to her friends, "That Trap Card that she played earlier prevented her from taking a heavy hit from Trixie's monsters... But Twilight will need to stop that High Priestess if she hopes to have any chance at winning against her."

"Seems so." Rainbow Dash replied. She then glanced over at her red and yellow friend and said to her, "You seem to know quite a bit about Trixie's Deck, Sunset... Why is that?"

Sighing a little, Sunset then answered her cyan friend, saying, "There's a reason that I know about Trixie's strategy. And it also has to do with why she thinks I stole a card from her." Pulling out her Deck, she then asked everyone around her, "Do any of happen to remember the Duel Monsters Regional Tournament that took place last summer?"

"Ah do." Applejack answered. "And if Ah remember correctly, you were one of the people participatin' in that tournament, right?" Sunset nodded her head yes.

"I remember that too..." Fluttershy added. "But you never mentioned anything about it afterwards, other than that you won..."

"Yeah, and there's a reason for that." Sunset then cleared her throat and explained to them, "As you already know, I was one of the thirty-two Duelists competing in the Regionals. I was one of only two student-age competitors taking part in the tournament."

"Who was the other one?" asked Rarity.

"...The other one," Sunset answered with a sigh, "...was Trixie."

Everyone was shocked to hear that Trixie, the same Trixie that was dueling Twilight right now, was also in the Regional Tournament. "You're kidding!!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Trixie was in that tournament too?!"

"What a shocking and surprising twist to this story!" Pinkie Pie stated. "Next you're gonna tell us that the last match of the tournament came down to you against her, right?"

"That's right." confirmed Sunset.

"Wow! I'm good at this!" the silly pink girl praised herself.

"So you ended up dueling her in the last round... How powerful was she then?" asked Applejack.

"Very powerful." the red and yellow girl stated. "She was one of the toughest Duelists I ever fought against. We were pretty evenly matched in our Duel, and by the time we got to our last turns, our Life Points were both nearly out. It took everything I had just to survive, let alone beat her that day..."

"So what does this have to do with her claiming that you stole a card from her?" asked Rarity, wondering where this was going.

Pulling out a card from her Deck, Sunset then answered her, "Because one of the prizes in that Tournament was a very rare card. Specifically this one." She then showed everyone the card she was talking about: The Supremacy Sun.

"That was the card they gave out in the tournament?!" asked Applejack , shocked by this revelation as was everyone else.

"Yep." confirmed Sunset with a nod. "This card was actually the original print of Supremacy Sun, made by Mr. Phoenix himself before he passed away. It was stolen a long time ago, but Industrial Illusions managed to recover it some time after that happened. Eventually, they made the decision to give it away as a prize for the Regionals."

"No wonder you entered that tournament..." Rainbow Dash began to say. "I'd enter too if I knew that I'd have a chance at winning something like that!"

"Well, the thing is... they didn't tell us what the card would be." Sunset informed her. "They stated that a very rare card would be the prize, but nothing more than that."

"So... what you're saying is that Trixie thinks you stole that card from her, when, in reality, you won it fair and square in the Regional Tournament?" Rarity asked her. "Why would she even think that?"

"Mah guess is that Trix got real sore about losin' to Sunset and couldn't get over it." Applejack assumed. "So she made up an excuse to herself so that she wouldn't feel like a loser about it."

"That's correct." the red and yellow teen replied. "She approached after the match and made a big fuss about it, saying that all I did was get lucky and that's the only reason I beat her and all that. She then swore to me that she'd get the card I won, one way or another."

"But why did she wait until now to try and take it from you?" asked Fluttershy. "If it was that important to her, why didn't she try to get it sooner?"

"Probably because, since I beat her, it shook her confidence and made her think twice about dueling me for the card." Sunset figured. "She probably didn't want me to make her look like a fool in front of everyone."

"Not that she doesn't do that almost all the time anyway." Rainbow Dash commented.

"So that's why she wanted that Number card." Applejack deduced. "So that she could be strong enough to try and beat you the next time you dueled her."

"Mhmm." the red and yellow girl nodded yes, saying, "Not only did she want this card, she ALSO wanted revenge against me... So she used Snips and Snails to help her find a Number card just so she could do all of that."

"We're really sorry, Sunset..." Snips told his former boss. "This is all our fault... We wanted to get back at you too, and Trixie used that just to get that weird card..."

"Yeah... we're really, REALLY sorry Sunset..." Snails chimed in, also feeling bad about everything.

But Sunset, having no more ill feelings to her former cohorts, smiled and told them, "You two don't have to feel sorry about anything. It was my fault that you guys were angry at me to begin with, and Trixie just used that to get to me." Looking over at the two boys, she then added, "But don't you two worry; one way or another, everything will work out in the end. That's a promise."

Snips and Snails looked at each other, wondering if they could take her word for it. Eventually, they decided that they had nothing to lose if they trusted her. Looking over at the red and yellow girl, they nodded to her as Snips said, "Okay. We believe ya, Sunset." The girl was happy to hear that as she smiled right back.

"Things'll only end well if Twilight can get herself out of this mess she's in." Applejack commented, turning her attention back to the Duel. "She's gonna need an extra-good pull from her Deck if she's gonna survive 'til next turn."

"Well, let us start hoping, then..." Rarity chimed in. The others nodded, hoping for Twilight to overcome the odds set against her.

Back at the Duel, the Princess of Friendship looked at her Deck and thought to herself, (I can do this... I can do this...! I can't let Trixie beat me, or my friends will be at her mercy, assuming she'll have any for them...) She then pulled the top card of her Deck and looked at it. Content, she then played it, saying, "I activate Gagagadraw from my hand! By banishing my Gagaga Magician, Gagaga Mancer, and Gagaga Cowboy from the Graveyard, I can now draw two extra cards!"

"Hmph... so you still have some beginner's luck left, do you?" asked Trixie, still not impressed. "Fine, draw your cards and get a move on. Trixie does not have all day to wait for her victory."

Twilight grumbled a little, but ignored her opponent's snarky comment as she drew her two new cards. Looking at them, she smiled and said, "Well, since I liked drawing new cards that time, why not try it again? I activate Dodododraw; one of the cards that I put into my hand just now!"

"What?! Again??" asked the light blue-skinned girl.

"Now I'll send my Dododo Driver from my hand to the Graveyard and draw ANOTHER two cards from my Deck!" Twilight declared, doing just that. After getting her next two cards, she kept right on smiling and told herself, (Okay, this could help... At the very least, I think I might be able to stop that High Priestess next turn.) Placing one of the cards into her Duel Pad's Spell/Trap Zone slot, she then announced, "I'll set one card face-down on the field, and Summon Cardcar D from my hand!"

Everyone gasped a little as Twilight's new monster began speeding down the hallway that they were in. It was a blue car, flattened almost paper-thin, and bearing a phoenix-like insignia with a large, red "D" printed upon the hood (Cardcar D: Level 2 / ATK 800 / DEF 400).

(Grrrn... how lucky can this amatuer get?!) Trixie asked herself in her mind.

"Now I activate the effect of my Cardcar D!" Twilight then stated. "On the turn in which it was Normal Summoned, I can release it and draw yet another two cards from my Deck!"

"Are you sure you want to do that, Sparkle?" asked Trixie teasingly. "If you do that, you'll have no monsters left... and that play will also end your turn automatically!"

"I'm VERY sure, Trixie." Twilight said confidently. "It's a risk that I'm willing to take." Thrusting her hand into the air, she then shouted, "Cardcar D! I release you!!" And with that, the newly-Summoned monster vanished from sight as soon as it appeared, allowing Twilight to draw her next two cards.

"A gutsy move..." Sunset stated. "Twilight just left herself wide open to an attack by Trixie, so hopefully she pulled something that made it worth the risk." The others nodded in agreement.

Trixie chuckled evilly to herself and asked, "Are you quite finished, Twilight? Because other than draw a bunch of times from your Deck, you accomplished nothing on your turn!" Drawing her next card, she then added, "A mistake you shall soon live to regret!" Playing a card from her hand, she then shouted, "I Summon Hermit of Prophecy in Attack Mode!"

Trixie's newest monster was a very old man wearing purple robes, a purple hat, and carrying a long, golden scepter with all sorts of blue, purple, and silver adornments on it (Hermit of Prophecy: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 700).

"Next," Trixie continued, "I'll activate my Spellbook of Secrets, and add another Spellbook of Power to my hand." After she did that, she then informed her opponent, "In addition, that also triggers the effect of my Hermit of Prophecy! Whenever I play a Spellbook Spell Card, he increases in power!" (Hermit of Prophecy: Level 3 + 2 = 5 / ATK 1200 + 300 = 1500)

"That's not good!" said Rainbow. "Without any monsters out on the field, Twilight'll lose all her Life Points if Trixie attacks right now!"

"Quite right, but first things first: I'll banish my Spellbook of Secrets from the Graveyard and use my High Priestess's effect!" the light blue teen declared. After paying the cost, Trixie then ordered, "Now destroy her face-down card!!"

"Not this time, Trixie!!" shouted Twilight, tapping on her Duel Pad at that very moment.

Trixie gasped as she saw several long, green chains shoot out of nowhere. Before she knew it, her powerful Spellcaster monster was wrapped up in them, unable to reach her spellbook in order to activate her magic. "What is this?!?" the magician wannabe shouted. "Explain yourself!!"

"It would be my pleasure!" Revealing her face-down card, the young Princess then told her opponent, "I activated my Trap Card, Fiendish Chain! This card stops your monster from attacking! And not only that, it also blocks out its effects!"

"Alright! That's showin' her, Twilight!" cheered Applejack.

"Yeah! Take that, Trixie!!" Pinkie chimed in.

Trixie wasn't too pleased, however. In fact, she seemed quite angry. "That card..." she muttered to herself. "That card... was how she took everything away from me...!" A memory then popped up in her mind at that moment; it was from her Duel against Sunset in the Regional Tournament...

"Now, Sunset! Feel the true power of the Great and Powerful Trixie!!" Trixie shouted as she activated her High Priestess of Prophecy's effect. "Now, go! Destroy her Crystal Chrononaut!!" The mighty Spellcaster prepared to do just that.

"Not so fast! I activate Fiendish Chain!" Sunset declared, flipping her card face-up. And just like Twilight had done in the present, the Trap Card wrapped itself around the High Priestess. "Now your monster can't attack, and her abilities are completely useless!"

"No! That can't be right!! There's no way that could be right!!" the light blue girl denied.

"Oh, it's quite right, Trixie." the inter-dimensional girl assured her. Drawing her next card, she then said, "I'll use my Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet to give my Crystal Chrononaut a boost! Eight hundred attack points, to be precise." Her tough Xyz Monster then became even tougher after the Continuous Spell strengthened it (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: ATK 2100 + 800 = 2900). Pointing at Trixie's trapped monster, Sunset then ordered, "Now! Destroy her High Priestess!!" Without any delay, Crystal Chrononaut sped forward and readied a mighty punch.

"No! NO!! You can't!!!" Trixie pleaded. But there was nothing she could do. Sunset's Xyz Monster attacked and destroyed her Spellcaster, wiping out what was left of her Life Points (Trixie Lulamoon: LP 300 - 400 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"And with that attack, this tournament is over!!" said the MC. "Sunset Shimmer is the new Duel Monsters Champion of Canterlot City!" The crowds cheered her on, praising her for her victory. But as the red and yellow girl waved to her new fans, Trixie just sat there, grumbling to herself, wondering just how she could have possibly lost.

"My victory..." she muttered softly. "My fans... my prize..." Growling to herself, she added, "I had them all... and she stole them away from me...!" Slamming her fist on the ground, she continued to become bitter about her defeat. "Stole them... Stole from me...!"

Seeing that Trap Card spring on her again like that only made Trixie even angrier. As she growled, the 11 mark appeared over her left eye again, glowing fiercely. "How dare you...!" she snarled at Twilight. "How dare you trap my monster like that!!"

"T...Trixie??" Twilight began to ask, wondering just what got under her skin all of a sudden.

"Now what is she so angry about??" asked Fluttershy, trembling a little.

"It's that Trap Card Twilight used." Sunset explained. "That Fiendish Chain card was how I beat Trixie during the Regionals. Seeing that card sprung on her High Priestess for a second time really must've got her mad..."

"That... does not sound good." Rarity replied, getting worried. "I hope Twilight will be okay out there, because it's clear that Trixie's beginning to dislike her just as much as she dislikes you, Sunset."

"...I hope so too." the red and yellow girl replied, also having that same worried feeling herself.

Back at the Duel, Twilight waited for Trixie to make her next move. But the light blue teen just stood there, growling at her. "Um... are you okay, Trixie?" asked Twilight, showing concern for her opponent for the first time since the Duel started.

"Am I okay...?" asked Trixie, the mark on her face glowing brighter than ever. "You should be more concerned about yourself, little Princess...! Now you've made this personal!! Now I'll not simply defeat you; I'LL CRUSH YOU!!!" Taking out another card in her hand, she then yelled, "I'll use my Spellbook of Power to increase my High Priestess's attack points, just like before!!" (High Priestess of Prophecy: ATK 2500 + 1000 = 3500)

"But that's silly..." Pinkie Pie noted. "She can't attack with that card anyway, so why's she doing that?? For the first time in a while, I'M confused..."

"...I know what she's doing." Sunset told them all.

"You do?!" asked the others.

The red and yellow girl nodded, telling them, "Remember that Hermit Trixie played earlier? When a Spellbook card is played, its attack points go up... But that's not the only thing that increases: It also goes up two Levels at the same time!" The others gasped when they heard that.

"So hold up; she played two of those Spellbooks this turn, right?" asked Rainbow Dash. "And if I remember, that guy was Level 3 when he was Summoned... So that means..."

Gasping, Fluttershy then interrupted, saying, "It will become Level 7... The same as her High Priestess!" (Hermit of Prophecy: Level 5 + 2 = 7 / ATK 1500 + 300 = 1800).

"So that's what she's doin'!" Applejack exclaimed, figuring everything out. "She's goin' for an Xyz Summon!"

"And a Rank 7 monster at that..." Rarity added.

"I don't know what this all means, guys," said Spike, "other than the fact that we're gonna be in huge trouble!!"

Thrusting her hand into the air, Trixie then put on a wicked smile and said to her foe, "Prepare to meet your end, Twilight Sparkle! I overlay my Hermit and my High Priestess, both currently Level 7... and create the Overlay Network!!" In that instant, the High Priestess transformed into a ball of yellow light, causing the chains that had bound her to fall the ground and vanish. At the same time, the Hermit turned himself into a bright orange light before both of them were drawn into a galaxy-like portal that had opened up in the middle of the battlefield.

"Appear, Number 11! Peer into the souls of my enemies and expose their pathetic weaknesses!" Trixie chanted. "Xyz Summon!" At that moment, the portal exploded, leaving behind a bright, orange 11 mark on the ground. "The ruler with the dazzling pupil, Rank 7!! Big Eye!"

Everyone watched as a giant eyeball began to float down from the sky, smashing apart the digital ceiling above them. After it revealed itself, what appeared to be nerves and tissue began to from around the eye, creating a gigantic, white, upside-down cone. Encircling the cone was a large, golden ring which bore the same orange 11 that was on Trixie's face. Orbiting the cone were two dark-purple orbs of energy.

*******************************

Number 11: Big Eye
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Rank 7/ATK 2600/DEF 2000)

2 Level 7 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of that monster. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.

*******************************

Twilight, Sunset, and their friends were shocked and slightly frightened by what they saw. "Is... is that Trixie's Number card??" asked Rarity. "That thing is absolutely hideous!"

"And sc-scary..." Fluttershy added, trembling.

"Th-that's Trixie's Number card, all right...!" Snips confirmed, shaking with fear. "Sh-she found it in the Teacher's Lounge after w-w-we agreed to help her...!"

"W-w-we're REALLY sorry!! We really are!!" Snails cried out.

Sunset growled a little to herself, telling her friends, "The Number cards take on their form based on the feelings and wishes of whomever finds them... Obviously, Trixie wanted a monster that she could use to defeat me and take my Surpremacy Sun away, so it became something uber-powerful. And unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that we'll find out just how powerful that thing is..."

Twilight thought to herself after hearing what Sunset had told her. (Something that could take her Sun card away...?) she pondered, thinking about it some more.

Trixie, now cackling hysterically, taunted Twilight, telling her, "This Duel shall soon be mine, and so will ALL of your Number cards!! My Big Eye will take everything and everyone you hold dear!!" That comment by Trixie also made the young Princess think a little. But she didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it, as the light blue teen readied her next attack. "Now, Big Eye and Spellbook Magician! Strike that upstart's Life Points directly!!"

The two monsters prepared their attack; all Twilight could do was shield her face with her arms as Big Eye let out a powerful energy beam first, hitting her extremely hard (Twilight Sparkle: LP 3,500 - 2,600 = 900). "AAACK!!" she shrieked as she took the assault, only to get hit again, this time from the smaller magician (Twilight Sparkle: LP 900 - 500 = 400).

"Ooooo... that sure didn't look pretty..." Rainbow Dash commented.

"Perhaps, but at least she survived this turn." Rarity noted. "If Twilight didn't force Trixie into Summoning her Xyz Monster, she would have lost the Duel."

"Yeah, but now she's got that big, floating eyeball to deal with!" Spike rebutted. "How's she gonna beat it??"

"Hmmmmm... That depends." Pinkie began to say.

"Depends on what?" asked Snips curiously.

"Does Twilight have a Spell Card that causes a monster to get a loose eyelash in their eye? 'Cause that always irritates me." the silly pink girl answered, eliciting a collective groan out of her friends.

"That's a great idea, Pinkie Pie!!" praised Snails, eliciting an even LOUDER groan.

Trixie chuckled to herself as Twilight slowly got back onto her feet. "You may as well stay down, Sparkle..." she taunted, "because as soon as you and Sunset are out of my way, I shall be the only one to receive all the praise and glory! I shall be the school's best Duelist; a title that I should have had to begin with!! I'll get that into the thick skulls of everyone at school, even if I have to MAKE them understand that!!!"

"You won't have to worry about that, Trixie..." Twilight calmly told her. "Because you won't get past me! I won't let you hurt or badmouth any of my friends as long as I can still fight back!"

"Just try, Sparkle... and you'll soon learn just how foolish this mistake you're making truly is!" the light-blue teen continued to taunt.

(At least we learn from our mistakes, unlike you...) thought Sunset. (It's pretty clear that Trixie hasn't learned a thing from when she lost her Duel with me.) Smiling a bit, she then added to her thoughts, (Which means that Twilight won't lose to her, either!)

As Twilight prepared to make her next move, she suddenly heard the voice of Utopia in her mind. "Twilight... Can you hear me?" he asked.

"Utopia..." Twilight responded. "Yes, I can hear you... Is something wrong?"

"I was about to suggest that, before you make your next move, we should first try and figure out what sort of powers Trixie's Number card holds." Utopia responded. "We must not go into such a perilous situation completely blind."

"I thought so too." the Princess of Friendship told him. "But when I tried to use the Duel Pad to read her Number card, it wasn't able to display anything. It couldn't read the card's text."

"Indeed." stated Utopia. "The Duel Pad, from what I have observed so far, is capable of translating many different languages. However, it appears to have limitations: It does not appear to able to translate the written language of the Astral World, so looking up the card on your device will not help us." After a short pause, he then added, "That being said, there is still a way to figure out Big Eye's secrets..."

"How so?"

"If you recall Twilight, the Numbers shape their form and powers based on the desires and feelings of those who hold them." Utopia reminded her. "Recall what has happened so far, as well as your past encounters with Trixie, and the answer may soon come to you."

"Hmmm..." Twilight went into deep thought as she recalled everything that she knew about Trixie, including the one from her world that she was more familiar with. "Let's see..." she muttered to herself, "well, the first time I met the Trixie from my world, she was bragging about her magical talent and annoying everypony. She even went as far as to lie about defeating an Ursa Major single-hoofed just so everyone would be impressed with her..."

"Hmmm... I see." Utopia responded. "Go on."

"Then, a while later, she came back to Ponyville, this time with that Alicorn Amulet that drastically increased her powers." Twilight continued. "She then managed to temporarily take over the town and force everyone to follow her."

"Oh dear..." Utopia replied, a bit startled. "Is there anything else?"

"Well, not much else from the Trixie that I know." the young Princess answered. "But I do know some things about this world's Trixie, such as how annoyed she was at the fact that our defeating the Sirens last year caused everyone at school to pretty much forget that she had won the Battle of the Bands competition... Other than that, the only other things that I know about her are what she did today; lying to Snips and Snails in order to find a Number card, accusing Sunset of stealing from her... It seems Trixie is going out of her way to control what other people think..."

"It does appear that way..." Utopia replied with a nod.

Twilight then gasped. "That's it!" she told him. "I think I figured it out!"

"You know what Big Eye's powers are?" asked Utopia, curious.

"Not only that," she answered him, "but if my hunch is right, I think I might have a plan to stop her completely." Looking at her Deck, she then added, "It comes down to this next card... But more than that: It also comes down to whether we can trust each other or not." Putting on a smile, she then told Utopia, "Utopia, I know I can trust you, just like how I know I can trust that Sunset would never do anything like what Trixie said she did... So if I draw the right card, I'm planning to have you enter the field. Can you trust me to make the right move?"

Utopia was quite impressed; even he was astounded by how much faith she had put in him, despite the odds against them. With a nod, he told her, "Of course I trust you, Twilight. I know you will come though this, and I shall be there to help you."

Smiling, the young Princess then said, "In that case, let's take her down together!" She then placed her fingers on the top of her Deck and pulled her next card. "I draw!!"

Everyone watched the purple-skinned girl, wondering what was going to happen next. Her friends were all mentally urging her to give it her best and pull through. Even Snips and Snails were hoping that Twilight would win the Duel.

Twilight then glanced at her next card to see what it was. Trixie, as overconfident as ever, taunted her opponent, saying, "It does not matter one bit what card you play, Sparkle. This Duel is mine no matter what you try!"

But Twilight smirked a little and told her, "Don't be so sure of that, Trixie. Anything could still happen, and the outcome isn't always so crystal-clear."

"I beg your pardon...?" asked the light-blue girl, not sure where Twilight was going with this. "Just what are you talking about? You couldn't possibly have anything left to fight me with! And besides that, I even have eight times as many Life Points compared to you!! There's no way you can defeat me at this point!"

"If that's what you think, then prepare to be VERY disappointed..." the young Princess replied, still smiling.

"Sounds like Twi's got some sort of plan cookin' up!" noted Applejack.

"Let's hope so." Sunset replied. "This is her last chance to turn this whole Duel around."

"First things first," Twilight started to say, "I activate the Spell Card Onomatopaira! By sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can choose two monsters from my Deck with Zubaba, Gagaga, Gogogo, or Dododo in their names and add them to my hand!" After sending a card from her hand to the Graveyard, she then made her choices "I choose to add Gagaga Magician and Gogogo Giant to my hand. And then I'll Summon my Gogogo Giant in Attack Mode!"

Twilight's new monster was a giant, humanoid rock creature, colored mostly brown and cyan. It looked almost robotic in appearance as it rose up from the ground, shining the one yellow eye on what would be considered its face (Gogogo Giant: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0).

"Now, just by Normal Summoning my Gogogo Giant, I can use his special ability!" Twilight then declared. "It allows me to Special Summon any Gogogo monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode! And I choose my Gogogo Golem!" And with that, a large, blue and green-colored rock creature popped out of a violet-colored portal and took its place by the young Princess (Gogogo Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500). Then Gogogo Giant switched itself to Defense Mode due to its effect.

"Twilight originally didn't have a Gogogo monster in her Graveyard," noted Fluttershy, paying close attention to her friend's moves, "but when she played her Spell Card this turn, she must have sent Gogogo Golem to the Graveyard in order to pay the cost."

"In other words, she managed to learn to use even the negative effects of her cards to her advantage." Rarity added.

Sunset was also impressed. (I knew Twilight would finally start to get the hang of this game.) she thought. (She's even managed to pull off some more advanced tactics, such as with that Onomatopaira card... She's improving little by little with every Duel... And that might just affect the outcome of this match...)

"Now I overlay my Level 4 Gogogo Giant and Gogogo Golem to build the Overlay Network!" Twilight shouted. In an instant, her two monsters transformed into a pair of orange lights that were immediately sucked up into a galaxy-like portal. "Appear, Number 39!" she then chanted. "My battle starts here! I entrust my wishes upon your white wings! Xyz Summon!" At that moment, the portal exploded, revealing a 39 mark upon the ground. "Messenger of light! Rank 4! Utopia!!"

With the completion of her Summoning Chant, Twilight's loyal Number card graced the field, ready to do battle against Trixie and her Big Eye (Number 39: Utopia: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"Awesome!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Twilight's Number card!!"

"Yay! Trixie's in trouble now!!" Pinkie cried out happily.

"Now go, Utopia! Attack Trixie's Spellbook Magician!!" Twilight ordered. "Rising Sun Slash!!"

Utopia nodded and rushed forward towards Trixie's weaker monster. The mighty warrior then drew his sword and slashed it at the Spellcaster, taking him out of the battle and dealing Trixie serious damage (Trixie Lulamoon: LP 3,200 - 2,000 = 1,200). "AAAAACK!!!" screamed the light-blue teenager as she took the hit.

"Last of all, I'll set one card face-down. That ends my turn." stated the Princess of Friendship.

Grunting, Trixie looked up at Utopia and asked, "So... that's your Number card?" Smirking, she then added, "Trixie admits that it is quite powerful. But you seemed to have overlooked that mine is even more powerful, with 2600 attack points! So, right now, I could very well eliminate your Number without resistance." She then drew her next card and asked rhetorically, "But, that would be quite a waste, wouldn't it?"

"What's she goin' on about this time?" asked Applejack.

"It's just a feeling," Sunset answered, "but I don't think Trixie has any intention of destroying Utopia... Let's all pray that Twilight has that same feeling..." Of course, the purple-skinned girl's facial expression still looked as confident as it did when her turn began. Of course, Trixie was so sure of herself, she hardly even noticed as she began to make her next move.

"Now I think it's about time that I reveal my Number's full power!!" the light-blue girl began to say. "I remove one Overlay Unit from Big Eye and activate its effect!! This power allows me to select any one of your monsters and take it for myself!!"

The others gasped. "She can do WHAT?!?!" exclaimed Snips.

Sunset and Twilight put on a stern expression upon hearing what Big Eye was capable of. They had a feeling that Trixie was up to something.

"Now, Big Eye... do as I command and take control of Twilight's Utopia!! Go! Temptation Glance!!" the crazed teen commanded. Upon receiving its order, Big Eye absorbed one of its two purple-colored orbs (Number 11: Big Eye: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). It then gazed at Twilight's Xyz Monster, surrounding it with a purple haze. However, Utopia did his best to try and fight it off.

"Utopia!! Speak to me! Are you okay??" asked the young Princess out of concern.

"You should worry more about yourself, Sparkle." Trixie said to her, feeling quite powerful right now. "No matter how much he struggles, Big Eye's power is too powerful for him to resist! Since he'll be in my possession at the end of this Duel, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to try him out right now, don't you agree?"

"Oooo, that Trixie...!" Rarity said, trying to hold back her anger. "If I weren't as lady-like as I am, I'd have a few choice words for her, I'll tell you that!"

"Not that you'd be able to say them anyway." Pinkie told her. "After all, kids might be reading this."

(C'mon Twilight... I know you can pull through this... You can't let Trixie beat you!) Sunset mentally urged her friend.

Laughing proudly, Trixie then shouted, "And now for my final move, I'll attack you with your OWN Number Card, ending the Duel in your defeat!! Ha ha ha ha haaa!!!"

"...I'm afraid that won't be happening, Trixie." Twilight calmly told her.

"Ha h-... eh?? What was that??" asked the light-blue girl, dumbstruck by what she heard.

"I said that Utopia won't be attacking me this turn, or ANY turn!" Twilight told her. "And that's because I knew what you were planning to do!"

"You LIE!!!" Trixie protested. "That's impossible!! An amateur Duelist like you could not have possibly guessed my strategy!!"

"Maybe not, but I didn't need to be a good Duelist to know what you had in mind." the young Princess. "Turns out, all I needed to know was what kind of person you were: Someone who tries to manipulate others into thinking you're the best thing since Daring Do... But I'm afraid that my friends aren't that easily convinced. And the same goes for my Utopia!" Tapping her Duel Screen, she then told her, "I reveal my face-down card!"

Once the card flipped face-up, Trixie let out a surprised gasp. "No!! NO!!! It can't be!!"

Everyone else was surprised as well. "Ah don't believe it...!" said Applejack. "Twilight had Remove Brainwashing on the field!"

*******************************

Remove Brainwashing:
(Continuous Trap Card)

The control of all monsters on the field returns to the owners.

*******************************

After the card was activated, the purple aura that surrounded Utopia vanished, fully freeing him from Big Eye's control. Turning over to his controller, he told her, "Thank you, Twilight."

"I was just doing what any good friend would do." she simply replied, rubbing the back of her head. "There was no way that I was going to allow anyone to try and take you away from me. That's the whole reason I put the card in my Deck in the first place. Thought, to be honest, I never thought I'd actually need to use it..." She then let out a small chuckle at that remark.

"Phew... what a relief..." Applejack sighed, thankful that Trixie's monster had been stopped.

"Yeah, that was TOO close." Pinkie remarked. "If that were any closer, then I'd swear we were wearing 3-D glasses."

Trixie wasn't amused one bit when her plans were completely foiled. "I don't believe it...!!" she snarled. "I planned on taking her best monster this whole time!! And she managed to stop my entire strategy with just ONE CARD!!!" Still grumbling, she told Twilight, "I... end my turn..."

"Huh? That's weird...? Why didn't she attack Twilight?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't think she can..." Sunset hypothesized. "Maybe Big Eye isn't allowed to attack on the same turn that it uses its effect... Which means Twilight has a chance to win this Duel. We just have to hope that she can draw the right card in time."

"Well, let's start hopin', then..." Rainbow Dash suggested.

"You can do this, darling!" Rarity shouted to Twilight. "Show Trixie just how a Duel should be won!"

The young Princess nodded and looked at her Deck. (Okay, it comes down to this...) she thought. (I have a chance to stop Trixie now, and I don't intend on wasting it!) Placing her pointer and index fingers on the top of her Deck, she said to her opponent, "It's my turn!" As she prepared to pull the card, she kept wishing in her heart that she would draw something that would end the Duel in the best possible way. "I DRAW!!"

A split-second before the card was pulled, Utopia began to radiate a powerful light around himself. "Huh? What's going on??" asked Twilight's friends. Trixie just stood there, staring at Twilight's Xyz Monster... and, for the first time since the Duel began, started to get worried.

"Utopia...?" Twilight asked her monster. "What's happening to you?"

"I'm not sure..." the warrior answered, "but this feeling is... quite familiar." His eyes then widened after he realized what it may have been. "Yes, that must be it...! I can feel some of my power... It's... it's returning!"

"Returning?" asked the purple teenager. She then suddenly noticed that her newly-drawn card was also glowing. "This is my Fissure Spell Card... but why is it glowing just like Utopia?" Of course, that was the least of her questions when the entire card suddenly began glowing, obscuring the picture. When it finally died down, Twilight was shocked to see that card she had was now a totally different one; its artwork was different in that it featured Utopia on it. Not only that, the name of the card, as well as the effect text, were written in the same strange glyphs as the Number cards.

"The card... it's different now..." Twilight muttered. She then turned to Utopia and asked him, "Utopia? Did... you do this?"

He nodded yes, telling his controller, "It seems as though some of my power has been awakened, Twilight... Your trust in your friends, your abilities, and the hope you have in your heart released it. However, this was something that even I could not do alone; you had just as much involvement as I did." He then turned towards their opponent and told the young Princess, "For now, though, we have more important matters to attend to. Let us use that new power and finish this Duel!"

Twilight, with a look of determination on her face, nodded and said, "You've got it, Utopia!" Playing her new card, she then shouted, "I activate a Spell Card from my hand! Utopia Buster!!"

"What?!?" asked Trixie. "Utopia WHAT?!?" After playing the card, a rocket launcher suddenly manifested itself upon Utopia's right shoulder, armed and ready to fire.

"Utopia Buster?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I've never heard of that card before... Have you, Sunset?"

The red and yellow girl shook her head no, saying, "Never... I know just about every card in the game, but this isn't one of them." She then looked at Twilight's Number card and thought to herself, (But I have a feeling that it didn't just appear randomly out of thin air... I'll bet something between Twilight and Utopia caused it to show up.)

Trixie, sweating a little, asked her foe, "What sort of card is that?! I've never heard of it before!! Tell me!!"

Twilight smirked a little and answered her, saying, "If you insist... Since I have Utopia on the field, this Spell Card automatically destroys the monster that has the lowest attack power on your side of the field!"

"That can't be!" gasped Trixie. "The... the only monster that I have is-"

"That's right." the Princess of Friendship interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say. "The only monster you have out is Big Eye... Which means that Utopia Buster will destroy it!"

"NO!!!" shouted Trixie. "That's not possible!"

"Woah, did y'all hear that, girls?" asked Applejack. "That one card can blow up Trixie's best monster like it was made of balsa wood!"

"Oh... my..." was all that Fluttershy could utter.

Trixie stood nervously as Utopia took aim at her Number card, ready to blast it to smithereens. "No... you can't...! Not my powerful Number card...!" she whined.

"Losing your Number won't be all that happens, Trixie." Twilight told her. "After the buster destroys your monster, you then take damage equal to its attack strength! And because you decided to make your Number extremely powerful, this blast will end the Duel right here!"

"NO!!!" shouted the magician wannabe. But there was nothing that she could do to save herself now.

"Alright!! Let 'er have it, Twilight!" cheered Spike. "You've got this won!!"

The young Princess nodded before shouting, "Go, Utopia!! Use your buster and destroy Big Eye!"

"I shall do just that!" Utopia said. "Hope Buster Shot!!" The warrior then fired his weapon, sending the rocket projectile straight towards Trixie's Number card. It blew up on contact, vaporizing Big Eye with a single blast and sending flaming debris onto its controller.

"NOOOOOO!!!!!" screamed Trixie as the blast knocked away what was left of her Life Points (Trixie Lulamoon: LP 1,200 - 2,600 = 0). She then toppled to the floor, completely and totally defeated (WINNER: Twilight Sparkle).

"She did it!" cheered Rarity. "Twilight won the Duel!!"

"I knew she would...!" Fluttershy (quietly) exclaimed. "I just knew she would...!"

"Yep! Good thing that plot point showed up when it did and gave Twilight that super-strong card all of a sudden!" Pinkie chimed in.

"Uh, yeah... whatever you said there, Pinks." Rainbow Dash said to her. Applejack simply gave a nod to show how impressed she was.

Sunset smiled warmly, thinking, (I knew Twilight would come out okay... Trixie may have had more experience than she did, but once Twilight started getting the better of her, she couldn't keep up.) Sighing to herself, she then added, (She made the same mistakes that cost her the Duel at the Regional Tournament...)

Twilight looked at the fallen Trixie and let out a sigh of relief. "Wow... that sure was intense..." she said.

"Yes, I agree..." Utopia replied. "But what's important is that we have emerged victorious, thanks to our combined efforts." He then reached out his hand and drew Trixie's Number card to it. Afterwards, it then appeared in Twilight's Extra Deck. "And now we are one Number closer to ending this crisis."

"Solving the issue just one step at a time; that's a good way to look at this whole thing." agreed Twilight. "And we'll work harder than ever so that we can take the next step." Utopia nodded in response.

"Urrrgh..." groaned Trixie's voice. She sat up, holding her head in pain as she opened her eyes. Now that she was no longer under Big Eye's influence, they were back to their normal light-purple color. "I... I don't understand... I used the same strategy that I always use with this Deck... I had much more experience than she did..." she said. Growling a little, she then shouted out frustration, "So why did I lose AGAIN?!?"

"I'll tell you why, Trixie." Sunset suddenly spoke up, walking over towards her.

"And why should I listen to you?" Trixie asked the red and yellow girl in a snotty tone.

"I don't expect you to listen to what I have to say, but I at least want you to hear me out." she responded. "Can you at least do that?" Trixie was about to snap back, but at the last minute, changed her mind and decided to hear Sunset's words.

Clearing her throat, Sunset then told her, "The reason that you lost to Twilight - at least what I think the reason is - is because you failed to learn anything from your loss back at the Regionals. You played many of the same moves that you did before, and Twilight stopped them the exact same way that I did. You were so bitter about your loss to me, and you were so fixated on your whole 'revenge plot', that you tried to deny and forget your mistakes. And for a True Duelist, there's nothing more foolish than doing that."

Trixie had nothing to say back. She kept right on hearing what Sunset had to say to her, and it seemed that she beginning to understand her words.

"I know how much it hurts to lose a Duel or two." the red and yellow girl continued. "But instead of trying to pretend like it never happened, a True Duelist needs to try and LEARN from their past mistakes, so that they can become even stronger the next time. A strong Duelist isn't always judged by how much they've won, but by how much they've learned from their experiences, bad or good. And only when you start doing that, can you become - as you put it - 'Great and Powerful'." Sunset's friends applauded at her well-given speech.

Trixie said nothing at first as she got up, keeping her head down as she did so. Then, she said in a low voice, "Are you done, Sunset...? Because there's only one thing I have to say about all of that..." But just when everyone expected her to respond harshly, Trixie revealed her face, her eyes full of tears, and cried, "You're absolutely right...!!"

Everyone just stood there, surprised to see Trixie looking very apologetic for once.

"I WAS trying to forget my loss to you back then!" she sobbed. "But the more I kept trying to push it out of my mind, the more hurt I felt! I kept trying to tell myself that you only won because of a cheat or a fluke... but deep down, I knew that wasn't true..."

"Are... you gonna be okay, Trixie...?" asked Sunset, concerned.

Wiping her eyes a little, Trixie looked over at her former enemy and told her, "Please, Sunset... Please accept my apology! It was wrong of me to accuse you of stealing anything! I was just so bitter about the whole thing, but it's no excuse for the trouble I caused you and Twilight just now!" Sniffling a little, she then added, "It isn't your fault that I lost to you... It was MY fault for not preparing myself enough. You were just trying to do your best in the Regionals, just like I was, and there is nothing wrong about that... So please, for what it's worth... I'm sorry!" She then began crying a little more after saying all of that.

Everyone was surprised to see Trixie actually admitting that she was wrong. But everyone, including Sunset and Twilight, could tell that she wasn't faking it. The red and yellow girl smiled and put her hand on Trixie's shoulder to comfort her. "Apology accepted." she told her. "I know that you really feel bad about it all. The best thing we can do is to try and move on."

"You're absolutely right..." Trixie replied, wiping one last tear from her eye.

Sunset then pulled out her Supremacy Sun card and said to her, "Look, just so that there's no more bad blood between us, you can have my Sun card if it means that much to you."

"Woah, are you sure about that, Sunset?" asked Rainbow Dash. "That's the rarest card you've got!"

"Maybe, but if keeping it means that Trixie will always harbor some hatred towards me, I'm better off without it." the red and yellow girl answered. "So go ahead... You can take it, Trixie." She then placed the Planet card in her hand.

Trixie looked at the rare card, in awe of its mere presence. "I must say..." she said, "this is quite a beautiful and wonderful card, this Surpremacy Sun..." She then paused for a moment and added, "Perhaps, when I'm strong enough, I can have one of my own someday." She then gave the card back to Sunset.

"So... you don't want to take it?" asked the red and yellow girl.

"No... you can keep it, Sunset." Trixie told her. "You earned that card fair and square. Besides, it's a better fit in your Deck anyway."

"Wow... Thanks, Trixie." Sunset responded.

The light-blue girl nodded and told her, "I'm going to look over my Duels with both you and Twilight, so that I can fix up my strategy. And when I do... Could I ask you two for a rematch?"

Sunset nodded, telling her, "I'll look forward to it, Trixie." Twilight also nodded to say that she liked that idea as well. The three of them shook hands to say that, from now on, there would be no more problems between them.

"Until next Duel, Sunset and Twilight." Trixie told them before leaving.

After she was gone, the others began to talk about what had just happened. "Well... that was... unexpected." Applejack said. "Nice, but unexpected."

"But she sounded so happy afterwards..." Fluttershy told them. "I don't think this could have ended any better!"

"I agree wholeheartedly." Rarity chimed in. "It's nice to see that Trixie will stop trying to cover up her mistakes and learn from them instead."

"Speaking of which..." Sunset said as she turned towards Snips and Snails, "have YOU two learned from YOUR mistake?"

"Uh-huh!" the pair answered, nodding their heads vigorously.

"So no more trying to get revenge on Sunset and have it end up turning into something like this, however epic and exciting it may have been?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"I... think we're all revenged-out, anyway..." Snips told her. "So sure, w-we won't bother you guys again!"

"Nope! Never again!" Snails chimed in.

"Good to hear." Sunset responded.

"I-i-in fact..." Snips began to say, "we wanna make it up to ya! Is there anything that we can do for you?"

"Hmmmm..." the red and yellow girl thought. Just then, she got an idea. "I've got it! Maybe you can help me and my friends with this whole Number card thing."

"Awww, no... not again." Snips groaned, remembering how bad it was when they helped Trixie get a Number card.

"Don't worry, this is different." Sunset assured him. "I just want you two to keep an eye out for any more Number cards or anyone that might be holding one. When you do, tell me as soon as you can, and Twilight and I will take care of it. Okay?"

Snips and Snails thought about it for a little bit, not sure what to at first. But after everything that had just happened, they decided that, this time, they could trust Sunset Shimmer. Smiling, Snips shook his former boss's hand and told her, "You can count on us!"

"Yeah! You can count on us!" Snails added.

Sunset smiled, happy to have them helping her and her friends out. "So remember: If you see a Number, tell one of us as soon as possible." she reminded them. "Don't tell anyone else. Okay?" The two boys nodded to say that they understood before leaving.

"Woah... kinda weird having you boss them around again, huh Sunset?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Don't be absurd, Rainbow." Rarity told her. "She asked them for their help instead of demanding it, so it's different this time."

"That's true." the cyan girl responded.

Sunset then walked over to Twilight, a warm smile on her face. The young Princess noticed her and asked, "Is there something you want to tell me, Sunset?"

The red and yellow girl then said, "I just... wanted to say thanks... For sticking up for me when Trixie accused me of stealing that card. It made me really happy to know that you trust me that much."

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't trust you?" Twilight then asked her. Everyone giggled a bit at her response. "C'mon, let's go home. I'm sure we'll need some rest before the next Number shows up." The others nodded and they all left the building as a group. As they did, Utopia hovered over them and began muttering to himself...

"Observation Number Two: I have now learned that trying to forget your past errors and mistakes is a most foolish thing to do. By trying to deny your mistakes, you are often doomed to repeat them. In order to become truly strong, one must remember what they have done, be it accomplishment or error, and learn from them. To learn from your mistakes is the only way that they can truly be overcome, and it is the only way one can push past their own limitations... I shall remember that."

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Twilight Sparkle: (3 Numbers total):

Number 11: Big Eye

RANK 16: The Doctor is (Back) In:

Author's Note

Since it's been awhile when we last saw the Doctor (eight Ranks to be precise), I thought now was a good time to have him make a return appearance.

Not much more to say, other than the fact that I recently had a chance to try out the new Link Monsters. And in my honest opinion, I had a lot of fun using them, and I don't think the game will be ruined just because they showed up. My point is, don't hate on Link Monsters until you get a chance to try them for yourself. You might be surprised to find out how fun they can be to use.

RANK 16: The Doctor is (Back) In:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

A while back, Sunset Shimmer, in her pursuit of the Number Cards, encountered another individual that was also collecting them. Simply known as "The Doctor", or the "Number Hunter", the two had crossed paths and were drawn into a Duel to determine who would claim the other's Numbers. However, the Duel ended without a result when an accident put The Doctor's life in danger, forcing Sunset to rescue him. Left unconscious, the mysterious man was unable to continue, and Sunset decided to end the Duel in a Draw. As a result, neither of them lost their Number cards that day.

The Doctor eventually recovered from his concussion, with the help of his assistant Derpy Hooves. After figuring out that Sunset Shimmer was not an enemy, they decided to leave her be for the moment and concentrate on the Number users that are actually causing trouble.

However, The Doctor requested that Derpy should return to her school in order to try and learn more about Sunset Shimmer. He wishes to know more about what she is like now, and also why she is collecting the Number cards. Seeing it as an opportunity to make peace with her former bully, Derpy accepted the task...

It was early Friday morning, and everyone that attended Canterlot High School was rushing to get there on time. Among them was a young girl named Derpy Hooves, who literally WAS rushing to get there. "Oooooh! You picked a GREAT time to almost oversleep, Derpy!" she scolded herself. "I can't afford to be late today, or I'll fail the Algebra test for sure!!"

Luckily for her, Derpy managed to reach the school just as the first bell rang, which, to the students, meant that they should start getting ready for their first period soon. Derpy raced into the building, dodging several students as she made her way to her locker. "Okay..." she said to herself as she ran, "just a few more feet, and I'll make to my- WAAAAUUGH!!!"

All of a sudden, the grey-skinned girl collided with someone during that brief period of time that she was talking to herself. She fell to the ground, landing on her rear end. "Owie..." Derpy groaned, rubbing a sore spot on her head. When she looked up, she gasped to see that the person she collided with was none other than...

"Sunset Shimmer!!" Derpy cried out, trembling a little as she hopped to her feet. "Omigosh, omigosh! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!! I-I-I didn't mean to bump into you like that! I-I wasn't paying attention and-"

"It's...it's okay." the red and yellow girl replied calmly. "I wasn't paying much attention either. Don't worry about it." As she rubbed the sore spot on her head, Sunset looked up and was surprised to see who was there. "Oh! It's you, Derpy!"

The grey teen didn't respond at first. This was the first time the two had met since last year, and despite the fact that Sunset had rescued her friend The Doctor a while back, Derpy was still a bit nervous standing in front of someone that had bullied her in the past.

Sensing that Derpy was feeling a little uneasy, Sunset glanced over to the side, noticing an Algebra textbook that had fallen to the floor after they literally ran into each other. Picking it up and presenting it to Derpy, she told her, "I...think this might be yours, Derpy. You don't want to lose this thing; after all, we have that big test today, right?"

"Um...yeah... That's right." Derpy responded, slowly taking the book from her. "Th-thanks."

Standing back up, Sunset then asked her, "So, um...how are you, Derpy?"

"I'm...fine. Just fine." the grey girl answered.

"And your friend, that Doctor guy... How's he feeling? I know he took quite a bad hit to the head..."

"Oh! Actually, he's fully recovered now!" Derpy told her, feeling a little less nervous. "In fact, he's just gotten back to looking for Numbers again."

"Oh, that's good to hear." Sunset replied. "Well...I'm glad to hear that." Turning around to leave, she told Derpy, "Well, we've got to get to 1st Class soon, so I'll see you later."

"Wait! Sunset!" Derpy called over to her, shaking off her uneasiness for a moment. "There's something I... There's something I want to ask you before you go..."

Stopping, the red and yellow girl glanced back over to Derpy and asked, "What is it?"

At first, the grey teenager froze up. This was the first time she actually had a pleasant conversation with her former bully, and she had no idea what to say. But then she remembered her promises - both to The Doctor and herself, and worked up the courage to speak. "I...I want to...talk about some things with you...after school's over."

"What kinds of things?" asked Sunset.

"I...I really can't say, Sunset." Derpy replied. "But, I think it's...really important that we talk to each other sometime... Is that okay with you?"

Thinking for a while, Sunset began to realize what Derpy may have wanted to speak to her about. Seeing that there was no harm in accepting her request, she then told her, "That's okay with me, Derpy. How about we meet over at Sugarcube Corner... Let's saaaaayyyy...about 4 or so?"

"Sure, I can do that." the grey girl replied. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." As Sunset turned to leave she then told Derpy, "And try not to be so nervous about talking to me next time. I'm not the same Sunset Shimmer that gave you a hard time. Believe me when I say that you can ask me about anything."

"Oh, um...I'll...I'll remember that!" Derpy responded, managing to form a smile. "So...I'll see you later, then!" And with that, the grey-skinned girl walked past Sunset in order to get to her locker and prepare for her class on time.

Sunset just simply stared in the direction that Derpy ran in, thinking about something to herself. Before she could mull over it any further, she was greeted by Twilight Sparkle's voice. "Hey, Sunset!" she said to her.

"Oh! Hey, Twilight." the red and yellow girl responded.

Noticing the red mark on her head, the young Princess then asked, "Is...that a bump on your head? Are you alright?"

"Oh, this?" Sunset replied, pointing to the sore spot. "I just fell over; nothing to worry about. It should fade away in a couple of minutes."

"Oh, okay then." Twilight replied, satisfied with that answer. "Anyway, let's get going before we miss class."

"Yeah, let's go." agreed the red and yellow girl, following her inter-dimensional friend to their first class for the day.

Meanwhile, far away from Canterlot High School...

"Ohohoho!!!" cackled an older man's voice. "So this is the power of the all-powerful 'Number Hunter'?" The man had a mask covering his eyes (with the left eye hole fitted with a Duel Gazer) and wore a blue, sparkling cloak that concealed most of his body. The part of his face that was exposed, along with his hands, showed that he had light-purple skin, and he had swirly, silver hair. On the back of his right hand, a green, glowing mark that resembled the number 83 could be seen. "I, Gladmane, will be the one that ends your Number-collecting goal forever! You may have gotten this far, but with my Number card on the field, there's no way you can touch me!!" the man continued to taunt.

Gladmane was in the middle of a Duel with someone: The Doctor. As Derpy had told Sunset, he was back on his feet and back to work, searching for more Number cards. The main computer in the Tardis - which served as his home away from home, his laboratory, and his preferred method of travel, tracked down the man that he was dueling right now. The Doctor's field was empty (Dr. Hooves: LP 2,500), while his cloaked opponent had one monster on the field (Gladmane: LP 2,000). It was a pale-skinned human woman with long, burgundy-red hair and purple-colored lips, wearing a long, blue-violet robe, a shimmering crown, and carrying an elegant-looking scepter with a large jewel on the top of it. On her chest, just below her neck, was the same green 83 mark, indicating that she was a Number card.

*******************************

Number 83: Galaxy Queen:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Spellcaster/DARK/Rank 1/ATK 500/DEF 500)

3 Level 1 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; until the opponent's next End Phase, the monsters you currently control cannot be destroyed by battle, and if they attack a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.

*******************************

Even though he seemed outmatched, the good doctor wasn't scared one bit. "The status of this Duel doesn't concern me." he told his opponent. "What I'm more concerned with is why you, the wealthy owner of many a resort in Las Pegasus, would come out all the way here to Canterlot. There isn't anything for you here."

"Oh but there is, Doctor." Gladmane rebutted. "I've been here many times before, scouting out local talent that would be perfect for the shows at my many resorts. And by 'perfect', I mean perfect to exploit and rake in even MORE cash! After all, those I employ often have a very hard time leaving..."

"Yes, I am well aware of your dishonest business practices." The Doctor told him. "You use an elaborate web of lies to make them all think that they need to keep working for your resorts, so that they can continue to make money for you. You even go as far as to turn paired performers against each other in order to force them into staying. But I am afraid that your plan cannot sustain itself forever."

"Is that so?" asked the cloaked man. "Well, just try to stop me! It'll be your word against mine, so no one will believe you!"

"We'll worry about that matter another time. We have a Duel to finish first." the mysterious doctor told him. He then drew his next card, looked at it, and calmly told his foe, "I'm afraid this is where the Duel ends, Mr. Gladmane."

"You're bluffing!" the man told him.

"I never bluff." The Doctor told him. Taking a different card out of his hand, he then announced. "First, since I do not posses a monster on my side of the field, I can Special Summon my Photon Thrasher." The monster then appeared in front of him, sporting a luminous blue body, blue and orange-colored armor, and a long sword (Photon Thrasher: Level 4 / ATK 2100 / DEF 0). "And then, I will play Polymerization! With it, I designate the two Photon Crushers in my hand as Fusion Materials!"

"A Fusion Summon?!" exclaimed Glademane.

"Indeed." The Doctor then began his Summoning Chant, saying, "Hammer-wielding beings of light! Combine your energy and shine forth upon our enemy! Fusion Summon! Appear now, dual creature of light! Level 6! Twin Photon Lizard!!"

The Doctor's two monsters were immediately sucked into a vortex made up of blue and red clouds. Afterwards, a bright light shot out from the vortex's center, creating a brief, but powerful flash. After it died down, a two-headed creature now sat beside the mysterious man's Photon Thrasher. The twin creature was colored red and yellow in some areas, black all over, and sported a pair of wings and a pair of snarling heads (Twin Photon Lizard: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1000).

"Rrrgh, that doesn't make any difference!" shouted Gladmane. "My Number's ability protects her AND me from any damage! So what was the point of that move?!"

"Believe me, if you knew what the point of my last move was, you would not be so anxious to see it." The Doctor calmly told him. "I now activate Twin Photon Lizard's effect. By releasing it, I can then Special Summon the monsters that were involved in its Fusion Summoning."

"You mean-?!"

"That's right. I'll lose one monster, but gain two! So I release my lizard and revive my two Photon Crushers!!" the Number Hunter declared. And with that, the Fusion Monster vanished from sight as a violet-colored portal opened up. Afterwards, two similar-looking monsters then jumped out of it, each sporting green armor and carrying a giant hammer-like weapon (Photon Crusher [x2]: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0). Taking out one last card from his hand - the same one he had just drawn this turn, he then shouted, "And now I release Photon Thrasher and one of the Crushers to Summon my most powerful creature!!"

Gladmane gasped as he watched the two monsters leave The Doctor's field. After a brief flash of light, a boomerang-shaped object manifested itself before the mysterious man. Grabbing it, The Doctor chanted, "The galaxy that lurks in the darkness. Become the light of hope and my very servant! Descend now, embodiment of light!" He then hurled the object into the air, spinning it as he did. "Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

The object drew in enormous amounts of light energy all around itself and then began to form into The Doctor's ace monster, the mighty Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. It let out a powerful roar, showing that it was here to fight (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2500).

"What is that thing?!?" Gladmane cried out, becoming fearful of the mighty dragon in front of him.

"The monster that shall end this Duel." The Doctor simply answered. "And the one that will force you to relinquish your Number card! Even your Galaxy Queen won't be able to survive this blow!" Pointing forward, he then shouted, "Galaxy-Eyes!! Attack with Photon Stream of Destruction!!" The dragon roared and fired a massive beam of light from its mouth.

"B-but it won't do...any good!!" Gladmane protested. "My monster's effect keeps her alive!!"

"Not from this, it won't. I now activate the effect of Galaxy-Eyes!" the Doctor announced. "When it battles another monster, it banishes both itself AND its attack target from play until the Battle Phase ends!!"

"WHAT?!?!" screamed the other man. But all he could do was watch as both battling monsters vanished from sight. "This can't be!!"

"Do not bother trying to deny the obvious, Gladmane. Your Number can't save you; not from the Banished Zone, that is." The Doctor told him. "But that's not the worst of it. Now that you have nothing left on your field, my remaining Photon Crusher can now attack you!"

"Oh NO!!"

"Go!! Photon Crusher! Wipe out his remaining Life Points!!" The Doctor ordered his monster. Crusher gave a confirming nod and ran forward, ready to swing its weapon. Once it got withing striking distance, the light monster wasted no time in hitting Gladmane hard.

"AAAAAAAACK!!!!" the man screamed as his last few Life Points were depleted (Gladmane: LP 2,000 - 2,000 = 0) (WINNER: Dr. Hooves). He then fell down onto his back in defeat.

Once the Duel was over, The Doctor watched as a ball of light flew out of Gladmane's chest. Knowing what to do next, the mysterious man then pressed a button on his special Duel Pad, activating an electrode that drew the light ball into it. A second later, Gladmane's Number card jutted out from the Graveyard slot of the Duel Pad.

"Mission accomplished." The Doctor said to himself. "Number 83 is now secured." Pocketing the card in his Extra Deck, he then turned to his fallen opponent and told him, "Consider this your punishment for all of the people you've cheated to make yourself a profit. And despite what you had said earlier, it won't be your word against mine...considering that the recording equipment I have stashed away in the Tardis picked up every last word from our conversation. Once it is uploaded onto all of the social networking sites, everyone will know just how dishonest you truly are. I doubt you'll have any power back in Las Pegasus after that." And with that, The Doctor walked back into mobile laboratory and departed from the scene.

Several minutes later, after he had posted Gladmane's words onto the Internet, The Doctor then looked over his collection of Number cards. "Now let's see...with the recent addition of Galaxy Queen, I now possess five Numbers." he said to himself. "The other ones that I've obtained after beginning my search include Thunder Spark Dragon, which I collected from Lightning Dust...and there's also the one I picked up after defeating an individual over at the reservoir..."

*******************************

Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Rock/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)

2 Level 3 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. During your Standby Phase: Detach 1 material from this card or take 2000 damage. You cannot Special Summon monsters. While this card has no material, it cannot attack.

*******************************

"Ghastly individual, that one..." The Doctor mulled to himself, thinking about the Duel that he had that day. "While under the card's power, he nearly poisoned Canterlot City's freshwater supply. Had I not arrived as soon as I did, it would have had drastic consequences." Pulling up the information on another Number card, he then said to himself, "And then there's this card... While under its power, the Duelist actually believed that he was some sort of heroic knight. But all he did was scare everyone when he began chasing random people with that sword of his...."

*******************************

Number 10: Illumiknight
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 2400)

3 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; send 1 card from your hand to the GY, and if you do, draw 1 card.

*******************************

"After the Duel was over, he had no memory of what had happened." The Doctor continued. "But he recounted everything that he had done, thinking that it was all merely a dream..." Sighing, he added, "Seems as though he had quite an overactive imagination, and the Number used that to create havoc. Luckily, no one was hurt, and once he was out of that knight costume, nobody recognized him as the attacker." He then pulled up one more Number card in his database, looked at it for a while and thought, (And this is the one that I obtained when I took on the job of collecting the Numbers...I haven't used it yet, though. There's something about it that...well, never mind. I'm sure I can complete this job without it.)

Closing out his Number card database, he then told himself, "Anyway, I should inform Ms. Derpy of my newest acquisition." Looking at his young assistant's school schedule, The Doctor thought, (Let's see, her lunch period is at 12:30 p.m., so if I call her around that time, I won't risk interrupting her while she is at class...) After figuring all of that out, he continued looking over the information on his computer, looking at an article that read, "Tech Robber Strikes Again".

A few hours later...

"You found another Number card, Doctor?!" asked an excited Derpy after answering her cell phone. "That's great news! How many does that make now?"

"Only five so far." The Doctor told her on the other end of the line. "Unfortunately, I am a tad behind on my Number collecting due to the injury that I had suffered some time ago."

"Don't worry so much about that, Doctor. It was an accident, and there was nothing we could've done to prevent it." Derpy reassured him. "Just be thankful that Sunset saved you when she did."

"I suppose you are correct." The Doctor replied. "The best thing to do now is to keep going forward and do our very best." He then asked his assistant, "Speaking of Ms. Sunset, what is your progress involving her?"

"Well, I arranged to meet with her one-on-one later today, over at Sugarcube Corner." the grey girl answered him. "I hope that I can try and find out more about how much she's changed since last year." Sighing a little, she added, "To be honest though, what I really want is to see if...well...if she and I can..." Derpy tried her best to tell him what she wanted to say, but just couldn't form the words.

Chuckling warmly a little, The Doctor told her, "You do not need to tell me, Derpy. I know what you truly want from Sunset. You wish to try and become friends with her, is that it?"

"Yeah, I know...it sounds weird, right?" asked Derpy. "I mean, she used to be so mean to me in the past... But after I saw her save your life that night, I started thinking that, well...maybe it could happen..."

"Well, in that case, I wish you luck." the mysterious man told her. He then pulled up the article that he was reading and asked Derpy, "By the way, do you happen to know anything regarding someone by the name of, 'The Tech Robber'?"

"Hm? The Tech Robber?" asked the teenager. "You mean that guy that's been robbing all of the computer stores in Stratusburg? Yeah, I heard about him. Vapor Trail told me all about it when I talked to her online yesterday; she heard it from her friend Sky Stinger."

"Yes, the article did say that the robberies were being committed in Stratusburg, but nothing about who the perpetrator is or when these crimes started." stated The Doctor. "Do you happen to know anything else?"

"Well, now that you mention it..." Derpy began, "Vapor did tell me something else... She told me that those robberies started happening some time last September."

"Last September...?" pondered the man. "Now why does that sound so famil-" He then gasped and said, "Of course!! It was on September that the Number cards first appeared in this world!"

"Then...are you saying that this Tech Robber guy has a Number card?" asked Derpy, realizing where The Doctor was going with this. "That's why he's stealing stuff?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not..." he answered. "But the coincidence is indeed hard to ignore. In any case, I'm heading off to Stratusburg to check things out. I'll contact you as soon as I'm finished."

"Okay, good luck Doctor!" Derpy said cheerfully.

"And best of luck to you as well, Ms. Derpy." The Doctor responded. "Goodbye for now." He then hung up and began typing some things into the Tardis' computer. "Now...let us see if there are indeed any Number cards involved with this 'Tech Robber'..."

Later on, after school was out for the day, Sunset and her friends were busy in the Music Room, practicing their music again. Rainbow Dash and Applejack played a few reps on their guitars while Rarity fine-tuned her skills on her keytar. Not all of them were practicing playing their instruments, however; some were doing their own thing. Pinkie Pie, for instance, was looking at a pair of turtles that she had asked Fluttershy to bring with her, seemingly puzzled about something involving them.

"I don't get it... Why isn't the green one staying on top of the brown one's shell?" the pink teen asked herself. "That book said that turtles LOVE standing on top of each other!"

"Um...what kind of turtle book were you reading, Pinkie?" asked Fluttershy, a bit worried for her little reptile friends.

"This one." Pinkie Pie then handed her pale yellow friend a bluish-green book.

Fluttershy looked at the cover, sighed, then told her silly friend, "Um...Pinkie? I...hate having to tell you something like this, but...I don't think this book is...quite accurate regarding turtle behavior..."

"Really?" asked Pinkie Pie, a bit surprised. "But why not? It WAS written by a doctor."

"Yes...Dr. Seuss." the animal lover informed her.

Pinkie then took the book back and paged through it a little...and then realized her mistake. "OHHHHHH... I guess that explains why all the facts were written in rhyme." she stated, giggling a little to herself at her silly mistake.

The mentioning of the word, "Doctor" made Sunset Shimmer recall her conversation with Derpy Hooves earlier in the morning. After remembering her promise to meet with the grey-skinned girl, she then looked over at Twilight (nose-deep in a book, as she usually was) and said to her, "Oh, that reminds me: Twilight, I have to meet someone in about an hour from now, so I won't be at the apartment right away."

"Who are you meeting with?" asked the young Princess.

"Derpy Hooves." answered the red and yellow girl. "She wanted to talk to me about some stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" asked Spike, popping out of Twilight's backpack.

"It's...kind of personal; I'd rather keep between me and her, if you don't mind."

"I understand, Sunset." Twilight replied, understanding her friend perfectly. "In that case, we won't pry anymore into the matter, right Spike?"

"Uh, yeah. I won't either." the puppy responded. "Sorry, I was just sorta curious, that's all."

Sunset chuckled warmly a little, knowing that Spike didn't mean to be insensitive. Turning back to Twilight she then told her, "Anyway, I don't think I'll be gone too long, so maybe you and the others could do something until then."

"That sounds good t' me." Applejack chimed in. "Maybe we can help Twi out with her Deck some more."

"Yeah, I've got a buncha cards back home that're just collectin' dust." Rainbow Dash added. "But maybe Twilight could use 'em better than I could."

"I believe that is a most marvelous idea as well." agreed Rarity. "I'd be more than happy to donate a few of my cards for a good cause." Pinkie and Fluttershy nodded to say that they'd help as well.

"Thanks a lot, girls. I'm glad to know that you're kind enough to do all of that for me." Twilight told them all. "And I promise that I won't let your kindness go to waste! I'll do my best to become stronger so that I can help collect all of the Number cards!"

"Yeah!! That's the spirit, Twilight!!" Pinkie cheered loudly.

"We'll do whatever we can...even if it's only a little..." Fluttershy added.

Sunset smiled, happy to know that Twilight was in good hands right now. Packing up her stuff, she then told her friends, "I just have a few things to check up on before I go, so I'll see all of you later." The others nodded and said their goodbyes to Sunset as she left the room.

Elsewhere, in the city of Stratusburg, there was trouble afoot: A big-name computer and gadget store had suddenly become the scene of a major crisis. It seemed that the infamous Tech Robber was at it again. Dressed mostly in navy blue and black, the man also had a ski mask on to cover his identity, and he was waving a pistol in his hand. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood for any funny business.

"Alright, listen up!!" he shouted to everyone inside the store, eyes glowing bright pink as he did so. "Everyone stays on the ground, and nobody gets hurt! I'm takin' what I want from this dump, and if anybody's stupid enough t' play hero, they'll live to regret it! And that's if you're lucky!!"

"U-u-u-uhhh yes! Wh-whatever you say!" said a trembling male employee. "We'll do what you say! Just don't shoot!"

"Yeah, that's right; stay cooperative, and I won't have t' use this." the Tech Robber told him, waving his weapon to emphasize his point. "Now, if you don't mind - or even if you do - I'm going to do a little, 'shopping'..."

The crook then took his time looking around the store, trying to find the most expensive equipment to steal. Once he found it, he snickered and said to himself, "Perfect! This unit looks powerful enough. Not only will I be stealing a high-end model, but I'll use it to create even more havoc once I upload the new virus that I've been working on. Once it spreads, if all goes as planned, I'll control everything in cyberspace! And I'll be the only one who will stop it...for an outrageous fee, of course! Hahahahahaaa!!!"

But just when everything seemed like it could go down in the worst possible way, a DING sound came from the automatic doors, indicating that someone had just stepped inside. An employee looked up and said to person who walked inside, "No! Don't come in here!! It's dan-!" But at that moment, the employee's words were cut short when he, along with everyone and everything around him, were frozen in place.

The only one that still seemed to be able to move was the Tech Robber. Upon hearing the warning cries of the store employee, he knew that someone had just walked in. "Grrr...what's goin' on?!" he asked angrily. "I thought I told everyone to follow my demands!! Does this gun LOOK like a toy to you?!"

"No, but now it might as well be." said a calm voice. The robber looked up and saw the man standing before him: The Doctor.

"So, someone's come to save this place from the big, bad, Tech Robber, huh?!" asked the crook, snickering to himself. "Well, we'll see about that!!" He then immediately pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. "Huh?! What the-?!" The robber tried again and again, but still nothing happened. "What's wrong with this thing?! It was working just fine a second ago!!"

"I'm afraid your weapon is quite useless right now." The Doctor told him. "I've activated a special field that slows down time. Anything and anyone around us is now moving at a mere 10,000th of its normal speed...except for the two of us."

"You're crazy! That's impossible!!" the robber protested.

"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. I have more pressing concerns involving you, Mr. Tech Robber." the mysterious man said. "I'm planning to end your crime spree once and for all... And I also plan to take your Number card as well."

"Number card...?" asked the crook, calming down for a moment.

"Only those who possess a Number is unaffected by the Tardis' device." The Doctor told him. "Since you seem to be able to move despite my field's effect, it confirms my suspicion."

"Heh heh...I see; you're not just some random guy, huh?" asked the Tech Robber. "You're that Number Hunter that I've been hearin' about." The man then pulled off his mask, revealing his dark-green face, pink eyes, and striped hair alternating between grey and white. "Well, if you think you're gonna stop me, then you're more nuts than I thought you were! I pounded the last guy that tried to fight my Number card! And now I've got TWO of 'em to pound you with!!"

"Hmmm...interesting. So you've collected Numbers yourself, have you?" The Doctor asked him. "Well I am sorry to say that your Number gathering will end today. Because I, the Number Hunter, will take them from you!"

"Peh! I'd like to see you try!!" the Tech Robber spat, preparing his Duel Pad and Duel Gazer.

After activating his own Duel Pad, a red mark appeared over the Doctor's left eye, just like when he had dueled Sunset. "If we're going to be dueling," he then asked, "you should have the decency to give me your real name."

"Whatever you want; it's not like you'll be around anymore after this anyway." the crook replied, complying with the request. "The name's Data Hacker."

"Data Hacker...? Not exactly the most subtle name for a computer thief." The Doctor responded, unimpressed. "But I suppose it doesn't matter much." Placing his Deck into the Duel Pad, the mysterious man then said to his opponent, "I hope for your sake, you duel as well as you rob, because just as you do not show mercy to the people you terrorize, I won't show any towards you!! Now let's duel!!!" (Dr. Hooves: LP 4,000)

"Bring it!!" shouted the robber, ready to fight (Data Hacker: LP 4,000).

Back in Canterlot City, Sunset walked down the street, heading towards Sugarcube Corner. That was where she and Derpy had agreed to meet each other to talk. Once she stepped inside, Sunset looked around, trying to find the grey-skinned girl. (Hmmm...now where is she...?) she asked herself. (Am I too early?)

"Um...Sunset Shimmer?" asked a woman's voice.

The red and yellow girl, hearing her name, turned around to see who it was that was trying to get her attention. It was Mrs. Cup Cake, one of the two owners of the sweet shop. She had sky-blue skin, swirly pink, striped hair, eyes of a similar color to her hair, and wore a pretty yellow dress with a white apron over top of it. "Oh! Hi, Mrs. Cake." Sunset said to her. "Good to see you again."

"Good to see you as well." Mrs. Cake replied with a smile. "Anyway, we've been expecting your arrival. Your friend already got herself a table. I'll take you over to see her."

(She must be talking about Derpy.) Sunset deduced. Smiling back, she then said, "Okay, then. Thank you very much." Mrs. Cake nodded and led her over to where Derpy was waiting.

Mrs. Cake led Sunset over to a small booth in the back of the store. There, sitting in the booth was Derpy, who noticed that Sunset was coming towards her. Taking a deep breath to clam herself, the grey teen said, "Okay, Derpy...you can do this... She's not like she was a year ago... You can have a normal conversation with her, no problem..."

"Here you go." Mrs. Cake told Sunset after showing her to the booth. "My husband will be by a little later to take your order. He should arrive very soon."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cake." the red and yellow girl replied as the woman left. Turning over towards Derpy, she told her, "Well...I suppose until Mr. Cake gets here we can...well...talk about some things."

"Uh huh." Derpy responded, still feeling a little uneasy about meeting with her former bully.

Noticing that she was feeling nervous, Sunset sighed and told her, "Listen, first things first...I wanna apologize about the whole thing with the newspaper last year. There's no excuse for the way I yelled at you over something so stupid like that..."

"I..it's okay, Sunset." Derpy said. "I'm not mad about that anymore."

Sighing again, the inter-dimensional girl replied, "But it WASN'T okay, Derpy... I hurt you; I hurt a lot of people back then! And that night, when I dueled The Doctor...it made me really think about what kind of monster I was back then... And I began to think about how everyone must have felt after I mistreated them so badly... After giving it a lot of thought, now I don't blame them for treating me like an outcast; that's exactly the way I treated them, after all..."

"Sunset..." was all that Derpy could say, feeling sorry for her.

Using her napkin to wipe a small tear from her eye, Sunset then asked, "Derpy...I really meant what I said that night... I feel horrible about how I treated you, and I want to try and make things right... Even if there's no way that we can be friends, at the very least, I want us both to be able to move on with our lives... So, I guess what I'm asking is...can you ever possibly forgive me for what I did to you...?"

This was the first time since last year that Derpy had any interaction with Sunset Shimmer. She was amazed at seeing this side of her former bully; she could tell that Sunset really did feel bad about what she had done, and that she wanted to work things out. The grey teen smiled and told her, "Of course I can forgive you, Sunset."

"You can...?"

Derpy giggled a little bit and told her, "To be honest, I forgave you the moment you risked your life to save The Doctor's. I didn't believe it at first, but I can tell that you really have changed since last we met. And I'm willing to work things out peacefully, just like you asked me to that night."

Smiling and sniffling a little, Sunset asked her, "So...do you think we can...well, start off fresh?"

Derpy nodded and answered her, saying, "That's all I really wanted."

Sunset was truly happy to know that the person she had bullied in the past was willing to bury the hatchet at last. "In that case, let's start things off on the right hoof- er, foot. Let's have a quick snack here, just the two of us. My treat."

Derpy giggled a bit and said to her, "Sounds good to me. Thank you."

As if on cue, a pale yellow-skinned man had arrived at their table. He had green eyes, short orange hair, and freckles on the bridge of his nose. His outfit consisted of a simple light-blue shirt, tan pants, a white apron, a small red and white hat on his head, a candy cane-striped bowtie, and red and white sneakers. He was Mr. Carrot Cake, husband of Cup Cuke and co-owner of Sugarcube Corner. "What can I get you girls?" he asked them, ready with a pad and pen.

"Hi, Mr. Cake." Sunset told him. "I'll have a chocolate milkshake, and a slice of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. Low-fat for both; I'm trying to watch my weight."

"Mhmm. Okay..." Mr. Cake said to himself as he wrote down her order. "And you, Ms. Derpy?"

"Just the usual, I guess." the grey teen replied.

"Gotcha." the man said, writing down the rest of the order. "Six-pack of muffins - two blueberry, two bran, and two strawberry - along with a glass of pink lemonade. Coming right up." He then left the table to fill the order.

After he left, Sunset then asked Derpy, "So, tell me: What have you been up to since last year...besides what I already know, of course." The two of them chatted with each other while waiting for their food to arrive.

Back in Stratusburg, the Duel between the The Doctor and Data Hacker (a.k.a. the Tech Robber) had just begun. The Doctor was chosen to begin the Duel, and the two had already drawn their opening hands. "Now, it is time us to begin." the mysterious man said to his criminal opponent. "I shall start by Summoning my Photon Sabre Tiger in Attack Mode." The first monster of the Duel was a glowing white tiger that appeared to be made out of pure energy (Photon Sabre Tiger: Level 3 / ATK 2000 / DEF 300). "Of course, since he is alone on my field, he loses 800 attack points..." The Doctor stated (Photon Sabre Tiger: ATK 2000 - 800 = 1200).

"Then why'd you bother Summoning him?" asked Hacker.

"Because by doing so, I can now add one more copy of Photon Sabre Tiger from my Deck to my hand." The Doctor told him. His Duel Pad then automatically shuffled his Deck and left the chosen card sticking out for him to grab. He then pulled out a different card and declared, "Next I play Polymerization! I use it to fuse together the Photon Sabre Tiger on my field with the one in my hand!"

"What?! A Fusion Summon right on the first turn?!" asked the robber.

After playing the Spell Card, a blue-and-red vortex appeared in the sky, drawing in both of the Photon Sabre Tigers. "Mighty beasts of light! Combine your energy and shine forth upon our enemy!" chanted the Doctor. "Fusion Summon! Appear now, dual creature of light! Level 6! Twin Photon Lizard!!"

Just like he had done in his Duel with Gladmane, the mysterious man brought out his powerful Fusion Monster. The gigantic, two-headed lizard flew out of the vortex and gave out a mighty roar (Twin Photon Lizard: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1000).

"Next," The Doctor continued, "I shall activate the effect of my Twin Photon Lizard! By releasing it, I can Summon the two creatures that created it!" And with that declaration, the Fusion Monster disappeared, leaving the two tigers on the field together. "And since there are now a pair of Tigers out, their attack points do not decrease!"

"Peh...that's not gonna help you one bit!" Hacker taunted. "I'll wipe 'em out anyway!"

The Doctor made no response to his opponent's comment. He simply took one more card out of his hand and stated, "I place one card face-down and that will conclude my turn."

"It's my turn, then! I draw!" Data Hacker said as he pulled his card from the Deck. After looking at it, he then told his foe, "I'll Summon this monster in Attack Mode! Go, Digital Bug LEDybug!"

After playing his card, a small, glowing ladybug materialized itself onto the battle field. It was blue and yellow, and looked very mechanical in appearance. On its back was a digital display of the number "3" (Digital Bug LEDybug: Level 3 / ATK 500 / DEF 0).

"An Insect Monster, I see..." said The Doctor. "I hope for your sake, there is more to your move than just that. It alone cannot compete with my Photon Sabre Tigers."

"Heh, that's the thing about bugs, real or computerized:" began Data Hacker. "Where there's one, there's always bound to be a ton more!" Taking out another card from his hand, the crook then shouted, "I activate Final Gesture!! By targeting one of my Level 3 monsters on the field, I can then Summon another copy of it straight from my hand! So I'll play another LEDybug!!" And just like that, a second mecha-ladybug digitized itself onto the field. "And now I overlay my two Level 3 Digital Bug LEDybugs and form an Overlay Network!!"

The Doctor watched as the two bugs turned into a pair of yellow lights and flew into a red portal that appeared in the center of the field. (Hmmm...it seems he is not going to Summon either his Number cards just yet...) he thought to himself. (He must be planning to soften me up with regular Xyz Monsters first...)

The criminal then began his Summoning Chant, saying, "Destructive bug in the mainframe! Materialize before me and eat away at my enemy's life!! Xyz Summon!! Computerized terror, Rank 3!! Digital Bug Scaradiator!!" After completing the chant, the portal shot out a red light. Out of it came a very small, bright blue scarab beetle, rolling what appeared to be a computer cooling fan (Digital Bug Scaradiator: Rank 3 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1400).

"Not bad...an Xyz Summoning on your first move." complimented The Doctor. "But it is still weaker than my monsters."

"Not after I play this!" Hacker shouted, holding up a card in his hand. "I activate the Field Spell, Bug Matrix!!" After playing the card, the entire field around them was engulfed by a cloud of green zeroes and ones, which swirled around the two of them for a time. When they finally vanished, the two Duelists were standing on a large circuit board floating in a large, dark-blue space.

*******************************

Bug Matrix:
(Field Spell Card)

All Insect monsters you control gain 300 ATK/DEF. You can target 1 Insect Xyz Monster you control; attach 1 Insect monster from your hand to that monster as material. You can only use this effect of "Bug Matrix" once per turn.

*******************************

"HahahaHA!! What's wrong 'Number Hunter'?!" asked the demented crook. "Are my teeny-tiny little bugs too much for you now??" (Digital Bug Scaradiator: ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100 / DEF 1400 + 300 = 1700) The Doctor said nothing response, remaining cool and collected, as usual. "...Not gonna say anything, huh? Fine! Have it your way!! Scaradiator!! Attack one of the Tigers!!"

The small bug then turned itself into a cloud of red zeroes and ones, which then phased itself into one of the Photon Sabre Tigers. The beast growled in pain before it, too, transformed into a similar-looking cloud and vanishing from the battlefield (which also caused the remaining tiger to weaken, due to its effect) (Photon Sabre Tiger: ATK 2000 - 800 = 1200). A few of the red numbers flew towards The Doctor, inflicting damage to him as well (Dr. Hooves: LP 4,000 - 100 = 3900). "Urrrgh...!" he grunted after losing some of his Life Points. He then asked his opponent, "Is that all you have, Data Hacker? Because I expected a little more from someone who holds a Number."

"Oh you want more, huh? Fine then!" Hacker then told him, "First off, since my Scaradiator has Digital Bug LEDybug as an Overlay Unit, I can draw one more card." After he did so, he then added, "Not only that, but Scaradiator's effect allows me to take the monster it destroyed and use it as one of its Overlay Units!" (Digital Bug Scaradiator: OLU 2 + 1 = 3).

(Hmmm...so that monster steals the monsters that it destroys and makes them into its own Overlay Units?) The Doctor asked in his mind. (I thought as much...That thing truly indeed represents a typical computer virus.)

"Last of all, I'll place two cards face-down on the field and end my turn!" Data Hacker declared, doing just that. Chuckling he then told his enemy, "Perhaps if you had been smart and kept that Fusion Monster out, this might not've happened..."

Drawing his next card, The Doctor then replied, "I must admit, you may be right about that..." He then smirked and added, "So why don't I just go ahead and do that?"

"What?!"

"I activate my face-down card! Call of the Haunted!!" the mysterious man shouted, flipping his card face-up. "I shall use it to revive my Twin Photon Lizard!!" After that, a dark-purple portal appeared in the center of the field. Moments later, the Fusion Monster that The Doctor had played at the beginning of the Duel made its return appearance.

(Grrr...I see...) Data Hacker thought. (That's why he released it so quickly last turn...Because he had a way to bring it back later...)

"My moves during the first turn may have seemed reckless, but in reality, I left nothing to chance." The Doctor told him. "I prepared Call of the Haunted so that I could revive Twin Photon Lizard when I needed it most. And I suppose this situation warranted its return."

"Just make your move already!" spat the crook.

"Very well." Pointing forward,The Doctor ordered, "Twin Photon Lizard!! Attack Digital Bug Scaradiator!!" The powerful beast then prepared its attack, but just then...

"I play MY Trap Card, Curse of Anubis!!" yelled Data Hacker. "Thanks to this, all our monsters go to Defense Mode and their defense points drop to zero for the rest of the turn!!" The Doctor gasped as all three of the monsters on the field switched their battle positions, which also succeeded in cancelling out Twin Photon Lizard's attack (Twin Photon Lizard: DEF 1000 > 0) (Photon Sabre Tiger: DEF 300 > 0) (Digital Bug Scaradiator: DEF 1700 > 300).

"I see...it appears that you had a backup plan for MY backup plan. I must say, I'm actually impressed." The Doctor complimented.

"Grrrr, shut up already!! I know you didn't really mean that!!" yelled the criminal. "Quit with the condescending talk already!!"

"If you insist." the brown-skinned human replied, taking another card out of his hand. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn. And that means your Trap Card's effect is dispelled as well." (Twin Photon Lizard: DEF 0 > 1000) (Photon Sabre Tiger: DEF 0 > 300) (Digital Bug Scaradiator: DEF 300 > 1700).

"My turn, then! I draw!!" shouted Hacker as he pulled his next card. After placing it in his hand, he then stated, "First, I'll switch Digital Bug Scaradiator to Attack Mode, then activate its effect! By removing two of its Overlay Units, I can change the battle position of any monster on your side of the field and negate its effects!" After discarding the two chosen Overlay Units (Digital Bug Scaradiator: OLU 3 - 2 = 1), the crook then told his foe, "I choose your Tiger!"

And with that, The Doctor's Photon Sabre Tiger then went into Attack Mode and lost its effects (though in this case, it actually helped it to regain the attack points it lost due to its effect) (Photon Sabre Tiger: ATK 1200 + 800 = 2000). The Doctor made no response whatsoever to the thief's move.

"Grrrn...what does it take t' get a horrified reaction outta you??" asked Hacker, annoyed that his moves weren't even fazing his opponent. "Well let's see if this move wakes you up!! Attack, Scaradiator!! Go after his Tiger!!" The tiny monster then transformed itself into a red cloud of numbers once more, ready to delete its next victim...

"Oh, I promise you that move did indeed wake me up." the mysterious man commented. "Just in time to activate my Trap Card! Go, Lumenize!!!"

"Aaack!" yelped the crook.

"This Trap not ONLY negates Scaradiator's attack, but it also allows my Photon Sabre Tiger to absorb your attacking monster's attack points until the End Phase of my next turn!" The Doctor explained. The Trap Card then shot out a brilliant light that blinded the crook's Xyz Monster before phasing itself into the Tiger. Afterwards, its blue glow turned bright yellow as it gave off a mighty roar (Photon Sabre Tiger: ATK 2000 + 2100 = 4100).

"Rrrgh! How annoying!!" complained Hacker. "Fine then! I'll do this instead! I Summon Electromagnetic Bagworm in Attack Mode!!" After he played his card, a sinister red bolt shot from out of the sky, appearing as a red, evil-looking ghost made out of what seemed to be pure electricity (Electromagnetic Bagworm: Level 3 / ATK 200 + 300 = 500 / DEF 1400 + 300 = 1700). "Next," the criminal continued, "I play the Trap Card Bug Emergency! This lets me Special Summon two Level 3 Insects from my Graveyard! So I'll bring back two LEDybugs!!"

The Doctor watched as his opponent revived the two Insect monsters that he had played on his first turn. (Is he going to Summon it now...?) he asked himself.

"I should probably mention, though..." Hacker began to explain. "Monsters Summoned through Bug Emergency lose their effects. But that's just fine with me, because that ALSO negates the effect that prevents me from using my LEDybugs to Xyz Summon anything other than another Insect monster!"

"In other words, you used the negative effect of your Trap Card to permit yourself to Summon any monster you want, correct?" asked The Doctor.

"Exactly!" Thrusting his hand up into the air, Data Hacker then shouted, "I now overlay Electromagnetic Bagworm and my two LEDybugs, all Level 3 and build the Overylay Network!!" And in just one second, all three of his monsters transformed into yellow balls of light that were drawn into a galaxy-like portal in the center of the field. "Materialize, Number 34!! Infiltrate the mainframe and wreak havoc on society!! Xyz Summon!!" he then chanted as the portal exploded, revealing a pink symbol resembling the number 34. "Malicious malware, Rank 3!! Terror-Byte!!!"

After the chant was done, a large, cross-shaped box with three swirling purple orbs descended down onto the battle field. It then began to unfold itself, revealing a pair of arms, legs, wings, a tail and a head with a long crystal-like horn on its forehead. On it right wing was the same 34 symbol that now appeared on its controller's right arm.

*******************************

Number 34: Terror-Byte
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine/DARK/Rank 3/ATK 0/DEF 2900)

3 Level 3 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. One per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 Level 4 or lower Attack Position monster your opponent controls; take control of it until the End Phase.

*******************************

After it was Summoned, the Number card put itself into Defense Mode, and the crook ended his turn. "So," The Doctor began to ask, "That's what your Number card looks like?"

"Hehehehehhh...you ain't seen nothin' yet!" Hacker taunted again. "This big guy has quite a powerful ability; one that lets me spend an Overlay Unit to take control of any of your lower-level monsters!"

"Is that so?" the brown-skinned man inquired. "Then I'll just have to eliminate your Life Points before it can do that! Now I draw!" He then picked up his next card looked at it closely. "I now activate the Spell Card, Photon Trade!" he then declared. "By sending one Photon monster from my hand to my Graveyard, I can draw two more cards!" After paying the cost and drawing his new cards, he then shouted, "And now I release Twin Photon Lizard and Photon Sabre Tiger and perform a Tribute Summoning!!"

At that moment, The Doctor's only two monsters vanished from the field, and in their place was a bright white, boomerang-shaped object. Grasping the object, Hacker could only watch as the mysterious man flung it up into the air, chanting, "The galaxy that lurks in the darkness. Become the light of hope and my very servant! The embodiment of light, now descend! Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

The object in the sky began drawing in massive amounts of light energy into itself. Once it took in all that it could, it let out a brilliant, blinding flash that filled the whole store. Once the light faded, The Doctor's most powerful monster was standing by his side (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2500).

"Wh-wh-what is that thing?!?" asked Data Hacker, a bit fearful at seeing the powerful dragon in front of him.

"I shall tell you exactly what it is." The Doctor calmly replied. "This is the creature that will help end this Duel and claim your Numbers. And once I do, you shall pay dearly for those you stepped upon for your own greedy reasons!" Pointing ahead, he then ordered, "Go, Galaxy-Eyes! Attack Terror-Byte with Photon Stream of Destruction!!" The mighty beast then let out a powerful roar as it fired a deadly energy stream at the crook's Number card.

"What do you think you're tryin' to do?!?" Hacker shouted. "Don't you know that Numbers can only be destroyed by other Numbers in battle?!"

"I am well aware of that, but I do not need to destroy your Number card to defeat you." The Doctor rebutted. Taking out another card from his hand, he then added, "I'll play this Quick-Play Spell Card from my hand: Photon Wind!!"

*******************************

Photon Wind:
(Quick-Play Spell Card)

During your Battle Phase, when a monster you control attacks an opponent's monster but did not destroy that monster by battle: Inflict 1000 damage to your opponent, and if you do, draw 1 card.

*******************************

"Thanks to this card, I'll deal you damage even IF I can't completely defeat your monster yet!" the trenchcoat-wearing man informed his opponent. And as he said that, Galaxy-Eyes' energy stream was surrounded by an intense wind that helped to increase its power. As expected, Terror-Byte survived the attack by The Doctor's monster, but the wind continued past it and struck Hacker dead-on (Data Hacker: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000). "Afterwards, Photon Wind permits me to draw one additional card after I inflict damage." He then drew his next card and saw that it was called Galaxy Burst.

The crook grunted a bit as he got back on both feet. "You're gonna pay for taking such a cheap shot at me!" he yelled. "I swear it!"

"Perhaps, perhaps not." The Doctor simply replied. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

Data Hacker grumbled as he reached for the next card in his Deck. (Number card or not, my Terror-Byte can't do anything against that souped-up dragon of his... But I'll show him what happens to people that get in my way...by crushing him AND his dragon!!)

"I draw!!" the crook shouted, pulling his next card. Not hesitating once, he added, "I'm playin' the card that I just drew! Spell Books Inside the Pot! This lets us both draw three cards from our Decks right now!!"

"So you're allowing me to draw new cards in order to try and overcome my dragon, are you?" asked the brown-skinned man. "You must be getting quite desperate if you're willing to take that much of a risk. However, if that is what you want, then I will draw my three cards and honor your wishes." And that's just what he did.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...just go on and keep flappin' your lips!" Hacker grumbled, drawing his three cards. After looking at them, he smiled wickedly and told him, "Because if this all goes as planned, you ain't gonna have a single thing to laugh about!"

The Doctor just raised an eyebrow, not showing any sign of fear on his face or saying a word in response.

"From my hand, I play the Spell Card, Bug Signal!!" Hacker declared. "Here's how it goes: First, I target one Insect-Type Xyz Monster on my field - like my Digital Bug Scaradiator - and then I get to Summon another Insect-Type Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck that's two ranks higher!!"

The move got The Doctor's attention. "Hold on...!" he said with a gasp. "Are you about to do what I think you're about to do?"

"You bet I am...!" the crook snickered. "What I'm about to Summon is a new breed of Xyz Monster; one that I found out about after hacking into Industrial Illusion's mainframe before their annoying firewalls booted me out! You're about to get your first look...at an Xyz Evolution!!"

"Xyz Evolution?!"

Thrusting his arm up into the air, the criminal then yelled, "Voracious bug in the mainframe! Enter undetected and destroy my enemy from the inside!! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!! Vicious virus, Rank 5!! Digital Bug Corebage!!"

After the chant was complete, Hacker's Digital Bug Xyz Monster transformed itself into a white light and flew into a white summoning portal. Seconds later, a large, mostly mechanical butterfly flew out of it, surrounded by two yellow orbs (Digital Bug Corebage: Rank 5 / ATK 2200 + 300 = 2500 / DEF 1800 + 300 = 2100 / OLU 2).

"So this is it..." The Doctor muttered to himself, "a Xyz Summon that uses another Xyz Monster as the Xyz Material... Most fascinating...!"

"Heheheh, well don't get TOO impressed with my new monster, bub." the crook told him. "After all, it's only going to get worse for you. You see, just by removing an Overlay Unit from Corebage, it can send one of your Defense Mode monsters back into your Deck!"

"Then I suppose it's too bad for you that I do not have any defending monsters."

"Oh, don't worry...I'll soon fix that." Hacker said as he took another card from his hand. "I play the Continuous Spell Level Limit - Area B! As long as it's on the field, all Level 4 and higher monsters are forced to go into Defense Mode! Which means that I can now use Corebage's effect!!"

"I figured you would do that." the trenchcoat-clad Duelist responded. "So I'll counter your move by playing this! Galaxy Burst!! While it may halve the attack power of my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, in return, it allows me to negate the effects of two cards on your side of the field for the remainder of the turn! And I choose Corebage and Level Limit - Area B!!"

The crook snarled as white electricity surrounded both his Spell Card and his Xyz Monster. His move had been stopped before he could complete it (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: ATK 3000 ÷ 2 = 1500). "Grrrr...you think you can stop me with that?!?" shouted Hacker, shaking his fist. "Well, THINK AGAIN!!! I now remove both of Corebage's Overlay Units!!" (Digital Bug Corebage: OLU 2 - 2 = 0).

"And why would you do that?" asked the Doctor, curious to know what his opponent was up to.

"Peheheh...that's the one thing about electronics..." Hacker told him with a demented chuckle. "When they stop working, that's when you need to upgrade! I use Corebage to initiate ANOTHER Xyz Evolution!!!"

"ANOTHER ONE?!?" shouted The Doctor.

As Corbage transformed into a bright yellow light and flew into the white portal in the center of the battlefield, Data Hacker began to chant, "Unstoppable bug infecting the mainframe! Show no mercy! Devour everything in your path!! Leave nothing behind!! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!!" Eyes becoming even more crazed-looking then before, he finished his chant, saying, "Digital Destroyer, Rank 7!! Digital Bug Rhinosebus!!"

Out of the summoning portal came a humongous rhinoceros beetle. Like Hacker's other Xyz Monsters, it was partially mechanical-looking, it had a pair of large wings coming from out of its back shell, and it displayed an enormous horn that looked like it could flip a truck onto its back. A single yellow orb orbited around it repeatedly (Digital Bug Rhinosebus: Rank 7 / ATK 2600 + 300 = 2900 / DEF 2200 + 300 = 2500 / OLU 1).

"So that must be your Ace card, am I correct?" asked the good doctor.

"You certainly are." confirmed the crook. "And you're about to see why! I activate Rhinosebus's effect!! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can destroy one monster you have that has the lowest defense! So say goodbye to your Photon Dragon!!"

The Doctor gasped a bit as the monster drew the swirling orb into its horn (Digital Bug Rhinosebus: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). After gaining the power that it needed, the giant insect charged forward and ran right into the dragon, horn-first, stabbing it and sending it straight to the Graveyard.

"And I'm not even done yet..." muttered Hacker. "Next I'll play the Spell Card Bug Illegal Hacking! This card lets me remove two Overlay Units from my Terror-Byte, and if they're both Digital Bug monsters, I can use Terror-Byte to Summon a Rank 3 Insect Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck! And it just so happens that I have two LEDybugs attached to Terror-Byte right now! So I can now Summon my OTHER Number card to the field!!"

"No way...!" said the brown-skinned man, shocked.

At that moment, Hacker's Number card transformed into a purple light that flew into a galaxy-like portal in the center of the field. The portal soon exploded, leaving behind a yellow symbol that looked like the number 20. "Now get ready, Doctor Who-Gives-a-Flying-Leap!! You're gonna wish you minded your own business!! Come out, Number 20: Giga-Brilliant!!"

At that moment, a giant cocoon-like object came down from the sky above, surrounded by a pair of yellow orbs. After it emerged, the cocoon began to crack apart, sending shining bits of shrapnel every which way. The pieces then began to form the new monster's body: It resembled an ant, only much larger, colored silver and purple, with piercing red eyes, grotesque legs, and large wings, the right one bearing the same 20 symbol that had been previously seen.

*******************************

Number 20: Giga-Brilliant:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Insect/LIGHT/Rank 3/ATK 1800/DEF 1800)

2 Level 3 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; all face-up monsters you currently control gain 300 ATK.

*******************************

The Doctor stared at the new Number monster before him (Number 20: Giga-Brilliant: ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100 / DEF 1800 + 300 = 2100). After about a few seconds, he then asked, "So what is that monstrosity supposed to do?"

"Heheheheh...just watch:" Hacker told him. "Even though my Bug Illegal Hacking card doesn't allow me to attack with that monster it helped to Summon, I can still use its ability! Now by removing one Overlay Unit, my Giga-Brilliant increases the attack power of all of my monsters!"

The trenchcoat-wearing Duelist gasped as the new Number monster absorbed one of its floating orbs into its head (Number 20: Giga-Brilliant: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). Afterwards, it began radiating a bright light that increased the power of both itself and Rhinosebus (Digital Bug Rhinosebus: ATK 2900 + 300 = 3200) (Number 20: Giga-Brilliant: ATK 2100 + 300 = 2400).

"And now it's time to use all those attack points to annihilate you!! Go, Rhinosebus!! Attack him directly with your Viral Horn Attack!!" The massive bug then sped forward and struck The Doctor hard, taking out almost all of his Life Points (Dr. Hooves: LP: 3,900 - 3,200 = 700). Chuckling evilly to himself, he then taunted his foe, asking, "Had enough punishment yet?"

"Grrrrn...it will be you who gets punished in the end..." the brown-skinned man said back. "So do your worst!"

"Peh! Have it your way!" Hacker snapped back. "For my last move, I'll use the effect of the Field Spell Bug Matrix and attach Digital Bug Websolder from my hand to Giga-Brilliant as an Overlay Unit!" (Number 20: Giga-Brilliant: OLU 1 + 1 = 2).

"On him?" asked The Doctor. "Not on your other monster?"

"I don't see why I'll need to." the crook said rather smugly. "Without that big windbag of a dragon on your field, you're nothing! Soon, I'll be known as the guy who crushed the so-called 'Number Hunter'!! Hahahahaha!!!" Smirking, he then added, "Now it's your turn... And because of that, your Galaxy Burst card's effect expires, which means even IF you could bring out a more powerful monster, you won't be able to attack with it, thanks to Level Limit - Area B! Just give up now!!"

"...Absolutely not."

"What was that...?" asked Hacker.

"You heard me." The Doctor told him. "I refuse to surrender to the likes of someone as despicable as yourself! So long as I have but one Life Point left, I'll defeat you and your Number card!!"

(Heh...what a dope. He's crazy if he thinks he can get out of this one.) thought the crook, so sure that he would win, no matter what his opponent did.

Preparing to draw his next card, The Doctor then thought to himself, (I will not give up...! Ms. Shimmer was in a situation just like this one when I dueled her, and she too, refused to surrender! And Ms. Derpy would no doubt tell me to keep on fighting as well! After all, the future of this world is at stake in this Duel, so failure is not an option!!) With the bravest face he could show, the trenchcoat-clad man shouted, "It's my move!! I draw!!" After getting his next card and looking at it, The Doctor smirked and told his opponent, "It's about time I ended this fight between us, don't you agree?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" asked Hacker, confused.

But instead of answering his question, the mysterious man went on with his move, saying, "I activate Photon Sublimation! By banishing two Photon monsters in my Graveyard, I can draw another two cards!" He then proceeded to banish two Photon Sabre Tigers from his Graveyard before drawing his new cards. He then looked at them closely and said, "...Perfect. My victory formula is complete."

"V-victory?! There's no way!" protested Hacker.

"There is, and you shall soon see for yourself." the brown-skinned man promised. "I activate the Spell Card Accelight! Since I control no monsters, this card allows me the ability to Summon any Level 4 or lower Photon or Galaxy monster from my Deck!" After making his choice, his Duel Pad auto-shuffled the rest of his cards, leaving one sticking out. Taking it and placing it on the card tray, he then declared, "Come on out, Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon!"

At that moment, a small dragon then appeared from out of a pool of light. It appeared to resemble a baby version of the mighty Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, and it even gave out a tiny roar after it appeared (Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 250).

"Pah!! What kinda puny monster is that?!" the crook mocked. "Are you even TRYING anymore?!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge my monster based solely on its appearance." warned The Doctor. "Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon has a very powerful effect. By releasing it, it allows me to Summon its more powerful form from either my hand or my Graveyard."

"M-m-more powerful form?! You don't mean-?!"

"I do!!" The Doctor then shouted, "Return to the field, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!!" And in an instant, his most powerful monster emerged from out of a dark-purple portal and took its place back onto the field.

"Grrrr...so what?! Don't forget my Spell Card! Level Limit - Area B forces it into Defense Mode!" reminded Hacker.

"I am aware of that, Data Hacker... But it won't matter once my move is complete!" the trenchcoat-wearing man told his opponent. Taking another card out of his hand, he then said, "Next, I activate Galaxy Zero!! This card resurrects one Photon or Galaxy monster from my Graveyard! And I can say for sure that the monster I plan to Summon will surprise you greatly."

"Huh...? What do you mean??" asked Hacker.

Taking a card out of his Graveyard, The Doctor then shouted, "Now I Summon...ANOTHER Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!!" And just like that, another dragon, just like the first, appeared beside the mysterious Duelist, letting out a powerful-sounding roar.

"WHAT?!? Two dragons?!?" asked the crook in shock and fear. "But that's impossible!! I only destroyed one!!"

"You are correct." The Doctor replied. "You DID eliminate only one dragon. But when I played my Photon Trade card, I sent this Galaxy-Eyes to the Graveyard in order to pay the cost."

"You...you mean you sent it there all the way back THEN?!?" Hacker inquired. "Why?!?"

"To prepare for my biggest play yet. The move that will defeat you and allow me to take your Numbers away." the good doc answered. "But I still have a few more moves to make first. Now I activate the card Photon Sanctuary, which gives me a pair of Photon Tokens on my side of the field." And just as he said, two glowing balls of light manifested themselves in front of The Doctor (Photon Tokens [x2]: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0). "And now that I've done that, I can now release them both...and Special Summon yet another Galaxy-Eyes!!"

"You've gotta be KIDDING ME!!!" screamed Hacker, not believing his eyes as a third powerful dragon appeared on the field. Even though his Spell Card forced them into Defense Mode, he couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen. And pondering about it started making him sweat.

"And now that all three of my Galaxy-Eyes are on the field together, it is time for my ultimate move!!" The Doctor declared. "I overlay all three of my dragons to create an Overlay Network!!!"

"WHAT?!?!" shouted Hacker, fearful for what was going to come next.

In an instant, all three of the dragons transformed into yellow lights, but retained their dragon shape as they flew into a pink-colored summoning portal that appeared OVER the battlefield. As the monsters entered it, the portal then turned dark purple and began to form into what appeared to be a black hole of some sort, though whether it was one or not was left up to debate. The Doctor then closed his eyes and chanted, "Radiant galaxy, here and now become the striking light, and show yourself!"

After that, a long staff appeared before The Doctor, who grasped it tightly and prepared to throw it like a javelin. "Xyz Summon! Descend, My very soul!" He then tossed it into the summoning portal, causing an explosion of light that filled the room. After that, a violent whirlwind whipped up in the center of the explosion. The light drew itself into the whirlwind and began to take form, emerging out as a red and black-colored dragon with three heads, radiating light all over itself. "Rank 8! Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" the good doc shouted, finishing his chant (Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: Rank 8 / ATK 4500 / DEF 3000 / OLU 3).

Needless to say, Data Hacker was not expecting this move from his foe. He trembled in fear at the incredibly powerful monster that was Summoned before him. "No...no... I-I-I can't... I can't lose...!" he whimpered, scared out of his mind.

"I'm sorry to say that you WILL lose this Duel, Data Hacker." The Doctor informed him. "This is the ultimate form of my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, and nothing can stop it." Taking out one of the cards underneath his new Xyz Monster, he then added, "But if you don't believe me, then allow me to fill you in on the details: Since I used at least one Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon to Summon Neo Galaxy-Eyes, it negates all other active card effects on the field!"

"NO!! You can't!!"

"I am afraid that I have done just that." the mysterious man informed him. "Which means your Level Limit - Area B and your Bug Matrix lose their effects! And your monsters lose the attack and defense points that they gained from your Field Spell!" And as he said that, the two Spell Cards lost their color, appearing instead in grayscale to show they their effects were gone (Digital Bug Rhinosebus: ATK 3200 - 300 = 2900 / DEF 2500 - 300 = 2200) (Number 20: Giga-Brilliant: ATK 2400 - 300 = 2100 / DEF 2400 - 300 = 2100).

"But that is only the beginning!" the good doc continued. "Next, I remove one of Neo Galaxy-Eyes's Overlay Units! (Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: OLU 3 - 1 = 2) By doing so, I can forcibly remove all Overlay Units from the Xyz Monsters you control! And for each one, Neo Galaxy-Eyes gains 500 attack points and one additional attack this turn!!"

"ACK!! That can't be!! You can't!!" shouted Hacker. But even he knew that his situation was hopeless. All he could do was watch as Giga-Brilliant lost both of its Overlay Units (Number 20: Giga Brilliant: OLU 2 - 2 = 0), which were quickly absorbed into The Doctor's monster and causing it to become even stronger (Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: ATK 4500 + 1000 = 5500).

"Prepare yourself, Data Hacker, for there is nothing you can to save yourself now!" The Doctor told him. Pointing forward, he then shouted, "Neo Galaxy-Eyes!! Destroy both Rhinosebus and Giga-Brilliant!! Ultimate Photon Stream of Destruction!!!" And with that, the three-headed light dragon let out powerful streams of light that struck both of Hacker's monsters. The first blast destroyed Rhinosebus, evaporating it into thin air (Data Hacker: LP 3,000 - 2,600 = 400). The second shot eliminated Giga-Brilliant (due to Neo Galaxy-Eyes' effect, it was no longer protected by its special ability) and wiped out the criminal's Life Points (Data Hacker: LP 400 - 3,400 = 0) (WINNER: Dr. Hooves).

"NOOOOO!!! I can't lose!!! I won't...!!" screamed Data Hacker. But deep down, even he knew that it was all over. The criminal then fainted, both from the stress of the Duel, as well as from the result. The Doctor let out a sigh of relief, happy that he was able to pull through and win.

Minutes later, The Doctor looked at the two Number cards in his hand, Giga-Brilliant and Terror-Byte, placed them both into his deck box and said to himself, "Numbers 20 and 34 are now secured. I'd say this mission was a complete success!" Glancing behind him, he looked over at Data Hacker, who was now tied up against a large, square column with several long extension cords. "Once I leave here," he remarked, "time will flow normally again, and this crook's days of stealing and hacking computers will be over. If he is as infamous as I heard he was, he'll be put away in prison for quite a lengthy period of time."

The mysterious man then tapped a button on his steampunk-like Duel Pad, which immediately summoned the Tardis in front of him. Smiling to himself, he then said to himself, "Ms. Derpy will be quite happy to hear about this little venture once I meet up with her again. I just hope she'll have accomplished as much with Ms. Shimmer as I have with my Number collection..." He then walked into the phone booth-like chamber and vanished from sight...

At that same time, Sunset and Derpy were still spending time together over at Sugarcube Corner. Of course no time really passed at all since The Doctor had started his Duel against Data Hacker, due to the time-slowing device that he had activated. The two of them had gotten the treats that they had ordered, eating them as they talked about what they had been up to since last year.

"So you actually got to travel to other worlds and universes, too?" asked Sunset, becoming quite interested in hearing about Derpy's travels with The Doctor.

"Yeah, we sure did!" the grey-skinned girl replied. "There were so many people and places that I've seen while I was with him! Like, one time, we actually got on board a REAL pirate ship!"

"A pirate ship, you say?"

"Mhmm! And the captain of ship was pretty interesting too!" Derpy continued. "Though it really shocked me when I saw his arms stretch really, really far! And that green-haired guy with the three swords was pretty cool too! Oh and that little reindeer guy was SO adorable!!"

"Well, it sounds to me like you've seen just about everything and then some, huh?" asked Sunset.

"Maybe... The Doctor says there's probably million or more other universes out there, just waiting to be found!" Derpy told her. "It sounds pretty unbelievable, I know; even I have a hard time believing that it all really happened."

The black jacket-wearing teen giggled a bit and told her, "I believe you, Derpy. In fact, I'm probably one of the few people around here that can." After chuckling a little more, Sunset then added, "The stuff that I've been up to probably isn't as interesting as travelling through the multiverse, but it's been pretty exciting, I can tell you. For instance, I just recently got my own place to live, I managed to save this year's Fall Formal from being ruined, and I even helped Fluttershy win the Inter-school Duel trophy for our school."

"Oh yeah, I read about that on the school website." noted Derpy. "I never could have imagined that Fluttershy of all people would actually be able to beat somebody from Griffonstone! But, to be fair, I don't think I would have done as well if I had been chosen."

"Oh, you play Duel Monsters, too?" asked Sunset.

The grey girl giggled and replied back, asking, "Who do you think helped Dr. Hooves to learn the game?"

"Dr. Hooves? asked Sunset. "That's his name?"

"Not really." Derpy answered. "That's just what I call him, as well the pen name he used to sign the papers that I needed to apprentice under him during most of the year so far. To be honest, I don't know what his real name is, or even where he comes from. But that's fine, all that I need to know is that he's a good person, and I'm glad that I was lucky enough to meet him."

"Well, I suppose anyone who stands up for somepo- er, somebody else the way he did that night when he and I dueled must have a good heart." Sunset replied.

"Well, TWO to be exact."

"Two what?"

"Um, nothing." said the grey girl. "Just saying something to myself."

Minutes later, the two teenage girls finished with their food. Mr. Cake, noticing that they were about to leave, came by their table to take their plates and glasses before leaving the check for their order. Just as Sunset had promised, she paid for everything, even the tip. After leaving the store, Derpy rubbed the back of her head and told Sunset, "Well...I guess we gotta get going."

"Yeah, we do..." the red and yellow girl replied. Smiling and extending her right hand towards her, she then told Derpy, "I'm really glad we were able to meet today. I think this was exactly what we needed to help each other."

"I agree, Sunset." the grey girl told her, shaking Sunset's hand gently. "And I'm glad that you've decided to change for the better." Thinking a little more to herself, she then told her, "And also...um, I think I would like to be your friend, too."

"You will?" asked the black jacket-wearing teen.

"Mhmm. Not only that, but I'd like it if you and The Doctor could work together a little more as well..." Derpy told her. "He asked me to try and meet with you so that he could know more about you...And I think it's because he would really want that as well."

Sunset thought about her request for a moment. "Well...I suppose it would be the most logical option." she figured. "If he and I DID work more closely with one another, we might be able to locate and collect all of the Numbers much faster." After pondering some more, she then told her new friend, "I would like that, too. But only if he comes to me and asks me himself. That way, we can both be sure that's what he wants. Nothing personal, I'm just still a little cautious, that's all."

"I understand." the grey girl nodded. "I'll see what I can do." Turning around to leave, she waved and said, "See you later, Sunset!"

"Bye, Derpy! See you in school next week!" Sunset shouted as Derpy left. Once the grey girl was no longer in sight or in earshot, the red and yellow girl then took out her cell phone and tapped on it a few times. Putting it up to her ear, she waited a while for someone to pick up.

Eventually, she heard someone's voice on the other end. "Yes? Rarity speaking." it said.

"Hey, it's Sunset." the otherworldly girl spoke. "I just finished talking to Derpy. Where are you right now?"

"At my boutique, finishing up some orders..." Rarity replied. "If you are asking for Twilight, she has already come and left. Applejack brought her and Pinkie Pie over to that new card shop after we heard that it is now under new management."

"Wow, that was fast." noted Sunset, referring to the fact that the store that once had an illegal counterfeiting operation going on had been reopened by a new owner already. She then asked her fashion-minded friend, "Could you tell them that I'm on my way over there? I would do it myself, but my phone's only at about 10 percent power, and I want to save it in case of an emergency."

"Not a problem at all." Rarity told her. "I'll inform them immediately."

"Thanks, Rarity. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"You're quite welcome. Have a good afternoon as well." the fashionista said before hanging up. Sunset then put her cell phone away and headed off to find Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. As she walked down the busy sidewalk, she couldn't help but feel really good inside. Now that she and Derpy had finally made peace with one another, the otherworldly girl felt as though a heavy shackle had been removed from her and that she could continue to move on in her life. She stopped for a moment and looked up at the bright, blue sky above, and reminded herself to be thankful that she had so many good people in her life to keep her happy.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED / REVEALED:

Dr. Hooves (7 Numbers total):

Number 10: Illumiknight (previously obtained)
Number 20: Giga-Brilliant
Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction (previously obtained)
Number 34: Terror-Byte
Number 83: Galaxy Queen

RANK 16.5: Numbers Recap:

Author's Note

Since we're pretty far into the series so far, I figured a bit of a recap of what's happened so far would be a good idea. Some of you may already be keeping track of how many Numbers have shown up, as well who has them. For the ones that haven't been, consider this a refresher.

To make it a little more interesting, I have Pinkie Pie narrating. :pinkiesmile: Anyway, see you in Rank 17!

RANK 16.5: Numbers Recap:

...Hello? Anybody there?? ...I said, "Anybody THERE"?!

...Oh, duh! That's right!! This is just a story: You can't actually respond back and tell me you're here! Sorry, I forget that sometimes!

Well, since I'm pretty sure you're all here, lemme introduce myself! My name's Pinkamena Diane Pie. But you can just call me Pinkie! Some of you may be wondering, "Hey, Pinkie: What are you doing, showing up in the middle of the series and talking to ME directly??" Well, I figured, since we're sixteen chapters into this story so far, it might be a good idea to help you remember what's happened so far; more specifically, I'm gonna talk about those crazy-powerful, sometimes-so-scary-you-nearly-faint Number cards that you've been seeing so far! Some of you really dedicated types might already be keeping track of every Number card and who has them, and if you are, then that's super! But if you haven't, don't worry: I'll fill you in on all the details!

So, anyhoo, we all know that Sunset Shimmer, one of my best friends from another world, accidentally released all these Number cards into OUR world, and they're causing everyone to go crazy and cause trouble! So Sunnie (that's what I like to call her for short) took it upon herself to confront everyone who has a Number card and duel against them! When two people with Numbers fight each other, the winner gets to take the Number cards from the loser, and so far, Sunnie's been doing really well at it!

Her first Number card came to her shortly after she had this kooky dream about a giant, demon-faced door that she opened (by the way, I TOTALLY called it). But even though the card was blank at first, after she picked it up, it took on a new form. And that's how Sunnie got her first Number card, Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech! We still don't know all the details, but Sunnie and the others said that the Numbers take on forms based on whatever the person is feeling at the time, or something that they desire the most... or even both! Either way, it's a good thing she picked it up when she did, 'cause the very next day, we found out that Octavia Melody suddenly started attacking her bestie, Vinyl Scratch, for no reason! Crazy, right? But then we learned that it was because Tavi picked up a Number too, and it made her go totally loco in the coco! But don't worry! Sunnie beat her and got her Number card, called Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk! I'm not super-totally sure yet, but I'll bet that card's gonna be REEEEEAL special later on...

Anyway, a couple of days later, Sunnie and Rainbow Dash (or Dashie as I like to call her; she doesn't mind it TOO much) found out that another of our classmates began acting creepy-crazy-weird too! After Photo picked up her Number card - Number 25: Force Focus - she went into the boys' locker room at school and started taking pictures of them in there!! Needless to say, she probably would've been in real trouble if Sunnie didn't stop her like she did and took her Number card away.

But that was NOTHING compared to what happened next: The Fall Formal was on its way again this year and everyone was excited to go to it (especially me; I can't get enough of those super-yummy treats)! Rarity was in charge of making sure the gym was decorated just right for the best party the school's ever thrown! But things really got out of hand when she picked up Number 52: Diamond Crab King and it made her put WAY too many decorations all over the gym! But Sunset showed up and used a new Number card - Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk - to beat her and get her back to normal just in time! I'm sure glad Sunnie got over her cold feet about coming to the dance; I don't think we would have been able to beat her crab monster-thingy ourselves... Now that I think about it, doesn't Rarity usually fight AGAINST the giant crab, not WITH it? Weird...

Anyway, after Sunnie saved the Fall Formal this year, our Principals, Celestia and Luna, helped her move out of the homeless shelter and get a place of her own to live in! Sunnie's apartment is almost as big as my whole house!! Well, maybe not, but you probably get where I'm coming from. And she even has a real nice landlord named Manny Roar to help keep the building running smoothly! So we were a little shocked to hear that he started overcharging his tenants all of a sudden... But Sunnie already seemed to know what caused him to do that, and just as she thought, he also picked up a Number card, which was called Number 16: Shock Master. He was pretty tough, but Sunnie beat him and got his Number card. And not only that, she didn't even use any of HER Numbers against his! Now that's what I call some mad dueling skills!

A bit later, Sunnie and I went to meet Gilda over at her school, Griffonstone High, on the other side of town. Gilda USED to be a super-mean-meany-pants who bullied lots and lots of other people. But when Fluttershy stood up to her and beat her in the Inter-school Duel, she decided to change for the better! That's when she told us about a classmate of hers named Martin who finally got sick of all the bullies that gave him a hard time and decided to use not one, but TWO Numbers cards to beat them all. They were called Number 13: Embodiment of Crime and Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment, two of the creepiest-looking things that I've ever seen; not at the level of "Cupcakes" or "Rainbow Factory" maybe, but still pretty creepy. In the end, though, Sunnie and Gilda teamed up to Duel him, and once he lost, Gilda apologized to him and promised to protect him from now on. That was really nice of her, wasn't it?

A while later, Sunset dueled against Snips and Snails. But even though they each had a Number card, they TOTALLY got OTK'd by her, right on the first turn! She then took Number 56: Gold Rat and Number 63: Shamoji Soldier from them before we all left the school that day. It was after that happened, that we found out that the Number cards may have come from some other dimension called the Astral World! Zecora told us that there were these priests and priestesses that devoted their whole lives to protecting the secrets of the Astral World, but other than that, we still didn't know too much. We all really wished our OTHER inter-dimensional friend, Twilight Sparkle was there to help us out...

So, thanks to our good friend, Mr. Plot Point, one of the Number cards went into Twi and Sunnie's home world! I'll give you three guesses who picked THAT card up. In case ya forgot, it was Twilight! She found it, and after she touched it, it became Number 39: Utopia, a card with a mind of its own! He wanted Twilight to help him find all of the Number cards so that they could all return home to the Astral World together. Twi agreed and came to our world once more to help us out. Since then, we've been teaching her how to duel, and after enough practice Duels, she was able to fight some of the other Number users on her own! First, she defeated Silver Spoon and got Number 59: Crooked Cook before he covered our Home Ec. class in macaroni and cheese (which by the way, Ms. Mulia insisted that we take some back with us)! Some time after that, she dueled against Trixie Lulamoon, and after she beat her, she picked up Number 11: Big Eye! Lucky her, it seems like it would be a REALLY hard-to-get-card otherwise...

So far, Sunnie picked up ten Number cards, while Twilight's got three. That's over a tenth of them so far!

But they're not the only people that are after the Number cards. According to Sunnie, she dueled against this mysterious man named Dr. Hooves, or just "The Doctor". He's also after the Number cards, but don't worry! He's only collecting to help save our world from some... bad... evil... thing-a-ma-jig or something, I'm not really sure myself what it is he's trying to stop, but he's a good guy, trust me. I mean, yeah, he DID fight against Sunnie that one time, but he didn't know that she was a good guy too! But it looks like all of that's been straightened out, so they won't be dueling each other for a while yet.

Anyhoo, Dr. Hooves has seven Numbers so far, but right now, we only know about six of them: Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon (which he got from Lightning Dust), Number 83: Galaxy Queen (which he took from a guy named Gladmane), Number 20: Giga-Brilliant and Number 34: Terror-Byte (he got those two from a crook named Data Hacker), and also Number 10: Illumiknight and Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction.

Last but not least, there's our new teacher, Mrs. K, that's collected two of the Number cards so far! Her first one was Number 46: Dragluon, but we're not sure where she got it and how yet... What we DO know is that she used it to fight this real mean guy named Smooth Talker, who was making fake cards out of his store and selling them to people! What a meanie!! But Mrs. K beat him and got his card, Number 82: Heartlandraco! ...Huh? What do you mean, "How do you know all of that? You weren't there when it happened!" That's 'cause I read the story too! Don't worry, I won't spoil anything to the girls...!

So, to recap, twenty-two of the Number cards have been collected so far: Sunnie has ten, Twilight has three, Dr. Hooves has seven (including one unrevealed one), and Mrs. K has two. But there are still a whole bunch more out there, and who know just how many other people might be after them, too?!

Who knows? Well, YOU will if you just keep on reading! Anyway, I'll see you all in the next chapter! Bye-bye!!

Numbers at a Glance:

Sunset Shimmer (10 Numbers total):

Number 13: Embodiment of Crime
Number 16: Shock Master
Number 25: Force Focus
Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment
Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech
Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk
Number 52: Diamond Crab King
Number 56: Gold Rat
Number 63: Shamoji Soldier
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk

Twilight Sparkle (3 Numbers total):

Number 11: Big Eye
Number 39: Utopia
Number 59: Crooked Cook

Dr. Hooves (7 Numbers total):

Number 10: Illumiknight
Number 20: Giga-Brilliant
Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction
Number 34: Terror-Byte
Number 83: Galaxy Queen
Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon
(unknown Number card)

Mrs. K (2 Numbers total):

Number 46: Dragluon
Number 82: Heartlandraco

TOTAL NUMBERS DISCOVERED: 22

RANK 17: Sitting in a Tree, D-U-E-L-I-N-G:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Besides playing Duel Monsters, Sunset Shimmer also enjoys doing all sorts of other things with her friends. Among her friends is a young boy named Flash Sentry. A year ago, the two them were dating each other, but broke up the relationship at an unknown point in time. Even so, the two of them are still friends with each other, harboring no bitter feelings towards each other after the break-up.

Since then, though, Sunset has not been in a relationship with anyone else, preferring the company of her friends moreso right now. But she had never once stated that she was through with having another boyfriend after Flash Sentry. Whether she will find true love or not remains a mystery to this very day...

Unless of course, true love finds HER...

It was a chilly Monday morning at Canterlot High School. All of the students were wearing coats to keep themselves warm in the cold air as they made their way into the building for another day of classes. Among them was Sunset Shimmer, who was actually wearing a larger coat over top her black leather jacket, possibly to keep herself even warmer. Still, she could feel a bit of cold air on her bare legs as she shivered a little. "Brrrr... it sure is cold today..." she said to herself after she finally walked inside the school. Looking at her exposed legs, she then added, "I really need to think about getting long pants sometime; I think I'm starting to get goosebumps on my legs."

Taking off her coat and carrying it in her left arm, she began walking over to her locker, thinking to herself, (I hope Twilight will be able to make it over here alright with Applejack after she decided to spend yesterday night over there. Luckily, I had no trouble keeping an eye on Spike; all I had to do was switch the TV on, and next thing we know, we're watching Family Feud up until 11:00 at night. He's acting kinda the same way I did when I discovered television...) She chuckled to herself at that thought as continued on her way.

But once she got to her locker, she noticed something peculiar: There was a piece of paper attached to the locker door; the paper was held there with a piece of scotch tape. "Huh? A note...?" she asked herself, taking the paper off of her locker. She then unfolded the note and read it to herself: "Dearest Sunset... I can't get you out of my mind; Every time I pass by you in the halls, I can't help but admire just how beautiful you are... Thinking of you... XOXO..." The red and yellow girl stood there for a moment, a bit confused after reading the strange note. She then sighed to herself as she put the note away in her jacket pocket before opening her locker.

As she did, a small figure poked his head past the corner of a nearby wall, watching Sunset as she got what she needed for her first class. The figure was a young boy with silvery-white skin, lime green hair, and yellow eyes. His outfit consisted of a red short-sleeved shirt and black shorts, with a pair of long socks and white tennis shoes. On his shirt was an emblem that looked like a tennis ball getting hit by a tennis racket. As Sunset left to go to her first class for the day, the small boy continued to stand there, blushing red and even sweating a little.

Hours later, at the cafeteria, Sunset sat with some of her friends before settling down to eat lunch. With her were Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. "So what took you so long to get here?" Sunset asked Twilight and Applejack. "Usually you guys get here much sooner..."

"Yeah, Ah apologize 'bout that..." the orange-skinned girl replied. "Truth is, mah truck started givin' me a hard time this mornin'... It's gotta be that darn carburetor again; every time the weather gets even a teensy bit chilly, it just goes n' freezes up!"

"Luckily, we left early enough, so even with the trouble we had earlier, we still made it here before school started." Twilight reassured them all.

Sighing a bit, Rainbow Dash then told her country friend, "AJ, I know I'm probably startin' to sound like a broken record here, but don't ya think it's about time to put that clunker away for good? You even said that your grandmother was talkin' to you about getting a new truck some time ago."

"Ah know they said that, but Ah've had that truck ever since Ah learned t' drive..." Applejack told her. "Ah had her when Ah got my driver's license! An' the old girl's been a huge help in loadin' n' unloadin' our harvests..." Switching to a more serious-sounding tone, she then added, "But it's more than just that; that truck belonged to mah mom and dad back when they were on the farm... And ever since they left the place, it's been one'a the few things of theirs that Ah have left..."

The other girls stayed silent for a while, feeling a little sorry for their friend. Dash rubbed the back of her head, wishing that she didn't say anything about Applejack getting rid of her beloved pickup truck. "I can see that you care about it a whole lot, Applejack..." Twilight told her, breaking the silence, "and I can understand that it can be hard to let go of something that's real special to you..."

"Thanks for understandin' Twi..." the orange girl responded, sighing a little. Trying to push aside her concerns for the moment, she then said, "Anyway, don't y'all worry 'bout me; Ah'll figure somethin' out sooner or later." She then asked Sunset, "So what was it that you were talkin' to me 'bout earlier? Somethin' 'bout a note ya found?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." the red and yellow girl replied. She then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the paper that she had found earlier. "So anyway, I was heading over to my locker to get my things for First Period, but when I got to my locker, I found this taped onto the front of it... I have no idea what it is, or who put it there..."

Twilight took the paper from Sunset and unfolded it. She, along with Applejack and Rainbow Dash, read the note to see what it said. After they finished, the three of them giggled a little about it. "Heh heh... you REALLY don't know what this is, Sunset?" asked Rainbow Dash, sporting a sly look on her face.

"Um... no, I don't." the red and yellow girl replied. "That's why I asked all of you... What is it? And... why are you all giggling like that...?"

"Tee hee hee... Sunset," Twilight began to tell her in-between chuckles, "...this is a love note."

"A love note??" asked Shimmer, startled and confused.

"Ya mean t' tell us that you've NEVER gotten a love note from anybody?" asked Applejack, still chuckling.

"Um, no I haven't." the black jacket-clad teen answered. "If you recall, almost everyone at school hated me for a long time."

The three girls immediately stopped their giggling after hearing that. With how well things had been for their friend lately, they had almost forgotten about that. "Oh... yeah, that's right..." Applejack replied, a tad embarrassed. "My bad..."

"I guess that explains why she didn't think it was a love note right away..." Rainbow Dash figured.

Twilight then smiled again and told her inter-dimensional friend, "But still, it's good to know that someone seems to really like you enough to leave a note for you like this."

"Yeah, Twi's right!" Rainbow Dash added. "You should feel really good knowing that somebody's got a crush on ya!"

"Well... uh..." Sunset wasn't really sure what she felt, as no one had ever done something like this for her before. She then said to her cyan friend, "Well, I MIGHT feel good about it... if I knew who it was that put this note on my locker in the first place. The problem is, whoever left this note didn't put their name on it or anything that would help me figure out who it was."

"Oh wow...! A secret admirer!" Twilight happily gasped. "That's so romantic!"

At that moment, the purple teen heard the familiar voice of Utopia in her mind. (A secret admirer...?) he asked her. (I do not understand. Why is this person trying to get the attention of your friend, and yet not reveal their name? I do not see the logic behind it.)

(Well,) Twilight began to explain to him with her thoughts, (if it's anything like the romance novels that I have back at my castle, the reason that he doesn't want her to know his name right now is because he's probably too shy and nervous to admit his feelings for her yet. He's probably afraid that she'd reject him if he did... If so, then I feel a little sorry for him, whoever he is; he must really like Sunset, but he's too scared to go any further...)

Utopia thought about her words for a while before saying to himself, (Observation Number Three: It appears that some humans have a hard time admitting their true feelings towards one another... I shall remember that.)

Taking the note back from Twilight and putting it back into her jacket pocket, Sunset then said to her friends, "Well, I guess there's nothing else I can do but wait and see if this guy ever shows up."

"Sounds like a good idea t' me, Sunset." Applejack agreed with a nod. "Ah suppose there ain't no sense in tryin' to find this secret admirer if y'all don't even know what he looks like."

"I think so too." Twilight chimed in. "Anyway, let's eat our lunches before the next period starts." The others nodded and began to eat their food.

Later on, after the school day had officially ended, Twilight and Sunset were walking out of Canterlot High with rest of their friends, talking with them a bit before they would go to their respective homes. All except for Rainbow Dash; she had a prior engagement with one of the after-school clubs. "Well, I'll see ya guys tomorrow;" she told them all, "I don't wanna be late for the Tennis Club."

"I didn't know you played tennis before, Rainbow..." noted Fluttershy.

"I've been itchin' to try it out for some time," the cyan teen explained, "so when I heard a coupla months ago that they were starting one here, I made sure that my name was the first one on the sign-up sheet." She then suggested to her shy friend, "You oughtta try out for the club too; I'd bet you be really good at it."

"Oh, um... that's okay..." Fluttershy replied. "I-I'd rather not... To tell you the truth, I already tried to practice playing tennis once..." Rubbing her nose, she then added, "I still remember how much my nose hurt when the machine shot that ball at me..."

Pinkie Pie giggled a little. "Get it? It's a reference to one of AgrolChannel's videos...!" she then whispered loudly, seemingly to herself.

"Alright, suit yourself, then." Rainbow Dash said to Fluttershy. She then turned to leave, telling them all, "Anyway, see ya guys later."

"Okay, see you later, then." Sunset responded, waving to her. "Have a good time."

After Dash had left, Rarity then walked over to the red and yellow girl and asked her, with a smile on her face, "So... not to impose or anything, but would you care to tell me more about this secret admirer of yours?"

"Um, do I have to?" asked Sunset, blushing a little out of embarrassment. "To be honest, I don't know any more than I've already told you..." Rarity huffed a little in response, a little frustrated that she wasn't going to hear any more gossip concerning the unknown boy that had taken a liking to her friend. They all continued to talk for a while as they left the school grounds.

Little did they all know that far behind them, hiding behind the school statue, was the same boy that had watched Sunset take the love note from her locker, this time carrying a large duffel bag. He stepped forward and reached his hand out, as if he thought about following the girls, but instead, he stepped back and headed off for somewhere else, sighing sadly as he did so.

The next day came and went, with Sunset and her friends attending their usual Tuesday classes. But that morning, just like the day before, Sunset found another love note taped to her locker. She then presumed that it had to have been from the same person, since the handwriting was exactly the same as on the first note. However, she still had no idea who was leaving them there for her to pick up. Not knowing what else to do, she pocketed the note and went on her way.

The same was true the following day after that. Sunset had found yet another love note from her secret admirer on her locker that morning. After taking the time to read the note, she blushed a little bit before once more pocketing the note. She then gathered her things together and headed off to her first class, but she took a short moment to glance around the nearby area. Feeling as though the unknown boy was still around the area, the red and yellow girl was hoping to catch a glimpse of anyone that could have possibly been him. However, there was no one else in the hallway or nearby that seemed suspicious, so Sunset once again had to accept the fact that she wouldn't be finding out today either...

On Thursday, after school had closed for the day, Sunset and Twilight walked into the apartment building, heading for the red and yellow girl's home. As they walked into the building, a gruff-sounding voice could be heard: "Ms. Shimmer?" it asked.

The two girls stopped walking and looked behind them to see who it was. "Oh! Manny Roar!" Sunset responded. "What is it?"

The building landlord then picked up a box sitting next to him. "This arrived in the mail for you just now." Manny explained to her. "It has your name on it, but I don't know who sent it; there's no return address."

Sunset and Twilight looked at the strange package closely. It was wrapped up in shiny red wrapping paper and tied with a yellow ribbon. "Are... you sure it's safe to open?" asked the Princess of Friendship, who was understandably cautious. "It seems sort of suspicious..."

"It doesn't seem dangerous to me." Manny Roar answered. "It doesn't feel like there's much in here, anyway."

Sunset then grabbed the box and understood what he meant by that. "You're right...!" she replied. "It's actually pretty light." She then shook it a couple of times, hearing a soft thudding sound coming from whatever was inside. She then told her landlord, "If there's anything weird about it, I'll make sure to let you know." Manny nodded in response and left to go do his work.

The two girls walked into Sunset's apartment after the red and yellow girl unlocked the door. Turning on the lights and setting their bags down, the two of them immediately turned their focus on the strange package that Manny had given them, carrying it to the dining room table. Spike, perking his head up from the couch, walked over to the table where the box was sitting. "What's this thing?" he asked, curious.

"Not sure to be honest." Sunset answered the dragon-turned-puppy. "But whatever it is, it's pretty light."

Twilight looked at the tag where Sunset's name was written and saw something familiar about it. "This tag here..." she began to say, "the hoofwri- er, I mean the HANDwriting, looks like something I've seen before..."

"Really? Let me see..." The red and yellow girl then took the name tag and looked closely at it. She gasped a little after realizing something about it. "No way...! The writing on this tag looks exactly like the writing on those notes I've getting all week!"

"Then... you mean that this might have been sent from that secret admirer, too?" asked Twilight, figuring it all out herself.

"Most likely." the red and yellow girl replied. She then looked at the box and added, "Well, at least now we know whatever's in this box can't be anything hazardous, so that's something I suppose." Deciding that it was safe, Sunset began to open the box, tearing away at the wrapping paper and lifting the box flaps. When she pulled out its contents, the two girls were staring at a yellow teddy bear with red paws and underbelly, wearing a black jacket and a purple shirt underneath it.

"Is... that a stuffed animal?" asked Spike.

"Looks like one of those teddy bears that you can get custom-made at the mall..." Sunset replied.

"And it looks kinda like you, Sunset..." Twilight chimed in. Giggling a little, the young Princess then added, "Whoever this admirer is, it's obvious he's head-over-hooves for you."

"Yeah, seems like it..." the red and yellow girl responded, still not really sure what to make of all of this. Still she couldn't deny the fact that she was a bit flattered by the gift she received. But without any knowledge as to who it was that sent it to her, there wasn't much else she could do but wait for the next note or present.

The sun was just barely rising on Friday, as it was still very early in the morning. There weren't many people outside this early, but among those few was Rainbow Dash, yawning and rubbing her eyes as she walked down the sidewalk. Letting out a particularly long and loud yawn, she then asked herself, "Maaaaan... just my luck... Why did I get selected to do the Tennis Club's morning supply inventory TODAY?? You hafta get up soooo early, and besides, taking inventory is stuff for eggheady nerds anyway..." Letting out a long, loud groan, she then asked herself, "You just HAD t' pick the short one when the club drew straws for the job, huh?"

As the cyan-skinned girl did her best to stay awake, she suddenly noticed something that took her mind off of being tired: She saw someone walking around the school grounds. Normally, this wouldn't be unusual, except for the fact that this other person was the only one on the campus. "Huh? Who's that...?" she asked herself. "Is that the Tennis Club President waiting for me?" After taking another look at the mysterious figure, she then noticed something that made her rethink that. "Nah, that can't be Ace Point... that guy over there's too short to be him." Rainbow Dash continued to watched from a distance as the figure glanced around the area around him. After making sure that no one else was nearby (at least as far as he knew), the figure opened the school's front doors and walked inside.

Rainbow Dash was now more than a little curious as to what was going on. "I don't get it... Who is this guy, and why is he going into the school THIS early??" Smirking a little bit, she then said to herself, "Looks like this is a job for Detective Rainbow Dash...!" She then carefully and quietly made her over to the front doors and made her way inside.

After getting into the school, the athletic teen stayed out of sight as she continued to watch what the figure was doing. Although she wasn't sure what he was up to, she was now close enough to see who it was. As it turned out, it was that same silvery white-skinned boy, only this time someone was watching him in secret instead of the other way around.

"Wait a sec... I know that guy...!" Rainbow Dash said quietly to herself. "That's Wilson...! He's in the Tennis Club, too...! Was he called to do work for the club, just like I was...?" The rainbow-haired girl recalled everything she had heard yesterday, but didn't remember hearing anything about this boy having to do any work for the Tennis Club. After ruling out that possibility in her head, Rainbow Dash then asked herself, "Okay... so if he isn't here to do any work, why IS he snooping around the school?"

Not long after she asked that question, she then saw the boy - named Wilson - running into one of the locker-filled hallways. (Hey, wait a sec... NOW where is he going??) she pondered. (That's not the hallway that leads to his locker...) The cyan teen then followed him, moving quickly, but silently. She had a feeling that she would discover what Wilson was up to very soon.

Sure enough, after following him for a little while, Rainbow Dash finally found Wilson standing still and facing one of the lockers in the hallway. The athletic girl was more stumped than ever when she realized an important fact about which locker he was looking at. (What's that kid doin' in front of Sunset's locker?) she asked herself.

It wasn't long before she would get that answer. Wilson then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He then held it out in front of him and stared at it for a while. He then blushed and giggled a little as he reached into his other pocket and pulled out a scotch tape dispenser.

"A paper...? A piece of tape...?" Rainbow Dash asked herself. For some reason, she got that funny feeling that she had heard something like this before. And it didn't take her long to realize what was going on. Smiling and chuckling a little to herself, she then said, "Ohhhhh... NOW I get it... This oughtta be interesting..." She then quietly snuck towards the boy while he was distracted with what he doing.

Wilson didn't even notice the cyan girl as he took the paper that he was holding and taped it onto the front of Sunset's locker. He then stared at the paper again for a few seconds after doing so, seemingly thinking about something. When he decided that it was time for him to leave, he began to turn around to his left, when all of a sudden...

"Hey, Wilson! What'cha up to?!" asked Rainbow Dash in a loud voice. This startled the boy, causing him to shriek and lose his balance. He tumbled onto the linoleum tile floor, landing on his rear end.

"R-R-R-Rainbow Dash??" Wilson asked, shaking a bit. "Wh-what are y-you doing here...?"

"That's what I should be asking YOU, kid." the cyan teen rebutted. "What were ya doin' on my friend Sunset's locker just now?" she then asked him rhetorically.

Fearing that Dash might have discovered what he was doing, he then nervously asked her, "Um... how... how long were you standing there??"

"Oh, I've been followin' ya since you got into the school." the rainbow-haired girl replied. "Right up to the point where you seemed to have posted a little note on my friend's locker. Aaaaaaaand if I'm not mistaken... that's no ordinary note is it? It's a LOVE note, right?"

Wilson was startled a little, knowing that Rainbow Dash had found him out. Deciding that it was pointless to lie about it, the boy sighed and told her, "...Yeah... it is..."

Chuckling a little, Rainbow then exclaimed, "I knew it! I just knew it!!" Smirking a little, she then added, "So Wilson, my buddy from Tennis Club, is Sunset's secret admirer? I never would've believed it if I didn't see it for myself!"

Clasping his hands in a praying gesture, Wilson panicked and begged the athletic teen, "Please! Don't tell Sunset what I've been doing!! I didn't mean any harm, honest!! I'm sorry!!"

"Woah, woah woah... slow down, Wilson..." she asked of him. "Who ever said that I was gonna tell anybody? I ain't here to rat you out."

"Y-you're not?"

"Of course not." Dash answered him. Helping the boy up onto his feet, she put her arm around his shoulder and told him, "After all, it pretty obvious that you're crazy about Sunset. And besides, I think she's stayed off of the dating scene for long enough now... I mean, she hasn't been seein' anyone since she and Flash broke up."

"Yeah I know..." Wilson replied, trembling a little. "I really like Sunset a lot, Rainbow... Even though she went crazy last year and turned into that big monster." He then paused for a moment before putting on a nervous smile. "To tell you the truth... she kinda looked pretty cool when she did that..." he then added, sweating and chuckling from the embarrassment of saying how he felt just now.

That comment caught Rainbow off-guard for a moment: She never would have thought that ANYONE would have thought that her friend's she-demon form was attractive until now. "Ooooookaaaaaay... not really sure how to respond to that..." she stated.

The young boy then sighed a little and said in solemn tone, "But let's face it: Why should I even bother anymore...? I mean after all, if she stopped dating Flash after a while, what chance do I have...?"

"Woah, woah, woah... don't even START thinkin' that way, Will!" Rainbow Dash told him. "You'll never get what you want with THAT kinda attitude! You gotta go right up to Sunset, look her straight in the eye, and tell her how you really feel about her!"

"But... I don't know if I can..." Wilson replied, still scared of the very thought. "I couldn't do that by myself..."

"In that case," the cyan teen responded, "I'll tell ya what: I'll help you do it!"

"You... you'll help me?" asked the boy with a renewed sense of hope. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll be your official wingman, Will!" she answered him. "Which kinda feels appropriate for me for some reason."

"Wow... thanks, Rainbow! That's so nice of you!!" he told her happily. He then asked her, "But... how are we gonna do it? How can I impress her enough? I'm no Flash Sentry, after all..."

"Don't try and compare yourself to Flash or anybody else." Rainbow Dash told him. "If you wanna impress someone like Sunset Shimmer, it's gotta come from inside. You gotta show her just how great YOU are, and you gotta do it in a way that'll show her that she'd be a fool NOT to hook up with ya!"

"But how?"

The athletic girl thought about it for a little while, wondering just what Wilson could do that could help him win over Sunset. She then smiled after coming up with a good idea. "I've got it!" she exclaimed. "Without thinking, what's the one thing Sunset loves doing more than anything else?"

"Uh, well... I know she likes to play music with you guys..." he answered. "But playing music isn't something I'm really good at, so I'm afraid that's out of the question."

"That's okay. That wasn't the answer I was thinkin' of anyway." Rainbow replied. "What I was thinking of was that she loves Duel Monsters!"

"Duel Monsters?" asked the boy, wondering where she was going with this.

"Exactly." the rainbow-haired girl confirmed. "The way I see it, the only way you'll be able to impress a girl like Sunset is to challenge her to a Duel and beat her."

"Me? Beat Sunset??" asked the boy, startled by what his friend had told him. "But she's the best Duelist in the whole school!!"

"Exactly." Rainbow explained. "All that means is that if you beat her and become the school's best Duelist, then she'd HAVE to see that you're the right one for her! Get it?"

"I... guess so..." Wilson replied, understanding the plan. He then said to her, still feeling a bit nervous about it all, "But Sunset's really good at this game! I'd have to bring up my level a whole LOT just to keep up with her!"

"Exactly, so we'd better not waste any more time." Rainbow Dash then took the love note that Wilson was going to post on Sunset's locker and crumbled it up before tossing it out. She then took out some of her sticky notes, handed them over to the boy and told him, "I want you to write this down exactly as I tell you..." She then whispered something into Wilson's ear, stating exactly what she wanted him to write. Wilson nodded and jotted everything down, word for word. Once he was done, he then placed the note on Sunset's locker.

"Alright," Rainbow said, "all that's left now is to train you up for your Duel with Sunset." Taking another of her sticky notes, she then wrote down her home address and handed it over to him. "Meet me at my house after Tennis Club, and I'll help you as much as I can."

"Gee, thanks Rainbow Dash! This means a whole lot to me." Wilson told her gratefully. "I wish there was a way I could repay you for all of this..."

"Hmmmmm... well... there is ONE thing you could do for me..." the cyan girl responded, thinking a bit.

"Anything you want! Just tell me!"

Looking over at him, Rainbow Dash then asked him, "Well, since you're here early like I am... You think you could help me go over the Tennis Club's supplies? It's not a job I really like doing, especially by myself..."

"Sure! I'd love to!" Wilson replied, happy to return the favor. The two of them headed off for the school's tennis courts to do their jobs.

Hours later, after the school day had ended, Sunset and most of her friends were talking to each other as they left the building. Only Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were currently absent from the group. "So anyway," the red and yellow girl began, "you girls are NOT gonna believe what I found this morn-"

But her thought was interrupted when the loud, cheery voice of Pinkie Pie could be heard from a fair distance away. "Girls! GIRLS!!!" she shouted, running up to them. After reaching the rest of her friends, the pink girl then said to them, "Whew! Am I super-glad to find you all here!"

"Why's that?" asked Fluttershy.

Pinkie giggled a little and reached into her poofy pink hair, pulling out six envelopes, each one a light pink color and held down with a cute, colorful cupcake sticker. "I wanted to give you all these!" she told them all. "They're invitations to the party I'm throwing tomorrow night at my house!"

"A party, you say?" asked Rarity, taking one of the invitations, as did everyone else. "What is the occasion?"

"Well, tomorrow will be my little sister Marble's birthday, and I insisted on throwing her a party to celebrate it!" Pinkie answered her. "Thing is, she's kinda shy around other people, so it took a while to convince her that it was a good idea."

"Yeah, I didn't think that the birthday party would have been HER idea." Applejack noted. "She tends t' avoid most everybody in school, even when they're tryin' t' be nice to her..."

"I know how she must feel..." Fluttershy noted. "I used to avoid people all the time until Rainbow Dash and all of you helped me to open up a bit more..." Looking at the invitation, she then added, "Maybe I could try to talk to her and see if I can help her out... If that's okay with you, Pinkie."

"Of course it is!" the pink teenager replied with a smile. "That's kinda the reason that I'm doing this for her. I want to help her try and make friends, like we all have." Sighing a bit, she added, "She's been shy around others ever since we were little, and it always makes me feel so sad to see her all alone and stuff... But as a big sister, I'll do whatever it takes to help her! And that's a Pinkie Promise that you can take to the bank!"

"Well, it's nice to see that you're willing to go the extra mile for your little sister like that." Sunset told her. "I hope things go well for her tomorrow when we go see her."

Changing the subject, Twilight then asked her red and yellow friend, "So, back on topic: What was it you were going to tell us before Pinkie came over just now?"

At first, Sunset wasn't sure what she was talking about, but then let out a slight gasp once she remembered the previous topic. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot...!" She then reached into her purse and pulled out a small note, telling her friends, "So, this morning, I found this on my locker."

"Is it from that secret admirer again?" asked Rarity, who had been curious about the identity of the person who had been leaving the love notes for Sunset.

"I'm pretty sure it is; it's in the same handwriting." the jacket-clad teen confirmed. "But it's what he wrote that's really got my attention."

"What does it say...?" asked Fluttershy. "If... you don't mind me asking..."

Sunset unfolded the note and read it out-loud: "Dear Sunset Shimmer... I have admired you from afar this entire week, in awe of your incredible beauty and caring personality. And now... I feel as though I have kept my distance for far too long. Noon tomorrow, in the city park, I want us to meet at long last, so that I can tell you how I really feel about you, face-to-face... Please come, for I cannot hold these feelings inside me any longer... From your secret admirer..."

"Oh my...! How romantic!" Rarity said. "He finally wants to meet up with you!"

"Now we'll finally find out who this person is." noted Applejack. "I have t' be honest; it's been bugging the heck outta me, tryin' to figure out who this guy is..."

"So, are you going to meet up with this person?" asked Twilight. "Not to suggest that you do anything beyond that; that's up to you..."

"Hmmmm... I guess I should at least see this guy, whoever they are..." the red and yellow girl replied, still unsure about the whole thing. "But after that... I don't really know what to do."

"What do you mean?" asked Pinkie.

"Well, to be honest," Sunset began, "I'm really not that interested in dating or finding a new boyfriend right now... But with the way this guy has been crushing on me, it'll be really hard to tell him no. I don't know if he'll be able to handle that kind of rejection... Not only that, but he might turn out to be a good guy after all, and I might even consider it..." Sighing a little to herself, she then told her friends, "I'm just not sure what to do..."

Seeing that her friend was struggling to figure out what the right thing to do was, Twilight put her hand on Sunset's shoulder and told her, "Decisions like these aren't always easy... But when the time comes, you'll know what to do. Just be honest with yourself, and you won't need to worry about the choices you make." The red and yellow girl nodded to say that she understood.

"So it's agreed:" Applejack began. "Tomorrow, we'll all meet up at the city park by 12 noon." Turning over to Pinkie Pie, she then asked her, "That won't conflict with the party you're throwin', will it?"

"Nope! Not at all!" the pink girl assured her. "Marble's party doesn't begin until 6 p.m.; I decided to make it one of those nighttime backyard parties! Y'know, with a barbecue, those tall bamboo torch thingies, that sorta thing!"

"Alright good..." the farm girl said to herself, confident that this meeting wouldn't go for that long. Glancing around a bit, Applejack then noticed something peculiar. "Hey... where in the heck is Rainbow Dash?" she asked everyone else. "She's usually done with Tennis Club by now..."

"I haven't seen her all day, other than in class..." Rarity noted. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Sunset all shook their heads to say that they didn't know where their athletic friend was.

"Wait, isn't that her over there?" asked Twilight, pointing her finger towards the school's front doors. Everyone turned to look, seeing that it was indeed Rainbow Dash, who had just walked out of the building.

"Oh goody! That means I can give her an invitation to Marble's birthday party too!!" cheered Pinkie Pie.

The silly pink girl then zipped over towards her rainbow-haired friend in what seemed like a split-second. Dash was a bit startled; both from not expecting to Pinkie right now, as well as the fact that she seemed to have her mind on other things right now. "Pinkie?? What is it?" she asked. "I'm afraid I ain't got a lotta time to talk right now..."

"Oh, don't worry: it's REALLY short!" the party-loving teen told her. Presenting her with an envelope, she then told Dash, "Just wanted to invite you to my sister Marble's birthday party tomorrow!"

"Uh, okay." Rainbow Dash replied, taking the envelope. "Thanks. Now if you'll just excuse me-"

"Hold on!" Pinkie told her. "At least let me tell ya about what Sunset found on her locker today! You're NOT gonna believe it!!"

"Uh, I'd love t' hear about it," the cyan girl informed Pinkie, "but I've gotta meet someo- I mean, there's somewhere I gotta be right now, so... uh, you can tell me later! Okay, bye!" Rainbow then sped off without any further words.

The other six girls just stood there, not sure what to make of what had just happened. "Ooooookaaaaaay... that was... unusual, to say the least." Rarity said. "Usually, Rainbow loves to hear about gossip almost as much as I do..."

"I'll admit," Applejack chimed in, "she sure seemed t' act pretty weird just now..."

"I'm just wondering where she was going that she didn't have time to talk to any of us..." Fluttershy told them. "That's not like her to just pass us by without saying anything... I hope she's okay..."

"I'm sure it's nothing we need to worry about, at least for now." Twilight assured them. "We can ask her about it tomorrow."

"I was thinking the same thing." agreed Sunset. "When she's in the mood to talk about it, we'll ask her." The red and yellow girl then asked Pinkie Pie, "So, what's the theme of the party that you're putting together?"

"Well, I decided to go with a Hawaiian luau theme!" the pink girl told them. "That's the theme Marble and I finally agreed on."

"A luau?" asked Rarity. "Wasn't that one of the ideas that you had when we put on that performance at the gym last year?" Folding her arms, she then muttered to herself, "I still think we should have gone with the masquerade ball..."

"Well, I didn't want all that stuff to go to waste..." Pinkie replied, twiddling her thumbs. "Besides, do you have ANY idea how much I spent on those private hula dancing classes?" The others just gave her a befuddled look in response, not sure what to say about that.

The very next day was bright and sunny, and luckily enough, the weather report said that the temperature would be warmer compared to the rest of the week. This was good because no one would have to worry about getting too cold while attending the birthday party that Pinkie Pie was throwing for her sister Marble. Right now, though, the party wasn't what was on the minds of Sunset, Twilight, and all of their friends as they sat on or near a bench in Canterlot City's park.

Turning over to Pinkie Pie, Applejack asked her, "Say, Pinkie... what time is it right now?"

"Uh, hold on a sec..." the pink girl responded, pulling up a sleeve on the lightweight coat that she was wearing. Underneath it were several watches, each one displaying a different time "Let's see..." she said to herself, looking at each of her watches one by one. "That one's for Atlantic time... that's Eastern... Central... Hmmm, where is it...?" Just then, she then let out a happy gasp and shouted, "Oh yeah! I remember!!" She then pulled the coat sleeve back down, took out her cell phone from her purse and clicked it out of Sleep Mode to see the time on it. "It's 11:58, AJ." the pink girl finally answered.

"Hmmm... that's two minutes until noon..." Twilight pointed out, "That's when this person is supposed to show up, according to the note he left yesterday..."

"Oooooo... I can hardly wait any longer!" Rarity said, getting excited over the whole thing. "I MUST know who it is that has fallen in love with my friend Sunset! I'm on pins and needles just THINKING about it!"

"Well just imagine how Sunset feels about it..." Fluttershy noted. "I can only imagine what she must be feeling right now, knowing that she'll finally know who this person is, but not know what to expect when he gets here... If I were in her shoes, I don't know if could work up courage to see them for myself..."

Sunset had not said a word since they all met up at the park, as she was still wondering what she should do once this secret admirer showed up. (I don't know what I should do...) she thought, (I'm not sure I want to have another relationship this soon... but I don't want to hurt their feelings either...) The jacket-clad teen had no idea what was going to say or do, and that was bugging her more than figuring out the identity of the guy who had fallen for her... That and the fact that Rainbow Dash was a no-show as well. In fact, she hadn't talked to anyone else since yesterday, and any attempts to reach her on her cell phone only resulted in the call going straight to her voicemail.

The six of them sat there, waiting for something to happen. Then, all of a sudden, they heard a voice call over to them. "S-Sunset Shimmer...!"

The girls perked up when they heard the loud, kind of awkward-sounding voice. Looking behind them, they could see a young boy standing next to a large bush by a tree. It was none other than Wilson.

"Who's that?" asked Sunset, not familiar with the boy at all.

"Ah think that's Wilson..." Applejack answered. "He's in the Tennis Club with Dash. But what's he doing here?"

Of course, it didn't take long for Twilight to figure it all out. "Call it a hunch," she began, "but based on the fact that's it's close to noon, and that he asked for Sunset specifically... I'd guess that HE'S her secret admirer."

"Wait, are you absolutely sure?!" asked Rarity. "He's the one that has been leaving those notes behind?"

"Well, it DOES make sense..." Fluttershy stated. "Wilson is very shy, especially around girls... Rainbow Dash said that it even took him a long time to say anything around her when they met up in the Tennis Club..."

"On that note," Applejack chimed in, "where'd Rainbow Dash disappear to THIS time?"

"Oh, she's a LOT closer than ya think..." said a very familiar voice.

"Wait, that voice...!" Twilight began to say. "It sounds like-"

"Rainbow Dash, in the flesh!" said the cyan teenager, coming out of her hiding spot behind the bush that Wilson was standing next to.

"Dash, what's going on here??" asked Sunset, wanting some sort of explanation.

"Oh, it's all really simple:" Rainbow answered her. "As you all probably guessed, Wilson is, in fact, the guy that's been leavin' those love notes for ya. He was too nervous to talk to ya directly, so he wrote the notes so that he could tell ya how he really felt and stuff."

"So you knew that he was her secret admirer all along?" asked Rarity. "And you didn't think about telling us about it??"

"Hey, don't get mad at me, Rarity!" the athletic teen responded, a bit miffed. "I didn't find all this out until yesterday. That morning, I saw Wilson pasting another note on Sunset's locker and confronted him. But since all he wants to show her how much he really likes her, I decided t' help him out. And once he n' I are done here, you two'll be an item before the end of the day! No thanks are necessary..."

The other girls were shocked by this turn of events. "A-a-a-an item...??" asked Sunset, blushing out of embarrassment.

"What ya heck are ya sayin', Rainbow?!" shouted Applejack. "Just whose side are ya on anyway?!"

"Well, to be fair, Dashie's not REALLY doing anything wrong." Pinkie pointed out.

"What d'ya mean?" asked the farm girl.

"All she's doing is helping Wilson with his problem." the pink teen answered her. "She saw that he liked Sunset, and that he was too afraid to ask her. So she decided to help him get over his shyness and meet up with her today! I'd totally do the same thing!"

"Well, when ya put it that way, I guess you do have a point." Applejack stated, rubbing the back of her head.

"I think that's very nice of her to do that for him..." Fluttershy noted. "Rainbow Dash does have a way of helping someone get over their cold feet... I should know."

Sunset didn't say anything out-loud, but did think that it was very nice of Rainbow to lend Wilson a hand. Turning to face them both, she then asked, "So Wilson... is what Rainbow Dash said true? Are you really the one that's been leaving all these notes and presents?"

"Mhmm... it's true." the young boy confirmed. "I-I-I've really liked you for a long time, but... but I never had the guts to come here and tell you. But Rainbow convinced me that... that I should try and m-meet you face-to-face..." Trying his best to look confident, he then told her, "And now that I'm here, I-I'm going to show you just how much I like you... So I'm ch-challenging you to a Duel!!"

"HUH?!?" exclaimed the others.

"What did you say??" asked Sunset.

"You heard him." Rainbow Dash told her friend. "He wants to duel you. I told him that since you were such a good Duelist, the only way that he could show just how strong his feelings for you are was to beat you in a Duel!"

"You can't be serious..." Sunset replied, trying her best not to believe what she was just hearing.

"I-I-I've never been more serious about anything else...!" Wilson told her. "I want to show you just how much I care about you! And if it means that I have to beat you in a Duel, then I'll do it...!"

The others weren't sure what was going to happen next. In fact, they were still trying to figure out what was going on in the first place. Twilight then broke the awkward silence and asked her friend, "Sunset? What are you going to do now?"

The red and yellow girl thought about it for a moment... and made her decision. Facing Wilson, she told him, "Very well, then... I accept your challenge!"

"Oh dear...! You're really going through with this, Sunset darling?" asked Rarity, a bit surprised.

"I am." the jacket-clad teen replied. "As a Duelist, I can't back down from a challenge." Pulling out her Duel Pad and Deck, she continued, saying, "Besides... I'm still not sure what to do concerning whether or not I should take up Wilson's offer and hook up with him... It sounds a bit crazy, but I think I can use this Duel to help figure just what I should do, as well as see just what kind of person he is deep inside. After all, we Duelists tend to say more with our cards than with our words..."

"I think I kinda get it..." Twilight replied. "I'm still relatively new to this whole dueling thing, but I think I understand the gist of what you're saying." Putting on a smile, she then told her inter-dimensional friend, "If this is what you want to do, then give it your best out there!"

Sunset smiled back, telling the young Princess, "I'll be sure to." Turning back to face Wilson, she then told him, "Okay, so just so that I'm clear on everything... If you manage to beat me, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

Wilson shook his head no and told her, "No... i-it'd be wrong of me to force you to do that, even if we both agreed to it... If... if I do win this... all I ask is that we got out on a date just once... and after that, it's up to you if you want to continue seeing me..."

"Oh... I see." the red and yellow girl responded, not expecting that kind of answer. But she was pleased to know that he wasn't trying to force her to do anything that could possibly make her uncomfortable. "I... I guess I can agree to that, then." Strapping on her Duel Pad, she then told him, "In that case, let's get started!" The two of them then activated their Duel Pads and Gazers. All of the spectators put on their Gazers so that they could watch.

"LET'S DUEL!!" shouted both Sunset and Wilson (Wilson: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000).

As Sunset and Wilson drew their opening hands, Twilight felt something rustling in her backpack, which had its zipper opened slightly. Just then, a purple paw then unzipped it the rest of the way. The paw belonged to Spike, the dragon-turned-puppy, who yawned as he poked his head out. "Yaaaaaaaawwwwwnnn... Good morning..." he said groggily.

"Spike, it's the afternoon." the Princess of Friendship informed him. "You overslept again."

Letting out another yawn, he then asked, "It is...? Must've lost track of time last night..."

"Well, that's what happens when you watch TV with Sunset all night..." Twilight told him sternly.

"I can't help it..." Spike replied, rubbing his eyes. "It's not my fault that the funny show with the gong comes on so late at night..." Looking ahead, he then asked, "Anyway, what's going on here?"

"Well, Sunset's dueling that guy who's been leavin' notes for her this past week." Applejack answered.

"So HE'S the guy you've been talking about?" asked Spike, pointing at Wilson. "But why are they dueling? I don't get it."

"It's... sort of complicated, Spike..." Rarity told him. "In fact, I'm having a hard time trying to sort through it myself." Turning back to watch the Duel, she added, "All we can do for now is watch and see how it plays out..." The others nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Wilson," Sunset told her opponent, "you can go ahead and move first."

"O-okay then..." the boy replied, still a bit nervous.

"Don't worry about it, Will." Rainbow Dash told him, trying to help him feel better. "You're already halfway through this. Now all ya gotta do is win this, and you're good to go!"

"R-really...?" he asked. When Dash nodded yes, he nodded back and told her, "In that case, I'll... I'll do my best!" Looking over his cards, he then said, "For my first move, I activate the Spell Card Polymerization...!"

The others gasped. "Oh my...!" said Fluttershy. "He's going to Fusion Summon already...?!"

Taking out two cards in his hand, he presented them and told Sunset, "From my hand, I use Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater as Fusion Materials!" The two monsters then appeared on the field: One was a female human in a lilac-and-purple bodysuit, equipped with a pair of armblades and ice skates. The other was another female human with red hair, wearing a red-and-light blue bodysuit, and having long, white ribbons twirled around her arms. But they didn't stick around for long as they were drawn into a swirling portal made up of red and blue clouds.

"Gorgeous dancer with ribbons! Graceful dancer on the ice! Combine yourselves and create the true personification of power and beauty!" Wilson chanted. "Fusion Summon!! A lovely sight, Cyber Blader!!" He then played his Fusion Monster onto his Duel Pad. In an instant, a ball of bright light - colored in a light violet hue - appeared on his side of the field. The light then took on a humanoid form, transforming into a female human with long, navy-blue hair. She wore a red-and-lilac bodysuit, purple gloves and ice skates, as well as a red-tinted visor over her face (Cyber Blader: Level 7 / ATK 2100 / DEF 800).

"Oh my goodness...!" Rarity said with a gasp. "She's absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!"

"Cyber Blader...?" asked Applejack. "Ah gotta say, Ah've never seen anybody that owns that card, let alone use it in a Duel."

"I know what'cha mean!" Pinkie chimed in. "That card's been out for a really long time, but it's never been reprinted. It's a pretty rare card... not to mention just simply pretty!"

Taking one more card out of his hand, Wilson placed into the Spell & Trap Zone slot of his Duel Pad and told Sunset, "I'll set one card face-down and put Cyber Blader in Defense Mode." Facing his opponent as best as he could, he then said, "I-i-i't's your move..."

Before Sunset began her turn, she took a moment to survey the field. Looking at Wilson's Fusion Monster, she thought to herself, (I've heard of Cyber Blader before, but this is the first time I've ever seen anyone use it. I didn't think anyone had a copy of it, so I didn't have much motivation to look up what it could do... And wouldn't you know it? Someone finally shows up with one...)

"It's my turn! I draw!" The red and yellow girl drew her first card of the Duel and looked at it. (Not a bad start, if I do say so myself.) Placing the card in her hand for the moment, Sunset took out a different card and said, "First, since you're the only one that has any cards out, I get to Special Summon my Chronomaly Moai Carrier in Defense Mode!" After playing her card, her large, blue head statue monster rose up from the ground in front of her (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800).

"Next, I activate the Spell Card known as Palenque Sarcophagus!" Sunset then declared. "Since I control a Chronomaly monster, I get to draw two additional cards!" She then did so, and saw that one of them was her Fire Ant Ascator. After deciding what to do first, she then played next card, shouting, "Now I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Supay!!" Her next monster then appeared, appearing as a creepy-looking Mayan-like mask (Supay: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 100).

"A Tuner?" asked Twilight. "Does that mean she's going to do that Synchro-thing?"

"You bet she is!" Applejack confirmed. "Go for it, Sunset!"

Thrusting her hand forward, the black jacket-clad teen shouted, "I tune Supay, Level 1, to Moai Carrier, Level 5!" The mask monster then transformed into a tiny light that shot up into the air, returning as a single, green ring that surrounded Sunset's other monster. Moai Carrier then transformed itself into five small lights within the ring (Level 1 + Level 5 = Level 6) "Dragon deity of the Moon, calm the chaos! Give rest to the weary with your soothing night breeze!" Sunset chanted. "Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 6! Moon Dragon Quilla!"

With the chant complete, the ring and lights were engulfed by a column of pure, white light. Once the light faded away, it was replaced with a blue-faced stone with four blue dragon heads coming out of it (Moon Dragon Quilla: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"Woah! Look at that dragon!!" said an impressed Spike. "That thing'll put Sunset in the lead for sure!"

"I'm not really so sure, to be honest..." Fluttershy stated.

"Whatever do you mean, darling?" asked Rarity.

"Well... think about it: Cyber Blader's attack power is much, MUCH higher than its defense..." the shy yellow girl noted. "But Wilson still put her in Defense Mode anyway..."

"You're right...!" Pinkie responded, understanding where Fluttershy was coming from. "That must mean Wilson has something planned, or he never would have done that!"

"Maybe so," Twilight chimed in. "But Sunset should still try to attack her at least... At worst, she may force Wilson to reveal his strategy with Cyber Blader."

The red and yellow girl felt the same way. "Moon Dragon Quilla! Attack Cyber Blader with your Shadow Streams!!" she ordered, pointing straight at the Fusion Monster. The mighty beast then roared loudly and fired beams of dark-purple energy towards Wilson's monster, striking it hard.

"Did it... work...?" asked Applejack, trying to see through the haze of clouds that appeared after the dragon's attack struck. But when they finally cleared away, it was revealed... that absolutely nothing had happened: Cyber Blader was still on the field, and no damage had been done to Wilson at all.

"She's... still there!" Twilight softly exclaimed.

"But how?!?" asked Spike, not believing what he was seeing. "That attack should've fried her!!"

"How did your monster survive?" Sunset asked her opponent.

"Because true love and beauty - like yours - can never, EVER die!" Wilson responded.

(Wh-wha...?) thought the red and yellow girl, blushing and stepping back a bit.

"You see, my Cyber Blader has a very powerful special ability:" the boy began to explain. "An ability that changes depending on how many monsters you control on your field. Since you have just your Synchro Monster, her ability protects her from being destroyed in battle!"

"ReMARKable!!" Rarity said with a gasp. "I never would have thought that she would have such a powerful effect!"

Humming a bit, Sunset then said to herself, (I get it... that's why he put her in Defense Mode. He figured I wouldn't have more than one monster out on my first turn, so he felt safe putting her in Defense, even though her points are so low... He also did it in order to lull me into a false sense of security and make me believe that I could defeat it easily...Not bad, Wilson, not bad at all...) Taking one more card out of her hand, she then told him, "In that case, I'll set a card and end my turn."

Wilson then asked Rainbow Dash, "So... am I doing good so far?"

"You're doing great, kid!" the cyan teenager assured him. "You keep this up, and you'll have a girlfriend in no time!"

Applejack huffed a bit and told her friends, "While Ah am happy that Rainbow's doin' such a nice thing for Wilson over there, I still think it was a bit underhanded of her to go behind our backs like this and not tell us what she was up to..."

"Perhaps, Applejack." Twilight responded. "But at least she's not actually doing anything bad by helping him."

"It's... it's my turn now! I draw!!" Wilson shouted, drawing his next card. Once he looked at it, he smiled and said, "Alright! I got a great draw!!"

"Ya sure did, Will!" praised Rainbow Dash. "Now put it on the field!"

Wilson nodded and activated his newly-drawn card. "I play the Quick-Play Spell, Graceful Retrieval!"

"Graceful Retrieval?" asked Sunset. "What does that do?"

"Well, um... here's how it goes:" the boy began to say. "I can only activate this card if you drew cards outside of your Draw Phase. And it had to have happened either during the turn I play this card, or the turn after that. In other words, since you used your Palenque Sarcophagus card to draw two cards LAST turn, my Spell Card lets me draw the same number of cards, plus one more!"

"That means he gets three cards from his Deck...!" said Fluttershy

After drawing his cards, Wilson then declared, "Next, I play my Trap Card, Foolish Revival!" His face-down card then flipped face-up.

"That's peculiar..." Rarity stated. "All that card does is allow Sunset to Special Summon a monster from her Graveyard back to HER field. Sure, he is allowed to choose which monster she gets, but other than that, he doesn't get anything out of it..."

"Actually, I think he WILL." Twilight rebutted. "Remember when he explained his Cyber Blader's effect? He told us that her power changes depending on how many monsters Sunset has out on the field..."

Gasping, Applejack then exclaimed, "Of course! Now it makes sense! He's tryin' to change her effect to somethin' else!" She then asked, "But is it worth it?"

"It must be if he's letting Sunnie get back one of her monsters..." Pinkie replied, getting a bit worried.

Thinking about it for a while, Wilson then made his decision. "Alright, I think I'll let you bring back Chronomaly Moai Carrier!" And after he said that, Sunset watched as a dark-purple portal opened up on her side of the field. Out of it came her head statue monster, which she had sent to the Graveyard to Summon her Synchro Monster.

"Not bad, I suppose..." Sunset told him, having also figured out what his plan was. "Still though," she then said to him, "you just let me get back one of my monsters to use on you later."

"Maybe... but it's like Rainbow Dash told me:" Wilson explained. "Love is... all about taking a risk or two... Besides, you can, um... think of it as another gift from me to you..." Blushing a bit, he then continued his turn and said, "Now I switch my Cyber Blader to Attack Mode!" Once he did, he then told his opponent/crush, "And now that you have two monsters on the field, her special ability doubles her attack power!"

"DOUBLES?!?" exclaimed the others, watching as the Fusion Monster became much more powerful (Cyber Blader: ATK 2100 x 2 = 4200).

"Oh my...! Sunset will take a lot of damage this turn if he attacks her dragon!" Fluttershy cried out.

"Uuugh! I can't look!!" whimpered Spike, covering his eyes with his paws.

"Now go, Cyber Blader!! Attack Moon Dragon with your Cyber Blade Kick!!" shouted Wilson, now brimming with power just like his monster. The Fusion Monster then skated her way towards Sunset's Synchro Monster. Once she got there, Cyber Blader slashed at the beast with her razor-sharp skate. "Alright!! I did it!!" cheered Wilson, feeling more confident. "I've just taken out almost half her Life Points!!"

But Sunset smirked and told him, "I'm afraid you won't get at my Life Points THAT easily, Wilson!"

"Huh?? What are you saying??" the boy then asked.

"Because my Moon Dragon has a special ability as well!" she answered him. "When she's attacked, she absorbs half the attack of the monster attacking her, and gives it to me in the form of Life Points!"

"Oh no!" shouted Wilson, surprised to hear that.

"Oh yes! And since you doubled Cyber Blader's attack power with her special ability," the black jacket-wearing teen told him, "it means that I'll recover 2,100 Life Points before your attack destroys my dragon!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 + 2,100 = 6,100)

Wilson was a little frustrated, but that didn't shake his spirit any. "Okay then... but my Cyber Blader will still take down your monster!" And upon saying that, Sunset's Synchro Monster was destroyed, and the red and yellow girl took some damage (Sunset Shimmer: LP 6,100 - 1,700 = 4,400).

"Whew... that was a close one." Applejack stated.

"Not only did Sunset avoid losing a lot of Life Points," Fluttershy stated, "but after the battle was over, she actually came out with MORE Life Points than when she started...!"

Rainbow Dash grumbled a bit. "Darn it..." she groaned. "I forgot her Moon Dragon could do that. Sorry, kid."

"Um, that's okay..." Wilson replied. "At least her dragon's gone. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. I think I might still be able to pull this off..." Sunset and Rainbow Dash couldn't help but notice a slight change in Wilson's speaking manner; he seemed a little less nervous about the Duel or just simply being in Sunset's presence than when they started. The boy then looked at Sunset and declared the end of his turn.

"My turn! I draw!" shouted the otherworldly girl. Already knowing what to do this turn, she quickly put the new card in her hand and took out a different one. "Since I now have a Chronomaly monster back on my field," she began, "I can discard my Chronomaly Crystal Skull in order to retrieve Chronomaly Gordian Knot from my Deck." After doing that, she then placed another card onto her Duel Pad's tray, shouting, "I now Summon another Tuner Monster!! Fire Ant Ascator!!" Her next monster, a giant reddish-brown ant, appeared on her side of the field (Fire Ant Ascator: Level 3 / ATK 700 / DEF 1300).

"A Tuner??" asked Wilson. "You mean-?!"

"You've got it!" Sunset Shimmer told him. "I'm just making sure that the gift you gave to me last turn will be put to good use." Thrusting her hand forward, she then shouted, "I'm tuning my Fire Ant Ascator, Level 3, to my Moai Carrier, Level 5, for ANOTHER Synchro Summon!!" The ant monster then engulfed itself in an intense flame, transforming into three fireballs which, in turn, transformed into balls of light energy. They flew up into the air and came back down as a trio of green rings that surrounded Moai Carrier and turned it into a set of five light spheres (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8).

"Dragon deity of the Sun, illuminate all the darkness!" Sunset chanted. "Brighten the day with your benevolent light! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Sun Dragon Inti!" Her monster then emerged from out of a pillar of light that had shot down from the sky above, emerging as a bright yellow sun-shaped rock with four red dragon heads protruding out of it (Sun Dragon Inti: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2800).

"Amazing!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Sunnie Summoned her OTHER Synchro Monster!! Yay!! Yay!! YAY!!!!"

"This... might not end pretty..." Rainbow Dash warned Wilson. The boy simply gulped a bit, knowing that Sunset was planning an attack.

"Now, go!!" the red and yellow girl shouted. "Sun Dragon Inti!! Attack Cyber Blader!! Solar Breath!!!" The four-headed dragon roared loudly and fired a barrage of fireballs from each of its mouths. Each one struck Cyber Blader, who did her best to weather the onslaught.

"Urrrrgh...!" grunted Wilson. "Don't forget...! Cyber Blader's effect protects her from being destroyed, since you just have one monster out!"

"Maybe so, but you'll still take the damage!" Sunset reminded him (Wilson: LP 4,000 - 900 = 3,100).

"You okay, Will?" asked Rainbow Dash, a little concerned.

Panting a little, the boy told her, "I'll... I'll be just fine. Don't worry about me." He then stared straight at Sunset, with a determined look on his face. High-school crush or not, he wasn't planning on losing this Duel to her.

Looking back at him, Sunset could tell that a sudden change had come over him as the Duel progressed. (This Wilson guy... he's not acting the way he was when we began this Duel...) she thought to herself. (Could this be his true self?)

"Did anyone notice something strange about that boy just now...?" asked Rarity.

"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.

"His voice... his mannerisms..." the fashionista explained. "Earlier on, he seemed to struggle with just standing within five feet of Sunset... But now he appears to be a lot more confident in himself."

"I noticed that too..." Twilight remarked. "It's almost like how I was when I was playing my very first Duel. At first, I wasn't too sure of myself, but as the game continued, I started to become more confident and forgot all about how nervous I was. And I think that Wilson is having that same experience."

"Y'know... maybe THAT's why Sunset is Duelin' him." Applejack figured. "She must want to help him get over his scared feelings, just like Rainbow Dash is doin'. Or at least... that's what Ah believe."

"Awwww, that's so super-nice of Sunnie to do that for him!" complimented Pinkie Pie.

Back at the Duel, Wilson was ready to make his next move when Rainbow Dash asked him, "So... what's the plan now? Sunset's got an even stronger monster on the field... And even if you destroy it in battle, you'll just lose your monster and take a ton of damage!"

"It's okay, Rainbow Dash." Wilson told her with a smile. "I already know what to do about that. So don't worry about it!"

(Wait, hold on a sec...) the athletic girl pondered, (I thought that I was trying to help HIM be more confident...)

"It's my turn! I draw!!" the boy shouted as he drew his next card, placing it into his hand. Taking out a different card, he then said, "I play a Field Spell!! Ritual Sanctuary!!" After playing the card, the entire field turned pure white for a moment. When the light faded, everyone was surprised to see that the area around them looked just like a church. And it seemed to have been decorated for a wedding.

*******************************

Ritual Sanctuary:
(Field Spell Card)

You can discard 1 Spell Card; add 1 LIGHT Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. You can shuffle any number of Spell Cards from your Graveyard into the Deck, then target 1 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster in your Graveyard whose Level equals the number of cards you shuffled into the Deck; Special Summon it. You can only use each effect of "Ritual Sanctuary" once per turn.

*******************************

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Sunset muttered to herself. "He's turned this Duel into a wedding?!"

Wilson giggled a bit with a smile on his face. "Since this Duel is all about me confessing my love to you, what better setting than in a church?"

"I have to admit: that's actually a nice touch." Pinkie said with a nod.

Taking a card out of his hand, Wilson then stated, "Now I activate the effect of my Ritual Sanctuary Field Spell! By discarding one Spell Card from my hand, I can add either a LIGHT Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell from my Deck to my hand!"

"A what monster?" asked Twilight.

"A Ritual Monster." Applejack told her. They're a type of monster y'all can have in your Main Deck. You Summon one by playin' its Ritual Spell Card, and then releasin' the right number of monsters from your hand or your field, equal to its Level."

"It sounds like a lot of trouble just for one monster..." Spike noted.

"Yes, that's why most Duelists don't use them..." Rarity told the puppy. "But as we've seen so far, Wilson doesn't seem to be like most Duelists..."

After paying the Field Spell's cost, Wilson then chose to take a Ritual Monster out of his Deck. Placing it in his hand for the moment, he then played his next monster to the field. "I Summon my Cyber Petit Angel in Attack Mode!" His next monster was a small robotic sprite with a pink, metal body, shiny silver wings, and a small halo over its head (Cyber Petit Angel: Level 2 / ATK 300 / DEF 200). "And when it's Summoned," the boy continued, "I can now take this Spell Card from my Deck!! And I'll play it right now!! Go, Machine Angel Ritual!!"

Everyone watched as a large, flaming cauldron, hooked up to several metal pipes, manifested itself before Wilson. "What's that thing gonna do?!" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Whatever it is..." Fluttershy began, "it means Sunset's in trouble...!"

Taking his Fusion Monster off of his Duel Pad, the young boy then said, "I release Cyber Blader, Level 7, using my Ritual Spell Card. And now I'll Summon the monster that I got using my Field Spell!! I Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Benten, Level 6!!"

In an instant, Cyber Blader transformed into pure energy and flew into the fiery cauldron. Afterward, it then shot out a blast of bright white energy into the sky, smashing through the roof of the church. Everyone stared as they saw a woman-shaped figure emerging from the light. She had long, black hair done up into an extremely long ponytail, wore an intricate gold helmet on her head, wore a black and blue-colored bodysuit that seemed to be very ninja-like in appearance, and carried a large, red fan, which she held up in front of her face (Cyber Angel Benten: Level 6 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"No way... he actually did it...!" Applejack exclaimed. "He Summoned a Ritual Monster!"

"And she's just as beautiful as that Cyber Blader...!" complimented Rarity. "It's so refreshing to see a Deck in which all the monsters aren't so large and grotesque!"

Sunset was pretty impressed, but then pointed out to her opponent, "You may have managed to get a Ritual Monster onto the field, but it's not strong enough to defeat my Sun Dragon."

Wilson chuckled a little and said to her, "But I'm not done just yet, Sunset. Summoning Benten was a good move, but not my best one! Now watch this!!" Playing a card from his hand, he then shouted, "I activate ANOTHER Machine Angel Ritual!!"

"ANOTHER ONE?!?" exclaimed everyone, including Rainbow Dash.

"I now release Benten, Level 6, and Summon a new Cyber Angel!" the boy declared as his monster vanished into another flaming cauldron. "And now I Ritual Summon... Cyber Angel Idaten, Level 6!!"

Wilson's new Ritual Monster was another partially-robotic human woman. This one was wearing an outfit that was mostly pink with bits of black here and there. She also wore a long cowl that looked almost like a dragon (Cyber Angel Idaten: Level 6 / ATK 1600 / DEF 2000).

"I don't get it..." Twilight spoke up. "He went through all of that to Summon one monster, and then he gets rid of it to Summon another... Why didn't he just Summon Idaten right at the start?"

"It's simple:" Wilson began. "I did that so that I could activate the effects of both Idaten AND Benten!"

"What kinds of effects?" asked Sunset.

"First, after Cyber Angel Idaten is Ritual Summoned, I can retrieve any Ritual Spell Card from my Graveyard and put it in my hand." After the boy took one of the Machine Angel Ritual cards in his Graveyard, he then added, "Next, since I released Benten to Summon Idaten, Benten's power allows me to take any LIGHT Fairy monster from my Deck!" After making his choice, he revealed his card, telling them, "And I choose the Level 8 monster, Cyber Angel Dakini!"

"So that was your plan... You wanted to get her onto the field, am I right?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"Mhmm!" Wilson said with a smile. "And since I got my Machine Angel Ritual card back into my hand, I can Summon her right now!! Once more, I play Machine Angel Ritual!!" After the fiery cauldron appeared for the third time in a row, the boy then told his opponent, "I release both Cyber Angel Idaten, Level 6, and Cyber Petit Angel, Level 2!!" Once both of his monsters vanished into the cauldron, he then played his third Ritual Monster to the field. "And now... I Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Dakini, Level 8!!!"

Everyone watched as the pillar of light gave form to a new creature: a half-robotic human woman with a blue body and dark red hair. She wore a golden helmet on her head, a shiny, orange chestplate, and a long pair of skin-tight pants, colored blue and yellow. The woman had two pairs of arms; two were holding onto a long staff and the other two were holding swords, one short and long (Cyber Angel Dakini: Level 8 / ATK 2700 / DEF 2400).

"Woah... that monster..." said a thoroughly stunned (but impressed) Twilight. "It's... it's..."

"Powerful..." said Applejack.

"Gorgeous..." added Rarity.

"Intimidating..." chimed in Fluttershy.

"I can't think of another adjective..." Pinkie Pie responded.

Sunset was also stunned by how easily Wilson seemed to bring out his best card. (This guy...) she thought to herself. (He works Deck so well... Every move he makes is so precise, like a well-written formula... And judging by how shocked Rainbow Dash is right now, I can honestly say that she didn't help him learn how to do that... It's pretty clear: Wilson here seems to have a knack for Dueling deep inside that was just waiting to come out...)

Just as Sunset had pointed out to herself, Rainbow's facial expression suggested that she had no idea just how good her little friend was. "Well... I certainly didn't see that one coming..." she told herself as calmly as possible. Turning back to Wilson, she asked him, "Are... you feelin' okay?"

The boy smiled and answered her, saying, "I feel great, Rainbow Dash; better than I've ever felt in my life! For some reason, I feel like I can do anything! And it feels great!!" It was pretty clear to everyone that Wilson wasn't the same scared boy he used to be. He was now a totally different person that felt that he could do anything he set his mind to. Turning back over to Sunset, he then told her, "And now that I have my Dakini out on the field, I'll win this Duel AND your heart!"

"Don't get TOO sure of yourself, Wilson..." Sunset told him, "we've still got a lot left do before this Duel's over!" She then told him, "Go ahead with the rest of your turn, then."

Smiling and nodding, Wilson then declared, "I now use the effect of Cyber Angel Dakini! After she's Ritual Summoned, her power forces you to send one of your monsters to the Graveyard!"

"Oh no...!" the red and yellow girl said with a gasp.

"Since your Sun Dragon is the only monster you have out," the boy told her, "he'll be the one that has to go!" Dakini then fanned out her four arms and released a wave of light that struck Sun Dragon Inti, causing it to fade away completely.

"He just took out her dragon like it was nothing!!" Spike exclaimed. Hiding back in Twilight's backpack, he then told her, "T-T-Twilight... promise you'll warn me if we ever see someone like her back in Equestria..."

"I doubt you'll have to worry about that," the Princess of Friendship told him, "but okay; I promise."

Wilson then continued his move, telling the red and yellow girl, "Next, since I released Idaten, she gives all of my Ritual Monsters 1,000 more attack and defense points! So my Cyber Angel Dakini is even MORE powerful!" (Cyber Angel Dakini: ATK 2700 + 1000 = 3700 / DEF 2400 + 1000 = 3400).

"Three thousand and seven hundred attack points?!?" exclaimed a surprised Sunset Shimmer.

Sighing sadly a little, Wilson then told his opponent, "Sorry, Sunset... but I gotta attack you directly with my Cyber Angel Dakini!" And with that order, the half-robotic angel struck the jacket-clad teenager repeatedly.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRGH!!!" grunted Sunset after taking such incredible damage (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,400 - 3,700 = 700). She then thought to herself, (Good thing I got all those Life Points a few turns ago... Or I would have lost right now.)

"Sunset's still in this game..." Applejack noted, "but now she's only got 700 points left!"

"And Wilson still has over 3,000 of his...!" Fluttershy pointed.

"Maybe it looks bad..." Pinkie began, "but she can get of this! She can!!"

"You're right, Pinkie!" Rarity chimed in. "We have to believe that Sunset can still win this! It's not over until the last card is drawn!"

"You can do it, Sunset!!" shouted Twilight. "We're all here for you!"

The red and yellow girl smiled at her friends and gave a thumbs-up, telling them, "Thanks girls! I won't quit just yet! My Deck still has some tricks left to pull, and I plan to use them!" Drawing her next card, she gasped happily when she saw that it was something she could use. "YES!! I activate the Spell Card, Raigeki!!" After playing it, the skies above began to darken, as if a thunderstorm was approaching.

"Aw man!!" said Rainbow Dash as Sunset played her newly drawn card. "After all that trouble you went through to Summon her, now she's gonna get wrecked by that Spell Card!"

But Wilson wasn't afraid. "Don't worry about me, Rainbow... I have a plan." He then shouted, "I activate the second effect of Machine Angel Ritual in my Graveyard!"

Sunset's smile quickly faded upon hearing that. "Second effect??" she asked.

"Second effect?" Rainbow repeated.

Taking the card out of his Graveyard, the boy then explained, "If any of my LIGHT-Attribute monsters are about to be destroyed, I can simply banish the Ritual card from my Graveyard. As a result, my monsters are now completely safe!"

The red and yellow girl gasped, but she could only watched as the lightning bolts from her Raigeki card fizzled out moments before they struck Dakini. (Well... so much for that...) she thought, feeling a bit frustrated.

"Woah, that was awesome, Will!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "I gotta admit, I was scared for a moment there."

"Oh no... She drew the one card that could have saved her, but Wilson prevented it from working!" Rarity said in distress.

"Maybe so, but this Duel's still on!" Pinkie reassured her friend. "And I know she won't give up!"

Sunset felt the same way as she began to come up with a new plan. (Okay... I've got think of something else now... but what?) After looking over her hand, as well the field, she managed to think of something that could do think the trick. "Okay... this is a gamble, but it's my only chance of winning..." Taking out a card from her hand she then declared, "I Summon my Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" In an instant, her green, disk-shaped monster appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500). "And when he's Normal Summoned," she continued, "I'm allowed to take any Chronomaly card from my deck, such as my Chronomaly Tula Guardian!" And she did just that.

(What's she up to this time...?) thought Rainbow Dash. She knew as well as any of her friends that Sunset always seemed to have a backup plan in case things got rough.

"Next," Sunset added, "I activate the Spell Card Chronomaly Technology. I banish Chronomaly Crystal Skull from my Graveyard to look at two cards on the top of my Deck. Then, I select one to place into my hand." Sunset then looked at her top two cards and chose to place Chronomaly Winged Sphinx into her hand, as well as sending her Temple of the Sun to the Graveyard. "And with that, I'll end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" said Wilson as he drew his next card. "I now use the other effect of Ritual Sanctuary! By shuffling any number of Spell Cards from my Graveyard back into my Deck, I can bring back a LIGHT Fairy monster whose Level is equal to the number of cards I shuffled!" He then took two cards out of his Graveyard and revealed them to Sunset and the others.

(Preparation of Rites...) Sunset said to herself, reading the card names, (and the other one is... Machine Angel Ritual?)

"I'll return these Spell Cards to my Deck to Summon a Level 2 Fairy from my Graveyard!" Wilson stated. "Cyber Petit Angel!! Return to the field!" The tiny robot sprite then returned to the field in Attack Position. And thanks to his effect, I can add another Machine Angel Ritual from my Deck to my hand!" Smiling a bit more, he then told Rainbow Dash, "This is it! I can't believe it! One more attack, and I'll win the Duel AND a date with Sunset!!"

"Wait...hold on a sec..." Rainbow Dash said to him. "It can't be this easy... Sunset would never leave one of her weaker monsters in Attack Mode and risk losing the Duel like this... What about her face-down card?"

"She's had that out ever since her first turn, but never played it." noted Wilson. "If that card activated in response to an attack, she would have used it by now. I don't think I need to worry about it." Rainbow Dash, however, wasn't as sure as he was; she suspected that her red and yellow friend had something planned. But Wilson wasn't worried one bit as he shouted, "Go! Cyber Angel Dakini!! Attack Nebra Disk and end this Duel!!!" The powerful Ritual Monster prepared to use her weapons to slice Nebra Disk apart.

But Sunset smirked and shouted, "Hold it! I activate my Trap Card!! Thunder Pot!!"

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed the boy, completely surprised by the sudden play.

*******************************

Thunder Pot:
(Normal Trap Card)

When a "Chronomaly" monster you control is targeted for an attack: Negate that attack, then end the Battle Phase. The activation of this card cannot be negated.

*******************************

After the card was activated, a large urn appeared in the center of the battlefield. Before a word could be said, the urn began firing bolts of lightning all across the field, preventing Dakini from getting close to Sunset's monster and ending any possibility that she could attack. "Up until now, you never attacked any of my Chronomaly monsters." Sunset Shimmer noted. "But now that you tried to attack Nebra Disk, you allowed me to use this card to end your Battle Phase automatically. Just because a card has been sitting on the field for a while doesn't make it any less dangerous than any other card."

Wilson was visibly frustrated that his attack had been foiled. "In that case, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." The boy then looked at the card and thought to himself, (The card I just set face-down is a Trap Card called Doble Passe...)

*******************************

Doble Passe:
(Normal Trap Card)

When an opponent's monster declares an attack on a face-up Attack Position monster you control: Make your opponent's attack a direct attack instead and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the attack target you control. Also, that monster you control can attack your opponent directly during your next turn.

*******************************

(If she tries to attack Cyber Petit Angel next turn,) Wilson continued to think, (I'll use this and foil her attack... Then I'll be able to win next turn!)

"Hey, Wilson..." said Sunset's voice.

"Huh?!" the boy, lost in thought at the time, was suddenly startled by the girl's voice. Looking over at her he asked, "What is it, Sunset?"

"I just wanted to tell you, you've played a great Duel so far." she complimented him.

"I-I have?"

Sunset nodded and told him, "You've got a real talent for this game, Wilson. And you run your Deck like a well-oiled machine. I haven't met a lot of Duelists that fight as hard as you do."

"Um... thanks." Wilson replied, blushing. "That means a lot coming from you."

Closing her eyes, the jacket-clad teen then said to him, "You certainly have a lot passion for Dueling, and I think it's safe to assume that the same can be said for everything else you do. You just need to remember to apply that to everything else in your life, and there will be nothing that you can't excel at."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" asked the boy, not sure what she meant.

"You'll see what I mean. But first, I think we have a Duel to finish... and it's my turn." Opening her eyes again, she then drew her next card. After placing it into her hand, she then told her opponent, "First, I'll Normal Summon Chronomaly Gordian Knot in Attack Mode!" Her monster then appeared on the field, presenting itself as a confusing, jumbled collection of cubes (Chronomaly Gordian Knot: Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 900). "And when he's Normal Summoned, I can bring out any other Chronomaly monster in my hand, then Gordian Knot matches the new monster's Level!" Taking one more card out of her hand, she then declared, "With Gordian Knot's effect, I Special Summon Chronomaly Winged Sphinx in Attack Mode!!"

Everyone watched as Sunset's flying sphinx monster dove down and rested upon the field (Chronomaly Winged Sphinx: Level 5 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1900). Then, due to the effect of Gordian Knot, its Level matched that of Winged Sphinx (Chronomaly Gordian Knot: Level 3 > 5).

"Now she has enough monsters for an Xyz Summon..." noted Twilight.

"But... besides her Number cards, she doesn't have any other Rank 5 monsters!" Applejack pointed out. "And she already said that she wouldn't use Numbers against someone that didn't have any!"

"Oh, I'm not gonna Summon a Number, AJ." Sunset informed her. "I have a much better idea, anyway." Taking one more card out of her hand, she then declared, "For my next move, I Special Summon the Level 5 Chronomaly Tula Guardian from my hand, since there's an active Field Spell in play!" And with that, Sunset Summoned her third monster, which appeared as a towering blue rock giant (Chronomaly Tula Guardian: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 900).

"She played THREE Level 5 monsters in one turn..." Rarity stated, almost in disbelief.

"Does that mean that..." stuttered Fluttershy, "that she has..."

"Yep..." confirmed Sunset, as if to suggest that she already knew what her shy friend had to say. "In my Extra Deck is one of the most devastating Xyz Monsters printed for Duel Monsters. So powerful, that it requires THREE Level 5 monsters to Summon it!"

"Uh oh... this doesn't sound good..." said Wilson, getting worried for the first time in a while since the Duel began.

"I now overlay Gordian Knot, Winged Sphinx, and Tula Guardian, all Level 5 and create the Overlay Network!!" shouted Sunset as each of her three monsters transformed into a small, orange light. The three lights were then sucked into a red summoning portal, which then formed into a gigantic ball of white light. "Activate now, mighty machine! Grind your gears! Move the earth! Bury my opponent and leave no stone unturned!" The red and yellow girl chanted. "Xyz Summon!! Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry!!"

Everyone watched in awe as Sunset unleashed what was probably one of her most devastating monsters yet. The monster was actually some sort of gigantic digging machine; more specifically, it was called a Bucket-wheel excavator, used primarily for open-pit mining. It had two large wheels way out in front of it, a third wheel on the back of it, and the main unit was orange in color. On the bottom of it were several tire treads that would allow the behemoth to move, and two towers were built on the top of it, one imprinted with the letter "D" and the other, the letter "Z" (Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry: Rank 5 / ATK 3200 / DEF 2000 / OLU: 3).

"Oh my GOODNESS!!!" shrieked Rarity. "That thing is absoLUTEly enormous!!"

"Since when did Sunset have a card like that in her Deck??" asked Applejack.

Looking at the card on her Duel Pad, Sunset answered her saying, "I've actually had this card in my Deck for a little while, but I never got a chance to use it until now..." Looking ahead, she then added, "I figured that, with all of those Number cards out there, I needed something in my Deck that can help me defeat them more easily. I wasn't expecting my first use of Digvorzhak to be in a Duel like this, to be honest... But now that he's here, I'm ready to see what I can do with it!"

Wilson started getting nervous again as he asked Rainbow Dash, "What's with this card? What does it do?"

"Don't ask me... I didn't even know Sunset HAD a card like that." the cyan teen admitted.

"Well, in that case," Sunset began to tell them, "allow me to fill you both in." Taking one of the cards out from underneath her Xyz Monster (Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry: OLU 3 - 1 = 2), she then declared, "I activate Digvorzhak's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit from it, I can send the top three cards from your Deck straight to the Graveyard!"

"That... doesn't sound so bad..." the boy responded.

"But that's not all:" the jacket-wearing teen informed him. "If any of those three cards are monsters, I get to destroy up to that many cards on your side of the field!" Wilson gasped a bit upon hearing that.

"So that means if she can send just two monsters from his Deck to the Graveyard..." Fluttershy began to say.

"Then Wilson won't have any monsters left on the field!" Pinkie Pie finished.

"It all comes down to luck now..." Twilight chimed in. "Everyone cross your... um, uh..."

"Fingers." Applejack told her.

"Right! Those things." the purple girl said. "Thanks, AJ."

The gigantic Machine-Type monster began to come to life, spurting smoke into the air above as its giant wheels began to turn. Sunset then pointed to Wilson and told him, "Alright! Time for you to send those three cards from your Deck to the Graveyard!"

"Um... o-okay..." Wilson replied, slowly picking up the top cards of his Deck. When he got a look at them, his heart sank. "Oh no...!" he said in despair, seeing that two of the three cards were Cyber Gymnast and Gyakutenno Megami; both Monster Cards.

"That's too bad, Wilson..." Sunset told him. "But that means that Digvorzhak can destroy both of your monsters!" Thrusting her hand out, she then ordered her monster, "Go!! Destroy his Cyber Angel Dakini and his Cyber Petit Angel!!"

The machine then really started to get to work, its wheels spinning and digging up the ground even harder. As it did, it began to create fissures in the ground that crept their way up towards both of Wilson's monsters. Before he knew it, the cracks split open, creating a hole that both Dakini and Cyber Petit Angel fell down into. "No... I lost both my monsters..." he said to himself. "And since my Trap Card only works if I have a monster out, I can't even use it...!"

Sunset, sensing the boy's sadness, asked him, "Are... you okay, Wilson?"

The young boy sniffled, but did his best to remain in good spirits. Smiling, he said to his opponent, "I'll be okay... just go ahead and do what you have to do."

For a brief moment, Sunset actually thought about not doing anything else. But she knew that it wouldn't be fair for either of them for her to throw the Duel just to make him feel better. "Digvorzhak!" she shouted. "Attack Wilson directly and end this Duel!!" The giant machine then reconfigured the beams holding its giant wheels, forming them into a gigantic arm that swung itself at the boy, taking out his remaining Life Points (Wilson: LP 3,100 - 3,200 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

Once the Duel was over, everyone was still stunned by the result. Sunset's friends were happy that she had won the game, but they, including Sunset herself, felt sorry for Wilson for losing. The red and yellow girl walked over to the young boy and said to him, "...Sorry about that just now, Wilson."

Wilson sniffled a bit, but he didn't harbor any ill feelings towards the red and yellow girl for defeating him. "It's okay, Sunset... You don't have to apologize. You did great out there, and you deserved to win."

"You weren't so bad yourself, either." Sunset complimented. "I actually thought I was gonna lose that one once you did all of those Ritual Summons."

"Thanks." Wilson replied. "I just wish that I wasn't so quick to put that Machine Angel Ritual card back into my Deck. If I had just kept it in the Graveyard last turn, I might've won... But that was my fault, not yours."

"Just try to remember that for next time, and I doubt you'll have any trouble." she informed him.

Sighing, the boy then told her, "But still... I guess this means I don't get a date with you anytime soon, huh? Sorry for wasting your time and mine..."

"Actually, this whole thing wasn't a complete waste..." the red and yellow girl told him.

"It wasn't...?" Wilson asked her.

"Sunnie's right!" Pinkie told him. "Sure, you may not be getting a date with her, but just look at you! You're talking to her just like anybody else!!"

"Quite a bit of a change from before, when you couldn't even be in the same room as her without becoming nervous." Rarity pointed out.

Wilson gasped, as he had not even noticed that himself before they all told him. "You're... you're right! I didn't even know it until now! I can hardly believe it!" He then asked Sunset, "But... how is it that I can talk to you now when I could barely do so before?"

"A good question." the jacket-wearing teen told him. "And it's actually the main reason I took your challenge. What I really wanted for you was to help you get over your cold feet, just like Rainbow Dash was doing. I figured, if you got into playing the Duel so much, you'd get over your shyness without even thinking about it." She then asked him, "So... how do you feel? Do you still feel nervous or scared at all?"

Wilson thought about it for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "No... I don't feel scared anymore at all. I... I think I can talk girls just fine now! I don't feel any reason to be nervous at all anymore! It's... almost unbelievable; I never knew I could be like that."

"That's how I thought at first." Fluttershy told him. "I used to so shy around others, that I didn't think I could be friends with anyone... But now I realize that there's no reason for me to be afraid around other people. In reality, it was me that was preventing myself from making friends, not other people. And thanks to my friends, I've opened up a lot more around others... Though, I do admit: I'm still working on it..."

"From your notes, I could tell that you were a very nice person." Sunset told him. "So I wanted to help you be more confident in yourself by taking you on in this Duel. I wanted to bring your true self up to the surface. And now you're ready to stand on your own two feet and open up to others."

Wilson teared up a bit, but kept smiling, happy to know that Sunset wanted to help him get over his shyness. Wiping the tear from his eye, he thanked her, saying, "That's very nice of you, Sunset... I'll never forget what you've done for me." He then asked her, "So, just to be clear: The date I asked for; that's off the table, right?"

"I'm afraid so... sorry." the red and yellow girl answered him. "When this whole thing started with the notes and everything, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into another relationship so soon. But I think it might be for the best that I wait for now... I still need to learn about how to be a better friend before I try to learn to be a better girlfriend." Smiling, she then told Wilson, "But I think any girl would be very lucky to have you."

The boy smiled and said to her, "Thanks, Sunset. I really appreciate it. And next time I see you, I'll be able to talk to you face-to-face. I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too." the red and yellow girl replied. "In fact, I'd love to have a rematch with you sometime.'

"Weeeeeeelllllll... perhaps you two could talk more even sooner than you think!" Pinkie Pie told them.

"What do you mean?" asked the boy. Sunset was also curious to see where this was going.

Reaching back into her poofy hair, Pinkie Pie pulled out another invitation and presented it to Wilson, telling him, "If you really wanna start opening up to other people and talking to them, you can meet a LOTTA different people at my sister Marble's birthday party! Whadya say?"

"Um, sure! I'd love to come!" Wilson happily replied, taking the envelope.

"Not only that," the pink teen continued to tell him, "but I'm sure Marble would love to meet you, even if she doesn't think so. See, she's kinda shy just like you were, you know?"

"I think I understand..." the boy replied, now understanding the reason why Pinkie had invited him. "Thanks again. I'll see you all there!"

"Bye Wilson!" Twilight called to him, waving goodbye.

"Y'all take care now!" Applejack added.

After the boy left, Rarity then said to everyone, "Well, I must say, that was quite an interesting turn of events."

"I'll say." Sunset agreed. "But it beats having to deal with some crazed Duelist bent on causing trouble for everypo- er, everybody."

At that moment, Rainbow Dash then awkwardly approached the rest of her friends and asked them, "Sooooo... um, are you guys mad at me for... well, kinda siding with Wilson and trying to help him beat Sunset in a Duel...?"

"I'm not angry at all, Rainbow." Sunset told her. "I know your intentions were good, and you just wanted to help him out. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing that."

"Heh, thanks guys..." the cyan teen said, rubbing the back of her head.

"But next time, maybe you oughtta let us know 'bout somethin' like this in the future." Applejack suggested to her.

"Uh, yeah... I promise." Dash replied.

"So I guess, now that all of that's out of the way," Twilight began to say, "all that's left now is to get ready for Marble's birthday party." Spike was happy to hear that; he'd been excited to go since the young Princess told him about it.

"You've got it, Twilight!" Pinkie replied. "I've got some dance practice before tonight, so I'll see you over at my place!" The other six girls nodded to say that they'd be there.

Later that night, at Pinkie Pie's home, the backyard was already buzzing with activity. The garden, the tables, everything was decorated with typical Hawaiian flair, and some soft island music was playing in the background. The tall bamboo torches were lit, creating a calm ambiance that helped put all the guests at ease. Since it was still relatively warm, all the guests wore lighter clothing, such as floral-print shirts, shorts, and sarongs.

Sunset, Twilight, and their friends, which also included Flash Sentry and their new friend Wilson, were all there enjoying themselves, wearing similar light outfits like everyone else. Pinkie, on the other hand, was dressed in stereotypical hula attire, right down to the lei and grass skirt. "Oh wow! This is so great!" the pink girl cheered. "Everyone I invited showed up!"

"Yeah, and everyone looks like they're having a great time!" Rainbow Dash noted, taking a bite out of the birthday cake slice she was holding.

"Well, this IS a Pinkie Pie party, after all." Flash stated. "It's kinda hard NOT to enjoy yourself when she throws one."

"Awwwww, thanks!" Pinkie replied. "I'm no Cheese Sandwich, but I know my way around balloons and streamers... or even wooden tiki heads in this case."

Looking around, Wilson then noticed a grey girl with long hair sitting by herself and sipping some juice from a paper cup that she was holding. It was Marble Pie, one of Pinkie's sisters, and for whom the birthday party was for. However, she seemed a bit scared and didn't seem like she was happy to be there. The boy then asked, "Um... is that your sister, Pinkie?"

"Mhmm. That's Marble, alright." the pink teenager confirmed. Sighing, she added, "She seems so sad... I wish I could help her, but I don't know what else to do..."

Wilson said nothing back. Instead, he put on a brave face and decided to walk over to her. "Um, Wilson...?" Sunset began to ask.

"What's he doin'?" inquired Applejack.

"It... looks like he's going over to see Marble..." Fluttershy guessed. "But why?"

"Hmmmm... I think I might know." Twilight pondered. "Let's see if I'm right..."

Wilson made his way over to the table where Marble was sitting and sat down next to her at a safe distance so as not to scare her too much. "Um... hi." he said to her. "You must be Marble Pie, right?"

The timid girl looked down at her drink for a moment before nodding yes. "...Mhmm..." she replied.

Sensing her uneasiness, Wilson then asked her, "You... you seem like you're afraid to be here, with all these people...Are you?"

"...Mhmm..."

"...I know how you must feel." the boy told her, understanding what she was going through. "I used to feel the same way around other people, especially girls..." He then smiled and told her, "But... there's actually nothing you need to be afraid of."

Marble perked her head up a bit and looked over at him. "Hm...?"

"I know it SEEMS scary having all these people around you," he told her, "but they're only here because they care about you and want to get know you better."

Marble continued to listen to him, not saying anything in response.

"Of course, they won't get to know the real you if you stay here all by yourself all night." Wilson told her. "And you won't be able to have any fun yourself, either... Deep down, I bet you'd really want to talk other people and be friends with them, huh?"

Marble just sat there for a moment, not sure what to say at first. In the end, though, she knew that he was right. Nodding her head, she replied with a simple, "...Mhmm."

Smiling again, Wilson then asked her, "So what do you say? How about you get up out of that seat and enjoy yourself, just like everyone else is... and don't worry: I'll be right there with you the whole time. All you need to do... is to have the courage to take that first step."

Marble sat there for a moment, thinking about what he told her. At first, she never even thought about mingling with other people, let alone getting up from her safe little corner of the yard. But it was clear that what Wilson had said to her was helping her feel better. Then, all of a sudden, the grey girl smiled brightly and stood up, nodding her head and saying, "...Mhmm!" Wilson, happy to see her come out of her shell, took her hand and the two of them headed off into the middle of the festivities together.

Sunset and her friends were surprised to see what had just happened, especially Pinkie Pie. "I don't believe it...! He managed to get her out of that seat and into the party!"

"I guess that Duel really did help Wilson become more confident in himself." Rainbow Dash replied. "Especially since it helped him help Marble get over her shyness, too."

Sunset smiled a bit, but let out a slightly sad-sounding sigh. Twilight, noticing her, asked her friend, "Are you okay, Sunset?"

"Yeah... even though I didn't agree to go out with him like he had hoped," she told Twilight, "I have to admit: I'm a little depressed that he got over me that quickly... But it's okay. As long as he's happy, I'll be happy to."

"So... do you think you'll ever date anyone again, Sunset dear?" Rarity asked her.

"I wish I could answer that, Rarity..." the red and yellow girl replied. "I don't know if I will or not, and if I do, who it'll be with... to be honest, it could be anyone for all I know."

"Anyone, huh...?" asked Flash Sentry. He thought about what his ex-girlfriend had just said, but decided to mull over it another time.

Looking at her watch (well, one of the ones she had on right now), Pinkie gasped and shouted, "Omigosh! It's almost time for my dance performance!! C'mon girls!! We can't miss this!!"

"No problem, Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash told her. "You'll do great out there!" Picking up her guitar, she then added, "And we'll be the best backup band we can!"

Pinkie Pie giggled a bit, happy to know her friends were willing to play music for her performance. She then asked Sunset, "Sunnie, you think you can cover the drums for me?"

"I'll do my best." the red and yellow girl responded as they all made their way to the stage set up for them.

That night was one to remember for everyone at the party. Pinkie Pie's hula dance was picture perfect, and her friends did well playing the music for her performance. Everyone there had a great time, especially Wilson and Marble. The rest of the Pie family had never seen the normally-shy girl so happy, but were pleased to see that she was beginning to open up. And it seemed as though Wilson would be there to help her the whole way.

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 18: Little Duel of Horrors:

Author's Note

Several new characters appear in this episode, including the villains for the first half of the series. More characters' Decks appear as well, which is the other reason that I was really excited to get this one up. As for the bad guys, I have something very interesting planned for them right now, but you'll just have to keep reading to find out what they're up to...

RANK 18: Little Duel of Horrors:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

While Sunset is regarded as Canterlot High's strongest Duelist, there are many other students at the school that wish to make their marks in Duel Monsters' history as well. Three young girls in particular have shown a strong interest in the card game as well and want to become stronger. Those three girls are none other than Apple Bloom, who is Applejack's younger sister, Sweetie Belle, Rarity's younger sister, and Scootaloo, who idolizes Rainbow Dash and even considers herself as a "sister" to her.

In order to help each other achieve their goals becoming powerful Duelists, the three of them formed a club centered around refining their skills, as well as to help other new Duel Monsters players get their start into the game. Unfortunately, the trio have yet to win a Duel against someone other than themselves. However, they are determined to get better, and won't give up on their dreams so easily. To that end, they have even enlisted Sunset herself as a "special member" of the club to act as their guru.

Today, the three girls are welcoming a new member to their club; a young girl who had recently moved to Canterlot City from Manehatten. At first it seems perfectly normal, but this new member has a few skeletons in her closet that may soon be revealed...

Several months ago...

Far from the outskirts of Canterlot City, on a dark, rainy night, stood a large school building. However, the building was falling apart, dilapidated from years of neglect. No one had bothered to maintain the structure in a very long time. However, the distinct sounds of running footsteps indicated that the school was far from abandoned.

In the dark, debris-filled hallways of the crumbling building, a young girl was breathing heavily as she ran down the snaking passageways of the school, n a hurry to gt out as quickly as possible. The girl had caramel-brown skin, short, apple-red hair, and olive-green eyes, with a few freckles under each eye. She wore a dark-green shirt with a white, tattered undershirt, a grey skirt with a plaid design, pink socks, and black, leather boots. Her ears were pierced with silver ring earrings, and she also wore a pair of silver bracelets while carrying a pink purse, which she wore around her waist.

The girl panted as she turned a corner, concealing herself in a pitch-black hallways. Trying to catch her breath, she could hear the voices of other people from far away. "Hey!! Where did she go?!" shouted one of them.

"We don't know..." said another, not sounding very confident. "We were following her as far as the cafeteria, but after that... we... we lost her..."

"You LOST her?!?!" screamed the first voice in anger. "How could you have lost her?!"

"We tried our best...!" said a third voice, whimpering slightly. "But this school's so big and dark... Once she got far enough away, she just... disappeared...!"

"...Unbelievable!" scowled the first voice. "You know she's going to have a massive fit about this once she hears about what YOU allowed to happen! You had just better hope that she's in a good mood right now..."

The young girl, still hiding the best she could, continued to listen in on the conversation.

"One thing is for sure, though..." the first voice continued, "she may have gotten away this time, but until we get what she took from us, that little brat is not going to get a single day of peace... I'll see to that." And after that terrifying declaration, the three figures walked away, indicated by the sounds of footsteps, which slowly got softer as they went further away.

Confident that they had abandoned their pursuit of her, the young girl quickly, but quietly made her way to a first-floor window. With a bit of effort, she managed to open it, allowing her to escape the dilapidated building. Hopping out the window and closing it behind her, she then asked herself, "Aw man... Babs, what've ya gotten yourself into now...?"

Canterlot City, Present Day:

In a large tree located within the Apple Family Orchard, there was a small, yellow tree house. The tree house belonged to a young girl named Apple Bloom, who was the younger sister of Applejack and Big Macintosh. It was here, in this little clubhouse, that she and her best friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gathered for their weekend club meetings. What kind of club was it? As it turned ot, it was a club centered around improving at Duel Monsters. Since the three of them were still relatively new to the game, they decided to form the club to help each other out, as well as anyone else that wanted to get into the game.

Tapping a hammer onto a wooden podium, Apple Bloom - wearing her favorite pink bow in her red hair - cleared her throat and announced, "Attention! Attention! This meetin' of the Duel Monsters Crusaders, a.k.a. the DMC, is called to order!" Putting the hammer down for the moment, she then said to everyone, "Now, let's begin with Roll Call! When Ah point t' ya, say your name n' what kinda Deck you use! Ah'll start first." Clearing her throat again, she then said, "Ah'm Apple Bloom! Head of the DMC and Ah use a Wind-Up Deck!"

Apple Bloom then pointed to one of her friends; a young girl with white skin and hair colored pink and lilac. "I'm Sweetie Belle!" the girl stated. "Official Treasurer of the DMC and a Crystal Beast user!"

The bow-wearing girl then pointed to another young girl her age. She had orange skin and fuchsia-colored hair. "What's up? The name's Scootaloo!" she announced. "I'm a Blackwing user AND the strongest Duelist in the club!"

"What do you mean YOU'RE the strongest member?" asked Sweetie Belle, huffing a little. "You lose Duels against the others like me and Apple Bloom have!"

Sweating a bit, Scootaloo, trying to save face, uttered, "Yeah? Well... uh... I lose the least amount of times, so that's proof that I'm the strongest of us!" The white-skinned girl simply face-palmed in response to that comment.

Sighing, Apple Bloom then asked her friends, "C'mon, girls... let's not have this argument again. Can we just move this along so that we can get down to business?" She then pointed to another individual in the clubhouse.

As it turned out, the individual was Sunset Shimmer. A few months ago, she had promised to help Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo improve their skills at Duel Monsters. She did this either by improving their Decks with new and better cards, as well as teach them some more advanced tricks. Though they still had trouble with most of the other Duelists at school. "Um, hey!" the red and yellow teenager began to introduce herself. "My name's Sunset Shimmer. I'm the top-ranked Duelist at CHS, and I run a Chronomaly-Incan Deck."

"Alrighty then! Now that that's settled," Apple Bloom began to say, "we can start working on becoming the strongest Duelists we can!" Placing a stack of papers on the podium, she then added, "Of course, we wouldn't be doing NEARLY as well at that if it weren't fer Sunset here!"

"Yeah, we sure are lucky, aren't we?" asked Sweetie Belle. "You know, to have a real Duel Monsters pro helping us learn to play better!"

"Uh, a pro?" asked Sunset, chuckling a little. "I don't know about that... If anyone around here is a pro, it's Celestia and Luna."

"Hey, you're just as good as they are!" Scootaloo complimented. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have even bothered askin' ya to help us!"

"I guess that makes sense." the inter-dimensional girl replied. "In any case, I'm glad to lend you all a hand. After all, part of being a True Duelist is helping out others who are just getting into the game. At least, that's what I believe." Looking back over to Apple Bloom, she then asked her, "Okay, so what's on the agenda for the three of you this time?"

"Well, first things first," the young redhead began, "Ah have an important announcement t' make. We'll all be meetin' here tomorrow for a super-special occasion."

"What kinda special occasion?" asked Scootaloo.

"Well, as it turns out, mah cousin Babs Seed is movin' to Canterlot and will be stayin' over nearby!" Apple Bloom told them. "When Ah heard about it, ah emailed her, askin if she'd like to join our club, and she said yes!"

"That's great!!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "A new member!"

"Awesome! I can't wait t' see her!" Scootaloo chimed in.

Sunset then said to Apple Bloom, "Well, you're certainly lucky to have your cousin joining your club too. What's she like? How good is she at Duel Monsters?"

"Oh she's pretty strong, Sunset." the bow-wearing girl answered her. "She's beaten a lotta strong Duelists and ranked high in lots of local tournaments. With you and Babs helpin' us out, we'll be winnin' Duels faster than y'all can say 'Exodia, Obliterate'!"

"That would probably be true." agreed the other-worldly girl, "But don't forget: Dueling is just as much about enjoying yourself as it is about winning, if not more. That's another thing a True Duelists needs to know."

"We got it." Scootaloo said to her, acknowledging what Sunset had told them all. "Of course, we'd like to have fun AND win at the same time, too."

Sweetie Belle then asked her friend, "Apple Bloom? Did your cousin tell you why she's moving here to Canterlot?"

"Actually... she didn't." the bow-wearing girl responded. "She didn't tell me why she n' her folks are movin' here. Of course, it ain't unusual for Babs to leave out minor details like that, but..." The young girl paused for a moment, shook her head and added, "Never mind, Ah'm sure it's nothin' we need t' worry ourselves about! Let's just be happy that Babs is comin' over and not question it!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Scootaloo agreed. "All I'm gonna worry about is if you cousin's as cool as I am!"

"I don't think we need to worry about that..." Sweetie Belle told her, a smug look on her face.

"And what's THAT supposed to mean?!" the orange girl snapped back.

"Now, now girls..." Sunset told them calmly. "Let's not get all worked up so quickly. Let's just move onto the next part of the agenda. And that will be practicing some new strategies with your Decks." Getting out her Duel Pad, she then told them, "Let's head outside and do some field tests!"

"Yeah! Go, Duel Monsters Crusaders!!" cheered the three younger girls as they hurriedly got out their Decks and gear before following Sunset Shimmer outside. Apple Bloom followed a little slower, still thinking about her cousin's arrival tomorrow.

Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the city and just outside of the suburbs, two individuals were minding their own business; however, based on their facial expressions, they didn't look like they wanted to be there. One of them was a boy in his late teens, sighing to himself as he sat down on a bus stop bench. He had slightly-darkened peach-colored skin, amber-brown hair, bright, green eyes, and reddish freckles. He wore a tan-colored hat on his head with a four-leaf clover sticking out of it. He wore a tan sweater vest over top a white undershirt, along with a long, olive-green tie. A pair of dark-brown jeans and black sneakers completed the outfit, with a picture of a four-leaf clover imprinted on both sides of the pants' hip area.

The other person, standing behind the bench, was an adult-aged woman. She had light-blue skin, long red hair with tan stripes done up into a ponytail with a pink bow, and purple eyes. Over her eyes were a pair of glass, connected by a small chain. She wore a dress that was white and sky-blue in color, with a small picture of a fiery cloud imprinted upon the left side of the chest area. Around her neck was a pearl necklace, and she wore a pair of silver shoes with high heels on her feet. Strapped to her left arm was a purple-colored Duel Pad.

Yawning, the teenage boy asked, in a tired and unenthusiastic tone, "Remind me again why on Earth we're even here?"

Sighing, the woman answered him, saying, "I told you before, Lucky: We're here to look for that kid that broke into the academy months ago. She sneaked her way into the building that night and took an extremely powerful Deck before she escaped."

"Pfft... I already know that...!" the boy responded, annoyed a little. "What I'm asking is why WE'RE here tryin' to find the brat!"

"Because YOU were supposed to make sure that no one stole that Deck in the first place." the woman replied, scowling a little. "The moment you turned your back, she had already left with it!"

"Well, excuse ME, Ms. Skyeblaze!!" Lucky shouted back. "I can't control when I need to use the bathroom!!"

"Enough of your excuses." the woman scolded him. "All you've done is complain ever since we got here, and I'm getting sick of it! After all, it's your fault we lost that Deck, and it's ALSO your fault that I had to come along with you. After all, you're not a Duelist, so if that kid were to use the Deck she stole against us, you wouldn't be able to fight her."

"Pfft... whatever." Lucky responded, not really caring in the slightest. "Anyway, according to the others, that kid's supposed to show up here pretty soon, so we'll have t' wait for them to show up before we can get this stupid job overwith. If you ask me, this whole stupid mission is a complete waste of my time..."

"Well, nobody asked you, so just suck it up and stop whining about it." Skyeblaze told him. "The sooner we take down that kid, the sooner we can get out of this place and back to the Academy." The teenage boy simply huffed, not saying another word in response.

Later in the day, in Sunset's apartment, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset's friend from her home universe, was busy watching over the place with her dragon-turned-puppy companion, Spike. The Princess of Friendship was busy looking over some of the Duel Monsters cards that she had, both the ones in her Deck, as well as the ones that she had picked up recently with the help of her friends in this world. "Wow..." said Spike, looking at each of the young girl's cards, "there's so many different kinds of cards you can get... I'd bet it'd be next to impossible to collect every single one!"

"Perhaps," Twilight replied, "but getting all of these cards isn't something I'm worried about. All I have to concern myself with is using the cards that I do have in the best way possible. It's the only way that Sunset and I will ever find and obtain all of those Number cards." Smiling to herself a little, she then added, "Luckily, there haven't been reports of any new Numbers lately, so I've had plenty of time to work out some new strategies."

At that moment, Utopia then spoke in the young Princess's mind. "I would advise for you not to get too comfortable, Twilight." he told her. "Things may be peaceful now, but I can already sense that we will find ourselves in another battle very soon."

"I'm sure we will." Twilight responded. "But until that happens, we should not try to stress ourselves with what might happen, or it will only be that much harder when we duel again. We have to remain relaxed, no matter what."

"Indeed." Utopia replied, agreeing with his master.

Just then, the apartment door opened, and in walked Sunset Shimmer. She put her bags down and hung up her black jacket on the coat rack. "Welcome back, Sunset!" Twilight greeted.

"Hey, Twilight." the red and yellow girl replied. "I trust that things went well for you while you were watching the apartment?"

"Yep. Everything's still as you left it." the purple teen answered. "Since I figured everything would stay calm in the room, I decided to look over my Deck a few times to see if I could improve it any more."

"Sounds like a good plan to me, Twilight." Sunset told her. "As for me, things went well with Apple Bloom and her friends. They still need some more practice, but they've improved a lot since I started helping them out. I think they'll be great Duelists someday!"

"Well, they seem pretty dedicated to improving themselves, based on what you've told me about them so far." the young Princess said to her friend. "They're just like their counterparts back in Equestria: Always seeking to become better at what they do, and not to be afraid of failure."

"Had they gotten their cutie marks yet since the last time you came to visit?" asked Sunset.

"As a matter of fact, I heard that they did." Twilight answered. "My friends told me about it, and I couldn't be any prouder of them. Especially since I had a hoof in helping them discover their purposes; a little bit at least." Thinking about something, she then asked her friend, "Say, um... Sunset? Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Well, first off... are you meeting with the girls again tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I am." Sunset answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you think I could come with you when you do?" the Princess of Friendship requested. "I'm curious to see what kinds of Duelists they are."

Smiling, the red and yellow girl nodded and said, "Sure, that's a great idea! I was actually thinking about suggesting that you do that. After all, you can always use some more Dueling practice, and you'd be helping Apple Bloom and her friends out too!"

"Yeah, that's just what I was thinking!" Twilight replied. "So it's okay with you?"

"You bet it is." Sunset confirmed. "Just remember: When you Duel them, don't use your Number cards against them, since they don't have any."

"Don't worry. I'll play fair." the purple teen promised, nodding her head. Turning over to Spike, she then said to him, "Spike, you're coming along, too."

"I... I am?" asked the puppy, confused.

"You bet you are." Twilight told him. "You've started to become quite a couch potato lately, and according to Sunset's computer, puppies need to have some daily exercise."

"But I'm not really a puppy, remember?" Spike reminded her.

"Maybe not in Equestria, but you are one here." the young Princess informed him. "No more arguments. I'm sure you can miss some TV-watching for one day. And if you DO go, I'll make sure Applejack has a steaming-hot apple pie for you when you arrive."

Spike's ears perked up at that moment. "Did you say apple pie??" he asked, making sure he heard his friend correctly. Humming to himself a little, he then said, "Y'know... I guess I COULD get a little bit of exercise today... Don't wanna become a couch potato, y'know."

"Glad to see you're doing it for the right reasons." Sunset told him, chuckling a little. "I'll guess I'll go ahead and let AJ know in advance." She then pulled out her cell phone so that she could make a call to her farm girl friend.

After a few rings, the red and yellow girl heard Applejack's voice on the other end. "Howdy, Sunset! What's up?"

"Just calling to confirm that I'll be by to visit your little sister and her friends again for their Duel Monsters meeting tomorrow." Sunset told her. "Not only that, but Twilight and Spike will be coming with me too." Pausing for a moment, she then asked her friend, "You think you can have an apple pie ready for Spike when we get there? It was the only way we could convince him into getting out of the apartment..."

"Not at a problem at all, Sugarcube." the farm girl replied. "As luck would have it, me 'n Granny Smith are whippin' up a few right now for when y'all come by. They'll be ready by tomorrow fer sure."

"Thanks, AJ." Sunset responded politely. "I'll see you and the girls tomorrow. Good night."

"You have a good night too, Sunset. See ya later." AJ replied, hanging up the phone. After she did, she walked back over to Granny Smith, who was just putting the finishing touches on the four apple pies that she was making. The elderly woman had light-green skin, silver-white hair done up into a bun, and bright-orange eyes. She was a bit on the plump side in terms of body shape, she wore a dress that was pale yellow on the top and red on the skirt area, a white apron with a pinkish-purple smudge on it, and a pair of yellow boots with a strap on the top of them. She also wore apple-shaped earrings on her ears, an orange ascot with an apple pattern on them around her neck, and a pair of yellow rubber gloves.

Wiping some sweat from her forehead, Granny Smith smiled and said, "Yessiree! These pies are all ready t' be put in the oven!"

"Good t' hear, Granny." Applejack said to her. "We're gonna need plenty of stuff fer my li'l sis n' her friends to eat tomorrow. Especially since Sunset and Twi are stoppin' by too."

"I had a feelin' they'd be comin'." the elderly woman replied with a wink. "That's why I always make a li'l extra - just in case."

Changing the subject, the orange teen then asked her grandmother, "By the way, what time are Babs n' her folks supposed t' show up?"

"They said they'd be by at 10 o'clock." Granny Smith answered her granddaughter. "Luckily, they didn't hit much traffic, so they're a bit ahead of schedule."

"That's good t' hear," Applejack replied, "but Ah wonder why they all suddenly decided t' move outta Manehatten just like that..." She then asked, "Did Babs' parents mention anythin' t' you about why they're movin' here? Not that I ain't happy t' see them, it's just that Ah would've thought they'd say somethin'."

Granny Smith hummed a bit as she put the four pies in the oven and shut the door to let them cook. "Sorry, AJ, but they didn't tell me nuttin'." she responded. "Ah asked them about it, but they just kept sayin' that they didn't wanna talk about it. So Ah'm just as clueless as you are about it."

"Ah see... That kinda worries me a li'l bit," Applejack replied, "but they don't wanna talk about it, then Ah guess Ah won't ask 'em. Ah just hope that everything's alright with them..."

"Ah hear ya, AJ." Granny Smith replied. "Ah hope so too."

Later that night, when most of the city and the surrounding suburbs had fallen asleep, two individuals were still awake, apparently looking for something. It was Lucky and Ms. Skyeblaze, who were still in the city waiting for someone to show up the next day. Until then, the two were stuck in Canterlot and not too thrilled about it, especially since they now had to find a place to stay for the night, and their budget wasn't exactly anything to write home about.

Looking at a obviously sub-par motel on the outskirts of town, the woman then asked Lucky, "Please tell me we're NOT staying here until tomorrow..."

"Well, if you were hopin' for a five-star hotel, then keep dreaming." the boy told rudely. "In case you forgot, we're kind of on a low budget, so it's either this, or we're stuck sleepin' in a bus stop kiosk."

The woman grumbled, but knew that they didn't much choice in the matter. Opening the door and turning on the light, the two of them got a look at the room that they were checked into. Even for a roadside motel, it wasn't that great. "I don't believe this... this room looks like it hasn't been looked at by the cleaning lady in months! Assuming there IS a cleaning lady, anyway." Ms. Skyeblazed complained. "And I don't want to know what that smell in the room is, either..."

"Then try to hold your breath and get used to it." Lucky told her as her walked over to one of the beds and hopped onto it, back-first. "Unless you WANT to return empty-handed, that is. I mean, it's not that much worse than the crumbling school building we hide out in."

The older woman grumbled to herself, but decided that this wasn't the time to argue about it. They had to stay here for the night, so Skyeblaze decided to suck it up for now. (Once we find that little brat who stole that Deck, I'll PERSONALLY make sure she regrets it!) she thought as she walked over to the other bed and laid down on it.

The next morning, the Apple Family Farm's residents were gathered together to welcome the arrival of Babs Seed and her parents. Although the new arrivals had already purchased a home for themselves (not far away from the farm, of course), they had decided to stay overnight at the farm until everything at their new house was all ready for them.

With Applejack and her family were Sunset, Twilight, and Spike, who had decided to show up early so that they could be there for when Babs and her parents would arrive. Also with them were Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were holding up a white banner that read, "WELCOME BABS SEED!"

"How much longer is she gonna take...?" asked Scootaloo.

"Yeah, my arms are starting to get tired..." Sweetie Belle complained a little.

"Not much longer. Just be patient, girls." Applejack told them.

A few minutes afterwards, the group could hear the sound of a car coming down the road. "Hm? Ah think that's them right now!" Granny Smith said. Turning over to Big Macintosh, she asked him, "Is that their car coming this way?"

Using a pair of binoculars, the large, peach-skinned boy in a red jacket looked at the road ahead. He then immediately spotted a chocolate-brown vehicle driving up the road to the farm. "Eeeyup!" he said, answering Granny Smith's question.

"Alright, get ready, everyone!" Applejack told everyone. "Let's give Babs and her folks a real Apple Family Hello!"

"Yeah!" the other responded in unison.

Once the car pulled up in front of the farmhouse, the occupants opened the doors and walked out. Among them was a brown-skinned girl with short, red hair. "HELLO N' HOWDY, BABS SEED!!!" shouted Applejack's friends and family.

The young girl was astonished to see such a warm welcome waiting for them all. Before anyone could say another word, Apple Bloom excitedly ran over to see her cousin. "Cousin Babs!!" she cheered, giving the red-haired girl a hug. "It's so good t' see you again!"

"Heh, hey there, Apple Bloom." Babs replied with a smile, talking with a bit of a Brooklyn accent. "It's good t' see ya as well."

"Ah know! It's been so long since we've seen each other!" the bow-wearing girl said to her, excited to hang out with her favorite cousin. "C'mon! We've got so many things t' see n' do before tomorrow!"

"Uh, what kindsa things are ya talkin' about, cuz?" asked the Manehatten girl.

"Ah explain that a bit later." Apple Bloom promised her. "But first, there's some people Ah want ya t' meet!" As Granny Smith and Big Mac talked with Babs' mother and father, the bow-wearing girl walked her cousin over to her friends and asked her, "Y'all remember mah friends Scootaloo n' Sweetie Belle, right?"

"Heya, Babs!" greeted Scootaloo.

"Hi!" Sweetie Belle simply said with a friendly wave.

"Heya, girls. How's things been with ya since I was here last?" Babs asked them.

"It's been great!" Scootaloo told her. "We just started a club for ourselves to learn how to play Duel Monsters."

"Yeah, Bloom's told me 'bout dat." the Manehatten girl replied. "How's it workin' out?"

"Well... to tell you the truth..." Sweetie Belle began to say, "We still haven't won a Duel since we organized it."

"A-a-at least not yet, we haven't!" Scootaloo quickly informed her friend's cousin. "But we're working on it! In fact, we've got one of the best Duelists at school teachin' us!"

"Is dat so?" asked Babs Seed, intrigued.

"You bet, cousin!" Apple Bloom answered. She then walked with her cousin over to the other two girls that were there so as to introduce them to her. "This here's Sunset Shimmer, Babs." the bow-wearing girl told Babs. "She's the best Duelist in Canterlot High."

"So you're dat chick I heard about..." the brown-skinned red-head said, walking towards Sunset. "My cuz's told me all about'cha, not t' mention that was watchin' the livestream of you winnin' the Regionals a coupla months ago. You was pretty awesome out there when ya won the whole thing."

"Well, thank you very much, Babs Seed." Sunset replied. "I'm glad to see that you liked my dueling so much." Turning over towards her inter-dimensional friend, she then said, "This here is my friend from... far away: Twilight Sparkle. And that's her dog, Spike."

"Glad to finally meet you, Babs." the Princess of Friendship greeted politely.

"Yeah, same here!" Spike chiumed in, waving a paw.

Babs stepped back a bit after hearing that, asking, "Uh... Cuz, did that dog just say somethin' t' me?"

"Yeah, he did." Apple Bloom answered her. "Just keep that between us, though. Most people don't know 'bout that yet."

Chuckling a little Babs said to her cousin, "You're always full'a surprises every time we meet, cuz."

"Aheheh... yeah, Ah guess you could say that." Apple Bloom replied, giggling a little. "Anyway, lemme show ya the new clubhouse that AJ built for me 'n mah friends! Ah just know you'll like it!"

"Sounds good t' me, cuz!" Babs replied, eager to see what her cousin had been up to the past few months. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle dropped the banner that they were holding so that they could follow them. Sunset and Twilight smiled at each other as they walked over in the same direction.

Not far away from the Apple Family Farm, Lucky and Ms. Skyeblaze were walking down the dirt road before them, back on track with their mission. Yawning and rubbing her back, the older woman groaned and said, "That was the worst sleep I've ever had in my life... The bed was lumpy, the room smelled, and that irritating person next door to us decided that 3 in the morning was a good time to blast his stereo!" Groaning, the woman then asked, "Why is it that NOTHING ever goes smoothly for me??"

"Calm down, lady... You're not the only one that doesn't wanna be here, so don't act like it." Lucky informed her. "Besides, we're almost done here anyway. We just have t' find that kid and we'll be out of here in no time."

"You'd better be right." Ms. Skyeblaze told him, no longer in the mood for any foolishness.

"As long as the data I've got here is right, of course." the boy told her. Looking at a paper that he was holding, he then said, "Now according t' this thing, the brat's supposed t' be around here, at this house." But when they stopped to look at the house before them, the only vehicles parked there were large moving trucks.

"I don't see anyone..." Skyeblaze informed her partner. "You had better not have led me all the way here on a wild goose chase...!"

"Just chill for a second, lady." Lucky told her. "Obviously, they haven't shown up here yet. We just need to get some info as to WHEN they'll be here..." Looking around the general area, the teenage boy then added, "And I think that place over there is where we'll get it..." He then pointed ahead at a large farm off in the distance...

Apple Bloom opened the door to the treehouse that belonged to her and her friends, holding it open to allow everyone she invited inside. Once everyone was accounted for, the young bow-wearing girl walked up to the front of the room and stood behind the makeshift podium. Clearing her throat, she then announced, "Attention, everyone! This meetin' of the Duel Monsters Crusaders will now come t' order! All official members, state your names for the roll call!"

In turn, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Sunset all recited their names and the Decks they used, as per every meeting. Once that was taken care of, Bloom then shuffled some papers sitting on the podium and said, "Now that that's taken care of, let's move on t' the main order of business! Today, we have TWO new members to the DMC: Twilight Sparkle and of course, mah cousin from Manehatten, Babs Seed!" The two newcomers to the club waved their hand and smiled as best they could.

"So, Twilight, ya gotta tell us:" Scootaloo began to ask the young Princess. "How good are you at Duel Monsters? Do they have it over in that strange world you come from?"

"Actually, I'm still just learning the game, like all of you are." Twilight admitted. "Unfortunately, we don't have this game in Equestria."

"You don't? That's kinda lame..." Scootaloo responded. "I mean, not that your world is lame, of course! Just that you don't have Duel Monsters there, that is! No offense!"

"I know what you meant. Don't worry about it." the purple-skinned girl told her with a smile. "But now that I've gotten to try it, I'm really enjoying it so far! Sunset's been excellent at teaching it to me."

"Aheh... well, I don't know about 'excellent'." the black jacket-clad teenager responded, blushing a little. "I'm just doing the best I can."

Turning over to the other newcomer to the treehouse, Sweetie Belle asked her, "So Babs, is what Apple Bloom said about you true? Are you really such a great Duelist?"

"Well, not t' toot my own horn, Sweetie," the Manehatten girl began to answer her, "but I have done pretty well so far. F' years, I've been participatin' in a whole lotta OTS Tournaments in almost every card store in Manehatten. I usually end up winnin' the whole thing, or at least finish in the top four."

"Wow..." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said, impressed with the girl's track record.

"That's pretty impressive for someone as young as you are, Babs." Sunset told her. "If it's not imposing, would you mind telling us what kind of Deck you use?"

"Heh, sorry Ms. Shimmer. Can't tell ya." the brown-skinned girl told her. "You'll just hafta wait 'til I bust it out in a Duel."

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "We could go outside right now and test our Decks! Then we can see what you use, Babs!"

"Uh, yeah! Sounds good t' me, too!" Babs agreed.

"Then let's get our Duel Pads and Decks out, and we can get started right away!" Sunset Shimmer suggested.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle chimed in.

Just as everyone was in high spirits, Twilight then heard something outside that immediately got her attention. "Wait! Hold on, everypo- er, everybody!" she said to them all.

"Somethin' the matter, Twilight?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I think I just heard Applejack outside..." the Princess of Friendship told her. "And it sounded like she was yelling at someone."

"Yelling?" asked Sunset. "To who?"

"I don't know, but I don't have a good feeling about it." Twilight replied. "We should go and see what it is before we do anything else. She might need our help." The others agreed and headed out of the clubhouse to see what was going on, with Spike hopping into Twilight's backpack to ride around in.

"...Care t' run that by me again, stranger?" Applejack asked in a not-so-pleased tone. Right next to her was Big Mac, who also didn't seem too happy about what was going on.

"You heard what I said, young lady." the strange person spoke to her. As it turned out, Applejack was talking to Ms. Skyeblaze, who had just arrived at the front of the farm house with her companion Lucky. The boy still seemed uninterested in everything that was going on. "We're looking for someone named Babs Seed." the older woman told her. "I heard that she was in the area, and I intend to find her so that I can... discuss some things with her..."

"...And what, exactly, do y'all plan t' discuss with mah little cousin about...?" the farm girl asked, getting suspicious.

"That's none of your business." Skyeblaze told her. "Just tell us if she's here or not."

"Ah don't think so." Applejack refused. "When a complete stranger comes over t' me and starts askin' about somethin' involvin' mah cousin or any member of mah family, it becomes mah business. So you ain't getting any info outta me until you tell me why y'all wanna talk with her!"

The older woman huffed and replied, saying, "Such unpleasant behavior... Hasn't anyone ever told you that you should show respect for your superiors?"

"Ah'll keep that in mind when Ah actually meet someone Ah think is superior to me, then..." the farm girl stated.

Skyeblaze grumbled at that comment, which got a snicker out of Lucky. "What are YOU laughing at?!" the woman shouted at the boy.

"Ya gotta admit: she got ya good there, lady." Lucky replied with a smirk.

"Applejack...!!" shouted Twilight's voice off in the distance. Everyone glanced over and saw the purple-skinned girl running towards them, along with Sunset, Spike, Babs, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.

Once they got over to the scene, Sunset asked her hat-wearing friend, "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

At that moment, Skyeblaze glanced over to the side and spotted Babs Seed. "You!!" she shouted, pointing straight at her.

The Manehatten girl gasped and said, "Oh no! Not you two again!"

"Wait, what??" Applejack spoke up. Turning over to her little cousin, she asked her, "Babs, don't tell me y'all know these two weirdos?"

At that moment, Skyeblaze began to chuckle softly before saying, "Oh she knows us alright, young lady. And would you like to know why?" Scowling a little, she then shouted, "The reason is because she stole something from us!!"

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed the others in shock.

"That's right... Your little cousin over there stole a Deck from us a few months ago." the older woman explained to them. "And that's the reason we're here! We've come to take that Deck back from her! Once we've got it, we'll be on our way."

"That... that can't be true..." Apple Bloom spoke, not believing what she just heard. Turning over to her cousin, she then asked her, 'Babs... is what she's sayin' true?"

"Of course not, cuz!" Babs told her. "I'd nevah steal anythin'!! She's lyin'!!"

"Oh am I?" asked Skyeblaze. "We saw you take that Deck from our school months ago. A Deck that rightfully belongs to me! So why don't you try being a good girl and hand it back over?" Babs just growled a little response, not in any mood to comply.

Spike, watching the whole scene, suddenly noticed that Twilight had her eyes closed and arms folded in front of her, meaning that she was in deep thought. "What's up with you, Twilight?" he asked her. "What are you thinking about?"

Humming a little to herself, the young Princess told him, "Something doesn't seem right about this... I think there's more to this whole thing than what we're being told."

"Good, so it's not just me, then." Sunset chimed in. "I got that same feeling myself."

"Same here, girls." Applejack said, adding to their thoughts.

Noticing them at that moment, Skyeblaze then shouted to them, "Hey! What are you three mumbling about?! If you have something to say to us, then say it to us!"

Applejack, now angry at the strange people, said to them, "Fine then, Ah will. We we're just sayin' that we don't exactly buy into your whole story."

"What?!" exclaimed the older woman.

"Ah think that someone IS lyin' here, but Ah'm pretty sure that it ain't Babs." the farm girl told the two of them. "Babs may be a bit rough around the edges, but she knows better than to just steal somethin'!" The young Manehatten girl looked up at her older cousin, moved by the fact that she seemed to believe her.

"You take her word over mine?" asked Skyeblaze, now starting to sound frustrated. "Just listen to yourself: Why would an adult like myself have any reason to be dishonest with you over such a matter?"

"Because just about anyone is capable of lyin' if they think that it'll benefit them." Applejack answered. "After all, Ah know a pair of shop owner brothers that do nothin' BUT be dishonest to every customer they get! Just 'cause you're older than us doesn't mean we should just blindly take your word as truth. So if mah cousin says she didn't steal anythin' from her, then Ah'll believe her! Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

"...Eeeyup." the older brother replied in a stern tone, agreeing with his sister.

"...Cousin Applejack..." Babs replied, deeply touched.

"That goes for me, too!" Apple Bloom chimed in. "The Babs that I know would never steal! And besides that, you don't have any real proof that she did it!!"

Lucky and Skyeblaze weren't expecting something like this to happen. "W-well... well, YOU don't have any real proof that she DIDN'T do it! So you can't prove anything, either!" the older woman snapped back. "Not that it matters anyway. If I told anyone else, it would be your word against mine, and they'll certainly not believe a bunch of children like you."

"Then I guess there's only one sure-fire way to solve this problem." Sunset spoke up. Smiling a little, as if she had come up with a clever plan, she then asked, "How about you and Babs settle this dispute with a Duel?"

"A Duel?? asked everyone else.

Nodding yes and pointing to Skyeblaze's arm, the jacket-wearing girl said to her, "That Duel Pad on your arm: Obviously you brought it with you because you planned on dueling for that Deck in the end anyway. So I think a Duel would be the best way to solve this dispute, that is, if you ARE a real Duelist, that is."

"O-o-of course I am!" the older woman shouted. "Are you suggesting that I can't duel?! I can most certainly duel!! After all, that Deck your little friend took belongs to me!"

"In that case," Sunset continued, "it should be easy for you to win it back. After all, if it DOES belong to you, you should know everything about it. And you would have brought a Deck that could counter it perfectly, right?"

"Ohhhh... now I get what she's doing." Twilight said.

"What? What is she doing?" Spike asked.

"It's simple: Like Sunset said, if that Deck really was stolen from that woman, then she should know exactly how to fight it." the Princess of Friendship answered. "So Sunset suggested that they duel each other, and if that woman beats that Deck easily, then she's telling the truth. Otherwise, if she loses against it, or refuses to Duel, then that means she's lying, because it suggests that she doesn't know what it is, despite claiming that it belonged to her."

"That's brilliant!" commented Applejack. "And t' think, she came up with that idea in only a minute or so... You two really are a pair of smart cookies."

"Aheh... I guess you could say that..." the purple girl replied, rubbing the back of her head.

"Speaking of food," Spike began to say, "didn't Sunset say something about a pie yesterday?"

"Maybe later, Spike." Twilight told him.

Staring down Skyeblaze and Lucky, Sunset smirked and asked her, "So what's it gonna be? If you can beat that Deck easily, then we'll believe you. But if you back out or lose, then we'll know you're lying."

The older woman grumbled, but knew that she didn't have any choice. "Fine then, I'll agree to your ridiculous idea, if only to prove that I'm right!" she shouted.

"Then it's a deal. You and Babs duel, and the winner gets the Deck." Sunset confirmed, making sure that everyone was clear on the terms of the Duel. Turning over to Babs Seed, she told her, "Sorry to wrap you up in this whole thing, but it was the only thing I could think of."

"Heh, I ain't mad, Shimmer." Babs replied in a casual tone. "I likes the way you think. You n' me might just get along like a house on fire... That is, as long as I win this and the plan doesn't backfire."

"I don't think we'll need to worry about that happening." Sunset told her. "Just get out there and show her how a True Duelist battles!"

"It'd be my pleasure!" Babs then activated her Duel Pad and Gazer, and then Ms. Skyeblaze did the same. Once they were ready, the two of them drew their opening hands, ready to start their battle.

"LET'S DUEL!!!" the two combatants shouted in unison (Ms. Skyeblaze: LP 4,000) (Babs Seed: LP 4,000).

Once everyone else had pulled out their Duel Gazers and activated them, Babs and Skyeblaze were ready to duel. "Now then, I believe that the old adage 'age before beauty' seems appropriate right now." the older woman told her opponent. "So I'll begin this Duel!"

"Go right ahead, then." Babs told her. "And you're right 'bout the age before beauty thing. 'Cause ya certainly ain't pretty-lookin' when you get mad!"

"Hmph... very funny." Skyeblaze replied, not at all amused by that comment. Taking out a card from her hand, she said, "I'll begin with one card face-down..." Taking a Monster Card out of her hand next, she then finished, saying, "And for my last move this turn, I'll Summon Fluffal Bear in Attack Mode!" Skyeblaze's first monster was a cute, pink teddy bear wearing a scarf and possessing a pair of white wings (Fluffal Bear: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 800).

"Awwwwww!!! That little teddy's so CUTE!!!" squealed Sweetie Belle. "I just wanna go over there and hug it!!"

"What kinda Deck is that lady usin'?" asked Applejack. "That bear doesn't seem too powerful t' me..."

Sunset said nothing and thought about the woman's opening move. (Hmmm... an unusual first play... I wonder what she's up to...?) she thought.

"Heh, if dat's the best you've got, then yous really have no idea what you're up against!" Babs told her opponent. "Now I draw!" After pulling her first card and looking at it, she placed it into her hand and starting formulating a strategy in her mind. (Okay, dat's what I'll do first.) she said to herself. Playing one of her cards, she then shouted, "I Summon my Baobaboon in Attack Mode!" Babs Seed's first monster appeared to be a black-furred baboon stuck inside of a tree that appeared to walk on its roots (Baobaboon: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000).

"Uhhh... what the heck is that thing??" asked Scootaloo. "It looks... weird." Sunset, however, seemed to think that it was a good opening move for Babs.

The Manehatten girl then spoke up, telling her opponent, "Now that I've Summoned Baobaboon, I can use his effect! Now I can draw one card, but then I must take a card in my hand and place it on the top or bottom of my Deck." After drawing the next card off the top of her Deck, she then placed one of her other cards at the bottom of her Deck.

"What's she doing now?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, my guess is that she's trying to draw a particular card from her Deck." Sunset answered her. "At least, that's what I'm guessing."

"But what is she tryin' to draw?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I guess we'll find out if it happens." Twilight replied, eager to see what would happen next.

Babs then casually said to Skyeblaze, "Since our monsters attacks are equal, I won't attack yous this turn. I'll just set a card and end it there."

"Hmph... I'm not impressed by that move at all, you little thief." Skyeblaze huffed. "But it won't matter soon anyway. You'll pay for taking that Deck, and I intend to make sure that you do!" The woman then drew her next card and said, "I now send the Fluffal Bear that I just drew from my Deck to the Graveyard to activate its effect! This allows me to set a copy of Toy Vendor from my Deck straight to the field!"

"Setting a card directly from your Deck??" asked Applejack. "Ah've never heard about somethin' like that!"

"Well after this move, you'll not soon forget it!" Skyeblaze said to them as she took her card out of the Deck and placed it face-down onto the field. "And now I'll go right ahead and play Toy Vendor!" she then said, flipping it face-up.

*******************************

Toy Vendor:
(Continuous Spell Card)

Once per turn: You can discard 1 card; draw 1 card and reveal it, then if it is a "Fluffal" monster, you can Special Summon 1 monster from your hand. Otherwise, discard the card you drew. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Edge Imp Sabres" or 1 "Fluffal" monster from your Deck to your hand.

*******************************

"And now for my Spell Card's effect:" Skyeblaze said to her foe. "I discard a card, then draw a new one. If it's a Fluffal, I can Special Summon any monster from my hand. If not, I discard the card I drew." After paying the card's cost, she then drew the next card off the top of her Deck and showed it: Edge Imp Sabres.

"Heh, too bad, lady." Babs told her. "Looks like ya struck out there."

Discarding the card she drew, Skyeblaze chuckled to herself and told her foe, "Actually, I was hoping that card would show up. After all, in order to make my biggest move, I need that card in my Graveyard."

"What for?" asked the Manehatten girl.

"You'll see soon enough..." the older woman told her. "But first, I'll activate the effect of Fluffal Wings, the card I discarded to use Toy Vendor's effect. By banishing it, along with the Fluffal Bear in my Graveyard, I can draw one more card." After doing that, she then added, "In addition, Fluffal Wings also allows me to send Toy Vendor to the Graveyard to draw a second card from my Deck!"

As Skyeblaze drew her next card, Applejack then said to her friends, "That move of hers helped to reinforce her hand... She's clearly lookin' for a specific card, just like Babs is..."

"Yeah, but what?" Sunset asked.

"I've got a feeling we're gonna know pretty soon..." Spike responded, not sure what to expect.

After looking at the new cards that she drew, Skyeblaze then said, "Now I activate the effect of the Edge Imp Sabres in my Graveyard! By returning one card from my hand to the top of my Deck, I can bring it back!" After placing one of her cards back on top of her Deck, a dark-purple portal then appeared in front of the older woman. Out from that portal came a a creature that looked like six pairs of scissors connected together. Within the space where the scissors' handles were, a black cloud with a pair of evil-looking red eyes could be seen (Edge Imp Sabres: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 800).

"That... sure don't look friendly..." Apple Bloom commented.

"I agree..." Sweetie Belle replied.

Chuckling some more and putting on a sinister-looking face, Skyeblaze then told them, "If you think that is scary, then you'll faint once I show just vicious my creatures can truly be!" Taking a card out of her hand, she then shouted, "I play the Spell Card, Polymerization!! And I use it to fuse together my Edge Imp Sabres and Fluffal Bear on the field, along with the Fluffal Penguin that is in my hand!!"

"A Fusion Summon?!" exclaimed Applejack, who was as surprised as the others were.

As her three monsters were sucked into a red and blue-colored portal above them, Skyeblaze began to chant, saying, "Claws of the demon! Fury of the bear! The avian torpedo! Become one with one another and prey upon my enemies! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Predator beast of darkness! Frightfur Wolf!"

After playing her Fusion Monster onto the field, the portal in the sky then turned dark as a shadowy figure appeared before Babs and the others. When the dark clouds dispersed, the figure that stood before them all was a heavily-shredded stuffed toy wolf with stitches and stuffing coming out of several places on its body. Sharp scissors were stuck all around inside of it, and inside the toy's mouth were another pair of sinister eyes (Frightfur Wolf: Level 6 / ATK 2000 / DEF 1500).

"AHHHHH!!! What is that thing?!" screamed Sweetie Belle.

"I'll tell ya one thing..." Scootaloo responded, "that ain't your everyday stuffed animal..."

"That thing looks like it's demon-possessed!" Apple Bloom commented.

"Probably because it is." Applejack informed her younger sister.

"Quite right, little girl..." Skyeblaze told her in a low voice. "When my Edge Imp demons combine with my Fluffals they create more powerful, more sinister monsters the likes of which you've never seen! Sure, their souls become more corrupted as a result of the Fusion, but if it grants me a victory, who cares if I have to toss out a few weaker cards?"

Sunset didn't particularly care for that comment, and neither did anyone else. It seemed pretty clear that the woman before them cared more about winning a Duel than about her own cards.

"And speaking of which, I now activate the effect of Fluffal Penguin in the Graveyard." Skyeblaze told them. "Since it was used to Fusion Summon a Frightfur Fusion Monster, I can then draw two cards from my Deck, but then I must discard one." After drawing her cards and sending one to the Graveyard, she then added, "So I guess that means some of these weaker cards have a use after all."

Growling a bit, Applejack told her friends, "Boy, Ah wish that lady would just stop talkin' altogether if she's gonna make comments like that...!"

"I know... No True Duelist would ever say things like that about their own cards." Sunset said, agreeing with her. "I'm starting to become more convinced that she's the problem here and not Babs..." Twilight and the others nodded in agreement.

"And now for my Battle Phase, and it shall be the ONLY Battle Phase in this whole Duel!!" said Skyeblaze.

"And why's that, huh?" asked Babs Seed, bracing herself.

"Because of Frightfur Wolf's ability, that's why." the woman told her. "For every monster I sent to the Graveyard to Summon it, it can attack that many times each turn!"

Gasping, Twilight exclaimed, "That's not good! That woman used three monsters to Summon that wolf!"

"Which means that she can end the Duel right here if she destroys Babs' monster, and then attacks her directly twice!" Apple Bloom added.

"...I wouldn't be too sure about that, girls." Sunset told them.

"Whad'ya mean?" asked Scootaloo. But the jacket-wearing teen just pointed to the Duel in progress to tell them that they should see for themselves what she meant. They also noticed that Applejack didn't seem too worried for her cousin either, even smiling a little.

"Now Frightfur Wolf, attack her wimpy little ape!!" shouted Skyeblaze. "Cleaver Claws!!" The blue wolf then pounced onto Babs Seed's only monster, tearing it to shreds and destroying it (Babs Seed: LP 4,000 - 800 = 3,200). "And now my monster will attack you dire-"

"Not so fast, lady!" Babs interrupted her. "Yous might wanna check the field first before you make that next move..."

"What are you-?" But when Skyeblaze looked at the field, she gasped. Now there appeared to be TWO more monsters on Babs' side of the field, and they looked just like the previous one. "WHAT?! Where did those monsters come from?!? How did that happen?!?" she shouted in protest.

"Why should I ask ya, lady?" the Manehatten girl inquired her. "After all, yous DID say that I stole this Deck from ya. So yous should know exactly happened."

"Uh..." the woman could only say, not sure how to answer that question.

"Can't answer?" Babs asked her. "Then I'll tells ya: When Baobaboon's destroyed, his ability lets me Summon the other two copies I have of him from my Deck! That means the rest'o my Life Points are safe from that ugly monstrosity of yours!"

"That's not fair!!" Skyeblaze complained, whining a little.

"Oh it's quite fair." Babs told her. "And best of all, since they were Summoned to the field, I can use their effects right now! So twice now, I'll draw one card and return one more to the top or bottom of my Deck!" And she did just that, drawing a total of two cards and sending two more to the bottom of her Deck.

"That was amazing!" complimented Apple Bloom. "She just stopped that lady from beating her!"

"And not only that," added Scootaloo, "she even drew more cards from her Deck!"

"That was a pretty expert play on Babs' part." Applejack chimed in. "She was definitely thinking pretty far ahead t' pull of a great move like that."

"Indeed." Sunset agreed. She then glanced over at Skyeblaze and thought, (Which makes it pretty odd that the woman who says she had that Deck stolen from her didn't know about that...)

Scowling, the older woman then shouted, "Frightfur Wolf!! Take down those two monsters!!" With that order, her Fusion Monster destroyed the two newly-Summoned monsters on Babs' field.

"No problem for me, Lady." the Manehatten girl casually told her opponent. "I Summoned them both in Defense Mode, so my Life Points don't go down."

"Grrrr... I end my turn." Skyeblaze responded, frustrated that her plan had failed.

Drawing a card, Babs smirked once she saw what it was, she thought to herself, (There it is... that's card I was hoping t' pull.) Staring down at her opponent, she said to her, "If yous think dat your monsters r' scary and vicious, then you ain't seen nothin' yet!" Playing a monster from her hand, she shouted, "I Summon Predaplant Flytrap in Attack Mode!!" After playing her card, a green plant then began to grow from out of the ground in front of her. Once fully-grown, the monster had the appearance of a large-sized Venus Flytrap (Predaplant Flytrap: Level 2 / ATK 400 / DEF 800).

"Woah... I guess Babs is goin' for creepy and scary just like that weird old lady is." Scootaloo commented.

(Hmmm... a Predaplant Deck, huh?) Sunset pondered. (Interesting choice...)

Chuckling a little, Skyeblaze then asked her foe, "Do you really think that ugly little weed is any threat to me?"

"Actually, I think it will be." Babs told her. "Now I use Predaplant Flytrap's effect, which lets me stick a Predator Counter on one'a your monsters! And I choose your Frightfur Wolf!" And with that, her monster then spit out a green ball that formed itself into a mean-looking head with razor-sharp fangs. The creepy head then chomped down onto Skyeblaze's Fusion Monster.

"What is the meaning of this?!" asked the woman.

"Ya mean you don't know? Any monster that's been stuck with a Predator Counter automatically becomes a Level 1 monster!" Babs informed her (Frightfur Wolf: Level 6 > Level 1 / Predator Counters: 1).

"So what?" asked Skyeblaze. "That doesn't affect my monster's attack power! So what good will it do you??"

"Pretty weird that you should have t' ask that, seein' as how this is supposedly YOUR Deck." Babs pointed out. "But if you really don't know, then I won't waste any more time tryin' to explain it." Taking out the card that she had just drawn this turn, she shouted, "Now I activate a Spell Card. I'll play my OWN Polymerization!!"

Everyone gasped when they heard her say that. "She's gonna Fusion Summon too?!" asked Apple Bloom.

"I'm willing to bet that Babs Seed was trying to draw that card this whole time..." Twilight stated. Sunset and Applejack agreed with her, nodding yes.

"I'll use my fusion card to fuse Predaplant Flytrap on the field with Predaplant Squid Drosera in my hand!" Babs declared as another red and blue vortex appeared in the sky and drew in her two monsters. "Two beautiful flowers with voracious appetites! Combine together and unleash a new, more vicious horror from deep in the abyss!" she then chanted. "Fusion Summon! Grow now! Predaplant Chimerafflesia!"

After that, the vortex sent a violet-colored lightning bolt straight down to the ground below, causing the earth to shake. Then from out of the dirt, a large plant began to grow from out of it. Once it was fully-grown, the resulting Fusion Monster was a gigantic Rafflesia flower (known for smelling horrible) with a pair of fanged vines growing out from its sides.

*******************************

Predaplant Chimerafflesia:
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Plant-Type/DARK/Level 7/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

1 "Predaplant" monster + 1 DARK monster
Once per turn: You can target 1 monster on the field with a Level less than or equal to this card's; banish it. When an attack is declared involving this card and an opponent's face-up monster: You can activate this effect; until the end of this turn, that opponent's monster loses 1000 ATK, and if it does, this card gains 1000 ATK. Once per turn, during the next Standby Phase after this card was sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Polymerization" Spell Card or "Fusion" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.

*******************************

"Woah... that thing's every scarier than that mean-looking wolf..." commented Sweetie Belle, shaking a little.

"Yeah, I agree with ya there, Sweetie Belle..." Scootaloo added. "But at least that thing's on our side... I think."

Of course, the one who was trembling the most was Ms. Skyeblaze. She wasn't expecting to have to fight a Deck that also used Fusion Monsters. She tried to say something, but remained speechless.

"Heh, for once, you're totally silent." Babs told the woman. "I should enjoy this moment while it lasts."

Grumbling a little Skyeblaze then broke her silence and shouted to her enemy, "Just get on with your move already!"

"Alright then, but I should warn yous 'bout somethin'." the Manehatten girl told her.

"And what's that?"

"Well, lady," she explained, "my Chimerafflesia has the power to take any of your monsters and banish it from the game, as long as its Level is equal to or lower than its own."

Skyeblaze gasped, realizing something. She then started to ask, "No way...! You mean that-?"

"Yous got it." Babs answered her. "Not that I needed to, but with my Predator Counters, I can make your monsters more susceptible to effects like my Chimerafflesia." Chuckling a little, she then added, "But even so, I don't think I'll need to activate that effect this turn."

"What do you mean??" asked the woman, getting a little worried.

"Just watch! Chimerafflesia, attack Frightfur Wolf!!" Babs ordered. "Draining Vine!!" At that moment, the plant creature then fired out several of its vines, striking Skyeblaze's Fusion Monster. Once that happened, Frightfur Wolf's body color began to get paler and paler with each passing second.

"What are you doing to my monster?!" shouted the blue-skinned woman.

"That's Chimerafflesia's other effect." Babs answered. "When it attacks one of your monsters, or when it's BEING attacked, my monster can shred off 1,000 of your monster's attack points and add them to its own for one turn!" (Frigthfur Wolf: ATK 2000 - 1000 = 1000) (Predaplant Chimerafflesia: ATK 2500 + 1000 = 3500)

"No!!" screamed Skyeblaze as her monster was sucked dry, turning into a brittle shell of dust and crumbling to the ground (Ms. Skyeblaze: LP 4,000 - 2,500 = 1,500).

"And now that your monster's gone, I think now's a good time to play my Trap Card." Babs then told her. "I activate Predaplanet!! This card gets its effect every time a monster with a Predator Counter is taken off the field! Now I can add any card from my Deck to my hand that has 'Predap' somewhere in its name! And I'll choose one of my favorites: Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!"

"That was awesome!" Spike cheered. "She took out that creepy toy for good!"

"And not only that, she even got another card out of her Deck at the same time." Sunset added. "That's the reason she stuck that Predator Counter on her wolf in the first place."

"Now Babs just has to hit her for 1,500 more damage, and she'll beat that old lady!" Apple Bloom chimed in.

"Grrrr... stop calling me old, you little brats!" shouted Skyeblaze, getting angrier by the second.

"Why not?" Babs asked. "After all ya seem t' forget things pretty easily; like how ya seemed t' forget what cards were in this Deck." She then told her, "Unless of course, you just simply admit that you was lyin' about me stealin' this Deck from you."

"That'll never happen!!" shouted Skyeblaze, getting angrier at her foe. "I'll PROVE that you stole from me, one way or another!!"

Standing off to the side, Lucky was observing the Duel, as well as the state of the two competitors. (Don't you realize what that little kid's doin', lady?) he thought to himself. (If you continue t' lose focus that easily, we'll lose that Deck for sure!)

"Get ready, you little thief... This is where I make you pay!" The older woman then drew her next card and placed into her hand. "I now activate my Trap Card! Fusion Reserve!! Now by revealing one of the Fusion Monsters in my Extra Deck, I can add one of its Fusion Materials to my hand from my Deck!" Taking out her Extra Deck and pulling out one of the cards in it, she showed it to Babs and told her, "I choose to reveal my Frightfur Leo, and then add my Edge Imp Saw to my hand!"

"Lemme guess:" the Manehatten girl began to say. "You're bringin' that monster out, aren't ya?"

"For once, you're quite right." Skyeblaze said smugly as she put the monster she took from her Deck into her hand. "And as an added bonus, Fusion Reserve also lets me retrieve a Polymerization from my Graveyard as well!"

"Oh no... that means she has a chance at Summonin' that monster she revealed right now!" Applejack noted.

"There's a good chance." Sunset told her farm girl friend. "We just have to hope that Babs can deal with it when it comes."

"Then let's start hoping..." Spike chimed in.

"Next I activate the Spell Card known as Suture Rebirth." said Ms. Skyeblaze. "This lets me revive Fluffal Penguin from my Graveyard in Defense Mode with its effects negated." After playing her Spell Card, a dark-purple portal appeared, and a small stuffed toy penguin with a pair of earmuffs emerged onto her side of the field (Fluffal Penguin: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1000).

"Awww... that little penguin is so cute!" Sweetie Belle noted. She then put on a sad face and added, "But I'm going to guess it won't stay that way, huh?"

"Probably not." Apple Bloom answered her.

Taking out another card from her hand, Ms. Skyeblaze then shouted, "And now, once more, I activate Polymerization!! I use it to fuse the Edge Imp Saw in my hand with Fluffal Penguin in my hand!!" Once more, the swirly vortex appeared in the sky, sucking up both of the woman's monsters to prepare for the Summon. "Steel blades possessed by demons, become one with the avian torpedo, and show us a new form and power!" she then chanted. "Fusion Summon! Show yourself! King of the hundred beasts that tears everything to pieces! Frightfur Leo!!"

After the Summoning Chant was complete, another frightening figure emerged from out of the vortex. It was another horribly-mutilated stuffed animal - a lion - with creepy red eyes, blood-red claws on each of its paws, sharp, red teeth glimmering from out of its maw, and several silver circular saw blades sticking out of its body (Frightfur Leo: Level 7 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000).

The others stepped back a bit, grimacing at the sinister-looking creature that had just emerged. "Okay, I've seen some really creepy things before, but that thing certainly takes the cake!" Twilight pointed out.

"And probably ate it, too!" Spike added.

"...Not really that funny, Spike." Sunset criticized slightly.

"Yeah, you're right. My bad." the puppy apologized.

Babs, however, wasn't really creeped out by the monster's appearance (since she also used some pretty grotesque monsters herself). "So, tell me," she began to ask her opponent, "what's that overgrown stuffed kitten s'posed t' do? Y'know, BESIDES bein' ugly."

"I'm glad you asked, you little brat..." Skyeblaze told her. "Once per turn, Frightfur Leo allows me to destroy any monster you have on the field, then you take damage equal to that destroyed monster's attack points!"

The Manehatten girl gasped a bit. "Yous can't be serious!" she protested.

"Does THIS look un-serious to you?!" the blue-skinned woman shouted, a bit manically. "Go, Leo!! Uproot her Chimerafflesia!! Demon Saw Shredding!!" The patchwork beast then let out a vicious-sounding growl as it launched the saw blades attached to its head right at Babs' Plant-Type monster, slicing it into cutlings. The blades didn't stop there though: They continued their path of destruction and struck Babs directly, causing her a great amount of damage (Babs Seed: LP 3,200 - 2,500 = 700).

"Aw, shoot!!" Applejack said in despair. "Her monster got taken out so easily! Now she's totally wide open!"

"Don't worry about Babs just yet, AJ." Sunset told her. "Frightfur Leo isn't allowed to attack directly on the same turn it uses its effect."

Sighing out of relief, Sweetie Belle then said, "That's good... That means Babs can still try and make a comeback..."

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't get your hopes up." Ms. Skyeblaze told her. "Sure, I may not be able to get an attack this turn due to my monster's effect, but I'll make certain that your little thieving friend doesn't get out of my trap!" Pulling out another card from her hand, she then added, "So I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy that Trap Card of yours!" Babs grumbled a bit as her Predaplanet card was instantly destroyed. "And lastly," the woman told her foe, "I'll set a card face-down. Your move..."

"Hmph, is that all?" asked Babs, smirking a little. Apparently, she wasn't scared one bit, remaining confident even after losing her powerful Fusion Monster. "I was expectin' a lot worse than that, old lady."

"Why you little-... STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!" yelled Skyeblaze. "What do you think you're smiling about?! I'm about to beat you and don't seem to care one bit!"

"I don't, and that's because ya WON'T beat me!" Babs told her. "And I'm about t' show you why!" She then drew her next card, smiled and told her opponent, "Durin' my Standby Phase, I use the last effect of Predaplant Chimerafflesia. Since ya sent it to the Graveyard last turn, I get t' take any Spell Card from my Deck that has either 'Polymerization' or 'Fusion' in its name! Naturally, I'll choose the old classic, Polymerization!" And with that, she added the powerful Spell Card to her hand.

"So that's why she seemed so confident..." Scootaloo hypothesized. "Now she's set up for another Fusion Monster!"

"It seems that way." Sunset responded, though she began to think that there might have been some other reason for Babs Seed's self confidence.

Still smiling, Babs then said to Ms. Skyeblaze, "And while we're on the subject of old favorites, here's another one from the good old days!" Playing the card she just drew, the young girl declared, "I Summon Sangan in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was a small, furry little creature with long clawed arms, clawed feet, three yellow eyes, and a toothy grin on its face (Sangan: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 600).

(Hmmm... Sangan... Another interesting choice for her Deck...) Sunset Shimmer pondered to herself.

"Now I activate Polymerization!! Babs then shouted. "I'll fuse Predaplant Sarraceniant in my hand with Sangan on my field and Fusion Summon ANOTHER Predaplant Chimerafflesia in Attack Mode!!" In an instant, the two chosen monsters were sucked into the red and blue vortex, allowing Babs to Summon another copy of the giant plant monster to the field.

"Alright! She got anothah one'a those Fusion Monsters out!" Apple Bloom cheered.

"Perhaps she did..." started Ms. Skyblaze, "but I'm afraid it won't be staying out for very long!! Activate Bottomless Trap Hole!!"

*******************************

Bottomless Trap Hole:
(Normal Trap Card)

When your opponent Summons a monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK: Destroy that monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK, and if you do, banish it.

*******************************

Just as quickly as it appeared, Babs' Fusion Monster fell into a hole that appeared beneath where it grew, vanishing from the battle for good. "Aw crud!!" the Manehatten girl responded, a bit frustrated.

"Seems your little flower's days were short-lived, little girl..." chuckled Skyeblaze.

Babs growled a bit, but remained clam as she told her opponent, "Maybe so, but since Sangan got sent to the Graveyard, I get t' add a monster with 1500 or less attack points from Deck to my hand!" She then took out her chosen card (Predaplant Sarraceniant) and put it away with the rest of the cards that she was holding.

"True, but since you already conducted your Normal Summon this turn, you can't play it just yet!" Ms. Skyeblaze reminded her foe. "And that's a shame, because my Frightfur Leo is ready to attack you next turn!"

"If you think you're so sure of that, then bring it on, ya old bat!" Babs taunted her.

"Grrrr... very well, then!!" yelled the woman as she drew her next card. "Frightfur Leo, attack that brat directly and end this Duel!!" The vicious toy then jumped into the air, preparing to strike the young girl.

Lucky, watching from the side lines, yelled over to Ms. Skyeblaze, "Are you REALLY that stupid, lady?!?"

"What are you talking about?!" the older woman shouted at him. "I'm about to win this Duel!! Who are YOU to call ME stupid?!?"

"Actually, we both are." Babs suddenly spoke. Taking a card from her hand and playing into the Monster Zone, she then declared, "I Special Summon my Predaplant Sarraceniant in Defense Mode!!" Her newly-Summoned monster appeared to be a bright green ant with several similarly-colored leaves growing out of its back (Predaplant Sarraceniant: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 600).

"What the-?!" said a shocked Ms. Skyeblaze.

"Yous obviously weren't payin' attention t' my last move, old lady." Babs told her. "Y'see the whole reason I Summoned Sangan last turn was t' pull this card outta my Deck, just in case you had a Trap Card ready to take out one'a my Fusion Monsters. Luckily for me, you made it pretty easy f' me to predict your move when you told me that you'd do anything t' keep me from winnin'." Looking at her card on her Duel Pad, the Manehatten girl then explained, "Y'see if I've got Predaplant Sarraceniant in my hand, I can Summon it whenevah ya declare a direct attack t' protect me."

"So I'll just destroy that monster instead, then!" the woman told her.

"Yous COULD go and do that, but I wouldn't if I was you." Babs warned her. "If yous battle Sarraceniant, its effect lets me destroy the monster it battled, even IF your monster won the fight!"

"WHAT?!? That's not fair!!" complained Ms. Skyeblaze. Grumbling, she had no choice but to call off her monster's attack and end the Battle Phase. "In that case," she then said, still angry. "I'll use Leo's effect and destroy your monster WITHOUT battling it!! So THERE!!"

Skyeblaze's giant toy monster then snarled as it used its saws to destroy Babs' monster. But the short-haired red head wasn't intimidated, still smirking (Babs Seed: LP 700 - 100 = 600). "All of dat for a wimpy 100 points of damage..." she told her. "Lemme tell ya; it wasn't worth it. When Predaplant Sarraceniant is destroyed for any reason, its effect lets me take any 'Predap' card outta my Deck. And I'll choose my Spell Card, Predapruning!"

Twilight then said to Sunset, "Once again, Babs managed to stop that woman from winning the Duel, and even managing to give herself an advantage at the same time."

"Indeed, Twilight." the black jacket-clad teen replied. "Babs knows just about every possible way to make the most out of her cards so that she can always be prepared no matter what her opponent does... At the same time, that woman is constantly taken by surprise by each of Babs' moves. Someone who claims to have had that Deck stolen from her shouldn't be caught off guard by the cards that are in it..."

"Ah noticed that, too." Applejack chimed in. "Ah was sure of it from the start, but now Ah'm even MORE sure that everythin' that weird lady's been sayin' was total baloney!"

"Same here!" Apple Bloom agreed, her friends also nodding to say that they felt the same.

"Eeeyup!" Big Mac agreed as well.

Apple Bloom then shouted over to her cousin, "You can do it, Babs!! Go n' beat the skirt off that old lady!!"

Babs turned around to look at Apple Bloom and the others, who were all smiling and sending her good vibes. After hearing that they all truly believed in her, the Manehatten girl smiled and told her cousin, "You bet I will, cuz! There's no way I'm gonna let her steal my Deck again!"

(Again?) asked Sunset, thinking about that last word she said.

Now Ms. Skyeblaze was more frustrated than ever. No matter what she tried, nothing she did seemed to work against Babs Seed. Taking the card she had just drawn, she then thought, (My Magic Jammer Trap Card... If that brat plays her Spell Card to help her next turn, I'll stop it before it can happen!!) Placing it into her Duel Pad, she then yelled, "I'll set this card, just to make SURE that you can't defeat me!" after doing that, she ended her turn.

Once again, Lucky grumbled a bit, saying in his mind, (Stop doing that, lady... Stop broadcasting your whole strategy...!)

Babs, now more confident than ever, told her opponent, "Too bad, lady... Dat was your last turn. Now get ready... 'cause with my next move, I'm gonna unleash... my Manehatten Rage!!"

"Yeah!! You tell 'em Cousin!!" cheered Apple Bloom.

Twilight, Sunset, and Applejack were a bit dumbstruck by Babs' last comment. "...Manehatten Rage?" asked the farm girl. "What in the hay is that even supposed t' mean?"

"Well, at least we know that she hasn't lost confidence in herself." Twilight noted, still finding the comment a little silly.

Sunset said nothing, but instead continued to support Babs Seed in her mind. (Go for it, Babs...) she thought. (Show that woman what being a True Duelist means!)

"It's my turn! I draw!!" shouted the Manehatten girl as she drew the next card off the top of her Deck. "Now I'll Normal Summon my Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio in Attack Mode!!" After playing her card, another mostly-plant creature dug itself out of the ground. It appeared to look like a very dark green scorpion with brighter-green vines growing on it, thorned pincers, and potent-looking stinger (Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 800). "And because I Normall Summoned it, I get t' use its effect!" Babs continued. "All I gots t' do is send my Mystic Tomato from my hand t' the Graveyard, and I can bring out a different Predaplant from my Deck to join it! And I'll choose... Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra!"

The short-haired red-head's next monster was a vine/snake-like creature with two violet-colored heads. The two head hissed angrily at Skyeblaze, as if it wished to lunge at her (Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1500).

"And because my Darlingtonia Cobra was Summoned to the field through the effect of one'a my Pdreaplants," Babs then explained, "its effect lets me add any 'Polymerization' or 'Fusion' Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. And I think I'll add Fusion Substitute."

"Hmmmm... I thought so." Ms. Skyeblaze told her, trying to look confident. "You were planning another Fusion Summoning, I see. But it won't work, I promise you..."

But Babs smirked and told her, "Don't be too sure of dat, lady. Ya really think I wasn't aware of your plan t' use dat Trap Card of yours to negate my Spell as soon as I play it?"

The woman, shocked at what she said, asked her opponent, "No! How did you know I was going to do that?!"

The Manehatten Girl snickered a little and answered, saying, "...'Cause you just TOLD me."

"Urk!!" grunted Ms. Skyeblaze, startled and embarrassed that her foe had actually tricked her into revealing her trick.

"Ms. Skyeblaze!! You idiot!!" Lucky yelled at her. "Why'd you go and do that?! Now she's onto your strategy!! You call yourself a Duelist?!?"

"Sh-SHUT UP!!!" shouted the blue-skinned woman. "I don't see YOU here fighting her!! So get off my back, you little delinquent!!!"

"Wha'd you just call me, you old bat?!?" Lucky yelled back.

"Are yous quite finished?" asked Babs, sounding bored. "In case ya forgot, there's still a Duel goin' on." The woman and boy stopped their heated shouting match with each other after hearing that. "Now then, as I was sayin'..." the young girl continued, "you won't be able t' stop me from Fusion Summonign this turn... because I'm NOT gonna use the card I just got to do it!"

"What are you talking about??" asked Skyeblaze, confused now more than ever.

"You sure have a lot of questions 'bout my Deck, considering that ya went n' claimed dat it's yours." Babs stated. "You've done nothin' BUT question me 'bout my cards and moves since dis Duel started. If you really DID own dis Deck, yous oughtta know what I'm doin'... and yous probably would've held off on usin' dat MST card of yours t' destroy my Trap Card earlier."

The woman could say nothing in response; only stare back, completely clueless.

"But since ya asked, I'd be happy t' fill yous in on the details." the short-haired red-head continued. "Y'see, when you sent my Predaplanet card to the Graveyard, you set it up for me t' use its second effect: By banishin' it from the Graveyard, I can fuse my Predaplants and Fusion Summon a compatible Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck! And that's what I'm gonna do!!"

(No... my Magic Jammer can only stop Spell Card effects!!) thought Ms. Skyeblaze, sweating and getting worried.

After taking the Trap Card out of her Graveyard pile, Babs then shouted, "Now I fuse Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio and Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra on my field!!" And with that, the two monsters were sucked into yet another red-and-blue portal in the sky. Afterwards the sky began to turn dark.

"Woah...! Wh-what's goin' on??" asked Scootaloo.

"Yeah, what's she Summoning?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Whatever it is, it must be powerful..." Apple Bloom figured.

"Let's hope so..." Twilight chimed in.

But the look on Applejack's face seemed to suggest that she might have already knew what was coming. (Is Babs gonna Summon what Ah THINK she's Summonin'?) she asked in her mind.

"Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance!" Babs began to say, reciting the Summoning Chant. "Now become one, and from the horror beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon!"

After that part of the chant was done, a shadowy fog began to appear, whipping itself up into a tornado. The cyclone spun wildly, kicking up dirt and stones as it made its presence known. Skyeblaze and Lucky could only watch in horror as the fog began to take on a new form. The purple clouds had now been transformed into a vicious and mighty-looking dragon. It was mostly black in color, and what appeared to be purple bits of armor plating was actually part of its body. Several red and yellow orbs began growing all over it, glowing eerily as each one formed itself, its incredibly long tail formed a needle-like spike at the end of it, and on the top of its head was a mark that looked like a massive, third eye. The dragon let out a powerful roar, showing that is wasn't here to mess around.

"Appear! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs!" Babs shouted, finishing her chant. "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

*******************************

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon:
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Dragon-Type/DARK/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2000)

2 DARK monsters on the field, except Tokens
If this card is Fusion Summoned: You can make this card gain ATK equal to 1 Special Summoned monster your opponent controls, until the end of this turn. Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls; until the end of this turn, this card's name becomes that monster's original name, and replace this effect with that monster's original effects. If this Fusion Summoned card is destroyed: You can destroy all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls.

*******************************

Everyone involved in the Duel stared in disbelief after Babs Seed Summoned her powerful Dragon monster. Some of them, such as Apple Bloom and her friends, weren't sure what kind of creature it was. "What is THAT thing??" asked Scootaloo. "Did Babs always have a card like that??"

"Ah... Ah didn't know." admitted the young member of the Apple Family. Turning over to Sunset Shimmer, she asked her, "Sunset, do y'all know about that card Babs just played?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." the jacket-clad teen answered. "It's called Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. It's an incredibly powerful monster... not to mention incredibly rare, too. In fact, there are only two cards I know of that are just as strong and as rare as that one: Fluttershy's Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and Gilda's Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon."

"You're kidding!!" exclaimed Scootaloo in shock. "That thing's as powerful as those dragons we saw at the Inter-school Duel?" Sunset Shimmer nodded.

"But how'd Babs get it?" asked Apple Bloom.

"She pulled it from a pack, of course." Applejack suddenly told her younger sister. "A pack Ah got for her when she went with me n' Big Mac to the flea market a while back. Y'all shoulda seen the joy in her face when she managed t' get it. She was happier than a pig in a mud wallowin' contest! Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

The older brother simply nodded his head and said, "Eeeyup!"

"Wow... I wish I had that kind of luck when I buy booster packs..." Scootaloo told the others. "I'd love t' just be able to pull a kick-butt card like that after getting just one pack!"

"It's kinda scary..." Sweetie Belle told her friends. "But I guess if it that big dragon will help Babs win, then I guess it can't be all bad."

Ms. Skyeblaze wasn't too thrilled to see the dragon, of course. The older woman simply stood there, shaking in her high-heeled shoes. "No... of all of the monsters that I've have to fight, why did it have to be this one??" she asked, quickly losing whatever confidence she still had.

Grumbling, Lucky thought to himself, (So that little brat has a card that rare and powerful, huh...? Hmph, no wonder she sent us to steal that Deck back...)

Babs, smirking a little, told her opponent, "Ya certainly wasn't expecting this guy t' show up, huh old lady?" She then said to her, "In any case, you ain't gonna squirm your way outta this! Once Starving Venom has been Fusion Summoned, he absorbs the attack points of any Special Summoned monster ya got! So I'll be happy t' help myself to your Frightfur Leo's 2,400 attack points!"

"NO!!!" screamed Skyeblaze, but there was nothing that she could do. A shadowy fog surrounded her Frightfur Leo as a similar one appeared around Babs' dragon. Pulling strength from its enemy, the mighty beast roared the loudest roar it could manage (Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: ATK 2800 + 2400 = 5200).

"Consider this payback!" Babs shouted to his opponent. "Payback for tryin' t' turn my friends n' family against me - which never would've worked, by the way - as well as takin' my Deck in the first place!!" Pointing forward, the Manehatten girl then shouted, "Starving Venom!! Attack her monster!! CORROSION STINGER!!!"

The dragon then flew forward, speeding towards Skyeblaze's monster and jabbed it with its tail stinger. Frightfur Leo roared weakly as it took the hit, and then dissolved into nothing. The blue-skinned woman fell to her knees in defeat, saying nothing from the shock of her loss (Ms. Skyeblaze: LP 1,500 - 2,800 = 0) (WINNER: Babs Seed).

"She DID IT!!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "She WON!!!"

"Yeah, that was awesome!!" cheered Scootaloo. She, along with Sweetie and Apple Bloom, rushed over to congratulate their friend for a Duel well-fought.

"Well, it seems like Babs managed to pull it off and win." Twilight stated. "That means that she gets to keep the Deck, right Sunset? That was what they agreed to?"

"Yep, but that's not all that was accomplished with this Duel." the red and yellow teen told the young Princess.

"What d'ya mean?" asked Spike.

Looking ahead at Babs and her friends as she shared her victory with her best friends, laughing and smiling as they did so, Sunset answered the puppy, telling him, "I think I learned all I needed to figure out what's REALLY going on here, right AJ?"

"My thoughts exactly, Sunset." the orange girl responded. "And it's about time that our unwanted guests here started explainin' some things." She and Sunset started walking over towards Babs and the others, with Twilight and Big Mac soon following them.

Ms. Skyeblaze, still not believing that she had actually lost, punched the dirt in frustration. "How could I lose...?!" she cursed herself. "There was no way that little brat could've defeated me!!" Lucky said nothing in response, preferring not to get any more involved with the situation right now.

"Alright, whoever you are..." Apple Bloom then told the older woman. "Babs won the Duel, so the Deck stays with her!"

"Grrrrr... but she was one one who stole that Deck!!" the woman snarled. "She took it from us!! I saw her do it with my own two eyes!!"

"I don't think you're being entirely truthful..." said Sunset's voice as she and the others finally got to the scene. "Perhaps Babs DID take that Deck from wherever you two came from... but I think the only reason she did was because YOU were the ones that took it from her in the first place!" Glancing at the Manehatten girl, she asked her, "I'm right, aren't I?"

Babs Seed nodded, saying, "Yeah, you're absolutely right." Turning over towards Skyeblaze and Lucky, she then told them, "It wasn't these two mooks, but after my Deck got taken a coupla months ago, I heard about where the jerks who took it came from. So I sneaked into the place and managed t' get it back... But after I did, they started spreadin' lies about me stealin' it from them, and that caused everybody at my old school and everywhere else t' start pickin' on me. Even my best friends didn't believe me when I tried to tell them the truth..."

The others were shocked and saddened to hear her say that. "That's... that's horrible..." Twilight said to her, feeling sorry for Babs.

"So is that why you n' your folks moved here?" asked Applejack.

"Mhmm..." Babs responded, wiping a small tear from her eye. "We thought we could have a fresh start here, with the rest of the family in Canterlot... But I didn't count on them sending somebody after me..."

"Well everything's okay now, Babs." Sunset told her. "Now that we know who's telling the truth." She then glared at Ms. Skyeblaze and Lucky and told them, "You two make me sick! Trying to steal from a kid and then trying to make us believe that she's the one who did something wrong? How low could you two possibly be?!"

"But... but how did you know we were lying??" asked the woman, wanting some answers herself.

"That was easy." the jacket-wearing girl began to explain. "The real reason I had you two Duel was to study Babs' play style closely. Call it a hunch if you will, but she seemed to play that Deck a little too well to have simply stolen it. Not to mention that she seemed to take you by surprise almost every turn, which, if the Deck was rightfully yours, wouldn't have happened. But it seems you didn't know a thing about her Deck at all!"

Ms. Skyeblaze gulped, knowing that they were onto her now.

"And don't bother lying and saying that you had forgotten all of the cards in that Deck, either." Sunset continued. "A True Duelist can always remember what is in their Deck, and not always just in their mind... A Duelist that forms a bond with their cards can recall every single one, not with their memory, but with their heart."

"Are... are y'all talkin' about that thing that Yugi guy always talked about?" asked Apple Bloom.

"You mean the Heart of the Cards? If so, then yes." Sunset answered. "It's very simple: You could never have heart in cards that you've stolen from someone. That comes from believing in your own Deck, and only that person can bring out that Deck's true power." Looking back over towards the two crooked strangers, she told them, "The Heart of the Cards would never side with someone who intends on using their Decks to steal from somebody. You guys never had a chance from the start."

"Grrrrr... nonsense!!" shouted Ms. Skyeblaze. "Nothing but nonsense!! None of that could possibly be true!!"

"Then you've got a lot to learn before anyone here would consider you as a Duelist." the black jacket- wearing teen told her. "In any case, you've been revealed, and you lost; leave my friend's property NOW."

"...Not before we take that Deck back with us!!" yelled the woman. "We're not going back empty-handed!! Forget the deal!! We're taking it, and there's nothing you little brats can do about it!!!"

"Alright, Ah've had just about enough'a you two losers..." Applejack suddenly said, walking towards them with her Duel Pad activated. "If y'all wanna get near mah cosuin, you'll have t' get through me first!"

At that moment, Apple Bloom stepped forward, wielding her bright-yellow Duel Pad. "That goes for me, too! There's no way Ah'll let ya hurt my favorite cousin!"

"That goes for us too!!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said in unison, activating their magenta and white-colored Duel Pads respectively.

Showing her Duel Pad, Twilight told the woman, "Anypon- er, anyBODY who bullies a little girl like that just for their own greedy reasons is the worst kind of individual I could possibly think of!" As Sunset activated her Duel Pad, the young Princess then added, "Sunset and I will fight you if you even THINK of trying to steal from her again! So leave now before you cause yourself any more trouble!"

"You meddling little...!" growled Ms. Skyeblaze. She knew she didn't have a chance at fighting all of them, but she didn't want to leave without Babs' Deck.

After hearing Twilight's comment, Lucky gasped a little and thought, (Did she say 'Sunset'?? That can't be!) Glancing over at the person in question, the boy then continued to say in his mind, (So what I heard was true... Sunset Shimmer is in Canterlot City...) Chuckling to himself, he then stated, "Well, now that I know that, there's no reason we need to waste our time here..." He then started walking forward, strolling past the angry woman that he was travelling with.

Everyone, including Ms. Skyblaze, was confused. "What's with him?" asked Spike.

Then, in a shocking turn of events, Lucky told everyone, "Fine then... we'll leave quietly." Everyone gasped at what he had said, not expecting to hear that. Skyeblaze herself was the most surprised.

"What do you think you're doing, Lucky?!?" the woman shouted. "We have to get that Deck or she'll be angry with us!!"

"That is no longer necessary." the boy said calmly. "We have no more need for it."

"Wh...what...?" asked Skyeblaze, still not sure what he was talking about.

Turning to face the others Lucky informed them all, "Your little friend can keep her Deck for I care. But I will say this: You had better hope that we never meet again... Because if we do, we won't be nice and civil about it like right now." He then turned towards the exit and said to his partner, "Let's go. We're heading back to Skyes Academy."

"W-wait! I don't understand!!" Ms. Skyeblaze shouted, chasing after him. "What do you think you're doing...?!" she continued to ask him as the pair vanished from sight.

Twilight, Sunset, and the others were a little dumbstruck by this sudden event. "That was... easier than I thought it would be..." the black jacket-wearing teen commented, not sure if what just happened had just happened.

"At least they're gone now." Applejack pointed out. "Maybe now we'll get some peace n' quiet."

"Hey!! Are you young'uns alright over there?!" shouted a familiar voice from behind them.

"That's Granny's voice!" Apple Bloom figured out. Sure enough, when they all turned to look, they saw the elderly woman coming towards them all.

"We're just fine, Granny." Applejack told her. "Were you watchin' everything that was goin' on?"

"With all that commotion y'all were makin' how could Ah not be curious 'bout it?" Granny Smith asked her right back. Looking down at her Manehatten-born granddaughter, she said to her, "Y'all fought real well out there, Babs. Ah jus' knew you'd be able t' use that Deck we made in the best way possible!"

"Wait, 'we'?" asked Twilight. "Are you saying that you helped build Babs' Deck?"

"Sure 'nuff, Twilight dear." the old woman replied with a smile. "Where'd ya think she learned Duelin' from in the first place? Back in mah day, Ah was quite the firecracker! I was even competein' back when Celestia and Luna were jus' gettin' started on their Pro Duelin' careers!"

"Ah never knew any of that!" Applejack exclaimed, surprsied, but impressed to hear about her grandmother's accomplishments.

"Well, jus' know that if those two troublemakers try n' spread lies about Babs here, Ah'll make sure that NO ONE believes 'em." Granny Smith told them all, "In fact, Ah might even be able to convince her old schoolmates that she didn't steal that Deck either!"

"Ya really think yous could do that, Granny?" asked Babs, a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Ah could have her tell everyone about it on video, and upload it online so that they'll know!" Apple Bloom said, wanting to help her cousin in any way.

"That's good t' hear." commented Scootaloo. "Now no one'll think she's a thief anymore!"

"Yay! That's great!!" cheered Sweetie Belle, jumping up and down.

Twilight, Sunset, and Applejack were happy to hear that Babs' troubles seemed to be over. Sunset then asked, "Um... Mrs. Granny Smith? Do you know anything about those people that showed up here to try and take Babs' Deck away?"

"Hm? That depends... Did they happen t' mention their names 'r anythin'?" asked the elderly woman.

"Hmmmm..." hummed Big Mac. Normally, he preferred not to speak much, but since he was the only one who manged to hear the strangers' names, he answered his grandmother, telling her, "Ah think the boy's name was Lucky... and the other one was... um... Ms. Skyeblaze or somethin'."

Granny Smith gasped a little. "Ah THOUGHT those scoundrels looked familiar..." she stated.

"Wait, you actually DO know them?!" asked Applejack, surprised just like everyone else was.

"Ah'm afraid Ah do." the older woman told them. "Ah'd be happy t' tell y'all about them, but let's get inside the house first... Ah've still got a whole tray full of warm apple pies ready t' eat!"

"Oh boy! About time!" exclaimed Spike, eager to have something to eat after watching such an exciting Duel.

"Apple pie does sound good to me right now..." Sunset responded. "Sure, let's go." The group then followed Granny Smith into the house, where hopefully everything could be explained to them.

About a half-hour later, everyone had their fill of Granny Smith's apple pies and were stuffed. Letting out a slight burp, Scootaloo said, "Oh, man... Apple Bloom, your family makes the best pies ever!"

"Well, we do our best, Scoots." the pink bow-wearing girl replied with a smile.

"I'll say you did." Spike chimed in. "My stomach's cramping, but it tasted so good, I don't even care..."

After she finished wiping her mouth with a napkin, Sunset then asked Granny Smith, "So, now that we have some time, would you mind telling us more about that woman and boy that showed up here earlier?"

"Hmmmm... Ah guess Ah should explain what Ah know 'bout those two sooner than later..." the elderly woman replied. Clearing her throat, she then told the group, "The boy goes by the name of Lucky, though from what Ah've heard, the only luck he's ever had was bad."

"How come?" asked Twilight.

"Ah don't know too much," Granny Smith answered her, "but Ah've heard that he's been in 'n outta trouble pretty much his whole life. Mostly minor stuff - no real serious crimes, mind ya - but he ain't about t' go straight anytime soon. Other than that, I don't know much about 'im."

"And what about the other one?" Applejack asked her grandmother. "Ms. Skyeblaze, right Big Mac?"

"Eeeyup." the older brother responded, now back to simply giving yes-or-no responses, like he usually did.

"Her, Ah know quite a bit about her, and ain't none of it good." Granny Smith stated. "Believe it 'r not, she actually used t' be a teacher at Canterlot High School."

The group gasped. "She's a TEACHER?!?" exclaimed Sweetie Belle in disbelief.

"I can't believe that lady, of all people, is a teacher!" Babs Seed added, shocked.

"Ah know, right?" Apple Bloom responded.

"But how come we've never seen her at school?" asked Scootaloo. "I'm sure we would've seen someone like her around..."

"...Ah said she USED to be a teacher." Granny reiterated. "You young'uns need t' listen t' what yer bein' told."

"So she isn't one anymore?" asked Twilight. "Why is that?"

"I think I might be able to help answer that." Sunset suddenly spoke up. "It took me a few minutes, but now I remember hearing that woman's name before." Taking out her cell phone, the jacket-clad teen pulled up CHS's website and made her way over to the section entitled, "Foal Free Press". After tapping on a tab labeled, "Past Articles", Sunset pulled up what she was looking for. "I knew it; it WAS that same teacher... Take a look at this, everyone."

The others walked over to see what Sunset had displayed on her cell phone: It was an article that had been printed two years ago. Applejack then read article's headline: "CHS Teacher Accused of Embezzlement Scheme: Skyeblaze Forced to Leave by Principals Celestia and Luna."

"Em...bezzle...ment?" asked Sweetie Belle. "What's that mean?"

"It means that she was stealing money from the school's funds." Sunset answered her. "I actually remember reading about it back when it happened."

"You're kidding!!" Twilight exclaimed in surprise. "Is that really true?!"

"Ah'm afraid Ms. Shimmer's right." Granny Smith told her. "Skyeblaze used t' be a respectable teacher at the school, and the students loved her. But one day, the Principals began t' notice that the school's funds were comin' up shorter n' shorter than usual... They went over all their spendin' records, but they still couldn't figure out where the money was goin'. That's when Luna figured that somebody must've been stealin' it."

"So then what happened?" asked Scootaloo.

"Well, after they had an idea of what was goin' on," the elderly woman explained further, "the two of 'em began their own investigation, in co-operation with the superintendent. Luckily, once they began snoopin' for evidence, they discovered that the crook had unintentionally left a paper trail of their crime... and after followin' it, it led 'em straight to Ms. Skyeblaze. She tried t' lie her way out of it, but as y'all saw for yerselves, she ain't a very good liar. They confronted her with the evidence, and she realized that they had her dead-t'-rights."

"So, today ain't the first time she tried t' lie just t' make herself look good." Babs stated. "What a dirty rat..."

"So what did they do with her, Granny?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, they could've had her taken t' jail, but they decided t' let 'er off easy if she returned all the money she stole." Granny Smith answered. "But after all that, she was fired and no longer permitted anywhere near the school grounds. And until today, she hadn't been heard from since..."

"But why was she so fixated on stealing Babs Seed's Deck?" Twilight asked, still confused about the whole thing. "It doesn't make any sense..."

"That I'm not sure of, to be honest." Sunset answered her friend.

"Ah can't imagine what Syeblaze would want with Babs' Deck, either..." Granny Smith chimed in. "Seems rather small-time compared t' what she'd done in the past."

"And what's more, why'd they just run away after all that?" Applejack asked. "Sure, we all banded together to protect Babs from them, but Ah expected them to try and fight back even a little bit more..."

"I ain't got a clue either, Cousin AJ," Babs told her, "but I think I'm pretty sure where they're goin' right now."

"Where's that?" asked Scootaloo.

"The same place I snuck into t' get my Deck back:" the Manehatten girl answered her. "Skyes Academy."

"Skyes Academy?" asked the others.

"Never heard of it..." Apple Bloom then stated.

"Me neither." Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"Wait, I think I've heard of that place..." Twilight spoke up. She then turned over to Sunset Shimmer and asked her, "When we watched that Turbo Duel that Soarin participated in, didn't the announcer mention a place called Skyes Academy?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember hearing that." the black-jacket-wearing teen replied. "And Soarin's opponent was some guy named Chet... Do you think there could be some connection, Twilight?"

"Maybe, maybe not..." the Princess of Friendship stated. "But I think you and I should investigate the matter. Who knows? Perhaps what happened here might have something to do with the Numbers..."

"Hmmm... I guess it couldn't hurt to look into it, then, especially if Number cards might be involved." Sunset agreed. "In any case, we should try and learn more about what's going on before something like this happens again." Turning over to Babs Seed, she then told her, "We'll make sure that those people who bullied you get what's coming to them! That's a promise."

"Thanks, Sunset. That's real cool of ya." the Manehatten girl told her with a smile. "And t' everyone here, thanks for believin' in me, even when that Skyeblaze chick tried to lie to ya."

"No problem, Cousin." Applejack said to her. "In all of the years that the Apple Family's been around, there ain't been one member dishonest enough t' ever resort t' stealing from someone! So there's no way that lady would have ever convinced me into thinkin' that you're some low-down dirty thief like her!"

"That goes double for me!" Apple Bloom chimed in. "You're mah favorite cousin, Babs, and Ah know you'd never steal from someone, ever!"

Sniffling a little and wiping a happy tear from her eye, Babs told his two cousins, "Thanks, both of ya... It really means a whole lot t' hear ya say dat." Every smiled, happy to know that Babs Seed was free from her troubles for good.

Later, that very night, Lucky and Skyeblaze had finally returned from Canterlot to Skyes Academy. However, the school building appeared to have been abandoned for quite a long time, and it had since fallen into a dilapidated state. Most of the windows were broken, several doors had fallen off their hinges, and there was debris from the crumbling walls and ceilings all over the place. Despite this, the pair walked inside, having some sort of business to take care of.

With no electricity in the entire building, Lucky pulled out a flashlight to help him and Ms. Skyeblaze move through the halls safely. Eventually, they came to a dimly-lit classroom; apparently someone was already inside the run-down school building. The two slowly walked inside, seemingly to meet this individual, whoever they were.

The two came to a figure partially concealed by the darkness in the room that wasn't lit up by the many candles scattered around. Sensing the pair's presence, the figure spoke to them. "So... what happened...?" it asked, speaking in a low, but feminine voice. "Based on the scared look that you seem to have, Skyeblaze... I'm guessing you didn't manage to get that stolen Deck back..."

"Please... forgive me..." the woman told her. "I tried my best to retrieve it." Scowling a little and turning over to her travelling partner, she then added, "Of course, if Lucky here had not decided to just get and run away, I probably would have gotten it!" The boy simply huffed in response, not afraid at all of her or the strange figure.

"I'm not in the mood to hear your excuses, Skyeblaze..." the figure spoke to her again. "I want to hear how a little brat like that girl somehow managed to prevent you from stealing the Deck with the rare Starving Venom Fusion Dragon card! Do you happen to know how valuable that card and the rest of the Deck are?! That's why I sent you two to retrieve it! That and also because you two were also in charge of making sure that no one took it from us in the first place!"

"I-I-I know how rare and valuable that Deck was! Believe me!!" Skyeblaze stuttered, trembling a bit.

"Quiet. I'll deal with you some other time, when I feel like wasting my personal time." the figure threatened. "And as for you, Lucky, I suppose YOU'LL also try and make some sort of excuse as to how you failed me?"

"Hmph... not one bit." the boy simply said, not really caring in the slightest. "I'll admit, the lady and I didn't get the Deck; there's nothing more to say about it." Smirking, he then added, "But I managed to get something far more valuable than that..."

"...Is that so?" asked the figure. "And what's that?"

"...We found that girl you were looking for." Lucky told her. "Sunset Shimmer."

"Wh-what?!" yelped Ms. Skyeblaze, not aware of that.

The figure said nothing at first, thinking about that comment of his. She finally spoke, saying, "I see... well I suppose that changes things." She then asked him, "Where did you see her?"

"She was at the farm that Skyeblaze and I found the other kid stayin' at." Lucky replied. "And I can only assume that she is from around Canterlot City. I found out when one of them mentioned her name, sometime after the little brat completely whupped Skyeblaze in a Duel."

Ms. Skyeblaze grumbled at that comment. "You didn't need to tell her THAT. And what's more, you could have told ME that you found Sunset!"

"If I did that, they might've overheard us, lady." Lucky explained calmly to the woman. "We don't need them knowin' that we were lookin' for Sunset, or they might've gotten even more suspicious of us." He then asked the figure, "So now that you know all of that, I don't suppose you could let us off the hook for not getting that kid's Deck? After all, you said that it'd be a waste of your time..."

"...Very well." the figure responded, complying with the request. "I'll overlook this matter for now, since you managed to find Sunset Shimmer. But don't expect me to be so nice next time. Now leave, both of you."

"Of course." Lucky replied. "Have a good night, then." And with that, he and Ms. Skyeblaze left the room and the building.

Once alone, the figure got up from the teacher's desk that she was sitting on and walked over to a cracked mirror leaning up against a wall. Lit up by a candle, her face was revealed: She was a woman, somewhere in her late 20's, she had pitch-black skin, messy turquoise hair, a pair of green eyes with blue eye-shadow, and had a fanged smile. The most prominent feature on her face was the long, yellow line mark that ran down the left side, stopping at the chin.

"Hmmhmmhmm... soon I'll get what I want." the figure spoke while looking at the mirror. "Once I get what I need from Sunset Shimmer..." She then put her left hand to her face and rubbed the area where the yellow mark was before finishing her statement, saying, "...I'll make this world pay for what it did to me...! No one disgraces Queen Chrysalis and gets away with it!!" After she made that comment, a red mark resembling the number 70 appeared on the back of her left hand...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 19: My Roommate Uses Vampires:

Author's Note

And here's the Halloween-themed episode (or Nightmare Night-themed, if you prefer). I planned on having this episode fall on October, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. So anyway, enjoy the episode, and let me know what you thought of it!

Also, I'm fairly certain that none of you probably expected Vinyl's Deck to be what I chose for her. :raritywink:

RANK 19: My Roommate Uses Vampires:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Some time ago, Babs Seed, cousin to both Applejack and Apple Bloom, had recently moved to Canterlot City from Manehatten. Little did they all know that trouble would follow her: Two troublemakers suddenly appeared to try and steal Babs' Deck from her. One was Ms. Skyeblaze, a former teacher at CHS that was fired after she had stolen money from the school. The other was a delinquent named Lucky, but other than the fact that he was also after the Deck, not much was known about him.

Despite the pair's best efforts, Babs Seed easily defeated them with her Predaplant Deck, which included the rare and valuable Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. They made a run for it, but not simply because they faced impossible odds against Babs' friends, but because Lucky had found out Sunset Shimmer's whereabouts. In any case, they two were defeated, and Babs was now safe from them.

After learning about the troublesome duo, Sunset and Twilight are now trying to dig up more information regarding their connections to a school known as, "Skyes Academy". But right now, they have joined their friends for their monthly movie night going on right now...

It was late Thursday night at the apartment building that Sunset currently lived in. But it wasn't any ordinary night: Tonight was Movie Night for her and her friends. Sunset and the others gathered together at her apartment to spend some time with each other, watching the movie, having some snacks, and just simply chatting with one another. Tonight, they were also joined by Flash Sentry, Octavia Melody, and Vinyl Scratch. In fact, it was Vinyl who provided the movie that they would soon be watching.

Everyone had gathered together on the couch, the lights all turned off, with only the glow of the television screen keeping the room from becoming pitch-black. It helped to set the mood, as Vinyl had chosen a horror movie from her personal collection as tonight's main event. Sunset and Twilight sat there with their eyes wide, unable to turn away from the screen as the events of the movie unfolded. Spike was hiding under a cushion, not wanting see what was going on out of fear. Flash Sentry, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash did their best not to be scared - or at least not look like they were. Rarity had her hands over her mouth after having let out a horrified gasp at something that happened in the movie. Pinkie Pie... wasn't the least bit fazed and giggled a little to herself as she enjoyed the movie. Vinyl grinned, also enjoying the picture, while her friend Octavia simply sat there, looking slightly bored, as if she had already seen this movie before.

Once the movie was over and the DVD's main menu reappeared on-screen, Vinyl clicked the STOP button on the remote control and asked everyone, "So... what did you guys think of it?"

"I'm... not really sure what to say," Sunset responded first, "but I can certainly say that it was pretty creepy, that's for sure."

"I agree, Sunset..." Twilight spoke next. "I didn't want to look, but I just couldn't bring myself to turn away."

"At least you WERE able to watch it..." Spike told his purple-skinned friend, poking his head out from under the cushions. He was still trembling a little.

"Pffft! You guys're all a bunch of lightweights!" Rainbow said to them in a slightly mocking tone. "I-it wasn't that scary at all! Really!"

"Oh, don't give me that, Rainbow." Applejack told her. "Ah saw you sweatin' when he went and turned that lady into a vampire."

"Uh, N-no I wasn't!" the cyan girl quickly defended herself. "I wasn't sweating! No way!! Besides, I saw you sweat too, AJ!"

"Hmmmm... 'too'? So y'all admit it, then?" replied the farm girl with a smirk.

"Urk!" Rainbow grunted, realizing that she had slipped up.

"Hey, don't get so worked up, guys..." Flash told them calmly. "It's not that big a deal to be scared. After all, we WERE watching a scary movie, so if nobody's scared, then there's something wrong."

"...Uh, good point." Rainbow Dash admitted. Folding her arms out in front of her, she then said, "Okay... MAYBE I did cringe a teensy bit at some parts..."

"Well I absolutely LOVED it!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, still as happy and bubbly as she always was. "That was the best movie EVER!!"

"Pinkie, darling... you say that about EVERY movie that we have seen during our Movie Nights." Rarity pointed out.

"That doesn't mean it isn't true, Rarity." the silly pink girl stated.

"Well, in any case," Vinyl began to tell Pinkie, "you've got good taste in flicks like this one. After all, when it comes to classic monsters, nobody can beat good ol' Count Dracula! Especially not those fake vampires that do that whole sparkly-whatever thing..."

Sighing, Octavia finally spoke, saying to her friend, "Yes, yes... we ALL know that Count Dracula is fifty times better than the 'sparkly' vampires. You say that every time we watch this movie..."

"I never say that, Tavi!" the DJ girl argued. "I said that he's a HUNDRED times better!! That's like, uh... TWICE as much as what you said!"

"Forgive me." the cello-player responded. "You say it so often, I tend to start tuning you out every time..." Vinyl grumbled a bit, but said nothing back.

At that moment, the bathroom door slowly creaked open. On the other side was none other than Fluttershy; apparently she had been hiding in the bathroom the whole time. "I-i-is it over yet...?" she meekly asked.

"Yeah, it's over." Sunset told her timid friend with a smile. "You can come out now."

Fluttershy slowly walked over to her friends, a bit embarrassed at herself for not being able to watch the movie. "I-I'm really sorry, everyone..." she told them softly. "I really wish I could have been here with all of you... but you know that I don't like horror movies that much..."

"Oh don't bother yourself about it, Fluttershy." Octavia told her. "It really wasn't THAT scary, actually."

"What're ya talkin' about, Tavi?!" snapped Vinyl. "Of course it's a scary movie!! I don't know what you were watchin', but it certainly wasn't the one WE were watchin'!"

"Vinyl, you play that movie almost every week!" the sepia-skinned teen informed her. "I've seen it so much, I can practically lip-synch every single line!"

"That doesn't make it, uh... not scary, Tavi!!" Vinyl rebutted. "In fact, you say that about every one of my horror movies!!"

"Only because I'm starting to get bored with them..." Octavia told her. "Every day, you force me to watch one of your silly little so-called 'scary movies', and I'm starting to get sick of them! It's just one of the many traits that you have that annoy me so greatly!"

"Well, no one SAID ya had to watch it with us!" Vinyl informed her. "You could've just gone home if you didn't wanna watch it all over again!"

"For once, you have actually thought of a good idea." the cello-player replied. Getting up and heading for the door, she then said to Vinyl, "I'm heading home. And feel free to take your time coming back!"

"Fine! Maybe I will!!" the DJ angrily said back as Octavia shut the door behind her. The room was left with an awkward silence after the uproar.

Breaking the silence, Sunset then asked the young DJ, "Are... you two going to be okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout us, Sunset." Vinyl replied. "We have this argument pretty frequently, but we eventually get over it. For now, I think it'd be best if I just had some time away from her for a while..."

"Um, in that case... if it's not too much trouble..." Fluttershy suddenly spoke to her, "you could sleep over at my house. I-I'd like to try and watch that movie with you this time..."

"But Ah thought y'all didn't like horror movies, Fluttershy..." Applejack reminded her.

"I don't... but I sort of feel bad about not being here to watch it or spend any time with you all because I was too scared to even be in the room..." the shy girl told them. "I don't want to let my timidity get in the way of having fun with all of you, so I'm going to try and get out of my comfort zone so that next time, I don't exclude myself from all of you out of fear... As long as you're there to help me through it, Vinyl..."

"Hey, that's perfectly fine with me, Flutters." the electric blue-haired girl told her. Taking the DVD out of the player and putting it back into the case, she then told her, "I'll go home with ya and we'll watch it together. You might end up likin' it."

"Well, let's just take it one step at a time..." Fluttershy stated. "It's taking almost all of my courage just to suggest the idea in the first place..."

(...Is this REALLY the same person that beat that Gilda chick in a Duel??) Vinyl asked herself. She then asked the others out-loud, "You don't mind if me n' Flutters head for her place right now, do ya?"

"Not at all." Applejack replied. "Ah'm jus' glad t' see that she really wants t' try n' get over her fear of scary movies."

"Indeed. It's always good to see her becoming more confident and assertive." Rarity agreed. She then told Fluttershy, "I suppose we shall see the two of you in class tomorrow. Until then, you have a pleasant night, Fluttershy."

"Thank you very much, Rarity." the shy girl responded.

Sunset then looked over at Vinyl and told her, "And try to patch things up with Octavia, Vinyl. You know deep down, she wouldn't want to stay angry at you forever."

"I know that, Sunset." the young DJ replied. "Knowing how these usually go, we'll both have probably forgotten about it by tomorrow. This isn't exactly our first argument, and it certainly won't be our last." Taking out her cell phone, she then added, "I'll at least leave her a message to tell her where I'll be... assuming she bothers t' pick it up. Anyway, don't get all worried about it, okay? Everything'll be peachy tomorrow, I promise." And with that, she and Fluttershy walked out of the apartment together.

"Yeesh, I still can't believe that she's so chilled out even after that shouting match she had with Octy." Rainbow Dash told everyone.

"Yeah, I know. I guess they're just used to it or something..." Flash stated. "It makes you wonder how those two are still friends."

"Well... maybe that's just the way that Octy and Vinyl show how much they care about each other!" Pinkie Pie hypothesized.

"If that's so, then I'm personally quite glad that none of you care about me in the same manner..." Rarity replied.

"Y'all can say that again." said Applejack with a nod.

Getting up, Rainbow Dash then told the others, "Well, I'd like t' hang around, but I need t' get back home and get started on my homework assignment."

"You mean you haven't done it yet??" asked Sunset.

"You guys know I work better under pressure." the cyan teen stated to them.

"Are you sure you're not just procrastinating again... like you always seem to do?" Rarity asked her.

"Look, I don't have the time t' discuss it: I've got someplace t' be, so I'll see you guys later." Rainbow responded, not wanting to argue about it.

"Of course." Twilight told her. "We'll see you tomorrow, then." After Rainbow Dash left, the others then said their goodbyes before heading home as well. Soon, only Twilight, Sunset, and Spike were left in the room.

"Okay, Twilight, we've got some work to do ourselves." Sunset then told her.

"What kind of work?" the young Princess asked. "I thought we finished that homework assignment as soon as we got back here."

"It's not that, Twilight." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "We have to try and see if we can dig up any information on that Skyes Academy place. Remember?"

"Oh, right... I almost forgot about that." the purple teen responded. "Last Sunday, you said that we would try and figure out more about that school and the people that came from there, including those two people that were after Babs Seed... Ms. Skyeblaze and Lucky were their names, right?"

"Yeah." Sunset confirmed. "And if we want to make sure that no one else gets bullied by them or anyone else like them, we need to try and find out as much info as we can." Sitting in front of her computer and getting onto the Internet, the other-worldly girl continued, saying, "Also, call it a hunch, but there could even be a possibility of the Number cards being involved."

"You really think so?" Twilight asked. "I guess it could explain their behavior that day... Though Granny Smith seemed to suggest that they weren't exactly good people to begin with..."

"I can't be sure what to assume yet..." Sunset told her friend. "That's why we're going to pull up all of the info we can first... I just hope we can figure it all out before something really bad happens."

Hours Later...

All was quiet in Fluttershy's house, as everyone inside had already fallen asleep. Fluttershy's mother and father were snoozing away in their bedroom, as was Fluttershy herself in her own room. Vinyl Scratch, who had stayed over for the night, was sleeping in the guest bedroom (which was originally the room that belonged to Fluttershy's older brother, Zephyr Breeze, before he moved out).

Surprisingly enough, Fluttershy was able to work up the courage to watch the entire vampire movie with Vinyl, along with her mother and father, though to say that the yellow-skinned girl wasn't afraid after it was over would have been a lie. Even her pet rabbit Angel Bunny was scared after watching the movie... though his pride wouldn't allow him to show that fear in front of anyone. Nevertheless, the rabbit decided to sleep under the couch, hiding from whatever could possibly come in and try to get him.

But Angel Bunny was not the target of the individual that had appeared outside of Fluttershy's house, hopping over a fence in order to get in the backyard. The figure was cloaked, so their true identity was hidden from view, but even without seeing their face, one could tell that they were up to no good. The cloaked figure then looked up at a window on the second floor of the house; the window to the guest bedroom. Running swiftly, but quietly, the unknown intruder climbed up the rain gutter pipe and made their way over to the window. Managing to pry it open, the figure then walked over towards Vinyl and stared at her for a few seconds before reaching into their pocket. The figure then pulled out a blank Duel Monsters card and placed it into Vinyl's hand before leaving...

Not long after, the card began to radiate a shadowy cloud around itself and Vinyl. The young DJ groaned in her sleep, as if she was having a nightmare. "Mmmmn... mmmmmmnn..." was all the noise that she could make as the dark fog began to grow.

"Yes... Vinyl..." said a sinister voice in her head. "Let the Number take hold..." Afterwards, a red mark resembling the number 24 appeared on the back of the hand that was holding the blank card.

At that moment, Vinyl's eyes shot open, revealing that they were now glowing a bright red. Rising up from the bed that she was sleeping on, she then glanced out the window, staring at the full moon that was out tonight. "The night... the night... it beckons me..." she said in a soft, quiet voice that was slightly different from her usual voice. She then got out of bed and stood up straight, looking straight at the night sky as if she were in a trance. Looking down at herself - particularly the pajamas that she had been wearing - she then said to herself, "These will simply not do... On a lovely night such as this one, I must look more... presentable."

Vinyl then walked out of the guest bedroom and glanced around, looking for something - actually, she was looking for someONE. "First and foremost... I shall require some... assistance." she said to herself. "Yes, a follower to aid me tonight... But who should it be?" She then glanced over at the door the led into Fluttershy's bedroom, hearing her breathing from the other side. Smirking, Vinyl then said, "Yes... I think I have found the perfect little helper..." She then began walking in the direction of the bedroom door, not aware that Angel Bunny, who had heard Vinyl muttering to herself, was watching her from a safe distance.

Entering Fluttershy's room, Vinyl stood beside her bed, watching the yellow-skinned girl as she was sound asleep, despite that she had just seen a horror movie. Smiling a wicked smile, the electric blue-haired teen then raised her hand over the young girl, a shadowy mist flowing from out of her palm. "You will help me get what I want..." Vinyl said in an eerie tone. As the violet-colored cloud began to grow around them, the young DJ glanced out the window, hearing the howling sounds of wolves off in the distance. Chuckling, she then said to herself, "Listen to them... Children of the night... What music they make..."

That Friday morning, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were busy having breakfast and getting ready to go to school. Sunset, still in her pajamas (as was Twilight), decided to make waffles for the both of them, as she had recently purchased a new waffle iron and was eager to try it out. Spike also had a few waffles himself, with Twilight helping pour the syrup. Watching the thick liquid pour out from the bottle, the purple puppy told his Princess friend, "A little more... a little mooooorrrre... ehhhh, just a teensy bit more..."

"Spike, the bottle's almost half-empty." Twilight told him. "If I keep this up, Sunset and I won't have any for ourselves!" Deciding that Spike's waffles had a suitable amount of syrup, the purple girl closed the bottle and handed it over to Sunset who was sitting across from her.

"You guys don't need to worry too much." the red-and-yellow girl told them as she poured the bottle's contents on her waffles. "I've got a few spare syrup bottles set aside, so we won't have to worry about running out anytime soon." She then handed the bottle back to Twilight.

Pouring some syrup on her waffles, Twilight then asked her inter-dimensional friend, "So, did you find anything about Skyes Academy last night? We were working on it for a while, but after I started to get tired, you kept looking for more information..."

"Well, it wasn't much, Twilight..." Sunset sighed to herself. "There isn't really a lot of info about Skyes Academy. There's almost nothing on the Internet about it, even after I tried searching various different topics. I have to admit, it seems a little weird; it's as if the place doesn't exist..."

"Well, there has to be SOME information about this academy..." Twilight stated. "But where should even begin to look?"

"For the first time in a while, I have absolutely no idea." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "Maybe we should-"

But their thoughts were interrupted when Sunset's cell phone began to ring. The two girls and puppy looked over at the phone on the living room table as it played its ringtone. Getting up out of her seat, Sunset Shimmer walked over to the table, picked up her phone, and answered the call. "Hello?" she spoke. "...Yes, this is Sunset Shimmer... Hm? No, Fluttershy's not here with me... why do you ask? ...You're kidding me...! Do you have any idea what happened?? ...Uh huh... Uh huh... I see... Well, I'll see what I can do, Mrs. Shy... Goodbye."

After Sunset was finished with her conversation, Twilight then asked her, "Who was that? What's going on??"

"That was Fluttershy's mother..." the red-and-yellow girl answered in a solemn tone of voice. "And she just told me... that Fluttershy's gone missing!"

"Missing?!" gasped Twilight. "What happened??"

"I don't know, Twilight..." Sunset replied. "All I know was that when her mother came to wake her up, she saw that the bed was empty, and that the window was wide open!"

"You think she went out the window?" asked Spike. "But there's no way that Fluttershy could've just flown out! ...Huh, never thought I'd hear myself say that."

Before another word could be said, Sunset's phone began ringing again. Picking it up, the red-and-yellow girl spoke into it, saying, "Hello?"

"Ms. Shimmer?" said the voice on the other end. "This is Octavia... Can you hear me clearly enough?"

"Yes, I can... what is it, Octavia?" Sunset asked her.

"Do... either you or Twilight happen to know where... where Vinyl is?" the sepia-skinned teen inquired. "I only ask because... I have not heard from her since she left me that message yesterday."

"Um... I don't think we've seen her since she went to Fluttershy's house..." Sunset answered. Twilight and Spike looked on, wondering what was going on this time.

"I was afraid of that..." Octavia replied, sighing sadly. "She said she would contact me when she got up this morning, but so far... nothing. I must be honest; I am worried for her..."

"Well, you two DID have that argument last night..." Sunset told her. "Maybe she's still bitter about it..."

"Maybe, but she never sleeps over at someone else's house and not contact me when she is about to leave." the cello-player informed her. "As I am sure you are aware, we do squabble quite often, but never so bad that we do not let other person know if we are alright or not..."

"...Yeah, I see your point." the red-and-yellow girl stated. "Perhaps she decided to come to school early. Have you considered that?"

"Yes, I did." Octavia answered. "But then I realized that the name 'Vinyl Scratch' and 'goes to school early' cannot possibly make a complete sentence." Humming a little to herself, she then added, "Still, I suppose that there could be a remote possibility..."

"Then we'll meet up over at the school and see if the principals know anything about it." Sunset suggested.

"A very wise idea, Ms. Shimmer." agreed the sepia-colored girl. "We shall do just that. Until then, farewell."

"Bye, Octavia. We'll see you there." Sunset responded, hanging up the phone. She then told Twilight and Spike, "That was Octavia just now: Apparently, Vinyl's gone missing too."

"You're kidding me!" the Princess of Friendship exclaimed.

"This is getting kinda scary, guys..." Spike told them both. "I mean think about it: Fluttershy and Vinyl head off for a sleepover together, and the next morning, POOF! They're both gone! That can't just be a coincidence!"

"My thoughts exactly..." Sunset told the puppy. "But if we're going to find out what happened and where they are, we can't waste any more time! Let's get to the school and hope that things will turn out okay." And with that, the three of them got their things packed and their outfits for the day on before bolting out the door.

Minutes later, Sunset and Twilight, along with Spike riding around in the young Princess's backpack, made their way to Canterlot High School. There, they met up with their Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Octavia. Octavia had already explained to the others about what happened this morning. Not only that, but Fluttershy's mother had called each of them that same morning, asking about her daughter's whereabouts, so they all knew what was going on prior to Sunset and Twilight showing up.

"I just don't understand what could have happened to them..." Rarity said, her right hand rubbing the side of her head. "It is not like Fluttershy to just vanish without a trace..."

"Yeah, Ah can agree with ya there, Rares." Applejack told her. "Fluttershy would never walk around at night by herself... She's afraid of the dark. Ah mean, the girl slept with a night light up until middle school!"

"Yeah... what could've happened??" Pinkie asked.

"Maybe a vampire got 'em last night." joked Rainbow Dash.

"...That is not funny, Ms. Dash." Octavia told her sternly. "This is serious. Vinyl and Fluttershy are missing, and we have no way of knowing where they are. Our only hope is if Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna had seen them enter the school building..."

"Then I guess we'll have to go in and ask them if they know anything." Twilight recommended.

"Yeah, let's go. We don't have much time." Sunset stated. The group then walked into the school building, hoping to figure something out about all this.

"...I'm very sorry, girls, but neither I, nor my sister, have seen Fluttershy or Ms. Scratch come into the school yet." Luna told the group after they came into their office and explained everything to her and Celestia.

"Are you sure...?" asked Octavia, beginning to lose hope.

"I'm afraid my sister is correct." Celestia told them, confirming Luna's statement. "I'm very sorry. Trust me, if either of us knew anything about their whereabouts, we would most certainly have told you."

"So... that's it?" asked Pinkie, starting to get sad. "Poor Fluttershy and Vinyl..."

"We can't just give up like that!" Sunset shouted. "There's gotta be a way that we can find them! Something bad might have happened to them, and we've gotta be there to help!" Putting her hands on Celestia's desk, she then pleaded to her, "Please... there's got to be something we can do... Fluttershy and Vinyl are our friends. I don't know how we'll do it, but we have to get them back safely!"

The principal hummed to herself in deep thought. Even though it seemed hopeless, in her mind, Celestia knew that Sunset was right. "Well, I suppose we must try to do something to resolve this." the pale-pink woman stated. "I could never forgive myself if I allowed even the possibility of any harm coming to one of my students." Looking over to her sister, she then told her, "Luna, I'd like you to accompany Sunset and her friends and find those missing girls."

"Very well, sister. I shall do just that." the dark-blue woman replied, agreeing with her older sibling.

"Alright! There's still a chance!" Applejack cheered. "We might be able t' find 'em after all!"

"Indeed." Octavia responded, regaining the confidence that she would see her best friend again. "Thank you so much, Principal Celestia. But I must ask: What about our classes for today? Our teachers are sure to notice that we are absent..."

"I'll just let them know that you're doing some important work for the school today." Celestia answered her. "In any case, just let me worry about that."

"In that case, we should get going right away!" Twilight suggested. "And the first place we should check out is Fluttershy's house. That's where we last heard that Vinyl and Fluttershy were before they disappeared."

"I agree." Sunset said with a nod. "With any luck, we might find a clue as to what happened or - more importantly - where they went."

"In that case, let us all go there immediately." stated Luna.

"To Fluttershy's house we go!!!" Pinkie shouted, pointing forward. The group made their way out of the Principal's Office, with Luna accompanying them. Celestia mentally wished them all luck, hoping that the missing students were safe, wherever they were.

Minutes later, the group arrived at Fluttershy's home. Luna was driving the classic Mustang that belonged to her and Celestia, with Sunset, Twilight, and Spike riding along in the backseat. The other five girls were riding along in Pinkie's pink Volkswagon Beetle. Once they got to their destination, the group got out of the vehicles and looked ahead at the house.

"Well, here we are..." Spike stated. "D'ya think we can find out anything here?"

"Well, we have to start somewhere, Spike." Sunset told him. "But hopefully, we'll find some clues as to what happened. And from there, we might be able to figure out where Vinyl and Fluttershy went."

Luna walked up to the door and knocked on it. The door was answered by an adult woman with creamy-yellow skin, red hair, and magenta eyes. "Um, hello? Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Luna, Vice Principal of Canterlot High School." the dark-blue woman responded. "You must be Fluttershy's mother, am I correct?"

"Yes, I am..." the other woman confirmed. "Are... are you here about my daughter?"

"Yes... We wish to help you find out where she is." Luna told her. "And I can promise you that she WILL return home safely."

"Oh, thank you so much, Ms. Luna! Thank you!!" the mother replied, happy to know that someone would help her find her daughter. "Please, come in, all of you. Do whatever you need to do if it will help you find my Fluttershy!"

"Thank you, ma'am. We shouldn't be long." Luna then motioned the others to follow her into the house. She then asked Mrs. Shy, "Do you happen to know where you had last seen Fluttershy and her friend before they went missing?"

"The last time that I saw the girls, they went into their bedrooms for the night." the mother answered.

"Then that is where we shall begin our search." Luna declared. "Everyone, let us move out! We haven't a moment to waste!" The others nodded and followed her up the stairs. As they did, Fluttershy's pet rabbit, Angel Bunny poked his head out from under the sofa that he had been sleeping under. Seeing his owner's friends in the house, he decided to follow them.

Entering Fluttershy's bedroom first, the group began searching the area for any clues. They looked under Fluttershy's bed, her closet, anywhere that could have been hiding some trace of her. Looking at her desk, Applejack noticed the small yellow box that contained Fluttershy's Deck. Picking up the box and looking at it, the farm girl stated, "Well, whoever came in 'n took Fluttershy didn't bother stealin' anythin' else. Even her Deck's still here."

"I don't think anyone broke in and took Fluttershy..." Twilight pondered. "If that was the case, there would have been a struggle, and she would have made a lot of noise as well."

"She's right." Mrs. Shy said, nodding her head. "I didn't hear anything of the sort."

"So we can rule out a kidnapping..." Sunset stated. "Thank Celestia for that..." She then walked over to the window and opened it before adding, "Still, her mother said that the window was open when she entered the room... So if an outside person wasn't responsible for Fluttershy's disappearance, why was the window open?"

"Look! There's your answer." Luna told her, pointing out the window at a rope that had fallen to the grass below. "She had climbed out the window using that bed sheet as a makeshift rope."

"But where did she get it?" asked Mrs. Shy. "All of her sheets were accounted for when I came into her room this morning. And what's more, why would she leave the house in such a manner anyway? It doesn't make any sense!"

Just then, Pinkie Pie felt something tugging on her skirt. When she looked down, she saw Angel Bunny tugging at her clothes as hard as he could. "Huh? What's wrong with you, Angel?" the pink girl asked him.

The others looked over at Pinkie and the rabbit, wondering what was going on. "Something the matter, Pinkie?" Rarity asked her.

"Don't ask me, Rarity... Angel Bunny just started tugging on my skirt all of a sudden. I don't know why." the party-lover said to her.

"Hmmmm... y'all don't suppose he might've seen what happened, could he?" asked Applejack.

"Yeah, but even if he did, it's not like he can tell us." Rainbow Dash reminded her. "He can't talk like Spike can."

At that moment, Angel Bunny took a few steps back from Pinkie Pie and began pointing up into the air. He then put that paw on the tip of his nose. He then repeated these motions for a while. Pinkie, gasping happily, shouted, "Ooooh! Are we playin' Charades?! I LOVE this game!!!"

"Wait, what?" asked Sunset, confused as was everyone else.

"Shhhhhhhhh!!! Quiet, girls! I wanna concentrate!" Pinkie informed them. Looking back over at Angel Bunny, she told him, "Okay, go ahead."

Angel then held up his paw to indicate that there were three words in the puzzle, and that he was about to act out the first word. He then began rubbing his fur, as if he had an itch. "Um... itch?" Pinkie began guessing. "No, itchy? No, not that... Um... irritated? Uhhhhhh... Oh! Scratch!" After hearing that word, Angel gave a thumbs-up, to let Pinkie know that she guess it right. "Yay! I got it!!"

The others just stared on, not exactly sure what was going on. "Ooooookay... this is gettin' a little weird." Rainbow Dash told the others.

"Like you really needed to point that out?" asked Applejack. Nevertheless, the bizarre game of Charades continued, with Angel signaling the second word. He then made a motion with his paws in which he was pretending to read a book.

"Hmmmmm... read? Reading?" Pinkie guess. Angel shook his head no and pointed to the imaginary object that he was holding. "Oh!" the silly pink girl gasped, realzing where he was going. "Uh... Magazine! Newspaper! Book!" Angel then nodded to say that she was on the right track before tugging at his right ear. "Oh, it SOUNDS like 'book'!" assumed Pinkie. "Let's see... rook... cook... hook... look... took..." She then saw that Angel was giving another thumbs-up. "Oh! The word was 'took' right?!" When he nodded yes, the silly pink girl cheered, shouting, "Yay!! I'm winning!! What's next? What's the last word?!"

Angel then used his paws to indicate that the third word had two syllables, each of which would be acted out separately. Angel then flapped his paws like wings and began hopping around the room.

"Okay... this one looks like a toughie..." Pinkie said to herself. "Okay, uhm... hopping, skipping... nope... ummmmm... ballet dancing... uhhh..." She then took another look at Angel, and noticed his flapping forelegs. "Oh, wait... I think I've got it... is it 'flying'? No, 'flapping'? Wait, I've got it!! Is it 'Flutter'?!" Angle then gave a thumbs-up to say yes. After cheering for herself, the party-lover then asked him, "So what's the other syllable?"

Angel stood in front of Pinkie and began acting timid. He covered his eyes with his front paws and drooped his ears down to hide his face. "Um... embarrassed? Bashful? Um... what about, 'nervous'? No? Uhhh... introverted? Sheepish?" Pinkie began thinking of any other possible word for whatever Angel was acting out. Just then, she gasped and shouted, "I know what it is! It's 'SHY'!!" Putting together everything that Angel had acted out, she said to herself, "So it's 'scratch', 'took', 'flutter', and 'shy'... All together, that says, 'Scratch took Fluttershy'..." After dwelling on the puzzle for a few seconds, the silly pink teenager gasped and shouted, "OH NO!!! Scratch took Fluttershy!!!"

"Wait, hold up, what did she just say??" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I think she just said that Vinyl was the one that took Fluttershy away from here...!" Sunset answered, not believing it herself.

"But... but that's impossible!" Octavia responded, horrified to have heard that. "She would never abduct anyone! What would she get out of doing something horrible like that?!"

"I don't really know what to think, but I believe we should inspect the Guest Bedroom and see if we can find anything." Luna suggested. "I don't want to believe that Ms. Scratch was responsible for Fluttershy's disappearance, but if she is, we need to find them as soon as possible!" And with that, the group left Fluttershy's bedroom and headed for the room that Vinyl had been sleeping in.

As Pinkie took her leave, she then said to Angel Bunny, "That sure was a fun game! We should play that again sometime!" The rabbit smirked, as if to say that he'd win next time. After that, the party-lover left the room to join her friends in the investigation.

Everyone arrived at the guest bedroom shortly afterwards, ready to snoop around some more. "Well, here are are..." Sunset began to say, "This is where Vinyl was sleeping last night, right Mrs. Shy?" Fluttershy's mother nodded yes in response.

Walking over to the nightstand beside the bed, Octavia picked up a plastic case laying on top of the bedside furniture and briefly inspected it. "She is correct..." the sepia-skinned girl told the others. "Take a look at this, everyone." She then held up the case to show to the other individuals in the room.

"Isn't that the movie that Vinyl brought with her to Movie Night yesterday?" asked Rarity.

"It is." Octvaia said, nodding her head yes. "This proves that she was in this room."

"And look here:" Applejack chimed in, pointing to the edge of the bed. "Accordin' to Fluttershy's mom, there's a sheet missin' from this here bed! Ah'll bet it was the same one we saw outside of Fluttershy's window earlier!"

"So, it's true...?" Rainbow Dash began to ask. "Did Vinyl really kidnap Fluttershy?"

"That's what it seems like..." Twilight figured.

"But that couldn't be true...." Octavia began to tell the others. "What motive could she possibly have had to abduct Fluttershy? And what's more, she would never leave her favorite movie behind, no matter what the circumstances were..."

"Not only that, but there's something else worth pointing out:" Sunset then said. Pointing to the bedroom window, she then asked, "If Vinyl kidnapped Fluttershy and they left through her bedroom window... then why is THIS window open as well?"

"She could have opened it up last night to let some air in..." Rarity began to hypothesize. "But that wouldn't make any sense; last night was very cold, so she would have been freezing to death if she had done that."

Just then, Pinkie Pie noticed a faint glow coming from Sunset's necklace. "Hey, Sunnie!" she called out. "Your key-thingy is glowing again!"

"Huh?" Sunset glanced at her piece of jewelry and saw that it was, in fact, radiating a bright light that was only getting brighter. "What's going on? Why is my necklace reacting like this?"

Just then, Twilight heard the voice of Utopia in her mind. "Twilight..." he said to her.

"Utopia? Is that you?" the young Princess said out-loud. Taking out her Deck and pulling out her Number card, she saw that it was also glowing just as intensely as Sunset's necklace.

"It is..." Utopia told her. "There is something that I need to tell you. It is... rather faint, but I sense a familiar feeling in this room... I believe I can detect the presence of a Number..."

"A Number?!" asked Twilight.

"What's wrong, Twi?" asked Rainbow Dash. Everyone else was curious to know as well.

"Well, Utopia just told me something, girls..." the Princess of Friendship explained to them all. "He says that there may have been a Number card in here."

"A... Number??" asked Octavia, trembling. "You... you mean like the one that took over my mind...?!"

Scowling a little, Sunset then said, "I should've guessed that this was the case... Vinyl kidnaps Fluttershy with virtually no reason or motive to do so, and it all points to another Number card... I had a feeling it was that, but it wasn't until Utopia and my necklace had some sort of reaction that I could tell for sure."

"If that is the case," Luna began to tell everyone, "then this could be more dangerous than we first perceived it to be..."

"Um... what is going on...?" asked Mrs. Shy, confused as to what the others were talking about. "What's a Number card?"

"There's no time to explain, Ma'am." Applejack told Fluttershy's mother. "We've gotta head out n' try t' find Fluttershy and Vinyl before things really start gettin' outta control!"

"Just leave this to us!" Rainbow Dash said confidently. "Fluttershy'll be just fine when we're through with this!"

"Okay girls, let us move on and follow this new lead!" Luna told them all. The girls (and puppy) nodded and they all left Fluttershy's home. Mrs. Shy just stood there, not sure what was going on, but praying that her daughter would be safe.

"So now we know that a Number card's behind this whole problem we have..." Applejack began to say as she and the others wandered around the grassy fields in the Canterlot suburbs. "But even knowin' that, we still don't have a lotta info on this..."

"Yeah, like where Vinyl and Fluttershy are right now..." Rainbow Dash added.

"Or why that window in the guest bedroom was open, despite that the two of them had left from Fluttershy's room." Rarity pointed out.

"Well, hopefully once we resolve this whole thing, we can figure all of that out." Sunset told her. "But like Rainbow said, we still don't know where Vinyl and Fluttershy went last night; there aren't any clues that would help point us in the right direction."

"So how are we going to find them, then?" asked Octavia, getting worried.

"Not sure..." Twilight replied. Pulling out her Number card again, she then added, "But maybe Utopia might have an idea."

Utopia then began speaking to the young Princess in her mind, telling her, "While it is true that we have no way of knowing where to look first, the fact that a Number is involved might help us. If we can find the Number, we will most likely find them with it."

"That's a good idea, Utopia." Twilight replied, liking the idea. She then explained Utopia's plan to the others, and they all agreed that it was a good idea, too.

"So how shall we find this rogue Number card, then?" Luna inquired.

"Easy: We use ANOTHER Number card to do it." Sunset answered the Vice Principal. "And I have just the one." Activating her Duel Pad and Duel Gazer (the others also activated their Gazers as well), she took out one of the cards in her Deck and placed it onto the Monster card tray. "Come forth! Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk!!" At that moment, the galaxy-like portal that appeared with each Numbers' summoning opened up in the sky. The monster then appeared, emerging from out of its sealed form into a humanoid-like creature.

Octavia stood there, staring at the Number card that had once belonged to her. Trembling a little, she then asked, "S-Sunset...? Why did you pick this one...?"

Sighing a little, the red-and-yellow girl then explained, "I know your memories of this card aren't exactly good ones, but I figured, since this card was once bonded to you, it might be able to track down Vinyl... I know it doesn't exactly make a lot of sense right now, but it's the best option that I could think of."

Rhapsody in Berserk then glanced over at his former owner, who was still feeling very uneasy just looking at him. Then, surprisingly enough, the Number card faced Octavia, put it right hand on its chest and gave a sincere bow. "Um... what is it doing?"

"Well, I'm no expert," Pinkie Pie began to answer her, "but I think he's trying to say that he's sorry. Y'know for turning you into a total jerk and trying to make you hurt everyone!" Rhapsody then glanced over at the pink girl, not pleased about being reminded of that day. Pinkie then said to him, "Hey, don't give me that look! You KNOW what you did!" The Number card sweated a little upon hearing that, knowing that she had a point.

Getting things back on track, Sunset then said to her monster, "Rhapsody in Berserk, there's a new Number card somewhere in this area, and we think that it belongs to either Fluttershy or Vinyl... I need you to help us find it and them. Can you do that?" Rhapsody nodded and began looking around the area. All of a sudden, he let out a slight grunt and began flying off, heading towards a wooded area.

"He's heading into that forest!" Twilight exclaimed. "Let's hurry up and follow him!" The others nodded and raced after the Number card, hoping that it would lead them to their missing friends.

The group of ten ran through the thick forest, sidestepping trees and hopping over logs and stumps in their path. Looking up at the Number card that they were following, Applejack said to the others, "For a big guy, he sure moves awful fast!"

"I guess he must be getting quite a strong signal of that other Number card!" Twilight assumed.

"Indeed, Twilight." Utopia told her. "We Numbers are naturally drawn to each other, so we can sense each other's presence... Why that is, I am not quite sure of yet... But I suppose now isn't the time to figure that out."

The group finally stopped at what appeared to be an old barn: A REALLY old barn. Despite the fact that the building looked dilapidated, the wood was slowly rotting away, and that vines and other plants were growing all over it, it had been standing there mostly intact for many, many years. "What's this place...?" asked Sunset.

"What's an old barn like this one doin' in the middle of the woods?" asked Applejack. "Ah've been to this forest in the past, but I ain't never seen somethin' like this here before!"

"Well, it is very well hidden..." Luna explained to her. "And not only that, the trees around this area are so tall and thick, it is as dark as night, even in the middle of the day."

"Hmmmm... judging from its rather archaic appearance," Octavia began to tell the others, "I would guess that this barn may have been built by people who had first settled in this area. At some point, it was abandoned, and ever since, nature has seen fit to reclaim the land, as well as the barn itself."

"Please don't tell me that we are going to enter this old, rusty barn, are we...?" asked Rarity, already cringing at the thought of it.

"We don't have a choice." Sunset told her fashionista friend. "Rhapsody seems drawn to this building, so the Number card we're looking for is inside... And hopefully, we'll also find Vinyl and Fluttershy as well."

"Let us hope so..." Octavia stated. "If anything happened to them... well... I don't want to even think about it..."

"Then let's get in there and make SURE that nothing bad happens!" suggested Rainbow Dash, running inside.

"Hey, Dashie!! Wait for MEEEEE!!!" shouted Pinkie, following her rainbow-haired friend. The others then ran into the barn, hoping that the missing girls were inside.

Having entered the barn, the group began searching the area for Vinyl and Fluttershy. Sunset used a flashlight she had on hand to light up the dark rooms. Just as Luna had said, even though it was still morning, the barn's interiors were pitch-black; it was almost as if the area was cloaked in perpetual night. This was further evidenced by the fact that many nocturnal animals, such as rats, raccoons, and even an owl were still wide awake. The nighttime bird even let out a loud hoot that echoed throughout the crumbling building.

Shaking a little, Rarity then said to her friends, "Oh dear... just look at this place... Just LISTEN... It's almost like that movie we watched last night... Only the castle in the movie was far better-looking compared to this smelly old barn."

"Ah know what ya mean..." agreed Applejack, "Well, the first part o' that, at least... This place looks like a rumpus room for all sorts'a nasty ghouls n' ghosts..."

"That's... that's absurd, Applejack..." Octavia replied nervously. "That was... just a movie... Things such as ghosts and vampires aren't real... right...?"

Just then, the entire group heard a loud SWOOSH nearby them. Shrieking, Rarity asked, "What was THAT?!?"

"It sounded like it came from over there!" Luna said, pointing to her left.

"No way!! I heard it from over there!" Rainbow argued, pointing in a different direction.

"Ya'll 're BOTH wrong!" Applejack told them. "Ah heard it comin' from up above us!"

"I don't think any of us can really tell where we heard it." Twilight stated. "Everything echoes in this barn, so it could have come from anywhere!"

"What I'm more worried about..." Spike began to say, "is what MADE that sound in the first place...!"

The girls gulped, now wondering that as well. They stayed close to one another, carefully scanning any nook and cranny of the room they were so as not to be taken by surprise. But that didn't help them, as another SWOOSH was heard by them. Thinking quickly, Sunset Shimmer pointed her flashlight in the direction of where she thought that she had heard the sound. For a split second, she a flash of light pink in the spot where her flashlight shined its light.

"I think I just saw something, girls!" the red-and-yellow girl told her friends, "Whatever it is, I think it's what's making that sound!" Hearing the loud noise again, Sunset shined her light in the direction it was coming from. Once again, she saw something for a brief moment in the light; this time, it appeared to be a foot, and whoever it was connected to was hastily moving to the right. "Who are you?!" Sunset shouted. "Show yourself!!"

Finally, after hearing the SWOOSH once more, the black jacket-wearing teen pointed the flashlight behind her. She managed to catch the individual in the bright light, causing them to put their hands in front of their face so as not to go blind. But when the group finally got a good look at the mysterious stranger, they realized that the "stranger" wasn't someone that was unknown to them...

"Oh my...!!" gasped Rarity. "I don't believe it!! It's... it's Fluttershy!!"

The person was indeed their shy friend, but something was different about her: She was wearing her normal outfit, but they were slightly ripped and tattered. Her fingernails were sharp and pointy, like claws, and her pink hair was a mess. Not only that, but her normally shy and sweet face was replaced with a more vicious-looking expression as she let out an angry hiss. And that's when the group made the most shocking observation of all:

"Hey! Look at her teeth!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Some of 'em are sharp and pointy!"

"Sharp and pointy??" asked Octavia, shaking in fear. "You don't mean like... like a VAMPIRE'S teeth, do you??"

"No way... Fluttershy's a vampire now??" asked Applejack, stunned in disbelief.

"Does that mean we have to start calling her 'Flutterbat' from now on?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"I'm not so sure about her becoming a vampire, girls," Sunset told them, still skeptical about the whole thing. "But something seems to have come over her... But whatever it is, it's not because she has a Number card, because I don't see any marks on her that would show that she has one."

"But... if she doesn't have a Number," Twilight began to ask, "then who or what could have done this??"

"HahahahahaHAAA!!!!" cackled a voice from within the room. "You wish to know who is responsible? Very well, then!!" At that moment, several candles sitting on candelabras bolted to the barn's walls lit up - as if by some otherworldly power - bringing a faint, orange light into the room. Once the room was fully lit-up, a figure jumped down from the rafters above. It was none other than Vinyl Scratch, but like Fluttershy, she had much different appearance than from how she usually looked. She was dressed up in a female vampire's outfit: She wore a long, elegant-looking dress that was, naturally, colored in a blood-red hue. Around her neck was a choker-like collar that was black in color with a chain connected to the middle of it. Dangling from said chain was a cross-shaped charm adorned with a red jewel in the middle. Vinyl's eyes were glowing a deep red, and she displayed a sinister, fanged smile.

"...Vinyl...? Is... is that you...??" asked Octavia, not sure what was going on.

"Meheheheh... Not quite, Octavia, my dear..." the fanged DJ spoke to her friend. "I am much more than the friend and roommate you once knew... Now, I have become a vampire! A true being of the night!" As she spoke, the red 24 mark appeared on her hand.

(So it was HER who picked up a Number card...) thought Sunset after spotting the glowing mark.

"Hold on a sec!" Rainbow Dash began to protest. "If you're supposed to be a vampire, then how can you be standing there wide awake in the middle of the day?!"

Chuckling wickedly to herself, Vinyl answered her, saying, "You really need to ask such a thing? Just look around you! This barn and the section of the forest we are in is so overgrown with tress, that the accursed sunlight can never break through! So I can stay up all day without any problem!"

"Fine, whatever. We ain't here t' ask questions anyway!" Applejack told her. "We're here t' save Fluttershy and bring her back safely!"

"You had absolutely no reason to abduct her in the first place!" Luna shouted at the girl-turned-vampire. "Now return her to us at once and stop this foolishness!"

"Hmmhmmhmm... You're quite wrong, Ms. Luna." Vinyl told her in a stereotypical vampire-like accent. "I did have a reason to take your dear friend the way that I have..." Pointing right at Sunset Shimmer, the DJ shouted, "And it was all to get to you!"

"To me? Why??" asked the red-and-yellow teen.

Chuckling again, Vinyl explained to her, "To ensure that you co-operate with my demands, Ms. Shimmer... Using my new power, I bewitched the one you call Fluttershy and made her into my slave." Looking over at the spellbound girl, she then told the others, "Right now, her memories are currently blocked out. As it stands now, she has no memories of who she is or who any of you are, much like that of a doll... But she still has enough mental capacity to obey my every whim. But more importantly, her disappearance drew all of you exactly where I wanted you to be..."

"But why?" asked Twilight. "What do you want from Sunset and all of us??"

Showing the group the Number card that she possessed, Vinyl answered the young Princess, saying, "Why your Number cards, of course... After all, this card gave me incredible power beyond your understanding... But imagine what sort of influence I could have with the ones that you possess! Now be a good girl, Ms. Shimmer, and hand over your Number cards to me... or little Fluttershy shall serve me for eternity!"

But Sunset smirked and told Vinyl, "I'm afraid it's not quite that simple: I'm afraid that I'm not able to just simply GIVE you my Numbers..."

"What?! Why not?!" asked the vampire DJ angrily. "Do you not care for your little friend at all?!"

"More than anything, Vinyl." the jacket-clad teen replied. "But it's not that I don't WANT to comply with your demand, it's just I couldn't, even IF I wanted to."

"What do you mean??" asked Vinyl. "Explain!"

"I can't quite explain the details, because I'm not so sure of them myself," Sunset began to say, "but what I do know is that in order to obtain Number cards from a person that has them, you have to earn them in a Duel. That's the only way that you'll have any right to take my Numbers from me!"

"A Duel...?" asked the vampire, not aware of that fact. Thinking to herself, she then said to Sunset, "I shall admit, that was not originally part of my plans, but it matters not. Defeating you in a Duel will be just as simple a task as leading you over here."

"We'll see about that, Vinyl." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "Just remember this: If you're the one who loses, then we get Fluttershy back from you, and YOU'LL be the one that has to give up their Number card."

"I'll agree to that, seeing as how there's no chance of that happening!" Vinyl replied.

The two combatants activated their Duel Pads, ready to begin their Duel. Sunset activated her Duel Gazer lens, while Vinyl switched on the one that was built into her shades. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the barn surrounded them all.

"Let's DUEL!!!" shouted both Vinyl and Sunset, drawing their cards and beginning their battle (Vinyl Scratch: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000).

The rest of the search party activated their Duel Gazers to see what was going on. Pinkie Pie then glanced over at Fluttershy, who, thanks to Vinyl's spell, stood there completely silent and motionless. "Poor Fluttershy..." the pink girl said sadly. "I can only imagine what's going through her head right now... It can't be pretty..."

"Well, once Sunset takes Vinyl down, hopefully she'll snap out of it." Rainbow Dash responded.

"Let us hope so..." Rarity chimed in. "And let us ALSO hope that Vinyl doesn't try to use that same hex on us as well..." The others nodded and proceeded to watch the Duel.

Looking over her opening hand, Vinyl then asked Sunset, "Are you alright my dear...? I can sense uneasiness in your soul... Afraid that I shall claim your cards and your friend after this is all over?"

But Sunset Shimmer did her best not to let her opponent see her sweat. "Just get on with your turn, Vinyl..." she told her, "and we'll see just who scares who."

"As you wish." Taking a card out of her hand, Vinyl then declared, "I shall begin with the Field Spell Card, Vampire Kingdom!!" After playing her card, the area around them transformed into a spooky scene: a town shrouded in fog, an imposing castle off in the distance, large, steel walls lined with spikes on the top, and an eerie red moon in the night sky above. "Hmmmm... now this is the ideal site for a battle against the undead... But I shall divulge its powers another time. For now, I shall Summon my Vampire Baby in Attack Mode!!"

Vinyl's first monster was a small, child-like humanoid creature with all but its face covered in a flowing green cloak held together by a gold brooch. The child's mouth had fangs, its eyes shone a bright blue, and its ears were pointed like a bat's (Vampire Baby: Level 3 / ATK 700 / DEF 1000).

"And lastly, I shall set a face-down card before completing my turn." Vinyl stated, placing one more of her cards on the field.

"That's an unusual choice..." Rarity stated. "That monster has hardly any attack power, so it should be no threat."

"I ain't too sure about that, Rares..." Applejack informed her. "Ah'll bet apples t' biscuits that that's what Vinyl WANTS us t' think... She obviously set a trap for Sunset right off the bat, and is just waitin' for her t' fall into it!"

"That seems very possible." Twilight replied. "I just hope Sunset is aware of that, too..."

The red-and-yellow girl looked at the weak monster before her and thought to herself, (That Vampire Baby is clearly the bait for a trap, so I'd better play this carefully...) She then said to her opponent, "It's my turn! I draw!!" Picking up her first card, she looked over her hand and spotted her Chronomaly Nebra Disk. (That one... If I Summon it, I can get a free Chronomaly card out of my Deck, so I'll pick something that I can use as backup, just in case I do spring her face-down card this turn.)

Taking her chosen monster from her hand, Sunset placed it onto her pad and shouted, "I'll Summon my Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" In a second, her disk-shaped monster appeared on the field (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500). "And by Summoning it, its effect lets me retrieve any Chronomaly card from my Deck! And I'll choose my Chronomaly Golden Jet!" After taking her card, the jacket-wearing teen then shouted to her monster, "Now go!! Attack Vampire Baby with Ancient Blade Spin!!" The disk monster then spun wildly and sped towards Vinyl's monster.

"I am afraid that your attack shall not work!" Vinyl told her. "Now prepare to face something far worse than the Black Plague of olden times!! I activate my Trap Card!! The Crush Card Virus!!!"

Everyone gasped when they heard the name of the Trap Card that Vinyl activated. "No way!! The Crush Card?!?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"She actually has that powerful card??" asked Luna, also quite shocked by this. Even Octavia seemed surprised by the card's appearance.

Chuckling wickedly, the DJ-turned-vampire then explained, "I see that many of you are quite aware of this Trap Card's power, but for those who are not, I shall tell you: By disposing of my Vampire Baby - a DARK-Attribute monster with no more than 1000 attack points - I can now destroy every monster on your field and in your hand with an attack value of 1500 or higher!! So say goodbye to your Nebra Disk!"

Sunset could only watch as her only monster was covered in a thick, dark-purple ooze that dissolved it into nothing. (No... my monster's gone...) she thought. Looking at her hand, she then added, (And not only that, her Crush Card Virus also destroys the Chronomaly Winged Sphinx in my hand, since its attack power is 1600!) She had no choice but to send both of those cards to her Graveyard.

"Ouch... that was beyond brutal..." Rainbow Dash commented.

"I was not aware that Vinyl had such a card in her Deck, but given that she runs a Vampire Deck, I'm not that surprised..." Octavia mentioned. "Vampire Decks are all about destroying the opponent's Deck from the inside-out..."

"Well, there is some good news, girls..." Luna told them all. "The new errata on Crush Card Virus now states that Sunset is guaranteed not to take any damage until the end of Vinyl's next turn. So she is still safe for now."

Vinyl chuckled and then told Sunset, "There's one more thing: After I destroy the powerful cards in your hand and on the field, you then have the option to destroy up to three more monsters in your Deck that also meet Crush Card's criteria: 1500 or more attack points. Of course, you don't HAVE to do so, so feel free to skip this part if you wish."

Sunset looked at her Deck and thought over something in head for a moment. She then looked Vinyl straight in the eye and told her, "Very well then... I'll get rid of three monsters in my Deck!" She then took out her Apocatequil, Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem, and The Supremacy Sun cards in her Deck and sent them to her Graveyard as well.

"What?? You ARE eliminating your cards??" asked Vinyl, slightly confused. "Why would you do that??"

"Yeah, what's she thinking??" asked Rainbow Dash. "She didn't have to go and do that..." No one was sure of what Sunset was planning... except possibly Sunset herself.

Taking out another card in her hand, she then told her opponent, "I don't plan on leaving my field totally empty, so I'll Special Summon my Chronomaly Moai Carrier in Defense Mode, since you still have one card out while I have none (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800). I'll also set a card face-down and end my turn."

Vinyl hummed a little to herself and thought, (Why did she allow me to destroy three more of her cards with my virus card...? It doesn't make sense! ...Well, fine then... If she wishes to make it easier for me to defeat her, then why should I complain about it?) Drawing a card, she then declared, "It is my turn! And I shall Summon Gozuki in Attack Mode!"

Taking the card she had just drawn, the Vampire DJ placed the card onto the tray. The monster then appeared on the field, revealing itself as an anthropomorphic ox-creature with black skin wearing a tattered kilt-like garment around its waist. In its hands was an incredibly large, wooden hammer.

*******************************

Gozuki
(Effect Monster/Zombie-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 800)

During your Main Phase: You can send 1 Zombie-Type monster from your Deck to the Graveyard. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can banish 1 Zombie-Type monster from your Graveyard, except "Gozuki"; Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type monster from your hand. You can only use each effect of "Gozuki" once per turn.

*******************************

"And now that this creature of the Underworld is on the field, I shall use his power to send one Zombie monster from my Deck to the Graveyard!" Vinyl explained as her Deck auto-shuffled her cards and left a single one sticking out. "And I choose Vampire Grace!"

(Vampire Decks consist mostly of Zombie-Type monsters,) Sunset thought to herself, (so it would make sense for Vinyl to have a card that sends them to the Graveyard so she can bring them to the field later...)

"Now for my Battle Phase!!" Vinyl shouted. "Gozuki, attack her Moai Carrier!!"

"What? But my monster's defense is higher!" protested Sunset. "You'll just damage yourself!"

"Unfortunately, you are quite wrong, my dear!" the fanged girl spat back. "Thanks to my Field Spell, all of my Zombies gain 500 attack points whenever they do battle! So my monster is much more powerful right now!" (Gozuki: ATK 1700 + 500 = 2200) And just like that, Gozuki's hammer struck Sunset's monster, turning it into a pile of rubble. "Seems as though you did not foresee this outcome, am I correct?" asked Vinyl with a smirk.

"Actually, YOU are quite wrong, 'my dear'!" Flipping over her face-down card, the jacket-wearing girl shouted, "I play Stonehenge Methods! Since one of my Chronomaly monsters was just destroyed, I can use this to Special Summon a new one from my Deck! And I choose another Nebra Disk!" She then Summoned another copy of her disk-shaped monster in Defense Position to protect herself.

"Rrrgh... very clever..." Vinyl reluctantly admitted. Taking another card from her hand, she then told her foe, "I'll set this card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! I draw!!" Sunset shouted, drawing her next card and looking at it. (Good! This card ought to help me, both right now... and later on.) Placing her new card in her hand for now, she then declared, "I'll begin my turn by Summoning Chronomaly Golden Jet in Attack Mode!" In an instant, her shiny plane-like monster flew in from the sky above, hovering just above its controller (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400). "Next," she stated, "I'll play my Spell Card Palenque Sarcophagus, which allows me to draw two more cards, since I have a Chronomaly monster on the field!" After taking her two cards, Sunset then added, "But I'm not done drawing cards yet: Next, I'll play... my Pot of Desires!"

"Wait, Pot of Desires?!?" exclaimed Octavia.

Everyone was surprised by the Spell Card Sunset played, except for Twilight, who wasn't familiar with the card at all. "Um... what's that card?" the Princess of Friendship asked the others.

"It's a very rare card, Twilight dear." Rarity explained to her. "Not to mention that it can be a very risky card to use."

"Why's that?" asked Spike, also curious.

"Well, it DOES allow the person who plays it t' draw two more cards from their Deck..." Applejack stated. "But it ALSO forces them t' banish the top ten cards of their deck face-down."

"TEN cards?!" asked a shocked Twilight. "But if her Deck has forty cards, then that means she's getting rid of more than 25 percent of it with just that one card!"

"True, but if she draws what she needs right now, then the loss of those cards may not matter." Luna told the purple-skinned girl.

"I hope she knows what she's doin'..." Rainbow Dash said, a little worried.

"Of course she does, Dashie!" Pinkie said to her cyan friend. She then looked ahead at the Duel and thought to herself, (At least... I hope she does.)

Sunset Shimmer then drew her two new cards (after banishing even more of them) and took a glance at what she managed to pull. Satisfied with what she got, the red-and-yellow girl placed the cards in her hand for the moment. "For my next move," she began to say, "I'll use Golden Jet's effect, which increases the Levels of all of my Chronomaly monsters by one each!" (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 + 1 = 5) (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 + 1 = 5)

"Now she's got two Level 5 monsters..." Rainbow Dash noted. "Is she gonna bring out one of her Number cards now?"

"Probably not right now." Rarity stated. "She might want to save them for when Vinyl decides to Summon hers."

Rarity's words were indeed true as Sunset played her next card. "Next I'll Special Summon my Chronomaly Moai in Defense Mode, since I currently control a Chronomaly monster!" With that, her giant Easter Island head statue monster rose up from the ground in front of her (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600). "That gives me three Level 5 monsters now!"

"Th-THREE of them?!" exclaimed Vinyl, sweating a little.

"Now I overlay Chronomaly Moai, Chronomaly Nebra Disk, and Chronomaly Golden Jet... and create the Overlay Network!!" Sunset shouted. Her three monsters turned into a trio of lights - one orange and two yellow - that flew into a red summoning portal in the middle of the field. "Activate now, mighty machine!" the jacket-clad girl chanted. "Grind your gears! Move the earth! Bury my opponent and leave no stone unturned! Xyz Summon!! Rank 5! Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry!!"

With the chant complete, Sunset played her most powerful Xyz Monster. Its engines revved, its exhaust pipes smoked, and its diggers were ready to get to work on Vinyl and her monsters (Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry: Rank 5 / ATK 3200 / DEF 2000 / OLU 3).

"Alright!! She got Digvorzhak onto the field!!" cheered Pinkie Pie.

"Let 'er have it, Sunset!!" Applejack shouted to her friend.

Sunset nodded to her friend and turned her attention back to her opponent. "I now remove one overlay unit to activate the effect of Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry! Now you have to send the top three cards of your Deck to the Graveyard, and for every monster you lose, I get to destroy one of your cards!" (Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry: OLU 3 - 1 = 2)

Vinyl picked up her top three cards and looked at them. She then grumbled as she revealed the cards that she had to send to the Graveyard. "My cards are Zoma the Spirit, Mezuki, and Pyramid Turtle..." she told her foe.

"Then since two of the three cards were monsters, that means I can destroy two of your cards on the field!" Sunset reminded her. "I choose Vampire Kingdom and Gozuki!!" And with that, both Vinyl's monster and her Field Spell were eliminated, causing the view of the haunted town and castle to disappear, allowing the sight of the old barn to return. "Now you're defenseless, Vinyl." the red-and-yellow girl informed the vampire teenager.

"I'm afraid you are once again mistaken!" Vinyl said to her. "When Gozuki is sent to the Graveyard, I can banish any other Zombie from my Graveyard to Summon a new one from my hand! So I'll banish Vampire Baby and call forth my Vampire's Curse in Attack Mode!" Her newest monster was another vampire, this time an adult-aged man with pinkish-purple skin, short blue hair, piercing red eyes, and a pair of red bat wings. He also had long claws and wore an outfit that seemed to combine a formal suit with metallic armor (Vampire's Curse: Level 6 / ATK 2000 / DEF 800).

"Next, I activate the effect of Vampire Grace in my Graveyard!" Vinyl then told Sunset. "Since I Special Summoned a Level 5 or higher Zombie to the field, I can bring her back to the field by paying 2,000 of my Life Points!" (Vinyl Scratch: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000) She then took the card from her Duel Pad's Graveyard slot and placed it onto the field in Defense Position. The monster appeared as an elderly woman with a sheet-white face and wearing a purple dress that, while it gave her the appearance of a royal queen, it also had a sinister look with the many claw-like appendages growing all over it (Vampire Grace: Level 6 / ATK 2000 / DEF 1200).

(Hmmm... Vampire's Curse is in Attack Mode...) thought Sunset. (If I attack it, I'll inflict 1,200 points of damage to her, bringing her down to just 800 Life Points... But the problem is that Vampire's Curse can revive itself with its effect if Vinyl pays 500 more points... Then she'd have two Level 6 monsters out, which might allow her to Summon her Number... And I can't let her do that.) Coming to a decision, the otherworldly girl ordered her monster, "Digvorzhak!! Attack her Vampire Grace!! Seismic Disturbance!!" The powerful Machine-Type then revved up its diggers, shaking the ground and created a fissure that sent the royal vampire plummeting to her doom.

"Hmmmm... not bad, my dear... Not bad." Vinyl complimented. She then thought to herself, (A shame that your move won't matter...!)

"I'll end my turn by setting one card from my hand face-down." Sunset declared, placing her card onto the field. "Your move."

"I draw!!" shouted Vinyl as she drew her next card. Smirking at her new card, she then placed it into her hand and said to her foe, "You attacked my Vampire Grace last turn because you knew my other monster could revive itself, to prevent me from Summoning my Number... But I'm afraid there is NOTHING you can do stop the emergence of the ultimate creature of the undead!"

"What are you saying?!" asked Sunset, not too pleased to hear that.

"You shall see, and soon you shall ALL become my children of the night!! Just like your dear little Fluttershy!!!" cackled Vinyl. "I now activate the effect of Mezuki, which, thanks to you, is now in my Graveyard! Now all I must do is banish it from the game and I can revive any OTHER Zombie in my Graveyard! And you can probably guess which of my monsters I shall choose..."

"Let me guess..." Sunset began to say, "it's Vampire Grace, isn't it?"

"For once you are correct, my dear!" the vampire DJ confirmed. "Return, Vampire Grace!!" And with that, the regal-looking vampire return to the field quicker than Sunset eliminated it. "And now I overlay her and my Level 6 Vampire's Curse to create the Overlay Network!!" The two monster transformed into a pair of purple lights as the galaxy-like vortex drew them into itself.

"Here it comes...!" Applejack said, knowing as well as everyone else that Vinyl's Number card was about to appear.

"Arise, Number 24!!" Vinyl began to chant as the mark on her hand began glowing brighter than ever. "Emerge from the depths of the Underworld and wreak your vengeance upon these pathetic mortal souls! Xyz Summon! Ruler of the Undead! Rank 6! Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon!!"

Once the card was played, the galaxy portal exploded, leaving a red mark on the floor that resembled the number 24. The creature first emerged onto the field as a jet-black cocoon with a pair of purple orbs orbiting it. Within seconds, the cocoon opened up, revealing that they were actually a pair of black and red wings with white thorns. The creature was dragon-like in appearance, having black scales with streaks of crimson red all over it, along with skeletal-like armor upon its body. It also had bright, blonde hair on its head, and the left side of its chest displayed that same 24 mark that was on its owner's hand.

*******************************

Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Wyrm-Type/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2400/DEF 2800)

2 Level 6 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster on the field that was Special Summoned; change it to face-down Defense Position. If this face-up card in its owner's control is sent to your Graveyard or banished by your opponent's card effect: You can Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position. If this card is flipped face-up: Send 1 card on the field to the Graveyard.

*******************************

Everyone trembled a bit upon witnessing the appearance of Vinyl's Number card. "What the heck is that thing supposed to be...?" asked Rainbow Dash, sweating a little. "Is it a dragon or a vampire??"

"I believe it may be both..." Rarity answered her. "Either way, it means trouble for Sunset..."

(...Stay strong, Sunset...) Twilight urged her friend mentally. (You can get through this... Just don't let Vinyl see you sweat...)

Sunset Shimmer stared at the imposing creature that was Summoned in front of her. The Number monster let out a vicious-sounding snarl right at her as she thought to herself, (That Number card... there's something about it that seems... different compared to the other ones. Not only does it look powerful... but somehow, I can sense that there's something more malicious within it, like it's specifically after me or something...)

Chuckling, Vinyl Scratch asked her foe, "Is something the matter dear...? Don't tell me you're too... scared to face my Number in battle...?"

"Don't flatter yourself." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "You may have a Number card out, but its attack power is way lower than my monster. So I've got nothing to be scared of!"

"Hmmhmmhmmhmm... My dear, you have MUCH to be scared of." the vampire girl replied. "Don't you know that we vampires draw strength from the living in order to gain greater power? I shall show you just what I mean with this! I play the Spell Card, Riryoku!"

The rest of the group gasped. "That is not good..." Luna told the others. "Riryoku allows Vinyl to cut the attack power of any monster on the field by half!"

"Yeah, that don't sound good at all..." Applejack commented.

"Indeed it does not... because the target of my Spell Card shall be that mortal machine in front of me, Digvorzhak!!" Vinyl informed them all. As she did, the card she played caused Sunset's monster to power down as bolts of blue electricity flowed out of it (Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry: ATK 3200 ÷ 2 = 1600). "And if you thought that was bad, then hear this!" shouted the DJ-turned-vampire. "Now my Number card shall gain more strength this turn, equal to the exact amount of attack power that your monster lost!" (Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: ATK 2400 + 1600 = 4000)

"Four thousand attack points?!" exclaimed Twilight, concerned for her friend's safety.

"Aiyiyi!! This isn't gonna be pretty!" Pinkie said, trembling a little.

Vinyl chuckled some more and stated, "And while that hopelessness sinks in, I shall drive my stake further into your heart, so to speak..." Tapping her Duel Pad's screen, she then shouted, "I activate the Continuous Trap, Coffin Seller!"

*******************************

Coffin Seller
(Continuous Trap Card)

Each time a monster(s) is sent to your opponent's Graveyard: Inflict 300 damage to your opponent.

*******************************

"Now go, Dragulas!!" shouted Vinyl. "Attack her monster!! Midnight Haze!!!" The dragon-like creature roared loudly as a toxic, purple mist flowed from its mouth. The fog enveloped both Sunset and her monster, destroying it and dealing a unhealthy dose of damage to the otherworldly girl's Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 2,400 = 1,600).

"Sunset!! Are you okay?!" asked Twilight out of concern.

Getting back onto her feet, she answered her, saying, "For now, I am... but if she gets me a few more times like that, it's all over...!"

"Quite right, my dear... and one of those 'few more times' shall happen right now!" Vinyl informed her. "Now that your monster has been sent to its eternal rest, my Trap Card shall sink its fangs into you as well!" As she said that, a purple bolt shot out from underneath Sunset, taking more of her Life Points away (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,600 - 300 = 1,300). "That is because every time monsters are sent to your Graveyard, my Trap inflicts three hundred more points of damage to you automatically!"

"That's not fair at all!!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "If that keeps up, Sunset'll lose!"

"There is still some hope, Ms. Dash." Luna commented. "Luckily for Ms. Shimmer, Coffin Seller ONLY damages the player for every time a monster is sent to her Graveyard; NOT for each monster. In other words, even though three of her monsters were sent to the Graveyard this turn - Digvorzhak and its remaining Xyz Materials - she still only took 300 points of damage, because they were all eliminated at the exact same time."

"That's good to hear, I suppose..." Rarity replied. "But with so few Life Points remaining, all Vinyl has to do is destroy a few more of her monsters and this Duel will be over..."

"She'll find a way to win, for sure...!" Octavia said confidently. "She saved me from a Number's control, and I know she will do the same for my dear friend as well."

"I agree, Octavia." Twilight told her. "We've just gotta keep hoping that she'll pull through!" As she said that, Utopia, watching the Duel from the depths of her mind, nodded to say he agreed with her completely.

"Make your next move, Sunset dear!" Vinyl told her foe. "So that I can come one step closer to bringing back the age of the vampires!"

"The only thing you'll come closer to is me getting that Number away from you!" the jacket-clad teen responded, drawing her next card. She then looked at the card, seeing that it was another copy of her Nebra Disk. (Good start so far... this will help me get one of the cards I need to win this... it just all depends on my next draw... I just have to pray that my plan works in time.) She then played her newly-drawn card and declared, "I Summon Nebra Disk in Attack Mode! And I'll use its effect to take Chronomaly Tula Guardian from my Deck!"

"Hmph... how boring. Just give in already." Vinyl told her. "Whatever you're planning cannot possibly work!"

After taking her chosen card from her Deck, Sunset then replied back, saying, "Let's see if you think that after I activate my Trap Card! Go, Xyz Reborn!! This card brings back an Xyz Monster from my Graveyard and attaches itself as an Overlay Unit to that revived monster!" She then took her chosen monster out of the Graveyard and placed it onto the field as she shouted, "Return to the field! Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry!!" And with that, her powerful Machine-Type monster came back to the battle field, equipped with the very card that revived it as an Overlay Unit (Digvorzhak, King of Heavy Industry: OLU 0 + 1 = 1).

"This is it!" cheered Applejack. "If she can activate Digvorzhak's ability again, she might be able t' take down that Number card!"

"Perhaps... but she shall not have that chance!" Vinyl informed them. "I activate the effect of Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon!! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can change any Special Summoned monster to Defense Mode and flip it face-down!!" And after sending one of the cards underneath her Xyz Monster to the Graveyard (Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), the dragon-like monster's eyes began to glow bright-red, which caused a red aura to surround Sunset's Xyz Monster and forced it to change modes.

"No...! If it's face-down, Sunset can't use its effect!" Rainbow Dash stated. "That was her only chance to get out of this!"

"I'm not so sure about that..." Twilight told her.

"Huh? Whad'ya mean, Twi?" asked the athletic girl.

"I don't think Sunset's completely out of options just yet, Rainbow." the young Princess replied. "Something tells me she has a different plan in mind... What it is, I'm not sure of, but she must have a plan of some sort."

"I agree with you, Twilight." Octavia said with a nod. "This Duel is not as hopeless as it seems... Or at least, it had better not be... Or we are all in trouble."

Sunset then looked over her hand, determined not to give up, even in such a precarious situation. (Since she flipped my monster into Defense Mode, she'll be able to destroy it next turn...) she thought. (She might even be able to get another monster out to attack my Nebra Disk... At the very least, I'll need to protect Nebra Disk so that I don't lose any more Life Points.) Playing another card from her hand, Sunset declared, "I play Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet from my hand! This grants all of my Chronomaly monsters an extra 800 attack points!" (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: ATK 1800 + 800 = 2600)

"Hmmmm... meaning that my Number card cannot defeat your weaker monster on my next turn, because its attack power is too high." Vinyl replied, not seeming to care in the slightest. "I suppose that's the best you can come up with, seeing as how I completely ruined any chance you had at winning and saving your friend Fluttershy..."

"Don't start celebrating your victory just yet, Vinyl." Sunset told her. "Because I'm not planning to lose! Go, Nebra Disk!! Attack Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon!!"

Vinyl grumbled a bit as Sunset's monster struck hers. "You fool!! Numbers can only be destroyed by OTHER Numbers!!" she reminded her foe.

"But you'll still take the damage!!" Sunset informed her opponent as Nebra Disk bounced off of Vinyl's monster and returned to her side of the field (Vinyl Scratch: LP 2,000 - 200 = 1,800).

"Hmph... that move was pointless! This Duel, and all of you, shall be mine!! Now I draw!!" The vampiric DJ then looked at her next card and played it, saying, "I play Gift of Transcendence!! By banishing two Zombies from my Graveyard, I am permitted to draw two additional cards from my Deck! Pyramid Turtle and Vampire Grace, I release your spirits from the grave!!" After removing her monsters, Vinyl then drew more cards from her Deck.

"Don't forget, Vinyl:" Sunset reminded her. "The card ALSO states that this turn, you can't Special Summon anything except Zombie-Type monsters, and they have to come from your Graveyard."

"Hmph... that limitation is meaningless. I have everything I need to almost ensure my victory!" Vinyl replied. "I NORMAL Summon Blue-Blooded Oni!" Her next monster was a large, blue-winged bat with a skeletal-like appearance and beady yellow eyes (Blue-Blooded Oni: Level 4 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1700). "Of course, due to his effect, my new monster automatically switches to Defense Mode, but that is fine with me, because I can still use his effect! By removing my Dragulas's remaining Overlay Unit, I can revive any Level 4 or lower Zombie from my Graveyard! And I choose Gozuki!!"

At that moment, Vinyl's Number Card then transferred its last Overlay Unit to Blue-Blooded Oni (Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon: OLU: 1 - 1 = 0). Drawing from the Overlay Unit's power, the bat-like creature opened up a violet portal, and out of it came the vampire girl's hammer-wielding ox creature.

"She now has two Level 4 monsters, which is enough for an Xyz Summon." Luna pointed out. "But because Vinyl played Gift of Transcendence, she is not permitted to Special Summon anything outside of her Graveyard this turn."

"Which means Sunset has to defeat her next turn, or it's all done!" Applejack stated.

Taking the other new card that she drew, Vinyl told her foe, "Next, I shall equip Gozuki with Axe of Despair! This axe, forged in the darkest pits of the Underworld will increase Gozuki's attack power by a thousand!" After playing the card, Gozuki's hammer vanished and was replaced with an oversized axe with what appeared to be a shrunken head where the blade was attached (Gozuki: ATK 1700 + 1000 = 2700).

"Oh my GOODNESS!!" shrieked Rarity. "That weapon looks HIDEOUS!!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, Rarity..." Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"Now, Dragulas!!" shouted the vampire girl. "Unleash your wrath upon her face-down monster and send it back to the grave!!" The vicious dragon-like monster spewed its toxic vapor once more, eliminating Sunset's Digvorzhak for the second turn in a row. "And now my Coffin Seller shall continue to weaken you, now that your monster is destroyed!!"

"Urrrrrgh...!!" grunted the red-and-yellow girl as her Life Points got even lower (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,300 - 300 = 1,000).

"And I am not finished yet!" Vinyl shouted. "Gozuki shall attack next!! Destroy her Nebra Disk!!" The ox creature then slashed his axe and sliced Sunset's remaining monster in half. The otherworldly girl lost more Life Points: A few from the attack (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,000 - 100 = 900), and a few more from Vinyl's Trap Card (Sunset Shimmer: LP 900 - 300 = 600).

"To end my turn, I shall use Gozuki's effect and send my Vampire Duke straight to the Graveyard." Vinyl stated, doing just that. "On my next turn, I shall use Blue-Blooded Oni and Gozuki to Summon an Xyz Monster to finish you off! So feel free to surrender now... or fight on hopelessly. Either way, my next turn shall be your undoing!! Hahahahaaa!!"

But when Sunset drew her next card and took a look at it, she snickered a little, smiled and told her opponent, "Sorry, but there won't BE a next turn!"

"What?! What nonsense are you spouting this time?!" yelled the vampiric teenager. "You have only 600 Life Points left, and over half of your Deck has been eliminated! But the best part of it is that YOU destroyed your own Deck and left yourself completely powerless to fight back!"

"...Or maybe I was just thinning out the cards in my Deck to make it easier to draw the card I needed right now." Sunset suddenly revealed to her.

"Wh-WHAT?!?" exclaimed Vinyl, not expecting to hear that.

"I knew it!" Twilight said happily. "That's why Sunset was taking all of those cards out of her Deck! She was trying to draw a specific card that she needed! And the best way to do that is to take away almost all of the other cards first!"

"That's amazing!" said Octavia. "I knew she had something planned, but I would not have guessed something like that!"

But Vinyl was not happy to hear that. "You... you were planning this from the very beginning, weren't you?!" she snarled.

"You've got it." the jacket-clad teen confirmed. "And my plan worked, because I drew just what I was hoping for! I play the Field Spell, Chronomaly City Babylon!!" And after she activated it, the entire area transformed into a floating arena in the bright, sunny sky.

"Urrrgh...!! Stop this...!!" groaned Vinyl, covering her face. "I can't stand it...!! The light...! It burns...!!"

"Oh, stop with the drama already, Vinyl. You're perfectly fine." Sunset told her, not impressed with the act. "You're not a vampire, you never were, nor will you ever be one. That Number card of yours is only making you THINK you're a vampire, get it?"

In a brief moment of sanity, Vinyl Scratch uncovered her face, noticing that she was indeed, perfectly fine. The sunlight generated from the Augmented Reality field wasn't really hurting her. "I... I don't get it..." she muttered to herself, still not totally believing what was going on.

"Well, you'll get it soon enough, Vinyl." Sunset told her opponent. "And after you do, you and Fluttershy will be yourselves again! Now back to the Duel!" Taking another card from her hand, she then declared, "Since there's a Field Spell Card in play, I can now Special Summon Chronomaly Tula Guardian in Attack Mode!" Not long afterwards, her blue stone giant rose up from the ground and appeared beside his master (Chronomaly Tula Guardian: Level 5 / ATK 1800 + 800 = 2600 / DEF 900). "Next," she continued, "I activate the effect of Chronomaly City Babylon: By banishing Chronomaly Moai Carrier from my Graveyard, I can bring back a different Chronomaly monster from my Graveyard that's the same Level!"

Now Vinyl was the one getting scared as she began to ask, "You don't mean...?"

"It means that, since Moai Carrier is a Level 5 monster, I can bring back another Level 5 monster!" Sunset answered her "And I'll choose Chronomaly Winged Sphinx!!" And in an instant, a violet portal opened up in the ground, allowing her flying sphinx monster to emerge onto the field (Chronomaly Winged Sphinx: Level 5 / ATK 1600 + 800 = 2400 / DEF 1900). "Of course, Winged Sphinx wouldn't have been in the Graveyard if your Crush Card Virus didn't put it there at the very start of the Duel. And by the way, it was because of your virus card that I came up with my plan in the first place."

"N-no!!" shrieked Vinyl, knowing that she was in trouble now.

"But my plan wasn't just to simply to get what I needed from my Deck this turn." the black jacket-wearing teen informed her opponent. "It was also to get you to drop your guard. By making you THINK that I was destroying my own Deck recklessly, you started getting over-confident. And once I saw you use up your Number card's last Overlay Unit, I knew now was the time to fight back!"

"That's... that's impossible!!" screamed Vinyl. "There's no way you could have possibly thought that far ahead!!"

"Believe whatever you want, but this ends now." Sunset told her. "And since your monster can't use its effect to switch the monster I'm about to Summon to Defense Mode, I can now defeat it!" Raising her hand up into the air, she shouted, "I overlay Tula Guardian and Winged Sphinx, both Level 5, and create the Overlay Network!!" Everyone watched as both of Sunset's monsters transformed into a pair of orange lights that were sucked into a galaxy-like portal.

"Emerge, Number 33! Mysterious machine of ancient times, come forth and unleash your power upon my foes!" the jacket-clad teen chanted. "Xyz Summon!! Megalopolis of monsters! Rank 5! Chronomaly Machu Mech!!" She then placed her Number card on the Duel Pad's tray. This in turn, caused the summoning portal to explode in a flash of light, leaving behind a violet 33 symbol. From above, Sunset's powerful flying fortress immediately appeared on the field (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: Rank 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Yeah! She got a Number out!!' Rainbow Dash cheered.

"Indeed. And she chose a perfect time to Summon it, as well." Luna noted. "Sunset had many opportunities to play one of her Number cards, but she wisely decided to hold off on Summoning one until the time was right."

Octavia was just happy that Sunset would be able to save Vinyl from the force controlling her at last. "Do what you must do, Ms. Shimmer." the sepia-skinned girl told her. "Defeat that Number and save my friend!"

Sunset nodded and looked back at her opponent, who was now getting a little more worried after Machu Mech appeared. "Alright, Vinyl... your time as a vampire is over, because I'm planning to defeat that Number and wipe out your Life Points on this turn!!"

"A-and how do you plan to... do that??" asked the wannabe vampire.

"Just watch: First off, since my Pyramid Eye Tablet is still on the field, Machu Mech gains 800 more attack points!" Sunset told her (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 2400 + 800 = 3200). "But that's not all! I also remove one of its Overlay Units, and activate its effect!" Sunset then took one of the monsters underneath her Number card and sent it to the Graveyard (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).

"Don't forget!" Vinyl interrupted. "My Coffin Seller Trap Card takes away 300 of your Life Points, since you sent one of your monster cards to the Graveyard!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 600 - 300 = 300)

"That's nothing compared to the damage you're going to get!" said the red-and-yellow girl. "Now Machu Mech can target any of your monsters and hit you for damage equal to the difference between its current attack power and its original attack power! And I chose to target your Gozuki, which got a power boost from your Axe of Despair card!"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed the DJ, shocked by what she had just heard. But there was nothing she could do to stop Sunset's monster as it took aim and fired its cannons right at Vinyl, inflicting a ton of damage on her (Vinyl Scratch: LP 1,800 - 1,000 = 800). She snarled and shouted, "I still have Life Points left!!"

"Not for long, Vinyl." Sunset told her. "After Machu Mech damages you, the Life Points you just lost are then added to its OWN attack power!" (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 3200 + 1000 = 4200) Smirking, she then asked her, "Sound kind of familiar? You know, about the whole, 'sucking strength from others' thing that vampires tend to do? It's not so fun when you're the one getting their power taken away, is it?"

"Th-this can't be!!" shrieked Vinyl, losing the cliché vampire-like accent and briefly returning to her normal voice. "That thing's got four thousand two hundred attack points?!? That's insane!!"

"Hey, did you girls just hear that?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Vinyl's voice is back to normal!"

"Ah guess the shock of seein' Sunset's Number card power itself up must've startled her that much." Applejack presumed.

Now that the stage was set for her victory, Sunset wasted no time in making her final move of the Duel. "Chronomaly Machu Mech!" she ordered her monster. "Destroy her Vampiric Dragon!! Flaming Meteor Meltdown!!!" The giant fortress aimed its cannons again, this time at Vinyl's Number card. In but a split-second, the fortress gunned down the frightening dragon and reduced it to ashes.

"AAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!" screamed Vinyl as a portion of the massive explosion struck her, causing her last remaining Life Points to be depleted (Vinyl Scratch: LP 800 - 1,800 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer). The force of the explosion caused her tattered cape to fly off into a dark corner of the barn. As for Vinyl herself, she fainted to the floor as the dark fog lifted from her body. At that same time, Fluttershy - who had been standing motionless and expressionless during the entire Duel - let out a tired sigh and fainted as well.

One Hour Later...

"...I think she's coming to..."

"Yeah, her fingers are starting to twitch a little...!"

"Hey, look! Her eyes are opening!"

"Huh... wha...?" moaned the voice of Vinyl Scratch as she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was a bit blurry at first, but once her eyes had adjusted to the lights around her, she saw several people looking over her: Sunset, Twilight, Octavia, and the rest of their friends were are huddled around her. "What...? Huh...?" she groaned, feeling as though she was up all night.

"Alright! She's awake!" Applejack said happily. "Y'all had us worried fer a bit there, Vinyl."

"Huh...? Worried...?" Vinyl said hazily.

Octavia, who had tears in her eyes from the joy of seeing her best friend back to her old self, asked the young DJ, "Are you alright, Vinyl? Please tell me that you are!"

"Tavi??" Vinyl asked. Answering her friend's question, she told her, "I guess I'm fine... But what's going on? Where am I?"

"In my office at school." said the voice of a young adult woman that had just walked into the room. She had pure-white skin, much like Rarity's, had short pink hair done up into a cute little bun, bright baby-blue eyes, and wore a typical nurse's uniform, complete with a white cap with a red cross-shape printed upon it.

"We brought you over to see Nurse Redheart after you and Fluttershy had fainted." Twilight told her.

"Fainted...? Me and Fluttershy?" asked Vinyl. She then let out a horrified gasp as everything finally came back to her. "That's right!" she exclaimed. "I remember now!! I thought I was a vampire and I brainwashed Fluttershy!! Wh-where is she?! Please tell me that I didn't hurt her!! Please tell me that I didn't suck her blood or something like that!"

"Relax, she's right over there, Vinyl." Sunset told her, pointing to a bed next to the one that the young DJ was lying down upon. Vinyl and the others glanced over to see the animal-loving girl resting peacefully. "Fluttershy's not hurt at all." the red-and-yellow girl explained, holding up a a small object to show Vinyl. "There's no way you could suck anyone's blood with these fake vampire teeth."

"She had actually woken up before you did." Rarity added. "But she started to feel tired and the Nurse decided that it was best for her to rest and conserve her energy until she feels better."

"We already let her parents know that the two of you are alright, so ya don't have t' worry about that either." Rainbow Dash stated.

Sighing out of relief, the electric blue-haired teen said to herself, "That's good t' hear... I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I did anything really bad to her after going crazy like that..."

"Speaking of which, you have a bit of explaining to do, Vinyl..." Octavia began to tell her friend in a sort of mom-like tone of voice, which she only used when Vinyl or anyone else did something foolish. "You saw what happened to me after I mistakenly picked up a Number card... So why, against any sort of good judgment, did YOU take one for yourself??"

"Huh? Number card? What Number card?" asked Vinyl Scratch, confused.

Sunset reached into her Deck box and showed Vinyl the Number card that she had used in their Duel. "This Number card was what caused you to believe that you were a vampire, and it allowed you the power to take over Fluttershy's mind and turn her into your servant." she explained to her. "Once we tracked it down, I dueled you for it and won. But why did you have it in the first place after you saw just how dangerous they were?"

Staring at the card in Sunset's hand, she tried to recall exactly when she may have picked it up... but she then told them, "But... that's impossible... I don't remember ever picking up a Number card."

The others were startled and confused by what she was saying... except for Twilight and Applejack. "Call me crazy, girls," the farmer girl began to say, "but Ah don't think she's fibbin'..."

"She isn't?" asked Octavia.

"I agree with Applejack." Twilight said with a nod. "If Vinyl had seen just how powerful the Numbers' corruption was for herself, she'd never willingly pick one up and risk having the same thing done to her."

"But, if she didn't pick it up herself," Sunset began to inquired, "then how did she get one? There's no possible way, unless-" She then cut her thoughts short when she came to a horrifying realization: "...Unless someone PLANTED it on her without her knowing it...!"

The others gasped after hearing that. "How horrible!" Rarity exclaimed. "Do you really think someone could do that?"

"It's the only other way that Vinyl would have gotten a Number card..." the jacket-clad teen told her. "That's why the window in the guest bedroom was open: Because someone opened it from the outside and came in."

"All of that just to give Vinyl a cursed trading card?" asked Pinkie Pie. "But why? And who?? Aiyiyi, this is too weird and confusing...!"

"And what's more, how is it that the Number card reacted to Vinyl's thoughts and feelings instead of the one that originally had it?" asked Rarity. "Wouldn't the card have already bonded itself to the intruder before they got to Vinyl?"

"Yeah, that's a good point, Rarity..." Sunset said, humming to herself. "Pinkie's right about this whole thing being weird and confusing." She then told her friends, "The only thing that I can say for sure... is that someone seemed to be out to get us."

"Us? Why??" asked Applejack.

"Because the intruder broke into Fluttershy's home." the red-and-yellow girl explained. "They probably planned on planting this Number card on her. But they ended up giving it to Vinyl instead, probably because it was too dark in the room for them to tell that it wasn't Fluttershy."

"I gotta admit... that's kinda scary when ya think about it..." Rainbow Dash stated. "They went after Fluttershy, but it could've just as easily been any one of us, too!" Rarity and Octavia shivered a bit after hearing that, knowing first-hand just how dangerous Number cards were, having been possessed by them before.

"Woah... so the only reason I got that card was just 'cause I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?" asked Vinyl Scratch. Thinking about it some more, she then added, "That IS scary..."

"It's all my fault..." Octavia said, sniffling a little. "If it hadn't been for that argument I had with you, none of this would have ever happened... Forgive me, Vinyl."

"Hey, lighten up Tavi." the DJ replied, smiling warmly. "Don't go beatin' yourself up over this. There's no way any of us would've known about any of this! Besides, if I hadn't been there, then Fluttershy would've gotten possessed by that Number instead of me. Yeah, I did brainwash her, so she still got sorta possessed, but I think we can all agree that her getting that card would've been way worse. So, at the very least, I'm glad that it was me and not her."

"Oh my... That was... oddly mature of you to say that, Vinyl." said Octavia, impressed by what she had heard from her friend and roommate. "I suppose you aren't as uncouth as I thought you were."

"And what's that supposed t' mean, Octy?" asked Vinyl, slightly annoyed by that comment.

"...Never mind." the cello playing teen said. She then asked her friend, "So... are we still friends? Even after our argument yesterday?" She then put out her hand, offering a handshake.

Chuckling a little, Vinyl shook her hand and told her, "Of course we are. You can't get rid of me THAT easily, Tavi. We're stickin' together like glue!" Octavia chuckled, happy to hear that everything would be okay.

"We've gotta head back to our classes for now." Sunset told Vinyl. "The nurse said that you and Fluttershy should just stay here and take it easy for the rest of the day."

"Sounds good t' me..." the electric blue-haired girl replied, yawning a little. "I didn't sleep a wink last night, so a little nap'll do me some good. Anyway, I think I'll be just fine right now."

"Then I suppose we shall see the two of you after school then." Octavia told her. "Have a good rest, my friend."

After they left, Vinyl fluffed up her pillow and prepared to take that long-overdue snooze. But then she felt a bit of un-comfortableness on her body and took a moment to glance at herself. She then finally saw the dress that she had been wearing while she still believed that she was a vampire. "Yuck... THIS was what I was wearin' this whole time??" she asked herself. "Man, I MUST have been crazy to wear something like this...!" For now, though she decided to ignore it and laid down onto the bed to sleep, just like Fluttershy on the bed next to her.

Watching from a nearby window, a cloaked figure - the same one that had paid Vinyl a visit last night - lifted the hood of their cloak, revealing their face. It was an older teen, possibly eighteen or nineteen years old, with dark-grey skin, long purple hair, and purple eyes with light-blue eye-shadow. "Hmph... well, so much for that plan." she said to herself. "And now that they're aware of it, it will be impossible to attempt this again." Smirking to herself, she then added, "No matter... There will be other times. Soon enough, we'll have them all groveling for mercy before our power." The stranger then slipped away without being noticed, her destination and motive known only to her... for now.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (11 Numbers total):

Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon

RANK 20: Everypony Loves Kung-Fu Fighting:

Author's Note

Behold, my (second) biggest episode yet! Lots of things happen here, and a few new faces will pop up as well. This will all be leading up to some major plot revelations in the next few episodes, so be prepared for big surprises! Enjoy, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

And if you're reading this after today, I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving already. :raritywink:

RANK 20: Everypony Loves Kung-Fu Fighting:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Yesterday, Sunset and her friends woke up to a crisis: Fluttershy had disappeared, and at first, it seemed that Vinyl Scratch - an up-and-coming DJ and friend to Octavia Melody - was the culprit. After some investigation, Sunset and the others had located their missing friends, and discovered that Vinyl had obtained a Number card: Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon. Its corruptive powers caused Vinyl to think that she was a real vampire, and that power allowed her to brainwash Fluttershy in order to draw out Sunset and the others. She then planned to transform everyone in the world into vampires and establish a new kingdom for herself.

Luckily, Sunset Shimmer managed to stop Vinyl's plans after defeating her in a Duel and taking away the Number card that controlled her mind and body. Once she returned to normal, Vinyl remembered everything that had happened... except for picking up the Number card in the first place. Sunset then decided that Vinyl did not willingly obtain the card, hypothesizing that someone must have planted it on her without her knowing.

Who gave the Number card to Vinyl? And why are they after Sunset and her friends? These questions and more have been floating around in Sunset's mind for a while, and she's ready to start getting to the bottom of it all...

It was nighttime in Canterlot City, and most of the residents of the metropolis had already turned in for the night. This included the tenants of the apartment building run by Manny Roar. Among those already fast asleep in their beds were Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, who both shared the humongous queen-size bed in the bedroom. After a long day of classes, homework, and a little bit of dueling practice with their friends, the two girls from Equestria were tuckered out and sleepng soundly, resting up for the very next day.

Though their bodies were virtually motionless in their sleep, their minds were still running. Twilight in particular was snoozing peacefully as she literally drifted off into Dreamland. In her dream, she was surrounded by light-pink and light-yellow clouds with a lilac-colored sky above. The young Princess - in her pony form and not her human form for this dream - stood at the edge of a bright-red diving board reaching high into the air and overlooking an Olympic-sized swimming pool. However, instead of water, the pool was filled to the brim with books that had brightly-colored covers.

Taking a deep, relaxing breath, Twilight smiled to herself and said, "I love it when I have this dream... It always relaxes me, even after the most stressful days." The purple-coated Alicorn spread her wings, hopped a few times into the air and shouted, "Here I come!!! GERONIMO!!!", before taking a swan dive off of the board and plummeting head-first into the pool of books. After a second or two, Twilight poked her head out, smiled and stated, "That was so exhilarating!! Pinkie was right: yelling that name really DOES pump you up for a dive! ...Even if I have no idea who this Geronimo actually is..."

Twilight casually paddled her way across the book pool with her hind legs, reading one of the books as she did so. "It's a good thing that this is just a dream:" she said to herself. "Diving into a pool of books would probably hurt in real life... Not to mention that it's quite impossible to actually swim around in such a pool to begin with. Ah, the wonders that can happen through REM sleep..."

Just then, the Princess of Friendship heard some muffled shouting from somewhere nearby. Taking her nose out of the book she was reading, Twilight looked around and asked herself, "What was that? It sounded like somepony was yelling or something..." Gently putting her book down with the others, she then called out, "Hello!? Is anypony there?! If so, then shout as loud as you can!!"

More muffled shouts, louder than the last time, were heard after Twilight made her request. Figuring out where the sounds were coming from, Twilight swam over to the source of the noise and began digging through the thousands of books in the pool to try and reach whoever it was that was buried underneath them. "Hang on!! I'll get you out there! I promise!!" she assured the unknown individual. But after she managed to unearth the stranger, the young Princess was surprised to see who it was. "...Sunset? Is that you??"

It was none other Sunset Shimmer that had been calling for help. And just like Twilight, she was in her pony form and not her human form. Taking several deep, exhausted-sounding breaths, the red and yellow Unicorn said, "Thanks... thanks for getting me out of there..." But when she opened her eyes and looked over at the pony who saved her, she was surprised to see that it was Twilight. "Huh? What are you doing here, Twilight? And how are you back in your pony form?"

"I was going to ask you that, Sunset." the purple Alicorn replied.

Sunset took a moment to look at herself, surprised to find that she, too, had changed her appearance. "Wha... what happened to me??" she asked, not understanding what was going on. "What's going on? Where are we??"

"Relax, Sunset... We're just in a dream." Twilight explained to her friend. "That's why everything doesn't make a lot of sense right now."

"...Oh, okay." Sunset replied, chuckling a little to herself. "For a second there, I thought I was going crazy." Looking at herself and rubbing her fine coat, she then added, "Wow, it... kinda feels weird not wearing anything right now. I guess after a few years of living in the other world, you start getting used to its customs."

"Well, it looks like that necklace of yours is still there." Twilight pointed out.

Taking the piece of jewelry into her right front hoof, the red and yellow pony looked at it and responded, saying, "Yeah, I wonder why that is... Then again, this thing does all sorts of weird stuff, I barely even notice anymore." She then asked her friend, "So... what am I doing in one of YOUR dreams, Twilight? Is it... normal for you to dream about me...?"

"What? No, of course not!" the Princess of Friendship quickly told her. "Normally, what happens in this dream is that I dive off of the diving board into this pool of books and I just swim around for a while until I wake up in real life. I'm almost always by myself here."

"Oh... okay then." Sunset responded. "For a minute, I thought... well, never mind. It's not important." She then asked, "Well, if I'm normally not in this dream of yours, then how am I here now? It seems impossible..."

"Oh come now... don't you know the first rule of the Dreamworld?" asked a strange-sounding voice, seemingly out of nowhere. "In this realm, the impossible is QUITE possible!"

"Huh?? Wh-who was that?" asked Sunset, looking around frantically and trying to figure out who made that remark.

Twilight groaned a little: She immediately recognized the voice as soon as it spoke to them. "Oh no... I should have figured it was him..." she said to herself.

"Who's 'him'?" asked the red and yellow pony.

"SURPRISE!!!!" shouted a cheerful and slightly-mischievous sounding voice as a colorful explosion, similar to a firework, suddenly appeared before both ponies. Behind the explosion was a rather... bizarre-looking creature. He appeared to be a draconequus, combining parts of many different animals: His head resembled a horse, but had yellow eyes with red pupils, along with bushy eyebrows, a short, white beard, and a small fang poking out from his mouth. He had two different animals' antlers on his head; one from a deer and the other from an antelope. His right arm was a lion's paw, and his left arm was a bird's talon. His long body had brown fur, and it ended with a red tail that may have come from either a dragon or a fish. His right leg was from some sort of reptilian creature, and the left leg appeared to resemble that of a gazelle. On his back were two wings: One from a bird, and the other from a bat.

Needless to say, Sunset was... confused by this bizarre creature. "...What in the name of Equestria is that...?" she asked.

Sighing, Twilight answered her friend, telling her, "That's Discord."

After hearing the creature's name, Sunset then recalled hearing about it while she was still a student of Princess Celestia. "Wait, you don't mean THAT Discord, do you Twilight??" she asked, shocked. "The same one that tried to conquer Equestria over a thousand years ago?! What's he doing here?!? I thought he was still a statue!!"

After hearing that, Twilight then realized that she had never told Sunset about the recent events involving Discord. "Oh... I guess I forgot to mention it the last time I was here. Sorry, Sunset." the Princess of Friendship said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Mention what?" asked the red and yellow Unicorn.

A few minutes later...

"...So after everything was said and done, Discord agreed to use his powers to help other ponies instead of causing problems." Twilight said to Sunset, telling her all about how the draconequus had been released from his statuesque state; first by accident, and then on purpose with Princess Celestia's help.

"I don't believe it..." Sunset remarked, surprised by what she had just heard. "I never would have thought that Princess Celestia, of all ponies, would ever decide to do such a thing... But I guess she does have a knack for seeing the good in others."

"Hmph, I'm disappointed, Twilight..." Discord told the young Princess with a huff. "We've been friends for almost two years now, and you didn't even think to say a word about me to any of your OTHER friends? For shame, Twilight... for shame."

"Okay, you don't have to rub it in, Discord." Twilight responded. "But I guess you're right about one thing: I should have told Sunset about you a while ago."

"Hm? Hold on... Sunset?" asked the draconequus. "That name sort of a rings a bell..." He then pulled out a bell from a... pocket on his body and rung it.

At that moment, ANOTHER Discord appeared in a puff of smoke right next to the original one. However, this one was wearing a pair of thick glasses. "I came as soon as you called, Boss!" the second Discord said to the first. "What'cha need?"

"Bring me all of the information you have on somepony named Sunset." the first Discord instructed him.

"Right away, Boss!" the second Discord replied with a salute. He then grabbed the top of his head and appeared to unscrew it, as if it were the cap on a container. After fully removing his head, the second Discord held his own head in his left arm while his right arm reached into the opening at the top of his neck. Twilight and Sunset just stood there, not sure what to make of this bizarre scene.

"Let's see here, now..." the glasses-wearing draconequus mumbled to himself. "No... no that's not it... not it... not it... nope, not that one... Aha!! THERE it is!!" He then pulled his right arm out of his neck, pulling out a yellow folder full of papers. Screwing his head back on, he presented the folder to the first Discord and told him, "Here you go!"

"Ah, thank you." the first draconequus replied, taking the folder. "That will be all, then. Goodbye. Oh, and tell your wife and kids I said hi." The second Discord nodded before vanishing in another puff of smoke. Discord then opened the folder and paged through all of the papers inside. After reading them for a while, he then exclaimed, "Oh, of COURSE!! Now I remember that name!!" Looking over at the red and yellow pony, he said to her, "So YOU'RE the Sunset Shimmer that I've been hearing about: Celestia's FORMER prodigy!" Putting his right arm out and offering a handshake, he told her, "I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you at last, Ms. Shimmer."

Awkwardly accepting the handshake, Sunset replied saying, "Uhm... same here, I guess." As she shook his hand with her hoof, she asked him, "So... I guess Princess Celestia's told you about me, huh?"

"Of course she has!" the draconequus told her, suddenly appearing behind the red and yellow pony. This caused Sunset to look in front of her, seeing that the hand she was shaking wasn't attached to anyone. "And Twilight here has told me about how much you've grown up since your trip through the Multiverse."

"Uhm... I see." Sunset said, not sure how else to respond.

"Speaking of Celestia," Twilight began to ask him, "does she happen to know that you're here in my dream?"

"For the most part, yes." Discord replied. "After all, sending me to speak to you was her idea in the first place."

"Speak to me?" asked the purple Alicorn.

"Well, you know how Cellie is, Twilight." Discord said, snapping his fingers and making a wallet appear in his bird talon hand. "You were pretty much by her side for most of your life." He then opened the wallet, revealing a long string of photos depicting Twilight and Princess Celestia during the time that the two were together. "So you ought to know that, despite your many accomplishments, she still be worried about you."

"I guess I never thought about that..." the young Princess thought to herself. She then asked Discord, "And what about you? Are you worried about me, too?"

"Hm?? Who, ME?!" asked the draconequus, startled. "O-o-of course not! I... I know you'll be able to take care of... uhm, whatever it is you're here to take care of! So, no; I'm not worried! Not worried at all!"

Twilight and Sunset giggled a bit to each other a little bit, knowing that Discord was a little worried, even if he wouldn't admit it. But the Princess of Friendship did have one more question to ask him: "Wait... if you wanted to talk to me," she inquired, "why didn't you just use the mirror and come find me?"

"Because if I did that, my powers wouldn't have come with me... I thought you, of all ponies, would know that." Discord told her, acting as if it seemed obvious. "If I lost my powers, even just for a moment, I wouldn't be of much help to you. To be honest, I'm kind of at a loss if I don't have my abilities, thought I hate to admit it."

"Like when Tirek stole them after he double-crossed you?" asked Twilight.

"...Don't remind me." the draconequus replied, not amused by that comment. "I just hope that something like that doesn't happen again." He then told them, "Anyway, don't mind little old me. I'll just be here, acting as Cellie's eyes and ears to whatever it is that you're doing. I promise not to be a bother at all!"

"I guess that's okay, if Celestia asked you to do it." Twilight responded. "Just... don't mess around with anything in my brain, okay? I'd prefer to have everything stay the way it was when I got here."

"Scout's honor." Discord replied, saluting as a boy scout's uniform appeared on his body.

"Well, if that's all settled, I'm heading back to sleep." Sunset told them both. "We've got a busy day tomorrow." She then started walking away from the area that they were in.

Following her friend, Twilight looked back over to Discord and told him, "Um, goodbye for now... And tell Celestia that everything's fine."

"Of course, Twilight. You two have a nice and peaceful night!" the draconequus said, waving to the two ponies as they vanished from sight. After they were gone, Discord then said to himself. "Well, now that that's all taken care of, I'd better get started on the OTHER thing Cellie asked me to do while I was here..." He then walked off, disappearing into thin air as he did so.

The next morning soon came, and classes had already begun at Canterlot High School. Sunset and Twilight headed off to their first class, which was Home Ec. with Mulia Mild as the instructor. The class schedule had recently moved on from cooking to sewing. Unlike with the cooking classes, Twilight had a bit of trouble with it. This was both from the fact that she wasn't good at using her fingers in a precise and skillful manner, and even if she was, Twilight had never really taken up sewing before (often times, she'd just go and see Rarity if she needed something sewn for her). Thankfully, she got help from her assigned partner: Shining Spoon, the boy that she had dueled against after he was possessed by a Number, offered to help her out, possibly to repay her for helping him that day.

"Thanks for your help Shining Spoon." the young Princess told him. "In case it wasn't obvious, sewing isn't exactly one of my best skills." She then asked, "How did you get so good at it?"

"Well, I wouldn't call myself an expert, but my mom taught me a few things after I mentioned that we'd be doing this in class." the orange-skinned boy responded.

"So, how have things been since that Duel we had?" Twilight asked him.

"Pretty good." Spoon answered. "You'll be happy to know that I told my mom and dad about how I felt about being pressured, and they understood. Now my dad promised to ease up a little on critiquing my work, and since then, I've been cooking even better food than before!"

"That's good to hear." the purple teen responded. "It's just like I said before: If they really care about your feelings, they'll understand where you're coming from." Spoon nodded to say that he understood, too.

Sunset overheard the conversation between Twilight and Shining Spoon and smiled, thinking, (Glad to hear things are going better for him, thanks to Twilight's advice... She certainly knows just how to put others at ease and help them become better people in the end... I should know; she's the whole reason that my life's gotten better... Heck, even Trixie's been treating me and other people better after Twilight fought that Duel against her...)

Several minutes later, the bell rang, indicating that the first period classes were over. Ms. Mulia looked up at the clock and told her students, "Well, it seems that classes are done for the day, everyone. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow. Goodbye for now."

"See you tomorrow, Ms. Mulia." Twilight replied politely.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Sunset chimed in. The two girls, along with everybody else, left the classroom and headed for either their lockers or to their next class.

Ms. Mulia sighed a little; she did not have a class to teach during the second period (and during third period she usually helped out in the school cafeteria), so she was usually all by herself at this time. Luckily, she was never bored, and always brought some entertainment for herself during this time. After carefully glancing around to see if anyone was still in the classroom, Mulia reached into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a DVD case, along with a portable DVD player.

After turning the player on, the teacher removed the DVD from its case and placed it into the device in front of her. About half a minute later, after Mulia was done fiddling with the menu options, the movie on the disc began to play. The title of the movie appeared, but it was written in Japanese. Below it were subtitles written in English, translating the name of the movie as, "Ninja of Red and Blue Dragons: Battle Between Flames and the Sea".

Sighing again, Mulia asked herself, "I wonder what my students would think of me if they knew I liked these sorts of movies? It seems strange, but I've always loved ninja movies when I was a girl." Chuckling to herself, she added, "I still remember that costume my mother made for me so that I could go out and play 'Ninja Battle' with the neighborhood kids..." Suddenly sitting up, the instructor then realized that she had neglected something important. "Oh dear! I almost forgot! No great ninja movie is complete without popcorn!"

Ms. Mulia walked over to the cabinets and got out a bag of popcorn for herself. She then strolled over to the overhead cupboards and opened one of them. She then pulled out a glass bowl to put the popcorn in, but as she did so, she noticed something else falling out of the cupboard with it. It was a Duel Monsters card, based on its back design. "Now what is this doing in there?" she asked herself, picking it up. "Did one of my students leave it behind...?"

But all of a sudden, a dark cloud formed around the card, and then around Mulia herself. Suddenly feeling a great amount of pressure on her head, the teacher grunted in pain and shouted, "Rrrrrrrgh...! What... what is this pain...?? What is happening??"

"Yes, Mulia... let the Number take hold..." said a sinister voice in the teacher's mind. In mere moments, the cloud that surrounded her phased itself into her body. After that, an orange mark that resembled the number 12 appeared upon the front of Mulia's left shoulder. Opening her eyes, which had changed from a bright blue to a haunting orange, she remained silent as she walked over to her DVD player and shut it off before making her way over to a sewing machine. Next to the machine were sheets of black-colored cloth, which Mulia grabbed and placed onto the table in front of her...

Hours later, towards the end of the school day, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were rushing through the halls in a hurry to get to their fourth period class, which was with Ms. Mulia. The pair were already about two or so minutes late as they approached the door and hastily opened it. Panting heavily, Rainbow Dash said, "We're... we're here... at last..."

"Heh, fashionably late as always, huh Dash?" teased Lyra Heartstrings. "How come you're so quick during track meet, but not when you're getting to class on time?"

"Well, I would've gotten here sooner, but Pinkie just HAD t' get that chocolate bar from the vending machine!" the rainbow-haired girl told her.

Bon Bon, sitting next to her friend Lyra, put on a confused look and asked, "And how, exactly, did getting a snack from the machine hold you guys up for THAT long?"

"Well..." Rainbow began to say...

Eight Minutes Ago...

Rainbow Dash was shaking the oversized vending machine as best as she could, but her effort was all for naught. Wiping some sweat from her forehead, the cyan teen told her friend, "Sorry, Pinks... that candy bar's stuck in there. Looks like the machine ate your money again."

But the poofy-haired party girl wasn't giving up that easily. "Oh no it's not!" she said with a slight snarl. "Nobody gets between Pinkie and her delicious chocolate treats! I'm going in there!!"

"Pinkie, don't..." groaned Rainbow Dash as Pinkie rolled up her sleeves and stuck her right hand into the compartment at the bottom, pushing past the flapping door. Despite Dash telling her not to, Pinkie squirmed her arm through and tried to reach for the candy bar that had gotten stuck inside, which was just inches away from her fingers.

Pinkie Pie grunted and groaned as she stretched her arm as much as she could. Finally, she managed to grab the candy bar, which made her face light up. "I got it! I got it!!" she cheered. But when she tried to pull her arm back out of the machine, it wouldn't budge. Now SHE was stuck in the vending machine. "Uh oh..." she replied. "I don't think I can move my arm..."

"Not AGAIN..." the rainbow-haired girl groaned, slapping her face in slight frustration.

"Yeah... looks like it." Pinkie sighed. She then told her athletic friend, "Get the butter, Dashie... You know where it is: Top compartment of my hair, second drawer to the left." Rainbow nodded and began reaching into her friend's poofy pink hair.

"And after that, we got here." Rainbow Dash explained, finishing her story. She then gave a slight glare at her pink friend, knowing that they were both late because of her.

"Hey! We aren't THAT late, Dashie!" Pinkie pointed out. "And besides; I NEED my before-class candy bar or I can't focus! In my book, it was all totally worth it!" As she munched on her hard-earned candy bar, she rubbed some red marks on her right arm - left behind from having been stuck inside the vending machine - grimacing a little from the slight pain.

"Well, don't feel too bad about it." Lyra told the two of them. "It's not like the teacher's gonna find out you were a bit late."

"Uhhhh... how come?" asked Rainbow.

Pointing her thumb to the front of the room where Ms. Mulia's desk was, the aqua-green girl answered her, saying, "In case ya didn't notice, Ms. Mulia's not here yet. Class can't start without her, so you two are in the clear."

"But wait a second... that's kinda weird..." Pinkie stated. "Ms. Mulia almost never leaves the classroom until school's over. So how come she's gone?"

"Hmmm..." hummed Bon Bon, rubbing her chin a little. "That does sound... unusual, to put it mildly." She then got up from her seat and began heading out of the classroom.

"And where are you off to?" Lyra asked, confused by her friend's sudden movements.

"...The Girls' Room." Bon Bon answered, hesitating a little a first. "If Ms. Mulia's not going to be here just yet, I might as well take a bathroom break instead of just sitting here and doing nothing."

"Makes sense to me!" Pinkie replied, agreeing with her (and still rubbing her sore arm).

"Alright, but don't be too long." Lyra told Bon Bon. "There's no telling when Ms. Mulia'll be back."

The pale-yellow girl nodded and left the room. However, unbeknownst to everyone else, Bon Bon wasn't going to the bathroom. Instead, she disappeared around the corner of the hallway and walking down another corridor. On the way, she passed by two of the custodians, one of them grumbling something about having to clean butter stains off of a vending machine for the third time this week.

Eventually, Bon Bon made her way to a small dead end with a closet door. It was still open, as the two custodians she passed had picked up some supplies there earlier on. Thinking that it would be a suitable hiding place, the girl walked into the closet and closed the door behind her (though not all the way, she left it slightly ajar). Taking out her cell phone from her pocket, she dialed a number on it and held it up to her ear.

Meanwhile, in the Principal's office, Celestia and Luna were busy with their work, as usual. However, they had some help in the form of Mrs. K, a newly-hired history teacher to Canterlot High School. Until the next semester began, in which she would be teaching her first class, Mrs. K often stayed with Celestia and Luna to help them with their work. The two principals were quite impressed by the new hire's intelligence, as she had helped them to figure out how to run the school more efficiently.

"So what do you think, Ms. Celestia and Ms. Luna?" asked Mrs. K after she pitched an idea of hers to them.

"It sounds like a fascinating idea to me." Celestia told her with a smile. "We've never thought of having an Archaeology Club at the school before."

"Then again, we've never hired a real archaeologist as a teacher before." Luna pointed out.

Giggling a little, Mrs. K then told the principals, "I think it would be a real treat to the students to go to a real digging site and learn just what it's like there. Plus, I was thinking of inviting all of the students that were accepted into my class so that they can get to know me better before the next semester."

"I think that's a great idea, Mrs. K." Celestia responded. "I'll fill out the forms right away to approve the idea." But before another word could be said, the phone on the white-skinned woman's desk began to ring. "Hold on just one second..." Celestia told Mrs. K before reaching over and picking it up. "Principal Celestia's office, Celestia speaking." she said in a formal tone.

"Principal Celestia?" said the voice on the other end. "This is Secret Hall Monitor Sweetie Drops speaking..."

"Sweetie Drops?" asked Celestia. "Hang on... let me put you on speaker phone..." After pressing the button that switched on the function, the principal inquired, "Now then... is something the matter?"

The voice coming from the other end was none other than Bon Bon's. Though most students weren't aware of it, the girl's real name was Sweetie Drops. Bon Bon was simply a nickname that she went by (Lyra was the one who thought of it, actually). Speaking into her cell phone, she told Celestia, "I was just at Home Ec. Class earlier, but Ms. Mulia is nowhere to be seen."

"But that doesn't seem right..." Luna spoke up. "She hardly ever leaves the classroom during school hours, except during Third Period to help out at the cafeteria... But nowadays, she stays there during Second Period to make sure that none of her First Period students linger in the classroom, after some incident involving macaroni and cheese..."

"Did either you or Principal Celestia call her for anything during that time?" the pale-yellow girl then asked.

"No." Luna answered. "She wasn't called to attend to other matters... And even if someone else asked her for anything, one of us would have known about it."

"There's something else, too." Bon Bon told them. "On my way over to class, I overheard a bizarre conversation: I saw Crimson Napalm talking to Thunderbass. Apparently, Thunder had a Duel with someone and lost... And from the way he was scuffed up, it looked like whoever his opponent was, they didn't show him a lot of mercy."

"Oh dear... Is he alright?" Celestia asked Bon Bon, concerned.

"I think he'll be okay." the pale-yellow girl answered. "But it seems weird that this would happen around the same time that Ms. Mulia would disappear... She might be involved with what happened to Thunderbass, willing or otherwise."

"I'll look into it, Ms. Drops. Thank you for informing me. For now, you should return to class and keep quiet about the matter." Celestia told her.

"Understood. Sweetie Drops out." Bon Bon said before hanging up.

After Celestia hung up the phone on her end, Luna then asked, "This sounds quite troubling, Sister... But how can anyone receive even a minor injury during a Duel? As life-like as they may seem, Augmented Reality images can't ever actually inflict any real pain."

But Celestia wasn't so sure, as she began to ponder something in her mind. "That's not quite true, Luna..." she told her sister. "There is one way. And you should know what that is."

"You... you don't mean... There's another Number holder in the school?" asked the dark-blue woman in shock. "How do you know for sure?"

"I recalled that, some time ago, Twilight and Sunset had a Duel with a student who had obtained a Number card while in the Home Economics classroom..." Celestia informed her younger sister. "There is a chance that there may have been more than one Number card in there, and this new card has just now chosen its host. That, coupled with the teacher's bizarre disappearance, seems to only support my theory..."

"Oh my... that sounds terrible..." Mrs. K spoke up, surprised by this.

"It may not be the reason why Ms. Mulia has suddenly disappeared," the older principal told them, "but if it is, then the only ones who can deal with it are Twilight and Sunset."

"So what are you going to do, Sister?" asked Luna.

"First off, we should attend to the issue concerning the class with its missing teacher." Celestia replied. "Luna, I'd like you to substitute for Ms. Mulia for the day. She should have her lesson plans laid out onto her desk." She paused for a moment before adding, "Also, if any friends of Twilight or Sunset are in her class, let them know what's going on."

"Understood, Sister." Luna responded, ready to help her older sister. "Of course, once they hear of this, they might leave class to help Ms. Shimmer and Ms. Sparkle."

"I'm certain they will. And if they do, it might be for the best." Celestia stated. "Sunset and Twilight could probably use the moral support."Turning over to Mrs. K, she then said to her, "On that subject, I'd like you to find Twilight and Sunset. I think they're at the Chemistry Lab right now, if I remember their schedules correctly. Tell them what's going on and offer any help you can."

"Of course, Celestia." the pale-skinned woman answered. "I'll let them know right away." She then got up and walked out of the office. As she made her way to the cafeteria, she thought to herself, (So... it appears a new Number has appeared here at this school, as I suspected. It is my duty to make sure that their power does not grow out of control... And not only that, if fate is on my side, I will be able to witness the power of the one who wields the Emperor's Key... I shall see for myself if she is the one that the fates foretold...)

Elsewhere, in the school Science Labs, Twilight and Sunset were busy doing some work together in their Chemistry Class. Looking over the paper that instructed them on how to properly do the experiment, the red-and-yellow girl told her friend, "Okay Twilight, concentrate... Carefully... and slowly... add just ONE drop of that to the concoction..."

Twilight slightly bit her lip as she held an eyedropper full of a cyan-colored liquid over a beaker filled with yellow liquid, bubbling from the Bunsen burner it was sitting on. The young Princess was doing her best to safely apply the right amount of chemical, but was a tad bit shaky, again due to her inexperience at using her fingers in such a delicate manner. (Okay, Twilight... you can do this...) she urged herself in her mind. (You've done harder things than this before... so there's absolutely no way that things can go wro-)

But Twilight's thought was interrupted when someone behind her tapped her on the shoulder, saying, "Excuse me, Ms. Sparkle-"

"AAACK!!" Twilight screamed, startled by the sudden touch. This caused her to impulsively squeeze out more than just one drop of the liquid into the beaker. The bubbling yellow chemical then turned dark green and began to foam over. In mere seconds, the concoction overflowed, covering both her and Sunset in green bubbles.

Grabbing a nearby towel, Sunset wiped herself off and scolded her friend a little, telling her in a raised voice, "Twilight! That was too much!"

"I-I'm so sorry, Sunset!!" the young Princess apologized. "Someone startled me just now! I didn't mean to do that!"

After saying that, Sunset glanced behind Twilight and saw Mrs. K standing there. "Mrs. K?" the jacket-wearing teen asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I... came here on Principal Celestia's behalf." the woman explained. Looking at the mess around them, she then told them, "I... deeply apologize for this, both of you. I should have waited until you weren't doing something that required your full concentration."

Wiping herself with the towel, Twilight smiled and told Mrs. K, "It's okay, no harm done. At least it didn't explode on us." She then asked the woman, "So, what did Celestia want us for?"

"An important matter." Mrs. K told her. "Follow me outside the classroom. This is a matter that I wish to discuss with you both in private." The two girls looked at each other, wondering what she meant. For now, they both nodded and followed the teacher out of the classroom.

After leaving the room, Twilight and Sunset were met with their friends Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Also with them was Shining Spoon, along with a young girl that was about his age. The girl had short, aqua-blue hair and purple skin, which slightly lighter than Twilight's. She wore a pair of dark-violet rimmed glasses over her cobalt-blue eyes. Her outfit was very simple in appearance: She wore a white t-shirt with purple on the collar, cuffs, and hem. Printed on her shirt was an emblem on the front that displayed a picture of a bulls-eye target, colored red and blue, with yellow on the actual bulls-eye, and a pair of arrows crossed over top of it in an X-shape. She also wore a pair of tan khaki shorts, and blue athletic shoes with violet lightning bolts printed upon them.

"Pinkie! Rainbow Dash! What are you doing here?" asked Twilight. "Don't you two have a class right now?"

"Well, no one told the teacher that, because she never showed up!" the pink teenager informed them.

"Never showed up?" asked Sunset in curiosity. "What do you mean by that?"

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you." Mrs. K spoke up. "It appears that Mulia Mild, the Home Economics teacher, has vanished without a trace."

"Vanished??" asked Twilight.

"She's right, Twi." Rainbow Dash told her friend. "That's what Vice Principal Luna told us when she came to fill in for her. Apparently, Principal Celestia wants you and Sunset told help find her. So after we heard that, naturally, we came over to help out, too!"

Turning over to Shining Spoon next, the Princess of Friendship asked him, "Is that why you're here, too?"

"Uh huh. That's right." the orange-skinned boy told her. "In fact, Mrs. K asked that I come along too."

"I... see." Twilight then glanced over to the only other person in their immediate vicinity. "Um... I don't believe that we've met..." she asked her. "Who are you?"

"Me?" asked the purple and blue girl. "My name's Indigo Bolt. I'm in Shining's Fourth Period class."

"Wait, Indigo?" asked Rainbow Dash, confused. "You don't look like her... And besides, I thought she went to Crystal Prep, not here..."

"No, you're thinking of Indigo ZAP, Dashie." Pinkie corrected her. "She just said her last name was Bolt."

"...Oh, yeah. I guess I didn't hear that part." the cyan-skinned teen responded. "Sorry, Bolt."

"It's okay." Indigo Bolt told her. "Indigo is actually a pretty common name around here, so don't feel too bad about it."

"So, what is she doing here?" Twilight asked Shining Spoon, assuming that he had brought her with him.

"Let's discuss that later for now..." Sunset suggested. Returning back to the main topic, the red and yellow girl looked over to Mrs. K and asked her, "You said that you asked Shining Spoon to come along. Why is that?"

"Because I believe that Mulia's disappearance may have something to do with a Number card." Mrs. K answered her.

"A Number card?!" asked Twilight. "Are you sure??"

"Hold on a sec... how did YOU know about the Number cards?" asked Rainbow Dash. "We never said anything about them to you!"

"Um... well..." the woman muttered, trying to find an answer to Dash's question.

Sighing, Sunset then told her cyan friend, "Dash, Celestia probably told Mrs. K about them already. In fact, she may have told her about them after they got the news about Ms. Mulia."

"Oh... right. Didn't think of that..." the athletic teen said, rubbing the back of her head. Mrs. K breathed a sigh of relief, unbeknownst to the others.

"But how do you know that a Number card is what caused Ms. Mulia to disappear?" Sunset then asked Mrs. K.

"I-, er... Celestia... isn't quite sure yet." the pale-skinned woman answered. "But we heard that, around the same time, there was a Duel outside involving Thunderbass and a mysterious individual. The stranger had defeated Thunderbass and, based on what I had heard, they had inflicted some considerable physical damage onto him."

"But AR Duels aren't able to inflict real bodily harm..." Sunset pointed out. Thinking it over in her head, she then realized where Mrs. K was going with this. "I get it... AR Duels normally can't hurt a person, because the images aren't real... But Duels involving Number cards can often be a different story."

"Yeah! I remember!" Pinkie spoke up. "That Duel you had with Martin over at Griffinstone! You got tied up by his Number cards and you couldn't get yourself free until they were gone!"

"So that's why you believe that a Number is responsible for this, Mrs. K..." Twilight deduced. "And you brought Shining Spoon along because he used to have a Number; one that he had found in Ms. Mulia's classroom, is that right?"

"Yep, that's right." the boy told her while nodding yes. "I really wanna help you guys out, just like you helped me out when that Number card controlled me... So please, I want to help you find Ms. Mulia and get rid of that Number card for good! Will you let me?"

Sunset smiled and nodded her head yes, telling him, "Of course you can help, Shining Spoon. Just be careful, got it?" the boy nodded yes to say that he understood.

"So... where should we start looking?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Ms. Mulia could be anywhere, along with whoever picked up that Number card. It's not like they'll just jump out and say 'hi'!"

"Yeah! That only happens when I say that!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "...And only when I'm the first one to say it."

"Well, that's kind of the reason I'm here:" Indigo Bolt suddenly spoke up. "I managed to hear something on the way to my class, which I told to Mrs. K."

"You did?" asked Twilight. "And what would that be?"

"Mrs. K mentioned something about a Duel that happened earlier..." the younger girl stated. " Well, I heard something about a Duel at the school today, too... But this one involved Micro Chips, not Thunderbass. Of course, I heard it had the same result: He lost."

"How long ago did you hear about this Duel?" asked Sunset.

"Not too long..." Bolt replied. "I'd guess abooooouut... fifteen minutes ago?"

"Then there's a good chance that this strange Duelist is still roaming around the campus." Twilight figured. "If we hurry, we might be able to catch them!"

"And hopefully, we can find out what they might have done to Ms. Mulia." Sunset added.

"Then let's not waste another moment." Mrs. K told them. Pointing at a double-doorway leading out, she shouted, "Let us go and search the area, top to bottom!!" The others nodded and made their way out of the school.

For the next five minutes, the group searched everywhere around the school grounds, hoping to find any signs of either Ms. Mulia or the strange Duelist that had been beating everyone that they encountered. Twilight and Rainbow Dash searched the soccer field, while Sunset and Pinkie Pie looked around behind the bleachers. Mrs. K looked around the front of the school, along with Shining Spoon and Indigo Bolt. Unfortunately so far, the search was turning up empty.

But just then, Shining Spoon heard a WHOOSH sound a fair distance away. "Huh?" When he turned to look, he saw a shadowed figure sitting on the school's roof. "Mrs. K! Up there!" he said to the teacher.

"What's wrong?" the woman asked. When both she and Bolt glanced up, they saw the figure, but only for about a second before they instantly vanished from sight.

"Who was that...??" asked Bolt.

"I don't know for sure..." Mrs. K told her, "but I suspect that we may have found the rogue Duelist."

"It looked like he was looking towards the back of the school..." Shining Spoon noted. "That's where Twilight and the others are!"

"Then we'd better get over there and warn them!" shouted Bolt before running off.

"Wait! Wait for me!!" shouted the boy as he chased after her. Mrs. K then ran after them, hoping that they weren't too late.

Meanwhile, behind the school, Twilight, Sunset, Rainbow, and Pinkie all met up in front of the soccer field bleachers after looking around the area. "Find anything yet?" asked the red and yellow girl.

"Nothin'..." Rainbow told her. "We've searched everywhere, but we didn't find anything!"

"Well, we can't give up just yet!" Twilight told her friends. "We can't rest until we know that Ms. Mulia is safe and sound!"

"Twilight's right. We have to keep trying." said Sunset. "Sooner or later, something will come to us."

"Oh, you're right about that, Sunnie..." Pinkie began to say. She then pointed up to the sky and shouted, "Because something's definitely coming right for us!!"

The other girls gasped and turned around, just in time to jump out of the path of a speeding object. It landed hard on the ground, creating large clouds of dust around it. But when the dust settled, the four of them saw that it was actually a person wearing a black-colored ninja costume that hid their identity. Only the stranger's bright-orange eyes could be seen.

"Wha-wha-what is that?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "'Cause to me, that thing looks like a ninja!!"

"A ninja...??" asked Twilight. "What in Equestria is a ninja doing here, of all things?"

Sunset's keen eyes zeroed-in on another detail about their mysterious guest: "I don't know who he is or why he's here," the jacket-wearing teen told her friends, "but he's wearing a Duel Pad. So I'm willing to bet that HE'S the Duelist that beat both Thunderbass and Micro Chips earlier!"

"Is that true?!" Twilight asked the stranger. "Are you the one that beat those two students?"

"Hmhmhmmm... I suppose I am, young one." the ninja said in a very deep voice. The voice sounded forced, indicating that it wasn't their real voice. The ninja then told them, "I did indeed defeat two of your classmates this day... But they were hardly a challenge at all: Just something to whet my appetite for battle."

"Is that so...?" asked Sunset.

"Yes... But I did not come here simply to prove my overwhelming strength to such UNDERwhelming Duelists." the ninja told her. "I came here... to take what I want from you!"

This comment startled Sunset a little. "Me...?" she asked.

"Not just you..." the stranger replied. Pointing at Twilight, it then said, "I'm also here for something you posses as well! So I challenge you both to a Duel! And if you are defeated by me, you will give me what I want!"

Looking at the ninja, Twilight could see an orange 12 mark on their left shoulder. She then asked the stranger, "Let me guess... you're after our Number cards, right?"

"Hmhmhmmm... Impressive. You know why I have come here." the figure told her. "It's obvious that you are quite intelligent, despite your age. This could be quite amusing."

"Well, I'M not so amused by the way you beat those two other students earlier!" the Princess of Friendship scolded. "From what I heard, you left them in pretty rough shape! And that's not what dueling is about!"

"You're mistaken." the ninja told her. "Dueling is about proving your power, to show your strength. The fact that they lost so easily merely means that they did not have the necessary strength to overcome me, so they got what they deserved!"

"You're wrong!" shouted Twilight, not liking what she was hearing. "Just because you're strong, it doesn't give you the right to hurt and bully others as you see fit!" Activating her Duel Pad, she then said to the ninja. "And I'm going to make sure that you won't get away with it!"

"Woah, hold on a sec, Twi!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "YOU'RE gonna Duel him?! After hearing about how he was able to beat those other two guys??"

"I don't care how strong this person is..." the young Princess told her. "I'm not going to just stand aside and let them hurt someone else! I could never call myself the Princess of Friendship if I let them come after you or anyone else! This is something that I feel I must do!"

"Woah... well said, Twi." an impressed Rainbow Dash responded.

"If that's how you feel, Twilight, then give that jerk a lesson they'll never forget!" Sunset shouted to Twilight, encouraging her to take on the stranger.

"Don't you worry, Sunset. I will!" Twilight told her. She then said to the ninja, "Alright, get ready! After this Duel is over, you'll never threaten anyone at this school ever again!"

"Hmhmhmmm... if that's what you think, then you are more foolish than the last two Duelists to fight me!" Activating their D-Pads and Gazers, the two were ready to begin their battle. "Now prepare to fall to your knees in defeat!" the ninja said in an intimidating tone. "Let's Duel!!" (???: LP 4,000) (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000)

Not long after Twilight began her Duel against the stranger in ninja's clothing, Sunset, Rainbow, and Pinkie suddenly noticed three people running towards them. "Hey! Look, girls!" she told them. "It's Mrs. K!"

"Yeah, and she's got Spoon and Bolt with her, too!" noted Rainbow Dash.

After the teacher and the two students with her got to the scene, they stopped in front of Sunset and the others, taking a brief moment to catch their breath. Afterwards, Shining Spoon then asked them, "Are you guys okay? We saw some weirdo heading towards where you were, so we came here as quickly as we could."

"We're just fine." Sunset told him. "But as for that 'weirdo' you mentioned, Twilight's fighting him right now."

"She is?" asked Mrs. K. The three of them glanced over and saw that young Princess was ready to duel the strange figure that had been prowling around the school. "So that is the person that we saw earlier?"

"Sure looks like him..." noted Indigo Bolt. "But I don't see Ms. Mulia anywhere... Where could she be?"

"Not sure, but it won't matter!" Rainbow Dash said. "As soon as Twi beats this guy, we'll make him tell us where she is!"

"Yeah! That's right!" Pinkie cheered. But after that, she then muttered to herself, "Though I kinda get the feeling that things aren't gonna come out the way we think it will..." Sunset was about to ask why Pinkie felt that way, but decided to question it later, since Twilight's Duel was about to start, and she would need the support of her and everyone else.

"I shall begin this battle..." the ninja said, taking out a card from their hand. "I will Summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo in Attack Mode." The monster that appeared was of a male adult human, decked out in full ninja costume and gear. His costume was mostly black and grey, with several red symbols scattered upon it (Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000). "By Normal Summoning Hanzo," the ninja continued, "I am now permitted to add any Ninjitsu Art card from my Deck to my hand. I choose to add Ninjitsu Art Notebook with this effect, and end my turn with that."

Twilight then began her turn by drawing a card from her Deck. (That's weird... they just left their monster in Attack Mode and didn't set any face-down cards to protect it... That seems like an oversight to me... or is it?) Though she wasn't sure what her opponent was planning, the Princess of Friendship decided to take her chances and strike while she had a chance. Playing a card from her hand, she shouted, "I'll Summon Gagaga Magician in Attack Mode!" After her reliable Spellcaster-Type entered the field (Gagaga Magician: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000), the purple girl then told her opponent, "Next, I'll equip my Wonder Wand Spell to my magician to raise his attack power by 500!" At that moment, a long scepter-like object appeared in Gagaga Magician's hand, its green orb glowing as the Spellcaster grasped it (Gagaga Magician: ATK 1500 + 500 = 2000).

"Not a bad start..." noted Mrs. K. "That move should give her an early lead in this Duel."

"Hopefully..." Sunset added. But she, like Twilight, wasn't sure if everything on the field was as it seemed.

"Go, Gagaga Magician! Attack that ninja!!" Twilight ordered. Her monster then jumped forward and fired a blast of magic from his new wand, blowing away the ninja Duelist's only monster and inflicting a small amount of damage (???: LP 4,000 - 200 = 3,800). "Last, I'll set a card from hand face-down and end my turn." After finishing her move, the young Princess told her opponent, "Perhaps you should have taken more steps to protect your monster during your turn. If you did, you would still have it to protect you right now."

"Hmmhmmhmm... You don't seem to understand the way of a ninja, young girl..." the stranger said to Twilight. "Part of our style of battle is make the enemy believe that they have the upper hand. That move was no more than testing the waters, to assess your strength." Drawing a card from their Deck, they continued, saying, "Now prepare to face the true terror of a ninja battle!"

Meanwhile, inside Twilight's mind, there was quite a bit of activity going on... and not just the young Princess's thoughts at the moment. Discord, who had paid a visit to Twilight and Sunset in their dreams, was rummaging through what appeared to be several filing cabinets filled with papers and folders. "Hmmmm... no... nope... nothing there..." he muttered to himself, apparently looking for something. Groaning, he said to himself, "How Cellie talked me into this sort of thing, I'll never quite get... I mean, just look at me! I, Discord, master of chaos, disorder, disharmony, and all-around mischief... reduced to secretary work!"

Grumbling, he then continued searching through the folders, making sure not to miss any crucial details. "Even so," he continued to say to himself, "Princess Celestia is trusting me to keep an eye on Twilight and find out whatever this 'Astral World' is," he said to himself, "and I shall NOT fail!" After he was finished looking through an entire file cabinet and closing it shut, he then stated, "Though at this rate, I'm not getting much, looking through Twilight's mind for info about the Astral World... She doesn't seem to have much knowledge of it right now, since she only heard about it recently..."

"Pardon me..." spoke another voice. When Discord looked over towards the voice, he saw that it had come from Utopia, the Number card that had bonded to Twilight. "Is there something that you are looking for?" he then asked.

"And you are...?"

"Utopia." the armored warrior replied. "May I ask what you are doing in my owner's mind? I warn you: If you have any ill intentions, I shall not hesitate to protect this young girl."

"Oh nononononooooo...! I'm not here to cause any trouble, despite what my appearance might suggest to you!" Discord told him. Handing Utopia what appeared to be a business card, the draconequus told him, "Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Discord, Spirit of Chaos."

"A... spirit of chaos...?" asked Utopia, seemingly confused by that statement.

Noticing the warrior's confusion, Discord then asked him, "Is there something about me that bothers you...? If you've got something to say, then just say it!"

"I... apologize if my tone offended you," Utopia replied, "but I am just... confused. You claim to be here with no wicked intentions, and yet you have informed me that you are the Spirit of Chaos. Your words seem to contradict each other, and I am not sure what believe of them..."

"Hmmmm... Well, I suppose I understand what you are confused about, but I can assure you, I would never lay a claw on dear Princess Twilight." the draconequus told him. "I will admit, I did have a bit of a... shall we say, 'rebellious phase'... and Cellie pretty much more or less forced me to use my chaotic powers for good and not for evil."

"Is that so?" asked Utopia.

"Yes, but after having complied with Cellie's requests," Discord continued, "and after having a bit a falling out with a certain resident of Tartarus..." He then whispered to himself in a low, irritated-sounding voice, "whom, for the sake of my good mood shall remain nameless for now..." He then returned to his cheery-sounding tone and finished, saying, "I've grown to like using my power to help other ponies and change my reputation."

"Hmmm, I see. That is good to know." Utopia replied. He then asked, "So... what are you doing here, if I may ask again?"

"Well, Cellie is still a bit worried about her former pupils, so she sent me to check up on them every now and then." the draconequus answered. "But in addition to that, she also wants to know more about this Astral World place and the Number cards that came out of it..." Turning over towards Utopia, he then asked, "According to Twilight, you are the Number card that appeared to her back in Equestria. I don't suppose you know anything about your homeworld that you can tell me...?"

Sighing, the shining warrior responded, "Sadly, I do not. Believe me, if I knew anything else, I would tell you and Twilight." Placing his right hand upon his chest, he then said, "All I know is that my origins lie within the Astral World, and that there a total of one hundred Numbers, including myself. But after I came to this world, I seem to be unable to recall anything else about my home or the other Numbers..."

"Hmph... well, this is starting to turn into a wild goose chase." Discord said in an annoyed voice. As he said that, a few geese were seen flying in the pink skies above.

"But there is one other thing that I do know..." Utopia suddenly told him. "Whenever Twilight or her friend Sunset Shimmer obtains a Number, I can feel some of my memory and power return, as if I share some sort of link with the other Numbers. And I also seem to recall that Sunset's involvement in all of this began when she obtained the necklace that she currently wears..."

"A necklace...?" asked Discord. "You mean that thing that looks like a key?" He then made a replica of Sunset's necklace appear his hand to show Utopia.

"Yes, that one..." the Number answered him. "And while I can't be completely sure... I believe that it may actually be a key. For what, I do not know." Just then, Utopia glanced ahead in a different direction and said, "I am sorry, but I must cut our conversation short... I can sense that Twilight is currently in a Duel with another Number holder, and she will need my help..."

"I see..." the draconequus replied, making the replica necklace that he was holding vanish in a puff of smoke. "In that case go on ahead. I still have some other work to do, so don't worry about me." Utopia nodded and disappeared from the area. Rubbing his beard, Discord then said to himself, "So Cellie's prodigal student is also involved with this whole Number card business, is she...? Then perhaps the answers to all of this lie inside of HER mind... Only one way to find out!" And with that remark, he snapped his claws and vanished from inside of Twilight's mind...

Back at the Duel, Twilight and her friends prepared themselves as the strange ninja Duelist began their next turn. "For my first move this turn," the stranger told their foe, "I shall activate the Continuous Spell Card, Ninjitsu Art Notebook! Now I'll send one of my Ninja monsters from my hand to my Graveyard. In exchange, I can set any Ninjitsu Art Spell or Trap Card directly from my Deck!"

"Set it from your Deck?!" exclaimed Twilight.

"That's not good..." Sunset noted. "That guy could try just about anything right now with that kind of power..."

"I hope Twilight can handle whatever he pulls off next..." said Shining Spoon. Pinkie said nothing, as she seemed to be in deep thought about something.

After selecting the card that they wanted, the ninja placed it face-down on the field. "Now that I've gotten what I wanted from my Deck, I no longer need this card out... So I'll play my Armor Ninjitsu Art of Alchemy!" the stranger announced. "This destroys all of my face-up Ninjitsu Art cards on the field, but allows me to draw two new cards from my Deck!" After playing the card, the ninja's Ninjitsu Art Notebook exploded and their Duel Pad permitted them to draw two more cards.

"Impressive move..." Mrs. K told the others. "Not only did he set a card on the field for later, but now he managed to reinforce his hand as well. And that is not good for Ms. Sparkle..."

"Don't worry about her, Mrs. K." Sunset replied. "If there's one thing Twilight is good at, it's being able to think on her feet and adjust to the situation at hand."

"Let's just hope that ninja guy isn't good at doing that, too..." Rainbow Dash chimed in.

After placing their newly-drawn cards in their hand, the ninja Duelist then said, "I shall now Summon my Earth Armor Ninja to the field in Attack Mode! And even though it is a Level 5 monster, I am allowed to Special Summon it from my hand if you are the only one to have a monster on the field!" The monster then appeared on the field, wearing a brown ninja costume with some shiny silver armor on the head, arms, and legs (Earth Armor Ninja: Level 5 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200). "And because that was a Special Summon," the ninja continued, "I can now use my Normal Summon to bring out... my Air Armor Ninja!"

The second monster that the stranger Summoned to their field was wearing a similar outfit to her first one, but the difference was that the costume was mostly green instead of brown, and the armor was more of darker grey color (Air Armor Ninja: Level 4 / ATK 1400 / DEF 1400).

"What's he gonna do with those?" asked Indigo Bolt.

"You'll see quite soon, young lady..." the stranger answered. "By Summoning Air Armor Ninja, I can use his effect! Now I can lower the Level of any of my other Ninja monsters by one! So I choose Earth Armor Ninja and make him a Level 4 monster!" (Earth Armor Ninja: Level 5 - 1 = 4)

"Why'd he do that?" asked Rainbow Dash. "That didn't change their attack points, so Twilight's monster is still stronger! So what was the point?"

"The point is that now that ninja guy has two Level 4 monsters on his field." Sunset told her.

"You mean he'll-... oh, yeah. Now I get it...." Dash replied, finally understanding the move. "Now he can Xyz Summon... I hope he ain't planning on Summoning his Number right now."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good at all..." Shining Spoon chimed in, feeling more worried. Pinkie, however, continued to remain oddly silent, rubbing her chin in deep thought.

"So are you planning on Summoning your Number card now?" Twilight asked her opponent.

But the ninja simply chuckled and told her, "If my Duels so far are any indication, I won't be needing it to defeat you, Ms. Sparkle!"

Twilight gasped in shock, not from how confident her opponent seemed to be, but from a small detail in what the stranger had said, (Did they just call me by my last name?) she asked herself. (But that can't be possible... I never said my last name, nor did any of the others, so how did they know...?) Pinkie gasped a little too, apparently having that same question herself.

"I now overlay my Earth Armor Ninja and my Air Armor Ninja, both Level 4, and create the Overlay Network!!" shouted the ninja Duelist as their monsters transformed into a pair of lights - one orange and one green - and were drawn into a red Summoning Portal. "Appear from the shadows and strike my unwary enemies! Leave no traces behind! Xyz Summon!!" shouted the stranger as they recited their Summoning Chant. "Silent assassin! Rank 4! Blade Armor Ninja!!" The monster that appeared was a human adult man wearing a lot of body armor and wielding a pair of razor-sharp katanas. The pink and gold armor shone almost as much as the monster's red eyes. Orbiting the fierce-looking warrior were a pair of green orbs.

*******************************

Blade Armor Ninja
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1000)

2 Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 "Ninja" monster you control; it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase this turn.

*******************************

"Woah... that guy looks nasty..." noted Indigo Bolt after she and the others witnessed the monster's Summoning. "And I'll bet it fights even nastier, too."

"Indeed he does." the ninja Duelist told her as they took out one of the cards underneath her Xyz Monster. "Now by removing an Overlay Unit, my Blade Armor Ninja can strike twice this turn!!" And after the move was made, the Xyz Monster then absorbed one of its two green orbs into one of its swords, granting itself a great amount of power (Blade Armor Ninja: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1).

"Two attacks?!" exclaimed Twilight.

"That's not good...!" Sunset said in despair. "If both those attacks hit, Twilight will not only lose her monster, but also over half her Life Points!"

"Watch out, Twilight!!" Shining Spoon shouted to her.

"Now go! Blade Armor Ninja!! Attack her magician!!" ordered the ninja Duelist. Their monster then leapt into the air, jumping towards the sun. Gagaga Magician looked up, but had to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. This allowed Blade Armor Ninja to close in on him from above, striking him hard with his swords.

"Urk!!" grunted Twilight as she lost her monster and took damage (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 200 = 3,800).

"And that is only the beginning!!" the stranger shouted. "Now Blade Armor Ninja attacks you-"

"Not so fast!!" said the Princess of Friendship, recovering quickly enough to tap her Duel Pad's screen. "I play my Guard Go! Trap Card!! Since a Gagaga monster was just destroyed, this card allows me to bring it back from the Graveyard, along with up to two other monster in hand with 'Gagaga', 'Dododo', or 'Gogogo' in their names!" Taking her just-destroyed Monster Card out of the Graveyard, she continued to tell her opponent, "So first, Gagaga Magician comes back from the Graveyard!"

Her monster then leapt out of a dark-purple portal in the middle of Twilight's side of the field and placed itself in Defense Mode. Taking out to more cards from her hand, she then added, "And in addition, I'll ALSO Summon my Dododo Driver and my Gagaga Mancer, both in Defense Mode!"

Her second monster was of a burly, tough-looking man wearing heavy, dull-colored armor, topped off with a helmet that looked like a ram (Dododo Driver: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 200). The other monster was her Gagaga Mancer, who gracefully appeared on the field, wielding her powerful sword and carrying a blue rose in between her teeth (Gagaga Mancer: Level 4 / ATK 100 / DEF 100).

"What?! No fair!!" shouted the ninja, slightly frustrated.

"Whew... talk about a close call..." noted Pinkie. "If Twilight didn't have that out, she might have gotten more than just a close shave..." The pink girl then shuddered a little, not wanting to picture it in her mind.

"Now the rest of her Life points are safe," Mrs. K chimed in, "and next turn, she can Summon an Xyz Monster... Quite an impressive comeback. She must have been taught quite well."

"Well, aheheh... I did the best I could for her." Sunset told the teacher, blushing a bit from the comment.

The ninja Duelist was annoyed, but not ready to call it quits just yet. Pointing forward, the stranger shouted, "Blade Armor Ninja, attack her Gagaga Mancer!!" Once again, the monster moved swiftly and took out Twilight's monster. But since it was in Defense Mode, no damage was done. Taking out two more cards from their hand, the ninja said to their adversary, "I shall set two cards before ending my turn."

"Then it's my move! I draw!!" Twilight shouted as she drew her next card. After looking at it and placing it in her hand, the young Princess then shouted, "I overlay Gagaga Magician and Dododo Driver, both Level 4, and create the Overlay Network!!" Her monsters then transformed themselves into a pair of lights - one purple and one orange - before entering a bright red vortex in the center of the field. "Celebrated marksman of the Gagaga clan..." she chanted. "Draw your pistol in the name of justice! Let your determination guide your aim!! Xyz Summon!! Fire away! Rank 4! Gagaga Cowboy!!"

In an instant, Twilight's rough and tough wild west warrior leapt out of the portal and onto the field, brandishing both of his silver pistols (Gagaga Cowboy: Rank 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 2400 / OLU: 2).

"Alright! She got Gagaga Cowboy out again!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, but this time, she put him in Attack Mode." Sunset pointed out. "So she's gonna be using his other special ability!"

Taking out one of the cards underneath her Xyz Monster card, Twilight then told her opponent, "Since Gagaga Cowboy is in Attack Mode, by removing one of his Overlay Units, I can increase his own attack power by 1,000, and at the same time lower YOUR monster's attack power by 500!" (Gagaga Cowboy: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1)

"No! I cannot allow this!" shouted the ninja defiantly.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice!" Twilight protested. "Your Blade Armor Ninja is about to be destroyed!" Pointing forward, the young Princess shouted, "Go! Gagaga Cowboy!! Attack her monster with Gagaga Silver Bullet!!" The gunslinger then aimed his weapons at Blade Armor Ninja and fired two ultra-fast shots at it (Gagaga Cowboy: ATK 1500 + 1000 = 2500) (Blade Armor Ninja: ATK 2200 - 500 = 1700).

"No! You will not destroy my ninja warriors that easily!!" the stranger screamed out while tapping their Duel Pad. "I activate a Trap Card!! Ninjitsu Art of Decoy!! This card prevents my Blade Armor Ninja from being destroyed!!" In an instant, Blade Armor Ninja formed several insignias with his hands, causing a wooden log that only remotely looked like him to appear in front of him as a shield.

"Your monster may survive this, but you'll still be taking eight hundred points of damage!" Twilight reminded her opponent. Everyone then watched as the shots made contact with the log and exploded, causing several fiery clouds to billow out from the impacted area. Twilight and her opponent held their arms up to shield themselves from the blast, as did the spectators. Then, suddenly, several black cloths flew off from the stranger's face and were immediately carried off by the wind.

Finally, the dust began to settle and the smoke clouds began to fade away. "Woah... that was quite a powerful shot!!" Pinkie stated.

"Yeah, it was..." Indigo Bolt said, dusting herself off. "But it's weird; Twilight saw that the other guy had face-down cards out, so why did she risk attacking? She should have known that he'd respond with a Trap Card."

"I think that's what Twilight was counting on." Sunset answered her.

"Yeah, she may have made that move just to get that ninja guy to use up one of his cards." Shining Spoon added. "At least, that's what I think she was doing."

Uncovering her face, Twilight then said to her opponent, "Not a bad move, but you'll have to do worse than that to defeat me."

The ninja Duelist, still covering their face, grunted and said to her, "Oh, believe me... that's what I plan on doing...!" But the voice that spoke to them was no longer deep-sounding. It sounded like an older woman's voice... and to some of the people in attendance, it also sounded very familiar...

"Wait, that voice...!" said Bolt. "That didn't sound like a man's voice! It was a woman!"

"Not just any woman..." Shining Spoon told his friend. "That was Ms. Mulia!!"

Everyone gasped when they heard him say that. But it was true: When the stranger uncovered their face, they revealed themself as none other than Mulia Mild, the Home Ec. Teacher. "I don't believe it...!" exclaimed Twilight. "All this time, I was fighting her??"

"Of course... that explains why we never found Ms. Mulia." Sunset noted. "She wasn't kidnapped by the rouge Duelist; she WAS the rogue Duelist!"

(And also why she seemed to know my name earlier...) Twilight thought, recalling that moment in her head.

"But... why?" asked Indigo Bolt. 'Why would she skip her own class and go after people like that?"

"...I bet it's because SHE got that Number card." Shining Spoon noted, having an ill feeling about the whole situation. "It's controlling her and making her do bad things... Just like mine did."

"Exactly." Sunset confirmed. "She's not doing this out of her own free will. And only if Twilight defeats her can she return to normal."

"In that case, Twi," Rainbow Dash urged her inter-dimensional friend, "don't you dare lose to her! Take down that ninja wannabe!"

"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash... I promise that I will!" Twilight replied.

"Hmph... you may have caused me some pain, but you are far from vanquishing me in this battle!" Mulia shouted to Twilight (Mulia Mild: LP: 3,800 - 800 = 3,000). "You have so far only received a taste of what a true ninja battle is like! Once I unleash my full power, even you will see that you stood no chance of winning!"

"If you're so confident, then go ahead and make your move!" the purple-skinned girl told her, not showing any fear.

"Very well then, it is my move." Mulia responded. "And because it IS my turn, our monsters' attack points are reset to their original values." (Gagaga Cowboy: ATK 2500 - 1000 = 1500) (Blade Armor Ninja: ATK 1700 + 500 = 2200) Drawing a card from her Deck, she then tapped her Duel Pad and said, "Now I activate my Call of the Haunted. This allows me to Summon my Earth Armor Ninja from the Graveyard in Attack Mode!" After the card was flipped, her brown-costumed ninja re-entered the field, ready to strike.

(I'll bet she's going to bring out her Number card now...) Twilight thought. (I'd better be ready for anything.)

Taking out a card from her hand, Ms. Mulia then declared, "Next, I shall Normal Summon my Flame Armor Ninja in Attack Mode!" Her new monster was similar in appearance to her Earth Armor Ninja, except that his costume was mostly colored in shades of red, in addition to the silver armor plating on his arms and legs (Flame Armor Ninja: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). "And by Summoning him," the Home Ec. teacher continued, "I can now use his power to raise the Level of any of my Ninja monsters by one! And I choose to have him use the effect on himself to become a Level 5 monster!" (Flame Armor Ninja: Level 4 + 1 = 5)

"Uh oh... now she's got two Level 5 monsters on the field!" Indigo Bolt said with some worry. "She's gonna Xyz Summon!"

"And I'm pretty sure it's gonna be her Number Card..." Rainbow Dash stated, not too thrilled to see it happen.

(...Stay strong, Twilight... you can get through this...) Sunset mentally urged her.

"I now overlay my Earth Armor Ninja and my Flame Armor Ninja, both currently Level 5, to create the Overlay Network!!" shouted Mulia Mild, not ACTING very mild as her two montsers transformed into a pair of lights - one orange and one red - before being drawn into a galaxy-like vortex in front of her. "Reveal yourself, Number 12!" she began to chant. "Stalk my enemies in the shadows, and end their will to fight! Make your blade as crimson as your armor! Xyz Summon!! Mighty ninja as red as the rising sun! Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja!!"

Soon after the chant was complete, the portal exploded, leaving behind an orange mark resembling the number 12. Out of the portal came a large, four-pointed object: a shuriken. Its center ring was a very dark red and lined with spikes, while the bladed points were of a brighter-colored red. Orbiting the giant shuriken were a pair of orange-colored orbs. Soon after, the shuriken began to change shape, forming into an armored warrior with heavy armor in all different shades of red, brown, and black. On his back was a katana, which he carried in a sheath, and the silver and red-colored mask he wore gave off a frightening appearance.

*******************************

Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/EARTH/Rank 5/ATK 2400/DEF 1700)

2 Level 5 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this turn, face-up "Ninja" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects.

*******************************

Everyone stared at the new Number card that stood opposite of Twilight Sparkle. "Woah... I gotta say, guys," Rainbow Dash began, "enemy or not, that guy looks REALLY cool and awesome..."

"And powerful, I'll bet." Sunset added. "And that's not good news for Twilight... Hopefully, that thing isn't TOO strong for her to defeat."

"We will just have to wait and see..." Mrs. K told them both.

The Princess of Friendship was doing everything she could to not let her opponent see her sweat. The Number gave off an imposing aura of power that made her step back a bit. "Stay brave, Twilight..." she told herself. "You can't let this... this thing get the best of you. No matter what, I have to keep my promise to Sunset and help her defeat these Number cards!"

Ms. Mulia chuckled a little and told her foe, "Look at you, trying to fight back your fears... We ninja can smell your fear and doubt from a mile away, striking you down at your most vulnerable moments." Tapping her Duel Pad, she continued, saying, "Once you are even just slightly off-balance, your defeat will be inevitable! So I choose to activate my last Trap Card! Barrier Ninjitsu Art of Transcription!!"

"Wh-what does that do?" asked Twilight, shivering just a bit.

"I'll tell you:" Mulia replied. "While it may prevent me from attacking with more than just one of my monsters, that one monster is allowed to use the effects of any of the monsters you have on the field!"

"You don't mean-?!"

"I do, Ms. Sparkle!" Mulia interrupted. "I'll use my Trap Card to have Crimson Shadow steal the effects of your Gagaga Cowboy for this turn!" Twilight gasped as Mulia's monster drew strength from her monster to power himself up. "Another rule of us ninja is to also make use of our enemy's power to our own advantage!" the teacher-turned-ninja added. "But don't worry, my Blade Armor Ninja won't be able to use his effect at the same time I use my Trap Card, so you'll survive... for now."

Twilight groaned a bit, not sure what to do at this moment besides hope for the best.

"Next," the ninja Duelist continued, "I activate my Ninjitsu Art of Silent Shuriken! Now every time one of my Ninjas attacks your monsters, I can inflict another 300 points of damage after the battle is over!"

"Oh no... now she can hit Twilight's Life Points almost every turn thanks to that card!" exclaimed Shining Spoon.

"Now I'll activate the effect that my Crimson Shadow gained from your monster!" Mulia shouted as she removed one of her monster's Overlay Units (Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1). "Now my monster power increases (Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja: ATK 2400 + 1000 = 3400), while yours LOSES power (Gagaga Cowboy: ATK 1500 - 500 = 1000)!!And there is nothing he can do to stop it!" She then ordered, "Crimson Shadow, destroy her Gagaga Cowboy!! Moon Shadow Crimson Slice!!"

Twilight could only watch as the powered-up Number card drew their sword and slashed it at her Gagaga Cowboy, sending him to that big saloon in the sky. In addition, the impact also caused the young Princess to take a large amount of damage (Twilight Sparkle: LP: 3,800 - 2,400 = 1,400). Not only that, Mulia's Continuous Spell card, Ninjitsu Art of Silent Shuriken, caused her to lose 300 more Life Points (Twilight Sparkle: LP: 1,400 - 300 = 1,100).

"Ouch... that was harsh..." Indigo Bolt stated. "But she's still in this game."

"Yeah, but for how long?" asked Shining Spoon. "That thing seems unbeatable..."

"No way! Twilight can take him down, no problem!" Pinkie shouted, not ready to lose hope in her friend.

"But how?" asked the young boy. 'How would YOU do it?"

"Um... uh... Not exactly sure about that, to be honest." the pink teen answered. "But if anyone can do it, Twilight definitely can! I just know it!!"

"Pinkie's right, Twi!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "Don't let that brute get t' ya! You can beat it!!"

"You can do it, Twilight!" Sunset shouted, joining in the moment as well. "Beat that number and save Mulia!"

Urged on by their cheers, Twilight Sparkle smiled and told them, "Alright! I'll do it! I'll defeat that Number card and make sure it can't hurt anypo- er, anyBODY ever again!"

Mrs. K was quite intrigued by what she had heard from Twilight and her friends. (Amazing... even against seemingly impossible odds, they never lose their faith in one another... They seem to have developed quite a strong bond with each other, as if they can feel each other's hopes and ambitions... Most astounding indeed...)

But the Number-controlled Mulia Mild wasn't amused. "Pathetic. No amount of cheering will save any of you from the wrath of my ninjas! At this rate, your only hope of survival is your surrender!"

"Sorry, Ms. Mulia," Twilight told her, "but as the old saying goes, 'Quitters never win'! And neither do people who attack innocent bystanders for no reason! Attacking people in hiding is the act of a coward!"

"You dare call me a coward?!" the teacher-turned-ninja said in her fury. "You'll pay dearly for that remark!! Now make your move so that I can eliminate you for good!!"

"I will make my move." the Princess of Friendship said calmly. "And because it's my turn, the effects of your cards end. So your ninja's attack power returns to normal (Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja: ATK 3400 - 1000 = 2400), and it no longer has my Gagaga Cowboy's effect."

"Hmph, it makes no difference." Ms. Mulia responded. "He shall still defeat you!"

"We'll just see about that..." Twilight said as she drew her next card...

Meanwhile, in a dark, foggy area, a bright light could be seen in the distance, accompanied by a loud train whistle. The light was part of a long passenger train... that was shaped exactly like Discord. "Attention passengers!" blared Discord's voice over an intercom. "We have now arrived at our next destination: Sunset Shimmer's subconscious! Please depart in a DISorderly manner."

After the announcement was made, what appeared to be several clones of Discord departed from the train, each one dressed up in the style of a cliché tourist, such as Hawaiian shirts, cameras around their necks, and giant hats. In addition, they all left the train in various bizarre manners: Some went out through the window, some out of the train smokestack (and getting covered in soot in the process), and others left via hatches on the roofs of the train cars. Some did leave through the actual exit doors, but they were either walking backwards or on their clawed hands.

Only one of the Discords left the train through the proper exit, standing upright, and faced the right direction. Smirking a little at his crazy handiwork, he snapped his claws and made the train and all of the Discord clones vanish. With a hearty chuckle, he said to himself, "Oh, I just LOVE doing that..." Taking a deep breath, he then added, "But seriously, I've got some work to do, so I'd better have a look around here..." The draconequus then started wandering around the dark foggy area, looking for anything that might give him the information that he was seeking.

"Well, I suppose I should start my search in Sunset's soul..." he figured. "Based what I know from looking at the souls of others, everypony's soul is represented by a small room; why that is, I haven't had the time to figure out yet... But inside the room are all sorts of items that reflect the owner's personality. In the case of Twilight's soul, it was an extremely vast room, probably to reflect her desire to learn more about everything in general, so it would have to be big enough to fit all of the information that she learns. And naturally, everything that she does know is well-organized and safely stored away." Looking ahead, Discord then told himself, "That being said, even Twilight didn't seem to know much about the Numbers or the Astral World besides what she has already learned, but since Sunset owns a relic that seems to be connected to that Utopia guy, I might have better luck looking through her mind..."

Eventually, Discord came to a dead end, where he saw something that surprised him. "Wh-what??" he exclaimed. "There... there appear to be doors to TWO soul rooms here!!" Sure enough, on either side of the hallway, there was a door that led into another room. One was made of mahogany wood with a golden doorknob, with Sunset's cutie mark painted on the top. The other door appeared to be made of metal with a handle rather than a doorknob. Engraved on the top of the door was a picture of the key-like charm that was Sunset's necklace, and door itself was covered in chains that were all held together by several padlocks. One of the locks, however, was opened and lying on the floor.

"This is... rather strange." Discord told himself. "Based what I knew from experience, while everypony's soul room is unique, there is never more than one room to explore, but Sunset's is split into two rooms... Most interesting; I wonder if anyone else has seen such a thing before..." Deciding think about that another time, the draconequus cracked his knuckles and said, "Well, in any case, let's see if we can find out anything in either of these rooms..."

Discord then walked over to the wooden door with Sunset's cutie mark on it and opened it. Flicking the light switch, he saw all sorts of things in the room: There were books and studying equipment everywhere, much like Twilight's room, but with a few slight differences. "So it seems that Sunset here is as much a bookworm as Twilight..." the draconequus noted. "But it's not as well-organized... It seems Sunset here still isn't quite sure what she wants to do with her life now that she's essentially committed to living here, so her mind is racing through all of this material to try and figure that out."

He then noticed that a large picture was hanging on the wall above the desk. Discord looked up and saw a photo of Sunset, Twilight, and all of their human world friends posing and smiling. "Quite a large photograph..." the draconequus said to himself, "and it's been placed in a solid gold frame too... Clearly this is the thing that's most important to Sunset: Her friends in this world. And it's been placed in front of her study desk for her to see while she's working. It's very clear that this is what keeps her going day after day..."

Suddenly, Discord heard a low snarling sound coming from behind him. When he turned around to look, he saw that there was a small cage in a dark corner of the room, its door secured with multiple complex locks. Inside of the cage was some sort of demon-like creature: It appeared to be female (in fact, it looked very similar to Sunset herself), with crimson-red skin, pointed ears, jet-black eyes with cyan pupils, fiery red and yellow hair, and sharp fangs in her teeth. She wore a dress similar in color to her hair, had black and red-colored wings, a fiery-looking pony tail growing out of her backside, and long, black boots. Her hand had sharp claws on them, and Discord could see that the creature was heavily shackled. The creature growled and hissed as she flung herself against the bars of the cage in a futile attempt to escape.

"Hmmm, quite a nasty-looking creature, aren't you?" Discord asked it mockingly. The only response he got was a weak swipe from the creature's claws that missed him by a mile. "Well, it's obvious what you are: You're Sunset Shimmer's dark side. You look just like what Twilight described after she came back from her first trip to your good self's homeworld. It seems after Sunset decided to better herself, she locked you away in the darkest corner of her mind, to make sure that you couldn't come back out. It also explains the earplugs on her study desk; you are quite loud and annoying..." Smirking, he then told her, "You have to admit, she did quite a good job on all of these locks." Again the she-demon hissed and swiped at the draconequus, not amused by his comment. But that was all that she could accomplish in her current state. Huffing a little, Discord then informed the creature, "Well, this conversation has been THRILLING, but I have work to do. Au revoir!" The draconequus then left the room, even as the she-demon growled and hissed at him.

Closing the door behind him, Discord sighed and told himself, "Well, that room might have told me a little more about Sunset Shimmer, but not about the Numbers or the Astral World. It seems there's still a lot about this whole mess that even she doesn't seem to know." He then glanced over at the other door, and began to sense something about it; something powerful... and mysterious. "This door could probably tell me something... but it appears someone, or something, doesn't want me or anyone else snooping around, based on all of these chains wrapped around it." Putting on a violet ski mask, Discord then said, "But if they think that they can keep me, the Lord of Chaos out, they had better think again!"

The draconequus then reached into a... pocket on his chest and pulled out a small, red case full of lockpicks. He then took one of them and began using it on the padlocks that kept the chains secure. It took a while, but Discord managed to unlock all of them. "Yes! I got it!" he cheered as he swiftly pulled all of the chains away from the door and tossed them aside. "Now... let's see what secrets you're keeping from me and Sunset..." he said as he opened the door...

Back in the real world, Twilight had just started her third turn in the Duel. Looking at her next card, she sighed a little, not too happy with what she got. (Gagagabolt... if I still had my Gagaga Cowboy on the field, I could have used this card to destroy her Number card right now...) she pondered. (But I don't have a way of bring back any of my Gagaga monsters, so I'll need to make a different plan.) Taking out a card from her hand, the young Princess stated, "I'll play my Gagagadraw Spell Card. By banishing three Gagaga monsters from my Graveyard, I can draw two new cards."

"Good move..." noted Mrs. K. "Now hopefully she can draw the cards she needs for a comeback." The others nodded in agreement, hoping that Twilight get out of this situation.

The purple teenager then removed her Gagaga Mancer, Gagaga Magician, and her Gagaga Cowboy from the Graveyard to pay her Spell Card's cost. Afterwards, she drew her two extra cards and looked at them carefully. At that moment, Utopia spoke to Twilight in her mind, telling her, "Those two cards will most certainly help us right now, assuming you play them in the correct manner."

"Don't worry, I know what to do. I just hope it'll be enough." Twilight said as she took out one of the other cards that she had in her hand. Setting it face-down on her Duel Pad's card tray, she then declared, "I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and then activate my Gogogo Talisman Spell Card before ending my turn."

"Is that all you can accomplish, Ms. Sparkle?" asked Mulia Mild, still under the control of her Number card. "Well it's quite pathetic, seeing you struggle to get out of the trap that I have placed you in. Even you must admit that your situation is hopeless!"

"If that's what you think, then you don't know me very well." Twilight said back. "Too many pon- er, people depend on me, and I can't afford to just give up because things seem bad! So if you want to win this Duel, you'll have to do it the hard way!"

"Yeah! You tell her, Twi!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Um, she did Dashie." Pinkie told her cyan friend. "Weren't you listening?" This elicited a groan out of the athletic teen.

"Hmph! Have it your way then." Mulia said. "Now it's my turn!" After drawing a card, she then declared, "I now remove Blade Armor Ninja's remaining Overlay Unit! And this time I'll bestow his power onto Crimson Shadow!" And with that, Blade Armor's last green orb was absorbed into his sword, which he pointed straight towards Mulia's Number card (Blade Armor Ninja: OLU: 1 - 1 = 0). Crimson Shadow then began to radiate a green light around himself as his power increased.

"That's not good... now her Number card can attack twice this turn, thanks to Blade Armor's effect!" said Indigo Bolt.

"If she takes out her monster and hits her directly, Twilight will lose the Duel!" said Shining Spoon in despair.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Sunset told him. "I think Twilight figured out some way of stopping that from happening..."

Thinking that she had this Duel won, Ms. Mulia did not hesitate to make her next move. "Go, Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja! Destroy her monster, and then prepare to strike her Life Points next!! Moon Shadow Crimson Slice!!" The powerful ninja clad in red armor then leapt forward, ready to take out Twilight's only monster. The spectators became tense, not sure what was going to happen next.

But when Twilight's monster revealed itself, it used a pair of large, blue arms to block the attack, preventing both itself and Twilight from taking any damage. "WHAT?! What happened?!? Why didn't the attack work?!?" shouted the Home Ec. teacher.

"Because the monster I played was Gogogo Golem." said the Princess of Friendship. "If he's in Defense Mode, he can save himself from being destroyed once during a battle." The giant blue rock monster then grunted as it managed to push Crimson Shadow back to the other side of the field without suffering a scratch (Gogogo Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"Hmph. A minor setback, nothing more." Mulia said. "That power only works once each turn, and you still take damage from my Silent Shuriken Spell Card (Twilight Sparkle: LP: 1,100 - 300 = 800). Not only that, but I STILL have Crimson Shadow's second attack! Prepare to lose your monster AND this Duel!!" The Number then jumped forward, ready to finish what it started.

"I'm afraid you won't get me THAT easily!" Twilight shouted back. "I activate the effect of my Gogogo Talisman!" As she did, a monolith then came out of the card's image on the field and began radiating a red-orange light. That light then surrounded Gogogo Golem moments before the ninja attacked it with his sword. But once again, the rock monster escaped unharmed. Even though Twilight took more damage from Mulia's Spell Card (Twilight Sparkle: LP: 800 - 300 = 500), she managed to save herself from certain defeat.

"No!! You must have cheated!!" screamed Mulia. "You said that Gogogo Golem's effect only works once per turn!!"

"It does." Twilight confirmed. "But my Gogogo Talisman's effect allows me to prevent one of my Gogogo monster from being destroyed in battle once per turn as well. So I used the effect on my Golem and saved him from being destroyed a second time! I guess you should have paid a little more attention to my last move. If you did, you probably wouldn't have wasted your Blade Armor Ninja's effect this turn."

"Woah, that was awesome!!" said Rainbow Dash. "She managed to save herself from losing!"

"Indeed." Sunset stated. "Not only that, but she also caused Mulia to use up all of Blade Armor Ninja's Overlay Units, so there won't be any more double attacks coming from her."

Taking a deep breath and wiping his forehead, Shining Spoon then chimed in, saying, "I should've known Twilight would get out of that mess."

"Maybe this time," Indigo Bolt added, "but unless she can come up with something good, she'll lose on Mulia's next turn for sure."

"Well lucky for us, that's the only kind of move that Twilight makes!" Pinkie Pie assured her.

Grumbling, Mulia shouted, "In that case, Blade Armor Ninja will destroy your Golem!!" Her second monster then jumped forward and managed to eliminate Twilight's only monster (Twilight Sparkle: LP: 500 - 300 = 200). But because of the young Princess's move, she still had some Life Points left, and Mulia was out of options this turn. "Looks like you bought yourself one more turn. We'll just see if that makes any difference in this battle... Next turn, I'll wipe you out for good, and your Numbers shall become mine! So enjoy one more turn in which you have them... Because that's all you have left!"

Twilight then drew her next card and thought to herself, (As much as I hate to admit it, she has a point: I need to beat her this turn, or I'm a goner. But I'm not sure what else I can do... I know there's a way out of this somewhere, but...)

"I suppose that's my cue, then." said a very familiar voice.

"Huh? Who said that...?" Twilight asked herself. But it didn't take the smartypants long to figure out who that voice belonged to. "Discord...? Is that you?"

Appearing in a phantom-like state (much like how Utopia did whenever he talked to Twilight), Discord stood right beside the young Princess and said to her, "You bet your flank it is! I just came by to see how things were going."

Sighing, Twilight mentally told him, "I know that Celestia asked you to keep an eye on me, but in case you can't already see it, I'm in the middle of something important here, so I don't really have the time to-"

"Hmph...! You mean you don't have any time to talk with one of your best friends?? Some Princess of Friendship you are..." huffed Discord, feeling a bit insulted. "And to think; I was about to tell you something that might help you win..."

"Wait... what did you just say?" asked Twilight, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"Hm? Oh! So you ARE interested in having a little chat with me?" Discord asked with a smirk. "If that's the case, I take that last comment back."

"Um... okay." Twilight then asked him, "Anyway, did you just say that you know a secret to winning this Duel? But how? You don't seem to be the kind of individual that would be into games like this, even IF they exist in Equestria."

"Well, I'm not." the draconequus told her. "I'd sooner catch blue flu again than do something like, say... spend an evening playing something like Ogres & Oubliettes. Personally, I don't see myself EVER partaking in something like that... ever. But yes, I do happen to have some valuable information that can help you win this little game of yours, if you're willing to listen."

"Well... um..." Twilight wasn't sure what to do, as she still seemed to have some doubts about Discord and whether or not she could take his words at face value. After all, the wily creature had a habit of playing tricks on others, not to mention that he used to be an enemy of Twilight and her Equestrian friends.

Noticing the young girl's uneasy feelings, the draconequus sighed and said to her, "...Twilight, what is it going to take for me to prove to you that I can be just as much your friend as... well... your friends?? I understand that things haven't always been... easy between the two of us, and I know that I can be quite a hoofful at times... But is it too much to ask that I should be allowed to have that same bond with you that you seem to have with Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy or anyone else?"

"I... I suppose not." Twilight replied, understanding where he was coming from.

"And is it too much to ask that, even if it's just this one time, that you can trust me when I sincerely want to help you?" Discord told her. "If I remember correctly, Cellie wanted me to use my chaotic powers to do good, and that's exactly what I just did: I found out something valuable about the Number cards deep Sunset's mind, and I wish to share it with you so that you can keep your promise to her."

"...Wait, you were in Sunset's mind??" asked Twilight. "Why were you in there?"

"I'll explain it later, after you defeat that wannabe ninja over there." Discord suggested. "Right now, I'm asking you one teeny-tiny little thing: If you really are the 'Princess of Friendship', can you trust one of your friends enough to tell you what they discovered?" He then put on a sad-looking face, complete with puppy-dog eyes.

Thinking to herself, Twilight ran over what she had just heard in her mind. (He seems sincere...) she thought. (and it seems like he truly wants to help me... But how can I trust him after he betrayed us and sided with Tirek to take over Equestria...? Then again, Tirek DID double-cross him in the end, and after he lost his powers to him, Discord looked so crushed and unhappy... Tirek promised him everything, but left him with nothing after it was all said and done. And once he found that out, I could feel that Discord finally understood who his true friends were... That's all Discord really wants: He wants friends that understand him, that can trust him, and treat him like a real friend... And it's about time I do that for him. After all, I'm the Princess of Friendship, and I should act as such.)

"...Discord?" Twilight began to say to the draconequus.

"Hm?" Discord hummed, waiting to hear what she had to say.

The young Princess then looked up to him and smiled, saying, "You're absolutely right. I should be treating you more like a friend, but I was too afraid to put my trust in you... and for that, I'm sorry." Putting on a determined look, she then told him, "But I'm over that now. I know you just want to feel accepted and understood by others... And I suppose that if it weren't for you, we may not have been able to stop Tirek from taking over Equestria."

"Well, to be fair, I DID cause the problem in the first place..." the draconequus admitted.

"But you made things right in the end." Twilight told him. "And I know you did that because you deeply and truly cared about us, like any true friend would... And that's why I feel... that I CAN put my trust in you."

"You really mean that, Twilight?" asked Discord.

"I do. I trust you, Discord." she told him again.

"HUZZAH!!!" the draconequus shouted. "Twilight trusts me!!" Snapping his claws, he made a long, dangling cord appear in front of him as he said, "I can FINALLY use this!" He then pulled the cord, causing a large, yellow party ball to open up,which dropped down a vertical banner that read, "TWILIGHT TRUSTS ME". After wards, he started dancing around, singing, "Twilight Sparkle trusts ME! Twilight Sparkle trusts ME! Twilight Sparkle trusts ME!"

Narrowing her eyes, the young Princess told him, "Discord... don't rub it in."

Stopping his little celebration, Discord chuckled and said to her, "Sorry about that." He then snapped his claws, causing the party ball and banner to vanish into thin air, all the while grinning his teeth and rubbing the back of his head.

Twilight chuckled a bit, chalking that moment up to Discord just being himself. Then, at that moment, the young Princess noticed a faint glow coming from the box that held her Extra Deck. "Huh?? What's this?" she asked herself, opening it up. When she pulled out the cards inside, the glow became more intense, and it could be seen by everyone in attendance.

"Urrrgh...! What's going on...?!" grunted Ms. Mulia, shielding her eyes from the bright light.

"What's up with Twilight's Deck??" asked Rainbow Dash, also covering her eyes, as was everyone else. "Why's it glowing like that??"

"Don't ask me...!" said Shining Spoon. "I don't know what's going on, either!" Indigo Bolt nodded to say that she, too, wasn't sure what was happening to Twilight's cards right now.

Sunset, however, seemed to have an idea as to what was causing that bright light. (Could this be because of her Number card?) she asked herself. (I remember... this happened before, when Twilight had her Duel with Trixie...) Mrs. K said nothing, but based on her facial expression, she also seemed to know what was going on.

Finally, the glow began to fade away, and when Twilight Sparkle turned to look at her Extra Deck cards again, she saw that one of them was surrounded by a faint, white light. When she pulled that card out, the young Princess was shocked to see that it was a blank card. "Wait... I don't remember putting something like this in my Deck before today... Where did it come from?" she asked herself. She then turned around to face the projection of Discord in her mind and asked him, "Did you do this...?"

Laughing a little, the draconequus told her, "Oh I didn't do that... It was YOU who made that card appear!"

"I... I don't understand." Twilight told him. "How did I do this?"

"Well, after looking around Sunset's mind," Discord explained, "I came across some information on the Number cards; information that appeared to be well-hidden, even to Sunset herself. As you know, the Number cards' powers are only as strong as its owner's hopes and desires... And as far as I can tell, as a Princess of Equestria, your deepest desire is to create a world where everypony can get along with each other and work together towards a brighter future." He then made a dictionary appear in his hands and read off of it, saying, "That's the very definition of a utopia, if I'm not mistaken." Tossing the book aside, he then added, "Because of the nature of your desires, Utopia has been given incredible amounts of power; power that becomes stronger as you grow stronger... or something like that. I'll admit, I did skim over most of the info."

Twilight thought about what he said and seemed to finally understand what he meant. "I see... so that's why you wanted me to put my trust in you, is that it?" she asked. "Because you knew that Utopia would grow stronger from my own personal feelings, is that right?"

"That is correct." said Utopia's voice. "I don't know how, but... I know it to be true. By placing your faith in someone that you initially found difficult to trust, you managed to overcome a personal obstacle. That, in turn, appeared to have unlocked more of my power." Twilight then looked at the blank card, only to find that it was no longer blank: There was now a picture of a powerful warrior upon it, and the initially-textless box under the artwork now had text, written in the Astral World's language.

"He's right, Twilight." Discord told her. "So why don't you go ahead and use that new card to beat the pajamas off that ninja wannabe?" He then winked at her, smirking as he did so.

Nodding to the mischievous draconequus with a smile, she told him and Utopia, "That's what I plan on doing!" Turning her attention back to Ms. Mulia, Twilight said to her, "Alright, Mulia! It's time we ended this Duel once and for all!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked the purple girl. "Don't tell me you still think that you can get out of this?"

"Just watch me..." the young Princess told her, taking a card from her hand. "I Summon Gogogo Giant in Attack Mode!" After playing her card, her brown and blue-colored stone giant appeared in front of her (Gogogo Giant: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0). "And by Normal Summoning him, Gogogo Giant allows me to switch him to Defense Mode and Summon another Gogogo monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode! And I choose Gogogo Golem!!" And after she said that, her other stone monster reappeared on the field, coming out of a violet portal.

"Two monsters, two hundred monsters, it won't make any difference!" the Home Ec. teacher shouted. "They're not strong enough to save you from my ninjas!"

"Perhaps not, but since they're both Level 4, I can use them to Summon something that IS strong enough!" the Princess of Friendship told her.

"Aw yeah! She's gonna Summon her Number card!" said Rainbow Dash, getting excited.

"Go for it, Twilight!!" Sunset shouted in encouragement.

Nodding, Twilight then made her next move, saying, "I now overlay my Gogogo Giant and my Gogogo Golem, both Level 4, to build the Overlay Network!!" In a flash, both of her monsters transformed into a pair of orange lights that were sucked into a galaxy-like vortex above. "Appear, Number 39!" the young Princess chanted. "My battle starts here! I entrust my wishes upon your white wings! Xyz Summon! Messenger of light! Rank 4! Utopia!!"

The Summoning Portal then exploded, leaving a red 39 mark on the ground below. Soon after, Utopia appeared, first in his sealed form, and then quickly transforming into his battle form as a pair of yellow orbs orbited around him (Number 39: Utopia: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"So this is your Number card, is it?" asked Mulia. "While he does have a slightly higher attack power than either of my monsters, I'm afraid that it won't be enough to save you from defeat next turn!" Taking out the last card underneath her Number card, she shouted, "I activate Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can prevent all of my Ninja monsters from being destroyed this turn! Now there's no way you'll be able to eliminate my monsters before I unleash my wrath!"

But Twilight showed no fear as she calmly told her opponent. "Actually, I don't NEED to destroy you monsters to defeat you, Mulia. I have all that I need to end this Duel right here, right now!"

"You lie!!" protested the ninja Duelist.

"If you don't believe me, I'll let my Deck prove it to you." Extending her right arm, Twilight shouted, "I now invoke the power of... Xyz Evolution!!"

"Huh? Xyz Evolution??" asked Indigo Bolt. "What's that?"

"Never heard of it." said Rainbow Dash. "What about you, Sunset? You have any idea what Twi's talkin' about?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." the red and yellow girl answered her. "I've heard that it's a special type of Xyz Summoning... unique in how it is performed. Ordinarily, you use two or more monsters with the same Levels to Summon an Xyz Monster. But with an Xyz Evolution, you instead use one Xyz Monster to call up another."

"And Xyz WITH an Xyz?!" exclaimed Shining Spoon. "That's nuts! I didn't know that was even possible!" Turning back to the Duel, he then added, "But it could be just what Twilight needed to win this Duel!"

"Let's hope so." Mrs. K chimed in, intrigued to see Twilight's move.

Continuing her turn, Twilight shouted, "I now use Xyz Evolution to Xyz Summon using Utopia as the Overlay Unit!" And after she made that announcement, Utopia reconfigured himself back into his sealed form and descended into another galaxy-like vortex. "Show yourself, Chaos Number 39!" she chanted. "The power of hope, the messenger that changes chaos into light! Come and show your magnificent might! Chaos Xyz Evolution!" At that moment, the vortex exploded, and the 39 mark that it left behind was radiating a even brighter red light. "Unleash yourself! Rank 4! Utopia Ray!" Twilight finished, placing her newly-obtained card onto her Duel Pad's tray.

Everyone watched in astonishment as another object appeared in the skies above. It resembled Utopia's sealed form, but was mostly black in color, and it had more of a sword-like appearance to it, with three yellow orbs orbiting it. The object then began to transform itself, forming itself into a large, armored man in black, grey, and golden armor with large wings, and glowing red eyes underneath a blue jewel-like adornment on his forehead. He also appeared to be wielding three swords: Two equipped onto either side of his hips, and a much, much larger one in a sheath on his back.

*******************************

Number C39: Utopia Ray
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

3 Level 4 LIGHT monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a "Number 39: Utopia" you control as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that monster also become Xyz Materials on this card.) You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; it gains 500 ATK and 1 monster your opponent controls loses 1000 ATK, until the End Phase. You must have 1000 LP or less to activate and to resolve this effect.

*******************************

Everyone was amazed by Twilight's move, as well as the new monster that she had Summoned. "Get a load of that thing..." Rainbow Dash said in awe.

"It's so big and powerful..." noted Indigo Bolt. "But where did it come from?"

"As long as that thing can help Twilight win, who cares?" Shining Spoon told his friend.

"No doubt about it!" Pinkie Pie said confidently. "Twilight's sure to win now that she has... whatever that thingy is on the field!"

Mulia wasn't terribly impressed by Twilight's new monster as she told her foe, "That's your big move? Your new Xyz Monster's attack power is no higher than your previous one! Nothing changed at all!"

"You're wrong." Twilight informed the ninja Duelist. "Even though Utopia's attack power didn't change, his special ability DOES! And I'll activate it right now!" Removing one of the three cards that were underneath her new monster, the young Princess declared, "I remove one Overlay Unit from Utopia Ray and activate his effect (Number C39: Utopia Ray: OLU 3 - 1 = 2)! Since my Life Points are 1,000 or lower, I can increase his attack power by 500 (Number C39: Utopia Ray: ATK 2500 + 500 = 3000)! But in addition to that, I can also decrease the attack power of one of your monsters by 1,000! And that power lasts until the end of this turn!" Pointing straight at Mulia's Number card, Twilight announced, "I choose to lower Crimson Shadow's attack points!"

Mulia gasped as her powerful Number card began losing its strength, causing it to drop to one knee (Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja: ATK 2400 - 1000 = 1400). Grumbling she then told Twilight, "That still isn't enough! I have more than enough Life Points to survive, even IF you attack my weakened Ninja! Just face it: you can't escape my trap!"

But Twilight chuckled a little and informed her opponent, "Then I guess it's a good thing that Utopia Ray has no limit to the number of times I can use his ability each turn."

"Wh-WHAT?!?" gasped the Home Ec. teacher, not expecting to hear that.

"I activate Utopia's effect again!!" the Princess of Friendship shouted, sending another of her monster's materials to the Graveyard (Number C39: Utopia Ray: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "And once more, I power up Utopia, and power DOWN Crimson Shadow!" (Number C39: Utopia Ray: ATK 3000 + 500 = 3500) (Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja: ATK 1400 - 1000 = 400)

"No... no this can't happening...!" protested Mulia, shaking in fear for the first time since the Duel started.

Taking out the last of Utopia Ray's materials, Twilight shouted, "And now, one last time, I use Utopia's effect! (Number C39: Utopia Ray: OLU 1 - 1 = 0) I power up his attack points again (Number C39: Utopia Ray: ATK 3500 + 500 = 4000), and this time, I'll decrease Blade Armor Ninja's attack power!" Now Mulia's other monster fell to the ground, losing a lot of his own strength to Utopia Ray's effect (Blade Armor Ninja: ATK 2200 - 1000 = 1200).

"After all that," Sunset began to say, "Twilight's monster now has 4,000 attack points. Once she attacks Mulia's Number card, this Duel is over."

"Yeah!! Awesome job, Twilight!!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah!! Great work!!" Pinkie chimed in. "Now finish her!!!"

Nodding to her friends, the young Princess then ordered her monster, "Utopia Ray!! Attack Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja and end this Duel!!"

"I shall do just that!" Utopia responded, now speaking in a slightly more aggressive-sounding voice. He then pulled out both of the swords from the sheaths on his hips. Not only that, but he also extended an extra pair of arms that helped to draw the much larger sword on his back. With all three swords unsheathed and ready for battle, there was no stopping Utopia from fulfilling his duty to Twilight. Slashing all three of his weapons, he shouted, "Go!! Rising Sun Chaos Slash!!!"

Mulia could do nothing but watch her Number card take the mighty blows, one after the other. The force of the impact sent her Number card flying right into her, causing them both to fall to the ground. Though her Number was immune to destruction, Mulia wasn't so lucky; all of her remaining Life Points were depleted, and she fainted out of exhaustion (Mulia Mild: LP: 3,000 - 3,600 = 0) (WINNER: Twilight Sparkle).

"Yeah!! Twilight did it!!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "She beat Mulia!!"

"That was SO cool!!" shouted an excited Indigo Bolt. "That was the best come-from-behind win I've ever seen!!"

"Yeah!! It was so toasty!!" Pinkie chimed in.

"Um, did you just say, 'toasty'?" asked Sunset, a bit confused.

"It was a battle involving ninjas, Sunnie." the silly pink teen explained to her. "I HAD to make a Mortal Kombat reference at some point! Yeesh."

"Um, right." Sunset responded. She then smiled and told everyone, "In any case, Twilight did a great job, and now Mulia will return to her normal self very soon."

"It seems so." Mrs. K replied. She smiled to herself as she thought, (And now that I have seen their power first-hand, I know now what I must do next...) She then turned around to leave, telling the students, "I'm going to inform the Principals that you completed their task, as well get some assistance for Ms. Mulia."

"Uh, sure. Thanks, Mrs. K." Rainbow responded. "After all, we don't wanna just leave her lying out here with no one to take care of her." The pale-skinned woman smiled a bit before continuing on her way.

Twilight was now standing in front of Mulia Mild, holding the teacher's Number card and stared at it. Smiling, she then said in her mind, (Well, that takes care of that... But I couldn't have won this without the help of my friends. Especially you, Discord.)

The mischievous draconequus chuckled, telling her, "Well, if you're REALLY that thankful to me for helping you, I'm still interested in having my own personalized throne in your castle..." The young Princess narrowed her eyes a little, which immediately caused him to retract his statement, saying, "On second thought, a... reward isn't necessary. Besides, I like my little pocket dimension home better anyway. I'll just head back and let Cellie know that everything's okay with you and Sunnie."

Giggling a little, Twilight said to him, "Thanks Discord. I suppose I'll be seeing you again very soon?"

"Hmmmmm... maaaaaaaybe." the draconequus replied. "Can't say for sure when... Could be tomorrow, could be next month, could be during another huge crisis, who knows?" Smiling a little, he then told her, "But I'd be more than happy to come back whenever you need some help... from a friend."

Twilight nodded and said to Discord, "I'll accept any help you want give me. Have a safe trip home." The draconequus smirked and snapped his claws, vanishing from Twilight's mind... for now.

Sunset and the others rushed over to see Twilight and congratulate her on her victory. "Great work, Twilight!" the jacket-wearing teen said to her friend. "That was your best work yet! But how did you manage to Summon that new card of yours? I don't remember you having it before..."

"Um... I'll tell you about it later, Sunset." the young Princess replied. "Right now, I kind of need a rest; that Duel really wore me out..." Soon after, they all left the area after Nurse Redheart showed up and they were sure that their teacher would get the rest she needed.

Hours later, in a house in the Canterlot suburbs, Mrs. K turned on the living room lights before closing the front door behind her. She set her bags down on a sofa and continued into her Study Room. Walking up to a bright white desk, she turned on a small desk lamp before sitting down in front of an old-looking book. "Sunset Shimmer... Twilight Sparkle..." she said to herself. "And their friends... After witnessing that Duel, as well as seeing Ms. Sparkle actually evolving her Number card, I am more convinced that they are the ones I have been looking for... But there is still much that needs to be done, before they can save us all..."

Mrs. K then opened a drawer under her desk and took out a small, white envelope. Opening it, she pulled out eight Duel Monsters cards with black frames, indicating that they were Xyz Monsters. However, every single one of them was blank. But in the spots where the card's artwork would have been, the areas were not colored white, but in various different colors instead: Magenta, orange, red, violet, pink, cyan, yellow, and brown...

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Twilight Sparkle (4 Numbers total):

Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja

RANK 21: The Number Mystery, Part 1:

Author's Note

Greetings, everyone! I hope everyone had a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Hearth's Warming. :twilightsmile:

So, here's my present to all of you: A new episode! No Duels take place in this Rank, but there are a lot of important thing that happen here. In any case, I hope you all enjoy it!

RANK 21: The Number Mystery, Part 1:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Some time ago, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer had heard that their Home Economics teacher, Ms. Mulia Mild, had vanished without a trace. At that same time, there were rumors about a vicious Duelist that was taking down everyone at the school in Duels. When Twilight confronted the rogue Duelist, dressed in ninja attire, she discovered that they held a Number card and proceeded to battle her. As it turned out, the ninja was actually Ms. Mulia, possessed by the Number card and made to believe that she was a real ninja.

Though Ms. Mulia proved to be tougher than she appeared, Twilight managed to overcome her, thanks to the help of an unexpected ally named Discord. The wily spirit of Chaos had discovered how to further unlock Utopia's power, and with that knowledge, Twilight was able to Summon a more powerful version of him: Number C39: Utopia Ray. With his new power, Utopia helped Twilight defeat Ms. Mulia and return her to normal.

With that battle finished, Twilight and Sunset have only one other thing on their minds, and that is to research information regarding the strange individuals that they encountered at Applejack's farm, along with the unknown person that had planted a Number card on Vinyl Scratch some time after. But as they do, other relevant events are taking place, and other players in this battle for the Number cards are ready to make their next move...

It was late afternoon in Sunset Shimmer's apartment. It had been a day since Twilight Sparkle, a young Princess from Equestria, had defeated Ms. Mulia Mild in a Duel after the teacher had fallen under the control of a Number card named Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja. During that Duel, Twilight had managed to unlock more of the power that slept within her Number card, Utopia, which allowed her to pool the necessary strength to overcome Ms. Mulia's Ninja Deck. Today, the only battles that Sunset and Twilight had to deal with right now involved their schoolwork. Naturally, the two of them had no trouble in their classes, and even managed to finish all of their homework for the day before they even got to the apartment building.

As the two girls walked through the door leading into Sunset's living room, they set their bags aside and stretched their arms. "Mmmm...! Nothing better than relaxing after such an intense study session!" Twilight happily said to her friend.

"You've got that right." Sunset replied as such hung up her black jacket in the coat closet. "I don't think we've ever managed to finish up all our work so fast before."

"I know, right?" the purple teen said. "I'd even go as far as to say that we might have beaten our own record for quickly finishing up our schoolwork."

"Well, considering that it's the only thing that we can really beat Rainbow Dash at, it's a record we can be proud of." Sunset responded. This elicited a giggle out of both of them. Switching to a more serious tone, the red and yellow girl then told Twilight, "Of course, the main reason that I wanted to finish up our homework right away was to make sure that we have all the time we need for some even more important research: Finding out more about that Skyes Academy place."

"I know, Sunset." the young Princess agreed. "We need to learn more about that place as soon as possible... as well as those strange people that seem to come from there."

Overhearing the conversation, Spike perked his head up from the small doggy bed that was set aside for him to sleep on and looked over at the two girls. "You really think you can find out anything this time?" he asked as Sunset switched on her computer and got onto the Internet. "The last few times you tried searching for info, you two never found anything..."

"I think I might be able to find something this time, Spike." Sunset told him as the dragon-turned-puppy walked over to them. Twilight then picked him up and held him in her arms so that he could see what the red and yellow girl was doing. "During class, I ran into that girl, Indigo Bolt. She must have overheard me asking people about Skyes Academy, because she was able to give me some info that no one else had."

"And what's that?" asked Twilight.

"She could only tell me a place: A place that this school may be located in..." Sunset answered. "It's called Cirrus City."

"Cirrus City?" asked the purple girl. "Never heard of it."

"Doesn't sound like anyplace we know in Equestria..." added Spike.

"That's because there isn't." Sunset informed them. "As far as I can tell... from the maps that I had brought with me when I first came here, Cirrus City has no Equestrian equivalent; it only seems to exist in this world. I've actually heard some things about it: Apparently, it used to be some sort of bustling metropolis at one time. But in the recent years, it fell under hard times and became subject to a lot of crime and illegal activity. As a result, almost nopo- er, nobody lives there anymore."

"And you think that this school is in this city?" asked Twilight.

"We'll know in a few seconds..." said the red and yellow girl as she began typing something in a text box on an Internet Search Engine. "Let's see... 'schools... loacated... in... Cirrus... City'..." she said as she typed. Two seconds after hitting the "Search" button, some results came up. Scrolling through the list, one of the results of the search caught her eye. "I think we may have found something, Twilight..."

"We did?" asked the young Princess. "What is it?"

After Sunset clicked on the hyperlink, a page full of text and a few photo images appeared on-screen. Reading the words in front of her, Sunset began to tell the others, "According to this article, Skyes Academy was a high school in Cirrus City, back when the city was still in its prime. All of the city's residents went to school there, and it employed some highly respected people in the community as staff."

"Really?" asked Twilight. "But you said that the city became run-down and abandoned... How did that happen?"

"Because the school eventually closed down." the red and yellow girl answered, reading off of the article again. "They lost all of their funding and were no longer able to operate. And without a proper place to educate the city's youth, most of the population departed the city to live elsewhere..."

"How'd that happen?" asked Spike.

"That, I'm not sure of just yet..." Sunset told him. Just then, she immediately remembered an important detail. "Wait a second...!" she gasped. "I remember that, during that Turbo Duel we watched, the announcer said that the school was called 'Skyes DUEL Academy'..."

"Yeah, that's right..." Twilight also recalled. "But what does that have to do with all of this?"

"...Perhaps everything." Sunset said, opening another tab on her Internet browser and using the search engine again, all while keeping the previous article active. This time, she typed in the words, "kaiba corp official duel academy locations". The search result list she got immediately brought up a link to the Kaiba Corporation website. She then clicked on it, causing a list of different location spread all around the world to appear on-screen. "Twilight, this is a list of every city and town all over the world that has an official Duel Academy still in operation." Sunset explained. "I've set it to list the cities in alphabetical order, which should help us find out what we need to know..."

"And that is...?" the Princess of Friendship inquired.

Sunset said nothing at first as she scrolled through the alphabetical list. She first went through all of the A's... then the B's... and then through all the C's... but she stopped as soon she got to the D section. "...It's not there." she muttered.

"What's not there?" asked Spike, eager to know what she meant.

"I've looked though all of the cities under C, but I didn't see Cirrus City listed as a Duel Academy location." the red and yellow girl answered him. "That means that Cirrus City does not, and possibly never had, an official Duel Academy sanctioned and operated by Kaiba Corp."

"I still don't understand... How is this related to Skyes Academy shutting down?" asked Twilight.

Clicking back to the article regarding the now-defunct high school, the red and yellow teen answered her friend, saying, "Well, as I stated earlier, the article says that Skyes Academy shut down after they ran out of money. But it goes on to say that their sudden bankruptcy occurred while some 'renovations' were going on at the school. Renovations that seemed to have cost a lot of money..."

Twilight and Spike said nothing in response. They continued to listen to Sunset, hoping that she could shed some more light on what had taken place.

"From what I've heard," the red and yellow girl continued, "setting up an official Kaiba Corp Duel Academy is a very costly endeavor. Based on these facts, I can come up with some kind of hypothesis as to what caused the school's downfall." Turning to her friends, she then told them both, "I believe that Skyes Academy was trying to convert itself into a Duel Academy."

"You do?" asked Twilight.

Sunset nodded and explained, "It seems like the most logical possibility. If my theory is correct, I believe that the school lost their funding because they sunk it all into trying to convert it. I'm not exactly sure why so much money is required, but it might have something to do with things such as getting the necessary supplies, hiring more staff, and stuff like that... In any case, they put all of their money towards converting the school, but when it fell through, they had nothing left."

"But why would they try something so risky as putting all of their money towards something like that, if losing the opportunity meant closing down the school?" asked Twilight.

"Because - while setting up a Duel Academy is an expensive gamble - if it works, the staff can look forward to making even more money." answered Sunset. "Since the Duel Academies are owned, funded, and operated by Kaiba Corp., those who work there are paid quite well. So I'd say they took the risk when they saw that they could make a huge profit off of it... At least that's what I think."

"Hmph... the things someone will do just to make a quick bit." said Spike.

"So is that really why the school is closed down?" asked Twilight.

"Maybe... but it seems that the article doesn't tell us exactly what happened. My theory about what happened is just that: Only a theory." Sunset replied. "Still, it gives us something to work on while we try and figure out the deal with that place. After all, we're not simply trying to figure out why the school closed down. We also need to find out about those people that seem to come from there, despite the fact that the place isn't running anymore."

"That's true..." Twilight replied. Thinking for a bit, she then told her otherworldly friend, "Well, if the city and the school are abandoned, maybe these people are using the building as some kind of base..."

"Seems possible." Sunset responded. "But why in a run-down and dangerous town like Cirrus City? That dilapidated barn we were in when we were trying to find Vinyl and Fluttershy seems much safer than that place..."

Sunset's mentioning of that day reminded Twilight of something. "Hey, Sunset..." she began to say, "I just realized: You said that the Number card that Vinyl had might have been planted on her, right?"

"Yes. That's right." the red and yellow girl confirmed. "From what I can believe, someone gave her that card while she was sleeping. But because they broke into Fluttershy's house to do it, I believe they were really planning to plant it on her instead of Vinyl. Why do you ask?"

"...You don't suppose that whoever did it might have been one of the people that were after Babs Seed?" asked Twilight. "The two we met at Applejack's home?"

"Hmmmm... that sounds like a possibility." Sunset pondered, rubbing her chin. "There's just one thing, though: If they were trying to get back at us for foiling their plan to steal Babs's Deck, why didn't they try and come after us instead of Fluttershy? And what's more, how did they know to break into her home in the first place? We never said anything about her to those two people when we encountered them."

"Oh yeah... I didn't think of that." the purple girl replied. "So much for that theory."

"I never said that your guess was wrong, Twilight." Sunset told her. "It's still possible that it could have been them, or even someone else related to them. If that's true, then they must have somehow found out about the people we're connected to, and went after them to scare us and damage our confidence... But again, this is still all just assumptions. We still don't have any hard evidence yet. But if anyone can figure this whole mess out, I'm sure we can!"

Smiling, Twilight told her inter-dimensional friend, "I'll do whatever I can to help out, Sunset! As a Princess of Equestria, I feel that it is my duty to help those that need it. And I promise that you and I will get to the bottom of this whole thing!" Sunset nodded in agreement, smiling as well.

At that moment, the two girls heard the sounds of clapping hands. "Ohohohohoho! Well said, Twilight! Well said!!" boomed a familiar voice.

The two girls looked around, but couldn't see anyone in the room that could have made that remark. They both slowly glanced at Spike, who just gave them a look and told them, "Don't look at me. I didn't say that."

Sunset and Twilight stared at each other for a moment before they realized who the voice belonged to. "That voice..." the red and yellow girl said to her purple friend, "It's that Discord guy again, isn't it?"

"Yep." Twilight replied. "I guess he came back to see how I was doing."

"Yes, indeed." said the draconequus's voice, which was heard only in their minds. "But there's something else: I need to talk to all of you about this, so forgive me for what I'm about to do next."

"Discord... what are you-?" but Twilight's question was cut short when the sound of snapping claws was heard. In an instant, Twilight, Sunset, and even Spike suddenly toppled onto the floor, drifting into a deep sleep...

Seconds after their sudden case of narcolepsy, Twilight, Sunset, and Spike appeared in an area covered in a thick, light-blue fog. The three of them were currently in a dream, indicated by the fact that both Sunset and Twilight were now back in their pony forms, and Spike had returned to being a baby dragon. Looking over himself, he then asked the others, "Um... did... did we somehow sleepwalk through the mirror portal? What happened?"

"Relax, Spike. We're all just in a dream." Twilight assured him. "Discord must have somehow made us all fall asleep so that he could talk to us, as the only place in this world that we can all speak to him in is in the Dreamworld."

"Righty-o, Twilight." spoke Discord, standing in front of a large lever mounted onto the ground that had several settings on it: "INSOMNIA", "ALERT", "TIRED", "DROWSY", and "NAP ATTACK". Walking away from the lever, he then said to them both, "Sorry for the abrupt nap, but it was the only way I could gather all of you here."

"Well, you could have given us a little more warning before you did that." Sunset told the draconequus. "I could've hit my head on something from that sudden fall."

"Again, I apologize. But I needed to make sure that you were all here for what I needed to show you." Discord explained to them.

"And what's that?" asked Twilight.

Reaching into a pocket in his chest, Discord pulled out a small object that appeared to be a photograph. "This is what I needed to show you. It might help you figure out what this whole Number card business is about."

The two ponies and dragon looked at the photograph closely. It showed a picture of an enormous object that was green in color, had a sort of bottle-like shape, and was surrounded by several large, bronze rings. Attached underneath the object was a ship-like vessel with two pairs of what appeared to be jet engines or something like them. The three of them looked at the photo for a while, but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Um... what is this thing??" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"Hmmm... I was actually hoping you would know, Sunnie." Discord responded. "After all, I found this... whatever it is in YOUR mind."

"Wait, what...?" asked the red and yellow Unicorn, startled and taking a step back. "You were in MY mind?!?" Glaring at the draconequus, she then warned him, "I swear, for Celestia's sake, if you messed up ANYTHING in my brain...!"

"Oh, don't get your mane in a knot...." Discord interrupted. "I can assure you that I did not mess around with anything in your mind. Aside from opening up a locked door inside that was covered in chains..."

Snapping out of her anger for a moment, Sunset then asked him, "A locked door...? What do you mean? What locked door?"

"You mean you didn't know?" asked the draconequus. "It's right across from your soul room. Honestly, you need to get to know your neighbors better."

"But why were you looking around in Sunset's mind, Discord?" Twilight then asked him. "I thought you were here to check up on me while I was away from Equestria..."

"Yes, that is a reason that I'm here." he answered her. "But I must confess: That's not the only thing that Cellie requested of me. She also wants to find out information on those Number cards you've been collecting."

"She did?" asked Sunset.

"Oh most definitely!" the draconequus confirmed. "I remember it like it was yesterday... But it was actually the day before that."

Ponyville, Equestria: Two days ago:

In a remote area just outside of Ponyville, a silver zipper handle had magically appeared out of nowhere, floating in mid-air. The zipper then slid down by itself, creating what appeared to be a portal leading to some sort of pocket dimension. Out of that portal stepped Discord, who, after climbing out of said portal, snapped his claws and made the opening vanish as quickly as it appeared. He then glanced behind him and saw two ponies - a teal Unicorn with a lyre cutie mark, and a pale yellow Earth Pony with a trio of candy pieces as her mark - just staring at him and at the spot where the portal was. "...What?" he asked the two mares. "You've never seen a trans-dimensional zipper portal before? Yeesh, some ponies these days..." He then walked off, leaving the two bewildered ponies behind.

Walking up to the door of a small cottage, Discord dusted himself off and knocked on it, shouting, "Fluttershy! Fluttershy! I'm here for our weekly tea party!" But he stopped knocking when he saw that nopony had answered. "Hmmm... that's strange... She's usually awake at this time." Floating up to a window on the second floor, he peeked into Fluttershy's bedroom. But she wasn't in there. "Well, she's up, but where could she be...?" he asked himself as he floated back down to the doorstep. And that's when he noticed a small note taped onto the side of a birdhouse next to the front door. "A note?" he asked, taking and reading what was on it. "Dear Discord... I am so very sorry, but I am not home right now. I am at Twilight's castle in Ponyville. Meet me over there... that is, if you really want to... Love, Fluttershy."

"Hmmm... So Fluttershy's staying over at Twilight's new home, is she?" Discord asked, stroking his short beard. He wasn't sure why she was staying at the new castle, but decided to figure that out when he got there. Snapping his claws again, he instantly transported himself to the front of the giant, crystal castle. He then knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to arrive.

Soon after, the doors opened, revealing Fluttershy on the over side. "Oh! Discord! I see you got my note! I'm so glad; I was starting to get worried that you wouldn't see it..."

"Oh, Fluttershy, don't go worrying your head off over little things like that!" Discord told her with a chuckle. He then pulled his own head off and held it in front of his best friend and added, "After all, you only get one, and you don't want to lose it." This elicited a slight giggle out of the yellow Pegasus. Putting his head back on, he then asked her, "Though I am a bit... confused as to why you wanted to meet me here and not at your cottage. That's not usually like you..." He then looked over a small set of papers that he had pulled out of nowhere and read over them. The top of the page read, "mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Fluttershy". After he was finished reading it, he made the papers vanish and told her, "Nope... definitely not like you at all, at least not according to your character description."

"Oh... um, well actually..." the shy pony explained, "the reason that I'm here is because today is my turn to house-sit for Twilight. So I decided to move the tea party here instead... if it's okay with you, that is."

"Oh! I see! No, that's perfectly fine with me, now that you've told me!" Discord responded with a smile. He then paused for a moment and asked her, "Hold on a second: Did you say that you're... house-sitting for Princess Twilight? She's not here right now?" His voice seemed to suggest that he wasn't aware of this news.

"Oh my...! I'm so sorry, Discord...!" Fluttershy apologized. "I should have told you sooner! Twilight and Spike left a while ago to take care of something that came up... Until she comes back, the others and I are taking care of the castle."

"Really...? Princess Twilight is on a business trip somewhere, and I didn't know about it?" asked the draconequus. Putting on a more unamused facial expression, he then snapped his claws to trigger his reality-bending powers.

In an instant, a large bathtub filled with bubbles appeared out of nowhere. "Eeep! Oh my...!" squeaked Fluttershy, hiding her face when she saw that, in addition to the bubbles and water, Princess Celestia was also in the bathtub as well.

Realizing what was going on, the large, white Alicorn said to the draconequus in a stern tone, "Discord! Didn't we have a little talk about NOT using your powers to summon me out of my castle...?! Especially when I'm trying to take a bath?!"

Discord crossed his arms and told the Princess, "I do apologize, Cellie... But I recall that we ALSO had a little talk about you informing me if any of MY friends are going to be away for a long period of time!"

"What are you talking abo-" Celestia then paused and her facial expression changed when she realized what he was going on about. "Oh my..." she said to him. "Are you talking about Twilight? Oh dear... I'm... I'm sorry that I haven't told you about that. I've been meaning to, but I've had a lot of work to do recently, and I never got the chance to mention it..."

"Hmph! I've heard that before, Cellie..." the draconequus huffed, annoyed at the feeling of being left out of the discussion. "You just didn't want me to know because you still don't trust me!"

"Now Discord, you know that's not true." Celestia told him. "I WAS going to inform you about Twilight. And if you would be so kind as let me finish washing up in my castle, I'll prove it to you."

The draconequus hummed a little bit, thinking about what the Princess had told him. After he was finished, he then said, "Alright then, Cellie. We'll play things your way." He then snapped his claws again, returning the Alicorn back to her castle. He then looked over at Fluttershy and told her, "It's okay, Fluttershy. You can open your eyes now." After hearing him say that, the yellow Pegasus moved her front hooves away from her face.

A few minutes later, Celestia reappeared in Twilight's castle, this time out of the bathtub and fully dressed (well, as fully dressed as she usually was, that is). Clearing her throat, she then said to Discord, "Now, there is something I'd like you to do for me concerning Twilight."

"And what would that be?" he inquired back.

Walking over to a large mirror in the room - the same one Twilight used to enter Sunset's world - she explained to him, "Right now, Twilight is taking care of some business in another world. While I am confident that she will be okay, I will admit, I am a little worried for her." Turning back over to the draconequus, she then told him, "That is why I'd like you to go and check up on her every now and then, to see if she is doing fine. Can I trust you to do that?"

"Hmmmmm... I suppose that I could do that." Discord replied, rubbing his chin. Donning an army uniform and giving off a triumphant salute, he then told her, "Yes! I shall accept this mission! You can trust me!"

Smiling, Celestia told him, "I know I can." She then told him, "In addition, I'd also like you to uncover any information regarding a place called the Astral World, or about some cards known as Numbers. I've been trying to find the information myself, but the royal library has no records or anything about them. Perhaps you might have better luck locating this info for me... I feel it might help Twilight with her business in the other world."

Discord sighed a little, but decided to accept the task, saying, "I suppose I'll try to find out something. If it's for Twilight's well-being."

"Good. Then I shall leave things to you. Let me know about anything concerning Twilight or anything else." Celestia responded with a smile before using her magic to return home.

Glancing down at Fluttershy and pulling out an umbrella big enough to cover both of them, he told her, "Sorry, Fluttershy, but I'll have to take a rain check on that tea party for now; I've got work to do." As he said that, a small rain cloud began pouring rain over them both.

"I understand." the yellow pony replied. "If it's for Twilight, I suppose I can reschedule our time together for another day."

"Splendid!" Discord cheered. "In that case, I'm out of here! Auf Wiedersehen!!" But just as he was prepared to walk towards the mirror portal, he stopped and said, "Hold on... I nearly forgot: Twilight told me that when she and her little dragon buddy went to this other universe, they completely changed their appearance... And not only that, they also temporarily lost their abilities upon entering said world..."

"Yes, that's right..." Fluttershy stated. "She said that she turned into something called a... a human."

"Human?" asked the draconequus. "You mean like those creatures that Lyra keeps talking about?"

"Mhmm... Those creatures." the yellow Pegasus replied. "Though I haven't heard her say much about them lately... I heard that she recently had gotten a new job and it's been taking up a lot of her time." Smiling a little, she then added, "But if these 'humans' did exist, I'd really like to try and meet one."

"Hmmm, perhaps..." Discord replied. Changing the subject back to his dilemma, he told her, "If what Twilight said is true, then I can't just go into that world the same way that she did, or there might be a chance that I'd lose MY powers...! After that whole incident with Tirek, losing my abilities is something I'd prefer never to go through again."

"So what will you do...?" asked Fluttershy.

The draconequus said nothing at first. He hummed and stroked his beard, trying to think of an idea. At that moment, a bright light bulb appeared over his head as he exclaimed, "I've got it!!" He then glanced upwards at the light bulb above him, grabbed a thin chain attached to the light bulb, and pulled on it. This caused the light bulb to switch off and stop producing light. Chuckling a little, he then said, "Sorry for the slight interruption; just don't want to waste electricity."

Not quite understanding what he meant by that, Fluttershy simply asked her friend, "So what is your idea...? That is, if you're comfortable with telling me about it..."

"It's quite simple, actually." Discord replied with a smirk. "I just need to reach Twilight in a way that doesn't involve going though the mirror. If I can enter her mind, I can keep an eye on her without even leaving Equestria!"

"How are you going to do that...?" asked the Pegasus. "It doesn't sound as easy as you're making it seem..."

"Hmmm... I think I know of a certain mare that could give me the means to do such a thing..." the draconequus said slyly. He then snapped his claws once more, creating a large puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that he had used his powers to summon Princess Luna... who was still asleep in her bed (which had ALSO appeared in the room).

"Oh... my..." said Fluttershy, backing up a bit so as not to seem involved with whatever Discord was planning to do, should Luna be angry at him.

Discord then glanced over at the sleeping Princess and said in a soft tone, "Oh Luuuuuuuunaaaaaa...! Are you awake...?"

The dark blue Alicorn rolled around in her bed a bit while talking in her sleep. "Mmnf... mmmnn..." she mumbled. "No... quit doing that... No... Why do you... mmf... only get critical hits... when I'm not trying to defeat... zzzzzz..."

"Hmmmm... this calls for a bit more firepower..." Discord stated, his tone suggesting that he wanted to do whatever he was planning the whole time anyway. Snapping his fingers again, the draconequus made several musical instruments appear on him: A tuba around his waist, an accordion attached to the right side of his body, a harmonica and banjo built onto a harness and positioned in front of him, a tambourine tied onto the neck of the tuba, and a pair of cymbals tied onto each of his legs. "I think Pinkie Pie won't mind if I borrowed these for a moment." he said, smirking fiendishly.

"Oh my... I can't watch...!" said Fluttershy, now hiding behind her chair in the meeting hall.

Taking a deep breath, Discord blew into the tube, letting out a loud, low-sounding noise. This was immediately followed by the draconequus playing all of the other instruments. Their combined noise was more than enough to wake up Princess Luna. The noise startled her so much, she fell out of her bed screaming. Getting up, she quickly used her magic to pick up one of her pillows, shouting, "We're under attack!! We're under attack!! Stay back!! I've got a... um... a... a pillow! Yes, a pillow! And I am NOT afraid to use it!!!" But after looking around, she then realized that she wasn't in her castle, but in Twilight's castle. Luna then glanced behind her, and saw Discord, who had by this point, stopped playing the many musical instruments he had.

"Well, looks like somepony's wide awake now." the draconequus teased, snapping his fingers and causing the instruments to vanish.

Growling a little and irritated in the manner in which she was awoken, Luna faced the draconequus and shouted, "DISCORD!!! WHY HAST THOU DISTURBED OUR PEACEFUL SLUMBER?!?" Shortly after that, the Alicorn began to cough uncontrollably until Discord snapped his claws to make a glass of water appear, offering it to her. After taking a big sip of it, Luna's coughing calmed down.

"The old Royal Canterlot Voice ain't how it used to be, is it Luna?" asked Disocrd smugly.

Clearing her throat, Luna replied, saying, "I suppose, when one doesn't use it for so long, it does put a strain on the throat." Glaring at him a little, she then asked, "Now then, I am going to ask you again, as calmly as possible: Why did you bring me here and wake me up in such a rude manner?"

"Because your sister asked me to check up on Twilight while's she's away in another dimension, but I can't go there without the risk of losing my chaotic powers." Discord explained. "So... I was thinking of contacting her through her mind, but in order for me to do that, I'll need you to-"

"I know what you are about to ask of me, and you can forget it." Luna told him sternly. "The Dreamworld is already chaotic enough without your input. The last thing I need to worry about is having to perform clean-up duty for several nights because you decided to mess around in there."

"What? ME?! Mess around in there?!" asked the draconequus in tone that suggested that he was slightly offended by her words. "Unthinkable! I would NEVER do such a thing!! I simply want to use it as a... shall we say, pathway to mentally contact little Twilight. I'd never do something such as, oh I don't know... set off a bunch of fireworks in there that would drop gobs of paint of everypony or bring along a 50-foot gerbil named Vincent and set it loose... Honestly, the thought never even crossed my mind!" As he said this, he casually used his left foot to push a crate full of fireworks behind a potted plant in the room. He then told the Princess, "Besides, if I remember things correctly, I believe you owe me a favor anyway."

"What?? I have no idea what you are talking about." Luna denied.

"Oh really...?" grumbled Discord. "Does this sound familiar?" He then grabbed onto his face, stretching it and smooshing it into a different shape. When he was done, his head looked exactly like Luna's. He then began to speak, in a tone mocking Luna's voice. "Oh, Discord!" he said. "I am SO busy with my super-important royal duties, but the Canterlot Game Store has this new game that I absolutely MUST have! Could you take some valuable time out of your life and wait in line all night until the next morning to get it for me?!"

Grumbling, Luna then said to herself, "Oh... right... I have to be honest, I was sort of hoping that you had forgotten about that."

"But I didn't." the draconequus told her, transforming his face back to... normal. "So remind me: Who decided to do this little thing for you when he probably had much better things to do with his time?"

"...You did." the Alicorn said with a sigh.

"And who was it that nearly froze himself in the cold, unforgiving night air doing it?"

"...You did."

"And who, if I may ask, dipped into his OWN personal funds - unlimited as they may be - to purchase this item for you to enjoy?"

Sighing again, Princess Luna answered him, saying, "You did."

Smirking, Discord then told her, "I do believe that I've made my point."

Groaning, but realizing that he had made quite a strong case, the Princess of the Night said to him, "You had better not make me regret what I'm about to do for you."

"You won't even know that I'm there, Luna!" the draconequus said with a smile. "I leave you to prepare the spell to grant me access to the Dreamworld." He then began to leave the meeting hall.

"Um, aren't you going to stay here with her?" asked Fluttershy, peeking out from behind the chair she was still hiding behind.

"In a moment." Discord assured her. "First I need to have a little talk with my little buddy Vincent, who is LITTLE, not big! Not at all. And it has nothing to do with anything discussed during the last few minutes! Nothing at all!" He then quickly ran out of the room, shutting the doors behind him.

"So after she had the spell ready," Discord continued to explain to Twilight, Sunset, and Spike, "Princess Luna granted me access to the Dreamworld so that I could talk to you, see how you were doing, and to investigate the business regarding the Astral World and these Number cards."

"I see... so that's what happened." said Spike. "That's how you managed to get here."

"Exactly." the draconequus confirmed. "And I figured that, if I were to find out anything about the Astral World, I would start by looking around in the mind of the pony that started all of this; in this case, Sunset."

"I guess that makes sense..." Sunset replied. "But next time, if you're planning to poke around in my mind, at least have the courtesy to ask me for permission first. There are some things in there that I really don't want to have disturbed."

"Hmmm... such as that little demon-you you keep locked up in a tiny cage?" asked Discord slyly.

"What's he talking about, Sunset?" asked Twilight.

"Um, i-it's nothing you need to worry about." the red and yellow Unicorn replied. Quickly changing the subject, Sunset then asked the draconequus, "So, about that picture you took: Would you care to tell us anything you might have discovered about it?"

"Hm? Oh yes! That picture!" Discord exclaimed, almost having forgotten about it. Pulling out the photograph again, he looked at it while telling them all, "Anyway, I found this rather large object within Sunset's mind. However, it seems that no one, not even Sunnie herself was aware of it. And given the fact that the door was covered in chains and locks, I'm not too surprised."

"Chains and locks...?" asked Sunset Shimmer. "That almost sounds like the door that I saw in the dream I had before all this Number card stuff began." Looking closer at the photograph that Discord had, she added, "And that place where this object is... it almost resembles the world that the door was in..."

"Hmmm, yes indeed... it appears that, wherever this place is, it's some sort of pocket dimension." the draconequus figured. "And the entrance to this world resides in your mind, Sunset."

"Could you possibly take us there?" asked Twilight.

"I wish I could, but I wasn't able to stay there long." Discord told them. "I kind of broke into the place, and the powers that be eventually caught onto the fact that I wasn't supposed to be in there, so I was ejected out and the door was re-locked." Smiling a bit, he then added, "But I WAS able to stay there long enough to obtain a few more photos! Check these out." He then pulled out some more pictures from the pocket on his chest.

The two ponies and dragon glanced at the pictures closely. These other photos showed some close-up views of the object, showing off more of its details. The three of them saw that, connected to each of the large, bronze rings was a small gear. Sunset then asked the draconequus, "So, what's with these rings? There are so many of them, they're practically covering the object."

"There are quite a lot of them, that's for sure." Discord answered. "It took me a while to count them all, but I was able to discern that there are exactly one hundred of these rings."

"One hundred?" asked Spike. "That many? Wow..."

"Hmmm... One hundred... Why does that sound familiar?" asked Sunset.

"It sounds familiar... because that is also how many Number cards there are." said a male voice suddenly.

"Huh? Who said that??" asked the red and yellow pony, looking around.

"Relax, Sunset." Twilight told her before turning towards the one who had spoken earlier. "It's just Utopia." Indeed it was Utopia, the Number card that the young Princess owned.

"Oh... I see." Sunset replied, relaxing a bit.

"Forgive me for startling you. I overheard your conversation and wanted to join in." the shiny warrior told them. "Also..." he then added, turning towards Discord, "I wanted to speak to you concerning the power that you helped Twilight and I to unlock... How did you come across such knowledge?"

"Well, it just so happens that what I was talking about earlier does indeed have something to do with that." the draconequus answered. Taking out one of the photos that he had, Discord continued to tell them all, "As I took a closer look at these strange rings, more specifically the gears attached to them, I noticed that most of them were completely inactive... however, I counted that, at the time, fourteen of them were operating."

"Fourteen?" asked Sunset Shimmer. Looking at the photos again, she gasped when she saw something on one of the active gears. "No way! That gear has a symbol on it! And it looks just like the 33 on one of my Number cards!"

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Twilight as she and Spike ran over to see the pictures some more, followed slowly by Utopia as well. On three of the other pictures, there were symbols imprinted upon some more of the gears: 36, 39, and 59. "She's right...! They look just like the marks on Number cards!"

"So, does this mean that, whatever this thing is, it has something to do with the Number cards, too?" asked Spike.

"It seems so..." Sunset answered him. Turning over to Utopia, she then asked him, "Did you know anything about this?"

"Hmmmm..." hummed the warrior as he inspected the pictures. After looking at them for a while, he then said to the others, "While my memory is still very unclear... I believe that this object here may be some sort of vessel."

"You mean like a ship?" asked Twilight.

"Maybe more like a SPACEship..." Spike chimed in.

"But, how does it operate?" asked the young Princess. "And what is its relationship with the Numbers?"

"I... am not sure, Twilight. Forgive me, but it seems my knowledge of this vessel is limited for now..." Utopia sadly told his master. "However, I do feel a strong power within it, a power that may serve us well." The warrior then asked Discord, "Is this where you found out how to unlock the form that I took during Twilight's last Duel?"

The draconequus nodded, saying, "As I was looking around the ship, I saw the gear that had your 39 mark. So, curious as I was, I interacted with said gear, and found out a little more about you. But when I did, that must have sent out the alert that ultimately got me thrown out of the dimension. While I wasn't able to see everything, I figured I'd tell you what I did discover, figuring that you could make some use out of it."

"Well, I have to admit, it did help me quite a bit." Twilight told him. "If it weren't for you, I probably would have lost that Duel against Ms. Mulia." Looking at the photo of the ship again, she then added, "Now, it seems that if we're to solve the mystery of the Number cards, we'll need to figure out how to interact with that ship."

Humming a bit to herself, Sunset then informed them, "Discord said that, when he visited the ship, fourteen of the gears were active. If my memory is correct, between the two of us at the time, we had fourteen Number cards. If that's the case, then it's possible that this ship may be where all of our Numbers are stored away, and every time that one of us obtains a new Number, it reactivates one of the gears."

"So our best course of action is to continue collecting more Numbers." Utopia stated. "If we can restore the ship's functionality, we may be able to solve this crisis once and for all."

"That seems to be the best idea for now." Twilight agreed.

"So it's back to business as usual?" asked Spike.

"Yeah, seems so." Sunset answered him. Looking up at Discord, she told him, "Thanks for all of the info, Discord. I'm sure it will come in handy sooner or later."

"No biggie, Sunnie... Just wanted to lend a claw or two... or ten." said the draconequus as four more pairs of arms revealed themselves from behind his back. This elicited a slightly awkward chuckle from Twilight, Sunset, and Spike. "Annnnnyhoo... I'd better get a move on and let Cellie know about what I've discovered. Ta-ta for now." And with a snap of his fingers, he let out a bright white flash that engulfed the entire area.

The next minute, Sunset, Twilight, and Spike woke up from their nap, their consciousness returning to the "real" world. After a brief stretch, the three of them got back onto the feet. "Well, that was certainly a wile ride..." the red and yellow girl noted.

"That's Discord for you." Twilight told her friend. "When it comes to chaos, he likes to give it with 110% of his effort."

Holding his head, Spike said in a woozy voice, "Sometimes, I wish he'd only give ten of that percent... That trip back and forth gave me a major headache..."

Giggling a little, Twilight picked up her little assistant and told Sunset, "I'll look after Spike's sudden migraine. Meanwhile, keep searching for any more information about Skyes Academy or even the spaceship that Discord showed us."

"Got it, Twilight." the red and yellow girl replied. 'I'll let you know if I find anything new." Nodding, the young Princess then carried Spike to another room while Sunset continued to search her computer for anything new.

Elsewhere, in a gloomier-looking location within the region, a large building stood overlooking a large city off in the distance. However, the building was in a state of disrepair with broken windows, doors off of their hinges, stone and wood crumbling apart - both around the building and inside of it, and loud, haunting creaking sounds that suggested that this building wouldn't be standing for much longer. This was what was left of the once-proud Skyes Academy, before lack of school funds forced the facility to close forever. Since that day, the building had been deserted... but rumors were floating around that there were people apparently living inside. While it had never been confirmed, it was enough to prevent the building from being torn down.

But as it turned out, the rumors may have been true, as a strange, cloaked figure was heading towards the building's front entrance. After glancing around to make sure that they wasn't being watched or followed, the figure carefully and discreetly slipped in through the large doors.

Once inside, the figure removed the cloak from their head, revealing themself as a female, likely 18 or so years old. She had dark grey skin, long purple hair, and piercing eyes that matched her hair, topped off with some bluish-green eye-shadow. Her outfit was made mostly out of thick, black leather, consisting of an outfit that resembled a one-piece swimsuit, but was accessorized with several long belt straps with silver buckles around the torso and waist. Around her neck was another black belt with a silver buckle, much like the others she wore, and on her arms were a pair of long, black, finger-less gloves. On her feet were a pair of black, high-heeled shoes secured with some more straps, and a pair of long, dark grey socks. On her left hip was a tattoo, which showed a picture of a small gust of blue-colored wind blowing away several pink flowers.

Still wearing the cloak on her back as a cape, the young woman walked across the trashed hallway in front of her, apparently heading somewhere important. But before she could get much further, another figure suddenly spoke to her in a mocking tone of voice. "Heh, so you finally got back?" it said, the voice sounding male. "Took ya long enough."

Grumbling, the dark-grey woman glanced over to her left. There, she saw the source of the voice that had spoken to her. It was Lucky, one of the two people that had tried to steal a Duel Monsters Deck from Babs Seed earlier on. He was leaning up against a door frame in the hallway, smirking a little. "Shut up, Lucky." the woman said to him. "I'm not in the mood for your snarky commentary."

"Pfft. That's a surprise." the boy replied sarcastically. "After all, you're usually SO happy and cheerful every time I see you, Windy."

Grumbling some after hearing that remark. the woman then told him, "As Her Mistress's second-in-command, I would advise you not to speak to me in such a disdainful manner... And I've told you before: My name isn't 'Windy'. It's Windmistress."

"Pfft... whatever, Windy." Lucky responded, not caring in the slightest. "You n' I have been here for... what, almost a year now? You should know by this point that I don't give a flying leap about what you 'advise' me to do. So what's your problem?"

"I don't have 'problems', Lucky..." Windmistress said, snarling in a low voice.

"Give her a break, Lucky..." said a younger female voice from inside the classroom he was loitering in. "She's just ticked off because her so-called perfect plan wasn't as perfect as she thought it was." Sitting at one of the desks in the room was a younger girl - about 15 or 16 years of age - with tan skin and orange hair done up into a pumpkin-shaped bun. In front of her olive-green eyes were a pair of purple glasses that shone in what little sunlight creeped into the room. Her outfit consisted of a lime-green sweater and a long, bright orange skirt. On the left side of the skirt was small picture of an orange pie slice topped off with whipped cream. She wore a small pair of dark-brown shoes, and a small, gold ring around her middle finger.

Glancing over at the young girl, Windmistress angrily asked her, "What? How did you find out about that, Pumpkin Pie?!"

"Hm? Find out?" the younger girl asked. "I was just guessing what might've happened. And you went and put it all out in the open just like that." She and Lucky then snickered a bit after Pumpkin had somewhat tricked her into revealing what had happened to her earlier.

Windmistress growled at the two individuals that were mocking her, but regained her composure at the last minute. "Hmph...! Forget it. I have more important things to do than waste my time arguing with the likes of you." the woman told them both. "I have more important matters that I need to discuss with Her Mistress, and that is where I am going."

"Important matters, huh?" asked Lucky, still giving her that snarky tone of voice. "Like how you completely screwed up with... whatever you were doin'?" Windmistress simply huffed at the comment and left without saying another word to either of them. Frowning a little, he then asked himself, "Yeesh, what's HER problem? Can't take a little joke?"

"Apparently not." Pumpkin answered him. "Then again, how's that different from any other time?" Lucky just shrugged, losing interest in the matter soon after.

Meanwhile, Windmistress continued her way through the halls, passing by another occupied classroom. Inside was Ms. Skyeblaze, the former Canterlot High teacher that was fired after she tried to steal from the school's funds. Later on, she along with Lucky attempted to steal Babs Seed's Deck. The woman was sitting all alone in the classroom as Windmistress passed by, wondering what she was up to.

Eventually, the dark-grey woman reached her destination: An open room that had used to be the Teacher's Lounge. But like all of the other rooms and hallways in the school, it was also falling apart, and several broken appliances, including a microwave, a television set, and a fridge, were scattered around. Although the room seemed to have been abandoned for some time, there was one figure sitting inside: An adult woman with black skin with several grey spots, messy blue-green hair, and a yellow mark on her left cheek.

Noticing that she had company, the older woman said to her guest, "Ah, Windmistress. You've returned at last."

"Yes, Chrysalis." the dark-grey woman responded. "I have."

"That's QUEEN Chrysalis to you." the older woman told her. "Or did we forget our manners as we walked through the front door?"

"...Um, forgive me, my Queen." Windmistress apologized. "I have had... some rough moments earlier, but that is no excuse for disrespecting you."

"Hmmm... you are forgiven." Chrysalis told her. Turning to face her, she then asked her, "So, tell me: How did things go? Did you successfully plant the card like I asked of you?"

"Well... yes, I have... But..."

"But what....?"

Windmistress sighed and admitted to her superior, "I apologize, my Queen... While I did plant the Number card as you requested, there were some... distressing complications."

"What... kinds of complications?" inquired the jet-black woman.

"That night, when I traveled over to the girl's house, I intended on placing the Number on the one called Fluttershy, as you asked." Windmistress told her. Sighing again, she added, "However, I was not aware that she had a guest staying with her..."

"...So you mistakenly placed the Number on the guest and not the actual resident of the house?" asked Chrysalis.

"It was almost pitch-black, and I wasn't able to see that I had placed the card on the wrong girl." the dark grey woman explained. "As a result, we have lost that Number card to Sunset Shimmer..." Hanging her head in shame, she then told her superior, "I wish for you to forgive me for my failure, but if you so wish it, I will accept any and all punishments for my flawed endeavor."

But Chrysalis chuckled a little and told her, "Punish you? That won't be necessary."

"...Not necessary?" asked Windmistress, confused. "Why not? I have failed in the task you had given to me... And now we have lost a Number card because of my ineptitude."

"While it is true that you weren't able to place the card on the correct target," Chrysalis explained to her second-in-command, "your small error did not, in fact, have any negative effect on what I was trying to accomplish."

"And... what WERE you trying to accomplish, if I may ask?" Windmistress asked, her tone much meeker-sounding than when she was talking to Lucky and Pumpkin earlier.

Chrysalis paused for a moment, casually strolling over to a binder she had laying on a table next to her. Opening it, she revealed that there were several black Duel Monsters cards inside, but each one was colored grey where the picture would be. "While it might have been... amusing to see little Sunset forced into fighting one of her best friends, it really doesn't matter that the card was planted on a different person." she explained to her subordinate. "You see, your mission was merely a test of the powers granted to me by the Numbers that I possess... A power that allows me to suppress THEIR powers."

"Suppress them?" asked Windmistress, curious to know where her superior was going with this. She then watched as Chrysalis flipped to another page in the binder, which held four more cards, only these DID have pictures on them. She then took one of them out and showed it to the dark grey woman.

*******************************

Number 70: Malevolent Sin
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Insect-Type/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 1200)

2 Level 4 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; banish it until your opponent's next Standby Phase. At the end of the Damage Step, if this card attacked: You can make this card gain 300 ATK, and if you do, increase its Rank by 3.

*******************************

Chuckling again, Chrysalis said to her, "After coming into the possession of four Number cards, including this little beauty, I also came into the possession of a vast amount of knowledge about them... With their power, I can now freely control the strength of Numbers that have yet to reveal themselves, restricting their powers until they are eventually planted on those I choose to give them to... And thanks to what you have done for me, I can now see that it worked perfectly."

"...I understand now, my Queen." Windmistress spoke, now knowing what Chrysalis was trying to accomplish. But then she asked her, "However... there is still the fact that the Number you gave me to plant on the girl is now in Sunset's possession... What are we going to do about that?"

"We'll get it back in due time." Chrysalis simply replied. "There is no need to concern ourselves with it for now." Turning back over to her loyal servant, she told her, "We have more important matters to discuss anyway. So I want you to inform the others to assemble at the school auditorium... There are some things I wish to discuss with all of you, so do as I ask of you."

"Y-yes, my Queen. I shall do as you wish." Windmistress said with a bow before leaving to assemble the other individuals that were hanging around the abandoned school building.

After Windmistress had left, Chrysalis turned her attention back to the binder containing all of the Number cards she had found, both the blank and non-blank ones. Chuckling to herself, she thought, (Soon... all will go as I planned. And when it does, I will single-handedly exact my revenge on those thoughtless imbeciles...!) Rubbing the yellow mark on her face, she then added, "When that day comes, I'll inflict TWICE the pain they gave to me...!"

Around that same time, in a far-off area, the individual known simply as, "The Doctor" was pacing around inside of his laboratory/home/means of travel - a.k.a. the Tardis - going over some thoughts in his head. With him was his bubbly and eager assistant, Derpy Hooves, who was always around to lend him a hand whenever she wasn't busy with school.

"It's been pretty quiet ever since that Duel you had with that computer store robber, Dr. Hooves..." Derpy said to the mysterious man. "So far, the Tardis hasn't picked up a trace of any of the other Numbers."

"Indeed... I do wish to make sure that all of the Numbers are eventually safely contained," The Doctor responded, "but I suppose if no other Number cards have revealed themselves, then we should just be happy that things are peaceful for the moment."

"That's true, Doctor... No sense worrying about it right now." the grey-skinned girl told him with a smile.

"In the meantime, we should go over our progress so far." Hooves said to her. "Tell me: How are things going with Ms. Shimmer? Has she been better towards you?"

"Oh much better, Doctor!" Derpy replied in a chipper tone. "She's nothing like how she used to be! In fact, when I mentioned that I was going to have that big Social Studies test today, Sunset helped me study for it!"

"Well, that's good to hear, Ms. Derpy." The Doctor told her. "It's good to hear that she's been most kind to you since our first meeting."

Derpy nodded, keeping that warm smile on her face. She then asked him, "So... do you think it would be a good idea for her to work on collecting the Numbers with us?"

"Hmmmm... I'm still not sure if I can trust her that much yet." Dr. Hooves answered in a concerned tone. "Don't get me wrong: I do not consider her an enemy at all, but until I know for sure what her intentions are for collecting the Numbers, and what apparent role she plays in this situation, I can't afford to take any chances..."

"Oh... I see..." the grey girl responded in a sad tone.

Sensing that she was feeling down, The Doctor put her hand on her shoulder and comforted her, saying, "But know this: I would gladly work together with her once I know that I can trust her, but no sooner. Believe me, it would certainly make this task much easier if we were united in our noble cause. I just didn't want you to feel foolish for asking me that question from the manner in which I responded."

"Don't worry about it, Doctor. I understand what you meant." Derpy replied. "Just go with the decisions that you feel comfortable with. I'm just here to lend you a hand."

"And you have been quite the help, Ms. Derpy." Hooves told her. "I couldn't have found a better assistant than you if I tried." The young girl giggled a bit, happy to know that he thought so highly of her. "Anyway, speaking of Sunset and Numbers, do you happen to know how many she has collected so far?" he then asked.

"Hmmm... I think I heard her say that she's found eleven of them." she answered him.

"Then that means eighteen of them have been found, if I combine those with the seven that I currently possess." said the Doctor.

"But that's not all, Doctor..." Derpy began to inform him. "Twilight is helping her collect the Numbers, too."

"Hm? Twilight?" asked Dr. Hooves. "Who is that?"

"Oh... she's a friend of Sunset's." she responded. "She showed up a few times last year, but she doesn't come by too often."

"Is she not from the Canterlot City area?"

"You don't know the half of it..." Derpy answered. "It's just a rumor, but some people at school say that she comes from another dimension."

"A parallel universe, you say?" asked The Doctor, intrigued by this information. "Most fascinating... And she is helping Sunset with her Number collection, you say?"

"Mhmm. I think I heard that she's gotten four of them so far." the grey girl told him.

"I see... then that means over one-fifth of the Number cards have been located between me, Ms. Shimmer, and this Twilight girl." he stated. "At this rate, we may soon have them all... We just have to hope that no one else is collecting the Numbers for themselves, though I'm fairly certain that could be happening as we speak."

"That reminds me: There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Derpy told him. "What about that guy that sent us that message to find the Number cards? Do you have any idea of who it is?"

Sighing, The Doctor told her, "I'm afraid I haven't looked into it much. I've been so busy collecting the Numbers, I never considered it..." Humming to himself in thought, he then added, "But since you brought it up, it does sound quite bizarre when you think about it for a moment..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, consider the following: Our guest claims to come from a place called the Astral World." he began to explain. "From what I know, it is a world that has apparently existed before all others. And it's a place that very few individuals have entered, or even have seen. And suddenly, out of the blue, a stranger from that world is able to send a signal to us that's clear enough for us to hear him, even though we could not see him..."

"Wow... when you put it that way, it seems like it should be impossible." the grey-skinned teenager said, understanding where he was coming from. "If the Astral world is so hard to see or enter, then how did this... whoever he is, find us?"

"That's a mystery that I don't quite have an answer to..." Dr. Hooves stated. "But it does raise my suspicions on whether this person is who he says he is... But to be sure of it, we'll need to find out more information concerning the Astral World and the Numbers cards that apparently inhabit it."

"Don't worry, Doctor, we'll figure it out sooner or later. I'm sure of it!" Derpy told him, trying her best to encourage him.

"Believe me, I intend to figure this all out as much as you do." the trenchcoat-clad man stated. But before another word could be said, a beeping sound could be heard on the Tardis's main computer. "Hm? Derpy, look!" The Doctor said, pointing to the large monitor.

"The computer!" exclaimed Derpy. "It's found another Number!"

"Another TWO Numbers, to be exact." Dr. Hooves informed his assistant. "And it's close by... The signal seems to be coming from the Canterlot suburbs... I'll see if I can pull up a picture of the surrounding area on-screen." The man then sat down in front of the monitor and began typing some commands on the keyboard. At that moment, a picture of a small white house with a blue roof showed up in front of them.

"Hm? That house?" asked Derpy. "That house... it's in the Canterlot suburbs... Is that really where the Numbers are supposed to be?"

"I suppose we'll only know for sure if we go there and see for ourselves." The Doctor told her. Typing on the keyboard again, he continued to say to her, "I'll have the Tardis lock in on the location and transport us there immediately."

Getting giddy, Derpy said to herself, "Ooooo! I love this part!"

After he was finished with the preparations, Dr. Hooves initiated the Tardis to send them both to the location on the map. The call box-like vessel then faded from view a few times before disappearing completely. The two headed off to hopefully locate their next Number cards...

However, that house was not home to just any ordinary Number holder. At that very location, the front door of the small home had opened. On the other side was none other than Mrs. K, the newest hire at Canterlot High School. In her hands was a large trash bag full of garbage. She carried the large, black bag over to the big, blue, plastic garbage can at the end of the walkway, putting the garbage inside of it.

Not long after she had finished, a sudden feeling came over her. "Hm?" She looked around, but couldn't find anything. Yet, the feeling was still there. It didn't take her long to figure out what that strange feeling was trying to tell her. "Oh... Now I see..." Mrs. K told herself. "It seems that I shall have some guests arriving soon... Guests that I have been waiting to see." Looking over to the side, she then added, "Very well. If fate decrees it, then I shall do what I must." The teacher then stood on her front yard, waiting patiently for the guests that sensed were coming to her.

As she stood there, she unknowingly attracted the attention of of her next-door neighbor: an older man, possibly in his 40's with very short greyish-purple hair, dull-peach skin, light blue eyes, and wearing a brown suit and pants. Glancing over at the young woman, he asked her, "Um, miss...? What are you doing just standin' there, doing nothing?"

"...Do not be concerned, Mr. Doodle." Mrs. K told him. "I am simply waiting for somebody. That is all that I can tell you."

The man stood there, wondering what she meant by that. Eventually, he figured that he wasn't going find out anything else and lost interest completely. "Suit yourself, then." he told her. As he went back to his house, he sighed and said to himself, "I TOLD Matilda that our new neighbor would be... bizarre." He then walked into his house, not aware of just how "bizarre" things were about to get.

Not long after that, a large object began to materialize in the spot that Mrs. K was staring at, as if she knew precisely where it was going to appear. The object was the Tardis, and after it had fully appeared in front of her, its doors opened, and out stepped Dr. Hooves. He then paused for a moment in surprise, as the person he was meeting with was already there. "You're... already here...?" he asked. "You knew that I was coming here?"

"I did." Mrs. K answered him. "And I also know who you are, as well as the reason you are here." She then said to him, "You are the one that they refer to as, 'The Number Hunter', am I correct?"

"Um... yes, that is what they call me." The Doctor confirmed, still a bit startled that this person was expecting him to arrive. How, he did not know.

Mrs. K then hummed a little and asked him, "And I am correct in assuming that you are here because you sensed the Number cards that I possess?"

"Yes, that is true." Dr. Hooves replied. "So now that explanations are out of the way, I must do my job and obtain your Numbers; by force, if I must."

But Mrs. K seemed unafraid of what he had told her. "I understand that you are collecting the Numbers in order to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands." she said to him. "A truly noble cause, indeed, and one that I knew from the moment that I sensed your arrival."

"You... sensed me?" asked The Doctor, unsure what she meant.

Looking her guest in the eye, the young teacher told him, "If that is your reason for collecting the Number cards, then you will be happy to know that you have no need to take my Numbers at this time."

"Wait... what is that supposed to mean??" asked Dr. Hooves, confused by what was happening (possibly for the first time in his life). "What do you mean when you say that I have no need to take your Numbers?"

"Simply that. You have no need to take my Numbers." she replied. "You wish to keep them falling into the possession of those who would cause harm to this world. As I have no evil intentions concerning the Numbers, I shall tell you that I am no enemy of yours, and that dueling me for my Numbers would only hurt both of our causes."

"I'm... still not sure what you mean by this." The Doctor responded, unsure of what was taking place. "You say that you are no enemy of mine? How can I trust your words?"

"I don't intend or expect for you to trust my words." Mrs. K answered. "But I shall prove that my goals for the Numbers are the same as yours. I desire to protect this world from those who would abuse the power of the Astral World for their own wicked reasons, just as you do."

"Wait, the Astral World?" asked Dr. Hooves. "You know about it??"

"I do. I know many things about that world, as well as the great power coveted by many people, good and evil." Mrs. K told him. "And I can sense from your words that you wish to know more about it..."

"I suppose I do." the brown-skinned man replied. "I know some information about the Number cards and the world from which they came, but my current knowledge is limited at best."

Smiling, Mrs. K then asked him, "In that case, perhaps I may be able to earn your trust, by showing you what I know about the Astral World. Perhaps what I have will aid you in your upcoming battles against those corrupted by the Numbers."

"Hmmm... well I don't know about trusting you yet, but I suppose if you're willing to help me, I might change my mind about taking your Number cards." said The Doctor.

"Very well then." Mrs K replied, satisfied with his response. "Then summon your assistant and follow me into my home."

"My assistant? How did you know I had an-?"

"As I mentioned, I know quite a lot about you." the young woman reminded him, smiling as she did so. "Bring her out here so that she may hear of what I have to tell you as well."

"Um... very well, if you insist." Dr. Hooves replied. Turning back towards the Tardis, he shouted to his companion, "Derpy! Could you come here for a moment?"

Not long after, the grey-skinned girl came out of the call box and said, "I'm here, Doctor. What did you need?"

Mrs. K looked over towards Derpy and said to her, "Good afternoon, Ms. Hooves."

After hearing her name, as well as that familiar voice, the grey girl looked up at the teacher and gasped. "Mrs. K?! What are you doing here??" Looking around, she then realized what was going on. "Wait... this is YOUR home?? YOU'RE the Number holder that lives here??"

"I am." Mrs. K confirmed with a slight nod. "I understand this must be startling to you, knowing that I am a Number possessor. However, I plan to reveal everything to the two of you before you leave this place." Walking towards her house, she told the two of them, "Now, if you will both follow me inside, we can get started." Derpy and Dr. Hooves looked at each other, startled by the events that occurred. But they both decided that allowing Mrs. K to explain herself to them was the best course of action. Nodding to each other, they slowly followed the young teacher inside.

As Mrs. K rummaged through her things in another room, The Doctor and his assistant waited in the living room, wondering what was going to happen next. "So, you say that this woman, Mrs. K, is a teacher at your school?" the man asked.

"Yep, she recently got hired to work at the school." Derpy answered him. "Next semester, I'll have her for History class."

"Hmmm... quite interesting." The Doctor responded, thinking about it all some more. "If that is the case, then how come I did not detect her Numbers much sooner? I would've thought the Tardis's computer would have revealed her to me long ago..."

"Yeah, why is that?" asked Derpy. "Why DID it only find out about her Number cards now?"

Coming back into the room, Mrs. K carried a stack of books, notes, and other papers over to a small coffee table in front of the sofa that Derpy and Dr. Hooves were sitting on. "To answer your question:" she spoke to them, "I am not sure why my Numbers have alerted you to my presence at this time, but I may know their reason for doing so." Looking straight at her guests, she told them, "I believe my Numbers wanted us to meet with each other, so that I could tell you everything I know about them."

"They... WANTED us to meet each other?" asked The Doctor. "How? And why?"

Closing her eyes and folding her arms in front of her, Mrs. K responded, saying, "You must know by now that the Numbers are not only powerful, but self-aware." Taking her Deck out and revealing the two Numbers she owned - which consisted of Number 46: Dragluon and Number 82: Heartlandraco - she continued to say to them, "The Numbers can sense when they are held in the hands of Duelists, and while many wish to consume their handlers with their overwhelming power and will, there are some that wish to help their owners."

"Really?" asked Derpy. "You're saying that not all of the Numbers are bad?"

"I don't believe that any of them truly are good OR evil. They simply shape themselves according to the nature of their holder's soul." Mrs. K explained. "But it seems that, overall, the Numbers' power is naturally good." Putting away Number 82 for the moment and keeping Number 46 in her hand, she said to her guests, "Take this card for example. Even by the standards of a Number, its power is incredible. And through its eyes, I have seen and learned much... About the Astral World... and about myself."

"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor, becoming more curious and interested in what she was telling them.

"...At the time I was born, I was like any ordinary child." Mrs. K said to them. "Even as the years went by, there was nothing to suggest that I was different than anyone else... Years later, after becoming an adult, I began to show an interest in the field of archaeology. Why, I did not know at the time." Looking at the card that she held in her hand, she then told them, "That all changed when I found this card nearby the site of an ancient temple at the top of a mountain. There, I met a stout old man who spoke strangely to me at first."

"Strangely how?" asked Derpy.

"He said he could sense the spirit of a dragon within me." answered Mrs. K. "But I had no idea what he was talking about. Nevertheless, he seemed to sense something within me that truly impressed him and asked me to enter the temple with him. Not knowing what else to do, I followed him inside. But when I entered the temple... nothing. He had vanished completely, as though he were never there. I thought I had been hallucinating from all of the hard work I was doing... and that's when I saw this card on the floor. And when I picked it up... several images flashed before my eyes... Memories that I never knew I had... And when it was all done, I was on my hands and knees, overwhelmed by what I had just learned."

The Doctor and his assistant looked at one another, surprised by what they had just heard. "That sounds almost unbelievable..." the trenchcoat-wearing man said. "But you don't seem as though you're making it up. Though I will admit, after what my assistant and I have experienced thus far, I am willing to believe nearly anything..."

"Yeah, me too..." Derpy chimed in. "I knew there was something... well, mysterious about you, but I never could have imagined something like that. Just... who and what are you...?"

Mrs. K paused, not speaking for a moment. After taking a deep, long sigh, she told them, "I shall tell you who I am... in order to try and earn your trust. I shall reveal to you my name... my real name that I have never told anyone up until now."

The Doctor and Derpy leaned forward, eager to hear what their host had to say to them.

Facing her guests, she said to them, "You may call me... Kisara."

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS REVEALED:

Queen Chrysalis: (4 Numbers total:)

Number 70: Malevolent Sin

RANK 22: The Number Mystery, Part 2:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

After Twilight's Duel against Mulia Mild, she and Sunset got back to work searching for information on Skyes Academy, and discovered that the school had attempted to convert itself into an official Duel Academy. However, the school's funds were drained in the attempt, and when the deal fell under, Skyes Academy was forced to shut down indefinitely. Not long after their discovery, Discord, the mischievous spirit of Chaos, revealed to Sunset and Twilight about his mission in their world: To seek out information about the Number cards and the Astral World He then showed the two of them what he had discovered recently: a strange ship that seems to be connected to the Numbers...

Elsewhere, in Cirrus City, at the dilapidated Skyes Academy building, a woman who called herself Queen Chrysalis, was at work on something sinister. She revealed herself as the one who made the plans to have Vinyl Scratch fall under the possession of a Number card, with the help of her second-in-command, Windmistress - a woman with a chilling and commanding personality that answered only to Chrysalis. With the powers of the Numbers that she owned, Chrysalis gained the ability to suppress the blank Number cards, preventing them from awakening their abilities until someone of Chrysalis's choosing would obtain it. What she planned to do with such a power, however, is unknown to everyone but her...

Meanwhile, Dr. Hooves (a.k.a. the Number Hunter) and his assistant, Derpy Hooves, had detected the location of two more Number cards. However, they were not only surprised to see that their owner was expecting them to arrive, but revealed themselves to be Mrs. K, the new hire at Canterlot High School! She proceeded to tell them that she was no enemy of theirs, and instead wanted to help by filling them in on information regarding the Astral World. The Doctor and Derpy weren't sure if they could trust her, so Mrs. K decided to earn their trust by telling them her real name, a name that no one else knew...

Mrs. K, after taking a deep, long sigh, said to Dr. Hooves and Derpy, "I shall tell you who I am... in order to try and earn your trust. I shall reveal to you my name... my real name that I have never told anyone up until now."

The two of them leaned forward, eager to hear what their host had to say to them.

Facing her guests, she said to them, "You may call me... Kisara."

"Kisara...?" asked The Doctor. "That is your name?"

"It's a very pretty-sounding name..." Derpy complimented with a smile. "But why is it such a big deal? Why did you keep something like that a secret?"

Mrs. K - or rather Kisara, sighed a little and told her, "It's... complicated. I cannot tell you why just yet. It is a large enough risk that I am telling you my name in the first place." Walking over to the coffee table, where she had placed several books earlier, she continued to say, "After all, there are already signs that some of the Numbers have fallen into evil hands. And those individuals would most likely do unspeakable things to obtain the information that I possess. Therefore, I want to attract as little attention to myself as possible so as to prevent such a thing."

"Hmmm, I see now. I understand where you coming from, Mrs. K." Dr. Hooves told her, calling her by her other identity to respect her wishes. "But what sort of information do you have that these people would want? Is it about the Astral World?"

"In a way, it is..." Kisara answered. "To be more accurate, the information here refers to a group of select individuals with strong connections to the Astral World. They were known as the Order of Astral."

"Order of Astral?" asked Derpy.

"Yes." Mrs. K confirmed, nodding her head. "They were a nomadic group of powerful, but kind priests and priestesses that banded together to spread the word of the Astral World's benevolent power. They worshipped the very power that lies within it, believing that it was the key to bringing peace and prosperity to their own world. They also showed their respect for the benevolence of the Astral World by travelling around, righting wrongs and injustices wherever they went, trying to bring the world closer to what they believed the Astral World was like. Their exploits caused them to become well-respected among many kings and other leaders."

"Wow... that sounds amazing..." said the grey-skinned teenager. "They must have been really good people to earn a reputation like that..."

"But how do you about all of this?" asked The Doctor. "My current knowledge of the Astral World and the Numbers is limited, at best. And my computers in the Tardis haven't been able to pick up any information, either. So how is it you know so much?"

"It all came to me the moment I picked up the Number card from mountain temple that I had mentioned earlier." Kisara answered. "Upon picking up the Number card, I saw many long-forgotten memories... Memories of other lives that I had previously lived."

"Other lives??" asked Derpy. "You mean like... past lives?"

"Indeed." Mrs. K told her. "On that day, I discovered that I had lived many lives and other identities before this one throughout all of history. But the most important period in which I existed was my first life... Over three thousand years ago, in Ancient Egypt."

"You were alive in Ancient Egypt, you say?" asked Dr. Hooves. "That's astounding! Just think of all of the mysteries you could solve about that era, having lived through it yourself!"

"You are correct. I could very well close the book on many questions about the societies that thrived back in Egypt's past just by recounting the events that I myself had beared witness to." the young teacher said. "And that is what I plan on doing for the two of you. I will tell you what I know concerning the Order of Astral, and the power that they possessed."

"In that case, tell us everything you know." The Doctor requested of her.

"...Before I do, I want you to promise one thing:" Kisara said, making a request of her own. "You must promise to me that nothing that I tell you here spreads around to the general public. I do not wish to risk the possibility of any of this information to enter the minds of those who want to use the Numbers' power for evil. So promise that you will not tell anyone of this before I feel that the time is right."

Nodding his head, Dr. Hooves replied, "Very well. We will honor your request, Mrs. K. Now please, if you may..."

Satisfied with that response, Kisara began to tell them, "Back in my previous life, I was met with many hardships... People looked at me and considered me an omen of great misfortune, due to my outward appearance being different from theirs. I had no family, no home... I was left to wander aimlessly through the world... My travels eventually brought me to Egypt, and once more, I was treated harshly for the way that I looked... I thought that I would have to leave this place as well, until something unexpected happened...

"That was when I saw him - a boy who had saved me many years ago, now a young man and a High Priest to the Pharaoh... And just as he did before, he took pity on me and rescued me from the people that treated me so harshly. He took me to a room in the palace, and made sure that I was cared for... In time, he remembered me as the girl he had saved so long ago, and when darkness fell upon the land in which he served to protect, I decided to repay his kindness and do whatever I could to help... even though it would cost me my life in the end..."

Dr. Hooves and Derpy were astounded upon hearing all of that. They would have never guessed that this seemingly-ordinary young woman would have experienced the things that she had described. Not saying a word, they allowed her continue talking.

"I gave my life to protect him and his kingdom that day..." Kisara said to them, "and even after I departed from the living world, I refused to leave him to face his hardships alone. And so, with the light of the guardian spirit that dwelled within me, I vowed to protect him for all eternity."

"Wow... I can hardly believe what I'm hearing..." said Derpy, becoming even more interested in the young teacher's story. "You must have really cared about this person if you'd willingly sacrifice yourself to protect him... Who was he?"

Taking her Deck back out of her purse, Mrs. K searched through the cards before picking one of them out. "This card might assist in answering your question." She then showed them the card that she had taken out of her Deck: The Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Gasping, Derpy exclaimed, "Huh?! The Blue-Eyes?? Where did you get that card?!"

"Blue-Eyes?" asked The Doctor. "You mean that ultra-rare dragon card that you told me about? I thought you said that there are only three copies of it in the entire world..."

"There are..." the grey teen answered. "Or, at least... I THOUGHT there were only three. As far as I knew, the only copies of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon are all owned by Seto Kaiba..." Coming to a sudden realization, she then asked Kisara, "Wait... are you saying that the person you were talking about was Kaiba??"

"That is correct... though the one I was specifically referring to is someone similar to Kaiba." Mrs. K explained. "For you see, he, too, has had other lives and past identities, though he has no real knowledge of any of them, like how I was before I obtained my Number. That being said, I do wish to aid and protect him as I did with his past life as Priest Seto, of the Pharaoh's court... and then later as the Pharaoh himself." Looking at the Dragon-Type monster she held, Kisara added, "It is through that bond with him that I was able to once more wield the power of my guardian spirit: The Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Dr. Whooves and Derpy said nothing, taking in everything that she had said to them so far. It still seemed so unbelievable to them, but they continued to hear every word she said.

"Now... onto the matter at hand," Mrs. K started again. "You wish to know more concerning the Astral World, and the priests and priestesses that were said to follow its examples towards a better world." Placing the card she was holding on the table, next to Dragulon's card, the pale-skinned woman began to tell her story. "My first experience with the power of the Astral World started over three thousand years ago, in the aftermath of a great and costly battle against a dark and most foul entity..."

Ancient Egypt, over 3,000 years ago:

In the middle of a desert landscape, two figures were overlooking an almost-desolate landscape, devastated by the ravages of war: Large crevasses ran through the earth, many buildings were toppled over and/or broken, and many ancient tools of war, including spears, swords, and shields, were scattered along the shifting sands. One of the two figures peering around the ruined land was a young man with tanned skin wearing a cloak of blue and white. Across the chest area of the cloak was a golden ankh, the Ancient Egyptian symbol of life. On his head, he had headwear of some sort, made up of blue cloth and sparkling gold. On his back he wore a white cape, and in his left hand was a gold scepter with an eye-like symbol on the front of it.

The other figure another young man, about the same age as the other, wearing a similar cloak-like garment, but with a blue and violet-colored cape upon his back. Around his neck was a gold pendant shaped like an upside-down pyramid, and in his right hand was a piece of silver jewelry with a few hieroglyphics engraved upon on it, known as a cartouche. It was this figure who spoke first: "Seto!" he said to the other. "I have a favor to ask of you..."

The other man, named Seto, looked towards the one who had spoken. His facial expression showed that he was slightly alarmed.

The other man continued speaking and told the one beside him, "I want you to inherit my throne and become the new Pharaoh!"

Seto's face instantly changed from alarmed to shocked. His face grimaced a little, not sure if he had heard the other man correctly. "What... did you just say...?" he asked. He didn't believe it, but finally realized that the other man was serious. Seto then shouted to him, "Then... you must duel me once more... here and now! I can only become King after I've defeated you!"

The other man was silent at first as he clutched onto the pendant around his neck. He then solemnly replied, "I... don't have any time Seto..." As he prepared to remove the pendant from around his neck, the young man's body began to vanish into thin air.

(What's going on...?!) thought Seto, watching with disbelief. (The Pharaoh's body is disappearing!! But why?) As he looked on, not knowing what to say or do, he continuously said in his mind... (What is happening to you...? Pharaoh... Pharaoh...!)

"...Pharaoh? Pharaoh...!"

Seto's eyes shot open upon hearing a familiar voice, gasping a little as he did so. Sitting himself up, he looked at himself, coming back to his senses. He saw that his outfit was slightly different, having a more royal appearance to it. In addition, the pendant that he had seen earlier was around his neck. "What... happened...?" he asked himself in a quiet tone.

"Um... Pharaoh Seto? Are you feeling okay?" asked the voice again. It sounded like a young girl's voice, and rightfully so: When Seto looked towards the source of the voice, he saw a young girl - likely a teenager, with tanned skin and short, brown hair. She wore a short, light tan-colored dress with some gold adornments and a piece of headwear made out of the same materials. She wore bracelets and anklets around her wrists and ankles respectively, along with a long cape on her back. Around her neck was golden ring with a pyramid shape in the center and five small needles attached to it.

"M... Mana?" asked Seto hazily, groaning a little as a result of his tired state. "What... what happened?"

"You fell asleep on your throne, and then you started mumbling in your sleep." the girl answered. Putting her hands on her hips, she then asked, "It's a good thing no one was around to see you like this, or people would begin to think you had fallen ill or something."

Huffing, Seto then told her, "Well, I'm not. I just... I just have had some trouble sleeping last night... that's all."

"But Pharaoh, this has been going on since the past three days, now..." Mana reminded him. "I'm not trying to bother you, but as a Millennium Priestess, it's my duty to protect you, the Pharaoh... So you can understand why I'm a little concerned. If there is something wrong, please tell me; I just want to make sure everything's okay."

"I'm perfectly fine, Mana." Seto told her. "So just leave me be for now; there is nothing wrong with me."

"Perhaps not physically, but I can sense something troubling within your spirit." said another female voice, this one sounding a bit older. Seto and Mana turned around to look and saw an adult woman coming towards them. Like them, her skin was tanned as well. She wore a beautiful dress-like garment around her entire body, and an extravagant headpiece made out of the same tannish-white material, decked out with a gold adornment in the shape of a bird. Around her neck was a necklace with an eye-shaped charm on the front of it.

"It's Priestess Isis..." said Mana. She then looked to the woman's side and saw that she hadn't come alone. With her was a young girl that was about Mana's age. However, her skin was colored differently in that it was a pale orange rather than tan. She had greyish purple eyes with black and cyan eye shadow and short, teal-colored hair. She wore a small dress with a transparent white cloth over top of it, a necklace made up of shiny, green stones, a pair of sandals, and a headpiece made of white cloth and a gold adornment with a moon-shaped crest on the top.

Noticing her, Mana walked over with a smile and said, "And you must be that new apprentice of hers that I've heard about! It's great to finally meet you... um... uh, what was your name again...?"

Giggling a little, the other girl answered her, saying, "My name is Somnambula. And since this IS the first time that we have met, I'm not surprised that you didn't know my name."

"Um, yeah! I-I knew that!" Mana replied, laughing slightly out of embarassment. Looking back up to the older woman, she then asked her, "So, Isis... how are things with your new student there? I heard you took her on only a week ago."

"As a matter of fact, she has been doing very well with her studies, Mana." Isis answered her. "She is quite bright and wise for her age, not to mention very optimistic. I believe, when her training is complete, she will become a great priestess, and perhaps even a worthy successor to my Millennium Necklace." Tapping her necklace, she then added, "Speaking of which..." She paused for a moment without finishing that sentence, turned over to Mana and Somnambula, telling them, "I must speak with the Pharaoh for a moment. Mana, perhaps you can show my student around the palace. We've been busy with her studies for so long, I never gave her a proper tour."

"Sure!" Mana exclaimed. She then looked over to Somnambula and said to her, "Come with me! I'll show you the courtyard! We can have some fun over there! I'll race you!"

Chuckling a little, the pale-orange girl replied, "If that's what you want!" She then sped off, running towards a hallway leading out of the throne room.

"Wait! No fair!!" Mana shouted. "You got a head start!!" She then ran off after her to try and catch up.

After they were gone, Priestess Isis turned her attention to Seto and said to him in a serious tone, "My Pharaoh, I can sense that something is upsetting you. I know you are not the first to share your feelings with others, but if something is wrong, I want to help you through it. So please tell me what it is."

"I don't see why I have to tell you." Seto responded a bit rudely. "You should already know whatever it is that you think is bothering me."

"You know as well as I do that I am unable to see the futures or even sense the feelings of those connected to the Millennium Items, my Pharaoh." Isis reminded him. "That being said, I can tell that something is troubling you, even without the Necklace's power."

"And what is it you think is that's 'troubling my spirit', then?" the Pharaoh asked her.

"...I believe it has something to do with happened to former Pharaoh." the woman answered him. This response caused Seto to gasp slightly. "I am right, am I not?" Isis then asked.

Figuring there was no point in hiding it anymore, Seto sighed and said to her, "This day today... It has been exactly one year since the former Pharaoh left this world... One year since our victory against Zorc Necrophades... Even to this day, it still haunts me... when he vanished so suddenly... With his last breath, he gave me the title of King, asking me to restore peace to the land..." Seto clutched onto the pendant the he wore, saying nothing more.

"And you have done just that, my Pharaoh." Isis told him. "With your leadership, Egypt is greater and stronger than it has ever been before. The people of this city look up to you for guidance and protection, and I can see a brighter future for us all in the days to come." Turning back over to him and smiling warmly, she then told him, "The former Pharaoh would be proud if he could see just what you have done. And if he were here right now, he would want you to move on and ensure the prosperity of this land."

"...Perhaps you may be right, Isis. Though I hate to admit it." Seto responded. "Wallowing in the past is not what I should be doing... I will honor the former Pharaoh's wishes... I WILL make Egypt great again, and I WILL create a better future for us all!" Feeling invigorated, he then added, "Yes, I will keep my promises... both to you, Pharaoh... and also..."

Before he could finish his thought, however, one of the palace guards came into the throne room. "My Pharaoh," he began to say to Seto, "one of the guards outside the city gates has informed me that two robed people have come here, seeking an audience with you."

"An audience with the Pharaoh?" asked Isis. "Who are they?"

"We are not sure, Priestess." the guard told her. "All we know is that they appear to be young women, based on the tone of their voices. They mentioned something else, as well... Something called the 'Order of Astral'...?"

"The Order of Astral??" asked Seto, slightly startled to hear that name.

"Are you certain that is what they said?" asked Isis.

"Yes, we are sure." the guard responded. "We don't know what they were talking about when they told us that. What do you wish for us to do, my Pharaoh?"

Seto said nothing at first, thinking about his next action. Right now, the name that was mentioned - Order of Astral - was stuck on his mind. After giving it some thought, the Pharaoh nodded his head and told the guard, "Tell the guards that they may be allowed inside."

"Um... of course, your Highness. I will let them know at once!" the guard replied before leaving.

After the guard had left the palace, Isis then said to herself, "To think... members of the Order of Astral have arrived here in this city. I must admit, this was something I did not foresee..."

"And why is that?" asked Seto. "You explained it yourself that the fates of those connected to the Millennium Items were the only thing you could not predict with yours. So why is that you did not predict that these women - whomever they are, would appear before us today?"

"I am... not sure, to be honest." Isis admitted. She tapped her necklace again, thinking about why it could not tell her about the sudden appearance of these strangers.

"Is everything okay?" asked Mana's voice, returning to the throne room with Somnambula after the two had walked around for a while. "I saw one of the guards rushing towards the palace, so I was just wondering what it was all about."

"Do not worry, Mana." Isis assured her. "He came to tell us that we had visitors to the kingdom."

"Visitors?" asked Somnambula. "What sort of visitors, Teacher?"

"We aren't completely sure yet," the older woman told them both, "but what we do know is that they belong to the Order of Astral."

"The Order of Astral??" asked Mana, not sure what she meant. "What's that?"

"I know of them." Somnambula chimed in. "I have read about them in my studies. They are supposed to be a nomadic sect of priests and priestesses. There are rumors that they travel around to bring messages of peace and prosperity to the world, and they have been known to perform good deeds wherever they go."

"Wow... that sounds amazing!" said Mana, impressed by what she had heard.

"Indeed." Isis spoke up, adding to the conversation. "However, while they do promote peace, they are also said to wield incredible power, perhaps even otherworldly. But not much else is known about them right now, as they are said to be very secretive."

Seto sat upon his throne, listening to the words that had been spoken. (Peace and prosperity...?) he thought. (And otherworldly power...? This might be more interesting than I thought.)

At that moment, another guard appeared in the room, saying to Seto, "My Pharaoh, the two strangers have just entered the palace. Shall I allow them in the throne room?"

"Yes, you may." Seto told him. The guard nodded and left to deliver the message.

A short time later, a pair of figures wearing full-body robes, both colored light-brown, enter the room. Based on their initial appearance, they were indeed a pair of young women. They also seemed to be around Mana's and Somnambula's ages, though perhaps a year or so older.

The robed woman on the left spoke first, bowing and saying, "Pharaoh Seto of Egypt, it is an honor to meet you at last."

"Hm... you know of me?" he asked. "Fascinating..."

"Oh we know of you very well." said the woman on the left. "We have heard great tales of your role in the war against the creature said to have been formed from darkness itself. We were most impressed by your reputation, that the entire Order of Astral saw fit to send us to meet with you."

"And who are you?" asked Isis.

"Oh! Forgive us... we probably should have introduced ourselves the moment we came in." said the woman on the right. Lifting her head up, she revealed her face: Yellow-colored skin and bright, aqua green eyes. "I am Sun'Et, a High Priestess of the Order of Astral."

The other woman, on the left, then revealed her face as well. She had light-purple skin and deep purple eyes. "And I am Spakah, also a High Priestess of the Order of Astral."

Isis nodded and walked over to them, introducing herself as well. "I am Isis, High Priestess to the Pharaoh." She then looked over at her pale-orange companion and told them, "This is my apprentice, Somnambula."

"Welcome to Egypt." the young student greeted their guests. "We are honored to meet with those belonging to the Order of Astral."

Isis then glanced over to Mana and told her, "Introduce yourself."

"Huh? Oh! Right! Of course!" she replied, blushing a little out of embarrassment. She then walked over to the strangers and said to them, "My name is Mana, and I'm also a High Priestess to the Pharaoh."

"You are, are you?" asked Sun'Et. "Quite the accomplishment for someone as young as you are."

"Then again, we also have learned and done quite much despite our age." stated Spakah. "So you can feel good knowing that Sun'Et's words are quite sincere."

"Hey, I'm more than willing take any compliment I can get!" Mana replied with a slight chuckle.

Huffing slightly, Seto stood up from his throne and approached the two guests to his palace. "Alright, that's enough introductions for now..." he said. "I can only assume that the two of you are not here simply to visit the city. So if there is something you need to ask of me, I wish to hear of it immediately."

"Very well, I suppose that time is of the essence." Sun'Et replied, ready to get down to business. "As we said earlier, we came on behalf of the Order of Astral to meet with you upon hearing of your accomplishments. This may seem a bit sudden to you, Pharaoh... but we have come here to seek the assistance of yourself and those in your court."

"Our assistance?" asked Isis. "What for?"

Priestess Spakah stepped forward and answered her, saying, "We of the Order of Astral journey across the world to spread a message of peace. We do this for the good of the world itself, to bring it to salvation and follow the example set forth by another world: The Astral World."

"The Astral World is a world that we believe exists on a much higher plane than the one that we live in." Sun'Et added. "For one to bear witness to it, they must strengthen - or 'Rank-Up' as we have come to call it - their spirit. Thus, we of the Order of Astral seek to do just that."

"Sounds interesting..." said Seto.

"Sounds difficult..." Mana chimed in. "What do you mean by, 'Rank-Up our spirits'?"

"That, we are not completely sure of just yet." Sun'Et answered. "But we have been trained diligently to attain this 'Ranked-Up' state. At first we trained ourselves to become stronger in body, mind, and most importantly, spirit. We have learned much in our training, and can wield power that only few can truly comprehend. Alas, it appears that there is still more we must do in order to finally achieve our goal and see the Astral World, just as our master did many years ago."

"So that is why the two of you were sent here?" asked Seto. "Do you believe that I might find a way to reveal this 'Astral World' to you?"

"We are not sure, but our master thinks that you could have the power open the way to the Astral World." Spakah answered him. "Although our master has beared witness to the Astral World, and was told how one with a Ranked-Up spirit could see it, even he does not know exactly how that is done. But he believes that, with the assistance of your Royal Court, who had succeeded in the destruction of the evil being that plagued your land long ago, we may finally figure out the secret and bring this world closer to complete salvation."

The other four individuals in the room pondered on those words for a while. While they did not understand everything that the two guests had told them, it was obvious that they were determined to figure out the secret of the Astral World and how to reach it. Mana looked over to Seto and asked him, "What are you going to do, Pharaoh?"

The young man hummed a bit in deep thought for a moment. In the end, the decision was easy for him. Turning back to his two guests, he told the pair, "If you require my help, then I suppose I will lend my assistance."

"Are you certain of this, my Pharaoh?" asked Isis, a little surprised to hear him say that.

"I am." Seto responded to her. "I don't know if this Astral World place truly exists or not, but if there is a chance that it does, it is something I feel I must bear witness to. From what I can tell based on their words, there must be a great power in that world; a power that could very well aid in the prosperity of Egypt."

After he said that, Isis understood what his intentions were. "I see..." she began to say while forming a smile. "This is to honor the last wishes of the former Pharaoh: To help make our kingdom greater for those who live in it."

"Indeed." Sun'Et chimed in once more. "The power that the Astral World holds could very well bring a great fortune to your land."

"Not only that," added Spakah, "but if the whole world could be allowed to see the Astral World, it will, as we have said, create an age of peace unlike anything that has ever happened before it."

"Then it is settled: I'll provide you both with whatever you need in order to find this world that you seek." Seto confirmed.

"As representatives of the Order of Astral, we thank you greatly, Pharaoh Seto of Egypt." said Sun'Et with a formal bow. Standing back up, along with Priestess Spakah, she then told him, "Now that everything is settled, we will tell you what we need your help with."

"Far from your kingdom, there is a temple seated high in the mountains." Spakah explained to them, pointing out her finger to a faraway place to emphasize her words. "We had discovered it some time ago, and believe that it carries a strong link to the Astral World. While there may be many sites with similarly powerful connections to the other world, this one is the closet from here, and it is the best chance for you to hopefully see the Astral World."

"So you want me to journey to this temple and assist you in opening a way to it?" asked Seto.

"That is correct." Sun'Et confirmed. "We will warn you, Pharaoh, that it will be a long travel from here; it may take us several weeks to reach it, and that is if we have no interferences. If you cannot afford to leave your duties here for a long period of time, we will understand."

"While my presence may be needed here," Seto told them, "I would be foolish to ignore a chance at obtaining a power that only few have ever seen. I have already made my decision to assist you, and that is final."

"You're sure you want to do this?" asked Mana. "Not that I want to contradict your decisions, of course."

"I'm quite sure of it." Seto told her. "Not only that, I want you to accompany me."

"M-m-me?!?" exclaimed Mana, shocked at what he said to her.

Seto stared at her and continued to say, "I'm not asking you to come because I need your help: I could very well do just fine without anyone's assistance. But I seem to recall that, in the past year since you inherited your former master's position and the Millennium Ring, you have yet to perform any major services to the Royal Court. Therefore, you shall be given an opportunity to do just that."

"You... you're serious??" asked Mana, stunned but pleased to hear him say that. Up until now, she had never participated in any truly important tasks since she became a Priestess. Now that she had a chance to directly assist the Pharaoh on an important matter, she wasn't going to let it slip by. "Thank you, Pharaoh! Thank you!" she said excitedly. "It would be an honor to help you however I can!"

"Just make you don't disappoint me, Mana." Seto told her sternly. Taking a large, golden manacle-like object from beside his throne and strapping it onto his left arm, he glanced over to Isis and said to her, "While I'm away, I'm placing you in charge of things here in the kingdom. I trust that everything will be fine in your care?"

Tapping her Millennium Necklace, she said to him, "You do not have to worry, my Pharaoh. I can ensure you that the kingdom will be safe under my watchful eyes."

Nodding to say that he trusted her words, he looked back over towards Mana and told her, "Meet me and our guests outside of the palace after you retrieve your DiaDhank."

"Yes, Pharaoh Seto!" the young Priestess exclaimed, eager to begin her assignment. She then ran off in order to get everything she needed.

Walking over to Seto, Sun'Et asked him, "Shall we ready ourselves as well, Pharaoh?" Seto nodded to say that they should, and both them, as well as Spakah headed out of the palace to begin their journey.

Isis watched on as the Pharaoh took his leave, thinking to herself, (My Millennium Necklace is unable to tell me the fates of the Pharaoh and Mana... but even so, I can sense that a great struggle involving them will soon come their way...) As she pondered, Mana came running out in front of Isis, strapping a golden object - similar to the one Seto had put on earlier - to her left arm. "Mana..." Isis began to say to her, "this will be your first major assignment in service to the Pharaoh, so it is important that you perform at the very best of your ability."

"I know, I know!" the young girl responded in a hurry. "Trust me, I've been looking forward to this ever since I succeeded Master Mahad, and I intend to give it everything I've got!"

Still smiling, Isis then told her, "I certain that you will be of great help to the Pharaoh. I wish the best of luck to you both." Mana nodded to say that she understood and sped out of the temple to join the others.

"Bye, Mana!" Somnambula shouted to her friend, waving goodbye. "Make sure to tell me everything about your trip! Good luck!!" After Mana vanished from their sight, the young orange-skinned girl turned to her mentor and asked her, "Do you think they'll come back okay? To be honest, I'm a little worried for them..."

"Do not worry, Somnambula." Isis reassured her. "They will come home safely. Never lose hope in that possibility." Of course, Isis herself was also slightly worried for the well-being of the Pharaoh and her fellow High Priestess, but kept telling herself that they would be fine to put herself at ease.

After Mana joined up with Pharaoh Seto and the priestesses Sun'Et and Spakah, they began their long journey together, leaving the kingdom and eventually Egypt itself. Making the trip on a pair of beautifully-crafted chariots, each pulled by a quartet of horses, the four travelled across the massive desert, in search of the temple in the mountains that Spakah had told them about during their initial meeting. Their journey was long; days quickly turned to weeks of almost non-stop travelling. Before long, it had been over a month since they had begun. Despite the length of their trip, the four were determined to make it to this mysterious temple and open the way to the Astral World.

Finally, at long last, the four of them reached a vast mountainous area covered in trees. Seto and Mana were amazed by what they saw, as it was quite a drastic change from the deserts of Egypt. "Wow... this place is so beautiful...!" Mana stated, impressed by the sights around her. "I've never seen anything like this before!"

Seto glanced around himself, and while he remained silent, he was equally impressed at the landscape. Pushing his feelings aside for the moment, he then asked Sun'Et, "Where is this temple? You told us that it was built near the mountains."

"We did." the yellow-faced girl answered him as she pointed upwards to a specific mountain in the distance. "Do you see the mountain far off to the east?" she asked them. "That is where we must go."

"Very well, then." Seto replied, eager to move on and finish their long journey. The horses began to pull the chariots further along the forest path. In time, the woods gave way to a rocky trail leading up to the mountain top, where the mysterious palace sat upon. Spakah insisted that the chariots move slowly as to prevent a nasty fall of the side.

Finally, at long last, they group arrived at the top, and the sight before them made Seto and Mana gasp in amazement. In front of the travelling party was large red and yellow gate, furnished in an Ancient Chinese design, with a large green door as the only thing between them and the temple on the other side. The Pharaoh and his Priestess had no words to describe the beautiful structure in front of them.

Pushing the tops of their robes off of their heads, Sun'Et and Spakah revealed their heads completely. Both had long, straight hair, with Sun'Et's colored in a mix of red and yellow, while Spakah's was mostly dark purple with a thin streak of pink running the left side. They also revealed some jewelry that they were wearing: Sun'Et wore a necklace with a golden key-like object at the end of it. Spakah had a crown-like adornment on her head, with a similar key-shape mounted onto the front of it.

Hopping out of their chariot, Sun'Et then said to the others, "We will proceed to open the door. Once we do, we will leave the chariots and continue into the temple on foot." Seto and Mana simply watched as the two young girls stepped in front of the large, green door. Once there, they presented the jewelry that they wore before it, as if to make an offering. Almost immediately, the key-shaped objects on the necklace and the crown began to glow a bright yellow, and soon after, the door in front of them radiated a similar glow. after about a few seconds of this bizarre light show, the glowing faded, and the door opened on its own, allowing them all to enter.

"Our master was right, Sun'Et." Spakah told her. "These keys react to only the most powerful of energy: Energy that can only come from the Astral World."

"That means this place does indeed have a connection to the Astral World." Sun'Et added. "There is no mistaking it." Turning over towards the others, the girl bowed and said, "After you, Pharaoh Seto."

Humming slightly, Seto, along with Mana, got out of their chariot and walked through the gate. On the other side, they saw an even more beautiful structure awaiting them. It was a full-on Chinese temple with red roofs and yellow walls, sitting atop a foundation made up of large white bricks with a stairway leading up to the front doors. On the wide path leading up the temple was a large, grey hexagon; upon it there was a wondrous painting of a long, serpent-like dragon with red hair growing upon its head and the way to the tip of its tail. Along the sides of the pathway were large red pillars with golden dragon statues snaking around them.

"I don't believe it..." spoke a truly astounded Mana, jaw dropped at the amazing sight of the temple before her. "This place is... is... it's gorgeous! I've never seen anything like this before in my life!! Wait until Somnambula hears about this!"

"I must admit, this is not quite what I was expecting." Seto stated. "The workmanship on this temple is quite a sight to behold. What sort of design is this?"

"We believe that it was erected to be similar to the temples that exist in a much further off land." Spakah answered. "I heard rumors that a woman named Mistmane had a small involvement in its construction, but we are not sure if this rumor is true or not. Though she is known as a powerful sorceress, so perhaps she was drawn to the powerful energy that exists here and had the temple built to honor that power."

"But that's a story for another time." Sun'Et chimed in. "For now, we must go and see if this temple truly has a connection to the Astral World. And if it does, we must figure out a way to access that connection."

"Then let's move forward and see for ourselves." Seto suggested, walking towards the stairs leading up to the front doors. Mana and the others soon followed him as the walked inside.

Once they entered the temple, the four of them looked around at the dark, empty chamber they walked into. "This doesn't make sense..." Mana began to say. "There's no one here..."

"It does seem bizarre that no one has come to greet us..." Sun'Et stated. "Up until now, Spakah and I had not gone this far into the temple, but we were under the impression that someone was looking after it..."

A sudden chill came over Spakah, sensing something else peculiar about the empty room. "...I have a feeling that we are not as alone as we think we are."

"Huh?" Mana asked, not sure what that meant.

"She's right." Seto spoke up. "Someone... or something is watching us. And I have every reason to believe that it may not just be a single entity." The Pharaoh of Egypt then presented his left arm, on which was the golden object that he had attached to it back at the start of their journey. "I know there's someone watching us right now!" he shouted into the open air. "Why don't you come out and face us directly instead of hiding in these shadows like a coward?!"

No response.

Chuckling to himself, Seto smirked and said, "Alright, have it your way... If you won't show yourself willingly, then I'll reveal you myself! DiaDhank, unfold!!" After he said that, the wing on the gold armband fanned out, revealing a total of three wings upon it. Using the device - the DiaDhank - Seto raised his other arm into the air and shouted, "Ka sealed within the stone slab, come forth!!" After he said that, one of the wings on his DiaDhank began to glow, and once it faded, the image of a creature appeared upon it. "I Summon forth La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!!"

The others watched as smoke began to billow out from behind the Pharaoh. That cloud eventually formed into a green genie with a long, drooping moustache and gold adornments.

"The Pharaoh! He just summoned a monster from one of the stone slabs kept in the Shrine of Wedju...!" Mana stated, amazed that Seto felt the need to Summon one of the monsters that were sealed away.

"Amazing..." Sun'Et said, as she watched the scene in front of her. "So the stories are true; the Pharaoh and his Priests have the power to call forth monsters in battle..."

"Hearing of it was one thing, but seeing for ourselves is something different entirely...!" Spakah chimed in, also impressed.

Acting quickly, Seto shouted to his monster, "Now, La Jinn! Breathe your flame around us! Light the room and reveal the forms of those surrounding us!" The green genie then took a deep breath and let out a bright and powerful flame. The fire spread all over the room, but remained in the air so as not to damage the temple. It DID, however, light the entire chamber, revealing several other creatures, looking down upon the group.

"M-more monsters?!" exclaimed Mana in shock. "Where did they all come from?!"

"I am not sure..." Spakah stated. "But as foreboding as it may seem, I cannot sense any ill intentions within them. They do not appear to be evil spirits..."

"Then there is only one explanation for these creatures appearing here in this temple:" Sun'Et began to tell everyone. "No doubt this is a test... A test to see if we are truly worthy of bearing witness to the Astral World!"

"Test or not, if these monsters wish to challenge my power, then I will be more than satisfied in honoring that request!" Seto proclaimed. After hearing those words, the monsters in the room appeared to take his words as accepting their test, and in a instant, the whole room was lit up. Smirking, Seto told the monsters, "Ready yourselves, spirits, for a small taste of my power!" He then ordered his monster, "Now, attack them! Genie Fire!!"

La Jinn then let out another powerful blast of flames, aiming straight for the monsters in front of him. But they quickly stepped out of the way, and one of them, a vile-looking, pale-yellow creature with a green neck, fangs and long claws, leapt out of the crowd and towards the group.

"It's coming right for us!" shouted Spakah.

"Oh no, it won't!" Mana said, activating her DiaDhank. Putting out her right hand, she then shouted, "I Summon a Ka from within my soul!" And with that declaration, her DiaDhank formed the image of a young girl in full magician attire. Not long after, the real thing appeared behind her. She had creamy-white hair and bright blue eyes and wore a mostly yellow costume with orange rims. On her ears were two oversized red earrings with yellow stars on them, and her costume (including her oversized hat and boots) also had a pair of white wings in the back. In her hand was a short, yellow scepter with bits of red and orange.

"Go! Lemon Magician Girl!! Intercept the attack!!" shouted Mana, to which her servant obeyed. The magician rushed in front of the attacking creature, assuming a fighting stance. The pale-yellow monster, taking it as a challenge, decided to attack the magician instead.

"That monster looks too powerful..." noted Sun'Et. "I don't think she can fight it all by herself..."

But Mana smirked and told her, "Then it's a good thing she won't be! I activate the effect of Lemon Magician Girl!"

*******************************

Lemon Magician Girl
(Effect Monster/Spellcaster-Type/LIGHT/Level 2/ATK 800/DEF 600)

Once per turn: You can Tribute 1 "Magician Girl" monster, except "Lemon Magician Girl"; add 1 Spellcaster-Type monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn, if this card is targeted for an attack: You can Special Summon 1 Spellcaster-Type monster from your hand, but its effects (if any) are negated, then change the attack target to it, and if you do, the attacking monster's ATK becomes half its current ATK.

*******************************

"Awaken now! Ka within my soul!!" Mana shouted as another image appeared in an empty slot on the DiaDhank. It was of another female Spellcaster, but its appearance was a bit different. Mana's second servant then appeared behind her, ready to battle. This magician looked almost EXACTLY like her master, but with a few notable differences such as paler skin, brighter green eyes, and bright, blond hair. Her costume was similar to the first female magician's, except that it was mostly bright blue with pink trims, and instead of wings, it had a short, pink cape in the back. Her scepter was also different-looking as well and had colors similar to her outfit's.

"She Summoned another magician to aid her..." Spakah observed. "But controlling two creatures usually takes a lot of strength from the controller... Yet Mana does not appear exhausted at all."

"That's the point." Mana told her. "When Lemon Magician Girl is under attack, she can bring out another magician to help her. And the best part about is that it doesn't cost me any of my Ba to do it!"

"Ba?" asked Sun'Et. While she had not heard that word before, she was able to figure out what it was. "Oh! You mean your internal power, am I right?"

"That's right." Mana confirmed. "And not only that, but when Lemon helps me Summon a magician to battle, the new magician forces the enemy to fight her!" And as if on cue, the yellow monster stopped its attack on Mana's first servant and went after the new one. "But when that happens, Lemon then saps away the enemy's power!"

Just as Mana stated, Lemon used her magic and surrounded the enemy monster with a bright-yellow aura, which caused to roar in pain. Its attack on the second magician became much more sluggish as a result.

"Now go, Dark Magician Girl!! Strike back!" Mana shouted. "Dark Burning Attack!!" The second magician nodded and flew towards the weakened monster and fired a ray of energy out from her scepter. The ray struck the creature, dissolving it into nothingness. "Alright! I did it!" cheered the young Priestess, hopping up and down excitedly. "I've wanted to try that trick ever since I came up with it, and it worked!!"

Seto, who watching her during the whole skirmish, chuckled to himself before turning back to face the mass of creatures before them all. "Meheheh... if one of your cohorts couldn't defeat even the youngest of my High Priests, then my power may as well be invincible compared to yours!" he taunted them. That comment only got him a fierce growl from the other monsters. "Hmph, so you won't stand down, I see..." Seto asked them. "Very well then! You had you chance to back away, and I will not give you another!" Activating his DiaDhank once more, he shouted, "La Jinn!! Return to your slab!"

The green genie then vanished from sight, returning to its stone slab all the way back in Egypt. Once it was gone, Seto then raised his right arm and announced, "And now I Summon a new Ka to battle!!" Once again, his DiaDhank shone a bright light as a monster image appeared upon it. "Come forth!! Kaiser Vorse Raider!!"

Seto's new servant was a mostly-blue humanoid creature, but besides its appearance, it was most certainly NOT human. It's face was half-covered by a spiked helmet, and he was seen to have sharp fangs for teeth. He had a very imposing outfit that, too, was covered in sharp, golden spikes. In his right hand was a long weapon with a sharp axe head on the top and spiked ball on the bottom.

"When I have no servants beside me, I can Summon Kaiser Vorse Raider without sacrificing my Ba!" Seto explained to everyone. "So instead, I shall use my power to Summon this Ka to serve me!!" At that moment, a second monster image appeared on his DiaDhank. "I Summon Slate Warrior!"

Seto's second monster was of a multi-colored human-like creature. It had a blue face with no visible mouth, a light orange chest plate with red markings upon it, green sleeves and red pants. It also carried a long, golden scepter with a blue orb on the top. "Now, attack them, my monsters!!" Seto ordered his servants. "Take them down!!"

Both Kaiser Vorse Raider and Slate Warrior obeyed their master's orders and rushed into the crowd of monsters. Kaiser Vorse Raider slashed his weapon, destroying several monsters, including a green-skinned woman with snakes for her hair, a silver-grey werewolf with green pants and manacles on its wrists, and a flaming skull. Slate Warrior used his fists and scepter to destroy several more, which included a yellow and purple grub like insect with two long pincers, as well as a plant creature resembling a human woman, but having long, prickly vines instead of arms. Mana also joined in the fight, with her two magicians.

In but a few minutes, most of the horde of monsters had been successfully dealt with, but many more still remained. "Rrrrgh... this taking longer than I'd hoped..." said Seto.

"You're telling me... I'm getting exhausted fighting all of these monsters at once..." Mana stated. "What can we do? At this rate, we'll be too tired to make the trip back home...!"

"Do not worry, Pharaoh Seto and Priestess Mana." spoke Sun'Et. "We shall handle the rest from here."

"You?" asked Mana. "What are you going to do?"

Spakah also stepped forward, saying, "Our master, along with all of us in the Order of Astral, have trained all our lives to Rank-Up our spirits and enter the Astral World. These monsters are but a test for us to pass in order achieve that goal. While we do appreciate and require your help, we refuse to sit idly by and have all of our work done for us. So let us fight in your place from this point."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" asked Seto.

Sun'Et smiled as both she and Spakah threw off their robes, revealing their true outfits underneath. Sun'Et wore an outfit that appeared to look like some sort of ceremonial robes, all white in color, with a long cloth draped over the front of the skirt area. On the cloth was an emblem resembling the key that served as part of her necklace. Her footwear were sandal-like in appearance, with long straps on the lower legs, and on her ears were a pair of sun-shaped earrings, both red and yellow in color.

Spakah's outfit consisted of a simple top over her chest with her midriff showing, a long skirt, smaller sandals, and a long cape flowing behind her. She, too, had on a pair of earrings, but they were pink and shaped like six-pointed stars. On each of their arms was a silver object that had an eerily-similar appearance to Seto's and Mana's DiaDhanks. The removal of their outer robes revealed that their faces weren't the only part of their skin that was oddly-colored, as it seemed that their entire bodies were of the same tone; yellow for Sun'Et and purple for Spakah.

"Are you ready, Sun'Et?" the purple-skinned girl asked her friend. As she asked this question, runic symbols began to form over their left eyes.

"I am." the yellow girl answered. "Now it is time for us to show how strong our spirits have become!" The silver object then began to glow brightly, transforming into a different shape. Once its was finished, a large, wing-like blade was protruding out of it, colored light-green and white. "Great spirit within my body! Unleash your power and manifest into solid form!!" Thrusting her right hand forward, she shouted, "Emerge now!! Gordian Knot!!" At that moment, one of the feather-shaped blades on her device began to glow, and in time, it shot out a beam of light that formed into a a stack of purple cubes covered in a mess of knotted straps.

"No way...! She can Summon Ka too?!" asked Mana, surprised by this revelation.

But Spakah then showed the others that she could do the same, as her device transformed as well. This one turned into a slightly different shape, becoming an object that looked similar to a cocoon or a leaf shape, with alternating colors of violet and hot pink. Its design looked almost supernatural, based on its odd shape. Putting her right arm out, the purple-skinned girl shouted, "Spirit within me! I now shape you into physical form!! Become my partner and my servant!!" After saying that, one of the sections of her device began glowing, just Sun'Et's, shooting out a light that formed into a human male magician wearing mostly dark-blue and red and covered with chains.

"Now I invoke the power of the Gordian Knot and use it to call forth the Golden Jet!!" shouted Sun'Et. And with that, a second beam of light emerged from her device, and in an instant, a shiny, gold plane-like object flew into the temple. The mosnter within the temple were not sure what was happening, and neither did Seto or Mana. But they all knew that something big was about to happen.

"With these servants at my side, I now tap into a great power, one which my master had witnessed the day he saw the Astral World. Now bear witness to but a mere fraction of it!" Sun'Et announced. She then closed her eyes and outstretched her arms and legs, forming a X-shape with her body. Keeping her arms out, she closed her legs together, forming a straight vertical line with them. Now her body was in the shape of the letter Y. Last of all, she then moved her arms in front of her, using them to form the letter Z. "I now build the Overlay Network!!" she shouted.

"The Overlay what??" asked Mana. But before she could say another word, she and Seto watched as both of Sun'Et's monsters turned into a pair of lights; one orange and one yellow. They were soon sucked into a red portal which formed in floor before them. The Pharaoh and his Priestess observed the scene closely, trying to figure out what was going on.

Sun'Et then broke her pose and reached both of her arms out towards the portal, saying, "Awaken from beyond time and space!! Avian Castel!!" The portal then shot out a column of red light which eventually took the form of a robed creature that seemed to combine the traits of a human and a bird. It wore robes of blue and white, and had purple feathers for its "hair" and on its large wings. Surrounding it were two green orbs that orbited around it.

"Did... did she just fuse her monsters?" asked Mana.

"No... that wasn't a Fusion." Seto answered. "It's similar, but not quite the same thing... The monsters she used are still there; I can sense them within those orbs that surround her new creature." Smirking a little, he thought to himself, (So this is the power of the Order of Astral... and the world that they seek to reach...)

"Now Castel, use your special power!" ordered Sun'Et. "Repel the enemy!!" The human-bird creature then immediately absorbed the two green orbs into its chest. With this new rush of power, it then whipped its wings, creating a powerful cyclone and sending in the direction of the enemy monsters. Against the power of this gigantic tornado, they were no match, and many of them were blown away by it, causing them to vanish.

"Woah!! She just blew away over half of them in one shot!!" Mana exclaimed. "We just might be able to win this!" She then ordered her magicians to attack the remaining creatures, and Seto joined in as well.

Not to be left out, Spakah then used her power and Summoned another monster to battle. Her new monster was a gigantic rock creature that was mostly blue and sage green in color with a single red eye on its face area. "Now it's my turn!" she announced as she performed the same dance as Sun'Et, posing her body into the X, Y, and Z shapes. "I now create the Overlay Network!!" In an instant, another red portal formed, and her two monsters turned into a pair of lights - one purple and one orange - before they were drawn into the vortex. "Rise now, Hope!! King of Wishes!!" she shouted.

The monster that she Summoned using the portal beared a striking similarity to Utopia, with one notable difference: The red 39 mark that was on his left shoulder plate wasn't there. Everything else, however, remained the same: White and golden armor, a pair of large swords, and a bright yellow aura radiating around him.

"Now go!!" Spakah shouted. "Attack with Hope Sword Slash!!' The warrior nodded and leapt into what remained of the army of monsters before them. The powerful warrior, together with Seto's Kaiser Vorse Raider and Slate Warrior, Mana's two magicians, and Sun'Et's Avian Castel, allowed them all to wipe out the rest of the monsters in the temple, cementing their victory.

"We did it!! We took them all down!!" Mana cheered. "That was amazing!" Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she then added, "I'll admit, I was getting worried for a while, but I knew we'd do well in the end!" She then noticed that the others weren't cheering for their victory. "Hey... what's up?" asked the young tanned girl. "Why don't you look happy? For Pharaoh Seto, that's normal, but why aren't you happy to beat all of the monsters, Sun'Et and Spakah?"

The two Priestess of the Order of Astral remained silent at first, not answering Mana's question. Sun'Et then turned over to Seto and asked him, "You can feel it, can't you?"

"...I can." the Pharaoh answered. "This seemed far too easy."

"What do you mean...?" asked Mana, getting worried again. "Are you saying that we're not done here yet?"

Spakah shook her head no, telling the young girl, "I have the feeling that this wasn't our true test... I feel that our true opponent is ready to appear before us in mere moments..."

The group, together with their monster servants, stayed silent for a while, not sure what to expect, but as they waited for something to happen, they could feel the air getting heavy all around them. Even Mana could now sense that something wasn't quite right, fearing that their previous battle was just the calm before the storm. Then, all of a sudden...

"Look, over there!!" shouted Sun'Et, pointing to the left side of the spacious room. The others turned to look... and gasped when they saw a large galaxy-like vortex forming in the floor. Next to it were two monsters: One was a long dragon that seemed to be made of water, and the other was a dragon that seemed to have a partial tree growing out of its brown and green body. The two transformed into a pair of lights - one blue and one orange - before they were sucked into the portal.

"It can't be..." Spakah gasped. "It's an Overlay Network! Those last two monsters created it all by themselves!!"

"But... that portal..." Mana noted. "It's not the same color as the ones you two used..."

"You're right..." Sun'Et confirmed. "And what's more... That feeling that I had; it's stronger than it was before... And it's getting stronger as we speak!"

"Hmmmm... It seems our true opponent is ready to face us..." Seto chimed in. "But whomever they may be, I refuse to stand down before it!" Shouting at the portal, he said, "Come out of there and face us at once!! No more of your games!!"

They didn't need to wait long for it happen: Out of the portal came a gigantic dragon with a long, white body and gigantic wings, one of which had a yellow 46 mark upon it. Its entire form shone a bright golden light as roared loudly, seemingly to demand the respect of those facing it.

"It's just as I thought:" Sun'Et began to speak. "This is no ordinary creature... This is no doubt a being from the Astral World!"

"You mean... there's things like THAT living there?!" asked Mana in shock.

"The Astral World rests upon a higher plane than the world we occupy, Mana." Spakah told her. "There is little doubt that possibly hundreds of other beings like exist there as well, all very powerful."

At that moment, Seto began to chuckle a bit. "So, a dragon? That's our final test?" he asked rhetorically. "Very well then... If it's a battle of dragons you want, then I will be most happy to oblige!" Readying his DiaDhank, he shouted, "Kaiser Vorse Raider and Slate Warrior, I release you! Return to the Shrine of Wedju!!" And with that order, both of his monsters vanished from sight. Calming himself for a moment, he then closed his eyes and placed a hand on his chest, he said to himself in his mind, (Lend me your power... Kisara...) Opening his eyes, he then shouted, "Come forth, my strongest Ka!!! I Summon the almighty White Dragon!!!"

After its image appeared on Seto's device, a great white stream of energy was unleashed, engulfing the entire temple in a blinding light. The light remained for a great amount of time, forcing those nearby to shield their eyes (all except for the dragon creature, who continued to observe the scene). Finally, after a few seconds, the light reformed itself and materialized as gigantic white dragon with blue eyes.

"Alright, he did it!!" cheered Mana. "The Pharaoh's most powerful Ka! We still have a chance!"

"Incredible!" commented Spakah. "To think he had such a powerful beast in reserve! But... is it strong enough to combat the other dragon?"

"We can only hope..." Sun'Et answered her, not sure what would happen next.

The two dragons stared each other down, ready to fight until the bitter end. Putting out his left arm, Seto commanded to his monster, "Go, White Dragon!! Vanquish that monster and leave no traces remaining!! Burst Stream of Destruction!!" His monster roared and charged up a powerful blast of energy in its mouth. Taking aim at the other dragon, the Pharaoh's monster fired its energy straight at it, resulting in a mighty explosion; one strong enough to cause a brief tremor within the temple.

"Urrrrgh!" Mana grunted as she and the others struggled to keep their footing.

Seto stared in the direction of the blast's impact, chuckling to himself. He was sure that his dragon had obliterated the other one. But when the dust cleared, he and the others were shocked to see the glowing gold dragon still standing. "What is this?!?" exclaimed the Pharaoh. "That should have destroyed it!"

"Impossible!" Mana protested. "Pharaoh Seto's dragon has always been able to defeat ANY opponent that faced it!"

"...Until now, it seems." Sun'Et responded solemnly. "It's just as I thought: That dragon is a creature from the Astral World. No beast of this world is a match for it..."

Growling in frustration, Seto said defiantly, "No! I refuse to be defeated!! I shall prove that no one is more powerful than my White Dragon! Mark my words, I will defeat it!!" The Pharaoh was determined to prove his true power, no matter how low his chances of doing so were.

But before another word could be said, the other dragon began to charge up energy in its mouth. "Look out!" warned Sun'Et. "The dragon is about to launch an attack!!"

"Wh-wh-what are we going to do, Pharaoh Seto??" asked Mana, frightened. Seto said nothing in response, but he was not about to let the other dragon see him sweat. He stood his ground, even as the enemy fired its own energy stream at them. All seemed lost...

But then, Spakah's monster servant leapt into the path of the attack. "King Hope!!" she shouted to him. "Activate your special ability!! Light Wing Shield!!!" The white and gold-colored warrior then absorbed one of his floating yellow orbs into his chest. After that, it used one of the wings on its back to block the attack. Despite the stream's incredible power, it was unable to breach King Hope's shield.

"That was a close one..." Mana stated. "If it hadn't been for Spakah's servant, we wouldn't have survived..."

"Don't thank me just yet..." the purple-skinned Priestess told her. "King Hope's protective power is only temporary, and I can only trigger but once more. Unless we come up with an attack strategy, we may all meet our ends here."

"I know that, but what can we do?" asked Mana. "How're we gonna defeat a monster that doesn't even come from this world?!"

Before her question could be answered, the enemy dragon roared again as it absorbed one of its yellow orbs, just as Spakah's monster had done earlier. "It just absorbed an Overlay Unit..." Sun'Et noted. "It's activating its own ability... but what kind of ability is it?"

The enemy dragon then turned its attention over to Seto's Ka, the White Dragon. It then fixed its gaze directly at it, causing the Pharaoh's beast to be surrounded by a yellow aura. As it happened, the White Dragon began to roar in pain. "My dragon!! What's happening to it?!"

"I'm not sure," Spakah replied, "but if I had to guess, I think it's trying to control it...!"

"Control it?!" exclaimed Mana. "You mean turn it against us?!"

"I'm afraid so..." the purple girl told her. "If we don't act quickly, we will not survive another battle!"

"Then I guess I have no choice..." Sun'Et spoke up, walking towards the enemy dragon as it tried to brainwash Seto's monster. Putting her right foot forward, the yellow girl began chanting a spell. As she did, a red aura began to radiate around her. Once she finished chanting the spell and the red aura faded away, she thrust out both of her hands and shouted, "Go!! Breakthrough Skill!!"

Immediately, a ray of purple energy came shooting out of both of her hands and struck the enemy dragon. The energy seemed to sap it of its power somewhat, causing it to lose its focus. As a result, it was no longer able to control Seto's White Dragon. The yellow glow that surrounded the Pharaoh's monster faded away, freeing it from a cruel fate.

"That curse I inflicted has suppressed the dragon's special powers..." Sun'Et explained. "But it will only remain for a short time, and it won't prevent it from attacking us. We need to defeat it now or we won't get another chance!"

"Defeating it is exactly what I plan to do..." Seto said in a low, angry-sounding voice. It wasn't just his voice that was angry, so was his face. Snarling, he shouted at the other dragon, "If you think you can just take my dragon and use it as your own personal slave, then you had better think again!! That dragon is more than just a mere servant! It once belonged to a young girl... a girl that helped me when times were at their darkest... Someone who helped me to see towards a brighter future!! To have anyone take it away and use it against me is an insult not only to me, but to her as well!! I refuse to allow you tarnish our bond!!"

And with that passionate speech, Seto's DiaDhank began to glow in a bright silver light. Noticing this, he looked down at his arm, wondering what was happening. And before he knew it, a second image appeared upon his device: a young maiden.

"What is this??" he asked himself. "I didn't Summon another Ka just now..."

"But I did." said a calm voice in front of him. When the Pharaoh looked up, he gasped when he saw a young pale-skinned girl in front of him with bright blue eyes. She wore a beautiful set of robes that were all tan in color, and her warm smile could been clearly seen upon her face. "Seto..." she told him. "It is good to see you again..."

"K... Kisara...?" he asked, recognizing her immediately.

"Where did she come from?" asked Sun'Et, also surprised at the scene unfolding in front of her and the others.

"I have no idea..." Mana answered. "But she looks almost like that girl that Seto had staying in the palace during the war against Zorc..."

Seto was still astounded at seeing the young girl that he had rescued so long ago. It had been a year since she passed away, so he was not expecting her to come back. "Kisara... why have you come here...?" he asked her.

"...To fulfill my promise to you so long ago." Kisara told him. "I said that I would protect you with the light of my dragon. And I shall do just that." She then flew up towards the White Dragon and said to it, "My beautiful dragon... You have grown quite strong since I left you in my master's care. I am glad to see that he has taken very good care you."

The dragon let out a small, but satisfied snarl in response.

Still smiling, she then said to it, "If you and Seto are to have any hope of overcoming this challenge, then we must tune into each other's power... We must synchronize our energies, and become one power!!"

Seto and the other watched as Kisara transformed into a small blue light that shot into the air. When it came back down, it had transformed into green ring that surrounded the White Dragon. No one knew what was going on... except for Seto, for he could still hear Kisara's voice whispering in his ear.

(Master Seto... no, Pharaoh Seto of Egypt!) the blue-eyed maiden told him. (Awaken our newfound power! It's the only way!)

Knowing exactly what to do, he then shouted to his monster, "Now White Dragon, synchronize your energies! Become more than what you are!! And together, we shall strike down any foe that stands before us!!" The dragon roared its loudest roar as it transformed into eight smaller lights within the green ring before a tower of light engulfed it all. "Come now! Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!!"

Out of the pillar of light a pair of shiny, silver wings emerged. This was soon followed by the rest of it, revealing that it was a massive dragon, with a body similar in color to its wings. It roared loudly and stared down the other dragon with its bright, azure-colored eyes.

"Seto's dragon!! It... it transformed into a different monster!!" Mana exclaimed.

"This is... amazing...!" said Spakah. "That young girl somehow intertwined her energy with the dragon, and they become a new creature entirely!"

"I saw..." Sun'Et replied. "But I've never heard of a type of Summoning that involves such a method... This might be worth some more research..." She then asked Seto, "Pharaoh, what kind of Summoning power was that? Does it have a name?"

"A name...?" he asked. Since this was the first time that it happened, he didn't have a name for it. But after thinking about what was involved in the Summoning of his new dragon, he was able to come up with something. "...Synchro Summon." he answered her. "That's what it is called."

"Sounds like you just made it up." Mana noted. "That being said, it does have a nice ring to it, so I won't complain."

The other dragon looked at Seto's new monster. Though you couldn't tell from its face, it seemed... impressed and pleased by what it saw. It was as if it wanted this to happen all along.

"Now, I use the power of Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" Seto announced. "Return now, White Dragon!!" At that moment, his original Dragon returned to dominate the battle, giving out a roar as it did so.

After that, Seto heard Kisara's voice from within his new dragon. (Seto...) she told him, (now that my dragon and I have become one, I have become much stronger... And I will share that power with you right now...) And without a moment to waste, two spheres of light materialized beside the White Dragon. From out of the spheres came two MORE dragons, just like the first one.

"There... there's THREE of them now?!" exclaimed Mana. "Where did they come from?!"

Looking at the trio of dragons that he now commanded, he smirked and said, "These dragons represent the bond I have with the young girl they served to protect! And now they lend their power to me to ensure the bright future that she wanted! So from this day forward, they will no longer simply be known as the White Dragons! In honor of Kisara, whose light shines within my soul, they shall hereafter be known as... the Blue-Eyes White Dragons!!" The three newly-christened dragons roared in unison after his speech.

The others could say nothing in response. They could only watch as Seto displayed his new incredible power.

"And with these dragons, I shall surpass my own limits! I shall strike down any who threaten me or my people!" the Pharaoh continued to say. "And no force on this world or any world will be able to match it!!" After that statement, the object around his neck, the Millennium Pendant (a.k.a. the Millennium Puzzle) began glowing intensely. Likewise, his three newly-Summoned dragons began to glow as they all merged together.

"Now he's Fusing them??" asked Mana. "But how can he do that? Only the High Priest with the Millennium Scales can make a Fusion happen!"

"I can't say for sure how it works in your kingdom," Sun'Et told her, "but it seems his monsters are merging merely from his own willpower...!"

"That girl..." Spakah spoke up. "The one he called 'Kisara'... I suspect it is his bond with her that he has all this power right now... Perhaps this may be the answer we had been looking for... The power that can allow our spirits to Rank-Up!" Sun'Et nodded, seeming to agree with her friend.

The three dragons continued to merge their power together, growing stronger and stronger with every passing second. "Now behold, dragon of the Astral World!! Witness the birth of a creature that surpasses even the gods themselves!! The mightiest power, the ULTIMATE power!!" Raising his hand into the air, he then shouted, "Emerge now!! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!!!"

A split-second after he announced his new creature's name, the area was bathed an in another intense light, much more powerful than any before it. And when it faded, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons were now replaced by a single, gigantic, three-headed dragon. No doubt, this new dragon - dubbed the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon by Seto - was far more powerful than the sum of its parts.

"Incredible...! I never thought I'd see something quite like this!" Mana said.

"Now go, Ultimate Dragon!! Annihilate that beast now!!" the Pharaoh ordered his fused monster. "Neutron Blast!!!" The three-headed dragon obeyed and charged up power in each of its three mouths. Once it was at full power, they all fired at once, the streams of energy merging into a single unstoppable attack. The other dragon was unable to avoid it and took the entire attack, becoming engulfed by the blast's destructive energy completely.

The blast caused a massive explosion that actually managed to blow a large hole in the temple roof. The others shielded themselves from the impact of the blast and the dust clouds that were kicked up afterwards. As the force of the attack finally died down, Mana asked everyone, "So... did he do it? Is that dragon gone?"

"Of course it's gone." Seto smugly replied. "No creature - not even that thing, could survive such a devastating blow."

"Let us hope that's true..." Sun'Et replied.

Moments later, Spakah could see an image in the dust clouds ahead of them. Gasping, she shouted, "No! It's still there!"

"What?! You're kidding!!" Mana protested. But when they glanced over to where the blast struck, they could she that she was not lying: The other dragon was still there, very much alive. But it was no longer moving or trying to prepare a counterattack.

"So you still stand, I see?" asked Seto. "If you want to continue this fight, then so be-"

"Wait... hold on a moment, Pharaoh..." Sun'Et spoke up, interrupting his statement. "...It's... not attacking us anymore."

"It's not?" asked Mana. "How come?"

Looking into the eyes of the otherworldly beast, Spakah could tell that it was done fighting. "I suspect..." she said to the others, "that it has recognized the power we all have... And it seems to be impressed by it. I believe that we have passed the test that it has given us."

(She is right, Seto.) Kisara said to her master. (Our battle against it has ended, and it is pleased by what it saw.)

Humming a bit, Seto decided that was good enough for him. "Very well. We accept your surrender, creature of the Astral World. You were indeed one of the few that I recognize as a worthy opponent."

The dragon gave a low roar in response before surrounding itself with a bright yellow light. At the same time, Spakah's servant, King Hope, had a similar-colored aura radiating around itself. "Huh? What's happening to Hope?" asked the purple Priestess.

Everyone watched on as the light engulfed Hope completely. But unlike the light that it had used to control Seto's dragon during the battle, they could sense that the warrior was getting stronger simply from becoming bathed in the light. When the light finally faded, he looked mostly the same, except on his left shoulder pad, everyone could see a red 39 mark upon him.

"That symbol... it looks like the one on that dragon." Mana pointed out.

"It does..." Sun'Et confirmed. "Does that mean it... it transferred some of its power to Hope?"

"It is..." Seto answered. "I can sense that your companion's servant is much stronger than it was at the beginning of our battle." Staring at King Hope's new form, the Pharaoh thought to himself, (The power of the Astral World... Even such a small amount of it is a sight to behold...)

Humming to herself, Sun'Et began thinking deeply about the events that took place. "It was only through our combined efforts that we passed the Astral World's test... And it was the Pharaoh's bond with his dragon and the young maiden that allowed him to best our final opponent." she stated. Smiling, she then said to everyone, "I see it now... I now know how we can see the beauty of the Astral World."

"You do?!" exclaimed Spakah. "How??"

"The answer was right in front of us the whole time." the yellow-skinned girl told her. "It is through our bonds with each other... Our friendships... That is what can allow our spirits to Rank-Up. For the great benevolence of the Astral World is not exclusively for one person or for a select few. Rather, it is something that can only be truly appreciated when it is shared with those you care about. Discovering that answer... that was the true purpose of our test here at this temple."

"Awwww... that's so nice!" Mana said with a bright smile, giggling a little as she did so. Seto huffed a little, but admitted that what Sun'Et said may have had some merit to it... though he wouldn't admit it out-loud.

"I see now." Spakah said, acknowledging her friend's words. "It makes quite a lot of sense, when you think about it." She then stated, "In that case, we should spread what we have learned here today. Both to the Order of Astral and to all who walk this Earth. That it is through the power of unity and the magic of friendship that we can all see the Astral World one day. And with the knowledge we gain through it all, we can truly create a wonderful world; a true utopia." Pausing for a moment, she then turned to her loyal servant, King Hope and said to him, "And in recognition of your newly-gained power, as well as to remind us what we've learned this day... I shall, from now on, call you by a new name: Utopia." The warrior nodded, thanking his master.

Seto and Mana looked on, pleased by what had happened here. They were both happy to have come here to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event in person. Of course, with Seto, he preferred to smile on the inside rather than on the outside: After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

Minutes later, the four of them were now outside of the temple. Pharaoh Seto and Mana were ready to make the (very) long journey back to Egypt, packing their supplies and loading them up onto their chariot. "Thank you again for all of your help, Pharaoh." Sun'Et said politely. "We would have not accomplished so much without you both."

"So on behalf of the Order of Astral, please accept our gift of the very chariot you took on the journey here." Spakah offered. "It's not much, I'm sure, but it is the least we can do for what you have done for us."

"Hey, no problem!" Mana replied. "We're just glad we don't have to make the entire trip back on foot. Not that I'm proud of it, but all of my magician training doesn't get me outdoors much." The other two Priestesses chuckled a bit at her comment.

"So will you be heading back with us as well?" asked Seto.

"No, we will remain here and try to learn as much as we can about the Astral World." Sun'Et explained. "It won't be easy, but I know we can do it..." She then turned to Spakah and added, "as long as my best friend here is willing to lend a hand."

"B...best friend?" asked the purple girl. "You really mean that?"

"I do, Spakah." the yellow girl replied. "You've always been there for me, helping me out, even when my times were at their darkest. I couldn't ask for a better person to call my friend. And I promise that we shall stay friends, even after we've passed on, and through the generations to come."

Shedding a tear of joy upon hearing that, Spakah said to her, "I promise that too, Sun'Et... Thank you." The two of them shared a friendly hug, cementing that nothing could ever come between their bond as friends. The scene even caused Mana to cry a little out of happiness.

Huffing slightly, Seto turned towards the chariot, preparing to get inside. "Come, Mana." he said to his companion. "We're leaving for Egypt."

"Huh? Oh! At once, my Pharaoh!" Mana replied. Turning back over to Sun'Et and Spakah, she said to them, "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. Good luck on finding the Astral World! I know you'll be able to do it!"

"Thank you." Sun'Et replied with a smile. "And best of luck to you and the Pharaoh as well."

"I hope you can use what you've experienced here to better yourselves and your kingdom as a whole." Spakah chimed in.

"We'll do our best to." Mana responded. "Anyway, goodbye! I hope we can meet again someday!" The two Priestesses waved goodbye as the tanned girl hopped into the chariot with Seto, who motioned the horse team to start heading home. Truly, for the Pharaoh of Egypt, his loyal Priestess, and the two from the mysterious Order of Astral, this was something that they would never, ever forget...

Present day:

Finishing her story, Mrs. K said to Dr. Hooves and Derpy, "And that is my full recount of the day that I personally witnessed the emergence of the Astral World."

Needless to say, her guests were astounded by what she had told them both. "That's so... amazing...!" Derpy said. "I can hardly believe that actually happened! And you were there to see it all!"

"I must say, that was quite an amazing tale on your part..." The Doctor stated. "It sounds unbelievable... Luckily for you, with all that I've seen in years, I'm willing to believe in almost anything." Humming a little, he then asked her, "Say... the dragon that you mentioned earlier; the one that the Pharaoh battled against... Would it happen to be...?"

"It is." Kisara answered him, knowing what he was about to ask her. Holding up one of her Number cards, she told him, "The dragon that my master fought is indeed the same one you see on this card. And it was through Dragulon that am able to remember it all perfectly. As one who beared witnessed to the Astral World, my fate, as well as the fates of several other people, are all tied to it. It is for that reason, that we cannot allow its great power to fall into the hands of evil. Unfortunately, it seems as though it has already begun. You know as well as I do that many wicked ones have obtained their own Numbers."

"Indeed." Dr. Hooves said with a nod. "I've so far collected six Number cards myself, all of which were owned by some rather unsavory individuals. However, it seems as though they weren't strong enough to handle the Numbers' power: Many of them acted much more recklessly... and in the most extreme cases, they even developed a completely different persona."

"Yes, it seems as though the Numbers' powers are far too great for most to control, so they end up being controlled BY it." Mrs. K observed. "And it doesn't seem to matter whether that soul is good or evil. The Numbers will amplify their strongest emotions and cause them to behave in a bizarre manner." Closing her eyes and going into deep thought, she then added, "Only a few, such as you and I Doctor, are capable of handling their power will no ill effect. But I fear there may be evil individuals with that same spiritual strength. If a wicked soul can freely control the Numbers' power, it could mean the end for all of us."

"Oh my..." Derpy said with a gasp. "What are we gonna do??"

"All we can do for now is to make sure no more Numbers fall into such hands." Mrs. K replied. "All of us must do whatever we can to obtain the Numbers faster than these wicked individuals, either while they are still blank or by taking one in a Duel. Either way, we must all work fast."

"Hmmmm... you say that 'we' must collect the Numbers quickly..." Dr. Hooves began to say. "Something tells me that you are not simply referring to yourself and I, am I correct?"

"You are." Kisara confirmed. "While I fear that there are evil ones planning to abuse the power granted by Number cards, I am also certain that there are people like us who respect the power of the Astral World and want to use it to save the world, rather than bring it to its ruin. And like us, they have ties to the Astral World in one way or another." She began walking over to a desk in the corner of the room as she spoke to her guests. "In fact," she continued, "I even believe that some of them may even have ties to the ancient Order of Astral, and the Duel Priests and Duel Priestesses that belonged to it."

"You mean like... descendants?" asked Derpy. "Kinda of like you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Mrs. K answered the girl. "Though I wouldn't use the term 'descendants'... Think of it more like... reincarnations?"

"Re-in-car...nations?" the grey girl then inquired. "What does that mean?"

"It means that she isn't merely a relative of someone in the past, Ms. Derpy." Dr. Hooves told his assistant. "Mrs. K IS that someone in the past, but in a new body. In other words, she was reborn as an entirely new person." He then asked the woman, "And you say that there are others like you out there that are supposed to be our allies?"

"That is right." Kisara said with a nod. "But just like I was before I obtained my Number card, they have no memories of their lives in the Order of Astral. In order to ensure the survival of this world, their memoires must be awaked like mine were." She then presented something in front of her guests: They were a small pile of Duel Monsters cards that she had retrieved earlier, when she strolled over to her corner desk.

Gasping, Derpy then said to The Doctor, "Look, Doctor! Those are blank Number cards!"

"They do seem to be, Ms. Derpy..." he replied. "But... why are they still blank, even though Mrs. K is holding them? And furthermore, why are the picture areas different colors?"

"I am not sure why, but I do know this:" Kisara began to explain. "After I received Dragulon and regained my former memories, I also obtained these eight blank cards. Although I can sense that they are Numbers, they have not taken on new forms upon my touch. I strongly suspect that these cards are not meant for me to use; rather they are set aside for certain individuals."

"Ah, I see..." Dr. Hooves responded, understanding what she said. "And perhaps the colors might designate who should wield them."

"That does seem to make sense." Mrs. K said, agreeing with his theory.

"But who do they go to?" asked Derpy. "What exactly DO the colors mean? How are we supposed to use that to figure out who they belong to?"

Before another word could be said, the three of them noticed that one of the eight cards was glowing brightly. "What is this??" asked The Doctor. "Has this ever happened before??"

"No... not at all...!" Mrs. K responded. "This is the first time that I've seen something like this happen!" She went to put them away on the table behind her, but when she was a fair distance away from her guests, the glowing stopped. "Hm? Now it's stopped..." she observed. She then looked back at Dr. Hooves and Derpy, then back at the cards; specifically the one that had put on the light show seconds ago - the one that had a solid brown color in the artwork.

Taking that card and putting the rest away in her corner desk. She walked back over towards The Doctor with the card in front of her. Once she got close enough to him, it began to glow again. She pulled it away for a moment, and the glow faded once more. She then held back up and, right one cue, the light around the card returned. "Could it be...?" she began to ask.

"What?" asked The Doctor. "Do you know what is happening?"

"...I think..." she started to say. She then paused for a moment to think. Once she was done, she then told him, "I think its reacting to you, Doctor."

"To me?" he asked. "Are you sure??"

Closing her eyes in deep thought, she answered him, saying, "Yes... I can sense it... Clearly this card has some sort of connection with you, Dr. Hooves. I believe that it is meant for you."

"Really? It's for him??" asked Derpy.

Nodding yes, Kisara said to The Doctor, "You are tasked with the collection of the Numbers because destiny has foreseen that you will play a great role in this struggle to protect our world and the Astral World from a dark future. And the way that this card reacts to you is proof of that. Therefore, this card is indeed destined to be in your hands." Holding the glowing card out to him, she told him, "Take it. It belongs with you now."

"Are.. you sure about this?" asked Dr. Hooves, who, for the first time in a while, wasn't really sure of the situation before him.

"Quite sure." Mrs. K said with a smile. "It may sound somewhat cliché, but I do believe that this card wants to be with you, and wants to help you save our worlds. So I strongly insist that you take it. Besides, you both came here intending to obtain a Number card, so by taking this, you will have succeeded in doing so this day."

"Hmmm... I suppose that is true." The Doctor figured. "And I also suppose that it would be rude of me of refuse your request - and perhaps the card's request, to take it now." Now sure of what to do, he grasped the card in his right hand and accepted the gift.

"Alright! We've got another Number card!" cheered Derpy. "This is great!!" But then she noticed something peculiar. "H-hey... wait a second, the card's still blank..."

Looking at the card again, Mrs. K noticed this as well and said, "It does seem to be so..." Thinking about it a little more, she came to some sort of conclusion. "Perhaps simply taking the Number card is not enough; otherwise it would have already taken form. There may be more that you must do in order awaken it, but whatever that may be... it seems you may have to find out on your own."

Staring at the blank Number card for a few seconds more, Dr. Hooves slipped it into his deck box, planning to figure out what to do with it at a later time. "Well, in any case," he said to Kisara, "thank you for everything that you have provided for us. And I promise that no one else will hear of what you have told us. But we do hope to use the information you have provided in order to solve the Number mystery."

"Thank you for honoring my wishes." the pale-skinned woman replied. "I wish you good luck in your future endeavors, including the awakening of the Number card I gave to you. Goodbye for now."

"Bye, Mrs. K!" Derpy said to her as she waved. "I'll see you at school!!" As they left, the grey teen then said to The Doctor, "Say, I've got an idea! Maybe that guy from the Astral World who contacted us might know how to wake up that new Number card!"

"Easier said than done, Ms. Derpy." Dr. Hooves told his assistant. "He hasn't spoken to us since the first time we met him. I doubt we'll be able to contact him again, even with the technology within the Tardis."

As Kisara watched the two of them return to the call box-shaped vessel, something about what they had said earlier hung in her mind. "So..." she said to herself, "someone from the Astral World contacted them a while ago..." Thinking about it some more, she then added to her soliloquy, saying, "This is quite strange... Though I know that this man possesses incredible technology at his fingertips... such direct contact with those in the Astral World is impossible..." She then left the room, preparing for her usual routine, still wondering how someone from the Astral World was able to reach Dr. Hooves and Derpy...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 23: School Spirits:

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

RANK 25: Head Games, Part 1:

Author's Note

1948 - 2018

The stores may be going away, but for most of us here, we shall always and forever be Toys "R" Us kids... :raritydespair:

Enjoy the episode.

RANK 25: Head Games, Part 1:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The dangers involved with the battle for the Number cards began to escalate when Sunset and her friends came into contact with several strange people. These individuals came from Skyes Academy, an abandoned and dilapidated school located in the troubled town of Cirrus City. These troublemakers have seen fit to cause constant problems for Sunset and her friends, such as using blank Numbers to possess their classmates. One of them - a cold, cruel woman named Windmistress, attempted to do just that before she was caught by Sunset, who was aided by the school's Hall Monitor, Sweetie Drops (a.k.a. Bon Bon by others).

In a last-ditch effort to get away from them, Windmistress challenged Bon Bon to a Duel. During the match, the intruder's cruelty towards her own cards was made clear, as she had openly stated to Sunset and Bon Bon that she treated them as nothing more than tools and slaves. Bon Bon, who had a very deep connection with her cards, disagreed with Windmistress and was determined to prove that the only way to get respect from their monsters was to give them respect back. This is what allowed her to win her Duel with Windmistress, despite the fact that the intruder had Summoned a Number to fight her with.

Windmistress managed to escape, and even though she had torn the Number card up, Sunset's key necklace, along with the sympathetic feelings that she and Bon Bon had towards it, restored the card. Even though a victory was achieved that day, their battles are taking their toll on her and the others. Luckily, Spring Break is just around the corner for the students of Canterlot High...

It was the end of the school day for the students of Canterlot High School. Once the final bell had rang, everyone rushed to get their things and run right out the front door. There was good reason for this level of excitement among the students...

"Aw YEAH!!! Spring Break at last!!" Rainbow Dash cheered loudly, stretching her arms. "I thought it'd never get here!"

Right behind her were her friends, also excited for the week-long vacation from school. "Woohooo!!" Pinkie Pie shouted with enthusiasm. "This Spring Break is gonna be great! Even better than the last year!! I don't know how yet, but I'll find a way for it to be better, no problem!!"

Sunset, Twilight (with Spike in her backpack), and Rarity emerged from the front doors next. "In any case," Rarity began to say, "it'll be nice to have a week to unwind and not have to stress about anything and everything..."

"You can say that again, Rarity." Sunset told her. "After what happened recently, I could use the break."

"I still can't believe it, even after what you told us." Twilight began to say to her inter-dimensional friend. "You actually managed to confront one of people that have been planting those blank Number cards on people here at the school..."

"Not t' mention that Bon Bon went n' dueled the chick and even managed t' beat her Number card as well!" said Applejack as she and Fluttershy walked outside to join the others. "Ah never knew Bon Bon was that good at duelin', but then again, Ah ain't never seen her duel before..."

"Are you sure it's okay for you to tell us all of this, Sunset...?" asked Fluttershy. "After all, the Principals told you that Bon Bon's secret had to stay...well, secret..."

"It's fine, girls." the red-and-yellow teen informed them all. "After Bon Bon and I told Celestia and Luna about what happened, the four of us decided that it was best for me to tell all of you about everything, including Bon Bon's job at school. I guess it's because since these Numbers are involved in all of this, that she came to this decision."

"I guess that makes sense, especially since I'm also collecting Numbers as well." Twilight remarked.

"So, uh...I guess that means Bon Bon's gonna tell her friend Lyra 'bout the whole thing too?" asked Rainbow Dash

"...She said she'd try, but she isn't sure how she's going to react to the news." Sunset answered her. "She's afraid that Lyra would get mad at her about it. But I told Bon Bon that if Lyra's as good a friend to her as she says she is, then she'll understand."

"I'm sure they will be just fine." Rarity assured her. "It'll take quite a lot to break those two up, believe me."

"I guess so." the jacket-clad girl replied. "Anyway, now's not the time to worry about stuff like that. We've got a whole week off from school, and we don't want to waste it worrying about the Number cards, or intruders, or any of that."

"Sunset's right." agreed Applejack. "We oughtta be focusin' on havin' fun, but most of all, relaxin'!" She then asked Sunset, "So, what're y'all thinkin' of doin' for the week?"

"Glad you asked." the red and yellow girl replied. "There's this small tournament that'll be going on over at the card shop during the week, and I'm thinking of entering it. Just because I want to take my mind off of the Number cards doesn't mean I should stop trying to improve my skills, not to mention have some fun. And besides, I heard the prize is a pretty big one, so that just gives me one more reason to get into it."

"Sounds cool, Sunset." said Rainbow Dash. "As for me, my folks n' I are goin' to Cheese Sandwich's Fun Center sometime next week. I heard they recently fixed up the Go-Kart track after they had a slight accident a few months ago. A good thing, too; it's my favorite thing to do there! Next to the Laser Tag of course..." She then glanced over at Fluttershy and said to her, "You should come with us, Flutters! I'd bet you could tear up that track, no problem!"

Gasping a little, the shy girl replied, saying, "Oh nonononono...th-that's okay, Rainbow Dash. I'd much rather do something that's...a little calmer. Besides, my parents were thinking of taking my brother and I camping for the week."

"That sounds more like something you'd be into, Fluttershy." Rarity stated. "I mean really, Rainbow dear... You know Fluttershy isn't as enthusiastic about things like go-karts or laser tag as you are..."

"Just wanted to include her, that's all..." the cyan girl rebutted. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"I'm happy that you thought of me, Rainbow..." Fluttershy told her, "but I think I'll enjoy the camping trip a little more... As long as my brother doesn't try to go bear-watching again; He has some...difficulties regarding knowing what his limits are, and that almost got us running out of the campground..."

"Well, I hope you have a wonderful time there, darling." Rarity told her. "As for me, Sweetie Belle and I are taking a trip to Manehatten for their annual Spring Fashion show! Oh, how I've dreamt of being there in the audience, watching the models display such MARVELOUS outfits by the most skilled designers in the country and even the world!" Turning over to Pinkie Pie, she said to her, "Pinkie dear, I cannot thank you enough for getting those tickets for the three of us!"

"Aw, it was no biggie, Rarity!" the pink-colored girl told her. "I know how much you like that sorta stuff, so there was no way I wasn't gonna invite ya! Of course, I'm going there for the buffet; more specifically, the dessert smorgasbord!" Pinkie's lips were already salivating at the thought of chowing down on all of those sweet treats that would be served during the show.

"What about you, Applejack?" asked Twilight. "What are you going to do during your week off?"

"Even need t' ask, Twi?" inquired the farm girl as if the answer is obvious. "The same thing Ah always do, school day or not: And that's workin' on the farm!"

"You're just gonna work the whole week?" asked Rainbow Dash, a bit confused. "You ain't gonna relax and take it easy like the rest of us are?"

"Workin' on the farm IS how Ah relax n' take it easy!" Applejack informed her. "Besides, once school's over for the year, the county fair'll be just around the corner, and we'll need t' be ready if we wanna win the Outstanding Farm Family Award this year. That honor only goes to the most successful, most dedicated, and most hard-workin' farm family in these parts, and we can't afford t' slack off and let someone else pass us by!"

"Well, as long as you're doing something you like to do, I suppose that's okay with all of us." Sunset replied. "You give it your all out there, AJ."

"You know Ah will." Applejack then turned over to Twilight and asked her, "So, what about you, Twi? What're y'all gonna do durin' the break?"

"Um...me?" asked the young Princess. "I...never really gave it much thought, to be honest."

"Well, I suppose you'll think of something soon enough." Rarity told her. "Just don't go and spend too long thinking about it, or the week will slip right by before you even notice!"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks..." Twilight replied, still not sure about what her plans would be.

Later on, as Sunset and Twilight returned to their apartment, Spike immediately hopped out of the backpack and began stretching his legs. "Aw yeah..." he said to himself, "after being cooped up in that bag all day, it sure feels good to get out and stretch a bit."

"I guess it would." Twilight replied. "I'm sorry that you have to sit in there all day while I'm at school, but you know I can't let you come out all the time when we're there."

"I know, I know..." the dragon-turned-puppy said to her. "Who cares right now anyway? All that matters is that we've got a whole week to just sit around at home and enjoy ourselves!"

"...Sit around at home..." the purple girl said to herself. She then strolled into the bedroom and looked around at all of the things around her. The first thing she saw was the picture that Sunset had hung up on the wall, which showed her and Princess Celestia at an amusement park. Then she glanced down at the writing desk below the picture, where Sunset's magic journal was sitting. Twilight let out a deep sigh to herself after looking around.

"Something on your mind?" asked Sunset, walking into the bedroom.

"...Nothing much." Twilight replied. "Just...feeling a little homesick, that's all."

"...I thought so." the red and yellow girl replied. "After all, this is the longest amount of time you've stayed in this world. You've been here for a few months, so I can imagine that you'd be missing your home by now."

"I do, Sunset..." the Princess of Friendship told her. "I knew deep down, that I'd be here for a while until this whole Number card business was sorted out, but still...it doesn't make it any easier for me whenever I think about it." She then let out another sad-sounding sigh after saying all of that.

Sunset patted her friend on the shoulder, feeling sorry for her. She then glanced over at her journal on the desk, staring at it for a while. Putting on a serious look, she then said to the young Princess, "Twilight, I think I might have an idea of what you could do during Spring Break."

"You do...?" asked the purple girl.

Nodding and smiling, she then told her, "I think you should go spend it back home...in Equestria."

"Huh??" Twilight said, not expecting to hear Sunset suggest that. "You really think I should?" she then asked.

"I do." Sunset told her. "It's obvious that you miss being there, having been away for so long helping me and my friends out. After all, I've been away from Equestria for several years... And deep down, I miss my old home, too. That's how I could tell that you were feeling so homesick...and it's for that reason that I think going back there for a while might do you some good."

Thinking about it for a while, Twilight then admitted, "I guess you're right: I can't just keep all of those feelings bottled up inside me, or they may affect me when I'm trying to help you and the others out. Up until now, I've been trying my best to push them aside so that I could focus on my job here, but I suppose it isn't healthy for me to keep doing that forever... And besides, my friends back home probably miss me just as much as I miss them, so it would be a good thing for them as well if I paid them a quick visit."

Nodding and smiling, Sunset told her friend, "I was thinking the same thing: You've got friends back in Equestria that would love to see you again, even if it's just for a week. You'd be doing them and yourself a favor by going to see them."

"Then it's decided:" Twilight stated. "I'm spending my Spring Break with my friends in Equestria!" Having made that decision, she turned over towards Spike - who was sitting on the sofa and watching TV, and shouted to him, "Spike! We're going back home for the week!"

Upon hearing the news, the puppy gagged a bit as he had a mouthful of pretzels in his mouth at the time. Once he stopped he asked her, "We're doing WHAT?!? We're goin' back home already?!"

"Just for the week." the Princess of Friendship reminded him. "So that we can see our friends again and tell them about everything that's happened so far."

"Oh, I see..." Spike replied, understanding. "Well, I'm cool with it if you are, Twilight!"

The purple girl nodded yes to say that she was. Turning back over to Sunset, she then said to her, "Sunset...thanks for making that suggestion. I was considering it, but I wasn't sure if I should go through with it or not. So again, thank you."

"My pleasure, Twilight." the red and yellow girl told her. "Just focus on having a good time with your friends and refreshing your spirit. That's all I ask of you."

"I will." Twilight replied. She then gave her a friendly hug to show how much she appreciated her help. Sunset blushed a bit, not expecting the hug, but smiled and returned the favor.

Later that night, Sunset and Twilight were already fast asleep in their bed, while Spike remained on the couch, his snoring sounding almost like a saw slowly cutting into a log. Luckily, Sunset and Twilight were pretty heavy sleepers (that and their door was closed), so they hardly noticed him...but that also meant that they didn't hear the sounds of clicking near the door to the apartment. After a while, the clicking stopped and the door opened. On the other side was a figure cloaked in the darkness of the room around him.

The figure was none other than Lucky, one of the two people that had appeared at the Apple Family Farm a while ago. Back then, he - along with Ms. Skyblaze, a disgraced CHS teacher, were trying to steal a Duel Monsters Deck that belonged to Babs Seed, but were forced to flee. Now, he had made his way into Sunset's apartment, having picked open the lock to her door.

Looking around the dark room as best he could, the young man thought to himself, (Tch...what a waste of my time... Having to track down this Sunset chick...) Looking over at the closed door leading into the bedroom, he then said to himself, at a low volume, "She's probably in there, but if I try and open the door, she might hear me... And since she already knows what I look like, she'll know that I'm up t' somethin'..." Huffing a little, he then added, "No big deal... I'm here for a different reason anyway, so I might as well let sleeping dogs lie." After he had made that comment, he then heard Spike's snoring, causing him to glance over at the puppy. Huffing once more, he walked away from the sofa.

Lucky made his way over to the large table in the living room area, where Sunset and Twilight had left their backpacks, one brown and one blue. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a Duel Monsters card and slipped it into the front pocket of the blue bag. After doing this, he then quietly left the apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. Sighing a bit to himself, he then asked in his mind, (So what was up with that? What's this beef Chrysalis has with that Sunset chick?) He then thought back a bit, to an event that occurred over a week ago...

Skyes Academy; Cirrus City

Walking into one of the trashed classrooms in the abandoned Skyes Academy school, the woman known as Windmistress, donning a long cloak, said to the people inside, "Lucky, Pumpkin Pie... Mistress Chrysalis wishes to see us all. Come into the Teacher's Lounge immediately. I have already informed the others as well." After making that order, Windmistress left the room.

"Pfft...what does she want this time?" asked Lucky, not really caring that much.

"Whatever it is, it must be important if she's going to tell us all herself, rather than have Windy do all the talking for her." Pumpkin responded. "In any case, we'd better go and see what she wants. After all, it's not like you're doing anything important right now anyway."

"Rrgh...fine, whatever." the young man responded in a slightly annoyed tone. "Let's get this overwith..." The two of them left the ruined classroom and walked down the debris-filled hallway. As they did, they saw someone else walking alongside them. "So..." Lucky asked the other person, "whad'ya think this meeting's about, Skyblaze?"

"Not sure." the light blue-skinned woman stated. "Windmistress didn't say a thing about it, which likely means that Chrysalis didn't tell HER what it was about."

"Tch...why's that lady gotta be so secretive about everything?!" said the voice of a fourth person that joined up with them. It was none other than Chet, the Duelist that Soarin had defeated in the Turbo Duel Tournament some time ago. "If she's got somethin' to say, why doesn't she just tell us?!"

"You had best hold your tongue, Chet..." said Windmistress, walking ahead of them. "Mistress Chrysalis has her reasons, and it is not your business to question them! So be patient and you'll see soon enough why she asked us to meet with her." The jock grumbled, but did as she told him to.

Eventually, the five of them had made their way into the Teacher's Lounge where Chrysalis was waiting for them. In addition, two other figures were in the room as well, preferring to sit in a dark corner of them room; as a result, their faces and everything else were mostly hidden from view. After looking around the room to make sure that everyone was accounted for, Chrysalis spoke to the group, saying, "Now that all of you have arrived, there are a few matters to discuss... As you all know, I have gathered you all here because we all share one goal in mind: To take revenge on all those who wronged us. I have personally searched each and every one of you out in order to ensure that we all get what we desire most. After all, if that wretched world out there won't give us any respect, then we'll TAKE it!"

The others nodded to say that they understood her words.

"And now, after so long, we finally have the power we need to carry out our goals!" Chrysalis continued, showing them four Duel Monsters cards, with the backsides facing the other people in the room. "To you, they may appear to be ordinary cards..." the sinister woman told them, "but they are anything BUT that: They carry a power that is not of this world. When I first encountered these four cards and held them in my hands, I received that power myself. Now these cards - the Numbers, are fully under my control! And that even goes for the ones that have yet to awaken."

"Yet to awaken?" asked Pumpkin Pie. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Allow me to show you." Chrysalis told her, pulling a few more cards out of a binder she had next to her. This time, she showed the front of one of those cards to them, revealing that it was almost completely blank. "This is a Number card in its purest form; a literal blank slate. When a person comes into contact with one, that person's desires and feelings shape it into a new form. In the most simplest of terms, these Numbers have near-unlimited potential! They are the ultimate weapons for Duelists!"

"Ultimate weapons?" asked Chet. "Heh...I like the sound of that."

"Of course," Chrysalis continued, putting the blank cards aside for the moment, "not everyone can handle their power, it seems... If their willpower is not strong enough, then they are the ones that fall under control. But I have no doubt that at least a few of you here have the willpower to handle one. For now, the power that I have gained will suppress their power, so much that even blank Number cards cannot take form unless the spell is broken. Right now, only Windmistress and I have the power to do so."

"Then what use are we to you?" asked Lucky, in his usual uncaring attitude.

"Not to worry..." Chrysalis told him, wagging her pointer finger. "Now that I know that my power to hold back the Numbers' power works, we can now move on to the next part of the plan. But first, I must give the six of you the same power that Windmistress and I have, so that you can do your part..." Holding her four already-awakened Numbers in her left hand, Chrysalis put out her right hand towards the rest of the people in the room. Then, a shadowy cloud flowed from out of her palm and split itself into six smaller pieces, each of which flowed into the foreheads of everyone other than Windmistress.

"There...now you each have the ability to break the seals I placed on the blank Numbers that I've collected. With that power, you will be able to plant them on the individuals that I want and allow the Numbers to overtake their mind and soul, and put them under my control. With them, we will collect all the remaining Number cards and gain the power we need to punish this despicable world for the crimes that it committed against us!"

"Seems a bit elaborate, if you don't mind me saying." Ms. Skyeblaze stated, a bit skeptical about the plan. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Of course it will work!" Windmistress snapped. "You dare to doubt Mistress Chrysalis? If she says it will work, it will!"

"Calm down, Windmistress..." said the jet-black woman. "I must admit, I'm not surprised she would be concerned... But rest assured, I am quite confident that we shall get what we wish for in the end. I've done all the hard work already; the rest is simply up to you to place these blank cards on whomever I tell you to. Do that, and there's nothing to worry about." Pausing for a moment and walking over to a mirror in the back of the room, she then said, "Now that that's out of the way, I have others matters I wish to discuss: Chet, did you accomplish what I asked of you at the tournament in Cloudsdale Stadium?"

"Peh heh...I sure did, Chrysalis." the red-colored jock replied. "I may not've been able to beat that jerk, Soarin...but I got all the info I needed about him and the Turbo Duel team he's on." He then pulled out a stack of papers from out of his sports jacket and presented them to Chrysalis.

Looking at the papers, the sinister woman chuckled and said, "Yes...not bad, I must admit. You performed better than I thought you would have... Any one of the Wonderbolts would make for a good candidate for one of my blank Numbers..." She then put the papers away and walked over to Windmistress. "Next..." she told her, "I have an assignment for you that I want you to carry out within the next few days..."

"What is it you wish for me to do, Mistress Chrysalis?" asked the dark-grey woman.

Holding a blank card and handing it to her, Chrysalis instructed, "You are to go to Canterlot High School and plant this Number card on a certain target. I've decided that one of the Gym Teachers - the one named Iron Will, should prove to be a suitable host for it."

"Understood." Windmistress replied with a bow. "Your wish is my command."

"Just make sure that this time, you place this card on the correct person." Chrysalis urged her. "I will not accept any mistakes this time around." She then moved onto Lucky and said to him, "Finally, there's a matter with you that needs to be addressed right now..."

"Oh really?" the young man asked. "What?"

"Out of everyone here," the woman told him, "you are the only one that isn't a Duelist... But that ends today." She then walked over to a cabinet on the right-hand wall and opened it up. Inside was a Duel Pad with a Deck loaded into it, along with a Duel Gazer. Taking the D-Pad and walking back over to him, she told Lucky, "Take these...you will use this Deck on my behalf. I have constructed it for you so that you call start pulling your weight around here."

Grumbling a little, Lucky then asked, "Seriously...? Do I have to?"

"I know you desire revenge on the world as much as all of us here..." Chrysalis reminded him. "Until now, I've put up with your unwillingness to co-operate with the others, but no more: You will carry out my orders from this point forward, whether you like it or not... Otherwise, you'll never get what you want."

"Tch...fine..." Lucky scowled, taking the Duel Pad and Gazer. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't feel like arguing about it.

Satisfied, Chrysalis then told her underlings, "That is all for this meeting. For now, you are all dismissed." The seven of them nodded and left the room. Chrysalis remained in the Teacher's Lounge, looking at herself in the mirror that hung over a desk set up in the back. Sitting on the desk were numerous cosmetic products...

After recalling the events of that meeting in his mind, Lucky sighed to himself and thought, (Not long after that, Chrysalis ordered me to take one of the blank Number cards and plant it here in that Sunset chick's apartment... I still ain't sure what the deal is, but that lady's fixated on Sunset for some reason... Whatever, it ain't anything I need t' keep thinkin' about. In any case, my job's done, so I'm outta here...) Lucky then left the apartment building as quickly and as quietly as he entered it.

The next morning, Sunset, Twilight, and Spike all had a quick meal for breakfast so that they could spend as much time as they needed to get their things together. The young Princess was getting ready to take a trip back home to Equestria during Spring Break Week. Yesterday, using Sunset's magic journal, Twilight had written a message to her friends that she would be paying them a visit, and to let the Princesses know about it. This morning, they found a reply back, saying that everything was in order, and that everypony back home would be there to greet her.

After putting away everything she planned on bringing with her inside of her blue backpack, Twilight smiled and said, "I think that just about does it. I promised my friends back home that I'd bring back some souvenirs from this world."

"That sounds like a good idea to me." Sunset told her friend. "After all, we both know that inanimate objects usually stay the same even when crossing through different dimensions." She then asked, "So, is everypony expecting you to arrive?"

"That's what Rarity wrote in your journal to tell me." the purple girl answered. "She said that everypony will be there to see me once I come out of the portal."

"That's good to know." the red-and-yellow teen replied. "Whatever the case, it sounds like they're really excited to see you again."

"They are." Twilight told her. "And I'm excited to see them too, and I can't wait to tell them all about what's happened so far!"

"In that case, we'd better get to the portal right away." Sunset responded after putting on her black jacket. "No sense in sitting around here and wasting any more time, right?"

"Yeah, let's get goin'!" cheered Spike, hoping up onto Twilight's shoulder. "I can't wait another second!"

Giggling a little, the Princess of Friendship nodded and said, "Let's go, everyone!" And with that, the three of them left the apartment building together.

Reaching the front entrance of the school, the trio walked over to the large horse statue that housed the portal between this world and Equestria. Looking around, Twilight then asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Probably still working on their own Spring Break plans, I guess." Sunset told her. "Rarity told me that she, her sister, and Pinkie Pie, had to get up real early to catch the bus to Manehatten on time. When Fluttershy called me, she and her family were already on the road to the campgrounds. I wasn't able to get a hold of Rainbow or AJ, so I guess they're both busy too... But they all know what's going on, and they told me to tell you to have a good time."

"I see..." Twilight replied. "Then tell them that I will, and I hope that all of them have a good Spring Break, too."

"I'll let them know." the jacket-wearing girl said with a nod. Rubbing the back of her head she then asked her, "So...uh, I guess I'll see you later, huh?"

"I guess so..." the young Princess replied.

The two just stood there, not moving or saying a word. Even though Twilight was just leaving for the week, it seemed as though the two weren't ready to say goodbye just yet. "Huh...I gotta say, it'll be weird not seeing you for a while after having you live with me in the apartment for a long time..." Sunset told her friend.

"I know...my brain's saying 'go', but my legs don't seem to be listening..." Twilight said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, you can't just stand here forever, ya know?" Spike reminded her. "Everypony back home's expecting us to show up, and we don't wanna disappoint them, right?"

"Yeah, you're right." the purple-skinned girl agreed. Giving her otherworldly friend a goodbye hug, she told her, "Good luck in your tournament, Sunset."

"Thanks." the red-and-yellow girl responded. "You have a good time back in Equestria, Twilight." The young Princess nodded to say that she would. Sunset then asked her, "Also...i-if it's not too much trouble, Twilight... Could...could you tell Princess Celestia about...about that thing I asked you about back on your first night here? About wanting to see her one day to apologize to her...?"

Twilight wasn't expecting her friend to ask that of her so soon, but understood her reasons for asking that now. "Sure, I'll pass the message along..." she told her. "...And I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about her not accepting your request."

Sunset chuckled a bit, telling her, "Yeah, I guess really shouldn't worry about something like that... I guess now all I'm hoping is that my visit back doesn't have anything to do with some sort of new crisis or something... Though, knowing our luck by this point, that's probably what will happen."

Twilight giggled a bit herself. She then stepped back away from her friend and said, "Well, goodbye Sunset... I'll see you next week. And I'll be rooting for you in spirit to win that tournament."

"Thanks. See you, Twilight." the jacket-wearing girl told her. "You have fun on your Spring Break." The young Princess nodded and slowly stepped through the portal leading back to her home world. After she disappeared, Sunset sighed a bit sad to see her friend leave even for a little while. But she looked at the Duel Pad on her arm and smiled, knowing that even though they were worlds apart, they would still be there to support each other. "You watch me, Twilight..." she said to herself, "I'll win this tournament for the both of us." She then left the school grounds, ready to take on her next challenge...

Ponyville, Equestria: Time 9:27 a.m.

In the meeting hall of Twilight's castle in Ponyville, five ponies were standing or sitting in front of the large mirror that served as a gateway between this world, and the world that Sunset Shimmer lived in. They were, of course, Twilight's friends in Equestria and the four-legged counterparts of Sunset's friends: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The five of them were waiting for the return of their purple Alicorn friend after she had told them that she would be visiting for the week.

Looking away from the magazine that she was reading and glancing at a nearby grandfather clock, Rarity said to the others, "Twilight should be arriving any moment now... According to the entry she wrote in the journal, she should be here by around 9:30 or so."

"I'm just glad that I'll get a break from house-sitting for Twilight for a coupla days..." Rainbow Dash stated. "It gets so boring after a while and I can only re-read the entire Daring Do series before I start losing interest... Granted, that hasn't happened YET, but still...y'know?"

"I just hope Twilight comes back okay through the portal..." Fluttershy told them all. "I'd hate to think what would happen if something went wrong on her way over here..."

"Yeah, I know..." Pinkie Pie responded. "I mean, just think: She could come out the portal with two heads! Or she'd come out as a tiny little spider! Or-or-or MAYBE she'd come out and she would become a stallion! Or a lizard! Or perhaps-"

"Pinkie! Cut that out!" Applejack shouted. "You're scarin' Fluttershy with all o' that stuff you're sayin'!" Pointing over with her hoof, she showed her that the yellow Pegasus was trembling with worry after hearing about all of the ways that Twilight's trip could go wrong.

Realizing that she had unintentionally frightened her friend, the pink pony then told her, "Um...sorry about that Fluttershy... I'm SURE Twilight'll come back safe and sound!"

"You really think so?" asked the timid mare.

"Undoubtedly, indisputably, and undeniably!"

"Pinkie, darling...have you been reading Twilight's thesaurus again?" Rarity asked her.

Rubbing the back of her head, the silly pony answered, saying, "Well.. I have to agree with Dashie that it DOES get kinda dull around here watching the castle, so..."

But her sentence was interrupted when the giant mirror began to glow brightly. Knowing what that meant, the five ponies in the room stopped what they were doing and stood in front of the mirror to see what would happen. Their faces lit up with glee when they saw Twilight Sparkle emerging from the portal, standing on her hind legs. "Alright! We made it back!" said the young Princess. She looked over at the clock in the room, which displayed a time of 9:30 a.m. "And right on time, too."

"That's good." said Spike, popping out of one of Twilight's saddlebags. Now that they were back home, he had returned to his dragon form. Noticing something peculiar, he then asked his friend, "Um, Twilight?"

"What is it?" asked the purple Alicorn. "Is everything okay?" Getting a little worried, she then inquired him, "Don't tell me something weird happened during our trip back home? There's nothing growing on the side of my body is there??"

"...I was just going to tell you that you're still standing on just your back legs." Spike informed her.

"My back legs...?" Looking at herself, she then realized that she was still standing like a human would. "...Oh. Right." she responded, blushing a bit. Giggling a little out of embarrassment, she promptly got down on all fours. "Thanks, Spike... I guess I just got used to that after so long."

"Welcome back, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said in an excited tone. "It's so good to see you again after so long!!" As she said that, she gave her Princess friend a super-strong bear hug. "Oh, you have no IDEA how much we've missed you! When I heard that you were coming back, I couldn't wait another SECOND to meet you again!!"

Struggling to breathe a little from the hug that her pink friend was giving her, Twilight said in a strained voice, "P...Pinkie...! Can you...urrgh...can you ease up a bit...? I...can't breathe...!"

Hearing her friend's voice, Pinkie Pie immediately released her grip, allowing Twilight to catch her breath. "Oops...sorry, Twilight...!" the pink pony apologized. "I just missed you so much, I guess I couldn't control myself!"

Fully recovering from her silly friend's sign of affection, the Princess of Friendship simply chuckled a little and said, "It's okay, Pinkie... I know how much you and the others must have missed me since I left for Sunset's world." Looking over at the rest of her Ponyville friends, she said to them, "It's so great to see you all again, too. I can't wait to tell you about everything that's happened so far!"

"Then let's STOP waitin' and get over t' the meetin' table so you can tell us!" suggested Applejack.

"Yeah, AJ's right!" Rainbow Dash agreed. "I wanna know about everything!"

"Now, now...don't rush Twilight, girls." Rarity told them. "The poor girl must be tired after her trip back here... I can't imagine how harrowing a trip from one universe to another can be..."

"Oh, don't worry about me, Rarity." Twilight assured her. "As intense as it is, you get used to it after a while. Though Spike DID nearly throw up when I went there to help Sunset with the Dazzlings."

"I did not!" argued the little dragon, getting a little embarrassed. "A-anyway, let's just go and tell the others about what's been going on so far, okay?" he recommended, blushing and pouting a little.

"Alright, alright..." the young Princess replied. "C'mon, everypony. Let's go sit at the meeting table and I'll tell you about everything." The others nodded and left for the table together.

For the next few minutes, Twilight Sparkle had told her pony friends about the battles she had faced, and the foes that she confronted in her mission to help Sunset Shimmer collect the scattered Number cards. She had also told them about how powerful their human counterparts were when it came to playing Duel Monsters, and how they had helped her learn how to duel so that she could combat the Numbers and defeat them.

"Woah..." said an impressed Rainbow Dash. "I never thought that a card game could get as intense as you described it... The only time I remember really getting pumped up while playing cards was when Pinkie n' I had that game of War last week."

"I heard you talking about that..." Fluttershy noted. "Who won?"

"You don't 'win' at War, Fluttershy..." Pinkie said in an eerily serious voice. "...You survive."

"...But...who actually won?" asked Applejack next.

"Oh, I did!" the pink Earth Pony answered, dropping the serious voice instantly.

"Big deal...you lucked out and got all of the Aces in your deck." the rainbow-maned Pegasus told her, a bit annoyed that she had lost a game to her, but trying her best to be civil about it.

Clearing her throat, Rarity then asked Twilight, "Um...getting back on subject, could you possibly show us some of these cards that you were talking about? I'm curious to see what they look like."

"Well, all of you DID see what they typically look like after I showed you Utopia's card on the day I left, but sure!" Twilight replied, using her magic to pull out her deck box. She then opened it and showed her friends all of the cards that she had gotten; both from Sunset as well as the ones that she had collected herself.

"So these are the cards y'all were talkin' about?" asked Applejack. "Ah must say, they've got some...interestin' artwork."

"Yes...quite interesting indeed." Rarity chimed in, blushing a little as she stared at a copy of Gagaga Magician. Spike noticed this and huffed a little after looking at the card himself.

"I kinda like that big stone guy here." Rainbow Dash commented, referring to the card Gogogo Golem. "He looks like he's really tough!"

"Yeah, I'll betcha Maud'll get a kick out of seeing it, too!" Pinkie Pie added. "She'll be so super-excited, I just know it!"

Staring at the cards for a while, Fluttershy hummed a bit and began to say, "They do seem a bit...unusual..."

"That's what I thought too the first time I saw them." Twilight told her shy Pegasus friend. "The artwork on these cards is pretty bizarre, but after a while, it does start to grow on you."

"Well, um...yes, I suppose that's true..." Fluttershy responded, "but I actually meant that...well, they don't seem like the kinds of cards I would have expected you to use... N-not to go against your choices of course! I'm sure you had a good reason for picking them!"

"Yeah, she does kinda have a point, Twi..." Rainbow Dash commented next. "From what I know about trading cards like these, I would've expected your deck t' be somethin' like, I dunno...magicians or...some kind of...smarty...stuff or somethin'... Somethin' that represents your personality more, y'know?"

"...And how would YOU know 'bout stuff like that, Dash?" asked Applejack slyly. "Last Ah heard, you said that playin' tradin' card games were for 'eggheady nerds' n' stuff."

"I-I-I never said I played them!" the cyan Pegasus rebutted. "I...I've just seen OTHER ponies playin' them, that's all!"

Giggling a little at Dash's awkward moment, Twilight spoke up and told them all, "I do admit; the cards I chose for this Deck don't seem like what somepony would expect me to choose... But there's a very good reason why I picked these cards out of the hundreds and hundreds that Sunset had."

"Oooh! Oooh! Is there some super-deep meaning behind why you picked these cards?" asked Pinkie Pie. "A deep meaning that will probably double as some kinda major life lesson at the end?"

Giggling again, the purple Alicorn told her, "Well, actually it's quite simple: I picked these cards out because...I liked them."

The other five ponies sat there silently for a while; like Pinkie, they were expecting more of an explanation than that. "That's it?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I thought there'd be more to it than that..."

"There really isn't, to be honest." Twilight replied. "When Sunset was helping me pick out my cards, she told me that the most important thing for me when building my Deck was to choose the cards that I liked the most. Of course, good balance with your cards was important too, but she told me that it was even more important to play the Deck that I'll enjoy playing with the most. That way, no matter what, I'll always have fun in a Duel!"

The five ponies looked at each other, again not expecting such an answer. But after a while, they smiled at each other, understanding where Twilight was coming from. "That was very well said, Twilight dear." Rarity told her Princess friend. "And you're absolutely right. Whether or not someone feels as though your Deck - or anything else for that matter, fits your personality best or not, as long as you enjoy using it, that should be all that matters."

"Thanks." Twilight told the white Unicorn. "I feel the same way about it, as well."

"Um...I'm sorry if I sounded insensitive, Twilight..." Fluttershy spoke meekly. "I was just curious, that's all..."

"It's alright, Fluttershy." the young Princess replied. "Believe me, there's nothing wrong with being curious and asking a question about something. So don't feel bad about it." She then said to the others, "And besides, if I'm playing the cards that I like the most, then my Deck must fit my personality the best after all!"

"That's a good way t' think about it." Applejack stated. "The most important part about playin' a game is to enjoy yourself."

"And winning." Rainbow Dash added. "Ya can't forget that... But yeah, it's important t' have fun too."

Twilight was happy to hear that her friends understood why she chose the cards for her Deck. Looking at her cards again, she then added, "Still, I can tell that you were hoping for a deeper meaning as to why I made my choices... And I guess there might be a reason for it that I wasn't aware of at the time, but one that just might have influenced my decisions..." The Princess of Friendship then rearranged her cards so that ones that partially shared names with each other were placed together. "As you can see, my cards are split into four smaller groups, which Sunset and other Duelists call, 'archetypes': Gagaga cards, Gogogo cards, Dododo cards, and Zubaba cards."

"Hmmm...I see. But what does it mean?" asked Rarity.

"Well, on the surface, these archetypes seem like they're separate from each other..." Twilight pointed out. "But if you look a little bit closer at them, you realize that they have more in common with one another than somepony would think. While they have their own smaller strategies and support of their own, in the end, they all know that they're working towards the same goal, and because of that, they are more than willing to support each other in battle...as allies, and more importantly, as friends."

"Ooooohhhhh...NOW I get it...!" Pinkie Pie said. "You picked these cards out because - somehow, you knew that they were like best friends, and they would help each other, even though you never SAW the cards before!"

"Well, that don't surprise me none." Applejack chimed in. "After all, Twi IS the Princess of Friendship for a reason. She can sense things like that even when nopony else can, almost like a psychic."

"Well, I don't know about that, AJ..." Twilight replied, remaining humble about such things, "but I guess that's one way you could see it." While using her magic to put her Deck back together and shuffle it, she added, "In the end though, I'm happy with the choices I made for my Deck, and I don't regret them."

"So...what about those Number card things?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Those cards that the big, golden armor guy was talkin' about before you left?"

Humming in thought for a while, Twilight then responded, saying, "I guess I can show them to you...but don't touch them: I'm not sure what these cards could do to you, if anything..." She then used her magic to pull out five black cards that were in her Extra Deck: Four were the Number cards that she had obtained so far: Number 11: Big Eye, Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja, Number 59: Crooked Cook, and of course, her first Number card, Number 39: Utopia. The fifth card was of Utopia's more powerful form: Number C39: Utopia Ray, which she had gotten with the help of Discord.

"So these are the Number cards..." said Fluttershy. "Some of them look really scary...except for Utopia, of course."

"They were." agreed Twilight. "As well as the people who used them. Those Number cards made them act more malicious, using their deepest wishes as fuel for their power. All except for Utopia for some reason. Not once has he ever tried to control me like the others; in fact, he's been my biggest help in my battles against them. He treats me as an equal and I treat him the same way."

"It sure seems that the two of you trust each other a lot..." Rarity stated. "And a good thing too, if what you say about these Numbers is true. After all, they certainly look quite beastly, these other three..."

"Not to mention they've all got that weirdo text written on 'em..." Rainbow Dash informed them. "That stuff's creepy enough to begin with. And you can read that stuff like it's nothing, Twi?"

"Yeah, I still don't seem to know why, either." the purple Alicorn told her. "I've read about all kinds of different languages with Princess Celestia while I was her student, and I've never seen writing like this before... But the weirdest part about it is that...despite all of that, it looks...familiar somehow."

"Familiar how?" asked Applejack.

"I don't know yet, but right now it isn't important." Twilight told her while putting the cards away in her deck box. "Right now, I'm not going to think about stuff like the Number cards or when the next one will show up. All I care about right now is enjoying my Spring Break Week with my friends, and that's what I'm doing!"

"I couldn't agree more!!" shouted Pinkie Pie, enthusiastic about having fun with her friends. "So let's stop sitting around like bumps on a log and have some fun!!"

"Yeah, let's go already!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, flying into the air and doing some small loop-de-loops; one could tell that she was ready to enjoy the week with Twilight and the others.

"So, what do you have planned first, Twilight...?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, that's the thing... I decided that, for once, a planned schedule of things to do wouldn't be best for this occasion." the normally-super-organized Alicorn told them. "I think our week together will be a lot more fun if we just made our plan as we go!"

"So we just do whatever we feel like?" asked Applejack. "Never would've expected t' hear that from ya, Twi... But Ah like it!"

"I suppose that idea sounds good to me, too." Rarity said, agreeing with them.

"Yeah! I'm all for it, too!" Spike added, liking the "no plan" plan as well. The others nodded to say that they did, too.

"Well, if we're all in agreement, let's go and find something fun to do!" Twilight announced with a smile. The others cheered in response, ready to make the most of the their day together.

The six-strong group of ponies - plus one dragon, left Twilight's castle and strolled around Ponyville and its surroundings. It wasn't long before they happened across the large swimming lake not far from town. Since the weather was nice and there was nopony there, the seven of them decided to make that their first stop. They raced over to the lake and began having fun there in their own ways. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had a little diving competition with each other to see who could make the best and biggest splash. They both jumped in at the same time, each of them creating quite an impressive splash. They eventually rose up to the water surface, each one declaring themselves the winner, even though neither of them actually knew who did the best dive.

But they didn't have much time to argue about it before both ponies were struck by a pair of brightly-colored water balloons. Dash and AJ looked over to see that the pony behind the water balloon attack was none other than Pinkie Pie, who had a whole bucket full of them beside her (apparently, the pink pony had them set up all around Ponyville for just this sort of occasion, according to her). The orange and cyan ponies smirked at each other and decided to play Pinkie's game, and the three of them were all engaged in an epic water balloon war.

Fluttershy, of course, was staying quite far away from all of that excitement. Instead, she had dove underwater in search of the aquatic animals that lived there. It wasn't long before several small schools of fish swam towards the yellow Pegasus. The fish made several bubbling noises underwater, which Fluttershy seemed to be able to understand. She made some bubbling noises herself, talking to them for a short time before needing to resurface for air.

Rarity, in the meantime, was taking it easy, lying down on one of the beach chairs that were set up around the lake, in the shade of a large umbrella. Spike was also there, ready and willing to get whatever the beautiful white Unicorn needed, like a drink or her favorite hoof-held fan to cool herself off. Twilight, as always, had brought along some reading material to entertain herself while also relaxing on a beach chair, right next to Rarity.

After spending a few hours at the lake, the six ponies and dragon wandered over to Sugarcube Corner. Today, the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake had announced that they had some new treats for sale, and as a result, the shop was quite busy (but it was nothing they couldn't handle). Twilight and the others decided that taking a little dessert break would be a fun thing for them to do. They walked into the store and stared at all of the delicious baked goods on display. Pinkie Pie then saw that her favorite pie flavor was available, and since she had an employee discount, she did not hesitate to buy it. She then offered to share the pie with Rainbow Dash, but the Pegasus politely refused, telling the pink Earth Pony that she had already ate some pie yesterday (though in actuality, she did not; Rainbow Dash did not care for pie, but felt uneasy telling that to Pinkie). Instead, the cyan pony got some jelly-filled donuts with rainbow sprinkles for herself. After everypony (and dragon) got what they wanted, they sat down at a table inside and enjoyed their treats together.

Later that afternoon, after returning home to freshen up, the group reunited at the Ponyville Movie Theater to see a film together. After paying for their tickets, the seven of them walked over to their seats, each one carrying some snacks and drinks from the concession stand. The movie that played was a very popular one, involving a school for training superheroes, in which one of its students was a young freckled colt with a messy dark-green mane who - at first glance, didn't seem to have any superpowers. The movie had a nice mixture of action-adventure and comedy, as well as several interesting characters, including a young, brown-maned filly who could make things float in mid-air (her bubbly and cheerful personality immediately made Pinkie Pie a fan of her), as well as a mare with a sea-green mane tied up in a bow at the end with a large mouth and eyes that looked almost frog-like (with a very long tongue to match).

After the movie was over, Twilight and her friends talked with each other about how much they enjoyed their day, and were looking forward to having some more fun tomorrow. The group split up with each of them returning home...except for Applejack and Rarity, who instead left with Twilight and Spike back to her castle. They had decided to have a sleepover together, similar to the one that they had a long time ago in Twilight's original home. The four of them, with the help of Twilight's book, "Slumber 101", put together an enjoyable get-together for the night, this time without AJ and Rarity arguing with each other like last time. The four of them played games, had snacks, and of course, told each other ghost stories, just as the book suggested.

By the time it was completely dark out, the three ponies and dragon were ready to get some much-needed rest. Yawning loudly and stretching her front legs, Applejack said to the others, "Ah gotta admit, Twi...this day's been the most fun Ah've had in a long time! And Ah was almost startin' t' think that nothin' would ever beat the day that Ah rounded up all of our pigs when they escaped from their pen! I gotta tell ya, nothing puts hair on your chest better than chasin' down those li'l curly-tailed devils!"

"Ummmm...I'll just take your word for it, Applejack dear." said Rarity, not wanting to think about that. "But she is right: This day together has been the most enjoyable I've ever had! There's practically nothing that I could possibly think of that could spoil such a WONDERFUL day as this one!"

"I'm glad you and the others had so much fun today." Twilight thanked her. "And we've still got six more days of fun ahead of us! So we'd better get all the sleep that we can so that we'll have all the energy we need to enjoy our day tomorrow!"

"Couldn't agree with ya, more, Twi." said Applejack, climbing into the second bed that Twilight had previously set up for her and Rarity. After getting under the covers, she yawned and said, "G'night, Rare."

"Good night, Applejack..." the white Unicorn replied. "Good night, Spike..."

"Good night, my lo- er, I mean...! Good night, Rarity!" the little dragon said, nearly blurting something else out entirely. After collecting his thoughts, he then said to Twilight, "Good night, Twi..."

"Good night, Spike..." the purple Alicorn said. "Good night everypony..." She then used her magic to put out all of the lights in the bedroom so that the four of them could have a nice, restful night...

But back in the castle meeting hall, a dark shadow was forming around a compartment in Twilight's saddlebags. Then, all of a sudden, the latch on the compartment opened up, and out of it floated a blank Duel Monsters card. After it emerged from the bag, it began floating down the halls, seeking something...or someone. The card eventually stopped in front of the door leading into Twilight's bedroom...

Minutes later, In a large barren area, Twilight walked around, seemingly confused about where she was. "Where...am I...?" she asked her self, her voice echoing around her. She then called out, "Hello?! Is anypony there?!?" But all she heard was the sound of her own voice as the sound reverberated.

(What's going on...?) she asked in her mind. (Is...is this a dream...? If so, then this is the weirdest dream I've ever had... Usually, I dream about things like my book-filled swimming pool... But there doesn't seem to be anything here...)

Then, as she looked ahead, she saw a large, shadowy cloud off in the distance. "Spoke too soon..." she stated. "There's something here alright...but what?" But as she began approaching the strange fog, the young Princess gasped when she saw the could coming towards her rather quickly. "It's...it's coming for me??" she asked herself. Getting a sense of worry, the purple Alicorn instinctively made a run for it, trying to keep her distance from the shadowy fog behind her. She didn't know what was going on, but she did know that she wasn't going to let this thing - whatever it was, catch her...

Elsewhere...

"And then after we went swimming, we all went over to get a treat over at Sugarcube Corner!" said Fluttershy, who was talking to someone about how she had spent the day with Twilight and the rest of her friends back in her humble cottage home. "Then we went to see a movie together! I wish you could have come with us, Discord."

Sipping some tea from a cup that he was holding, Discord, the chaos-creating draconequus, humbly told her, "I'll admit, it would have been great to spend the day with you. But you know how important my annual meeting with all of the other inter-dimensional versions of me is." Sipping his teacup a little more (with the tea in the cup draining from the bottom up instead), he then added, "Oh by the way, the Discord from Universe #2364 says that Screwball's doing fine, since you wanted to know."

"Oh that's good to hear." the yellow Pegasus replied. "Thanks for telling me." She then took a sip from her cup after saying that.

Looking up from his cup at his friend, Discord then asked her, "Um, Fluttershy...? Do you think it's weird that, in that universe...you...and I...well, the you and I in THAT universe, of course...you know...and they have a-?"

"You don't have to worry about that, Discord." Fluttershy told him. "It doesn't bother me at all. Just because they have...well, deeper feelings for each other in their world, doesn't mean that we have to change our relationship in any way. I'm content with the way things are, and for once, I don't feel awkward even after hearing about all of that."

Humming a bit, the draconequus smiled and said, "I feel just the same way, Fluttershy. One of the other me's told me that I didn't have to worry myself over how you felt about the whole thing with Screwball and them, and I guess he was right. Right now, I'm happy with how things are going, and that's all I need to concern myself with."

"That's good..." Fluttershy told him. "And thanks for helping Twilight out with her mission... She told us about that Duel you helped her win."

"Oh, think nothing of it, Fluttershy!" the draconequus told her half-smugly. "ANYTHING to help out a friend, especially the friend of ANOTHER friend!"

"Did you learn anything else about the Number cards, too?" asked the Pegasus. "Twilight showed us the ones that she had and it reminded me about when you and Princess Celestia had that discussion a few days ago..."

"Well, I found out a few things," he told her, "but I gotta admit: This little researching mission might not be as easy as I thought it would be... So far, I've got more questions to this Number riddle than answers... But even so, I think I'll dig up some results soon."

Setting down their teacups onto the tray, Fluttershy stretched her legs and said, "After I wash these, I think I'll go to bed. Otherwise, I'll be too sleepy to have fun with the others tomorrow. And maybe I can convince them to let you come along as well, Discord. I'm sure you could come up with something neat for us to do."

Snapping his claws and making a small notepad appear in his hands, the draconequus told her, "Well, I DID have a few ideas that have been floating around in my mind since I heard Twily was coming by to visit..." He then flipped through the pages, stopping at a list that read, "Fun Ideas to Try With Friends". Underneath it was a bulleted list consisting of...activities such as, "blow up the D. Star" (with a small footnote that read, "size of womp rat lol"), "defeat the giant monkeyman and save the 9th dimension", and "tennis".

Just then, a strange feeling came over Discord. "Huh...?!" he gasped. "My chaos-sense is tingling...!" He then held onto his head (half of which was covered by a red-colored face mask). Noticing this, Discord simply pulled off the half-mask and threw it aside before returning to his thoughts. (Something feels wrong...but what could it be...?) Concentrating on that feeling as much as he could, the draconequus gasped again and said, "...Twilight...!" Quickly, he asked Fluttershy, "Where did you say Twilight was right now?"

"Um...she's at her castle." the Pegasus answered. "She's having a sleepover with Applejack and Rarity. Why do you ask?"

"...We have to go see her, now." Discord told her in a serious-sounding voice.

"Why?" asked Fluttershy. "Is something wrong? You never talk like that unless something is bothering you..."

"I'm not sure to be honest, but I can just feel that something isn't quite right..." the draconequus told her. "In any case, we had better move, and fast!" He then stretched his arm into Fluttershy's kitchen, scooping her up before unzipping a inter-dimensional portal in front of them. Before going into it, Discord smirked and said, "Would you look at that: First Spider-Man, then Mr. Fantastic! TWO Marvel references in a row! Impressive, don't you think, Fluttershy?"

"Um...maybe..." she replied. "But shouldn't we hurry...?

"Hurry? ...Oh, right! Twilight! Yes, of course!" the draconequus responded before he hopping into the portal he created, carrying the yellow Pegasus with him.

Back in Twilight's dream (or possibly nightmare), the purple Alicorn was running as fast as she could to escape the dark cloud that was pursuing her. "St-stay back!!" she screamed. "I don't know what you are, but for once, I'd rather NOT know!!" She was still ahead of the fog by several feet, but it was taking all of her strength to stay ahead of it, and she was starting to get tired. So far, her fear of being swallowed up by the shadows was helping her ignore her oncoming fatigue, but she knew she couldn't get away from it forever.

Then all of a sudden, while looking at the cloud behind her, Twilight failed to see a large wall that was directly in front of her. By the time she turned around and saw it, it was too late. She collided with the barrier and fell down on her flank. Rubbing her sore head, she looked up and saw that the dark clouds were right there in front of her. She looked around, but there was nowhere left for her to run. "N-n-no...!" she cried out. "St-stay away!! Don't come near me!!" But the fog didn't listen as it inched it was towards the young Princess. Twilight closed her eyes, wondering if this was the end for her...

Then, she heard a strange, loud sound coming from above. It sort of sounded like something was sucking in air. When she looked up, Twilight saw what appeared to be a giant vacuum cleaner. "Wh-what's that...?" she asked, still a bit groggy from her running earlier. "A vacuum...?" She then saw that the vacuum's hose was sucking in all of the shadowy clouds, pulling them away from Twilight. Eventually, the machine succeeded in removing the fog completely.

Still at a loss for words, Twilight could only stare at the humongous vacuum that had saved her life. Finally working up the effort to speak, she then asked herself, "Where did this come from?? Did I...imagine it here? ...No, I was so flustered from being chased by that fog, I couldn't think straight; therefore, I couldn't have made it appear... So how did it get here??"

Just then, out from behind the vacuum, a pony appeared. It was none other than Fluttershy. "Um...hi, Twilight..." she meekly said. "I...hope we're not interrupting anything..."

"Huh?! Fluttershy??" Twilight exclaimed. "How did you get in here?" Of course, for a smart mare like Twilight, it didn't take her long to put two and two together. "Wait a second...did Discord bring you here?"

"I most certainly did!" the draconequus announced, speaking in loud, British accent and wearing a blue, button-down shirt with the logo, "CHAOS-I CLEAN" sewn onto the left side. "And with help from the all-new Inhali-Dust all-purpose vacuum cleaner! It will clean up anything from cake crumbs, spilled cider, and evil shadowy fog in mere seconds! And it can all be yours for FOUR easy payments of 20 Bits!! Act within the next five minutes and we'll throw in a SECOND Inhali-Dust absolutely free!"

Twilight just stood there, not sure how to respond to Discord's pitch man persona. Finally, she asked him, "What's going on here? Why are both of you in my dreams? And what was with that dark cloud that was chasing me?"

Taking off the shirt and putting it aside, the chaos-creating draconequus answered her, saying, "First off, I believe you owe Fluttershy and I a 'thank-you' for pretty much saving your life."

"Huh? Oh! Sorry..." Twilight responded, realizing that he had a point. "Thanks, both of you..."

"Good, now that that's out of the way..." Discord began to say, "We're here because I could sense that something was amiss concerning your well-being, and as it turns out, my hunch was right on the dot." Rubbing the beard on his chin, he added, "The only question is...who or what was that? And why did it appear in Twilight's mind?"

"Whatever it was..." Fluttershy said with a slight tremble, "it looked so cold...and scary... Just looking at it was frightening enough."

"Try being chased by it..." stated Twilight, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "At least now it's gone..."

But their relief came to an abrupt end when the vacuum suddenly began to tremble...and then began to shake violently. Afterwards, it burst apart, and the shadowy cloud was now sitting there in its place. "EEEEEEEK!" shrieked Fluttershy. "It got out!! Now what are going to do?!?"

But Twilight, trying her best to hide her fear, stood in front of the cloud with her horn flared up, ready to defend herself. Discord stood next to her, wearing a karate uniform, and displayed some fancy kung-fu maneuvers. "Alright, enough of this!" shouted Twilight. "Who are you?! And how did you get inside of my mind?!"

"Meheheheh..." the cloud chuckled. "How did I get in here...? I've ALWAYS been in here, Twilight Sparkle...since the day you were born!"

"Huh? What are you talking about??" asked the Alicorn, not understand what it meant by that. "Who or what are you?!"

Just then, the clouds began to swirl and compress itself into a new shape. The others recognized it as a young Alicorn pony...and it looked just like Twilight, except that her purple coat and mane were much darker in color, and her eyes were glowing a light blue. In addition, a sinister smirk was all over her face, showing cruel intent.

"T...T...TWO Twilights?!" exclaimed Fluttershy. "What's going on??"

"Well...at the risk of giving this episode a rather cliché plotline," Discord began to explain, "based on the fact that this pony looks like our little Princess friend here, albeit more sinister-looking...I'd have to guess that she's Twilight's dark side."

"Dark side...?" asked the yellow Pegasus. "I didn't know Twilight HAD a dark side..."

"Me either..." spoke the young Princess.

"...Hmph. You mean you REALLY don't know me, Twily?" asked the darker Twilight. "Well, no surprise there...after all, you NEVER let me have any fun!"

"What do you mean?" asked the young Princess.

"Don't play dumb, Twily..." the dark pony said to her light counterpart. "Your little 'goody-four-hooves' act and your constant prattling about the 'Magic of Friendship' and all that other junk keeps me from coming out and doing anything useful! You keep performing all these so-called acts of good will and what am I doing? Sitting there and having to watch you do it! And it's starting to get on my nerves!!"

Not impressed by her dark side's ranting, Twilight simply told her, "Well, I'm sorry if you don't like what I'm doing, but I'm not going to change the way I do things just because you don't like it. Especially since I'm sure what you find fun is something nopony else would call fun."

"Is that what you think?" asked the dark pony. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. Because I finally have the chance to displace you forever!"

"Displace me?" asked Twilight. "What do you mean?"

Chuckling wickedly, the darker Twilight used her magic to reveal something that shocked her light self. "Take a look at this, Twily... I'm sure you can recognize it!"

"It can't be...!" gasped the young Princess. "A Number card?! But how?!"

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself... After all, I AM a part of you, so whatever you know or don't know, the same applies to me." stated the dark pony. "But it seems this card managed to follow you all the way from your friend Sunset's world, if I could harbor a guess..."

"Followed me??" asked Twilight. She then thought to herself, (Was it one of those people from Skyes Academy that did this...?)

"So what exactly do you plan on doing with that card?" Discord asked Twilight's dark side.

"What I've always desired since the day I came to be:" she answered him. "I want control of Twilight's mind and body!"

"You want to control me?!" exclaimed Twilight in shock. "But why?!"

"Because I'm sick and tired of having to watch you wasting my time and yours helping everypony when we COULD be doing so much more with them!" the dark Twilight answered. "Once I gain enough power to overwhelm you completely, I'll be in control! And your beloved subjects will answer only to me! With my power, I'll have total dominance over them, and there won't be a thing they - and especially not you, can do to stop me!!"

"Oh...my...!!" gasped Fluttershy, too scared to move or even faint.

"And once my empire in Ponyville is complete," the dark pony continued, "I'll spread my influence over the rest of Equestria as well!! I'll overthrow Celestia, Luna, and Cadance and take over their kingdoms!! And in anticipation of my soon-to-be total conquest, I'll give myself a name worthy of my power! Something like...Midnight Sparkle... Yes, it has a sort of wicked ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Grrr...you're sick!" shouted Twilight. "There's no WAY I'd let you do this!"

"Oh really?" asked the dark Twilight, now going by the moniker Midnight Sparkle. "And just why do you think I have this desire to conquer all of Equestria? I'm your dark side; the pure embodiment of your most evil desires... Don't deny that this was something you've actually thought of doing! Just admit it!"

"...Thinking of doing something and actually doing it are two very different things." Twilight told her. "I'll admit, the thought of doing something like that DID cross my mind...for about a second." Glaring at her dark side, she then told her, "But I knew that wasn't something that I really wanted! So you can forget about acting upon it while I'm here!"

Midnight chuckled and told her good self, "You're right, I can't act upon my - or should I say OUR - evil wishes while you're around... Which is exactly why I've decided to confront you. I'll defeat you with my own four hooves right here and now, and then YOU'LL be the one stuck in the deepest corners of our mind, helpless and unable to do anything!"

"And how, exactly do you plan on defeating me?" asked Twilight. "If you couldn't take over my mind before, what makes you think you can do it now?"

"Hmm...I'm so glad you asked, my good self." the darker Alicorn replied. "Before, I may have been too weak to rebel against you... But with the power of this Number card on my side, I have what I need to eradicate you forever!"

"E-e-eradicate...?" squeaked a trembling Fluttershy.

"I see what's going on now..." Discord spoke up. Turning over to Twilight, he told her, "If I'm not mistaken, I believe she wants to duel you."

"Duel me?" asked the young Princess.

"Think about it:" the draconequus began to explain. "She was able to gain enough power to attack you in your own mind because she got her hooves on that Number card... So what do you think will happen should she manage to claim the ones that you have?"

Twilight gasped, realizing what Discord meant. "I see...she wants to use the power of MY Numbers to permanently take control of me. That's why she's confronting me! Because she can only take my Numbers from me in a Duel!" Facing her dark side once more, she added, "Well, I'm not going to let her win! I'll defeat her and make sure she can't use me to hurt anypony!"

"So you figured it out, have you?" asked Midnight Sparkle. "Then I suppose that saves me the trouble of explaining things any further... So let's begin our little game so that I can go down in history as Equestria's most ruthless tyrant!!"

"You won't make it into the history books, Midnight!" shouted Twilight. "Not even as a footnote! Now let's duel!!"

"Hold on, Twilight!" Discord interrupted. "Before you start, I think a little...alteration is in order." He then raised his claws and snapped them. This caused a swirling cloud to surround Twilight. The Alicorn wasn't sure what was going on as she looked around the clouds spinning around her.

Then suddenly, the cloud exploded, sends bits of fluff all over the area. And when the dust settled, Twilight noticed something was...different, yet also familiar. When she got a look at herself, she gasped when saw that she was in her human form; the form she took on in Sunset's world. She was even wearing her Duel Pad and Gazer. "Wha...what happened?" she asked. "Why do I look like this??"

"Discord...? What did you do??" Fluttershy asked her bizzare friend.

"Well, I figured that, if Twily's going to play a card game, opposable thumbs could be a bit helpful." the draconequus answered her. "I even went and got her Deck and Duel Pad so that she can better fight her dark half. No thanks are necessary."

Chuckling some more, Midnight then decided to change her appearance to mimic Twilight's, transforming herself into a human as well. Holding out her left arm, she then made a D-Pad and Deck appear on it. "So...are you ready for your last Duel, Twily?" asked Midnight as a bright blue crest appeared around her left eye.

"The only thing I'm ready for is defeating you for good!" the Princess of Friendship announced. "For the sake of myself, my friends, and all of Equestria...I WILL stop you!" (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000) (Midnight Sparkle: LP 4,000)

As Twilight began to Duel her dark side, Discord and Fluttershy looked on, hoping for the best for their Princess friend. "Do you think Twilight will be okay...?" asked the meek Pegasus. "That other Twilight looks and sounds so mean... I still can't believe that she even had something like that in her this whole time...!"

"Unfortunately, that's a hard fact, Fluttershy..." Discord told her. "Truth be told, everypony has a dark side in them... Even you do."

"M-m-me...?" asked the yellow pony. Thinking about it some more, she then admitted, "Well, now you say that, I guess it is true... After all, I remember how horrible I was when I yelled at Rarity and Pinkie after I got all of that bad advice from Iron Will..."

"Yes, I remember you telling me about that." the draconequus stated. "And as you most certainly remember, I had a few demons in me at one time... But thanks to each other, and our friends, we were able to overcome those demons... Now we'll see if Twilight can do the same..." Humming a bit, he then smirked and said, "That actually gives me an idea..." He then snapped his claws once more, triggering his reality-bending powers.

In that instant, he and Fluttershy were joined by several more familiar faces: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike had now all appeared in Twilight's mind along with them. Looking around frantically, Applejack then asked, "Huh?? Where am I?? How'd Ah get here??"

"And just when I was getting to the end of my awesome dream, too!" complained Rainbow. "I was right in the middle of fighting alongside the Wonderbolts against this evil wizard in his volcano lair... Also he had like, twenty pet sharks to guard him!"

"I had that same dream too, Dashie!" Pinkie chimed in. "Only, instead of a volcano, it was a 20-foot seven layer cake, and instead of a wizard, it was a large ice cream soda! Oh, and the sharks were those little red gummi fish, but bigger!"

"I don't understand what's going on here..." Rarity said to the others. "Are we still having a dream? Because something is telling me that we aren't..."

"Look! Over there!" Spike shouted, pointing ahead of them. "It's Discord! And Fluttershy's with him! I'll bet he brought us here!"

"Hey, what's the big idea, Discord?!" Applejack shouted, a tad bit annoyed at their predicament. "Why'd ya pull us all the way over here?!"

"I apologize if I temporarily interrupted your beauty sleep," the draconequus told the new arrivals, "but I can assure you, it was quite necessary. After all, we have a friend here that could use our help." He then pointed over to the two figures ahead of them.

Staring at the closest of the two individuals in front of them, Rarity asked, "Who is she...? There's something familiar about her, but I don't remember befriending a creature that looks like that..."

"Yeah, me too..." Applejack agreed. "It feels like Ah should know her from somewhere..."

"You guys, don't you see it??" asked Spike. "That's Twilight!"

"Wait...THAT'S Twilight?!?" asked a shocked Rainbow Dash. "I don't believe it!"

"Wait, yeah...that IS her!!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "Don't you remember?? Twilight showed us pictures of herself that she took while in that other world!"

The others gasped, now remembering that. "Of course! How could we have forgotten about that?" asked Rarity, feeling a bit embarrassed for not seeing it sooner. "That's what she looks like from that other universe!"

"Well, that's one mystery solved..." Applejack commented. "But what's with that other thing that looks like her...? Care t' explain it for us?"

"Well, Discord thinks that the other Twilight is actually her dark side..." Fluttershy told them. "She called herself...um... Oh, what was it...? Oh! 'Midnight Sparkle'...or something like that..."

"Midnight Sparkle??" asked Spike. "That sounds weird and creepy..."

"You have to admit, though...it's pretty clever, using that name from the third movie to call her by." stated Pinkie, humming a little. Of course, nopony knew what she was talking about, but decided it wasn't the most important thing right now.

"So, what's happening now?" Rainbow Dash asked Discord. "Are they gonna fight or something?"

"Precisely." answered the draconequus. "And that's the reason I brought you all here...get it?"

"Ah think Ah get it now..." Applejack replied. "You gathered us all up so that we can give Twi some moral support, right?" Discord nodded yes to say that she was correct.

"Then let us give her all the support that we can!" Rarity suggested. She then shouted, "You can do this, Twilight dear! Give that counterfeit copy more than she can handle!!"

Hearing her friend's voice, Twilight turned around and saw that all of her friends were there to give her strength. "My friends..." she muttered to herself. Smiling and giving a nod, she said to them, "Don't worry, everypony! I'll beat her and we'll come home safe and sound!"

"Pah! The only thing your friends will be doing is watching your final moments!" Midnight taunted. "And that's fine with me... Because now I can show you AND your pathetic friends just what they're dealing with!"

"You won't be showing anypony anything!" Twilight shouted to her dark side. "And my cards will make sure of that!" The two of them then drew their opening hands, ready to begin their Duel.

(Twilight...) spoke Utopia's voice. (This battle will be your most difficult so far... I suspect that your dark half will try anything in order to defeat you... Be careful.)

(I will, Utopia...) the young Princess told him. (I'll keep my eyes on her, and in the end, I'll make sure we all get out of here safely!) She then faced her dark side and told her, "I'll go first!" Taking a card from her hand, she then placed it on her Duel Pad and announced, "I Summon Gogogo Ghost in Attack Mode!"

After playing the card, a pile of red and dark-blue armor appeared on the field, along with a large sword. Then, a ghost-like fog wrapped around it and possessed the armor, making it come alive. The spirit-possessed armor then picked up the sword and raised it into the air (Gogogo Ghost: Level 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 0).

"I've made my move, Midnight... So go ahead and make yours!" Twilight shouted to her.

"If that's what you desire..." the darker girl responded, drawing a card. (Now it's time to play a few more head games with her...) she thought, grinning wickedly. "I'll Summon a monster too!" she said, playing a card from her hand. "I play...MY Gogogo Ghost!!"

"What?!" exclaimed Twilight as another Gogogo Ghost appeared on the field of her doppelganger, also in Attack Mode.

"Woah...I'm seein' double..." Rainbow Dash remarked. "What's goin' on here??"

"Hm? Oh yes, I almost forgot...we don't have Duel Monsters here in this world." Discord realized. He then snapped his fingers, causing a small booklet to appear in front of everyone else. "Here, this little rulebook should help give you an idea of how the game works... After all, we did all the rule explanations in the first few chapters already; no sense in doing it all over again."

Twilight, however, was trying to figure out what was going on in her Duel right now. (She...Summoned the exact same monster as I did...) she thought. (Could it be...?)

"Now! Gogogo Ghost, attack now!!" Midnight shouted. The ghostly armor then raised its sword, as did the other one. Both their swords struck each other, causing them both to be destroyed.

"They both blew up!" Spike pointed out.

"Yes, because they had the same attack points as each other." Discord noted. "But the question is why she did that... She should have known that they would take each other out, and by doing so, she's now wide open to an attack by Twilight..." The draconequus hummed a bit, thinking about what Midnight could be planning.

Trying her best to look brave, the young Princess then asked, "Is that all you're doing this turn?"

"Hmph...hold your horses, Twily. I'm just about done..." Midnight casually replied. "I'll end with two cards face-down. Now let's see if you can land a hit on me next turn."

"I intend to do just that!" Twilight told her. "I draw!" After drawing her next card, she then thought to herself, (I have a slight hunch about what's going on... And there's only one way to see if I'm right...) Taking the card she just drew on her turn, the Princess of Friendship shouted, "Now I Summon Gogogo Giant from my hand in Attack Mode!" At that moment, her brown and blue-colored rock giant appeared on the field (Gogogo Giant: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0). "Next," Twilight continued, "I use his effect! This allows me to Special Summon Gogogo Ghost from my Graveyard and switch them both to Defense Mode!" After saying that, her previous monster re-emerged onto the field, giving her two monsters to use against her foe.

"Now what's gonna happen?" asked Applejack.

"Well, according to this rulebook," Pinkie began to say, "Twilight can now do this thing called X-Y-Z Summon."

"Actually, you're supposed to say it as one word, Pinkie: Xyz." Discord corrected her.

"Oh...I see." the pink Earth Pony replied. "Meh, honest mistake."

Looking at her enemy's side of the field, Midnight then said to herself, (I know what you're planning, my lighter half... So go on and do it!) She then gave a smirk, as if she had a plan of her own in the works.

"I now overlay my Level 4 Gogogo Giant and Gogogo Ghost to build the Overlay Network!" Twilight shouted as her two monsters turned into a pair of small lights (one orange and one purple) and flew into a galaxy-like portal in the center of the field. "Appear, Number 39! My battle starts here! I entrust my wishes upon your white wings!" the young Princess chanted. "Xyz Summon! Messenger of light! Rank 4! Utopia!!"

At that moment, the portal exploded, leaving behind a red 39 mark on the ground. Shortly afterwards, Utopia appeared in his sealed form and quickly transformed into the familiar white-and-gold warrior (Number 39: Utopia: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2).

"It's him...!" said Rarity in astonishment. "The armored creature that we saw on the day that Twilight left...!"

"Only now, we'll get t' see 'im in action!" Applejack commented.

"Yeah! Go kick her flank, Twilight!" cheered Rainbow Dash with extreme enthusiasm.

Looking over at her opponent, Twilight then thought, (Alright...let's see if my hunch was correct.) She then shouted, "Utopia! Attack her directly!! Rising Sun Slash!!" The mighty Number card then flew towards Midnight Sparkle, unsheathing his sword to strike her.

But Twilight's dark side cackled loudly and said, "You fool! You should have known I wouldn't let you hit me so easily! I activate the Trap Card, Pinpoint Guard!!" After saying that, one of her two face-down cards flipped over, causing a dark-purple portal to emerge in front of it. "With this card, I can revive any of my Level 4 or lower monsters from my Graveyard! And I choose to bring back my Gogogo Ghost!" As she had stated, Midnight's monster in the Graveyard emerged from the portal and back onto the field in Defense Position. After that, a large hand came out of the ground in front of Gogogo Ghost. "And as an added bonus," the evil girl continued, "the monster Summoned with this Trap Card can't be destroyed by your attacks or card effects this turn! So you won't be able to get rid of it right now!"

"Oh no...that doesn't sound good..." said Fluttershy, getting worried.

"Well, it isn't." Discord told her. "It means that, next turn, she can use that monster for whatever she wants, including an Xyz Summon of her own..."

"I sure hope Twi has some sort of backup plan cooked up, like she always does." commented Rainbow Dash. "Or we'll all be toast..."

Right now, though, Twilight had something else on her mind; something that put a small smirk on her face. "I had a feeling this would happen." she stated, remaining calm. "That attack I made last turn helped me prove it."

"Prove what, may I ask?" questioned Midnight.

"Something that I suspected right after your last turn." the young Princess continued to explain. "I had Utopia attack to test my theory, and now I know it for sure..." Looking at the cards that she was holding, Twilight then told her opponent, "The cards in our hands... They're exactly the same, aren't they?"

Midnight gasped a little after hearing that bold statement. She then chuckled and replied, saying, "Well, so you figured it out... I should've known that you would." Twilight then glanced at her hand again, looking at the copy of Pinpoint Guard that she had drawn at the very start of the Duel.

"What's going on?" asked Rarity. "What are they saying?"

"Well, Rarity...something most unusual has taken place in this Duel." Discord told her. "Apparently according to them, they drew the same cards as each other at the start of their game."

"Wait, the EXACT same cards?" asked Applejack. "That's crazy! What're the odds of that happenin'?!"

"But...if that's true, then...does that mean they have similar Decks to each other, too?" asked Fluttershy.

"Most likely." the draconequus answered. "Back in Sunset's world, they would call such a phenomenon a 'mirror match', because you're essentially fighting yourself. Only in Twily's case, it's also happening in the literal sense as well."

"That...doesn't sound good..." Spike commented. "How's Twilight supposed to beat...well, herself??"

"She'll find a way, Spike!" Pinkie told him. "No matter how hard or how tough it is, she'll always pull through!"

"I sure hope so..." Rairty chimed in; she too, was worried for her friend.

Chuckling some more, Midnight Sparkle then asked her light side, "So you figured out that we've been drawing the same cards as each other? Very clever, Twily...I've gotta 'hand' it to you... Hmhmhmhmmm..."

"Don't get too cocky, you fake. After all, I know what's in your hand because of that fact." Twilight said to her.

"Indeed... You might know everything I'm going to do," Midnight began to tell her foe, "but that's not going to help you, since I know everything you're going to do! Strange, isn't it?"

"Really...?" asked Pinkie Pie with an unimpressed look on her face, "You actually went ahead and quoted THAT movie, of all things? The last thing we need is to give the author a reason to put in cheesy lines like that!"

Looking over her hand, Twilight then stated, "I suppose that is a concern...with both of us knowing what the other is drawing." Taking a card from her hand and placing it in her Duel Pad, she then told her opponent, "So I guess I'll need to do something about that! I activate the Spell Card, Onomatopaira!"

*******************************

Onomatopaira:
(Normal Spell Card)

You can only activate 1 "Onomatopaira" per turn. Send 1 card from your hand to the GY; add up to 2 of these monsters from your Deck to your hand (you cannot add 2 from the same category).
* 1 "Zubaba" monster
* 1 "Gagaga" monster
* 1 "Gogogo" monster
* 1 "Dododo" monster

*******************************

After sending her Gagagaguard Trap Card to the Graveyard, she used her card's effect to take both Gagaga Head and Dododo Witch from her Deck. "Now that I've searched my Deck, I must then shuffle it according to the rules." Twilight stated, as her D-Pad automatically mixed up her cards.

"Oh...Ah get it now..." Applejack began to say. "By shufflin' her Deck, she made it so that they're no longer drawin' the same cards as each other!"

"That means that neither of them will know what the other is holding!" Rarity added.

"That's our Twilight! Smart as a cookie!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Even though I have no idea how smart cookies really are."

"Yeah! Go for it Twilight! Keep it up!" Spike cheered on.

But Midnight didn't seem too fazed by her light counterpart's move. "Impressive... You found a way to prevent me from predicting your moves. Of course, I knew you'd eventually do just that."

"Maybe so, but the point of the matter is that you won't be able to know what I'm planning anymore!" Twilight reminded her.

"Wrong. You only stopped me from knowing what cards you were holding." the darker half informed her foe. "But I know your strategy like the back of my hand... Did you already forget that I'm a part of you, Twily?"

"Enough with your taunting already." the young Princess told her. "Are you going to make a move or not?"

"Yes, I shall." Midnight replied. After drawing her card and looking at it, the evil girl smirked and added, "And now it's about time that I stopped playing around with you... After all, I'll have all the fun I could ever want AFTER I take control of your body..." Taking a card from her hand, she then announced, "I Summon Gogogo Giant in Attack Mode!!" After placing the card on her D-Pad, the monster that Twilight had Summoned during her last turn now appeared on Midnight's field.

"This isn't good..." Discord commented. "Now that fake Twilight has two same-leveled monsters on the field... No doubt she's about to Xyz Summon too..."

"Yeah, but the million-bit question is...WHAT is she gonna bring out?" Applejack asked.

"I've got a feeling that we'll know soon, whether we like it or not..." Rarity responded. Everypony (and dragon) stood silently, waiting to see what sinister ideas Midnight had in store for their Princess friend.

Laughing evilly, Midnight then gave Twilight a sinister look and told her, "Prepare to be swallowed by a darkness that no light can pierce, of which hope no longer exists!!" The young Princess readied herself, doing her best to prepare for anything. "I now overlay my Level 4 Gogogo Ghost and Gogogo Golem to build the Overlay Network!!" Once more, both monsters turned in a pair of purple and orange lights, each of which flew into a galaxy-like portal that opened up in front of them.

"Brace yourselves, everypony!" Discord warned the others. "I don't like the look of that vortex!" The seven of them shielded themselves as best they could as a ray of black light shot out of the summoning portal.

"Emerge, Number 98!" Midnight chanted in a wicked tone. "From the pits of darkness and despair... Destroy my enemies and their hopes along with them!! Xyz Summon!" At that moment, the portal exploded in a mass of darkness, leaving behind a red-colored mark resembling the number 98. Afterwards, everyone watched in awe and terror as an object as black as night began to rise from out of the ground where the 98 was imprinted. It looked similar to the sealed form of Utopia, only it was colored black and silver, and it was turned upside-down in comparison. "Messenger of darkness! Rank 4! Antitopian!!" Midnight shouted, finishing her summoning chant.

At that moment, the object began to unfold itself, just like when Utopia emerged from his own sealed form. Eventually, the monster's true form was revealed, appearing as a darker, more evil version of Utopia. He was coated with black and silver armor, wore a tattered cape, and his number symbol was on his right shoulder pad as opposed to Utopia, who had his on his left.

"What...what is that thing...?" asked Rainbow Dash, sweating a little upon seeing the scary-looking monster that was just Summoned.

"Whatever it is..." Spike replied, shaking, "it's not good for Twilight..."

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 26: Head Games, Part 2:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Spring Break had officially begun in Sunset's world, and her friends were all ready to enjoy the week-long vacation in their own special ways. All except for Twilight Sparkle, who hadn't thought about what she would do during the time off. After noticing that the young Princess was starting to feel homesick after having spent several months away from home, Sunset suggested to her that she should spend her Spring Break vacation back in Equestria.

Twilight agreed with her, and the very next day, she stepped through the mirror portal, returning to her castle back in Ponyville. There, she was greeted by her Equestrian friends, who were all happy to see her again. After telling them about all of the adventures that she had so far with helping Sunset Shimmer collect the Number cards, they spent the entire day together doing their favorite things. As night fell, Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack all decided to spend the night together at the castle, ready for a good, long rest after having fun.

However, it wouldn't be very restful for the Princess of Friendship: Unbeknownst to her, someone had slipped into Sunset's apartment during the previous night. The intruder was Lucky, who had been sent by Chrysalis to plant a blank Number card in the room. He placed it in Twilight's backpack, and without knowing, she brought it with her back to Equestria. Now the Number card - identified as Number 98: Antitopian, has awakened Twilight's dark side, named Midnight Sparkle. Midnight then challenged her light self to a Duel, and if Midnight wins, she has vowed to take complete control over Twilight's mind and body...

It was nighttime in the land of Equestria, and everypony in Ponyville was fast asleep in their homes, resting up for the next day to come. However, all was not as calm as it seemed as Princess Luna, one of the two sibling rulers of all Equestria, performed her nightly duties of journeying into other ponies' minds and helping them through their dreams, whether it was by eliminating the threat posed by a nightmare, explaining the meaning behind a dream, or often both. The dark-blue Alicorn emerged from behind a golden yellow door that had a planter hanging upon it with several green stalks growing out of it.

Sighing deeply, Luna said to herself, "Well, that's the third time this month that I've had to lend Ms. Harvest a hoof when she has that 'drought in her carrot patch' dream... Honestly, she has nothing to worry over; there hasn't been a major drought in the Ponyville area for the last 5,660 years..." Looking over the list she had attached onto a clipboard hovering in front of her, she then asked herself, "Okay... who's next...?" After checking off the name Golden Harvest (a.k.a. Carrot Top to most ponies), she then smiled a bit and said, "Ah! Twilight Sparkle! That one ought to be easy; either the two of us will have a most insightful talk with one another over the mysteries of our world and beyond... or I'll find her enjoying a swim in her book-pool."

Luna then used her magic to move the many, many doors in the Dream Realm, searching for the one that allowed her access to Twilight's mind. But when she found the young Princess's door, Luna's heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was covered in a thick, dark cloud. "Wh-what is this?!" she asked in astonishment. "What is this fog that shrouds Twilight's door??" She then tried to open the door, but the doorknob wouldn't budge. Luna then attempted to use brute force and slammed her body into the door in an attempt to break it down. Again, nothing happened.

Getting worried, Luna then said to herself, "Whatever is causing this cloud to appear over Twilight's door, it cannot be good... Something is inside her mind, and it may be trying to cause her harm..." Not willing to give up on Twilight, Luna moved the row of doors again and told herself, "I shall fetch my sister; perhaps she may know of a way to get into Twilight's mind..." The Princess of the Night was determined to do what she could to help the purple Alicorn with whatever was behind that door...

Meanwhile, in the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle... or rather, in the MIND of Princess Twilight Sparkle, a fierce battle between light and darkness was raging on, with the highest stakes ever conceived of.

"Emerge, Number 98! From the pits of darkness and despair... Destroy my enemies and their hopes along with them!!" chanted the sinister Midnight Sparkle, the personification of Twilight Sparkle's dark side. In front of the evil girl, a terrifying figure began to emerge from out of the summoning portal in front of her. "Xyz Summon! Messenger of darkness! Rank 4! Antitopian!!" the wicked girl shouted as she finished her chant.

The figure that stood opposite to Twilight was very similar to her Number card, Utopia (Number 39: Utopia: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2). But this one - known as Antitopian, had a much more vicious appearance, thanks in part to its demonic-looking black and silver armor, as well as the shadowy cloud that radiated around him. No doubt, this monster was practically pure evil incarnate.

*******************************

Number 98: Antitopian
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2500)

2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When any player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 material from this card; change that monster to Defense Position. While this card is in your GY (Quick Effect): You can target 1 "Utopia" monster on the field; Special Summon this card in Defense Position, and if you do, attach that monster to this card as material. You can only use this effect of "Number 98: Antitopian" once per turn.

*******************************

"I don't believe it..." said Twilight, sweating a little out of fear. "That thing looks almost exactly like you, Utopia...!"

"Indeed it does..." confirmed the golden warrior. "But I can sense an incredible evil from within that monster... I have a bad feeling about this..." He stared at the monster on the enemy's side of the field, watching as the dark clouds around it began covering the entire area they were in.

Chuckling some more, Midnight then said to her light self, "So what do you think of MY partner, Twily? He certainly has quite the imposing appearance, doesn't he? Of course how he looks will be the last thing you need to worry about! Once he's done with you, you'll be out of my way once and for all!"

"Don't start writing your victory speech just yet, Midnight, or whatever you are." the young Princess informed her. "I won't allow you to beat me, no matter what! I have too much riding on this to let you have your way now!"

"Indeed you do. But I have MY freedom at stake in this Duel, too..." Midnight told her enemy. "And now that I've had a taste of that freedom, I want even more! And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

Back on the sidelines, Twilight's Ponyville friends - Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, as well as the chaotic draconequus Discord, and Twilight's faithful dragon assistant Spike, were watching the battle unfold in front of them. "This is too crazy...!" Spike said to the others. "Twilight's up against her own dark side... And not only that, she's also fighting against her own Deck, too!"

"It seems so unbelievable..." Rarity spoke up, "even though I'm seeing it with my own two eyes, I am still having quite a hard time believing it myself!"

"At least we can say that, whenever the six of us are together, there's never a dull moment..." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"That may be true n' all, Dash..." Applejack commented next, "but while this moment may not be a dull one, it certainly is distressin'... Don't forget; that fake Twilight said that if she wins, she'll take over our Twilight's mind! And if that happens... all of Equestria will suffer because of it... Not to mention that the Twilight we all know n' love'll be gone forever!"

"Oh...my...! I don't want to think about something like that...!" squeaked a trembling Fluttershy.

"We won't have to, Fluttershy!" Pinkie told her. "Because our Twilight won't lose to her in a bajillion years!! We just have to keep hoping that she'll get through this!"

"Precisely." agreed Discord. "That's why I brought all of you here in the first place. Twilight will need the support of all of us if she plans on winning this Duel..." He then mentally told the young Princess, (Twilight... you had the courage to stand up to many dangerous foes over the years... You managed to defeat me despite my incredible power... I'll bet even Tirek had doubts when he was faced with your inner strength... Now it's time for you to show your dark side just what you're truly made of...!)

Back at the Duel, Twilight observed the Number card that her dark side had Summoned. "I must say, as far as making your Number the complete opposite of mine, you didn't skimp on any details..." she told her. "Unfortunately, you ALSO decided to reverse Utopia's attack and defense for your monster... With only two thousand attack points, my Utopia will defeat it easily!"

"Hmhmhmhmmm... then try and attack him, Twilight." Midnight taunted her. "That is, if you think you can." Twilight grumbled a bit, knowing full well that her foe had something planned, but didn't know what exactly. "Either way, there's no hope for you! You'll be defeated right here, and you'll no longer be in charge of our mind!" the wicked entity gloated. "Once I've taken control of you, I'll plunge all of Equestria into its darkest hour, and I'll be unstoppable!!" Taking the card that she had just drawn this turn, Midnight then stated, "And while you're left with that thought, I'll play this Spell Card, Left Arm Offering! By banishing all of the cards in my hand, I can then select one Spell Card to add to my hand afterwards!"

"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Twilight. "Throw out every card you're holding just to get one?"

"It will be worth it... because I choose to add Offerings to the Doomed from my Deck to my hand!" the evil girl told her as her D-Pad shuffled her cards and ejected the card she wanted out of her Deck. "However, I cannot play any of my Spells or Traps face-down on the same turn I use Left Arm Offering, and I don't wish to use my chosen card this turn, so I'll end it with that."

"Then it's my turn." Twilight said as she drew her next card. She then thought about her dark counterpart's last move some more, thinking, (Offerings to the Doomed... Sunset had a copy of that card while she helped me build my Deck. If I remember correctly, that card allows her to destroy any face-up monster that's on the field, at the cost of skipping her next Draw Phase...) Looking over at her monster, Utopia, she then wondered, (If she had played it on her last turn, she could have destroyed Utopia and hit me directly... So why didn't she do that? Did she not want to skip drawing a card next turn...? Or is it something else...?)

The Princess of Friendship had a bad feeling that her dark side was up to something, but had no idea what it was. After pondering about it some more, she decided to take a gamble and strike while she had the chance. "Go! Utopia!! Attack Antitopian with your Rising Sun Slash!!" The golden warrior then leapt forward, ready to strike down his twisted doppelganger.

"I don't think so!" shouted Midnight, removing a card out from underneath Antitopian (Number 98: Antitopian: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "I activate Antitopian's effect! I remove an Overlay Unit and switch your Utopia to Defense Mode, thus cancelling out the attack!!" The dark-armored monster then absorbed one of its floating purple orbs into his chest, which allowed him to use the energy to send a thick, black fog towards Utopia. The wind carrying the fog was too great, and it forced Utopia to halt his attack.

"No...!" said a disappointed Twilight. "I had a feeling she wouldn't make this easy..." Looking towards her opponent, she then told her, "Fine... I end my turn. So go ahead and make your move!"

"Hmph... you'll be regretting those words in a few moments." Midnight threatened her enemy as she drew her next card. Looking at it, she thought, (Now I think it's about time to make this detestable little gnat suffer a slow and painful demise...) Taking the card she drew, the evil girl said, "First, I'll set this card face-down... And then I activate the Spell Card Offerings to the Doomed! This destroys any face-up monster! And of course..."

Twilight braced herself, expecting her opponent to come after her Number card.

But Midnight surprised her by saying, "...I'll choose to destroy... Antitopian!"

"Wh-what?!" gasped Twilight. "You're destroying your own monster?!" She thought that she had misheard her dark self, but it was true: Midnight chose to destroy her own Number card.

"Bwahaha! What a dope!" laughed Rainbow Dash. "She actually blew up her own monster!" But the cyan Pegasus noticed that nopony else found the situation funny. "Hey... what gives?" she asked the others. "Why don't you guys look happy?"

"I don't think that evil copy of Twilight made any sort of blunder with that move." Rarity told her. "I'll bet she's plotting something."

"Ah agree, Rare..." stated Applejack. "She's definitely up to somethin'... Ah don't trust that fake Twilight any further than Ah can buck 'er!"

Twilight came to the same conclusion herself. "I'm pretty sure that you didn't make a mistake by destroying your own Number card, Midnight..." she told her foe. "So why don't you come clean and tell us why you did that?"

"Heheheh... If you insist." said Midnight with a wicked grin on her face. "While I could have easily destroyed your Utopia with my Spell Card, I had a much more clever idea in store for you." As she spoke, a dark mist began covering the field. "You see, once Antitopian is in the Graveyard, I can use his most devastating power!! Extermination of Hope!!!"

"Extermination of Hope...?" asked Twilight, not happy to hear those words. Just then she noticed that the dark clouds were now beginning to cover Utopia, who was struggling to escape them. "U-Utopia!! What's going on?! What's she doing to you??"

"Urrrugh... Tw... Twilight..." he struggled to say to her. "That monster... it's... it's draining my power... I can't... I... can't..." but his words were cut off when the dark cloud consumed him completely and sank into the ground.

"NO!!! Utopia!!!" screamed Twilight. Growling, she then shouted at Midnight, "What did you do to him?!"

"Pahahahahaaa!" cackled the anti-Twilight. "That's Antitopian's ability... I can revive him from the Graveyard by siphoning your Utopia and turning him into one of my monster's Overlay Units! Just look for yourself!!" And sure enough, Antitopian reappeared on the field with a single, swirling orb orbiting him (Number 98: Antitopian: OLU 0 + 1 = 1).

Twilight gasped in shock and horror by what she had just witnessed. "Utopia..." she said solemnly. Angry, she yelled at her dark counterpart, telling her, "You... you're nothing but a creep! How dare you treat one of my friends in such a way! You won't get away with this!!"

"Hmhmhmhmmm... yes, get angry at me Twily. Hate me... despise me..." she goaded her light self. "It's music to my ears to watch you lose all hope!"

"Don't listen to her, Sugarcube!" Applejack shouted. "She's just tryin' t' rile you up! You can't let 'er get in your head!"

"A little late for that, Hayseed!" said Midnight. "I'm already IN her head! And soon, I'll control ALL of it!! Antitopian, attack my pathetic self's Life Points directly!! Crushing Despair Sword!!!" The wicked Number then unsheathed his sword and struck Twilight with it as hard as he could.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" screamed Twilight upon taking such incredible damage (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). As she did, she noticed something that sent a chill down her spine. (What... happened...?) she asked herself. (That attack... it... it felt so real...! It didn't feel the same way as it did in my other Duels...! It's like I could really feel the pain!)

"Twilight!!" screamed a horrified Rarity. "What's happening to your body?!"

"H...huh? My... body?" asked the young Princess. But when she looked down, she gasped at what she saw... or rather what she COULDN'T see: All that was visible to her was her upper body. Her legs had completely vanished. "What's going on?!" she asked frantically. "What happened to my legs?!?" Looking over at her opponent, she asked her, "Is this another of your tricks, Midnight?!"

"Heheheheh... it is, Twilight." the evil girl told her. "I guess I forgot to mention: This Duel won't be quite like the others that you've played so far. This is actually... a Shadow Game."

"Shadow Game...?" asked Twilight.

"Shadow Game?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Something tells that it has nothing to do with playing Blindfold Tag or anything like that..."

"Hmph... alright, I'll make it as clear as possible for you simpletons over there." Midnight told them. "To put it simply, if your little friend Twilight loses all of her Life Points in this Duel... well, you can simply kiss her goodbye."

Twilight and the others gasped in horror after hearing the wicked girl say that. "K-kiss myself goodbye...?" the young Princess repeated to herself, trembling a little. She now realized just how dire her situation was, and wondered to herself if there was any way for her to get out of the trap that her dark side had set for her...

Meanwhile, in the Dream Realm, Princess Luna came out from a behind a large, elegant, royal-looking door that was painted white and gold all over. Behind her was her older sister, Princess Celestia. After the two Alicorns stepped into the Dream Realm's "in-between" area, Celestia shut the door behind her as her younger sister said, "Thank you for coming with me, sister... I apologize for my sudden intrusion into your dreams; I know how much you enjoy relaxing on that banana-and-cake beach."

"Don't worry about it, Luna." the white Alicorn told her. "I'll have the dream again another night. Besides, this is more important. Now, show me this strange cloud that you were talking about."

"At once, sister." Luna replied as she used her magic to move the doors in front of them. Eventually, she stopped at Twilight Sparkle's door; sure enough, that distressing black cloud was not only still there, but seemed to be growing stronger.

"Oh dear..." said Celestia, horrified. "Now I can see why you were worried... Do you know what this is, or where it came from?"

Shaking her head, the dark-blue Alicorn told her older sibling, "I do not... I found it while performing my duties here in the Dream Realm. I have no idea what it is... But I am most certain that it is malicious in nature. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get inside; whatever this cloud is, its magic is preventing me from opening the door. I was hoping that you might know how we can get through."

"Unfortunately, I do not..." Celestia admitted. She then asked, "Perhaps, can you sense Twilight in there? Can you see if she is alright?"

"Hmmmm... I suppose I could try..." Luna responded. "While we not be able to physically enter the door, perhaps I can still sense her spirit... At this point, it is likely our only option." The Princess of the Night then focused all of her power into trying to sense Twilight's presence from behind the fog-covered door. At first, it seemed as though her efforts were futile, but just then, Luna could sense something faint from behind the door. "Ah! I think I can sense her... Twilight is still okay!" she told her sister. She then solemnly added, "But... I can feel that she is hurting... Whatever else is in there, it is indeed trying to bring her harm."

"Oh dear... I wish there was some way we could get though that fog and help her..." Celestia replied, getting more worried for her former pupil.

"Wait... I think I can sense another familiar presence in there as well...!" Luna continued to tell her sibling. "Yes... yes I think... I can sense her friends on the other side... And... and Discord! He's there too!"

"Discord?" asked Celestia. She then gasped, remembering that she had asked him to keep an eye on Twilight. Putting on a newfound expression of determination, the Princess of the Sun told her younger sister, "Perhaps there's still hope... If what you said is true, and Discord is in there... perhaps HE could help us figure out what to do."

"Are you sure, sister?" asked Luna.

"He's our best chance at this point." the white Alicorn answered. "I'll try and see if I can contact him." Now Celestia was using all of her power to try and contact the Spirit of Chaos so that she could lend some form of assistance to Twilight Sparkle, hopefully before it was too late...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door to Twilight's mind, the young Princess and all her friends were still in shock after hearing what would happen to Twilight should she lose her Duel against Midnight Sparkle. "Oh my GOODNESS!!" gasped a horrified Rarity. "Did you hear what she said?? If Twilight loses, she'll vanish completely from her mind!"

"You mean that she'll be gone forever...?!" asked Fluttershy, not wanting to know the answer.

"That's sure what it sounded like..." Rainbow Dash commented. "What a sicko! Trying to get rid of Twilight like that!"

Twilight felt the same way as she turned to face her opponent. "But I thought you said that if I lost, I'd just be trapped here!" she reminded her evil self.

"Hmhmhmhmmm... yes I did say that, Twily." Midnight chuckled. "I WAS going to lock you away like you did to me... But I changed my mind. After all, if I managed to confront you while I was trapped in here, what's to say you couldn't do the same thing to ME someday? So I decided that I'd completely and totally exterminate you instead!"

"You... you're the worst!!" shouted Twilight. "You just don't care about anything besides yourself, do you?!"

"I'm surprised you don't find it all too familiar." Midnight told her. "You, of all ponies should remember those times when you gave in to me..."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" the young Princess argued back.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Twily... Even YOU have to admit to the times when you have had some selfish thoughts in your mind." Midnight said slyly. "For example, while you still lived in Canterlot, all you cared about were your studies. You desired to learn about magic so much, that you even neglected your own hometown friends! You even turned down an invitation to attend a social get-together with... who was it now...? Ah yes, Moon Dancer... You didn't really care about any of them back then, did you? I'll bet back then, the only thing you considered them to be were mere distractions, am I right? Ah, I remember it all so fondly... heheheh..."

Twilight grumbled a bit, remembering how awkward it was when she tried to apologize to Moon Dancer, and how hard it was to convince her old friend that she had changed.

"Or what about the time you became so desperate to write one of your little reports to Princess Celestia, that you decided to create your OWN friendship problem?" Midnight then asked her light side. "Ghahahaha...! Yes, I had a lot of fun getting you to use that magic on your favorite fillyhood plush toy and make everypony go crazy over the stupid thing...! Or maybe you remember the time when you were so fixated on trying to save the Crystal Empire all by yourself just to get praise from your former teacher. Just admit it: You've had selfish desires inside of you all this time that you can't deny!" Twilight looked down to the ground, remembering all of that very well.

"That's enough outta you!" Applejack shouted. "Just whod'ya think you are, sayin' all of that?!"

"I'll be the new owner of this mind, that's what." said the darker Twilight. "Once Twily's gone for good, I'll be the only presence in control. And once I am, I'll bring your beloved Equestria into a new, darker age! An age where I rule with an iron hoof! No one will be able to stop me as I become the most powerful ruler this country has ever known!!" She then began laughing manically at the thought of her evil plans.

Twilight just stood there, thinking about what her dark half had said to her, reminding her of all the mistakes that she had made in the past. "She's right..." she said to herself. "I guess I did have some dark thoughts in my mind back then... Moon Dancer... Ms. Smarty Pants... the Crystal Empire... It's true... It's all true... I guess I'm NOT perfect, just as she said..."

Discord could hear Twilight's thoughts as well as the despair growing in her heart. (Twilight's in trouble...) he thought. (That evil copy of her is trying to lower her spirits and crush her resolve... I wish I could do something, but according to what I've read concerning the laws of a Shadow Game, not even I can intrude while the Duel is in progress...) At that moment, he heard a strange voice in his head. "Hm?" he remarked. He then looked down to the others and asked them, "Um... did one of you say something just now?"

"I didn't say anything..." Spike replied. Twilight's other friends shook their heads no, telling the draconequus that they hadn't said anything either.

Then, Discord heard the voice again, only a bit louder. "...is...ord... Discord...!"

Recognizing the voice at last, he then said in his mind, (That's Celestia...! But I don't see her anywhere...!)

(Yes...! It worked! You can hear me!) spoke the Sun Princess in the draconequus's mind. (I was... worried for a moment that I wouldn't be able to get through to you.)

(Where are you?) he then asked her. (I can hear you, but I can't see you...!)

(I'm just outside of Twilight's door in the Dream Realm.) Celestia told him. (My sister Luna found a strange black fog covering the door and was concerned for Twilight. So she brought me over to see it. Can you explain to me what's going on in there?)

(It's a long story...) Discord responded. (So I'll just give you the short version: Twilight is in some serious trouble. She's fighting her dark side and isn't doing well... If her evil twin defeats her, she'll erase Twilight forever and completely take control of her body! But worst of all, her dark side has been bringing up memories of Twilight's past mistakes to eliminate her will to fight back!)

(Her dark side, you say...?) asked the white Alicorn. She paused for a moment, not saying anything while in deep thought. After a few seconds, she then told Discord, (...I see. Can you help me communicate with her? Perhaps I can help her somehow.)

(Hmmmm... I suppose I could try.) the draconequus answered. After saying that, he then pressed his claws to his temples, trying to focus his bizarre powers in order to grant Celestia's request. In his head, a smaller version of himself was sitting in front an old-timey phone switchboard, connecting a series of phone plugs into various holes on the console. After doing so, he then rubbed his palms, satisfied with a job well done. (Alright, Cellie... you're ready to go.) he informed the Princess. (Do what you need to do.)

Once she knew that Discord had done his job, Celestia then put out a message to her former student. (Twilight...! Twilight! Can you hear me?)

Gasping, the young Princess snapped out of her solemn state upon hearing her former mentor's words in her mind. (Celestia? Is that you?) she asked. (Where are you?)

(That's not important right now.) Celestia told her pupil. (What is important is for you to know this: You must not give in to your dark side, no matter what she says to you. She is trying to trick you into submitting to her whims... But you do not need to listen to her!)

(But... but how can I?) asked Twilight. (After all, you know as well as I do that I've already given in to her several times in the past... Like with Moon Dancer, and when I almost created that riot after enchanting Ms. Smarty Pants... Not to mention that I risked the good of everypony in the Crystal Empire just to pass that test you gave to me! How can I be sure that I'll never do something like that again?)

(While it is true that you have made mistakes in the past, they do not define who you are or what you are trying to become.) the Princess of the Sun told her.

(What do you mean?)

(As I'm sure you may already know from reading my journal, I've even made a few errors myself.) Celestia informed Twilight. (There have been times that I, in a moment of weakness, have allowed my dark side to cause trouble. There have been times where I've done things that to this very day, I regret with all my heart... But even so, I do not allow these regrets to consume me and hurt my resolve to become a better ruler for everypony in Equestria, and neither should you.)

(...Celestia...) the purple girl uttered, her former teacher's words starting to get through to her.

(I am saying this to point out something I've always believed in:) the Sun Princess continued. (While we cannot deny that we have selfish or evil thoughts within us, that does not mean we have to let them overtake us. It takes true strength and courage to hold back our inner darkness... and even more to admit to our wrongdoings and try to move on.)

Twilight stayed silent, listening to her former teacher's words of wisdom as carefully as she could. She was beginning to see what Celestia was trying to tell her.

(It is a fact that you cannot deny the mistakes you've made, and you shouldn't.) the white Alicorn continued. (What you should do is to learn from them and try your best to make things right; something that you have already done time and time again. For instance, you reconciled with your Canterlot friends and rebuilt your friendship with them when you realized how much you neglected them before... After the incident involving your stuffed toy, you admitted to your mistake and promised never to let your stress cause you to make reckless decisions. And when you realized that saving the Crystal Empire was more important than passing the test I gave to you, you did what was best for everypony by putting aside your selfish thoughts... and because you did, the kingdom was saved from King Sombra's evil. Do you understand?)

(...I do, Princess Celestia... And you're absolutely right.) Twilight finally spoke, getting what her former teacher was trying to tell her. (Just because I've done a few things wrong, that doesn't mean I should just let my dark side keep making me do whatever she wants! I have to stand up to her... I have to hold out hope that I CAN overcome her! I have to show her that while she may be in my mind, it doesn't mean I have to listen to anything she tells me!)

Happy to hear that from her pupil, Celestia told her, (That's correct, Twilight. You have an incredible power inside of you, beyond your magical abilities and beyond any power your dark side is capable of. It is your hope; your hope of a brighter tomorrow... your hope of bettering yourself with each experience, bad or good... That is where your true power lies... And it is a power that darkness itself fears most.) The white Alicorn then finished her speech, telling her former student, (Give it your all, my faithful student... There is nothing you cannot do.)

After Celestia's voice faded away from her mind, Twilight then said, "Thank you, Princess Celestia... I needed that."

"Are you done stalling, Twily?" Midnight asked. "Or have you finally realized that you're completely powerless? With Antitopian's power, I'll snuff out all your hope, and the hopes of all your friends... until only despair remains. And that despair will destroy you forever..."

"...You must really be afraid of me, huh Midnight?" asked Twilight.

"Urk...! Wh-what did you say?!" asked the evil girl, not expecting to hear such a thing. She also didn't expect to see a big smile on her light side's face. "What's going on...?! What could you possibly be smiling about?!?"

"What's up with Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash. "She doesn't look even the least bit scared..."

"Ah know..." added Applejack. "Even after hearing all of that gobbledy-gook that her evil twin told her, she's not frightened at all!"

"Amazing..." said Fluttershy in an impressed tone.

But Midnight had no idea why her foe wasn't scared by what she told her concerning the rules of a Shadow Game... or what Twilight's last statement meant. "Me? Scared of you?! You don't know what you're talking about!" taunted Twilight's dark half. "The pressure of this Duel must've really gotten to you to make such a ridiculous statement! What makes you think I have any reason to be afraid of you?!"

"What reason, you ask?" inquired Twilight. "Well for one thing, you know full well that up until this point, I've been able to hold you back. It's like you said before: You weren't strong enough to overpower my thoughts in the past."

"Urrgh... that was then, Twilight!" Midnight reminded her. "But now I finally AM strong enough to defeat you!"

"...Only because you lucked your way into that Number card of yours." the Princess of Friendship told her. "That card gave you power to try and attempt to take over my mind... But what would happen if you lost that Number by losing this Duel?"

"Urrrrgh..." Midnight responded, not saying much else in response.

"I don't blame you for trying to get rid of me, Midnight." Twilight continued. "Because you know that's the only way you'd ever have complete control of my mind, am I right? You've said it yourself: If I were still around, even in the furthest corners of my brain, there's a chance you'd lose that control for good. That's why you brought up all those painful memories of the mistakes that I made in my past: You were trying to make me lose confidence in myself so that I would give in to your evil wishes! But it won't work!!"

"Sh-shut up...!" snarled the evil girl, who was now beginning to sweat.

"It's too bad for you that your plan will only work if I give in to despair." the young Princess said to her wicked side. "But I can assure you, that my hope can't be destroyed so easily!" As she said that, the purple orb that spun around Antitopian began to glow yellow, though nopony noticed it. "In fact, you bringing up all those memories of my errors only served to remind me of how far I've come since those days! I may not be proud of those moments, but I've learned from them and have become a better pony, a better friend, AND a better Princess because of them! I may not be perfect, but all that means is that I can always keep getting better each and every day!"

"Y-you've got nothing, Twilight! Nothing!" Midnight snapped back at her.

"I've got something alright; more than you could possibly comprehend." Twilight calmly stated. "As long as there are ponies out there that depend on me... as long as there are friends that need me... and as long as there is hope in my heart... I won't give in to your empty threats, and I certainly won't lose to you! Soon, your desire to blot out the hopes and dreams of everypony in Equestria will be eliminated forever! And deep down, you know that there's nothing that you can do to stop it!" After saying that, the glowing orb began shining even more, but again, no one noticed it.

"You... you...!!" grumbled Midnight, getting angrier and angrier at her foe.

"Wow... that meaner Twilight's not looking so good..." noted Pinkie Pie. "But our Twilight looks just as strong as ever! Maybe even stronger!"

"It does seem so, Pinkie." Discord told her. "Twilight's come up with a nifty little plan... and it's working perfectly!"

"Uh, plan?" asked Spike. "What plan?"

"Twily's giving her dark half a taste of her own medicine." the draconequus answered him. "Midnight certainly loved dishing out taunts and threats towards our Princess friend, but can't seem to handle taking them right back. In short, Twilight's using her opponent's own tricks against her... And it's starting to affect that faker quite a bit, now that she's beginning to realize that nothing she can say will make Twilight lose any confidence in herself."

"Woah... I gotta admit," started Rainbow Dash, "Twi's pretty good at comin' up with clever plans like that."

"Perhaps, Rainbow dear..." Rarity told her. "But she still needs to figure out a way to get out of the mess her crueler self has put her in." Everyone watched to see what would happen next. One thing was for sure, though, Twilight was not about to let her dark self bully her anymore.

Midnight was not happy about having her own taunting turned against her. (That little brat that is my light self... How dare she try to humiliate me!!) she thought, growing more frustrated by the second. (I expected her to be broken and defeated inside by now... But instead, she's even MORE determined to stop me than before!! It's just an act! That's all!) But when she looked at that smiling face on her opponent, she started becoming more unsure by the second. Whether she knew it or not, nothing she said was able to make her light side lose hope, and Twilight's words were beginning to affect her.

Putting her fingers on the top card of her Deck, Twilight bravely said, "Now, let's finish this Duel, Midnight! It's my turn!!"

But no sooner did Twilight draw her card that her dark side immediately respond with a move of her own. "I activate my Trap Card!!" she shouted. "Go, Minor Goblin Official!! Now, since your Life Points are three thousand or less, this Trap makes it so that you take 500 points of damage during every one of your Standby Phases!"

"Each one?" asked Twilight (Twilight Sparkle: LP 2,000 - 500 = 1,500).

"That's right, my light side." Midnight told her. "So for your sake, you'd better hope that you find a way to defeat me quickly, because sooner or later, you'll be gone completely!" As she said that, Twilight's stomach area had faded away, just like her legs had done earlier.

"Oh no..." said Fluttershy. "Now some more of her body has disappeared...!"

"If this keeps up, she'll vanish forever!" Spike reminded them. "She's gotta win this, and fast!"

But Twilight wasn't scared of that last move. Instead, she asked her dark side, "So is that the best you can do to try and scare me into losing hope? If you're so confident that I have no chance of beating you, why not get on with it already?"

"Grrrr... you be quiet!!" Midnight yelled. "I'll wipe you out when I'm good and ready!"

"But by then, it'll be too late." the young Princess told her. "If you don't beat me soon, then you'll lose for sure."

"Don't you try and bluff me, Twilight! It won't work!" Midnight snarled, trying to get her opponent to stop talking.

"I'm not bluffing, Midnight." Twilight responded calmly. "But if you don't believe me, then I suppose there's no point in trying to convince you with my words. So let's continue the Duel and see who's telling the truth." Taking a card from her hand, she then declared, "I now Normal Summon my Gagaga Head in Attack Mode!" Her new monster looked very similar to her Gagaga Magician, except that his costume was mostly slate blue and yellow in color, and his bare chest was visible (Gagaga Head: Level 6 / ATK 2100 / DEF 2000).

"What the-?! You can't do that!!" protested Midnight Sparkle. "That monster's Level 6!! You have to release a monster before you can Summon it!"

"Normally, yes... I would have to." the purple girl began. "However, Gagaga Head's effect lets me skip the summoning cost and Summon it directly to the field as a Level 4 monster, if you are the only one to have a monster on the field. And since you still have Antitopian out, that's all I need in order to do that!" (Gagaga Head: Level 6 > Level 4).

"Hmph... I see. And currently, your new monster has more attack points than mine." Midnight observed. "Of course, Gagaga Head isn't a Number card, so my monster cannot be beaten by him!"

But Twilight smiled and said, "That won't matter. I'll still find a way to destroy your Number card, regardless of that! And Gagaga Head will help me do it" This elicited a gasp out of her opponent.

"Careful, Twi..." urged Applejack. "Don't bite off more than ya'll can chew."

"Do... do you think she's telling the truth?" Fluttershy asked Discord. "Does she really have some plan to defeat that horrible monster?"

"Hmmmm... Perhaps she might..." the draconequus replied. "I have a feeling that I know what she's up to..."

Midnight was now more confused than ever at her opponent's words and actions. It seemed like nothing that she said or did was able to make Twilight lose any faith that she would win the Duel. (What's with her...?!) the evil girl thought. (I flat-out told her that if she lost, she'd cease to exist! I brought up all of the memories of her past mistakes and the times that she gave in to my desires... But it didn't even faze her!!) Looking over her field, and then at Twilight's, she became more flustered just thinking about it. (This makes no sense...! Has the thought of losing this Duel turned her mad, or... or DOES she actually have some way to destroy my Antitopian?) Now the evil girl was the one that was getting scared.

But before Midnight had any more time to think it over, Twilight jumped into action, shouting, "Time for my Battle Phase!! Gagaga Head, attack Antitopian now!!" Her new monster then rushed into battle, ready to give the wicked Number a major beatdown.

Gasping, Twilight's dark self immediately acted on impulse and shouted, "I-I use Antitopian's effect to switch your monster to Defense Mode!!" She then removed the card out from underneath her Xyz Monster, which caused it to vanish from sight (Number 98: Antitopian: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). It later re-appeared in Twilight's Graveyard, since the card was originally hers. Antitopian then used its dark fog to force Gagaga Head to Defense Position and stop its attack.

"Oh no... her attack got stopped again..." said Pinkie Pie. Everyone was worried for their friend. All except for Discord; he smirked a bit, knowing full well what Twilight was trying to do.

Huffing, Midnight then told her foe, "I don't know what you were trying to pull, but it didn't work! You won't even lay a finger on me if I have anything to say about it! You hear me?!? I will not allow you to even SCRATCH my Life Points!!"

But Twilight simply smiled and said, "I know you won't. I know how much you want to end this Duel perfectly, without taking damage..." Thinking back to her Duel against Shining Spoon back in Sunset's world, she then added, "I know because I used to think that being perfect at everything was the only thing that mattered, and it was the only way to become stronger... But by giving into that attitude, you're only making it even easier for me to beat you!"

"What?!" exclaimed the darker Twilight. "What are you saying?! Is this supposed to be part of your so-called 'ultimate plan' or something?!"

"Perhaps." said the young Princess, not losing her confidence for a second. "But you'll just have to figure that out for yourself." Taking one more card from her hand, she placed it into her D-Pad and told her, "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Woah... Twi really shook her dark side up." Rainbow Dash noted.

"I know..." Rarity stated. "When this Duel began, Twilight seemed a bit frightened by the sudden emergence of her darker half, as we all were... But now the tables have turned: Twilight realized that she had nothing to fear from her dark side, and was able to hold on to her hope. Meanwhile, all her dark side believes in is eliminating her hope in any way possible... And now she's beginning to realize that it won't be so easy to do."

"Ah got that same feelin' mahself." Applejack chimed in. "That faker is tryin' to beat Twilight for her own greedy reasons... But Twi's got so much more ridin' on this one game, and her reason to win this is much greater than her dark side's... And that may be what this all comes down to in the end: Whose resolve to win is stronger."

"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked. "If that's true... then it sounds like this might become even more intense than before...!"

Midnight then began her next turn (skipping her Draw Phase due to the fact that she had used Offerings to the Doomed last turn) by tapping on her D-Pad's touch screen. "I activate my Pot of Desires!" she shouted. "I banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw two more!" After doing just that, she then added, "And now I'll play one of them! I activate Tribute to the Doomed!!"

*******************************

Tribute to the Doomed:
(Normal Spell Card)

Discard 1 card, then target 1 monster on the field; destroy it.

*******************************

The wicked version of Twilight then discarded her Gagaga Gardna card and shouted, "I'll use my Spell Card to eliminate your Gagaga Head from the field!!" After saying that, everyone watched as a dark-purple portal opened in the middle of the field. Out of the portal came a giant, mummified hand that grabbed onto Twilight's Spellcaster monster and drug it into the Graveyard. "How do you like that, huh?!" shouted Midnight, becoming more crazed by the second. "Now you're wide open!! One attack from Antitopian and you'll vanish forever!!"

Twilight said nothing in response, but continued to stare down her opponent. She showed no fear as she awaited Midnight's next move.

"Silent, are we...?" asked the evil girl. "Fine then... Then let it be known that your screams of pain will be your last words in this world!! Antitopian, finish her off!! DESTROY HER!!!" The vicious warrior then leapt towards Twilight, ready to deplete her remaining Life Points in one attack.

"NO!! Twilight!!" shouted Rarity. "Do something!!"

And she did. "Activate Trap Card!!" the Princess of Friendship shouted. "Pinpoint Guard!!"

"What?!?" exclaimed Midnight Sparkle as a giant stone hand emerged from the ground in front of her foe, blocking Antitopian's attack. "What's going on?!"

"I knew it." Twilight told her. "You were so occupied with trying to finish me off, you already forgot one important detail of our Duel, am I right?"

"What detail??" asked Midnight.

"Don't you remember?" asked the young Princess. "When this Duel began, our opening hands were exactly the same. And one of the first cards we drew was this Trap Card, Pinpoint Guard! The same card you used on me earlier in this Duel! Don't tell me you've forgotten?" The wicked twin gasped; she HAD forgotten all about that.

"Ohohohoho... very interesting." Discord commented. "Somehow, Twilight began to figure out that her dark side was becoming overconfident... So she took advantage of her opponent's sudden case of tunnel vision and managed to catch her off-guard."

"Y'know..." began Applejack, "Ah think I recall that Twilight has had moments like that herself... where she ended up forgettin' important stuff like that once she became fixated on a goal or a plan of hers, causing everything to turn upside-down when something unexpected happened."

"But now things are different." Rarity added. "Our Twilight has learned from her past errors, while her dark side is falling prey to them again."

"Exactly." Discord chimed in. "That's how Twilight can overcome her evil twin. For our dark sides are not only a representation of innermost evil... They can ALSO be thought of as an avatar for the old parts of ourselves that we have discarded. Midnight is nothing more a living version of everything that Twilight no longer is... And that may be what will decide this whole Duel."

"...Wow, since when did you get so deep, Discord?" Pinkie asked him.

Chuckling a little, the draconequus answered her, saying, "So I've seen a few of those TV drama shows while checking up on Twily in the other world... Sue me."

Back at the Duel, the giant hand that appeared from Twilight's Trap Card reached down into a purple portal and pulled out one of her monsters: Gogogo Ghost. "You remember what Pinpoint Guard does, do you?" asked the young Princess. "It Summons one of my Level 4 monsters in the Graveyard in Defense Mode and protects it from being destroyed! Which means my Life Points are safe!"

Growling at the fact that her attack had failed, Midnight then shouted, "That only keeps you safe for this turn, Twilight! Without your precious Utopia, you have nothing left to defeat me! Antitopian will enshroud you with his darkness forever, and you'll never bother me ever again!!"

"We'll see about that, Midnight." Twilight simple replied. "But if you know me as well as you SAY you do, then you should know that my hope can't be destroyed so easily..." She then placed her fingers on the top card of her Deck and added, "In fact, if you knew that, then you wouldn't have even bothered to try and confront me in the first place... You've been trying to scare me into giving into your evil desires this whole Duel, Midnight... But I think YOU'RE the one that's scared right now. You know that I will never give up until the very end, not as long as hope lives in the hearts of me and my friends!" Now the slot in her Graveyard was beginning to emit a light that no one could see...

"Grrr... Enough of your nonsense!" spat Twilight's evil counterpart. "Just make your move and lose already!"

"Wrong, Midnight! I'm going to win!!" Twilight shouted as she drew her next card.

"Then for your sake, you'd better win fast!" Midnight taunted. "Don't forget: Minor Goblin Official eats away more of your Life Points during your Standby Phase! Which means at best, you have only two turns left... But I plan on this Duel ending much sooner than that."

But the Princess of Friendship smirked as she placed the card she drew into her hand (Twilight Sparkle: LP 1,500 - 500 = 1,000). "Oh, don't worry... it definitely will!" she told her, remaining confident even as her body was reduced to just a head and two arms. "In fact, it'll end sooner than you think!!" This made her dark side gasp a little in response.

"Sounds like Twilight's got something big planned..." Spike told the others. "But what is it?"

"Hopefully it's a plan to get her out of this safely..." Fluttershy stated. "I'm still not completely sure how this game works, but it seems that this will all end very soon..."

"I was thinkin' the same thing." Rainbow Dash chimed in. Shouting over to her friend, she told her, "C'mon, Twilight!! You can beat that faker!! No pony's better than you at all this eggheaded stuff, and you need to prove it to her right here and now! So don't you dare lose this! You've got too much ridin' on this to let her beat you!"

Twilight turned around to look at her cheering friend after hearing that. "Rainbow..." she uttered from her mouth.

"That's right, Darling!!" Rarity shouted next. "That mere copy is no match for you! You owe it to yourself to win this and come back home safely!"

"Ya got this in the bag Twi!" Applejack cheered. "Give that Twilight wannabe more than she can handle!"

"Go get her Twilight!" Spike chimed in. "You're the best and strongest pony I've known! If you could stand up to a bully like Tirek, you can definitely stand up to her!"

"You gotta win this Twilight!" Pinkie said next. "If this chapter ended with you losing, it'd be really weird and awkward!"

"...Go for it, Twilight...!" Fluttershy silently cheered. Discord simply nodded to tell the young Princess that she had his support as well.

On the other side of the door to Twilight's mind, Celestia and Luna stood there, staring at the shadow clouds that blocked their way. However, they believed that their thoughts and feelings were more than strong enough to get through the darkness that was trying to keep their physical bodies out. The two Princess siblings wished in all their hearts for Twilight's safe return.

With everyone on her side, Twilight felt stronger than ever. She then boldly told her dark side, "Sorry Midnight... but I'm afraid you made a big mistake when you came here looking for a fight! With everypony backing me up, you're not even worth fearing! You have no power over me!!"

"Grrrr... shut up! Shut up, all of you!!" Midnight yelled. "I have power now! You hear me?! I have POWER!!"

"Maybe, but you'll be losing that power very soon!" the Princess of Friendship warned her. "I activate... MY Pot of Desires!"

"What?!?" shouted Midnight in shock. She had also forgotten that the Spell Card was also one of the first cards that they had drawn when the Duel started. She then did her best to snicker and said, "You must be desperate to play a risky card like that THIS late in the Duel... How do you know that you won't accidentally banish the card you're trying to get, huh?"

"...You still don't seem to get it, Midnight." Twilight told her. "I know I'll get the cards I need to defeat you, because my hope wishes it to be so. But that's something I don't think you'll ever truly understand unless you see it for yourself!" Twilight then removed the top ten cards of her Deck... and then carefully and slowly, pulled the next two as well, thinking to herself, (My friends... give me your strength... your hope...) The images of all her friends, both in Equestria and in the other world, began to form inside her mind, and that caused them to appear as phantoms in the space around her.

"Wh-what's going on...?" asked Midnight, trembling.

"What is all this?" asked Rarity, looking around at everypony (and human) that appeared within the space. She then saw that right next to her, stood her human counterpart, allowing the pony fashionista to see her (almost) in person. The same was true for the others as well.

"This is... the source of Twilight's power." Discord told her. "I'm sure, you of all ponies should know; it is the love for each and every one of her friends that keeps her hope alive."

"Heh, of course it is, Discord." Rainbow Dash said with a bit of smugness in her tone. "We've always known that."

"That's right, we support each other through thick and thin!" Applejack said next, her spirit as strong as ever.

"No matter what the personal cost," Rarity added, "we stick together forever!"

"After all, we feel the same way Twilight does..." Fluttershy then told them. "We wouldn't be the ponies we are now if we didn't support each other the way we do..."

"Together, we're stronger than anything!" Pinkie Pie chimed in with her usual enthusiasm. "And that's because- ...wait for it... waaaaaaaaait for it... Because friendship is magic!!" She then added, "Oh, c'mon... you knew we had to put that phrase in there SOMETIME."

With all of the support she had, Twilight knew that she would draw what she needed. After pulling her two cards from her Deck (but BEFORE looking at them), she then said to her dark half, "Your desire may be to take over my body and turn Equestria into your own personal empire... but MY desire is to leave this place with my friends, and come back home safely! Now we'll see whose wishes were stronger!"

"Just go already!" snapped Midnight. "All this friendship nonsense is making me sick!"

Twilight then finally looked at the cards she drew... and smiled. "I'm afraid you have a lot worse to worry about right now, Midnight..." she informed her opponent. "Because I'm ending this Duel right now!"

"Y-you lie!!" said the evil girl, shaking a little.

"I'm not lying, and here's the proof!" the young Princess said, playing one of the two cards that she had drawn with Pot of Desires. "I activate Monster Reincarnation!! By discarding a card from my hand, I can retrieve one Monster Card in my Graveyard!" She then dropped her Dododo Witch into her D-Pad's Graveyard slot and told Midnight, "And the monster I choose to take back is... Utopia!!"

"What?! Utopia?!?" asked the darker Twilight. "But he's an Xyz Monster! He can't go to your hand!"

"That's right." the young Princess replied. "So instead, he goes back into my Extra Deck!" Her device then ejected Twilight's Number card, allowing her to place it into her deck box. "But now that he's in there, I can now bring him back for one last chance to defeat your Number card!" Playing the second card she drew with Pot of Desires, she shouted, "I play the Spell Card... Monster Reborn!!"

*******************************

Monster Reborn:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 1 monster in either player's GY; Special Summon it.

*******************************

"Wh-WHAT?!? Th-this can't be!!" protested Midnight, not believing what she was seeing. "She ACTUALLY drew both Monster Reincarnation AND Monster Reborn with her Spell Card?! Impossible!! This must be some sort of trick!!"

"It's no trick, Midnight! That's what hope can do for somepony who truly believes in it!" Twilight told her opponent as her Spell Card revived the Dododo Witch that she had discarded earlier (Dododo Witch: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1600). "And now watch the result of what happens when you truly believe in yourself! I overlay Gogogo Ghost and Dododo Witch, both Level 4!!" Her monsters then transformed into two lights - one purple and one orange - before being drawn into a summoning portal. "Utopia!! Return to the field!!" the Princess of Friendship shouted as her Number card returned for another chance at defeating the evil girl that stood before them.

"Thank you, Twilight..." said Utopia, grateful to her for restoring him. "Your inner light - your hope, is what kept me alive, even after Antitopian siphoned me. Thanks to your feelings... we now have a chance at victory."

"I couldn't let this Duel end with you still stuck to that thing, could I?" Twilight replied with a slight chuckle. "I couldn't call myself your friend if I didn't try to get you back."

Midnight then realized what her foe had done during the past few turns. (I get it now...) she pondered. (She LET me use Antitopian's effect just to get Utopia into her Graveyard... That's what she meant when she said that she'd find a way to defeat my Number card with Gagaga Head.) She then reminded her enemy, "You may have Utopia back on the field, but that doesn't matter! Even IF he destroys Antitopian, I'll just use his effect to revive him by stealing YOUR monster! If that's all your hope can do for you, then you're more pathetic than I thought you were!!"

But Twilight remained calm and told her dark side, "Whoever said I was going to attack Antitopian?"

"What? What do you mean??" asked the wicked girl.

"Twilight..." Utopia told his controller. "It is time. The power of the hope in your heart has allowed me to regain more of my power, even while I was attached to Antitopian, and while in the Graveyard... Now it is time to show your inner darkness the power we have obtained together!"

The young Princess nodded and then declared, "For my next move... I Summon a new Xyz Monster using Utopia as the Overlay Unit!!"

"W-what?!?" exclaimed Midnight as she watched Utopia return to his sealed form.

"What's going on now?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What's Twilight doin'?"

Discord was watching the scene carefully, asking himself, (Using Utopia as the material for a new Xyz Monster... Is she Summoning Utopia Ray? ...No, she couldn't be. Even if its special ability were used at maximum power, it wouldn't be enough to defeat her dark side... So what is she Summoning?)

Then, at that moment, the sealed form of Utopia began to glow brighter and brighter with each passing second, forcing everyone to shield their eyes (except for Twilight). "What is this...?!" asked Midnight Sparkle, angry and confused as to what was going on. "What are you doing?!?" At that moment, a bright light shone in the sky above, revealing itself as a Utopia's number symbol, changing back and forth between red and bright yellow.

"When despair claims the cosmos... A ray of hope descends to light the darkness!" Twilight chanted. "Guide my wishes so that no evil can snuff out their light!! Shining Xyz Evolution!!" At that moment, the 39 mark created a massive ball of light that merged with the sealed Utopia, seemingly giving him even more power. "Come forth!! Rank 4!! Shining Number 39!! Utopia Prime!!!"

After the chant was finished, the ball of light expanded and dispersed all over the area. And inside of the light was Utopia, now having taken on a new appearance: His wings were now split apart into eight separate wings, detached from his armor and floating behind him. His new armor was bejeweled with green gems in several places and it shone almost as bright as the Sun itself. Even his sword was different, shimmering in the light that he himself had created.

*******************************

Number S39: Utopia Prime
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2510/DEF 2000)

3 Level 4 LIGHT monsters
You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a "Number 39: Utopia" you control as material. (Transfer its materials to this card.) Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. If your opponent's LP is at least 3000 higher than yours: You can detach 3 materials from this card and pay LP so that you only have 10 left; destroy as many Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, banish them, then inflict damage to your opponent equal to highest original ATK of those destroyed monster(s) (your choice, if tied).

*******************************

Everyone stood in awe at the powerful warrior that stood before Twilight Sparkle... except for Midnight, who was shaking in fear, not expecting such a powerful monster to stand against her. "No... how could she do this...?" she asked herself. "How could this have happened...??"

At that moment, Utopia Prime then displayed a small amount of his newfound power and created a powerful light that filled the area. Everyone except Twilight shielded their eyes as the light grew stronger. Then, once it faded away, the young Princess's friends saw that the shadowy fog that had once blanketed Twilight's dream world were completely gone. "Hey, lookit that!" Applejack exclaimed. "That weird dark cloud's gone!"

"And that's not all!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Look at Twilight! She's back in one piece!" It was true: While Twilight was still in her human form, her entire body was visible once again.

At that same time, the dark clouds blocking Twilight's dream world door outside were dispelled as well. Once Celestia and Luna saw this happen, they nodded to each other and swiftly opened the door to her mind. They were anxious to get inside to directly support the young Princess during her time of need.

"What?!? How can this be?!?" shouted Midnight, confused and angry. "How could you do that?! How could you cancel out the Shadow Game?! It's impossible!!!"

"Face the facts, Midnight:" the Princess of Friendship sternly told her dark half. "Your shadow powers from that Number card may have been pretty strong, but not even the darkest shadows can get rid of the hope my friends and I have. Utopia has grown stronger thanks to that hope, and soon we'll all be back to where we belong, safe and sound... And you'll be back where YOU belong: In the corners of my mind where you won't hurt anypony!"

"Grrrrr... just try it, my light side." Midnight taunted. "I don't fear your Utopia, especially now that I have a better look at him! After all those theatrics and all that flashiness, all he gained from his transformation was a measly TEN attack points! It doesn't change anything! He's still not powerful enough to defeat both my Number AND me!!"

But Twilight smirked a little and told her meaner side, "You still don't get it, do you? Your greediness and overconfidence is keeping you from seeing the obvious: Ask yourself this: Why do YOU think Utopia's attack power rose only by ten after the transformation? If you REALLY were a part of me, you would see the answer in front of you."

"Huh? What are you talking about...?" asked Midnight. But after thinking for a while, she gasped, realizing what she meant. "No...! Don't tell me... Are you saying that all of that power... went into his special ability?!"

"Now you're starting to get it." the young Princess told her. "Since your Life Points happen to be three thousand higher than mine are, I can use Utopia Prime's most devastating effect!" Taking out all three of the cards underneath her new monster, she continued to say, "Now, by removing all of his Overlay Units (Number S39: Utopia Prime: OLU: 3 - 3 = 0) and reducing myself to just ten Life Points (Twilight Sparkle: LP 1,000 - 990 = 10), I can destroy all of your Special Summoned monsters on the field, and then you take damage equal to whichever monster had the highest attack points! And since Antitopian is your only monster, his 2,000 attack points will come straight out of you!!"

"WHAT?!" screamed Midnight. She didn't expect that Utopia would gain such a powerful ability. Doing her best to regain her composure, she snapped back, shouting, "Fine, it still won't save you!! The moment you destroy him, I'll use his effect and bring him back from the Graveyard, using your precious Shining Number to do it!! You'll still lose!"

But Twilight calmly told her dark side, "Sorry, but Antitopian won't MAKE it to the Graveyard, Midnight. Any monsters that Utopia Prime destroys with his effect are banished instead!"

"B-b-banished?!?" gasped Midnight. "No! This can't be!!"

"What's Twilight talkin' about?" asked Applejack.

"It's pretty simple, AJ." Discord filled her in. "The faker's Number card can only use its ability to revive itself when it goes to the Graveyard. But Twilight's new monster will eliminate it WITHOUT putting it there, thus preventing her dark half from bringing it back. And unfortunately for Midnight over there - who put every resource she had into maintaining that one monster, once it goes, she'll have nothing left to fight back with."

"But that means..." Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up and she put a big smile on her face as she said, "Alright!! Twilight's gonna win!!"

"Yeah!! I knew she'd do it!!" cheered Spike. "I knew she'd find a way to beat that faker!"

"Yeah! Yeah!! Go for it, Twilight!! Go get her!!!" Pinkie screamed loudly and enthusiastically.

Off to the side, Princesses Celestia and Luna were also smiling, proud of Twilight for holding onto her feelings of hope and finding her courage, even in her darkest moments. (You continue to impress me with every passing day, my faithful student...) thought the Sun Princess. (You have learned much in these past few minutes; you have learned not to allow your darker thoughts to consume you and make you feel powerless... Our dark sides may cause us to do wrong every now and then, but it is our inner light that helps us to learn from those moments and become better than what we were then...) She then glanced at one of the phantom images of Twilight's friends from the other world: The one of Sunset Shimmer, who looked over at the white Alicorn and smiled warmly before fading from sight. Celestia, too, smiled, thinking, (Through you... I know for sure now that my other student is doing well, wherever she is...)

The only one not happy about what was going on was, of course, Midnight. "No... no this can't be happening..." she said in disbelief. "How could I have allowed this to happen...? I was so close to ridding myself of my lighter side forever...! It's not fair!!"

"It's not so fun when you're the one losing hope, is it?" asked Twilight. "But I'm afraid there was no other way this could have ended. You tried to destroy my hope, but it became stronger instead. You became overconfident and too fixated on ending this Duel perfectly, causing you to make similar mistakes that I had made in the real world. And your selfish and greedy desires of taking over my mind and ruling Equestria were nothing compared to what I wanted for me and my friends! To put it in fewer words: You were doomed to fail from the very start."

Midnight remained silent, not saying a single word... She knew that it was all over for her, and there was nothing she could do to save herself now.

"Now, go! Utopia Prime!! Destroy and banish Antitopian!!" Twilight ordered him.

Utopia nodded and jumped into the air, the gems on his bright armor glowing. "Feel the power that only hope can bring!! Pandora's Force!!!" he shouted, unleashing the light energy that he had built up inside of him and sending straight towards Antitopian. The dark Number card tried to shield himself, but it was no use. The light dissolved him completely, sending his card to the banished pile, ensuring that he would never come back.

Once the light show was done, Twilight then told her dark side, "Your Antitopian is destroyed. You have nothing left to protect you now. One attack from Utopia and this Duel will be over."

Midnight just stood there silently, head hung down (Midnight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). "You can't destroy me, Twilight..." she said in a low voice. "Once you dispelled the Shadow Game's rules, this once more became a normal Duel... Even if you take out the rest of my Life Points right now, I won't be gone forever...! I'll still be there, sitting in your mind... Every day, every month, every year for the rest of your life... I'll always be a part of you."

"I'm aware of that." the young Princess responded. "But that doesn't concern me. You can live in my mind for as long as you want... But just because you're in my head doesn't mean that I have to let you control me. For the good of myself, my friends, and all of Equestria, I'll make sure you never cause trouble like this again!"

"...Just get your attack over with." Midnight spat. "At least when I'm stuck in the corner of your thoughts, I won't have to hear your prissy little speeches this close-up again."

And that's just what Twilight did. Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Go, Utopia Prime!! Attack Midnight directly and end this Duel! Rising Sun Prime Slash!!"

Utopia then unsheathed his single, powerful sword and leapt towards Twilight's dark half. As he moved forward, the shine from his weapon began glowing even brighter than before. Once he came within range of Midnight Sparkle, he slashed his sword, causing a brilliant flash of light that once more covered the entire world around them. The evil twin of Twilight Sparkle vanished completely in the powerful light until she could be seen no more...

(Midnight Sparkle: LP 2,000 - 2,510 = 0) (WINNER: Twilight Sparkle)

Twilight's eyes shot open all of a sudden, and the young Princess rose from out of a comfy bed, gasping and breathing heavily. Sweat ran down the side of her face, and her pupils were dilated. It was as if she had awoken from a particularly frightening nightmare. After spending a few seconds recovering from her sudden awakening, Twilight looked around the room she was in; she was back in her bedroom in her Ponyville castle. Then, she looked at herself, seeing that she was a pony once again.

"I'm... I'm here..." she said quietly to herself. "I'm... okay..." She then felt something under her back. Pushing off her covers, she got up and looked at her bed. She gasped when she saw what was sitting there: It was a Duel Monsters card, but not just any one; it was Number 98: Antitopian.

"So it really did happen..." the purple Alicorn told her herself as she used her magic to pick up the card from her dream. "It all really did happen..." Sitting back onto her bed and staring at the Number card that was now hers, she thought to herself, (That was one of the scariest things to ever happen to me... It's still hard to believe that it all really happened, but the proof is right here in front of me...) Taking a sigh, she then said, "In any case, I hope that this will be the last time my dark side does something like this again..."

Knowing there was nothing else to do, Twilight got back under her blanket, ready to go back to sleep. Before doing so, she then took a moment to glance over at her friends, Rarity and Applejack, still asleep in the guest bed she had prepared for them earlier. She then smiled, silently thanking them before going back to sleep herself.

The next morning...

"Good morning, everypony..." said a still-tired Twilight. She rubbed her eyes with her front hooves and yawned deeply, her mane suffering from a case of bed-headedness.

"Urrrgh... what's so good about it...?" Applejack replied. She was just as sleepy and exhausted as her Princess friend was.

"Ohhh... that was the worst night's sleep I've ever had in my life..." Rarity groggily chimed in. She then looked into a hoofheld mirror on the dresser beside her and screamed when she looked at her tired-looking face. "Oh dear... just look at me...!" she said, wincing. "I've got bags under my eyes...! This is absoLUTELY dreadful...!"

"Urrgh... Ah've woken up at the crack of dawn many times an' was never THIS conked-out before..." Applejack replied.

Yawning again, Twilight apologized, saying, "I'm sorry that you didn't sleep well last night, girls... If it weren't for my dark side showing up..."

"W-wait...! Y'all had that dream too?" asked the farm pony, surprised.

"My goodness! I thought I was the only one!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Not even close..." said another groggy voice in the room, this one belonging to Spike. He was rubbing his eyes and trying his best to keep himself awake, just as the others were (with about the same level of success). "I had that dream, too..." he informed the others. "And I hope I never have it again."

Just then, there was a loud, but slow knock coming from the castle's front door that everypony (and dragon) could hear. Having a good guess as to who it was, Twilight said to the others, "It's a hunch, but I have a feeling that we weren't the only ones to have a rough night..." Slowly making her way to the front entrance, she opened the doors to see who it was. Sighing again, she asked her guests, "You guys too...?"

On the other side of the doors were Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Discord. And just like the rest of them, they were just as exhausted-looking after not getting enough sleep last night. In fact, Fluttershy had fallen asleep standing up while she and her friends were waiting for their Princess friend to let them in. With gravity taking over, she slowly leaned over towards Rainbow Dash and unknowingly pushed up against the side of the cyan pony's body. "Urrrr... Fluttershy..." she said to her snoring friend, "get off of..." The rainbow-maned Pegasus's complaint was interrupted by a big, long yawn. "Uhhn... forget it... I'm too tired to complain right now..."

"I'm so sleepy, I didn't have the urge to poof up my mane this morning..." groaned Pinkie Pie, her mane and tail perfectly straight. She then asked her friends, "You don't think I look scary or creepy this way, do I?"

Before an answer could be given, Fluttershy suddenly slumped forward, landing face-first on the floor, which stirred her awake. "Eeek!! I'm up !! I'm up!!!" she screamed. After realizing what had happened, she blushed out of embarrassment getting herself back onto her hooves. "S-s-s-sorry..."

Looking over at Discord, Twilight asked him, "Even you, too?"

Yawning deeply while wearing a polka-dot nightgown (with cap) and carrying a coffee mug, the draconequus told her, "Yep... not the best of nights, Twily dear. In fact I was so tired, I walked over towards your castle for several minutes before I realized that I could have just teleported here..."

Sighing out of concern and some guilt, Twilight told them, "Well, come inside, everypony... I'll do what I can to help..." The Princess of Friendship let out a yawn herself as she escorted her friends inside the castle walls.

Minutes later, after preparing some coffee for the others (with Discord's help), Twilight sat down with her friends in the meeting hall and told them all about the dream that she had last night involving her darker half. Everyone was surprised to learn that they all had the same dream, and even more when they saw Twilight's new Number card and found out that it all really happened. "Girls... I'm really sorry about all this..." she told them, feeling bad about it all.

Sipping her mug, Rainbow Dash looked over to Twilight and asked, "Sorry? Sorry about what?"

"Yeah, what're ya apologizing for, Sugarcube?" Applejack inquired next. "It ain't your fault that we're all so tired right now."

"But it is..." the young Princess told them. "If my dark side didn't show up like she did... If I had just been more thorough with checking my bags after getting back here, I might have found that card before all of that happened... and we wouldn't be having such a miserable morning right now. I'm really, REALLY sorry, everypony..."

"Now, now... darling, it will be okay." Rarity told her in a comforting tone. "None of this was your fault. There was no possible way that you could have known that this would all happen."

"Yeah, Rarity's right." Rainbow Dash added. "If anything, we have you to thank for makin' sure that the fake you didn't come here and ruin everything like she said she would! Plus, I gotta admit; seeing you in action like that, all confident and stuff... that was pretty awesome. Nice t' know that some of MY tough attitude's rubbed of on ya."

Doing her best to form a smile, Twilight then told them, "I should be thanking all of you, to be honest. I don't think I would have come out of that if all of you weren't there to support me." She then looked over at the nightgown-wearing draconequus and said to him, "Especially you, Discord... If you hadn't brought my friends over... If you hadn't helped Princess Celestia contact me, I don't think I would have had the courage to fight back against my dark side."

"Erm... just looking out for a friend, that's all." Discord replied as he created a doughnut out of thin air and had it dunk itself into his coffee. "I wouldn't... DREAM of leaving you high and dry, Princess Twilight." He then chuckled a bit at his little pun; everypony else just groaned in their minds at it (except Pinkie, who wished that she had the chance to say it first).

"So... umm... is your dark side gone for good...?" asked Fluttershy.

"...No, she's still in me." the young Princess answered. "I can still feel that she's there, just waiting for a chance to come out and make trouble..." The others shared a look of concern after they heard her say that. But Twilight smiled and said, "But even though my dark side is still inside of me, it doesn't mean that I have to let her do whatever she wants me to do. And even if I may have some selfish or even evil wishes, I know they aren't things I really want to have happen. I know who I am and who I want to be: I want to be a Princess that inspires those around her, just like Celestia or Luna or Cadance... And most of all, I want to be an even better friend to all of you as well. I may not be perfect, but I won't let my past mistakes get me down. After all, there's a chance that I might make at least a few more in the future... But instead of beating myself up over them, I'll take those moments and turn them into a chance to better myself; for your sake and for mine."

The others in the room shared a warm, sleepy smile at their friend's speech. "If I weren't so tired right now," Pinkie began to say, "I'd be crying over how beautiful that was." The others in the room agreed with her and clapped their hooves (or other appendages) for Twilight.

"Thanks, everypony..." the purple Alicorn told them. "It's moments like this - all of us sitting together here together as friends, that makes it all worth it in the end." The others in the room nodded to say that they agreed.

"So... uh... what're we gonna do today, Twi?" asked Applejack.

"Hmmmmm..." hummed Twilight as she looked at the smiling sleepy faces around the meeting table. Putting on a small smile herself, she then said, "I think I have one idea that we can ALL agree upon..."

Minutes later, Twilight's bedroom was quite crowded as she and all of her friends were laying in their beds, fast asleep. After the less-than-favorable night they had previously, the eight of them decided that they'd have a nice mid-morning sleepover. With the help of his powers, Discord created a few more beds out of thin air, including one for himself (made of solid gold with tiny Discord statuettes on each bedpost). The group then fell asleep immediately, catching up on the sleep the lost as a result of what had occurred.

Utopia was the only one that wasn't asleep. In his phantom form (seen only by Twilight), he watched the peaceful scene in front of him while also contemplating the events of the previous night in his head. "Observation Number Five: Today, I have learned that no living thing, in this world or any other, are born inherently good or inherently evil." he said to himself. "All living things posses both light and darkness inside of them, and it is up to that being to choose which of them to follow. While one may struggle with the opposing forces inside of them, they alone have the willpower to overcome those struggles and move forward... I shall remember that."

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Twilight Sparkle (5 Numbers total):

Number 98: Antitopian

RANK 27: Spanning the Generation Gap:

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

RANK 28: A Crystal Tree Grows in Manehattan:

Author's Note

Continuing with the "Spring Break" series of episodes, we now join up with Rarity, Pinkie, and Sweetie Belle during their trip to Manehatten. Just what will happen during their vacation? Just read on and see for yourself. :raritywink:

RANK 28: A Crystal Tree Grows in Manehattan:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Some time before Spring Break was announced, Pinkie Pie, a friend of Sunset Shimmer's, had managed to obtain tickets to go to the big city of Manehattan for one of its biggest events: The annual Spring Fashion Show. After getting them, Pinkie wasted no time in telling her friend Rarity, an up-and-coming fashion designer, about the tickets and invited her to come and see it. Needless to say, Rarity was quick to accept the offer.

Now, on their week off, Pinkie Pie and Rarity had gotten onto a bus (that was fully paid for) that would take them straight to the big city. Also with them is Rarity's younger sister Sweetie Belle, who, along with her friends Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed, is part of a Duel Monsters club known as the Duel Monsters Crusaders, or D.M.C. for short. With the help of Sunset Shimmer, she and her friends are refining their skills as Duelists and becoming stronger with each and every day.

Now, what will await the three of them in Manehattan? Will they be able to take a break from Dueling to enjoy the sights? Or will something happen that may cause the fashion show trip to become a fashion faux pas?

The noises and thick crowds of people painted the picture for another typical day in Manehattan, a city that, while it was not the capital city, was much bigger and more densely populated. Traffic jams, towering buildings, and the sounds of construction and loud talking by the citizens were pretty much the norm for this town. But for those spending their time in one of the city's fancy restaurants, they could take a short break from the hustle and bustle outside.

At a small, circular table in the second floor of a restaurant known as The Cantering Cook, a waiter approached the three people sitting there and looking at their menus. "Good afternoon." he said to them. "I'll be your waiter for today. Can I offer you something to drink?"

One of the three people at the table put down their menu in order to speak with him. It was none other than Rarity sitting there. "Yes, of course." she told him. "I'll have some grape juice, thank you."

Next to put down their menu was Rarity's younger sister, Sweetie Belle. "I'll have that, too." she replied. She then turned around to the third person at their table and asked them, "What about you, Pinkie Pie?"

"Hmmmmm..." hummed the third person, who was indeed Pinkie. "There's just so MANY good choices..." she said to herself, trying to come to a decision. After mulling over it for a while, she then asked the waiter, "You wouldn't happen to have any strawberry milk left, do you? I REALLY like it, and not just because it's pink like me."

"Um... I'll see if we do." the waiter replied, writing down the beverage orders before leaving. "I will be back shortly."

Rarity then turned towards Pinkie Pie and said to her, "I must say Pinkie, it was nice of you to suggest coming to this restaurant for lunch." Glancing around with a smile on her face, she added, "It has such a calm, soothing atmosphere, not to mention a great view of the city from up here."

"Yeah, it's really cool!" Sweetie Belle remarked, looking out the large picture window next to their table. "All the people down there look like little ants!"

"My family and I come here all the time when we visit the city on vacation." Pinkie told them. "The food here is just so good, and the staff is so friendly! Not to mention that this place is famous for their All-You-Can-Eat Baked Goods Platter!"

Giggling a little, Sweetie Belle said to her sister, "I get it... THAT'S why she said this was a good place for lunch."

"Indeed." Rarity responded. "If you recall, Pinkie has memorized the dessert menus of every restaurant in Canterlot City by heart. It's quite astounding, to be perfectly honest." She then told her pink-skinned friend, "In any case, thanks again for showing us this place."

"Hey, it's the least I can do after you went and treated us all to a shopping spree down in Saddle Row!" Pinkie told her. She then got out a shopping bag that she had with her and pulled out an outfit that was in it. The outfit was relatively simple in appearance, but every bit as cutesy-looking as her usual clothes: It consisted of a sleeveless dress with a white top (with the triple balloons that served as her pony counterpart's cutie mark) and a frilly pink skirt, long white stockings, a cute little blue bow, and a pair of cyan platform shoes with light-pink straps and a small pink heart imprinted on the sides of each shoe. "Now I can have something in my closet that isn't an exact duplicate of the stuff I usually wear! Thanks!"

Rarity then took out her shopping bag and proudly showed of the new outfit she had bought. It was also a simple outfit, but a bit flashier than Pinkie's was: The top was a light-blue sleeveless shirt with skirt-like frills on the waist area with a small purple diamond shapes imprinted all the way around. The collar of the shirt was white, with small blue jewels - circular and diamond in shape, sewn into it. A purple, knee-length skirt soon followed, along with a pair of fancy, purple, high-heeled shoes with gems sprinkled upon it, along with sparkling gem-like objects on the back, serving as the shoes' heels. "You're very welcome, Pinkie dear." the fashionista politely replied. "I do believe that during our Spring Break, we should certainly try to, shall we say... BREAK away from the usual norms and try something new, at least in our appearance."

Pinkie giggled a bit, telling her violet-haired friend, "And I do believe that little play on words was simply PUN-derful." The two girls giggled at each other for their little joke. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes a bit at the puns her sister and Pinkie had made. The pink teen then asked the younger girl, "I didn't see you get anything, Sweetie Belle... Why not?"

"Me? Um... I... I didn't see anything I really wanted, actually." she answered. "I'm not really into having so many fancy outfits like my sister does."

"Hmmm... I guess that means you'll just have to keep appearing in more shorts and specials looking exactly the same as you do now." Pinkie told her.

"...Huh?" asked Sweetie Belle, not understanding what that meant. At that point, the waiter had returned with their drinks and set them on the table. From that point, Rarity had suggested that they would discuss more about their plans after lunch.

About less than an hour later, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Pinkie Pie all left the restaurant, full and satisfied. "Wow... that was so good..." Sweetie Belle said with a pleased sigh. "I don't think I'll be hungry again for awhile..."

"I agree." Rarity said next. "The Manehattan clam chowder was quite rich in flavor: I swear, I felt as though I could taste each and every individual tomato that went into it!"

"And the dessert tray..." Pinkie Pie said with a relaxed tone of voice. "Those cooks've really outdone themselves this time. It's their best work yet!" She then took a small item out of her purse and slapped it onto the wall of the restaurant building. The object was a circular sticker, showing a chibi-fied version of herself with a big smile on her face, both hands giving the victory sign (by holding up both her middle and index fingers, much like the "peace" sign), surrounded by a golden trim. "Definitely gets the 'Pinkie Pie Seal of Approval', that's for sure!" she said in confidence. Rarity and Sweetie Belle then noticed that several more stickers just like it were also pasted upon that same wall.

Coughing for attention, Sweetie Belle then asked her older sister, "So um, what are we gonna do now, Rarity? You said that the big fashion show wasn't until tomorrow night."

The violet-haired teen then rubbed her chin a little in thought. "Hmmmm... To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure, Sweetie." she admitted. "I don't come to this town that often..." Knowing that her friend had been to Manehattan before, she asked her, "Pinkie, darling... do you have any suggestions of what we should do next? I'd rather we not spend our whole day in our hotel room."

"Hmmm... you're right, Rarity..." the silly girl agreed. "I do have a bit of an issue with cabin fever..." As they talked to each other, none of them noticed a figure in a nearby alleyway that was listening in to the their conversation. Pinkie Pie then pulled out a tourist's map of the city that she had picked up shortly after they had arrived. "Maybe this thing could tell us what we could do..."

"Let me take a look at that!" Sweetie Belle said, taking the map and looking around on it. "Hmmmmm... Well, we could go and try out that new escape room game that I've heard about: Manehattan Escapes! That could be pretty fun!"

"Or," Rarity said, taking the map and pointing to some else on it, "we could try something a teensy less stressful, like... um, take a stroll through Manehattan Park! After all, it's such a nice day out."

"Those sound KINDA cool," Pinkie told them both while taking the map back, "but I think we should pay a visit to The Manehattan Museum of Art! They've got all sorts of cool things on display, such as the history of the Spanish Inquisition, the Klopman Diamond, and this documentary they're showing called, 'A Brief History of Running Gags in Television'!"

"Hmmm... this is quite a conundrum." Rarity noted. "We can't seem to decide what to do first. If Twilight wasn't spending Spring Break back in her world... or if Sunset didn't enter that Duel Monsters tournament several towns over, one of them would have most certainly helped us plan our trip better..."

"Well, we'll figure SOMETHING out soon." Sweetie Belle said, reaching for the map that Pinkie was holding. "After all, we've got this map with us, and-" But as she took the map, it slipped out of her hand and got carried off by a sudden gust of wind. "OH NO!!" she shouted.

"Our map!!" shrieked Rarity, watching as the map flew off. "Quick, after it!! Without that map, we'll be lost in this city forever!!" The three of them chased after the fluttering map, hoping that it fall down soon. But it seemed as though their efforts were in vain, as the wind was blowing the map faster than they were running, flying further and further away from them.

"It's no use! We'll never catch up to it now!" said Pinkie. "Unless some random character that's important to this story shows up to help us, that's map's as good as gone!"

But at that moment, the map began falling down and was caught by someone ahead of them. "Look! Somebody got it!" Sweetie Belle informed the others.

"Let's go see who it was and get our map back!" Rarity suggested. Pinkie and Sweetie nodded and ran up to see who had helped them reclaim their lost map. They finally approached the individual and saw who they were: It was a girl in her late teens, with light-pink skin, long, swirly blond hair with streaks of light blue in some places, bright blue eyes, and a small beauty mark under each of her eyes. Her outfit consisted of a small, white, sleeveless shirt that showed off the midriff, a short, pleated, sky blue skirt with a small diamond keychain attached to the hip, and blue high-heeled shoes with white, medium-length socks. The girl also wore some jewelry, which included a pair of earrings with small diamonds hanging on them, rings on the index and ring fingers of her right hand, and a pair of gold bracelets. The outfit was simple, yet quite fashionable.

Rarity walked over to the other girl and said to her, "Um, excuse me, miss... That map you have in your hand there; it got blown away in the wind. May we have it back?"

"Sure." the girl replied in a mostly soft voice, handing it over to the fashionista. "I... saw what happened, so I reached up and grabbed it once it came near me."

"Well, thank you very much. My friends and I certainly appreciate it." the violet-haired teen said sincerely. "My name is Rarity." She then stepped aside and introduced the others, saying, "This is my schoolmate, Pinkie Pie... and my younger sister Sweetie Belle."

"Pleased t' meet ya!" Pinkie responded, waving her hand with her usual level of energy.

"Yeah, same here." Sweetie Belle said as well.

"...Thank you." the girl replied. "My name is Diamondbright. I've been here is this city since... well, as long as I can remember. I know it very well. I can tell that the three of you are not from around here, are you?"

"Um... Oh! No, we are not." Rarity answered, snapping herself out of a sudden case of wandering mind after the girl introduced herself. "We're from Canterlot. We came here for the big event tomorrow."

"The Spring Fashion Show." said Diamondbright, correctly guessing the event in question. "Am I right?"

"How'd you know that?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"It's... well, it's the most talked-about thing here in the city." the fashionable city girl told them. "Everybody here knows about it."

"You... wouldn't happen to know where exactly the show will take place, do you?" Rarity questioned her.

"Of course." Diamondbright replied. "It will be held in the shopping center along Diamond District." Pointing ahead, she also told them, "It's a little past Saddle Row, if you keep walking straight. Does that, um... help you?"

"Very much so. Thank you." Rarity told her, grateful for the girl's help.

Looking at the map that she had given back to the violet-haired girl, Diamondbright then said to her, "It appears that the three of you don't seem to know what to do here in the city. Perhaps I could... help you out and serve as your guide throughout all of Manehattan?"

"Wow!! That's exactly what we need right now!!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We were trying to figure that out before the wind got our map! If you could help us out by showing us where we need to go, that'd be really REALLY convenient!!"

"Yeah, seriously." Sweetie Belle responded. "It sure was lucky that someone like you happened to be here when we needed it."

"Well, what can I say?" began Diamondbright. "Sometimes, these things happen when you need them to the most." Looking at the map, the city-dwelling teen then suggested, "Perhaps we could start with Manehattan Escapes, since it's close by from where we are."

"Alright! That's sounds good to me! Let's go!" Sweetie Belle said with her youthful enthusiasm.

"Yeah! This'll be super-duper fun!!" Pinkie added, with an equal amount of enthusiasm. "Lead the way, Diamondbright!" Their new companion smiled and did just that, showing them all which way to go. Rarity followed slowly close by, her mind going into deep thought again as it did a bit earlier on. For some reason, she felt as though something was amiss, but couldn't quite figure out what it was. For now, she decided to think about it later and focus on enjoying the day with her friends.

The group of four, lead by Diamondbright, walked down a side street that wasn't as heavily-populated as the main roads. Pinkie, Sweetie Belle, and Rarity all followed closely, making sure to stick together so that they wouldn't get lost. Looking around the area, Sweetie noticed that the street they were on was also not... well-off as what they had seen earlier; in other words, it looked a bit rougher. "Um, are you sure this is the way we should be going?" she asked Diamondbright.

Hearing her name, the girl put away the cell phone she had been fiddling with at the moment, placing it back in her purse. "Absolutely." the city girl answered. "I know it seems a little out of the way, but trust me: This route will get us there in hardly any time at all. That way you can, well... have more time for fun once we get there."

"I guess that makes sense..." Pinkie Pie replied, though she had some concerns as well.

Rarity could tell that her sister and friend had some doubts about the path they were taking, and so did she. She kept her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Then, all of a sudden...

"Stop right there, all of ya!" shouted a tough-sounding male voice from right in front of them. The four girls looked ahead and gasped when they saw what appeared to be a grey-skinned mugger right in front of them. "Alright, no funny business:" he told them in an intimidating tone of voice. "Just hand over your money and yer other valuables, and nobody gets hurt!"

"Oh my GOODNESS!" shrieked Rarity. "That man is trying to rob us!!"

"Wh-wh-what do we do??" asked Sweetie Belle. "I'm scared...!"

But Pinkie simply said, "Well, if he really wants something, I'll give it to him." She then reached into her poofy hair and pulled out a small, colorful can.

Confused, the crook then asked the pink girl, "What's THAT s'pposed t' be?!"

"You said you wanted our valuable things, right?" she asked him. "Well, this happens to be my most treasured possession!" She then placed it into the man's hand.

Still not sure what it was, the robber looked at the top of the canister, seeing that it had a lid with multiple holes. Just then, a cloud of sparkling yellow dust shot right out of it and into his face. "AAAAGH!!! I can't see! I can't see!!" he screamed. He ran around, flailing his arms around and throwing the can into the air. He ran blindly around the four of them before running right into a bunch of trash cans, tripping and fell down to the ground, in no shape to fight back.

Pinkie then held out her hand, casually catching the can that the mugger had tossed in the confusion. "Th-that was amazing, Pinkie!" Rarity said. "But what was in that can you gave him?"

"Just a little something that no party-lover could live without!" the pink teenager answered. "My All-Purpose, Air-Compressed Glitter in a Can! I usually use it for decorating posters and other things if I'm in a hurry, but it sure does a good job of stopping would-be thieves, too!"

Having heard the commotion from nearby, a police officer ran over to the scene and saw the mugger lying face-down on the sidewalk. "Well, well, well..." said the cop, "So we finally found you after all this time!" Hoisting the crook up and cuffing him, the officer said, "You four girls are lucky; this brute's been mugging people and snatching purses for weeks until today. Strange thing is, he usually commits these crimes after dark... We likely wouldn't have found him if he hadn't been so brazen as to attack in the middle of the afternoon. In any case, I'll take care of things from here. Be careful, all of you."

After the police left with the mugger in tow, Sweetie Belle breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close..." she said, feeling relieved. "Not to mention scary..."

"Are you alright, Miss Diamonbright?" Rarity asked her.

"Hm? Oh! I'm... I'm fine!" the fashionable city girl answered her. "Still a in bit of shock, but... just fine."

"...That's good to hear." the violet-haired fashionista stated. "But from this point, perhaps we should stick to the main roads and out of dangerous areas such as this one?" she then asked. Getting another idea in her mind, she then recommended, "Not only that, but perhaps we should exchange cell phone numbers, just in case we get separated."

"Um, sure. Perhaps you are right..." Diamondbright agreed. After writing down her phone number and giving it to her (with Rarity then doing the same), she looked at the map again and told the others. "Let's take this path, then it's just a couple of blocks until we get there."

"Sounds good to me." Pinkie Pie responded as she put her special glitter can away in her hair. "After dealing with that guy, an escape room game should be no problem at all." The four of them then followed their guide to their destination, hoping that no other encounters with robbers would arise along the way.

As they did, Rarity began thinking about something when the mugger attacked them. (There was something... not quite right about that man who attacked us... But what?) she continued to ponder while following the others. Eventually she decided to not think about it any more, at least for the moment.

A while later, after participating in the challenges at Manehattan Escapes, the four of them went over to the enormous city park to spend some time there. "Wow, that escape room game sure was fun!" Pinkie Pie said as she, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle sat down on a park bench overlooking a small duck pond. She then looked over at Rarity, who seemed a bit exhausted after having played that game with them all, telling her, "I can't understand why you had so much trouble with it... You're usually good at things while working under pressure."

"There's a big difference between meeting a deadline for a client at the boutique and trying to get out of a locked room within a strict time limit." the violet-haired girl told her friend. However, her real reason for having trouble with the game was because her mind was currently on other things at the time, and so she couldn't completely concentrate on the challenges.

"Aw, lighten up, Rarity." said Sweetie Belle, throwing bread crumbs to the ducks swimming in the small pond in front of them. "You didn't do THAT bad. You actually made it through sooner than I thought you would."

"...And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Rarity, noticing the sly smirk her sister was sporting.

But before another word could be said, Pinkie, who was looking around the area they were in, asked the two siblings, "Say, where did that Diamondbright girl go?"

"Hm? I think she was looking for a bathroom." Sweetie answered. "She said that she had to make a quick phone call or something."

"Yes... but for this long?" asked Rarity. "Something doesn't seem ri-"

"EEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!" screamed a voice that interrupted Rarity's statement and caused all three of them to look in the direction of the scream. It was Diamondbright, who was running as fast as she could to get away from an angry, barking dog that was chasing her.

"Oh no!!" said Pinkie Pie. "That mean-looking dog is gaining on her! What'll we do?!"

Just then, the dog glanced over and saw the other three girls on the other side of the pond. It immediately abandoned its pursuit of Diamondbright and went straight towards them, barking and snarling. "Oh no! Why is it coming after us now?!" asked Rarity in a panic.

"I don't know, but we've gotta do something before he turns us into Kibbles 'n Bits!" said a concerned Pinkie Pie.

The mentioning of dog food then gave Sweetie Belle an idea. She then reached into the backpack she was wearing and pulled out a small, brown paper bag. She then reached into it and pulled out what appeared to be a hamburger. It was leftovers from the restaurant where she and the others had lunch. Waving the burger in the air, she then shouted, "Hey puppy! Puppy!! Over here!! Look!!"

The dog immediately stopped barking and slowed down when it saw that the young girl was holding food. At that moment, the dog stopped and stared at the burger, barking like it wanted it.

"Huh? Is this what you want?" asked Sweetie Belle, still waving the burger. "Is that it? Is THIS what you want?" The dog barked again as if to say yes. "Then... GO GET IT!!" Sweetie shouted, tossing the food as hard she could away from where they were. The dog then chased after the burger, now in the mood for a meal rather than a fight.

Once the dog was long gone, the three of them walked over to Diamondbright on the other side of the pond. "Are you alright?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Huh...?" asked the city girl, a bit confused at first. Realizing that the animal chasing her was gone, she then told her, "Oh! Yes, I'm... I'm just fine!"

"Why was that dog chasing you?" asked Rarity.

"I... I don't know!" Diamonbright answered. "After I left the bathroom, I checked the picture that I took of you all in front of the escape room building, when that... thing just started chasing me! I... think it must have been a stray... There are quite a few of them in the city."

"Well, the important thing is that we're all fine, and we got out of that problem in one piece." Sweetie Belle told them. "All thanks to my brilliant and ingenious plan!"

"Oh yes, quite 'ingenious' indeed." Rarity said a bit slyly. "Throw some food and hope the dog goes after it instead. Quite complex, I must say."

"Are you making fun of me...?" asked Sweetie Belle. "You do realize I probably just saved all of our lives, right?"

"And I'm very grateful to you for doing so." Rarity told her, no longer being sarcastic about it. "I just simply wanted to get a little payback for the comment you made regarding my experience in the escape room." she added with a smirk of her own.

"Oh, right... I get it." the younger sister said, blushing a little. "I guess I had it coming." The two of them giggled a bit afterwards.

Diamondright got up and hummed a bit to herself before looking at the map again. "We should get going." she told the others. "Just in case that dog... well, just in case it comes after us again." The others agreed and the group left the park. As they did, Rarity glanced over in the direction that the dog had ran while chasing the burger that Sweetie Belle had tossed. She then saw that another person was approaching the animal and seemed to be scolding it. Not sure what to make of it, the fashionista continued to follow the rest of her companions.

Minutes later, the group had made their way into the Manehattan Museum of Art. However, it was more than just an art museum, as there were all sorts of other valuable relics on display, as well as some other special exhibits. The four girls paid for their admission tickets and walked inside. Some of the things they saw included relics and art pieces collected from all over the world, including Western Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas. Rarity in particular enjoyed seeing the Costume Center, staring in awe and joy at all of the beautifully-designed clothing that had been made over the ages. Pinkie Pie took great pleasure in posing alongside each painting and exhibit they saw while Sweetie Belle used her cell phone to take pictures of her. Diamondbright was also using her phone, seemingly sending a text message to someone.

After having spent a good amount of time looking around the museum, Rarity stretched her arms and said, "Well, I must say, despite a few... 'trouble spots', this day was quite enjoyable." Thinking a bit to herself, she then added, "I still wonder what has caused us to have such trouble lately; first with that mugger, and then the dog..."

"It's probably nothing, Rarity." Pinkie Pie assured her. "So a few not-so-good things happened during our trip; it's probably just a coincidence. I'm sure there's absolutely no chance that anything else could go wrong today!"

"Look! Over there!!" shouted Diamondbright, gasping in shock. The others looked ahead and saw something that almost made them think that they were dreaming: It appeared that one of the suits of armor that was on display had suddenly come alive, and was brandishing a long sword, slashing it around while other museum patrons were running away in panic.

"...You have GOT to be kidding me." Rarity said, not believing what was in front of her.

"I knew I shouldn't have said that there was no chance of anything going wrong..." said Pinkie.

"Wh-wh-what do we do?!?" asked a trembling Sweetie Belle.

"Run for it!!" Diamonbright suggested. The others agreed and they all ran as fast as they could. Upon hearing them, the suit of armor then began chasing after them.

"Wh-wh-why is it coming after us?!" asked a frightened Sweetie Belle.

"Right now, I just care about whether or not we'll get away from him!" said Pinkie Pie. "After all, I don't think my glitter will work on something that has a helmet on its head!"

"And I don't have any food to distract it!" Sweetie added. "Not that I think it would work anyway!"

Looking ahead, Rarity saw something up ahead of them: The velvet rope that was used to bar direct access to the museum's valuables. While not at Sunset's or Twilight's level, Rarity was also quite a smart individual herself, and had come up with a plan. "Sweetie Belle! Pinkie!" she called out to them. "Run into the next room and stand to the left of the doorway!"

"Wh-what are you doing??" asked Diamondbright.

"Hopefully something that will save us from that nefarious knight...!" the fashionista told her. Sweetie and Pinkie nodded and did just as Rarity told them, going into the room ahead and heading to the left. Rarity then pointed to the velvet rope and the metal stanchion they were attached to, telling Diamonbright, "Help me pick up one of those metal posts and carry it over to where Pinkie and Sweetie Belle are."

"Um... okay...?" said the fashionable city girl, still not sure what was going on. Nevertheless, she grabbed one of the stanchion posts while Rarity grabbed the post on the other end of the rope. It was a little heavy, but the two girls were able to carry it together without any problem.

They carried it into the next room, with Diamondbright giving the post that she was holding to Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle. Rarity, in the meantime, hung onto the end that she was holding. "Now, girls... when I say, 'now', grab the post and pull it towards you as hard as you can!" Rarity instructed them.

Figuring out what her plan was, Pinkie Pie nodded and said, "You've got it, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle nodded as well to say that she understood.

The fashionista then stood on the right side of the door in the next room, opposite to where her friend and sister were. Behind her was Diamondbright, who was still trying to figure out what Rarity was up to. Peeking out from the corner of the wall, the city-dwelling girl saw that the knight was still on his way. Luckily, the armor was as heavy as it was strong, giving the girls plenty of time to set up the plan. Once he was close enough to the room entrance, Rarity shouted, "NOW! PULL!!" The three of them pulled as hard as they could, as if they were in a tug-of-war. This caused the velvet rope to stretch across the entrance. Before it had any time to react, the crazed suit of armor tripped over the rope and fell down to the ground, dropping its sword.

"Yes! It worked!!" cheered Rarity, happy to see that her plan was successful.

"Yay! Way to go, big sis!!" Sweetie Belle congratulated.

"Yeah, way to go!!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"Oh, please girls." Rarity told them modestly. "It was the best I could think of right on the spot. Still, I can't argue with the results, wouldn't you say?" The four of them - including Diamondbright - walked over to the suit of armor, now struggling to get up. But because of how heavy the armor was, the task was all but impossible.

At that moment, the museum security and several curious patrons ran to the scene. "What happened here?" asked one of the security guards, pointing to the armored menace. "Who is that?"

"This... thing was chasing after us after it began scaring everybody in the armory display." Rarity told him.

"And now let's see who the ghost REALLY is!" said Pinkie Pie, grabbing the helmet and pulling it off. As it turned out, the armor didn't really "come alive"; instead, someone got into the armor and used it as a disguise. The person in question was a young woman with blue-violet skin, dark grey hair that was in swirls, and purple eyes.

Gasping, the security guard then exclaimed, "I don't believe it! It's Rough Diamond, the notorious jewel thief!!"

"Who?" asked the Rarity and the others.

Hoisting her up, the guards then explained, "She's likely come here to steal some of the museum's most valuable treasures. We'd heard rumors that she was in the area today, but couldn't find out where she was. And no wonder: she was hiding in that armor right in plain sight and using it to scare everyone away so that she could steal it! Isn't that right?"

"Grrrr... yes, that's right...!" grumbled the would-be thief. "Once everyone was gone, I was going to go and take the Ostlerheimer Diamond before anyone suspected a thing."

"And lemme guess:" Pinkie began to say. "You would've gotten away with it if it weren't for us 'meddling kids', right?" Giggling, she then asked her friends, "It's too bad Spike isn't with us right now, or else this totally would have been like the cartoon!"

"Well in any case," Sweetie Belle began, "after all of this, I think I've had enough sightseeing for one day. Let's get back to our hotel room before something else happens. I wouldn't be surprised if a meteor were to come down on us sometime today with our luck..."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Pinkie commented. The two of them then made their way to the museum's exit, with Rarity behind them. Then, the violet-haired girl stopped for a moment and looked around, noticing something peculiar...

(That's odd... where did that Diamondbright girl go?) she asked herself. (She was just here a moment ago, shortly after we tripped that thief...) Just then, she overheard something else from the security guards that got her attention.

"You're in serious trouble, Rough." said one of them. "Coming all this way here to steal something as valuable as the Ostlerheimer Diamond... I don't know where you heard such a rumor, but your trip here was a waste of time!"

"That's right." said another guard. "That diamond isn't on display in the museum this year! It's been placed somewhere safe where thieves like you can't ever get to it!"

"Wh-what?! You're lying!" shouted Rough Diamond, startled by what she heard him say. "Grrrr... that little weasel...! How dare them for giving me false information!!"

"Hey, quiet down!" said one of the guards. "You've caused enough trouble already." As they all left, Rarity began thinking about what she had heard, wondering what it all meant.

Later, as the sky began to get darker, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Pinkie Pie - all having changed into their sleeping clothes, were all back in their hotel room to rest up for the big day tomorrow. "Wow... what a day..." the pink teen stated, laying down on her bed. "We stopped a mugger, escaped an attack dog, and foiled a museum heist..." Sighing a little, she then added, "It's things like this that make me wish I wasn't a main character... But not really."

"I know..." said Sweetie Belle, sitting on the other bed in the room. "That was so weird that we had all that bad luck today..."

"Hmmmm..." hummed Rarity, pondering some thoughts in her head while pacing around.

"Hm? Something the matter, sis?" asked Sweetie.

"...You could say that." the violet-haired girl responded. "I'm beginning to think that something is not as it seems regarding our mishaps throughout the day."

"What d'ya mean?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Well, don't you think it's a bit strange that all of those things happened to us all right after one another on the same day, and ONLY when we were nearby?" asked Rarity. "It seems too unlikely that we would have so much misfortune in one sitting like that."

"What are you saying?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"...I'm saying that those 'random occurrences' may not be as random as we think they may be." Rarity answered her younger sister. "I mean, just think about it: First, we were almost robbed by a complete stranger that usually only commits his crimes at night, and yet it was bright outside at the time... And then a dog comes literally out of nowhere and tries to attack us in the park... And then of all things, an attempted robbery takes place at the museum that we just so happened to pay a visit to! Do you understand what I'm saying, girls?"

"You mean that all of that stuff was planned to happen?" asked Pinkie Pie. "But who planned it? And why?"

"I don't know for sure yet, darling..." the fashionista replied, "but what I am sure of is that it can't possibly all be a coincidence. Those misfortunes happened for a reason, and I'm hoping I can figure it out BEFORE it gets any worse."

"Well, whatever's going on..." said Sweetie Belle. Taking a moment to yawn, she continued, saying, "we can figure it out tomorrow. Right now, I'm too exhausted to do anything else."

"Yeah, me too..." Pinkie added, getting under her covers and readying herself for a good night's sleep. Yawning, she then told her friends, "Don't worry, girls... tomorrow'll be much, much better; I guarantee it."

"Let us hope so..." Rarity replied, deciding to go to sleep as well. She got in her bed along with her sister and said, "Good night, everyone... I'll see you in the morning..."

"Good night, Rarity..." Pinkie said before falling asleep.

"Good night, big sis..." Sweetie Belle chimed in, getting ready to go to sleep as well. Rarity then reached over to the table lamp on the nightstand and switched it off, plunging the room into darkness.

The hours passed, and the three girls were all sound asleep. Despite that the streets outside were still noisy and busy with people roaming around, the room was quiet and peaceful, with hardly a sound that could be heard; perfect for a good night's sleep.

But outside of their room, in the dark hallways of the hotel, a strange figure was creeping around. Cloaked in the darkness and moving ever so carefully, the figure went by each and every room without being noticed. The sleeping security guard wasn't even aware of their presence as they walked right by. Eventually, the figure reached their intended destination. "Hmmm... here it is: Room Number 609..." the figure said to themself. The mysterious individual then reached into a bag and pulled out what appeared to be a small makeup brush... before pulling on the end of the handle and removing a part of it, revealing a small lockpick. The figure then picked the lock and managed to open the room door.

Silently and only opening the door enough for them to get through, the figure entered the room and silently closed the door behind them. "Now... where are they...?" the figure asked themself, looking around. The person then saw Rarity, Pinkie, and Sweetie all asleep at the other end of the room. The intruder then silently moved around, making extra-sure not to wake them as it made its way over to the coat closet. "There...! They must be in there." the figure said, quietly opening the door. Inside the closet were all of girls' belongings that they had brought with them. "Perfect..." said the figure, sure that they had found what they were looking for. "Now I can finally perform the job that I could not do earlier..."

The intruder was so focused on whatever they were trying to, that they didn't notice one of the three girls stirring themselves awake. It was Sweetie Belle, who had a sudden case of nighttime thirstiness. Groaning quietly, the younger of the three girls got out of bed and walked over to the small mini-fridge that was in the room and opened it, pulling out a bottle of water. As she opened it and prepared to take a drink, she then saw the figure over at the closet. Instinctively, she shouted, "HEY!! What are you doing in here?!?"

That sudden shout got the attention of not only the intruder, but also Rarity (not Pinkie, she slept like a rock, as her sister Maud would often say). "Mmmmn... Sweetie Belle..." she moaned as she rubbed her eyes. "What are you shouting for...?" But she got her answer when she happened to look over towards the closet and saw the figure that had broken in, still concealed by the darkness around them. "What?! Who are you??" Rarity demanded to know. "And what are you doing in our hotel room?!?"

"Urrgh!" the figure grunted, knowing that their cover was blown. The intruder then hastily made a run for it, trying to leave the room as Rarity tossed whatever she could find at the would-be crook, tossing books, pillows, and even the TV remote in an attempt to stop them. One of the books hit the intruder on their right side, causing a few things to fall off of them. But the individual was in too much of a hurry to get out, they didn't notice as they got out of the room, running as fast as they could.

Rarity started to give chase, but stopped just outside of the door when she could no longer see the person that had broken in. Huffing, she then shouted, "And don't you DARE come back in here, you... you RUFFIAN!!" Snorting a bit in anger, she closed the door, trying her best not to slam it in her anger (after all, slamming doors - even in rage, was very un-lady like, according to her).

"I-i-is he gone, Rarity?" asked Sweetie Belle, trembling a little.

Taking a deep sigh to calm herself, she then told her sister, "Yes, I think so. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Sweetie answered her.

Walking over to Pinkie Pie's bed after turning on the lights, Rarity and Sweetie Belle nudged her, trying to get her to wake up. "Pinkie dear... you must wake up!" the violet-haired fashionista requested her snoring friend. But it was all for naught as the pink teenager just lay there, snoozing away.

"It's no use, Rarity." Sweetie told her older sister. "A herd of buffalo wouldn't wake her up."

Coming up with an idea, Rarity then walked over to the mini-fridge and pulled out a small paper bag. "This might do the trick." she said as she walked back over to Pinkie's bed. Then, in the quietest voice possible, she said to her friend, "...Pinkie...? Would you like a chocolate lollipop...?"

Even though most heavy sleepers would never be able to hear such a low-volume voice, Pinkie did. Almost a split-second after Rarity made her semi-silent offer, the silly pink girl's eyes shot up open, and a grin appeared on her face. Immediately sitting up, she then said in an excited tone, "Yeah! Yeah! Of COURSE!! Thanks!!"

Smiling, Rarity then opened the bag and gave her the candy treat, as promised. Pinkie snatched it up and devoured it within moments. After she was finished, Rarity then said to her, "Now for the real reason I woke you up, Pinkie darling... Just moments ago, somebody broke into our room!"

Gasping, Pinkie asked, "You're kidding!!"

"No, it's true!" Sweetie told her. "I saw them over by the closet, going through our things! It was so scary!"

"We had best check our belongings and make sure that nothing has been taken." Rarity suggested. The others agreed and quickly went over to check their bags. After searching through them for less than a minute, the violet-haired teen then said, "Well, everything's here and accounted for."

"Same here." said Sweetie Belle.

"Ditto." Pinkie chimed in. She then pulled out a handheld game system and added, "I just got one in a Wi-Fi trade. Also, my bag's okay too."

Sighing again, Rarity then said to the others, "This is all too bizarre... After all that's happened to us so far, NOW we have someone break into our room while sleeping? Why??"

"I dunno..." Pinkie said, scratching the top of her head. "You think we might've bumped into Milo Murphy while walking around the city?" After thinking about her comment for a second, she immediately dismissed that possibility, saying, "No... probably not. We don't have a Milo Murphy; we have a Cheese Sandwich, and he certainly doesn't cause others unintentional bad luck..."

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle noticed something on the floor next to her. "Hey! Take a look over here!" The young girl then picked up the object: It was the makeup brush/lockpick that the intruder had with them.

"A lockpick!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "That must be how they got in! But who could it have been?"

Rarity then noticed something else on the floor, a short distance away from where the brush was. Walking over to it and picking it up, she then gasped when she saw what the item was. "Astonishing!!" she said in surprise. "This can't be!"

"What?" asked Sweetie Belle. "What is it, Rarity?"

Pocketing the object in her bag for now, the fashionista then told the others, "I have a feeling that we shall know the identity of our would-be intruder by tomorrow." Putting her bag away in the closet with the others, she then told the girls, "Right now, we had best get to sleep. We cannot allow this sudden misfortune to prevent us from getting any rest." The others agreed and they all went back to their beds to go back to sleep, this time becoming more alert to anything else out of the ordinary.

The next day came, and Rarity, Sweetie, and Pinkie were already outside in the city. Only on this day, Rarity and Pinkie decided to wear the new outfits that they had bought yesterday, eager to try them out. Sweetie Belle, however, was still wearing similar clothes to what she had yesterday, as she had decided not to get anything new for her wardrobe. Looking at their map, the violet-haired girl told the others, "Alright... the fashion show doesn't start until 8 p.m. tonight..." Looking at the clock on her cell phone, she then added, "Right now it is currently 4:15 p.m. So we have quite a while until the show begins."

"After all that crazy stuff that happened yesterday, I'll be happy to just sit back and watch a lot of pretty girls in pretty outfits for hours." Sweetie Belle told her older sister.

"I'm still not sure what you were talking about last night, Rarity..." Pinkie began to ask her friend. "What did you mean when you said that we'd know who it was that broke into our room last night? It's almost like you already know who it was."

"Hey, maybe it's because it was one of those guys that we saw yesterday!" Sweetie Belle hypothesized. "Like that mugger, or that jewel thief! Probably not the dog, but I'll bet it was one of the others! Right, big sis?"

"...You're close, Sweetie Belle." Rarity responded. "Just be patient, and I can promise that all will be revealed in due time."

"Awwww, why can't you just tell us?" asked the younger girl.

"Because if she did," Pinkie told her, "it'd ruin the drama of this moment." Sweetie just huffed in response.

A few minutes later, the three of them had made their way to a part of the city known as Bridleway Theater District, located somewhere in the center of town. The area was mostly well-known for the live shows and musicals that were featured there. For those who loved live performances, this section of the city was practically holy ground. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Pinkie Pie were standing in a tiled section of the ground in front of a tall building with several video monitors displaying various advertisements (such as Colta-Cola) attached to the front of it.

"Sooooooo... what are we doing just standing here?" Pinkie asked Rarity about five minutes later. "We been waiting here for who-knows-how-long, and nothing's happened yet!"

"Patience, darling..." Rarity told her. "We're supposed to be meeting up with Diamondbright here."

"Diamondbright?" asked Sweetie Belle. "You mean that girl we met yesterday? Why her?"

"I called her earlier before we left our hotel room." the fashionista explained. "I asked her to come here and help us find our way over to Diamond District, where the show will take place." Looking ahead of the crowds of people, she then exclaimed, "Ah! And here she is now!" The others turned to look, and just like Rarity had said, Diamondbright was running over to meet them.

Upon reaching the others, the city girl told them, "Good afternoon. I came over here as soon as you called me, but I didn't know exactly where you were. Not to be... rude, but you really should have told me exactly where you guys were."

"I had thought about that..." Rarity replied, "but I decided that it probably wasn't in my best interest to do that."

"I don't understand what you mean." Diamondbright replied, confused. "Why wouldn't you tell me where in Bridleway you would be?"

"Oh, not much, darling." the violet-haired teen answered. "It's just that I wouldn't want to have some OTHER misfortune happen to us right now, in this exact place that we happen to be standing in."

"What do you mean??" asked the city girl, a small sweat drop running down the side of her face.

"I mean to say that I believe that all of those mishaps occurred... because YOU were the one who orchestrated them!" Rarity shouted. This caused everyone to gasp at this sudden accusation.

"What?! ME?!?" said Diamondbright, sounding offended. "That's impossible!! I was HELPING you find your way around the city!! I decide to be generous and lend you a hand and you accuse ME of something like that?!"

"I do, Diamondbright." the fashionista from Canterlot answered. "And it is because you weren't REALLY being generous towards us. You may have fooled the others, but not someone who lives a selfless and altruistic lifestyle such as myself. You learned about what our plans were and set it all up in order to cause us harm!"

"That's ridiculous!! You're completely wrong!!" argued Diamondbright. "If you're so sure, then PROVE it!!"

"If that is what you wish." Reaching into her bag, Rarity pulled out something inside of it: It was the other item that was left behind in the hotel room after the break-in. The item was none other than an earring with a small diamond hanging from it. "I believe THIS belongs to you." she told Diamondbright. "You dropped it last night... after you broke into our room. I suppose that it could have been someone else's... but I highly doubt that earrings with such impressive gems as this one could be purchased by just about anyone. Not to mention that you seem to be missing an earring on your right ear, not far from that welt on your arm where the book hit you."

The city girl gulped as she felt her right ear, knowing that there wasn't an earring there. (No...!) she thought. (I thought that it got lost in my purse somewhere...!)

"So it's really true??" asked Sweetie Belle, shocked by this reveal. "YOU broke into our room last night??"

"And it was you who caused us to have all those bad things happen yesterday?" asked Pinkie Pie, equally as surprised.

Grumbling, Diamonbright finally said to them, "...That's right. It was me. Your sudden run of bad luck all day yesterday was all because of me! The mugger on the street, the owner of that attack dog, and even the jewel thief Rough Diamond... They came after you because I TOLD them to do it!"

"You mean they were faking all of that?!" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Not exactly, Sweetie Belle." Diamondbright told her. "The mugger had indeed been robbing people all over the city, and when I found him, I paid him to try and rob all of you once you came nearby with me leading you around. Of course, I didn't expect your pink friend getting you out of that mess, nor did I expect a police officer to show up and arrest him...

"Then there was the dog that 'attacked us' in the park..." she continued. "I told the owner of that dog that I was filming a movie to upload online, and that we needed his pet to act as a vicious stray. At first, he was skeptical, but once he saw what I offered him, he was all too willing to accept my proposition. After that, I showed the dog a picture of the three of you - the same picture I took of you in front of the Manehattan Escapes building - so that he would play out his part perfectly. Of course, it seemed that he hadn't fully trained that mongrel if it got so easily distracted by a hamburger of all things.

"And then there was the coup de gr�ce: The appearance of the infamous jewel thief, Rough Diamond." she told them, wrapping up her confession. "By paying off a few... shall we say, 'not-so-legal' informants suggested by my overseer, I was able to meet with the thief herself. I told her the lie about the Ostlerheimer Diamond, and then told her that the three of you would attempt to stop her, and that she should come after you after I shouted, 'Look! Over there!!' at just the right volume. Indeed, my shouting wasn't a warning; it was to let her know that you three were nearby! But you just had to put a stop to that too, did you!?"

"You're... you're positively HORRIBLE!!" Rarity shouted angrily. "Why would you ever do something so horrid?! Why were you trying to cause us harm?! We've never done anything to you!! We didn't even know you until just yesterday!!"

"That may be true, but I know everything about you, Rarity... Pinkie Pie... and your little friends!" the cruel girl informed her. "Especially Sunset Shimmer."

"Huh?!" gasped Pinkie. "How did you know Sunset??"

"I think I know why." Rarity began to tell Diamondbright. "You know because you were sent here... from Skyes Academy! You're one of the people that have been attacking us and our peers at school with your Number cards, aren't you?!"

"That's correct." the city girl told her. "I was sent here by my... ahem, overseer to come after you. Another one of us had learned about your little trip here to the city, so I got on the next bus to await your arrival. But contrary to what has happened to you so far, I was NOT trying to cause you direct harm. All of those happenings were meant to distract you - in particular, the dog wasn't even going to attack you; he was trained not to cause physical harm to another person or animal."

"But... why were you trying to distract us?" asked Sweetie Belle, still stunned by what had been said so far.

Reaching into her purse, she then pulled out... a blank Duel Monsters card. "So that none of you would notice this being planted on you, that's why."

Gasping, a horrified Rarity then shouted, "That's... that's a Number card, isn't it?! You were going to plant it on one of us??"

"...That's what I was going to do," Diamondbright admitted, "but it seems that's going to be impossible now!" Turning over to Rarity, she then told her in a cruel tone, "You didn't say where in town you would be waiting for me, just in case I had planned another case of 'bad luck' to happen... But that won't matter." Pulling out her cell phone, she continued, "All I have to do is send one little text message to my 'associates', and you'll wish you had just let me plant that Number on you!"

Rarity and Pinkie Pie sweated a little, not sure whether the girl's threat was a bluff or not. At first, no one said anything, but then, unexpectedly, Sweetie Belle stepped forward towards the cruel girl. "You won't be doing any of that!!" she shouted, putting on the angriest face she could (though it still looked adorable anyway).

"Sweetie Belle?!" exclaimed a shocked Rarity. "What are you doing?!"

Ignoring her older sister for a moment, she then said to Diamondbright, "I'm not gonna let you hurt my sister or Pinkie anymore!! So you'd better put that cell phone down!!"

"Hmph... don't make me laugh, little girl." Diamondbright huffed, seeing her as absolutely no threat. "What makes you think that I'll actually comply with that senseless request of yours?"

Sweetie Belle answered that by opening her bag and strapping on her D-Pad and D-Gazer. "Because I'm going to Duel you, that's why!" she told her in the most confident-sounding voice she had ever mustered. "And if I win, you leave us alone!!"

"Ridiculous!" said the cruel teen. "There's no point in fighting you if there's nothing in it for me! What am I going to get out of it?!"

Sweetie Belle didn't say anything yet, as she was still a bit intimidated - not by Diamondbright, but by what she was about to say. Gulping a little, she answered her, saying, "Because... if you win... then I'll take that Number card." This elicited a gasp out of everyone, including Diamondbright.

"Sweetie Belle, you can't!!" Rarity warned her. "I won't let you become possessed by that Number Card! Trust me, I know how it feels, and I don't want that to happen to you!"

"...I know what will happen to me if I get that card, Rarity." Sweetie Belle told her big sister. "I saw what happened to you at the Fall Formal..." Trying her best to be brave, she then added, "But I have to do this. If I don't, then that girl could try to do something to all of us that could be worse! I have to do it, Rarity... You've always been so generous to me and helped me out a lot, so it's time for me to do the same thing for you!"

Rarity was quite stunned after hearing all of that and seeing how brave her little sister was trying to be. She didn't want Sweetie to go through the bad experience of Number possession like she did, but knew that the possible alternative wasn't much better; she knew that this was the only way for all of them to escape safely. Rarity then reluctantly nodded her head and said, "Very well, then... Just be careful, Sweetie Belle; VERY careful." The younger girl nodded her head to say that she would.

"Hmmmm... so let me get this straight:" Diamondbright commented. "If I win, you'll willingly take the blank Number?" Sweetie nodded yes to say that she would. (Hmhmhmmm... then that would mean that I would still be able to complete the task Ms. Chrysalis has given to me...) the evil girl thought. (I could even become her new second-in-command, especially since she's still sore at Windmistress for her failure some time ago...) Smirking wickedly, she then said, "Very well, you've got yourself a Duel, then."

A crowd gathered as Sweetie Belle and Diamondbright readied their equipment and prepared to Duel. Rarity and Pinkie Pie both put on their Duel Gazers in order to watch the game. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as the area around them changed itself in Augmented Reality.

Drawing their opening hands, Sweetie Belle and Diamondbright shouted, "LET'S DUEL!!" (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000) (Diamondbright: LP 4,000).

As the two Duelists began their match, Rarity shivered a bit, worried about her younger sister. "I do hope Sweetie knows what she's doing..." the fashionista told Pinkie. "Especially since she has yet to win a Duel against anyone other than her friends in their club."

"Don't ya worry, Rarity!" the optimistic pink teenager told her with a wink. "Sunset's been training her and the others for months! I'm sure she'll do just fine out there!" The violet-haired girl hoped in her heart that what Pinkie said was true.

Looking at her hand, Sweetie Belle thought to herself, (Okay... here I go... My first major Duel since Sunset started helping me and the others out... Thanks to her, I've learned some new tricks, and she even fixed my Deck up with some of her cards... Let's just hope that it'll be good enough...)

Chuckling, Diamondbright taunted her opponent, "Scared, little girl? Well you ought to be, considering what the consequences are should you lose to me."

The younger girl decided to ignore the taunting and focused on her first move for the turn. "I'll... I'll start with this Spell Card! Crystal Tree!!" she shouted. After playing the card, a large, shiny blue rock tree began growing out of the ground next to Sweetie Belle, with several small, pink jewels "growing" on each of its branches.

*******************************

Crystal Tree:
(Continuous Spell Card)

Each time a "Crystal Beast" monster(s) is placed in either player's Spell & Trap Zone, place 1 Crystal Counter on this card. You can send this card to the GY; take a number of "Crystal Beast" monsters from your Deck equal to the number of Crystal Counters that were on this card, and place them face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone as Continuous Spells.

*******************************

Everyone oohed and ahhed at the beautiful, sparkling tree that Sweetie Belle had created. Continuing with her turn, she then told her opponent, "Next, I'll Summon my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus in Attack Mode!" After playing the card, a bright white-coated horse flew onto the battlefield. It stood in front of the Crystal Tree, displaying its large, white and golden yellow wings bejeweled with shiny blue gems, along with a long, blue horn (which technically made it an Alicorn, not a Pegasus) (Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200).

"Hmph, flashy." said Diamondbright. "But you'll have to do much better than that, little girl."

"Then how's this for better?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Since I Summoned Sapphire Pegasus, I can use his effect to place any Crystal Beast monster from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard in my back row as a Spell Card! So I'll put my Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat there using that effect!" After saying that, a large, purple gem appeared right next to her Crystal Tree, hovering in the air.

"A monster that can go in the back row?" asked Pinkie. "That's pretty bizarre... And being a leading expert in bizarre, I know what I'm talking about."

Sweetie Belle then pointed to the first card she played and said, "And now that I've put a Crystal Beast in my back row, I can also put a Crystal Counter on my Crystal Tree!" And as she said that, one of the jewels hanging off of the tree's branches lit up (Crystal Tree: Crystal Counters 0 + 1 = 1). Taking one more card from her hand, she then told Diamondbright, "I'll set a face-down card and end my turn."

"Hmph... very well, then." the cruel girl said. "I draw!" After looking at the card she drew, she placed it into her hand and pulled out a different one. "I'll start with the Spell Card, Medallion of the Ice Barrier!" she shouted. "It allows me to take any Ice Barrier monster from my Deck, such as my Medium of the Ice Barrier!" After taking the card out of her Deck, she then announced, "And next, since you control at least four more cards than I do, I get to Special Summon her! So come forth, Medium of the Ice Barrier!!"

The monster she Summoned was a woman with long, icy-blue hair, similarly-colored eyes, and yellow marks painted on her face. She wore a beautiful dress that was blue and white in color, with the skirt portion decorated with a snowflake design all around it. Around her neck was a gold medallion which also had a snowflake design upon it (Medium of the Ice Barrier: Level 7 / ATK 2200 / DEF 1600).

"A-a-a Level 7 monster?!" asked a shocked Sweetie Belle. "And you got it out just like that?!"

"Yes, but that's not all she has going for her." Diamondbright replied. "As long as she is on the field, you cannot activate more than one Spell or Trap each turn!"

"That's not good..." Rarity commented. "Now Sweetie has to be more careful in picking which Spells and Traps to activate... Not to mention that Diamondbright's monster is more powerful than Sweetie's is..."

Taking another card from her hand, Diamondbright then told her foe, "Now I'll use my Normal Summon to play Strategist of the Ice Barrier in Attack Mode!" Her second monster was an elderly man wearing a dark blue robe and wearing a blue conical hat in the shape of a snowflake. In his hand was a hand-held fan, currently folded up (Strategist of the Ice Barrier/ Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1600). "Next," she continued, "I'll use my Strategist's effect and send one Ice Barrier monster from my hand to the Graveyard, and then draw one more card!" And that's exactly what she did. "Now go, my Medium!! Attack her Sapphire Pegasus!!" she shouted.

Sweetie Belle braced herself as the blue-haired woman chanted a spell and thrusted her palms forward, causing a miniature blizzard to appear that froze and shattered Sapphire Pegasus (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000 - 400 = 3,600). But the young girl shouted, "I use the effect of Sapphire Pegasus! Instead of sending him to the Graveyard, I place him in the back row as a Spell Card!" After that, a second jewel that was blue in color appeared next to the purple one. "And that means I can put another counter on my Crystal Tree!" she then added (Crystal Tree: Crystal Counters 1 + 1 = 2).

"Ask me if I care!" shouted Diamondbright. "Strategist, attack her directly!" And with that order, the old man then unfurled his fan and waved it hard, causing another mini-blizzard that hit Sweetie Belle directly (Sweetie Belle: LP 3,600 - 1,600 = 2,000).

"Oh no! Sweetie Belle!" shouted an worried Rarity. "Are you okay?!"

"She won't be after I am through with her." Diamondbright said in an uncaring attitude. "Once she loses, she'll become just another victim to a Number card. Luckily, I have no more attacks this turn... So I'll just end my turn with two face-down cards."

"Then it's back to me!" shouted Sweetie Belle. "I draw!" after she looked at her next card, she then played it right away. "I activate the Spell Card, Rare Value! Since I have two Crystal Beasts in my back row, you choose one to send to the Graveyard, and afterwards, I draw two cards. So which one?"

"Hmph, not that he's REALLY any threat to me, but just be sure, I'll dispose of your Sapphire Pegasus." Diamondbright told her.

With that, the blue gemstone vanished from the field, allowing Sweetie to draw two more cards. Smiling, she said, "I was hoping you'd pick that one, Diamondbright." The city girl just raised an eyebrow, saying nothing in response. Playing one of the newly-drawn cards, the young girl announced, "I Summon ANOTHER Sapphire Pegasus in Attack Mode!" And just like that, a second copy of her previous monster appeared to grace the field.

"Another one??" asked Diamondbright.

"Yeah, which means I can place Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth in my back row from my Deck!" Sweetie told her. After that, a smooth, orange-colored stone appeared on her field. "And I'll end things with that."

"That's all she's doing?" asked Rarity. "But she just left her Sapphire Pegasus exposed on the field... What could she be doing?"

"Don't lose hope yet, Rarity." Pinkie told her. "I'm sure she knows exactly what she's doing!"

Not intimidated in the slightest, Diamondbright began her turn by drawing a card. Placing it into her hand for the moment, she then said, "This is almost sad to watch. After all, you're about to lose the rest of your Life Points so easily... I almost feel bad that you couldn't put up a real fight... ALMOST." Taking a card from her hand, she said, "I'll use my Strategist to send an Ice Barrier to my Graveyard and draw a new card." After she did, she then told her foe, "Although there's really no point; after my Medium attacks your monster and my Strategiest attacks you directly, you'll lose the Duel anyway."

"If you're sure about that, then do it!" Sweetie said to her.

"If that's what you wish..." Diamondbright replied, so sure that she had this Duel won. Pointing ahead, she yelled, "Medium!! Take down that Pegasus!!" And just like before, her stronger monster used her ice magic to eliminate Sweetie Belle's monster, removing it from the field.

But this time would be different. "I activate my Trap Card!! Go, Crystal Pair!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"A Trap?!" exclaimed Diamondbright.

"That's right. I'll bet you forgot all about it, huh?" asked the young girl. "I couldn't play it on your last turn because of your Medium's effect, but I can now!" Taking a card from out of her Deck, she then told her opponent, "Now I place my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise from my Deck on the field as a Spell Card, and after that, I take no more battle damage for the rest of this turn!"

Diamondbright scowled as a green, emerald-cut gem appeared on Sweetie Belle's field. "So even the damage from the previous battle was nullified...?" asked the city teen. "How irritating..." Taking the card she had drawn at the start of her turn, she said, "I place one more face-down card and end my turn!"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Rarity said, "That was a close one... For a second, I thought that Sweetie Belle was done for..."

"You gotta give her more credit, Rarity." Pinkie Pie told her friend. "Sunset's been doing her best to help her and the others out with their Dueling! She'll be fine out there as long she knows you've got her back!"

Nodding in agreement, the violet-haired fashionista said, "You are absolutely right, Pinkie dear. Instead of worrying about her, I'll give her all the moral support I can!" She then shouted to her younger sister, "You can do it, Sweetie Belle! You can win this, I just know it!"

Sweetie smiled, happy to know that her sister was cheering for her. Feeling even more determined than before, she then said to Diamondbright, "You'd better be ready for this! 'Cause I'm about show you what my Deck and I can do!"

The wicked girl simply yawned and said, "Really? So far, all you've done is waste my time."

"Well we'll see about that AFTER I make my move. Now I draw!" Sweetie Belle then pulled her next card... and smiled. (Yes! Just what I needed!) Placing the card in her hand for the moment, she then shouted, "I play Crystal Beacon from my hand!"

"And what does that do?" asked Diamondbright, still not too worried for herself.

"I'll tell you: Since I have at least two Crystal Beasts in my back row," Sweetie explained, "I can now Summon any Crystal Beast straight out of my Deck!" Her Deck then auto-shuffled her cards, leaving the card she had chosen to play sticking out at the top. Pulling it out, she then added, "Now I'll play my favorite Crystal Beast of all! Let's give a warm, Manehattan welcome to... Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle!!"

Sweetie Belle's newest monster was a tiny, cat-like creature with big, adorable red eyes, a tiny jewel on its forehead, and a blue body. It appeared to have two sets of ears, and on the end of its tail was a shiny, red gem (Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle: Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 300).

"So THAT'S your 'big play'?" mocked Diamondbright. "What could that tiny little thing possibly do?"

"Well, for one thing, since Ruby Carbuncle was Special Summoned," Sweetie Belle told her, "it lets me Special Summon all of the Crystal Beasts in my back row!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" exclaimed the overconfident city girl, not expecting that.

"Come on out, everyone!!!" said Sweetie cheerfully as the three monsters in her Spell & Trap Zones appeared in their true forms: A bluish-green tortoise with spiky green jewels jutting out of its shell (Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise: Level 3 / ATK 600 / DEF 2000), a large, pinkish-white cat with a purple gem upon its chest (Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 400), and a bluish-grey mammoth with large tusks and a large, orange gem upon its forehead (Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1600).

"Alright!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "She just Summoned back all of her monsters!"

Grumbling, Diamondbright then shouted, "Perhaps, but she won't be keeping them! I activate Torrential Tribute!!"

"Oh no... that card destroys every monster on the field!" said Rarity. And just like she said, a massive tsunami appeared, washing away each and every one of the monsters Sweetie had just Summoned to the field, along with the two that Diamondbright had out.

"Hmph... so much for your big plan." said the cruel teenager, still looking confident.

"Sweetie Belle, are you okay??" asked Rarity out of concern.

But then everyone heard her giggling happily. "I'm better than okay, big sis!" she said in her usual cheery tone. "I've got a backup plan!"

"Backup plan??" asked everyone else.

"First," Sweetie started, "I'll put Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle in my back row instead of the Graveyard, since it was destroyed." And after she said that, a red gem appeared on her field. "This also lets me put another counter on my Crystal Tree!" she then added as another of the jewels hanging from the branches lit up (Crystal Tree: Crystal Counters 2 + 1 = 3). "And now, I'll activate the other effect of Crystal Tree! By sending it to my Graveyard, I can place one Crystal Beast from my Deck to my back row for every Crystal Counter that my tree had!"

"Wh-what?!" shouted a surprised Diamondbright.

"So with three counters, I'll put THREE Crystal Beasts in my back row!" Sweetie Belle told her. "I choose Cobalt Eagle, Amber Mammoth, and Emerald Tortoise!!" And with that move made, three more jewels appeared on the field; a light-blue one, an orange one, and a green one. Now she had four of them in her Spell & Trap Zones.

"And what good will that do you?" asked Diamondbright, still not sure what her foe was planning.

"You'll see once I play the card that drew this turn!" Sweetie Belle then shouted, "I activate the Field Spell, Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!!" After playing the card, the area around them began to change completely. Now, instead of a modern, bustling city, everyone found themselves in an ancient coliseum ruin, with two large pillars towering above the arena and seating areas.

*******************************

Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins:
(Field Spell Card)

You must have this many "Crystal Beast" cards in your Spell & Trap Zone to activate and to resolve these effects.
* 1+: This card cannot be destroyed by card effects.
* 2+: Once per turn (including the opponent's), you can halve the Battle Damage you take.
* 3+: When a Spell/Trap Card is activated: You can send 1 "Crystal Beast" monster you control to the GY; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it.
* 4+: Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can draw 1 card.
* 5: Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can target 1 "Crystal Beast" card in your Spell & Trap Card Zone; Special Summon that target.

*******************************

"Oh my..." said Rarity, looking around the new setting that she and the others were now in. "I've never seen my sister use this card before... Do you think Sunset gave it to her?"

"Maybe." Pinkie replied. "All I know is that things might start looking up for Sweetie Belle now."

Back at the Duel, Sweetie then told her opponent, "Now with four Crystal Beasts in my back row, I play the fourth effect of Rainbow Ruins and draw one card!" And when she did, she smirked and said, "And guess what? It's my good old friend, Sapphire Pegasus!"

"What?! Not again!!" shouted Diamondbright as the third copy of the card now appeared on the field.

"That's right, and you know what that means!" Sweetie told her. "It means that I can now take Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger from my Deck and put him in my back row!" After doing that and creating a bright yellow gem on her field, she then added, "Next I'll activate the fifth effect of my Field Spell and Summon Topaz Tiger to the field in Attack Mode!" The monster that appeared was a white tiger with black stripes. It had a curved spike on the top of its head, and a yellow gem on either side of its neck (Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1000).

"Alright! Now Sweetie Belle is in control of the game!" said Rarity, happy to finally see things going well for her little sister. Diamondbright just grumbled, annoyed at her opponent.

"Next I play the Equip Spell Crystal Release!" Sweetie Belle announced. "It gives my Sapphire Pegasus eight hundred more attack points!" (Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus: ATK 1800 + 800 = 2600) Once the stage was all set, she then focused her efforts on whittling down her opponent's Life Points. "Go, Sapphire Pegasus! Attack Diamondbright directly!!" The horse neighed and galloped forwards, pointing its horn straight at the cruel teen.

"I don't think so!!" shouted Diamondbright. "I play my face-down card! Forbidden Lance!!" After flipping her card over, a long, white lance appeared in front of her. "With this, I'll deduct eight hundred of your monster's attack points and make it unaffected by all other Spell and Trap Cards this turn!"

"But if she does that," Pinkie stated, "then that would mean that Sapphire Pegasus would also lose the attack points it got from the Equip Spell!"

"Meaning that the damage would only be a thousand." said Rarity.

Huffing a little, Diamondbright then taunted her enemy, saying, "Looks to me like your monster's lost most of its steam. That's too bad..." She then chuckled a little.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Diamond." Sweetie Belle said, not fazed by her Spell Card. "I use the third effect of my Rainbow Ruins! I send Topaz Tiger to the Graveyard to negate Forbidden Lance and destroy it!"

"WHAT?!? NO!!!" screamed Diamondbright as her lance vanished from sight, nullifying its effect. As a result, Sapphire Pegasus was able to continue its attack unhindered. Its horn struck the city dweller, inflicting great amounts of damage (Diamondbright: LP 4,000 - 2,600 = 1,400).

"Yeah! Yeah!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Sweetie Belle took out over half her Life Points!!"

"Indeed." said an impressed Rarity. "Sweetie has never been able to inflict THAT much damage in a Duel before, and certainly not in one sitting. I must remember to thank Sunset for helping her improve her Dueling when we return home."

Feeling very confident in herself, Sweetie Belle then told her opponent, "That'll end my turn for now. So go ahead and do your worst!"

Now Diamondbright was angry; (This is absurd...!) she thought. (Not only am I losing... I'm losing to this little brat!! I'll make her wish she didn't challenge me!!) Glaring at her foe, she told her, "Up until this point, I thought you weren't worth my time... But that ends now! NOW you've gotten my attention, and I'll make you curse the day we met!!" Drawing her next card, she immediately played it, shouting, "I activate Pot of Desires!! By banishing the top ten cards of my Deck face-down, I can draw two more cards!" And after going through all of that, she then looked at the two new cards she managed to get. (Grrrn... I didn't draw anything that good, but no matter...) she pondered. (I still have a plan to crush that little girl right here and now!)

"I don't like that smile on her face..." Rarity told her pink friend. "That Diamondbright is up to something nasty, I just know it!"

"Whatever she's got," Pinkie told her, "Sweetie Belle will be able to beat it, no problem!" Sweetie Belle was happy to hear that, but was also just as concerned as her older sister was. All they could do now was watch and see what Diamondbright had planned.

"First things first... I'll Normal Summon my Prior of the Ice Barrier in Attack Mode!" the city girl told them. Her next monster was a man with a bushy, brown beard, wearing a blue cloak overtop of a white robe. In his hand was a crooked staff adorned with a snowflake-shaped object (Prior of the Ice Barrier: Level 2 / ATK 1000 / DEF 400). "But he won't stay out for long." she said. "I now release him to bring back any Ice Barrier monster from my Graveyard! And I select my Strategist!" And in an instant, he first monster vanished into a dark purple portal before another one emerged out of it; the older man wearing the conical blue hat had now reappeared.

"Now what...?" Rarity asked herself as she and everyone else watched their foe carefully.

"Now for my next move, I'll play the Spell Card Surface!" Diamondbright announced. "This card brings back any Level 3 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster from my Graveyard!" Once more, the dark-purple portal emerged on her side of the field. "So now I call up the Level 3 Tuner Monster, Defender of the Ice Barrier!!" And with that, a small orange-furred fox creature hopped onto the field. Its head and chest were covered in blue, metallic armor, and a good amount of its tail was covered in ice crystals (Defender of the Ice Barrier: Level 3 / ATK 200 / DEF 1600).

"Oh dear!" gasped Rarity. "She just said that it was a Tuner Monster!"

"That's right." said Diamondbright, smiling a wicked smile. "Which means I can now do this! I tune my Level 3 Defender of the Ice Barrier to my Level 4 Strategist of the Ice Barrier!!" The fox creature then began glowing bright blue, splitting into three small lights that flew up into the air, each of them coming back as a green ring that surrounded the old man. He then transformed into four small lights within the rings (Level 3 + Level 4 = Level 7). "Chilling spear that pierces the heavens!" she chanted. "Appear on this Earth and cast your vicious blizzard near and far!! Synchro Summon!! Frozen dragon of ice! Level 7! Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!!"

Everyone shielded themselves as a column of light engulfed the rings and lights created from the Synchro Summoning process. After that, Several large, spiked ice crystals began to form underneath the column, which soon exploded, sending digital shrapnel all over the battlefield. In its place was a large, crystalline dragon that was mostly blue in color, but parts of its insides could be seen glowing a bright red orange.

*******************************

Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon/WATER/Level 7/ATK 2500/DEF 1700)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner WATER monsters
Once per turn: You can discard up to 2 cards, then target the same number of cards your opponent controls; destroy them.

*******************************

"Uh oh..." said Sweetie Belle, sweating a little at the sight of the powerful Synchro Monster before her.

"This is bad..." stated Rarity, becoming worried. "That... that thing looks so vicious! How is my little sister going to fight that?!"

"I dunno..." Pinkie replied. "I guess we'll see soon..." The two girls hoped that Sweetie would survive whatever onslaught Diamondbright had in store for her.

"Your little luck streak ends now, little girl." the cruel teen said with a cold chuckle to herself. "This is the monster that will crush you and guarantee your possession by my blank Number!" Taking the remaining two cards from her hand, she then stated, "I activate the effect of Gungnir: By discarding two cards from my hand, I can destroy two cards on your field! So say goodbye to your Pegasus and Carbuncle!" After sending them to the Graveyard, the ice-cold dragon roared and whipped up a fierce snowstorm that froze both cards and shattered them.

"Oh no!! Now she's defenseless!" said Rarity, fearful for what might happen. "Sweetie Belle, do something!!"

"There's nothing she CAN do!" said Diamondbright, sure of herself. "Except fall to the power of my Deck, and soon the Number card!!" She then let out a crazed laugh, confident that her evil plan would succeed.

But Sweetie Belle wouldn't give up. Trying her best to be brave, she then told her opponent, "I use Sapphire Pegasus's effect and put him in my back row! And not only that, I also use the other effect of Crystal Release and put another Ruby Carbuncle in my back row from my Deck!" And with that, two gems - one red and one blue, appeared on the field.

"Ha! What a complete waste of time!" mocked Diamondbright. "They didn't go into your Monster Zones, so they can't defend you from my dragon! A shame, since his attack will drop your Life Points down to zero! And with all your Spell & Trap Zones filled with those pathetic monsters, you have no Trap Cards to block his attack! It's over!!" She then shouted to her monster, "Gungnir!! Attack that brat directly!! Blizzard of Valhalla!!" Looking down at her Duel Pad and tapping the screen (and also not seeing Sweetie Belle tapping away at her own D-Pad), she then added, "And just to make sure that this attack will end you, I'll activate my Forbidden Chalice Spell to give my dragon another 400 attack points!" (Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier: ATK 2500 + 400 = 2900)

The mighty beast roared, ready to unleash the final blow to Sweetie Belle. It shot out a powerful blast of freezing wind from its maw, aiming it right for her. In an instant, the blast found its mark, causing Sweetie heavy damage.

"NO!!" screamed Rarity, horrified that worst had just happened.

"Hmph... just as I thought: You were no match for me." Diamondbright coldly stated. "You're almost not worth my time to possess you with a Number, but my orders are orders, now that this Duel is over."

But at that moment, Pinkie then asked the cruel girl, "...Are you sure about that?"

"...What is that supposed to mean?" inquired Diamondbright.

"Just take a look for yourself." the pink teenager said, pointing to the field. As the dust finally settled from the impact of Gungnir's attack, Everyone could see that Sweetie Belle was still standing (Sweetie Belle: LP 2,000 - 1,450 = 550).

"Oh my! Sweetie Belle!! She's still okay!!" said Rarity, relieved and surprised that her younger sister had not lost the Duel.

"Wh-WHAT?!? That's impossible!!!" protested Diamondbright. "You only had 2,000 Life Points!! And my dragon had 2,900!! That attack should have ended the Duel!! You must have cheated!!"

"I didn't cheat, Diamondbright." Sweetie Belle calmly said. "I never cheat in a Duel. All I did was activate a card to keep me from losing."

"What card?! You have no Traps in your back row!" the cruel girl shouted, still not sure why her attack had failed.

Sweetie giggled a little and asked her, "You mean you forgot about my Field Spell Card? While you started your attack, I activated its second effect! That effect cuts all battle damage that I take this turn in half! And according to the calculator on my D-Pad, half of 2,900 is 1,450, so I only took that much in damage!"

"Wow, that was so good!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "She had a backup plan for her backup plan!"

"Amazing...!" Rarity said. "That move was very well-timed... Even I didn't see it coming!" Smiling, she then thought to herself, (I should have known she would be well-prepared for whatever might happen; after all, she is my sister after all.)

Grumbling, Diamondbright said to her foe, "You may have survived that attack, but that little stunt only gives you ONE turn! And when my next turn comes, my Gungnir will finish you off for good! So stop wasting my time and lose already!" (Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier: ATK 2900 - 400 = 2500)

But Sweetie Belle told her, "Sorry, Diamond-not-so-bright... but you're NOT gonna win after all the stuff you pulled yesterday!" Placing her fingers on the top card of her Deck, she then added, "You may have your orders from whoever told you to come after us, but you'll just have to tell them that we won't let you push us around anymore!"

"You tell her, Sweetie Belle!" Pinkie cheered. "Draw your next card and show her what you're made of!"

"She has no chance against you Sweetie, dear!" Rarity told her sibling. "You got everything you need to defeat her, and then some! Now do us proud and take down that ruffian once and for all!"

Happy to hear the support her sister and friend were giving her, Sweetie Belle nodded and said, "You bet I'll beat her! I'm not gonna let her get away with any of this, for sure!" She then swiftly drew her next card, and then after about five or so seconds, looked at it to see what she pulled. The little girl then smiled and told her opponent, "Diamondbright... I win!"

"You what?!?" gasped the wicked girl, shocked at what her foe had told her. "That's impossible! You don't have anything that can take down my Gungnir!"

"I do have something, Diamondbright." Sweetie told her. "And I just drew it!" She then played her card, causing seven, sparkling jewels to rise appear in the air in a circular formation. After wards, the gems began to spin and shine brightly, forming a circle of light between them and opening a portal high above the sky.

"Wh...what is this...?" asked Diamondbright, who was starting to become a bit fearful at the scene before her.

"What could this be...?" Pinkie also inquired. "Is she Summoning a monster...?"

Gasping, Rarity then thought, (Hold on a moment...! Is she Summoning...?! Did... did Sunset give her... THAT card??)

Sweetie Belle then clasped her hands together as if she was praying. She then began to chant, "When the seven Crystal Beasts are all together, the light tied to the world is revived on Earth! Behold! The greatest miracle of the Crystal Beasts!" At that moment, a large, serpentine creature began to emerge from the portal above them. Along its neck and body shone seven lights - one for each color of the rainbow. Once it fully emerged, the creature was revealed to be a massive dragon with gigantic angel-like wings and a shiny, silver body, with a pair of smaller golden wings on either side of its chest. "Be revived! The Ultimate Crystal - Rainbow Dragon!!" Sweetie shouted, finishing her chant and allowing her new monster to take its place on the field.

*******************************

Rainbow Dragon
(Effect Monster/Dragon/LIGHT/Level 10/ATK 4000/DEF 0)

(This card is always treated as an "Ultimate Crystal" card.)
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by having 7 "Crystal Beast" cards with different names on your field and/or GY. This card cannot activate its effects the turn it is Special Summoned. (Quick Effect): You can send all "Crystal Beast" monsters you control to the GY; this card gains 1000 ATK for each card sent. You can banish all "Crystal Beast" monsters in your GY; shuffle all cards on the field into the Deck.

*******************************

"N... no... No...!" said a trembling Diamondbright, immediately losing all hope of winning the Duel now that this impressive creature was on the field. "How... how could this have happened...?! There's just no way...!"

"Oh yes there is, Diamondbright!" Sweetie Belle told her. "And it's because of all of the friends that I had who helped me be stronger! I got this card from a really good friend who believed in me, and I don't plan on letting her down! Maybe if you had friends like the ones I have, you wouldn't have to hang out with someone that orders you to do so many mean things to people!"

"You... you brat...!" grumbled Diamondbright. She was angry, but knew that it was all over for her.

"Yes! Go for it, Sweetie!!" cheered Rarity.

"Yeah, go for it!!" Pinkie shouted excitedly.

Smiling and silently thanking those who supported her, Sweetie Belle went and made her last move. "Alright, Rainbow Dragon! It's time to claim our first victory together! Attack Gungnir and end this Duel!! Rainbow Refraction!!" And with that order, Sweetie's powerful dragon monster began to power up, the seven gems on its body lighting up. Pure light energy began to gather in its mouth and fired out as a ray that shone in the colors of the rainbow. It struck Daimondbright's icy dragon and wiped off the field for good. Then, the excess energy hit the cruel girl directly, taking out the rest of her Life Points instantly (Diamondbright: LP 1,400 - 1,500 = 0) (WINNER: Sweetie Belle).

Unknown to anyone there, the force of the blow actually caused Diamondbright's cell phone to fly out of her open purse. It flew out of the AR projection and into the street, causing the screen to crack. Not long after that, a passing truck then ended up driving right over it, destroying the device beyond repair.

"Yay!! YAY!! Sweetie Belle won!!" cheered Pinkie, hugging Rarity. "I knew she'd do it! I knew it!! Did you?"

Nodding, she told her friend, "Of course I did, Pinkie. I had my doubts at first, but deep down, I knew she would beat her." Looking over at her younger sister, she thought to herself, (You've become a lot stronger, Sweetie dear... I daresay, with more time and practice, you could even become as strong as Sunset and the rest of us... and I am most certainly looking forward to that day.)

Sweetie Belle just stood there, almost in disbelief at the result of the Duel. "I... won..." she uttered from her lips. "I actually won..." Then, all of a sudden, her emotions burst as she began to cheer. "I did it! I really did it!! I won my first Duel!! I actually won!!" Happy of her accomplishment, she then said, "Wait 'til Sunset hears about this! She'll be so proud!!"

"Urrrgh... that won't be happening, you little brat!" said Diamondbright.

"Oh give it a rest already, you sore loser..." Rarity sternly told her. "Sweetie Belle beat you fair and square, which means that you are to leave us all alone!"

"Oh no, I'm not...!" Diamondbright refused. "I'll teach your nosy little sister, along with the rest of you, what happens when you try to make a fool out of me!" Reaching into her purse, she then told them, "If you remember, I have some partners working for me that are ready to make your lives miserable! Just as soon as I-" but she stopped her sentence short when she noticed something wasn't quite right. "...Huh? Wh-what...?" Looking into her purse, she then frantically asked, "My... my cell phone!! Where is it?!"

"Um... over there..." Sweetie Belle calmly told her, pointing to the road.

Diamonbright then glanced over and let out a panicked gasp when she saw the remains of her cell phone, busted up on the street. "No!! My phone's been destroyed!! Without it, I've lost contact with my associates!!" Growling in extreme anger, she then said, "No... no, this can't be!! Why does everything have to happen to ME?!?!" And as she let out that outburst, a dark cloud formed around her deck box. Not only that, a bright green image that looked like a 94 appeared on the back of Diamondbright's hand. Without realizing it, her hissy fit caused her to unintentionally break the spell that Chrysalis had placed on her blank Number card, causing her to awaken and bond to it. Knowing that she had no other options, Diamondbright fled the scene and vanished into the crowds.

Lettign out a sigh of relief, Sweetie Belle said, "Well, I'm glad that's over... That person was a complete and total jerk that deserved to lose!"

"No kidding..." Pinkie Pie agreed. "But I still don't know how she managed to pull off all of those bad things that happened to us. She said she paid them to do it, so I guess she must've had a lot of money or something!"

That comment caused Rarity to gasp. "Of course! That's it!"

"Um... what's 'it'?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Yesterday... when Diamondbright told us her name, it sounded somewhat... familiar to me." the fashionista explained to them both. "And just now, when Pinkie made that remark about her having a lot of money, it was finally made clear to me!" Taking out her cell phone and doing a quick search of the cruel girl's name on the internet, she showed them something shocking.

"Wh-what the-?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "That's crazy!!"

"I totally agree, Sweetie!" Pinkie told her. "Is this real, Rarity??"

"I believe it is." the violet-haired teen confirmed. "According to this... Diamondbright has been reported missing from her parents over a year ago!"

"She's been missing?" asked Sweetie Belle. "But if that's the same person we just met, then... why is she with those bad people you were talking about? The ones from that Skyes place?"

"I can't harbor a guess," Rarity replied, "but what I do know from reading the report, is that Diamondbright comes from a very wealthy family. So wealthy, in fact, that once she went missing, they offered a one million-dollar reward for her safe return!"

"Wealthy, huh?" said Pinkie Pie, scratching her chin. "Well, that explains how she was able to afford paying off all those partners of hers, then. I knew this would all make a little more sense sooner or later!"

"So... what should we do, Rarity?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Should we tell someone about what happened?"

"Well after that last outburst of hers, it's very likely she won't be hanging around here anymore." the fashionista answered her younger sister. "While we could tell the local authorities about seeing her, there's very little chance they'll locate her. And with her cell phone destroyed, her number in my phone is practically useless."

"So... I guess there's not much to do about this for now, huh?" Pinkie replied.

"I don't believe so." Rarity told her. "In any case, though, I do believe that we may encounter Diamondbright again someday, and we should all be ready for her in case she comes seeking revenge." She then walked over to her sister, smiled and said to her, "For now, we should all be thankful that I have such a brave little sister right here. Thank you very much for standing up to Diamondbright, Sweetie Belle. I'm very proud of you."

Giggling, Sweetie replied, "Thanks, Rarity. You're always so nice to me, I had to return the favor somehow." The two of them then hugged each other, happy that everything was going to be okay for now.

"So... now that the huge-risk game of Duel Monsters is over and done for the rest of the episode," Pinkie began to ask, "what do we do now?"

"Um... excuse me?" asked a meek-sounding voice from behind them all. When they turned to look, they saw a young girl that was around their age. She had cream-white skin, light blue hair with slightly darker-colored blue streaks, and light-blue eyes. She wore a simple light-purple dress with a dark purple collar and a red tie, with a purple and red hair tie on her head. She wore short, white socks with sky-blue shoes. "Are you Rarity, by any chance?" she inquired, speaking to the purple-haired girl.

Rarity nodded and replied, saying, "Um, yes I am. And you are-?"

"My name is Coco Pommel." the other girl told her with a nod. "You and your friends were the ones who won the tickets to the Spring Fashion show, right?" When the group nodded yes, Coco then explained to them. "I am so sorry for coming to meet you so late; I would have been here sooner, but I was busy helping set up for the show tonight."

"You wanted to meet us?" asked Rarity. Getting slightly suspicious, she then asked, "You weren't sent here by someone named Diamondbright, were you?"

"Uh... who?" asked Coco, confused. "I don't know anyone by that name... I came here to talk with you, Ms. Pinkamena, and Ms. Sweetie Belle. I wasn't asked to meet anyone named Diamondbright."

Satisfied with that answer and sure that this girl wasn't working for the cruel girl they had met earlier, Rarity then asked her, "Well in that case, how did you know that we were here?"

"Um, I didn't actually." Coco admitted. "I was told to meet you in the hotel you were staying at, but the clerk told me that you had left. So... um, I've kinda been walking around aimlessly, hoping to run into you. Luckily, I saw the three of you participating in a Duel over here and well... here I am; ready to escort you all to where the fashion show will take place!" She then let out an embarrassed chuckle after explaining everything.

"Escort us...?" asked the violet-haired girl, not sure what was going on.

On a hunch, Pinkie looked at the ticket she had for herself and read the words written upon it. "Oh yeah! I forgot!" she exclaimed after she was done reading. "According to our tickets, we WERE supposed to have someone give us a ride over there! Silly me!" The others got their tickets and looked at them, seeing that it was all true.

"Oh my... yes, it does say that right here..." Rarity replied, blushing a little out of embarrassment. Turning over to Coco, she told her, "I do apologize for being suspicious; we've had... some issues earlier with someone, so you can understand if I was being a bit cautious."

"It's okay, Ms. Rarity." the cream-skinned girl replied. "As I said, I would have met with you earlier if I wasn't so wrapped up in my work." Stepping to the side, she then showed the three girls a stylish-looking, black limousine behind her. "If you will all step inside, I'll take you over to Diamond District immediately. With your tickets, you will even be allowed backstage to meet with the designers and their models."

"WOW!! We get to ride in a real limo?!" asked an excited Sweetie Belle. "And we get to go backstage?! That's so AMAZING!!"

"Just to be clear: Is there a dessert platter there right at this moment?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes, there is." Coco answered.

"Then this day just got a whole lot BETTER!!" the pink girl cheered, running towards the limo with Sweetie Belle.

Turning over to Coco, Rarity told her, "Thank you very much for your kindness, Ms. Pommel. After the day we've had so far, we needed this."

Giggling a little, Coco told her, "I'm glad that my arrival will help improve your day today. And I hope that, on behalf of the whole staff that worked hard to bring the Spring Fashion Show here to Manehattan, that you and your friends will have a great time." And with that, She and Rarity walked towards the limo and got inside. Putting their troubling encounter with Diamondbright behind them for the moment, Rarity and her friends were all ready to enjoy the rest of their day in Manehattan together.

Elsewhere, back in the suburbs of Canterlot, a mysterious thing was happening: In the home of CHS teacher Mrs. K, a faint glow could be seen emitting from the drawer built into her work desk. Inside that drawer were seven blank cards, each with a solid color in where the artwork would normally be. Two of the cards - the one with a violet-colored space and the one with a cyan-colored space, had a faint outline glowing upon them in the shape of Sunset's necklace...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 29: Fun Center Feud:

Author's Note

I know some of you were expecting a Halloween/Nightmare Night theme for this episode, but I couldn't think of one this time. :twilightblush:

However, I do hope you like this one, as I enjoyed writing this episode. Since Sweetie Belle's first Duel was in the last episode, I decided that it was Scootaloo's turn next. Not only that, it gave me an opportunity to re-introduce Turbo Duels into this series. So anyway, enjoy the chapter, even if it's not quite seasonally-themed.

RANK 29: Fun Center Feud:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Besides Sunset Shimmer, there are many, many other aspiring Duelists walking the halls of Canterlot High. Among them is Scootaloo, who, along with her friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed, have formed a club known as the Duel Monsters Crusaders. The group was formed by them in hopes that it could help improve their dueling skills, as up to that point, none of them (except Babs) had ever won a Duel against anyone other than themselves.

Later on, after the Number cards surfaced in CHS, the group enlisted Sunset herself to tutor them in Duel Monsters. She taught them everything she knew about Dueling and also offered some of her own cards to add to their Decks. The additional training seemed to have paid off, as Sweetie Belle, who had traveled to Manehattan with Rarity and Pinkie Pie, had managed to defeat a teenage girl named Diamondbright that had been causing trouble for them in an effort to posses them with a blank Number card.

Now, during the week of Spring Break, Scootaloo is currently rushing to Rainbow Dash's house, as she had been invited to come with her to the fun center owned by party enthusiast Cheese Sandwich. Little does she know that today will be a big step for her in her dream to become a full-fledged Duelist...

It was around 10:15 in the morning, and the sun was as bright as it could be for the residents of the Canterlot suburbs. By now, most everyone was awake and on their feet, ready to start their day. But for one individual, their start to the day was a bit faster and more hectic than others. Rushing down the sidewalk in a hurry was Scootaloo, a young orange-skinned, magenta-haired girl that was a student at Canterlot High School and friend to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed. But today, she wasn't meeting up with any of them (especially since Sweetie Belle was still with Rarity and Pinkie Pie in Manehattan); instead, she was on her way to see Rainbow Dash and her parents at their house.

"Darnit, darnit, darnit!!" Scootaloo said to herself, clutching onto her backpack as she ran as fast as she could. "Of all the days that I could oversleep, why'd it have to be TODAY?!" Picking up the pace a little, she checked her watch and added, "If I don't get there fast enough, Rainbow Dash and her folks'll leave without me!! There's no way I can let that happen!" She ran even faster so that she could make it to Rainbow's house on time, closing her eyes shut on reflex.

That proved to be a mistake, as she couldn't see someone in a cloak and black baseball cap walking down the sidewalk in front of her. So it was no surprise that, despite that person noticing her coming from behind, it was too late to prevent what happened next. "OOOF!!" grunted Scootaloo as she collided with the other person and fell down on her rear end. "Oh man..." she groaned, rubbing her head. "What hit me just now...?" She then opened her eyes and saw the person she had bumped into. Gasping, she immediately apologized, saying, "Oh! I-I-I'm so sorry, mister! It's all my fault! I-I was in a rush to get somewhere, and I could see where I was going, and-"

"Hey, don't sweat it, kid." the other person said, the tone of voice suggesting that they were male, as Scootaloo had guessed. "I ain't hurt at all. It's you I'm worried about; after all, you did fall down pretty hard."

"Aw, it's nothing." Scootaloo replied. "I have WAY nastier falls than this when I'm on my scooter."

The man chuckled a bit, amused by how the young girl was trying to act tough and brush off the fall like it wasn't a big deal. Looking around a bit, he then asked her, "Say... uh, by any chance, you wouldn't happen to be a Duelist, would you?"

"Huh? Me?" asked Scootaloo, a bit surprised by the question. "How'd you know that, mister?"

"Your, uh... your Deck's kinda all over the place." the man noted, pointing all around her.

Realizing what he had just said, the young girl looked and was startled to see all of her cards scattered around the sidewalk. "AHH!! Oh no!! My Deck!!" she panicked. "As if I didn't have enough trouble already!! Aw man, this is a disaster!!"

"Woah, woah, calm down kid. It ain't the end of the world, believe me." the man said to her. "Here, tell ya what: I'll help ya get your Deck back together, how's that sound?"

"R-really?? Aw gee, thanks a lot!" Scootaloo replied, grateful to the man's generosity. "Maybe this won't be a total disaster after all!" The man chuckled again as the two of them picked up all of her cards.

As they gathered together all of the scattered cards, the man saw that one of them was face-up. He took the card and looked at it for a while. "Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn..." he said, reading the card's name out-loud. "You use a Blackwing Deck?"

"Uh huh!" Scootaloo told him. "They're my favorites! My friends and I are part of a club where we help each other get better at Duel Monsters and stuff like that! I wanted to go with something really strong for my Deck, and since I heard about how powerful Blackwing Decks were, I decided that would be my Deck!"

"Heh, well I can't blame ya for thinkin' that, kid." the man told her. "After all, these guys really are tough in a Duel." Taking the card, along with the others he gathered up, he then presented them to her and added, "But dueling's more than just havin' the best Deck available. It's also about making sure that all of the cards in it can work together as best as they can, just like how a flock of birds look after one another."

Taking the cards from him, the orange girl told him, "Yeah, my friend Sunset said something like that a while ago, too." Smiling, she then put all of her cards back in her deck box and said to the man. "Anyway, thanks a lot for getting my cards back, mister. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, kid." the man told her. "And good luck with-" But his statement was interrupted when a sudden gust of wind blew by. The two stood their ground, resisting the wind as best they could. While it didn't blow them away, the gust DID manage to blow away the man's baseball cap.

Once the wind died down, Scootaloo said to the man, "Woah... that was some wind, huh? Good thing I put my cards back, or we'd have to pick them up all ov-" But she stopped her sentence short when she got a look at the man in front of her, shocked when she saw who it was. "I... I... I-I don't believe it...!" she said. "It's really you! You're-"

But the man shushed her as he got his cap back on and told her, "Don't say it out-loud, kid! I'm tryin' to keep a low profile."

"Why's that?"

Sighing, the man then explained to the girl, "Thing is, I'm kinda on vacation; y'know, gettin' some 'me time'. And I can't exactly get any me time if my fans knew that I was hangin' around here. So, could you promise not to tell anybody that I'm here?"

Understanding his concern, Scootaloo told him, "Yeah, I guess so. I won't tell anyone; I promise."

"Thanks. Appreciate it." the man told her. "But since I did hold you up a little from whatever you were doin', I suppose I could sign somethin' of yours if ya want."

"R-really?!" Scootaloo responded, her eyes lighting up.

"Really." the man confirmed. "Think of it as a little incentive to keep my secret. Whad'ya say?"

"Of course! Thanks!!" said the enthusiastic young girl, handing him her favorite notebook from her backpack.

The man then flipped it around and - after asking for her name, used a permanent marker to sign the back of it. After handing it back to her, he then told her, "There ya go, kid. Hope this makes your day today."

"Oh man, it sure does! Thanks!!" she said, taking the notebook and admiring the signature on it. But as she did, she then noticed that a Duel Monsters card had slipped out of the inside of the notebook and fell onto the sidewalk. "Huh? A card?" she asked herself. "But I don't remember putting one in there..."

"That's 'cause ya didn't." the man told her. "I slipped it in your book in after signing it. Go ahead and take a look at it."

Nodding, Scootaloo picked up the card and was shocked by what it was. "Hold on!" she said in surprise. "Isn't this your-?"

"It's an extra copy I picked up a while ago." he explained to her. "But I prefer to use the one I already have. So go ahead and take this one. Somethin' tells me it belongs with you... But if anyone asks, you didn't get it from me."

"F-for real...?" asked Scootaloo, still not sure if what was happening right now was really happening. After getting a confirming nod from the man, the young girl smiled and said, "Th-thanks! Thank you so much!! I promise to take really good care of it!"

"Hey, no problem. Just happy to help out a fan." the man said. He then turned to leave and said to her, "See ya, Scootaloo. And good luck with your duelin'."

"Bye, mister! Thanks again for everything!!" Scootaloo said, waving goodbye. She then noticed her watch and gasped when she saw the time. "Uh oh! Not much time left before Rainbow and her parents leave! I gotta hurry!!" She then put her new card away in her deck box for now and ran as fast as she could to get to her destination on time. As she left, the man smiled to himself, happy that he had helped her out.

Meanwhile, at the home of Rainbow Dash, the athletic student yawned as she leaned up against her parents' sky-blue car. Looking at her watch, the bored teen then loudly asked, "Are you guys ready yet?!"

"Now, now. There's no need to rush, Rainbow." said a woman's voice. "There's still plenty of time before we leave." The woman in question was Rainbow Dash's mother, Windy Whistles. She had light-blue skin that was a shade lighter than that of her daughter, along with light scarlet hair with orange streaks that was cut real short. Her eyes were light purple, and underneath each eye were freckles that were colored even lighter than the rest of her skin. She wore a yellow shirt with an aqua-blue collar, white cuffs on the ends of each sleeve, and white buttons, over top of a white undershirt. She also wore a long skirt that was also aqua-blue in color, with a picture of a cloud with a gust of wind coming out of it imprinted upon the side. She wore a simple pair of brown shoes to complete the ensemble.

"I guess so." said Rainbow. "I guess I'm just excited to get there. I mean, you n' Dad know how much I like goin' to Cheese Sandwich's place. I mean, you can do almost anything there! Mini-golf, go-karts, laser tag, bumper boats... the list keeps goin' on!"

"We're well aware of how great it is." Windy replied. "After all, your father and I met there back when Cheese first opened the center. I still remember it all like it was yesterday: We had so much fun there together, we knew that we were meant to be from that day forward..." The woman then sighed to herself, reflecting on the day that she met the man that she would later marry.

"Yeah, those were the days, weren't they Windy?" asked the voice of Rainbow Dash's father, Bow Hothoof. His skin was also blue, but darker in shade compared to both his wife and daughter. His short hair was rainbow-colored (indicating that Dash had likely inherited her hair color from him), his eyes were colored a dull yellow, and he had a bit of a five-o'-clock shadow. He wore a simple teal shirt with a picture of a horseshoe in front of a rainbow imprinted on left side of the chest area, over top a white undershirt. He wore dark-blue jeans and pale yellow shoes. "That day was so special to us, we even invited Cheese Sandwich to our wedding as thanks."

"I didn't know about that." said Rainbow. "Is that why we always seem to have a discount there?"

"You could say that." replied Hothoof. "Anyway, don't worry so much about when we'll get there. I'm sure that we'll get there long before the crowds come. Besides, we still have to wait for your little friend to arrive before we can hit the road."

"You mean Scootaloo?" asked Rainbow Dash, remembering that she had invited her to tag along. "Yeah, where is that kid? I told her t' get here before 10:30, and just now, it's 10:27. I thought she'd be here by now..."

"I'm sure she's on her way, honey." Windy informed her daughter. Just then, she noticed something coming towards them from down the sidewalk. Recognizing the figure immediately, she then said, "And wouldn't you know it, here she is right now! It's like I always say: When you start talking about someone enough times, they always have a knack for showing up right at that moment."

Indeed, it was Scootaloo, who was running as fast as she could to reach Rainbow Dash's house on time. Luckily, despite everything that had stalled her, she was able to get there before they left. Running up to Rainbow and leaning up against her (as the running had made her very tired) she said in-between gasps, "I... made... it... Rainbow Dash...!"

"About time you got here, Squirt." said the cyan teen. "What took ya so long?"

Taking a moment to catch her breath, the orange girl explained, saying, "I... I kinda overslept a bit... So I only had about five minutes or so to get ready... But I made it...!"

Giggling a little, Windy Whistles said to Scootaloo. "I'll bet you were so excited about today, that you couldn't sleep a wink, right?"

"I... I guess that could be it." the young girl replied, blushing a little out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry if I kept you guys waiting too long."

"Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters." Hothoof told her. "But now that you are here, we can get a move on. So let's all get into the car."

"Yeah! Let's go already!!" cheered Rainbow Dash, wasting no time in hopping into the back of the car along with Scootaloo. Rainbow's parents then sat down on the front seats, with Hothoof offering to drive them all there. He then started up the car, pulled out of the driveway, and headed for the open road ahead.

As they rode down to the fun center, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo decided to talk Duel Monsters for a while. "So, Scoots," Rainbow began to ask, "how's your training with Sunset coming along?"

"Great!" the orange girl told her. "She told me about all sorts of cool things I could do with my Blackwing Deck! She even traded me a bunch of her cards to improve it!" Scootaloo then asked, "What about you? Word around the school is that you're building another Deck. Is that true?"

"Yep." the cyan teen confirmed. "I heard about these Formula Athlete cards that came out recently and decided to make a Deck with them to use right alongside my Ultra Athletes. Somethin' about the whole 'racing' theme with them just looked so cool, I couldn't resist."

"Well, I hope you finish it soon, Rainbow!" Scootaloo told her. "I'd love to see it after it's done!"

"...By the way," Rainbow began to ask her younger friend, "why did it take you so long getting to my house earlier? I know you don't live THAT far away from me, so what's up with that?"

"Um... well..." Scootaloo couldn't tell her about the identity of the man that she had literally bumped into on her way over. Still, she could tell her something that wouldn't be a complete lie. "Well, I kinda ran into somebody earlier; like REALLY ran into them." she managed to say. "That's what held me up. Nothing major."

"Who was it?" asked the cyan girl.

"Um... uh, just some guy." she responded. "Nobody that I knew."

"Oh, okay." Rainbow said, satisfied with that answer. "But next time, watch where you're goin', or you might get yourself hurt or somethin'."

"She's right, Scootaloo." Windy Whistles said, agreeing with her daughter. "And she should know a thing or two about safety; after all, our little girl IS Canterlot High's star athlete!"

"Aheheh... well, I don't know about being a 'star athlete'..." said Dash, rubbing her head and blushing a little at her mother's comment.

"You're not just a star athlete; you're THE star athlete!" Hothoof said, praising his daughter. "I can see it all now: Rainbow Dash, Super-Sports-Star of Canterlot- no... Super-Sports-Star of the WORLD!!"

"Oh, just thinking about it gets me all giddy inside!" said Windy, becoming excited by the mere mention of it. "Our little girl becoming a star and a pro!"

"Aw c'mon guys... you're embarrassing me..." said Rainbow, a bit annoyed by her parents' overenthusiastic cheering. Scootaloo, however smiled a bit from hearing all of the praise that her role model had gotten. "Uh, sorry ya had t' hear that, Scoots." the cyan girl told her. "My mom and dad... well let's just say that they can get a bit over-the-top with their support for me."

"It's okay, Rainbow." the orange girl told her. "To be honest, I kinda wish I had parents like yours. I mean, no offense to them, but I wish they'd be that enthusiastic for me all the time when I did stuff." Sighing a little, she then added, "But they're so busy all the time, it's like they're not even there."

"I'm sure they're very supportive of you, dear." Windy told her. "Even if they can't show it all the time."

"But if you need it," Hothoof chimed in, "I suppose we could save some cheering for you every now and then."

"Aheheh... thanks, you two." Scootaloo told them, blushing a bit, but happy to hear them say that to her.

After a few more minutes out on the road, Hothoof looked over to the side and saw a sign advertising the Fun Center; it was easy to spot, as Cheese Sandwich's grinning face was printed upon it. "Just five more miles 'til we get there, girls." the man told them. He then glanced over at his car's fuel gauge and added, "Hmmm... gas is a little low. I'll stop over at the station just up ahead. While I'm filling up, you can all go into the mini-mart for some snacks and stuff."

"Sounds good to me, Dad." Rainbow Dash responded.

"Yeah, me too!" Scootaloo chimed in. "I was in such a rush, I skipped breakfast this morning, and I'm kinda hungry."

"I suppose that sounds like a good idea to me, too." Windy agreed. "But don't get too much, girls; you don't want to get too full and not be able to have any pizza at the center later." Rainbow and Scootaloo nodded to say that they would not eat too much before they got there.

Shortly after arriving at the gas station, Hothoof got out of the car and operated the pump in order to fill the car's gas tank. In the meantime, Windy, along with Rainbow and Scootaloo, walked into the mini-mart to look for some snacks. Rainbow decided to get two small, travel-size bags of potato chips and some Colta-Cola from the soda fountain while her mother decided to get a granola bar for herself.

Scootaloo, glanced over all of the available treats on the shelves, but wasn't sure what she should pick out. But as she was looking everything over, she over heard two boys around her age talking to each other. "Hey, did ya hear what happened to Barley Grind?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, I did... Poor guy didn't know what hit him." said the other voice. "What went down, exactly?"

"Hm?" Scootaloo stayed silent so as to overhear what the conversation was about.

"Well, I don't know much about the details," said the first boy, "but there's a rumor sayin' that he got himself hurt by that bully that's been hanging out around Cheese Sandwich's place. They say it happened at the center's skate park."

"How's Barley doin'?" the second boy asked.

"Well, it's nothing really bad, but I heard the guy's too scared to go back there after what happened." the first boy answered. "I don't blame him, though; ever since that jerk showed up, everybody in the area doesn't wanna go NEAR that place."

"Well, after what you just told me, I'm certainly not goin' over there." the second boy informed his friend. "Not until that bully leaves." The two of them then left the store after they were finished with their conversation.

"...That's not good..." Scootaloo said to herself, worried after hearing all of that... especially since she were on her way over to the fun center with Rainbow's family right now.

"Hey, Scoots!" said Rainbow Dash's voice. "We're almost ready to t' get goin' again. Did you find what you wanted?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, uh... I did!" the orange girl stated, quickly grabbing two bags of chips before rushing over to checkout counter. As she placed her snacks on the counter (Windy offered to pay for everything), she contemplated about telling them both about what she heard... but then decided against it, fearing that doing so would spoil their day. She remained silent about the whole thing as they departed from the mini-mart...

The four of them were now only two miles away from reaching their destination. Naturally, Rainbow Dash was excited to get to the fun center. "Aw man, we're almost there!" she said in anticipation. "I can't wait! Can you, Scoots?" When she glanced over, she saw that her younger companion didn't look all too thrilled, at least by her facial expression. "Uh, Scoots? Is somethin' wrong?"

"Huh??" the orange girl said in response. Looking over at her friend, she told her, "Oh, nothing's wrong, Rainbow Dash! Everything's fine!"

"...You sure?" asked the cyan girl, a bit unconvinced. "You seemed to be spacing out."

"Oh, that? Um... Just... just a bit tired still, that's all!" Scootaloo fibbed. She still didn't want to say anything about the rumor she overheard back at the gas station. "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash! I'll be fine!"

"Um... okay then." the rainbow-haired teen responded, still a bit unsure.

Looking ahead, Hothoof then told everyone, "There it is, everyone! Cheese Sandwich's Family Fun Center, dead ahead!" Everyone was excited as the building came closer and closer to them...

But then they all noticed something a bit peculiar as they pulled in: There were very few cars parked in the parking lot, and it was oddly quiet. "That's strange..." Windy noted. "I know we left early enough to avoid the big crowds, but... but I honestly expected it to be a little busier than this."

"Yeah, that is a little weird..." her husband replied. "When I said this place was 'dead ahead' I didn't mean THAT kind of 'dead'..."

"Well... on the plus side," Rainbow began to tell him, "at least it'll be easy to find a place to park, Dad." However, she too was concerned about how deserted the place was. Scootaloo said nothing, but was becoming a bit scared by what she saw, wondering if the rumors were indeed true.

From inside the building, a young girl with light-peach skin and short, blue hair was sitting in front of a counter, leaning her left elbow on it and resting her head on her left hand as well. It was obvious that she had been sitting there bored for a while. But when she heard something in the parking lot, she immediately perked up and saw Hothoof parking nearby. "A... a customer?" she asked herself, her tone suggesting that she didn't expect to see anyone show up. Fixing her hair and taking a sip from her water bottle, she tried her best to make herself presentable for when they came in.

Rainbow Dash, her parents, and Scootaloo then entered the building together. "Hello? Anybody here?" the cyan teen asked.

"Over here!" said the voice of the girl at the counter. Everyone looked over towards her, and after seeing that she worked here, they all strolled over to speak with her. "Welcome to Cheese Sandwich's Family Fun Center." she told them. "My name is Adrenaline Rush; personal assistant to Mr. Sandwich himself. On his behalf, I would like to, um... greet you all for coming by."

"It seems a little empty in here, doesn't it?" asked Hothoof. "Is everything okay, Ms. Rush?"

"Well, we've been having a few... minor issues here." the girl replied. "But rest assured, we are doing our best to resolve them."

"Minor issues?" asked Windy Whistles, becoming concerned. "What kinds of issues?"

"Oh, nothing technical concerning our attractions; everything is operating perfectly." Adrenaline Rush told them.

"Well, if that's so, then it doesn't explain why there's no one else here..." Hothoof stated. "If everything's working right, this place should be packed." He then asked, "Could... could you allow us to speak to your boss, Ms. Rush?"

"You mean Mr. Sandwich?" asked the girl behind the counter. "May I ask why?"

"We just want to talk with him and see if he can tell us any more about why the center is so empty." Windy explained. "We happen to be friends of his, so I'm sure that if you tell him we're here, he'd come and talk to us. Is that at all possible?"

Humming a bit, Adrenaline Rush thought about their unusual request After pondering about it for a while, she then said to them, "I suppose it couldn't hurt, if what you're saying is true." Picking up the phone next to her, she then asked them, "Could you give me your names, please?"

"Windy Whistles." said Rainbow's mother.

"And my name is Bow Hothoof." her husband said next.

"Okay then, I'll see what I can do..." Adrenaline Rush replied, pressing a button on her phone that allowed her to contact her boss directly. "Hello, Mr. Sandwich?" she spoke into the receiver. "This is Addie. I'm calling to tell you that two people want to meet with you... Who are they? Their names are Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof... Uh huh... Uh huh... Is that so? Okay then, I'll tell them... Thanks... Bye-bye." After hanging up the phone, Addie then told the married couple, "He says that he'll meet with you right away. I'll take you both over to his office."

"Oh thank you very much, young lady." Windy thanked her. Hothoof nodded to say thanks as well.

Before escorting the two of them to Cheese's office, Adrenaline Rush looked over at Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo before asking, "Are these your kids?"

"Uh, I am." Rainbow answered. "But Scootaloo here isn't. She's just a friend of ours."

"I see..." Addie replied. She then walked over to them and said, "Listen closely, both of you: I would like you both to stay here until the three of us are finished talking with Mr. Sandwich. You are welcome to play any of the games here in the arcade, but until we're done, do not go outside by yourselves. Do you understand?"

"Um... I guess so." Scootaloo replied, feeling a bit more uneasy about what she was told. Addie nodded and proceeded to direct Rainbow Dash's parents to Cheese's office. After they left, the young girl then asked, "So... what're we gonna do now, Rainbow Dash?"

"Guess we just wait and see what happens after they get back." the athletic girl replied. "Until then, I'm hittin' the arcade!" She then ran off towards a video dancing game, eager to try it out first. Scootaloo sighed a bit, but decided to try and play some games to get her mind off of everything that had happened so far.

Minutes later, the two were still hanging out in the arcade all by themselves. Rainbow Dash was still playing the dancing game, racking up high score after high score on several of the available songs. Scootaloo was playing a horizontal space shooter game, mercilessly pounding the buttons to try and wipe out all of the on-screen enemies. Unfortunately, she eventually lost her last ship while just a few points shy of beating the high score.

"Aw man... I was so close!" the young girl groaned. Scootaloo was dismayed, but not ready to give up. She reached into her pocket to fish up another token to insert into the machine, when all of a sudden, she heard a faint noise that sounded like a cry of some sort. "Huh?" Scootaloo looked behind her, trying to find the source of the noise. Glancing back over to Rainbow Dash, she asked her, "Hey, Rainbow... Did you hear that just now?"

But the cyan-skinned teen was so engaged in her game, that she didn't notice that Scootaloo was asking her something. That, and the loud music coming from the stage-like arcade machine kept her from hearing anything else anyway.

Figuring that Rainbow Dash probably didn't hear the crying sound, Scootaloo decided to investigate the matter herself. She looked around and kept her ears open in case the sound was heard again. Sure enough, it did, and the young girl looked in the direction of the sound. It had come from a door leading to some of the outdoor attractions. "It's coming from outside?" she asked herself. Despite the warning from Addie about not going outdoors without an escort, Scootaloo knew that she had to see what was going on, in case someone needed help. Making sure not to draw attention to herself, Scootaloo quietly opened the door and slipped through it, leaving her backpack beside the arcade machine she was at earlier.

Finding herself in the center's miniature golf course, Scootaloo looked around, trying to find the source of the cry she heard earlier. "I know that voice was coming from outside somewhere..." she said to herself, "but where is it? And who or what made that sound in the first place?" It wouldn't be long before she saw the answer to her questions in front of her: On the other side of a large bush there was a young light-pink girl with aqua-green, pink-striped hair and light red eyes, on the ground and trembling.

"P-please, stop!" the pink girl said with tears forming in her eyes. "L-leave me alone...!"

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" said a boy voice in a whiny, mocking tone. Laughing, the voice then said, "Ha! What a wimpy little baby!" In front of the scared girl were three older boys: One was tall and thin, with purple skin and yellow hair that covered his eyes. Another was short and fat, with dark-brown skin and short, blue hair with red streaks. The last one, in the middle, appeared to be their ringleader. He had fiery red, freckled skin, mean-looking yellow eyes, bushy eyebrows, short, orange hair, and a fanged smile. His outfit was, much like his cohorts, relatively simple in appearance, consisting of a t-shirt that looked almost like the underbelly of a dragon, along with black jeans and sneakers with a fanged mouth-like design on the fronts. On his back was a backpack of sorts that looked like it was roughed up quite a bit.

Gasping a quietly as possible, Scootaloo thought to herself, (Those guys... are they the bullies those boys at the gas station were talking about?)

Chuckling cruelly to himself, the red and orange boy said, "Lookit this wimp! We didn't even do anythin' yet and she's already starting to cry like a baby! Pah! What a wuss, am I right?"

"Heh, you got it, Garble!" said the short, chubby bully. He then asked the third bully, "What do you think, Fume?"

"Yeah, Clump! This one'll be the MOST fun t' pick on so far!" added the tall, thin one.

"But-but-but why?!" protested the pink-skinned girl. "I-I didn't do anything to you!!"

Taking a step forward towards in a menacing manner, the red-colored boy - named Garble, told her, "Listen, little girl... This place is our turf! And we don't like wimps like you runnin' around on OUR turf, GOT IT?!" Approaching her some more and showing his fist, he then told her, "And anybody who does gets a one-way trip to Painville!" The girl trembled even more, scared of what he was going to do to her.

Having seen enough, an angry Scootaloo rushed out from behind the bushes and stood between the bullies and their victim, arms stretched out wide. "That's enough!! Leave her alone, you jerks!" she shouted at the gang.

A bit startled by Scootaloo's sudden appearance, Garble rudely asked her, "Who the heck are you??"

"Someone that's not gonna put up with you picking on others, that's who!" the orange girl said.

The three bullies looked at one another, confused at first. Then they all broke out into a laugh, seemingly amused by this sudden turn of events. "Pahahahah!! Check this out, guys! This stupid little shrimp thinks she's a big superhero or somethin'!" Garble mocked.

"Bwahahaha!! That's rich!!" mocked Clump.

"Really, who does she think she is?" Fume rhetorically asked. "Goku or somethin'?"

Stopping his laugh for a moment, Garble smirked and said to Scootaloo, "You're crazy if you think you're tougher than the three of us, you little brat! Get outta the way before ya get hurt!"

Scootaloo gulped a little bit out of fear, but managed to stay strong as she said, "Y-you don't scare me...!"

"Oh, we don't, do we?" asked the orange-haired bully. "Then I guess we'll just have to pound some fear into you - quite literally!" Glancing coldly at the other girl, he then told her, "You'd better keep your eyes open for this one; consider it a preview of what you'll be gettin' later." The pink girl trembled, now more frightened than ever.

"Y-you think I'm scared of you...?" asked Scootaloo, trying to remain brave despite what she was up against. "Diamond Tiara used t' say things a lot meaner than that...!"

Garble simple huffed and said to his goons, "Hold her still."

The two other bullies nodded and before she knew it, Scootaloo's arms were grabbed by both of them, preventing her from getting away. "Urrgh! Urrgh!!" she grunted, trying in vain to get away.

She then looked up at Garble, who was walking towards with his fist raised. "Scared now, you little punk?" he asked her in a cruel tone. "Wish you kept your trap shut now?"

But Scootaloo had dealt with bullies in the past, and learned not to show any fear in front of them. She then asked him, "You think you're so tough? Can't fight me without having your buddies here holding me down?"

The orange-haired boy grumbled for a moment, but then said, "Oh, I'm SO gonna enjoy this..." Raising his fist higher in the air and aiming for her stomach, he then told her, "Say your prayers, you little-"

"Hey!! Cut it out!!"

Garble stopped his attack the moment he and everyone else heard someone shouting at them. "Who said that?!" asked Garble angrily. "C'mon, show yourself!"

"I'd be glad to!" the voice said again. Stepping out from behind the bushes was none other than Rainbow Dash. And the look on her face told everyone that she meant business. "Let her go, you punks!" she ordered the bullies. "Or I'll come over there and make you do it!"

"Grrrrrn..." Garble was all for picking on someone smaller than he was, but Rainbow was much taller than him. Grumbling to himself, he motioned his cohorts to release their grip on Scootaloo's arms. He then said to the orange girl, "Y-you got lucky, brat...! Next time, there won't be anyone t' save you!" And with that, the three cowardly bullies ran out of the area.

Once they were gone, Rainbow Dash rushed over to check on Scootaloo. "You okay, Scoots?" she asked, concerned for her younger friend.

"Yeah, they didn't hit me or anything." Scootaloo replied.

"What were ya thinkin', Squirt?" asked the athletic teen. "You heard what that Addie chick said; we weren't supposed to leave the building!"

"I know what she said," the orange girl told her, "But I-"

"I know." Rainbow said with a smile. "You heard this girl here was in trouble, and you wanted to help her, right?" Scootaloo nodded yes in response. "Well, I guess I'd have done the same thing, too." the cyan girl added. "But ya gotta be more careful next time you do somethin' like this; If I hadn't noticed your bag sitting by itself in the arcade, I wouldn't have even noticed you were gone."

"I know... I'm really sorry, Rainbow." Scootaloo apologized.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Squirt." Dash told, giving her young friend a comforting pat on the back. "The important thing is you guys are alright." She then glanced over at the other girl - the one the bullies were picking on earlier, and asked her, "You... You're okay too, right?"

"Um, yes I am..." the pink girl answered, still a bit shaken up. She then looked over to Scootaloo and said to her, "Th-thank you for protecting me from... from them."

"No problem." the orange girl simply replied. "Somebody had to stand up to those jerks." The three of them then quickly walked back into the safety of the main building together.

Back inside, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and the young pink girl - named Tulip Swirl, were all in the seating area of the fun center's fast-food restaurant, taking a rest after the distressing events from earlier. They had all gotten a soda from the soda fountain to help them relax a little, but the image of those three bullies was still fresh in their minds.

"Man, what was up those three jerks?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What gives them the right to pick on other people for no reason?!" Taking a sip from her drink and slamming the cup down onto the table in frustration, she then said, "People like that make me sick!"

"I don't know what happened, either..." Tulip Swirl told them, calmly sipping from her drink as well. "I was on my way to see the Bumper Boats when they showed up. I don't know why they came after me; I didn't do anything to make them mad at me!"

"Aw man, this is terrible...!" said Scootaloo. "I knew this was going to happen..."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Scoots?" asked Rainbow Dash, a bit confused by what her young friend had just said.

Sighing a bit, the orange girl decided to come clean and told her, "When we were at the gas station, I heard these two guys talking about a bunch of bullies hanging around the fun center. I... I didn't believe it... or maybe I didn't wanna believe it... But in any case, I was too afraid to say anything because... well, I didn't wanna risk spoiling our day here, I guess... I'm really sorry..." Scootaloo felt a bit guilty for not saying anything about the rumor sooner, feeling like she had betrayed her friend and idol.

But Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "Hey, it's okay Scoots. I totally understand where you're comin' from."

"Y-you do?" asked Scootaloo.

Dash nodded. "But there's just one thing though:" she added. "You said you were too scared to say anything about those bullies earlier. Well, from what I saw out there with you standing up to those guys, I believe you're a bit braver than ya might think."

"I... I am?" asked Scootaloo.

"You bet you are, Squirt." Rainbow Dash then told her in the most confident tone she could muster, "You've got something those punks outside'll never have in a billion years: The guts t' stand up for yourself and others! It's those guts that helped you to intervene when those guys were pickin' on Tulip over there. It's those guts that kept you feeling strong even when they were about to hurt you. And it's those guts that'll help you stand up to them and teach 'em a lesson they'll never forget!"

"But how?" asked Scootaloo. "I mean, I'd like to help get them out of here, but what's there to do?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but we'll find a way. I know it!" said Rainbow Dash. "This fun center is my parents' favorite place in the whole wide world! And I couldn't live with myself if I allowed some punk to just come around and ruin it for everybody!"

"I feel the same way." said another voice from nearby. Recognizing the voice, the three of them turned around to see Adrenaline Rush - the source of the voice that had spoken to them. With her were Rainbow's parents, Windy and Hothoof. They had just finished their conversation with the center's owner and had come down to meet with the kids. "That Garble kid needs to be stopped for the good of every employee and customer here at the center." she then told them.

"Garble?" asked Scootaloo. "Who's that?"

"I'll bet he's the guy leading that group of bullies; the red one." Rainbow Dash figured.

"That's right." Addie replied. "He showed up about a few weeks ago and has been causing problems for everyone here. Unfortunately, we've never been able to catch him in the act: All of the security cameras are inside the building, and he commits all of his actions outside. And by the time we hear that he's around, he's already gone when we get there. It's very frustrating... If this keeps up for much longer... we may have no choice but to close the center forever."

"That's terrible!" Scootaloo shouted. "We can't let that happen!"

"But what will we do?" asked Tulip Swirl. "They can't catch him, and even if they did, I don't think he'll go away quietly..."

Thinking a little, Rainbow Dash then thought to herself, (Aw man... What would Sunset do?) At that moment, an fantasy appeared in her head with her red-and-yellow friend confronting the bullies in a game of Duel Monsters...

Drawing a card, the dream version of Sunset then shouted, "I attack with Chronomaly Crystal Chrononuat!!" After calling out her order, her purple-armored Xyz Monster rushed and delivered a powerful punch to the three bullies.

"Oh no! We have lost!!" said the dream version of Garble in a somewhat monotone-sounding voice. "We are so bad at this!"

"We are so lame compared to her!" said Clump in despair.

"I wet my bed every night!" added Fume.

Rainbow Dash chuckled a bit after making up that whole scenario in her mind (especially from the last comment by the third bully). Returning back to reality, the cyan girl then asked Adrenaline Rush, "Say, does this center have a space for dueling or anything like that?"

"Dueling?" Addie inquired. She then answered, saying, "There is, actually. Right beside the rock-climbing wall. Why do you ask?"

"Because I think I might know a way to drive those jerks out of here for good." Rainbow revealed to them. "We'll challenge their ringleader to a Duel and beat him!"

"A Duel??" asked everyone in surprise.

"But, Rainbow... how do you know if they even play Duel Monsters?" asked Scootaloo.

"When I drove those guys away earlier," the cyan girl explained, "I noticed that, on Garble's backpack, there was a box attached to the side of it; it looked about the size of the boxes we use to store our Decks in. And sticking out of the backpack, there was an object that had the unmistakable shape of a Duel Pad. I figured that what I saw would be important later, so I made sure to make a note of it."

"Oh, that's my little Dashie!" said Windy, praising her daughter. "Always such an observant young lady!"

"But even knowing that," Adrenaline Rush began to ask, "how do you know that Garble will even bother to accept the challenge?"

"Trust me, I know how bullies work." Rainbow Dash explained. "Punks like him will accept ANY challenge as long they think that it'll make 'em look good. After all, if he doesn't accept, then he'll look like a big coward in front of everyone. Bullies love to make people think they're tough, so if they believe that there's a possibility that they'll look bad, they'll do anything to keep that from happening. Bottom line: all we have to do is to make him an offer he can't refuse."

"Hmmmm... I must say, that is quite brilliant." said Adrenaline Rush, impressed with how Rainbow had managed to figure all of that out.

"It sure is!" said Hothoof, always ready to support his daughter just as his wife had done earlier. "Not only is she tough, but our girl's very bright as well! We're so lucky to have a daughter like her!"

"Indeed!" cheered Windy.

A bit embarrassed, Rainbow then told them, "Alright, alright... that's enough of that..." She then asked, "The only thing is... which one of us should duel them?"

As they thought about that for a while, Scootaloo then reached into her backpack and pulled out her deck box. She stared at it for a while as she thought about a few things in her head Then, out of the blue, she said to everyone, "I'll duel him!"

This elicited a gasp out of everyone in the room. "You're gonna duel Garble?!" asked Adrenaline Rush. "Why??"

"Because of what Rainbow said earlier." she told them. "That I have something that Garble doesn't. I'm not scared of him or his buddies! I'll take him on and I'll beat him! Because I want to help save this place for Rainbow Dash and her parents! I don't want those jerks to ruin something that means so much to them, and I know that, with all of you backing me up, I'll be brave enough to stand up to him and take him down!"

"You... you're going to do this for us, Scootaloo?" asked Windy, amazed by how brave the young girl was.

"Yeah, I am." the orange girl said. "I'll admit, I'm a little scared, but Sunset always taught me that one of the things that makes a True Duelist is their reason to Duel. And right now, my reason is to help keep this center safe for everyone! So, please say that you'll let me do this!"

No one said anything for a few seconds after Scootaloo made her request. But Rainbow Dash was, like most other things, quick to break the silence. "After a speech like that, there's no way I'm gonna talk ya out of it." she told her. Pumping her fist into the air, she confidently told her, "Of course I've got your back!"

"Aw, geez... Thanks Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied with a slight blush.

"Well, if my little girl says it's fine, then I'm fine with it too." Hothoof told her.

"And the same thing goes for me, too!" Windy chimed in, ready to support Scootaloo like she and husband supported their daughter.

Adrenaline Rush smiled and told the orange girl, "You're a pretty brave girl, Scootaloo; I admire that. I'll admit, I had some concerns, but after that well-said speech of yours, I think the only person that should be concerned is Garble when you go up against him."

Happy to hear that, Scootaloo then turned over to Tulip Swirl and asked her, "You'll support me too, right?"

"Mhmm! I will!" Tulip replied. "It's the least I can do after you helped me!"

"Alright then!" Rainbow started. "Let's go and show that Garble jerk just who he's messin' with!" Everyone cheered in response and bravely headed out the doors to confront the bullies, intending to kick them out of the fun center for good. As they did, they didn't notice that someone was watching and listening to the whole thing. It was the owner of the center, Cheese Sandwich. He was smiling, moved by the passion and bravery of the Rainbow and the others. He then headed towards a doorway leading to the back of the building, heading for a destination that only he knew of...

Outside, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and the others searched high and low for any trace of Garble and the other bullies. pointing to the ground, Adrenaline Rush told them, "Look! There's a candy bar wrapper on the ground."

"So? What about it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Picking up the wrapper, Addie then told them, "Garble and his friends left this here for sure; they always get this brand of chocolate."

Recognizing the area they were in as the spot where she had confronted the bullies, Scootaloo then mentioned to everyone, "That wasn't there earlier, so they must tossed this just recently."

"Look, there's another wrapper over here!" Windy stated, picking up a wrapper that looked just like the first one.

"And here!" said Hothoof, also finding another similar wrapper.

"Yeesh, those jerks don't even know how t' use a trash can?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well, at least we know they're still around here."

Looking around, Scootaloo gasped and said in a low tone, "Hey guys! I found them!" The group hid behind the bushes and peeked around to see. Sure enough, Garble and his cronies were casually sitting on the picnic table benches like they owned the place.

"That's them alright..." Addie told them. "And this time, they have nowhere to run."

"I'm goin' in..." Scootaloo said. She still felt nervous, but her desire to help her friend's family and the fun center allowed her to ignore her fears as she stepped forward, ready to confront them once again. Only this time, she had some moral backup.

"Hm?" Garble grunted when he noticed that he and his buddies were not alone anymore. Looking up , he saw Scootaloo, along with her friends. Not intimidated in the slightest, he asked her, "So, the brat's back for more, huh? You're really pushing your luck comin' here' ya know?"

"Maybe, but YOUR luck's about to run out!" the orange girl bravely told him. "I'm kicking all of you jerks out of here!"

Laughing at that statement, Garble then told her, "Yeah, that ain't gonna happen, wimp... What makes you think you can?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she then shouted to him, "Garble! I challenge you to a Duel!!" She then presented her D-Pad, which was already attached to her right arm. "And if I win, you guys get out of here!"

"Me? Duel you? I can think of better ways t' waste my time!" Garble huffed not taking her challenge serious at all. "Why don't you dorks do us a favor and get lost? There ain't no way I'm duelin' you!"

Scootaloo grumbled a little, but Rainbow Dash just nodded to her, reminding her of something about the nature of bullies they had discussed earlier. Remember what they had talked about, the orange girl smirked and said, "Yeah, I guess I can't blame you for turning me down, since it WOULD be a waste of time for me to Duel you anyway."

That comment made Garble's eyes widen, as he did not expect that sort of response from her. Squinting his eyes, he then asked her, "...What's that supposed to mean...?"

"I'm just sayin' you were right: It would be a waste of my time to Duel someone that's obviously too chicken to accept my offer." Scootaloo simply replied, still smiling slyly.

"Ch-CHICKEN?!" yelled Garble, getting up out of his seat. "Did you SERIOUSLY just call ME a CHICKEN?!?"

"Well yeah, of course I did." the orange girl told him. "After all, the only reason you'd refuse my offer was if you were too scared about losing to me and looking like a fool."

"Urk...!" Garble began to sweat, wondering just who this girl was. Usually, most people who encountered him were panicking in fear by now... but not this girl. Twice now, Scootaloo was showing him that she wasn't afraid of him, and it started to worry the seemingly-tough guy.

"Uh... hey Garbs, what's up?" asked Clump, a bit confused as to why his buddy seemed a bit nervous.

"Yeah, you ain't lookin' so good..." Fume then pointed out.

(No...! This is bad...!) thought a worried Garble. (This brat's makin' me look bad in front of everyone! If I duel her and lose, I'm ruined! But if I don't take her offer, I'll look like a wuss!!) Not sure what to do, he then pondered about how he could possibly get out of this situation. Then, he came up with an idea. Smirking himself, he then told Scootaloo, "Okay then, I'll accept your challenge... but under one condition."

"What condition?" asked Scootaloo, not trusting him.

"I'll only Duel you if you do it my way." Garble told her. He then reached behind their picnic table and pulled what appeared to be a skateboard.

"What's that skateboard for?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It ain't just any ordinary skateboard, lady." Garble responded. "This happens to be a Duel Board!"

"A Duel Board??" asked Adrenaline Rush. "You mean that-?"

"That's right." the bully finished. "If the brat still wants t' duel me, it's gotta be a Turbo Duel!"

"A-a Turbo Duel??" asked Scootaloo, not expecting this to happen. She got a little worried and for good reason: She didn't own a Duel Board for herself.

Noticing her change in expression, Garble then mocked her, saying, "Oh, but what's THIS?? You don't HAVE a Duel Board, do you? That's a shame, since you can't have a Turbo Duel without one... Heh, guess that means I win by default!" He then smirked to himself and thought, (This is perfect! I knew she didn't have a Duel Board; there's no way she could afford something that expensive! And she looks like too much of a goody-two-shoes to steal one, like I did! Now I can accept her offer... but since she can't participate, I can't lose! And I'll still look tough for simply accepting the challenge!)

"That little jerk...!" growled Rainbow Dash. "He's tryin' to weasel his way out of this! Now what are we gonna-?"

But her question was interrupted when everyone heard the sound of something rolling towards them. When they looked over they saw what appeared to be a motorized scooter with a helmet hanging off of one of the handlebars coming towards them. And it seemed to be driving itself to the spot they were all standing in. Luckily, it also appeared to be able to stop all by itself, as it did just that once it came within reach of Scootaloo.

"Wh-what's that??" asked Garble, not sure what was going on now.

"Is that a scooter?" asked Windy, curious about the object that suddenly showed up before them.

"It seems to be..." answered Hothoof. "But none like any I've ever seen."

But Adrenaline Rush knew exactly what it was after getting a good enough look at it. "This... this is a Duel SCOOTER!!" she exclaimed.

"A Duel Scooter??" asked everyone else.

Nodding, Addie then continued to tell them, "Kaiba Corp designed all sorts of different vehicles to use in Turbo Duels, ranging from the Duel Runners used by those old enough to drive, and the Duel Boards for younger people, with the smaller ones designed to connect with a D-Pad in order to Turbo Duel."

"But what's somethin' like that doing here??" asked Scootaloo.

"I'm... I'm not sure..." said Addie. In her mind, however, she felt as though she had seen something like this before...

"Aw, who cares where it came from?" asked Rainbow Dash rhetorically. "All that matters is that Scoots can Duel that jerk now!"

"Wh-WHAT?!?" yelped Garble, not expecting this to happen. "That's impossible! How lucky can one little brat get?!"

But Scootaloo wasn't about to let the bully squirm his way out of this one now. Taking the helmet and holding it in her hands, she told him, "Alright, Garble: You said you'd only duel me in a Turbo Duel, and since we both have what we need, let's get to it right now!"

The fang-toothed boy snarled a bit, frustrated that his trick had backfired. "...Fine, we'll duel." he grudgingly told her. "And after it's over, you'll wish that you stayed out of my way!" The orange girl simply gave a fierce look right back at him, not intimidated in the slightest.

Right outside the fun center's parking lot, several young boys and girls were walking by on the sidewalk. But they stopped when they heard a commotion coming from the center. "Hey, what was that?" asked a boy; one of the same boys that was at the gas station that Rainbow Dash and the others were in earlier.

"Sounds like something's going on over at Cheese's Place!" said another boy, the other one that was in the station. "Think we should check it out?"

"I don't know..." answered a girl. "Aren't those mean guys still there?"

"Probably, but I'm gonna go check it out anyway!" the second boy told her. After he rushed off, the other two kids' curiosities got the better of them and they ran off after him.

They arrived at the fun center's go-kart track, where Scootaloo and Garble - who were on the track and standing next to their scooter and skateboard respectively, were about to start their Turbo Duel. Rainbow Dash, her parents, as well as several more younger kids were all standing off to the side, ready to watch the game. Garble's buddies Clump and Fume stood by themselves, away from the larger group. "Rub that wimp into the pavement, Garble!" said the tall thin bully.

"Yeah, waste the brat!" said the other.

"Go, Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash cheered, trying to make her voice louder than theirs. "Take that jerk down!"

"Do your best, Scootaloo!" Windy and Hothoof shouted in unison.

Scootaloo put on the helmet that was attached to the Duel Scooter and placed the helmet's visor over her eyes. She also had her elbow pads and knee pads on for extra protection. Garble, however, didn't seem to care about any of that, opting to just equip his Duel Gazer without using a helmet at all. Snickering, the bully teased her, saying, "What's wrong, you afraid you'll get hurt or somethin'?"

But the orange girl simply replied, "If anyone's afraid here, it's you, jerk. I saw you sweating when you got on the track."

"Urk! Yeah? Well... we'll see who sweats after this stupid Duel's over with!" Garble replied, still trying to play the tough guy act.

Adrenaline Rush then walked onto the track herself and stood on a raised podium booth overlooking the starting line; the place where an employee would sit to supervise the go-kart track and make sure things ran smoothly. "Can I have your attention, please?" she spoke using a microphone. "Cheese Sandwich Fun and Games Center is proud to present a special competition right here on the grounds: A Turbo Duel between Scootaloo of Canterlot High...!" The orange girl then waved as almost everyone cheered for her after her name was announced.

Waiting for the crowds to settle down a bit, Addie then finished the introductions, saying, "...and her opponent, Garble!" Of course, instead of the cheers that Scootaloo got, most of the crowd booed and hissed at the bully.

Not caring at all, Garble simply shouted, "Yeah, same to you, wimps!"

Again, after the crowds quieted down, Addie then said to everyone involved, "Now, I will explain the rules of Turbo Dueling..."

*******************************

Turbo Duel Rules:

All rules that apply to a normal Duel remain the same, along with the following additions:

* To determine turn order, both Duelists must race to a predetermined point on the racing path. Whoever reaches that point first is allowed the option of going first or second.

*At the start of each player's turn, if the turn player is currently in the lead during the race, they are allowed an extra Normal Summon/Set during their turn (even if they fall behind later during their turn).

* In addition to the normal conditions for winning a Duel, a player can also win the Turbo Duel if they make it to the race path's finishing point (if there is one), or if their opponent is in any way unable to continue racing (such as if their Duel Runner stops moving or is rendered unable to function).

*******************************

Looking down at the two competitors, Addie told them, "Now I want a nice, clean game, both of you. That means neither of you can physically attack each other outside of the actual Duel, understand?"

Smirking, Scootaloo then told the bully, "Hear that? You think you can win without having to run into me on the track?"

"O-of course I can, you wuss!" Garble shouted. In reality, though, he was annoyed that he wouldn't be able to do anything like that, especially with Adrenaline Rush watching them both carefully.

"In that case," Addie instructed them, "both Duelists to their vehicles!" Scootaloo ran over to the Duel Scooter and tapped a button on part where the handlebars were connected. This caused a USB cord to pop out of it. Pulling the cord out a little, she then plugged it into her Duel Pad, causing the touchscreen to display the words, "TURBO DUEL MODE ACTIVATED". Garble then did the same thing with his Duel Board.

"Be careful out there, Squirt." Rainbow Dash told her. "That jerk's not t' be trusted."

"I've got this, Rainbow!" the orange girl confidently replied. "I don't know how good that Garble guy is at skateboarding, but no one's better than me at scooter riding!"

"That's what I like t' hear, Scoots!" the cyan teen told her with a smile. "Now get out there and duel circles around him!" Scootaloo nodded to say that she would do her best.

Pointing ahead at a red line painted a short ways away from the starting line, Addie then said to the two competitors, "This Turbo Duel will begin with the two of you racing to that red line. Whoever reaches it first gets the first move." Both Duelists nodded to say that they understood. "Alright then, let the Duel begin!" Addie shouted as she pressed a button that switched on a tower where three colored lights were built upon, much like a traffic light, with the top red one lighting up first. Scootaloo and Garble started up their motorized vehicles, ready to break out once they were cleared to do so. Soon, the red light turned off, and the center yellow one came on. Then finally, the bottom green light lit up, accompanied by a horn sound.

"Ready, set, DUEL!!!" shouted Adrenaline Rush as the two rivals immediately sped off, trying to reach that red line first.

Scootaloo did her best to keep balance on her new scooter. While she had experience with riding them, this was her first time operating a motorized scooter. Luckily, the controls were relatively simple and she had the chance to try it out a bit before the Duel. Still, when she saw that Garble was pulling ahead of her, Scootaloo knew that this still wouldn't be easy.

"Heh... you're pretty shaky on that thing..." Garble taunted her. "Remember: If you fall, you lose!"

"Hmph... just worry about yourself, you jerk." the orange girl told him, doing her best not to show any fear.

"Fine then, I'll shut you up myself!" the red bully responded. Crossing the red line first, Garble drew his five-card opening hand, followed by Scootaloo (Garble: LP 4,000) (Scootaloo: LP 4,000) (Current Leader: Garble). "Looks like I'm gettin' the first move, punk! Too bad!" he told her. Taking a card from his hand, he shouted, "I'll start with my Volcanic Rocket in Attack Mode!"

The bully's first monster was a rocket-shaped, reptilian-like creature colored mostly beige, with fiery orange wings on its sides (Volcanic Rocket: Level 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1400).

"And since I Summoned him," Garble continued, "I can grab a copy of Blaze Accelerator out of my Deck and put it in my hand!" And he did just that, with his D-Pad auto-shuffling the remaining cards afterwards.

"What's he up to...?" Rainbow Dash asked herself.

Garble's buddies snickered to themselves. "That little twerp's in for it!" said Clump. "No one's ever beaten Garble's Volcanic cards!"

"Yeah, this'll be over real quick!" Fume commented.

Taking out another card, Garble then told his foe, "And since I'm currently in the lead in the race, I get t' Summon or Set another monster to the field! So I'll go right ahead and play this guy face-down in Defense!" Taking one more card and shoving it into his Duel Pad, he finished, saying, "Then I'll set this card and end my turn!"

"Alright then, it's my turn!" Scootaloo shouted, drawing her first card. Looking at the card she then thought to herself, (Okay, this is it... my first big Duel against someone other my friends back in the club. I just gotta keep my cool and remember everything I've learned up to this point. Just watch me, Sunset! I'll make you proud, just you wait!) Taking the card she had just drawn, she announced, "I activate the Continuous Spell, Black Whirlwind!!"

*******************************

Black Whirlwind:
(Continuous Spell Card)

When a "Blackwing" monster is Normal Summoned to your field: You can add 1 "Blackwing" monster from your Deck to your hand with less ATK than that monster.

*******************************

"B-Black Whirlwind??" asked Garble. "Don't tell me you're-?!"

"Getting nervous yet, Garble?" asked Scootaloo. "Yeah, I'm usin' a Blackwing Deck, one of the best Decks you can find!"

"So what?" asked the bully. "There's no way a brat like you can know how t' use one all by yourself!"

(Then I guess it's good that I didn't have to do it all by myself, then.) Scootaloo thought. She then told her opponent, "Now I'll Normal Summon a Level 5 monster to the field!"

"What? Don't you know the rules, dork?!" asked Garble. "You can't play a Level 5 monster without releasing a monster first!"

"Wanna bet?" asked the girl as she played her card anyway. And in an instant, a tall, human man wearing a black bird costume with a blue bird head-shaped headgear appeared on the field, ready to fight (Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn: Level 5 / ATK 2000 / DEF 900).

"What?!?" gasped Garble, caught off-guard.

"Surprise!" Scootaloo shouted. "It's my Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn! And since you're the only one that had any monsters out, his effect lets me skip the release cost and play him right away!"

"Grrr... you just got lucky to have that card on the first turn!" the fanged-tooth boy complained.

"The point is, he's there," she simply told him, "and that means I get to use the effect of the Black Whirlwind that I played earlier. And I'll use it's effect to pull a Blackwing with less than 2,000 attack points out of my Deck! And I choose Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame with 1,800 attack points!"

"Fine! Whatever!" Garble told her rudely. "I still have more monsters than you do right now!"

But the orange girl chuckled and told him, "You won't for much longer! I activate Double Summon! This lets me Normal Summon another monster this turn!"

"Hey, wait a minute!!" the bully shouted. "That wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to get the extra Normal Summon all by myself! Not you!!"

"Well, that's what's gonna happen, jerk!" Scootaloo told him. "And I'll use my second Normal Summon to play the Shura that I just pulled from my Deck!" After making that move, a second human man in a bird costume appeared on her field, this one mostly blue and black in color, with some blue-tinted grey in some areas (Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200). "And because that was a Normal Summon, I can use Black Whirlwind again!" she added.

"Now what?!" Garble complained.

Taking a card from her Deck, she announced, "I'll place this card in my hand: Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr! And because I used a card effect to put her into my hand, I can Special Summon her to the field!" And she did just that, playing the monster immediately This creature, unlike the previous two that she had Summoned, was a real bird with yellow and orange feathers covering her tiny body (Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr: Level 3 / ATK 1100 / DEF 300).

"That's incredible!" said Tulip Swirl. "When this Duel started, Garble had her out-numbered!"

"But now the shoe's the other foot!" Hothoof told her. "Now it's Scootaloo that has HIM outnumbered!"

"Yeah, keep it up, Scoots!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "He's no match for you!"

Garble had no idea how this could have happened; he thought he had the advantage since he got to go first, and was able to Summon more than one monster last turn. But now that was no longer the case. "That's impossible! How could you get that many monsters out so quickly?!" he shouted at his opponent.

"It's called, 'being good at this game', Garble. You oughtta try it sometime!" Scootaloo said, essentially giving the bully a taste of his own brand of medicine.

Grumbling, Garble thought to himself, (Whatever, you'll get yours when you attack me, just you wait, brat...!)

"Time for my Battle Phase!!" Scootaloo shouted. "I attack Volcanic Rocket with Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn!" The strongest of her Blackwings then swooped down, heading straight towards the fiery monster.

"I activate my Trap Card!" Garble shouted, his face-down card flipping face-up. Still, the human/bird creature continued its attack, slashing at the rocket with his bird-like feet and destroying it (Garble: LP 4,000 - 100 = 3,900).

"I got him!" Scootaloo said happily. But her smile faded when she saw several small fireballs raining down from the sky upon her. "Urrgh!!" she grunted, shielding herself with her arm as best as she could as the flames struck her (Scootaloo: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500). "Hey, what gives?!" she asked. "What just hit me?"

"Heh heh, it was my Backfire Trap Card, twerp!" said the bully. "As long as it's out on the field, you'll take 500 points of damage every time you destroy my FIRE monsters! So just try attacking me now, unless you like gettin' rid of your own Life Points to do it! Ha ha ha!!"

Surprised, but not scared, Scootaloo then told him, "If you think that's enough to scare me, then you don't know me too well! Shura the Blue Flame, attack his face-down monster!!" Her other human-like bird monster then slashed apart Garble's remaining monster, revealing it as a tiny, beige, eye-less lizard surrounded by flames (Volcanic Shell: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 0).

"You idiot!" laughed the fanged-toothed boy. "My Volcanic Shell's ALSO a FIRE-Attribute monster! So enjoy another 500 damage, loser!!" Once more, several flames struck Scootaloo, shaving off more of her Life Points (Scootaloo: LP 3,500 - 500 = 3,000). "Peh, I don't have any idea why you made that move! You should've known that I'd have another FIRE monster on the field!"

"Actually, I did." Scootaloo admitted. "And I was willing to take a hit on purpose!" This elicited a gasp out of Garble. "You see, when Shura destroys a monster in battle, he lets me Special Summon a Blackwing from my Deck with 1500 or less attack points with its effects negated! And I'll go right ahead and play Gladius the Midnight Sun in Attack Mode!" Her fourth monster this turn was an anthropomorphic blackbird with shiny, silver armor and a pair of short swords. On his head was a crest of red feathers and billowed in the wind (Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun: Level 3 / ATK 800 / DEF 1500).

"I don't get it..." said Tulip Swirl. "why did she take more damage just to Summon that?"

"Because while Scoots may have lost a thousand of her Life Points with those attacks," Rainbow Dash explained, "Garble's lost both his monsters."

"Which means that he's vulnerable to a direct attack now." Windy Whistles chimed in. "And Scootaloo still has two more monsters to attack with, including the one she just Summoned." Tulip and Rainbow looked at her, surprised that she seemed to know that. The woman then blushed and told them, "Bow and I used to play Duel Monsters back when we were still dating."

Back at the Duel, Garble was beginning to sweat a bit, realizing too late that his opponent was much stronger than she looked. "You may have been ahead of me in monsters and Life Points, buddy..." Scootaloo informed him, "but that's all about to change very soon!" Pointing ahead, she then shouted, "I attack directly with Gladius the Midnight Sun and Breeze the Zephyr!"

Garble gulped as he saw the two bird monsters coming in fast behind him. Gladius used both of his swords to strike the bully and knock of some of his life (Garble: LP 3,900 - 800 = 3,100). Breeze attacked next, diving down at him beak-first and delivering a powerful blow (Garble: LP 3,100 - 1,100 = 2,000). "AAAARRRRGH!!!" Garble screamed as the attacks not only knocked off most of his Life Points, but slowed him down enough so that Scootaloo could pass him and take the lead.

"Alright!! Scootaloo's in the lead now!" cheered Hothoof. The rest of the crowd, which had since doubled in size since the Duel started, cheered loudly as well. Garble's buddies looked legitimately shocked by what they had just seen, wondering how it could have happened.

"Rrrrrgh...!" Garble did his best to recover from the powerful attacks he had just weathered. However, he still managed to stay on his Duel Board. "How'd she do that?!" he asked, still unable to believe that she had managed to get ahead of him, both figuratively and literally.

"Now that my Battle Phase is over, I still have a few more moves to make!" Scootaloo announced. "My Level 3 Breeze the Zephyr is a Tuner Monster, so I'll tune her to my Gladius the Midnight Sun, who's ALSO Level 3!" The smaller, yellow-orange bird then began to glow before splitting into a trio of lights that shot into the air. Then, three green rings came in from behind Gladius, surrounding him and transforming him into three smaller lights (Level 3 + Level 3 = Level 6) "Heroic raptor of legend, brandish the great blade of myth!" she chanted. "Ride the mighty winds and slash away the enemy! Synchro Summon!! The mighty Blackwing, Level 6! Nothung the Starlight!!"

At that moment, the three green rings and smaller lights were engulfed by a column of light that shot out from behind them all. Then, out of that light came a another half-man, half-bird creature with black and dark-purple feathers, as well as displaying an impressive set of abs. He wore black, shiny armor, and wielded a large sword that was (of course) black in color (Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1600).

"A Synchro Monster?!" shouted Garble.

"That's right, jerk!" said the orange girl. "But he's not just any Synchro Monster. You see, just by Special Summoning him, he takes off another eight hundred of your Life Points!"

"WHAT?!" the bully yelled. But he was powerless to stop Scootaloo's new monster from throwing his sword like a boomerang and hitting him for some more damage. "AACK!!" he screamed after taking the blow (Garble: LP 2,000 - 800 = 1,200).

"Alright, I think that I've embarrassed you enough this round, so I'll just set this card face-down and pass things off to you." Scootaloo told him as she continued to ride further ahead of him (Current Leader: Scootaloo).

"That does it, you stupid kid!" snarled Garble, frustrated at losing his advantage so quickly and easily. "It's about time you learned who's in charge around this place!" He then drew his next card and shouted, "First, I'm usin' the effect of the Volcanic Shell that you sent to my Graveyard last turn! By paying 500 of my Life Points, I can take another copy of it out of my Deck and put it in my hand!" (Garble: LP 1,200 - 500 = 700)

"Now's he's down to just 700 Life Points..." said Rainbow Dash. "Why'd he go and do that just to get a wimpy monster out of his Deck?"

"Next, I'm playin Pot of Desires!" said the bully. "I banish ten cards and draw two more!" After getting his new cards, he then said to Scootaloo, "Now listen up, you little twerp: You may not know it, but everyone that's dumb enough t' stand up to me is playin' with fire! And you're about to see WHY! I activate Blaze Accelerator!" After playing the Spell Card, a large gun turret seated upon a tripod appeared off to the side of the track, turning itself around as the Duelists passed by.

"So what's with the freaky camera?" asked Scootaloo.

"It ain't no camera, stupid!" Garble informed her. "Y'see all I gotta do is send one of my Pyro monsters with 500 or less attack points from my hand to the Graveyard, and after that, I can destroy any one of your monsters!"

Scootaloo gulped. "A-any one??" she asked.

"Now you're gettin' it!" Garble told her. "And now you'll get THIS!" He then sent one of his monsters to the Graveyard from his hand, which caused the gun turret to activate. "Now! Take out her Shura the Blue Flame!" The turret then fired a homing shot that struck Scootaloo's monster and destroyed it.

"Rrrgh...!" the orange girl grunted, trying to remain tough. "That's nothing! I've still got two more monsters on the field!"

"Not after this move, you won't!" the bully said with a snicker. "That's 'cause the monster I sent to the Graveyard to activate my Blaze Accelerator was Volcanic Scattershot! And after it's sent to the Graveyard to activate my Accelerator's effect, I can send the other two copies of it from my Deck to the Graveyard and get rid of your other monsters!!"

"Aw, NO!!" shouted Scootaloo as she watched three triple-headed red lizards fly towards her monsters from behind. The three of them collided together and created a massive explosion that destroyed both Nothung and Sirocco at the same time.

"And as an added bonus," Garble continued, snickering to himself as he did so, "you take 500 points of damage for each of those Scattershots!" The orange girl gasped as three large fireballs came raining down from the sky above, striking her dead-on. One hit her (Scootaloo: LP 3,000 - 500 = 2,500), followed by a second (Scootaloo: LP 2,500 - 500 = 2,000), and then a third (Scootaloo: LP 2,000 - 500 = 1,500). "Heh, so you're still hangin' on, huh?" asked the bully when he saw that she was still on her Duel Scooter and still ahead of him (though the attack did allow him to catch up to her a little more).

"Rrgh... you bet I am!" Scootaloo shouted, "And I'm staying on until I beat you!"

"Pfft, you really are stupid, aren't ya?" huffed Garble, not intimidated one bit. "I'll set a monster in Defense and end my turn!"

"Yeah, show that wimp who's boss!" shouted Clump.

"That brat's about t' get burned for stickin' her nose where it didn't belong." Fume commented.

"Yeah, well don't count on it, you jerks!" Rainbow Dash told them. "Your buddy's still behind both in Life Points and in the race, so don't get too confident!"

"You really think your little friend'll beat Garble that easily?" mocked the tall thin bully. "Then you're just as dumb as she is!"

"Grrrr... why you...!" Rainbow Dash was angry and really wanted to show them how she felt about their comments. But her parents stopped her from doing anything too rash. Taking a deep breath to relax herself, she then said in her mind, (C'mon, Scoots... you gotta show these guys just how tough you are...! Everyone here's countin' on ya!)

As if she could read her mind, Scootaloo looked over at Rainbow and her parents and said, "Don't worry... I'll stop these bullies somehow!" She then placed her fingers on her Deck and shouted, "I draw!" Looking at the card she picked up and seeing that it was something that could possibly help her, she then said, "I activate the card I drew! Cards for Black Feathers!!'

"That could help..." said Hothoof. "While it does cause her to banish a Blackwing from her hand and lose the right to Special Summon this turn, she does get to draw two more cards from her Deck."

"I hope she can draw something that will help her..." Windy commented.

Scootaloo then took a high-level Blackwing monster out of her hand and put it back into her deck box before drawing two extra cards. "Now I'll play one of them right now! I use my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy that Backfire card!" After that, a powerful cyclone shot itself backward, eliminating Garble's Trap Card.

"Yeah!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Now she won't take damage when she destroys his FIRE monsters anymore!"

But Garble wasn't that impressed. "That all you got, wimp?" he asked his enemy.

"Not even close!" she answered him. "I Normal Summon my Pinaki the Waxing Moon in Attack Mode!" Her newest monster was a small blackbird wearing a blue vest and a white turban with two red feathers sticking out of it. In his hands... er, wings, was an archer's bow (Blackwing - Pinaki the Waxing Moon: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000). "And because I Normal Summoned him," Scootaloo continued, "I can use Black Whirlwind to take Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield out of my Deck!" After taking her new card, she then shouted, "Go, Pinaki! Attack his face-down monster!" The small bird then shot a few feather out of his bow like an arrow, destroying another of Garble's Volcanic Shells.

"Pft, whatever." the bully told her. "My Life Points don't go down, since he was in Defense Mode. A shame, since you'll be finished next turn!"

"We'll see about that." the orange girl told him, not scared by his threat. "Since I'm in the lead in the race, I'll use the special Turbo Duel rule to play another monster! So I'll set this one in Defense Mode before ending my turn."

"That's not gonna save you, twerp!" mocked Garble. "This Duel's gonna end on my turn!" He then drew his next card... and immediately smiled an evil smile upon his face. "And with this card, I'm gonna make good on that promise!" He then shouted, "I send my Blaze Accelerator to the Graveyard!" After he said that, his gun turret self-destructed and sent itself to the discard pile.

"What'd he do that for?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"You're about to see!" Garble told everyone. "Because NOW I can play my Tri-Blaze Accelerator!!" After playing his new Spell Card, a larger gun turret manifested itself off to the side of the track. Not only was it bigger than the other one was, but it also had THREE cannons instead of just one.

"What's he gonna do with that thing??" asked Scootaloo, trembling a little.

"You won't need to worry about that, runt!" the bully informed her. "Because now that I have Tri-Blaze Accelerator on the field, I can use it to Summon my strongest card!" He then yelled, "I send Tri-Blaze Accelerator to the Graveyard to Special Summon a monster from my hand!! Erupt from the Earth now!! Volcanic Doomfire!!"

Everyone watched as the skies above began to turn red. But soon, everyone's attention was on the ground as, in the center of the go-kart track, a powerful magma geyser erupted, spewing lava everywhere. Then, the lava began to gather together into a massive clump that formed itself in a large reptile-like creature. The lava hardened, creating thick, black and brown armor around the beast, with small vents puffing out small flames every few seconds.

*******************************

Volcanic Doomfire:
(Effect Monster/Pyro/FIRE/Level 8/ATK 3000/DEF 1800)

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by sending 1 "Tri-Blaze Accelerator" you control to the GY. During your opponent's Battle Phase, Attack Position monsters your opponent controls must attack this card, if able. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY: Destroy as many monsters your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each monster destroyed by this effect.

*******************************

"Aw no... this isn't good...!" said Scootaloo, staring at the powerful monster that Garble Summoned on her.

"That's the understatement of the year." the bully told her. "Doomfire's my ultimate monster, and he's gonna turn you into nothing but a charred spot on the track!"

"This is horrible...!" stated Windy. "If that boy attacks with his monster now, Scootaloo will lose!"

"C'mon, Scoots... hang tough!" Rainbow urged her friend.

Garble then laughed and told his foe, "Now, I could so easily attack your wimpy little bird with Doomfire and end this now, but where's the fun in that?" Taking a card from his hand, he then added, "It'll be even MORE enjoyable to blow up your crummy monsters first and THEN hit you with everything that my monster's got!"

"What do you mean??" asked Scootaloo.

"Just watch me! I activate the Spell card, Raigeki!" he shouted. "So say goodbye t' BOTH your monsters!!" Everyone watched as a pair of powerful thunderbolts shot down from the dark sky above and vaporized both of Scootaloo's monsters.

"No!! She's defenseless!" said Hothoof, getting worried.

Garble's buddies cackled after watching Scootaloo lose her two monsters. "That oughtta teach her some manners! Peh heh heh!" Fume laughed cruelly.

"Wipe out that stupid brat for good!" shouted Clump.

Smirking as he raced ahead of his opponent and taking the lead, he then told her, "Now you're about t' see the hard way just how tough I am! Maybe next time, you'll keep outta our business!!" He then shouted, "Volcanic Doomfire!! Wipe her out!! Volcanic Cannon!!" The massive creature then let out a powerful blast of flames from its maw, striking her hard.

"No!! Scootaloo!!" shouted the crowd supporting her, fearing that she had lost the Duel.

"Ha! Take that, wimp!!" cackled Garble, confident that the Duel was over. "I win!!"

But Rainbow Dash gave out a smirk of her own and asked, "Are you sure? Then who's that behind you?"

Not sure what she was talking about, the bully looked behind him... and his heart sank and jaw dropped at what he saw. Scootaloo was not only still on her Duel Scooter, but her Life Points didn't drop by a single point (Scootaloo: LP 1,500). "WHAT THE-?!?" he exclaimed in shock.

"She's okay!!" said a relieved Windy, happy to see that Scootaloo was still in the game.

"What a relief!" added Hothoof. Everyone else was happy to se that the Duel had not ended after all. All except for Garble's buddies, who were just as shocked as he was by this turn of events.

"This Duel's not over yet, jerk!" Scootaloo told him in the most confident-sounding voice she could muster.

"It IS over!!" protested Garble, sweating a little. "I hit you directly with Doomfire! He had three thousand attack points!! That should've wiped you out!!"

"But it didn't." the orange girl simply told him. "And I have you to thank for it!"

"What?!" asked Garble, confused by what she was saying. "Why would I ever help you beat ME?!"

Taking a card from out of her Graveyard, she told him, "Because when you activated Raigeki earlier, you made a huge misplay!" She then revealed the card to him and added, "That's 'cause one of the monsters that you destroyed was my Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield! After it's been destroyed - like with your Raigeki card, it drops all the damage I take with your next attack to zero!"

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed Garble.

"I had a feeling you'd try to do something like that." the orange girl told him. "And it's the whole reason I chose to add Mistral to hand last turn! I laid it out hoping that you'd try and blow it up! And it looks like I was right!"

Garble growled, but even he had to realize that her surviving this turn was all because of him. (That brat...) he thought. (If I had just attacked her monster this turn, I would have... I would've... RRRGH!!!) Angry and now getting a little worried, he then played his next card. "I activate the Spell Red Medicine, which boosts my Life Points by 500!" (Garble: 700 + 500 = 1,200) Sweating a little more and looking as confidant as he was earlier, he then told her, "You got lucky last time, you dork! But next turn, this Duel really WILL be over!" He then pulled further ahead of his foe, intending to make good on his threat (Current Leader: Garble).

Scootaloo then took a deep breath and thought to herself, (He's right about one thing: One way or another, this is pretty much my last turn, and I've gotta make it count!) Looking over towards Rainbow Dash, Windy, and Hothoof, as well as all of the neighborhood children, she then said to herself, "No matter what, I'm gonna teach that bully that he can't push me around! I've gotta keep going until the end!" She then picked her next card and shouted, "I DRAW!!"

Everyone supporting the young girl hoped and wished that she would be able to pull through despite the odds. In any case, they knew that this Duel would be over soon.

Scootaloo then looked at the card she pulled and sighed a bit. (Just another Against the Wind...) she thought. (I already had one in my hand... Now what'll I do?) Shaking her head, she then told herself, (No...! I've gotta stay hopeful! I know there's some way out of this, I just need to remember what Sunset told me...)

About a month ago...

After a tough practice Duel with Sunset Shimmer, Scootaloo grumbled a bit to herself. "Aw man... How'd I lose that one?" she asked herself. "I never even saw that combo of yours coming! How'd you come up with it??"

"It's easy, as long as you always remember this:" Sunset told her. "Even if a card doesn't seem like something that could help you, there's always a way to make it work in your favor if you play it just right. You just have to remember to consider all possible options with your cards."

"A-all of my options?" asked Scootaloo.

"Right." the jacket-wearing teen said with a nod. "You just need to remember that as long as you have cards in your hand and on the field, you have all sorts of possibilities to try." Smiling a little, she then added, "And if you do things just right, your opponent won't be able to see your plays coming until it's too late for them!"

"Yeah, I sure got that message, that's for sure." the orange girl replied. Trying her best to smile, she then told her, "Thanks, Sunset. I'll try to remember that next time I duel. I promise!" Sunset nodded to say that she was happy to hear that as the two shook each other's hands.

Snapping back to reality, Scootaloo then told herself, "I didn't forget about what you said, Sunset... One way or another, I'll make these cards work out somehow!" She then pondered to herself, (Now think: What can I do with the cards that I drew?) Upon mentioning the word "draw", the young girl then remembered something else that was important. (Hold on...!) she exclaimed in her mind. (That card that I banished with that Spell I played last turn... What was it again?) She then tapped her D-Pad's screen to check her banished pile. After seeing what was displayed, she then got an idea. Putting on a look of sheer confidence, Scootaloo shouted, "Alright, Garble! Time to end this Duel!!"

"What? You gonna surrender?" teased the bully. "Took ya long enough!"

"Not even close." she told him, taking a card and putting it into her Spell & Trap Zone slot. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card Against the Wind!! This lets me return any Blackwing in my Graveyard to my hand, as long as I'm willing to take damage equal to that monster's attack points!" Making her selection, she then revealed the card and told her opponent, "Since I'm taking back my Mistral the Silver Shield, however, I won't take much of a hit, since he's only got a hundred attack points." (Scootaloo: LP 1,500 - 100 = 1,400) She then placed the monster back into her hand.

"Now what is she planning?' asked Hothoof, scratching his chin.

"Whatever it is, it had better be big," Rainbow Dash stated, "or else that jerk's fiery lizard-thing'll take her down next turn!"

"C'mon, Scootaloo..." urged Tulip Swirl.

Taking the card she had just brought back into her hand, Scootaloo played it onto her D-Pad and shouted, "Now I Summon Mistral the Silver Shield in Attack Mode!" The monster then appeared on the field, revealing itself as a small, navy-blue bird with a silver face mask (Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield: Level 2 / ATK 100 / DEF 1800).

"You're actually Summoning such a puny monster like that now?!" asked Garble with a mocking laugh. "That little guy can't do nothin' all by itself!"

"...You're right, he can't." Scootaloo told him. "So I'll bring back one of his bigger brothers to join him! I activate the Trap Card, Escape from the Dark Dimension! It brings back any of my banished DARK monsters to the field!"

"But I didn't banish any of your monsters!" Garble reminded her in a snotty tone.

"You didn't, but I did!" the orange girl responded. "Remember when I used my Cards for Black Feathers earlier? I had to banish a Blackwing to activate it!"

"Urk! Oh yeah..." the bully grumbled, forgetting all about that.

"Now I use my Trap to bring back Blackwing - Elphin the Raven in Attack Mode!" she then shouted, bringing out another manbird creature with large, black wings and a purple cloak across his chest area (Blackwing - Elphin the Raven: Level 6 / ATK 2200 / DEF 1200). "And since the Mistral that I Summoned to the field first is a Tuner Monster, it's time for another Synchro Summon!!"

Garble gasped in shock. "What?! ANOTHER one?!?"

"I tune Mistral, Level 2 to my Elphin, Level 6!!" Scootaloo announced. The smaller bird creature began glowing with a silver sheen before splitting into two small lights, which in turn, transformed into a pair of rings. However, instead of being green, they were colored a deep crimson while retaining the same overall appearance. The rings then surrounded Elphin and transformed him into six more lights. "Darkened whirlwind, reveal my hidden wishes on your wings!" she chanted. "Rise above your limits as we fly as one! Synchro Summon!"

At that moment, the lights and rings were engulfed in a column of bright red light, which then shot up into the sky above. Everyone watched with astonishment as the large image of a serpentine dragon, stretched into a ring shape, appeared where the light beam had fired into. In the center of the image, a vortex then formed that allowed a powerful beast to fly out. It seemed to be a cross between a dragon and a bird, with a yellow, beak-like snout, large feathery wings colored black and red, a blue-and-black body, and silver-colored tail feathers. It let out a bird-like screech as it made its presence known.

"Soar now, Level 8! Black-Winged Dragon!!" Scootaloo shouted, finishing her chant.

*******************************

Black-Winged Dragon:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon/DARK/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 1600)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
If you would take damage from a card effect, place 1 Black Feather Counter on this card instead. This card loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter on it. Once per turn: You can remove all Black Feather Counters on this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; that target loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter you removed, and if it does, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK lost by this effect.

*******************************

There was a collective gasp from everyone when they saw the Synchro Monster that Scootaloo had just Summoned. "No WAY!!!" exclaimed a young boy from the audience. "It's Black-Winged Dragon! It's really here!!"

"Wow! Where did that girl get that card from?!" asked one of the younger girls.

"Well, I don't believe my eyes...!" Hothoof said in an impressed tone. "It's really Black-Winged Dragon!"

"I know... it is unbelievable, dear!" Windy told him. "I never thought that I'd ever see that card for myself! Simply amazing!" She then turned to her daughter and asked her, "Rainbow, why didn't you tell us your little friend had such a rare card?"

"...I didn't know she had it either, Mom." the cyan teen admitted. "I have no clue how she managed to get one." Turning back to the Turbo Duel, she then thought to herself, (Black-Winged Dragon... One of the Dragons used by the legendary Turbo Duel team, Team 5D's. I heard rumors that, sometime after their victory in the World Racing Grand Prix, Industrial Illusions released a commemorative set that included reprinted copies of their signature dragons. But that set had been discontinued for a long time, so they're hard to find now... I don't know where Scoots got that card from, but I'm hoping that it'll help her win this Duel.)

The only ones not happy to see this dragon were Garble's buddies... and of course, Garble himself. "You... you've gotta be kiddin' me?!" he shouted, sweating a little. "Where'd you get a card like that, you loser?!"

"You've got bigger things to worry about, you bully!" Scootaloo told her opponent. "Because I'm not gonna lose this Duel! My new monster will make sure of that!" Black-Winged Dragon chimed in with another powerful screech.

"Oh, is that so, wimp?" asked the brute, still trying to act tough. "Well too bad for you, but my monster's still got more attack points than yours does! Guess being rare and being powerful are two different things, huh?"

But the young orange girl wasn't ready to give up. (I'll find some way to use this card to beat you, Garble... I promised Sunset that I'd always remember everything she taught me... And I also promised to take good care of this card I got. I won't quit until I've taken you down, Garble! I'll show you that you can't pick on just anybody!) She then looked at her hand and saw her only other card: A second Against the Wind. (I just wish my hand was a little better than this... But this card can't help me right now... In fact, it'll actually cause me MORE damage...)

Just then, Scootaloo gasped. (Wait... "damage"?) she pondered. She then took a closer look at her Synchro Monster Card and read its effect a little more. After reading it, she exclaimed, "That's it! I know what to do now!" Taking the card, she then played it and shouted, "I activate a second Against the Wind! I target my Mistral the Silver Shield again!"

"So you're getting another Blackwing out of your Graveyard?" asked Garble. "Too bad for you! It's going into your hand, and with me in the lead, you can't Normal Summon a second time! That card's no help to you now, in fact, the damage you're gonna take will make it even easier for me to wipe you out!"

"Actually, you're wrong about that!" Scootaloo told him. "Since my Spell Card will hit me for some damage, Black-Winged Dragon's effect activates to counter it! Now, instead of taking the damage, I stick him with a Black Feather Counter instead, so my Life Points are safe!"

The powerful dragon grunted a little, as it seemed to struggle with nullifying the damage. "I... don't understand..." said Windy, not sure what Scootaloo was trying to accomplish. "If she doesn't take the damage, she can't get her Blackwing monster out of the Graveyard."

"Not only that, but by using its effect to stop the damage, Black-Winged Dragon actually ends up LOSING attack points." Hothoof then pointed out to her. "Why would she ever make a move like that?" (Black-Winged Dragon: ATK 2800 - 700 = 2100 / Black Feather Counters: 1) To most of the crowd, it seemed like Scootaloo had made a huge blunder with that play. But Rainbow Dash began to think that there was something else to all of this...

Laughing, Garble then mocked his foe, telling her, "You make fun of ME for making a misplay?! Just look at you!! You actually played a card that ended up weakening your OWN monster!! I've never seen a dumber move than that in my life! You HAVE to be giving up if you would make a stupid move like that!"

But Scootaloo kept right on smiling and said to him, "It's not a stupid move, Garble. In fact, it'll be part of my best strategy so far in this Duel!" She then pointed forward and shouted, "I activate the second effect of Black-Winged Dragon! Go, Black Burst!!" The mighty dragon then let out another loud screech and flapped its wings, creating a powerful gust that struck Garble's Volcanic Doomfire.

"Wha... what're ya doin'?!" asked Garble, confused.

"Black-Winged Dragon's second effect lets me remove all of his Black Feather Counters and restore his attack power!" Scootaloo explained (Black-Winged Dragon: ATK 2100 + 700 = 2800 / Black Feather Counters: 0). "But not only that, I can target a monster that you've got on the field and drop its attack points by how many attack points my dragon had previously lost!"

"Wha-WHAT?!?" exclaimed Garble, taken completely by surprise. But with no other cards on his field or in his hand, he was unable to stop it. His mighty monster began weakening, the fiery lava veins beginning to cool down into solid rock (Volcanic Doomfire: ATK 3000 - 700 = 2300). "My monster...! It's lost its power!"

"And because it did," Scootaloo informed her opponent, "you then get hit for damage equal to every attack point your Doomfire lost!" As she said that, several black feathers struck Garble himself and dropped his Life Points by a small amount (Garble: LP 1,200 - 700 = 500).

"No...! I've only got five hundred points left...!" said Garble. "Which... which means that-"

"That you're about to lose!" Scootaloo interrupted, finishing his sentence. As she began to speed up on her scooter, she then shouted to her Synchro Monster, "Black-Winged Dragon, attack Volcanic Doomfire!!" The powerful dragon's wings then began to glow red as it powered itself up for one final attack. A giant fireball began to form in its beak-shaped maw, drawing in more energy around it with each passing second.

Looking behind him, Garble was no longer able to contain his fears when he saw Scootaloo behind him. "No...! She's gaining on me?!. At that moment, a powerful bright violet light began to form around the young girl as she sped up even more. "No...! No, it can't be!!"

"Is that-?" Windy began to ask. "Is that what I think it is??"

"That energy around her...!" said Hothoof. "There's no mistaking it! That's Sense!!" Though not everyone in the audience knew what he was talking about, they had a feeling that whatever energy was surrounding Scootaloo right now was certainly powerful.

"GO!! Black-Winged Dragon!!" the orange girl shouted loudly and thrusting her right arm forward. "Shadow Squall Blast!!!" The mighty dragon then fired a ray of fiery energy that hit Doomfire head-on and blasted it to bits. In addition, the energy that surrounded Scootaloo also shot forward, heading straight for Garble.

The bully tried his best to speed up and run away, but it was all in vain as the force of both the attack and Sense energy struck him hard, causing him to fly right off of his Duel Board. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" he screamed as he tumbled onto the asphalt, his skateboard flying right into a nearby bush and stalling. And with that, the Duel was over (Garble: LP 500 - 500 = 0) (WINNER: Scootaloo).

"Aw, YEAH!! She DID IT!!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Scootaloo beat him!!" The rest of the children in the audience were also happy to see that Scootaloo had managed to win the Duel, cheering and clapping for her. The orange girl then drove by the crowd slowly on her scooter, high-fiving them as she did so.

She eventually stopped in front of Garble, who was bruised up from his earlier tumble. Not only that, he had even gotten a scar on the side of his face, as well as skinned knees. She then said to him, "Guess you should've worn the safety gear after all, huh?"

"Urrrgh...!" the bully grunted, trying to ignore the pain he was feeling. Glaring at the young girl he angrily asked her, "You... how could someone like you beat me?? There's no way!"

"Well, if you REALLY have t' know," she told him, "I won because I remembered how to make the best use of my cards. It was just a matter of considering all of my options, that's all."

"Well, right now, I'M considering MY options right now..." Garble said in a low tone, raising his fist as he did so, "and I'm CONSIDERING about beating the stuffing out of you!"

"What?!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "We had a deal! You're supposed to leave everyone alone now, since I beat you!"

"Well, I changed my mind!!" said the sore loser. "My buddies n' are gonna make sure that you-" But when he glanced over to where his cohorts were, he gulped when he saw that they were no longer there. "Huh? Hey!! Wh-where'd they go??"

"Heheheheh..." Rainbow Dash chuckled. She then pointed off to the side and said, "They're over there." Everyone glanced over and saw that both of Garble's buddies were currently running away from the area as fast as they could.

Breathing heavily, Clump said to Fume, "H-hurry up...! We gotta get outta here!!"

"You don't don't hafta tell me that!!" the tall, thin bully replied. "If Garble can't get that brat, we've got no chance at all!" The cowardly pair then picked up the pace, running off until they were no longer in sight.

Garble just stood there, flabbergasted after seeing his so-called "friends" ditching him to save themselves. "Uh... uh..." was all he could mutter after being left to fend for himself. But then he gulped when he saw everyone crowding around him.

"Looks like you're all by yourself now, huh?" asked Rainbow Dash with a sly smirk. "Too bad your friends aren't willing to stick up for you like we're doing for Scootaloo!"

Garble was trembling in fear now. At one point, he was the toughest kid in the neighborhood. But now he was practically begging for mercy from the very people he tormented. "Please... please! Don't hurt me!!" he said, whimpering.

"Hurt you?" asked Scootaloo. "And be jerky bullies like you? Not a chance! I don't need to hurt you or pick on you to know that I'm tougher than you are!"

"Yeah, you tell him, Scoots!" Rainbow Dash praised her.

At that moment, Adrenaline Rush walked over and towered over the bully from behind. Shaking, he turned around to face her as she told him, "But if you think you're going to get away this time, think again! It's high time you faced the consequences of your actions here..."

One hour later...

Back inside of the Fun Center's main building, everyone, including the kids that were watchin the Turbo Duel, were having a massive pizza party in Scootaloo's honor. Music was playing, people were dancing and playing games, and everyone was having a great time. "Aw man, this is the most awesome thing to ever happen in the history of... well, EVER!" said Rainbow Dash, munching on a slice of pepperoni pizza.

"And best of all, it's all for free!" Scootaloo exclaimed happily.

"Of course it is." Addie informed them all. "After what you all did for us, it's the least Mr. Sandwich and I could do for you."

Swallowing the bit that she had taken from her pizza slice, the young orange girl then asked her, "So, what happened with that Garble guy, Ms. Addie?"

"Him? Oh, you don't need t' worry about him." she told her. "After we patched him up with the first-aid kit, Mr. Sandwich was able to call his parents and explain what happened. Needless to say, when they arrived, his folks weren't too happy with what they heard. As of now, Garble's been banned from the fun center for life, and we'll make extra-sure that he can't sneak back inside. His parents were also discussing some form of punishment; I heard something about 'grounding him until time stops'."

"That's good." Scootaloo said, sighing out of relief. "He deserves all of that for being the jerk that he was!"

"And it's thanks to you that he'll never come back here and hurt anyone." said Tulip Swirl. "Thank you so much... for everything."

"Aw, it's no big deal..." the orange girl told her, trying to remain humble. "I just did what I thought was right. I didn't like how he was picking on others and wanted to do something about it."

"And we are all very proud of you for it." said Windy Whistles. "You were very brave out there, Scootaloo, just like our Rainbow Dash!"

"Not to mention that you dueled so well against that bully!" Bow Hothoof added. "That combo you pulled off at the end was very brilliant and unexpected!"

"I'll bet Sunset'll be happy to hear about how much better you've gotten, Squirt." Rainbow told her. "But I have to ask: Where'd you get that Black-Winged Dragon card? That one's pretty hard to come by now..."

"Um... sorry, Dash. It's a secret." the young girl told her. She then asked, "But there is one thing that's bugging me: Where'd that Duel Scooter come from? It just wheeled in from out of nowhere... right when I needed it."

"I'd be happy to fill you all in on that one." said another voice from nearby. When everyone turned to look, they saw none other than Cheese Sandwich himself, with his instantly-recognizable long, curly hair.

"Mr. Sandwich?" Addie began to ask her boss. "What do you mean?"

Chuckling a little, the man then told everyone, "That Duel Scooter happens to be mine, back when I used to Turbo Duel for the fun of it. I'll never forget that Christmas day... My mom told me she got it on eBay, along with her pink bathrobe and Dad's Alf alarm clock." Standing next to the scooter and resting his right hand on the handlebars, he continued, saying, "Yep, me n' Little Lynwood here have quite a history together... And that's all I have to say about that."

"So you were the one who wheeled it over to us?" asked Scootaloo.

"When I heard that you were going to duel that bully, I figured that my old scooter would be able to help you out." Cheese told her. "I hafta admit: I was pretty impressed with how well you handled it! So, as thanks for dealing with that bully and pretty much saving the fun center, I'd like you to keep it."

"Huh?! You... you want me to have it?" asked the young orange girl. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive!" he replied. "It means a lot to me, but I think it's for the best. After all, I'm too big to ride the thing anymore, and besides, I'd rather take things slow at this point, such as finally finishing that internet homepage for my dog." Smiling he then told her, "So go ahead and take it."

Still shocked at the fact that she was receiving such a gift, Scootaloo sniffled a little and said, "Th... thank you so much, mister! I... I promise I'll take very good care of it!" Cheese Sandwich then nodded to her and walked away, happy to have helped her out. Looking at her new scooter, she then told Rainbow and her parents, "Did you see that?! He actually let me have this scooter! That's so awesome!"

"Well, you deserve it, Scoots." Dash told her. "You dueled so well with it earlier, and you'll only keep getting better. If Sunset were here, she'd be real proud of ya." Scootaloo then giggled a little, happy to receive such praise from her.

"We're going to go and get some more food for us all." Windy then told the young girl. "Could you watch our things while we're gone?"

"Uh, sure! I'd be happy to!" said Scootaloo. After Rainbow Dash and her parents left, the young girl then pulled out her backpack and unzipped it. Reaching into the sack, she pulled out a notebook; the same one that she had gotten signed earlier in the day. She looked at the notebook's front cover, which had a picture of seven people printed upon it, along with the words "Team 5D's" printed on the top left corner. "Thank you..." she then said while looking at the cover. "Thank you so much for believing in me... I promise I'll be a great Duelist someday, just like you!"

On the back cover of the book was the signature that she had gotten. It said, "To Scootaloo... Keep on soaring and do your best, no matter what! I hope to see you one day in the Pro Leagues!" The signed name consisted of only two very large letters: "C.H."

Meanwhile, back in Canterlot's suburbs, a small light could once again been seen coming from the desk belonging to Mrs. K (however, there was no one home that could see it). Three of the blank-colored Number cards inside the desk drawer - one pink, one violet, and one cyan blue, were displaying an image in the shape of the key necklace that Sunset wore... Now, a fourth one suddenly lit up: The one with a red background...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 30: Burning Desires:

Author's Note

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

If you know where that's from, there is a cookie in your future (or at least in your Thanksgiving dinner this year). :pinkiehappy:

For the end of this year, I decided to cap it off with a two-parter featuring Sunset, along with another known character that I felt needs an EG counterpart sometime soon. Enjoy the episode and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

RANK 30: Burning Desires:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

During the week of Spring Break, Sunset Shimmer and her friends have decided on a number of activities with their own families and other friends. Twilight decided to spend her break back in Equestria with her Ponyville friends, after having spent so much time away from home while helping Sunset. Rarity, along with Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle, traveled to Manehattan to attend the annual Spring Fashion Show. Rainbow Dash took a trip with her parents and Scootaloo to Cheese Sandwich's family fun center.

As for Sunset, she planned on taking part in a tournament at the card shop she and her friends frequently go to. However, an unforeseen mishap at the shop caused the teenager to change her plans. Now, she has decided to tour around outside of the city to find something new to do. Currently, she has made her way to a far-off town known as Bloodstone, after hearing about a DMV center there that specialized in issuing Duel Runner licenses. Interested, Sunset scheduled an appointment to take the test and get a license. However, she was allowed to apply for the test immediately... without having to schedule it in advance.

Sunset wasn't sure why she had been permitted to take the test right away, but after passing the written exams and moving on to the driving course, she will soon find out why. And even if she manages to pass the test, what other challenges await her afterwards...?

Bloodstone DMV, Turbo Duel Exam Course: Time 12:36 p.m.

Sunset Shimmer was currently in a rather interesting, yet perilous situation. It seemed so simple at first: She went to the DMV in the town of Bloodstone to get her driver's license. But now it seemed that a license was no longer the only thing at stake as she raced against quite possibly the toughest driving instructor ever. The two of them operated a pair of black-and-grey Duel Runners that were provided for the applicants who wished to obtain a Turbo Duel license. The two bikes zipped at high speeds around the twisting tracks, with the instructor in the lead.

Sunset was doing her best to steer the Duel Runner that she was driving while trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She was also wearing a new outfit that she had picked up while on her Spring Break vacation. She still had on a black leather jacket, but this one was different in that it had a golden-yellow stripe on each sleeve. Under the jacket, she now wore a light blue dress with a yellow, transparent skirt on the bottom. She now wore long pants, colored a slate blue, and new, buckle-strapped boots that somewhat resembled the new jacket, with a similar yellow stripe on the front of each boot. On her head was a purple helmet with a pink visor, with a wing-like protrusion on either side, along with a purple-and-yellow flame mark painted above each one.

"What's going on here?!" she shouted to her instructor. "First, you let me take my test right away without making an appointment first... Then, once we started the dueling portion of the test, you started acting really weird! So you'd better start explaining yourself!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,000)

"Heh heh heh..." the teacher laughed in a low volume. His name was Klaus, notable as being the one of the toughest and strictest instructors at Bloodstone's DMV. Originally, he worked at a similar center nearby Griffonstone, but was fired for being too harsh on new applicants. He wore a blue shirt under a white jacket, with a whistle around his neck. He also wore pants and shoes that were same color as his jacket, yellow gloves on his hands, and a blue motorcycle helmet with a grey visor on his head. Other than his low chuckle, he offered no answer to Sunset as he continued to pull ahead (Klaus: LP 4,000) (Current Leader: Klaus)

(No answer, huh?) Sunset asked in her mind. (Well, hopefully this Duel will tell me what I need to know...) Taking a card from her hand and placing into the Spell & Trap Zone slot on her Runner, she said, "I'll place a card face-down and end my turn!" Looking at her display screen she then said to herself, (I still don't know what he's got planned, but the Negate Attack Trap Card that I set should keep my monster safe from attack.) She then glanced at the monster on her field - her trusty Chronomaly Nebra Disk, and hoped that it would be enough to keep her in the game (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"Heh... if that's really the best you can do," Klaus told her menacingly, "then you'll be getting a failing mark on this test for sure! Now I draw!" He then looked at the card he drew, as well as the other two that were in his hand. Smirking wickedly, he then declared, "I Summon my Lord Poison in Attack Mode!!" The monster that he Summoned was a hideous-looking plant/human creature that was mostly brown in color, with dark-violet thorns poking out of it, some of them forming claws on its arm-like appendages (Lord Poison: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"But that monster's not powerful enough to defeat Nebra Disk." Sunset informed him. "So what did you Summon it for?"

"You'll see soon enough, little lady..." Klaus told her, as a pair of red eyes shone from behind the visor on his helmet. "Now, since I'm in the lead, I can Normal Summon another monster! Or did you forget about that while taking your written test? I'll bet you did!!" He then played his second monster and shouted, "Now I'll Summon my Botanical Lion in Attack Mode!!" His next creature was a lion that had a red-petaled flower for a mane, along with tufts of grassy fur growing all over it (Botanical Lion: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 2000). Due to its special ability, the lion became a bit stronger as well (Botanical Lion: ATK 1600 + 600 = 2200).

"Two Level 4 monsters..." Sunset said to herself. "That can only mean one thing..."

And her assumptions were true when Klaus yelled, "Now I overlay my two Level 4 monsters, Lord Poison and Botanical Lion, and create an Overlay Network!!" The two monsters then transformed into two lights - one blue and one orange, and were drawn into a galaxy-like portal that appeared in the sky. The portal soon exploded, leaving behind a red mark resembling the Number 50. "I Xyz Summon... Number 50: Blackship of Corn!!"

Sunset watched as a large ship with a massive sail floated down through the red number mark in the sky, eventually coming to rest right beside Klaus. It looked just like an old pirate ship, except that the underside of it was a deep black and resembled half an ear of corn. On the large sail was the same 50 mark that had appeared earlier, and orbiting the ship were a pair of purple orbs.

*******************************

Number 50: Blackship of Corn
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Plant/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1500)

2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls with ATK less than or equal to this card's; send it to the GY, and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.

*******************************

Growling a little, Sunset then said to her opponent, "I knew it... I knew there was more to this!" She then shouted, "That's why you let me take my test right away! You knew I had Number cards, and this whole thing was just a scheme to try and take them, wasn't it?!"

"Heheheheh... that's quite correct, Sunset." Klaus told her, a 50 mark now appearing on his left arm. "Too bad that correct answer won't affect your grade for this exam! Now that my Number is on the field, failing this test will soon be the LEAST of your troubles!" Taking out one of the cards underneath his Number card, he then announced, "I activate Blackship of Corn's effect! By removing an Overlay Unit, it can take one of your monsters and fire it right back at you!"

"It does WHAT?!" exclaimed the red-and-yellow girl, surprised that it had such a strong ability.

Sending the Xyz Material to his Graveyard, the ship drew in one of its orbs into its main cannon (Number 50: Blackship of Corn: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now! Absorb her Nebra Disk and FIRE!!" shouted Klaus in a crazed voice. The vessel then sucked up Sunset's only monster, sending it into the barrel of its cannon before firing a blast of orange energy at her.

"AAAAHHH!!!" Sunset screamed after taking the hit. Her Duel Runner swerved a bit, but she managed to keep it upright even as she fell further behind her opponent.

"Heh heh heh... And now that you took that blow," Klaus stated, "You lose one thousand of your Life Points!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,000 - 1,000 = 2,000) Taking the last card in his hand and activating, he then said, "Next, I'll use my Pot of Desires to banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw two more!" After doing so, he then wasted no time in playing one of them. "Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your face-down card!"

Sunset shielded herself as the powerful wind shattered her Negate Attack Trap. "No...! Now I'm wide-open!" she said, getting a little worried.

"That's right, little lady..." the mad teacher confirmed. "Luckily, since I used Blackship's effect to damage you, I can't attack with it this turn, so you have one last chance." Taking the other card that he had drawn with his Pot of Desires, he added, "However, I don't really plan on giving you any more chances! I activate my Dian Keto the Cure Master, which grants me a thousand more Life Points!" (Klaus: LP 4,000 + 1,000 = 5,000) Looking back at his opponent, he then mocked her, saying, "There's no way that you can pass my test now! Face it: You're doomed to fail!!"

But Sunset calmly told him, "If you think I'm gonna fail a test THAT easily, then you don't know me very well! I still have one more chance to turn this Duel around, and that's all I need!"

"Pffft, you just don't know when to give up, do you?" asked the crazed instructor in a condescending tone of voice.

"Yeah, I guess I don't, do I?" she replied. "I won't stop until the last card's drawn! And I promise that I'll pass this test and free you from that Number's control!! I draw!!" She then looked at the card she drew... and smiled. "Alright, Mr. Klaus, get ready: Because I'm about to end my first-ever Turbo Duel with a victory!"

"That's impossible!" the man shouted at her. "There's no way!!"

"Just watch me!" the red-and-yellow teen told him. Taking one of the cards that she already had in her hand, she then told him, "Since I have no cards out, and you have at least one, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Moai Carrier in Defense Mode!" After playing her card, her blue, mechanically-equipped statue head monster appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800). "Next," she continued, taking the card that she had just drawn, "I Special Summon my Chronomaly Moai in Defense Mode, using its effect!" She then played her grey Easter Island head monster, seating itself right next to her other monster (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600).

"You're wasting your time!" mocked Klaus. "Those two can't stand up to my Blackship of Corn!"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that they won't have to." Sunset told him with a smirk. "Now for my Normal Summon this turn, I'll play Chronomaly Mud Golem in Attack Mode!" Her third monster then appeared, resembling a giant Dogu doll made out of mud (Chronomaly Mud Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). "Finally, since all of the monsters I have out are Chronomaly monsters," she then told her opponent, "I can activate the effect of Nebra Disk in my Graveyard!"

"In your Graveyard?!" the mad teacher repeated.

"Just like me, my Nebra Disk doesn't give up, either!" Sunset responded. "That's because its effect lets me bring it back to the field in Defense Mode!" And with that, her disc monster re-Summoned itself to the field.

"Th-that can't be!!" protested Klaus. "Y-y-you didn't have any monsters at the beginning of your turn! And now you have FOUR?!?"

"If you're only just figuring that out now, then I guess I'm glad you're not a math teacher." the red-and-yellow girl told him. Thrusting her hand into the air, she then shouted, "I overlay my Level 5 Moai Carrier and Moai and create an Overlay Network!!" Just like he did, she transformed her two monsters into a pair of lights (both colored orange), and sent them into a galaxy-like vortex above her. "Emerge, Number 33!" she chanted. "Mysterious machine of ancient times, come forth and unleash your power upon my foes! Xyz Summon!! Megalopolis of monsters! Rank 5! Chronomaly Machu Mech!!"

After the chant was completed, the portal exploded, leaving behind a purple 33 mark in the sky. Then, not long after that, her giant fortress monster then appeared, floating in the sky above (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: Rank 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500 / OLU: 2).

"Grrrr... so you Summoned a Number too, did you?" asked Klaus. "Well, even if you destroy my Number, you won't be dealing much damage to me! And by the time you can, I'll have defeated you!"

But Sunset said to him, "That won't be happening, I'm afraid. Because I still have two other monsters out on my field..." Putting her hand into the air again, she then told her opponent, "And since both my Mud Golem and Nebra Disk are Level 4 monsters, I'll use them to create ANOTHER Overlay Network!!"

"What?!? ANOTHER ONE?!?" exclaimed the instructor, having been caught off-guard.

Sunset's two remaining monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one yellow and one orange, and were drawn into a second portal in the sky. "Descend now, Number 36!" she began to chant. "Great palace of unknown origin, show yourself and display your mystical might! Xyz Summon!! Temple of artifacts! Rank 4! Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!"

And just like the first one, the second summoning portal exploded, leaving a blue 36 mark hanging in the sky. Then, her second Number monster appeared, appearing next to the floating fortress that was Machu Mech (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2500 / OLU: 2)

"T-T-TWO Numbers?!?" Klaus cried out.

"That's right, Mr. Klaus!" Sunset said with a nod. "And now that they're out on the field, this Duel's over!" Removing one of the cards from her second Number card, she announced, "I activate Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk's ability! I remove an Overlay Unit, and that lets me drop the attack power of your Blackship of Corn to zero!" (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1)

"WHAT?! No!!!" the man screamed, but he couldn't do anything to stop her as his Number's power faded away to nothing (Number 50: Blackship of Corn: ATK 2100 > 0). Growling, he then said to her, "Well, even if you attack with your two monsters, I'll still have a few Life Points left!"

"Which is the reason that I have my other Number card on the field." Sunset simply told him as she removed one of its Xyz Materials (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU: 2 - 1 = 1). "I activate the effect of Machu Mech! This allows me to target one of your monsters and deal you damage equal to the difference between its original attack power and its current attack power! And I choose your Blackship of Corn!!"

"Wh-what?!?" said Klaus out of fear. "But his attack power's at zero! Which means-!"

"Which means that you'll be taking his full original attack as damage!" the red and yellow girl told him. The monster then drew in energy from the crazed teacher's Number card while aiming its cannons at him. Once it was ready, it fired a powerful blast from each and every one of its giant guns, resulting in a devastating explosion.

"AAAAAAGHHH!!!" Klaus screamed after taking so much damage at once (Klaus: LP 5,000 - 2,100 = 2,900).

"And as an added bonus," Sunset continued to tell him, "all of the damage you took transfers to Machu Mech and makes it even stronger!" (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 2400 + 2100 = 4500)

"This can't be!" the instructor protested, denying the obvious. "No one's ever defeated me in a Turbo Duel! No one's EVER passed one of my exams!!"

"...Then I suppose that means you can't be that good of a teacher if no one's ever passed your test." the girl pointed out. "But as they always say: 'There's a first time for everything!' Go, Machu Mech!! Attack with Meteor Meltdown!!" Her Number then fired its cannons again, this time scuttling Klaus's Blackship of Corn and reducing it to a pile of scarred wood. The force of the attack also caused the mad teacher heavy damage, resulting in his defeat... as well as launching him out of his Duel Runner and sending him flying into a nearby bush (Klaus: LP 2,900 - 4,500 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

Sunset then hit the brakes on her Duel Runner, stopping it in front of a pair of very amazed and speechless female driving instructors. Casually taking off her helmet and looking towards them, she then smiled and asked, "Sooooooo... Did I pass the test?"

The two were at a loss for words as they looked at each other... and then back to Sunset. Finally, one of them said to the girl, "Um... I'll, uh... I'll go and let them know that you're ready to have your license photo taken..." She then slowly left, her face still showing that shocked expression as the otherworldly girl let out a small giggle.

Several minutes later, Sunset Shimmer was driving down the street in a bright and colorful new Duel Runner. Naturally, it was mostly red and yellow, like her hair and skin, with a few bits of orange and amber brown in some spots. The back of the runner had a flame-like design built onto it, just over the exhaust pipes, and had a pair of sturdy, bluish-grey tires that hugged against the ground perfectly. All in all, it was a perfect fit for her fiery personality.

(Well, despite that little run-in with that crazy driving teacher,) Sunset thought to herself, (this turned out better than I expected! Not only did I pass the test and get my Turbo Duel license, and not only did I get another Number card, but the people at the DMV got me this brand-new Duel Runner as thanks for pretty much saving the place! It's safe to assume this might be the only time anyone ever got something done at the DMV so quickly and smoothly... In any case, I can't wait to tell the girls all about this when I get back!)

Then, Sunset sighed for a moment and then asked herself, (But... NOW what am I am going to do? I came to this town to get my Turbo Duel license, and I wasn't expecting to receive it so quickly. In fact, the only reason I'm here in the first place was because the tournament at the card store was cancelled, because they had to hire someone to fix a plumbing issue... Rrrrgh...! I should've asked Twilight to help me come up with a schedule or something... and then a back-up schedule because that's her thing, and also because it would have actually been helpful in this scenario.)

Just then, the red-and-yellow girl heard a beeping sound coming from her helmet. "Hm? What's this?" she asked as she pulled her runner to the side of the street. The helmet was special because not only did it serve as a Duel Gazer during a Turbo Duel, it also allowed Sunset to know if there were other Duels going on nearby; again, like her Duel Gazer did. "Hmm... Let's take a look at this and try to see where it's coming from..." she said as she turned a small dial on her helmet, trying to find the AR Duel that was taking place.

Soon, after switching to different frequencies, she caught sight of a massive gold and silver-colored dragon that shone brilliantly in the sunlight. Sunset just stared at the beautiful, yet powerful-looking creature. "Wow... look at that thing...!" she said in an impressed tone. "If my memory's correct, I think that's Felgrand Dragon! It's pretty powerful from what I remember..." Smiling a bit, she then told herself, "I'll go and see if I can get a better look at it, along with the Duelist that's using it!" She then revved up her Duel Runner and sped off in the direction of the large dragon.

About a minute later, she arrived at the spot where the Duel involving the dragon was taking place - the town park, just as the beast let out what was presumably a finishing blow. It fired a powerful blast of light energy at its opponent, wiping them out instantly. "AAAACK!!" screamed a boy's voice; presumably the Duelist that was on the receiving end of the blast. The crowds that had gathered around the Duel cheered on the Duelist that owned Felgrand Dragon, excited to see it claim such a successful victory.

"Hmmm... Looks like I got here just a bit too late; the Duel's over." Sunset told herself. "Still, maybe I can see who it was that was using that dragon." Parking her runner nearby, she ran over towards the crowds and made her way through them to see who the owner of that dragon card was.

Sunset saw that the Duelist in question was an teenage girl - possibly a year or so older than she was, with bright sky-blue skin with some freckles, along with short, blue hair with some spikes. Her bangs, however, were white in color as opposed to the rest of her hair, and styled to look similar to dragon horns. Her fingernails were also unusual in that they were pointed and claw-like in appearance. Her outfit consisted of a simple attire, such as a white sleeveless shirt with a serpent-like dragon imprinted across the chest area, bracelets on her wrists, blue jeans with a bit of wear and tear in some spots, and a pair of black sneakers. The expression on her face was a solemn, serious look, which was an odd expression for her to have since she had won the Duel. Saying nothing, the blue girl turned around and started walking away, heading over to her backpack and things that she had left with her friends.

Curious about the Duelist, Sunset then asked one of the people in the crowd, "Say, could you tell me who that girl is?"

"Pfft, you can't be serious..." said the person - another teenage girl with pink skin and blonde hair. "You seriously expect me to tell you, a random person off the street, who she is?" she asked in a snarky tone.

"Um... I was just curious, that's all." Sunset told her. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, just say it. You don't need to give me an attitude."

"Alright, alright... sorry 'bout that... yeesh." the girl responded. "Listen, the point is, I can't tell ya her name, so don't go askin' about it." Pointing to the blue girl, she then said, "What I can tell you is that she's one of the toughest Duelists in town. Never lost a single Duel."

"That's pretty impressive." Sunset replied. "She must be pretty good to have that sort of reputation."

"She's more than 'pretty good', lady." said a tan-skinned young man with brown hair that was in the crowd. "She's beaten just about everyone in Bloodstone. I should know; I've fought her about six times and lost each one."

"I've dueled her five times and never won..." said a light-green girl with very light-purple hair in the crowd.

"Hmmm... an undefeated Duelist, huh?" asked Sunset. "Sounds like she could be worth taking on sometime. After all, I'm always looking for a tough opponent."

"Well, don't get your hopes up too much." the young man then told her. "She'll only duel against people that she feels are worth the trouble. She won't fight just anybody."

Before Sunset could say another word, a short, young girl - whose skin was orange and had fuchsia hair, shouted, "Hey!! Whose Duel Runner is this?! It's awesome!!"

"I know, Smolder! I mean, just check out the flames on the back of it!" said a pink girl with light mulberry hair. "It's so awesome!"

Knowing that it was her runner they were talking about, Sunset walked over to her vehicle and told them, "Glad you think so. I just got this Duel Runner today, over at the DMV. It wasn't easy, though: The teacher I dueled against was really tough."

"Wait, you're not talking about that Klaus guy, are you?" asked the girl named Smolder. "You had him as your teacher?! And you BEAT him?!? No one here's ever beaten Klaus!"

That comment caught the attention of the unknown female Duelist, who was in the middle of taking a sip from her water bottle when she overheard the conversation. "Huh?" she asked. "Hey, Prom... What did Smolder just say? Someone actually defeated Klaus during a Turbo Duel exam?"

"I think so..." replied the light pink-skinned and purple-haired girl named Prom (full name Prominence), who was standing with the blue girl's belongings. "Either that, or I'm hearin' things..."

"No, I heard it too, Prom." said a boy with amber-colored skin and dark-golden hair. "You think that bacon-haired girl's tellin' the truth about beatin' that Klaus guy, or what?"

Looking over at Sunset Shimmer, the blue teenager then told him, "She may be, Amarant... IF she's who I think she is..." Putting her water bottle and blue D-Pad in her backpack, she then told her friends, "Keep an eye on my stuff; I'll be back in a bit." She then walked towards where Sunset was standing for reasons only she seemed to know.

Noticing the blue girl walking towards her, Sunset decided to stop talking about her Duel Runner to the crowd of people in order to properly greet her. Offering a handshake, she then said to her, "You must be the Duelist who won with that Felgrand Dragon card, right? My name is Sunset Shimmer. Pleased to meet you."

"Hmm... So you ARE Sunset Shimmer? I thought that it was you." the blue teen told her after shaking her hand.

A bit startled at that comment, Sunset asked her, "You... already knew my name?"

"Yeah, I know all about you." she responded. "Word around says that you're the best Duelist in Canterlot High School. Not only that, you're also the Regional Champ."

The crowds then began to talk with one another after the blue girl made that statement. "Woah, did you hear that...?" one of them said. "She's a regional champion...!"

"Her? Never would've guessed it...!" said another.

"So that's why she was able to beat that Klaus guy..." said a third person.

Looking at Sunset with a serious look on her face, the blue-skinned Duelist then told her, "My name's Ember. I've been waiting for the day that you would show up here in town... As you've heard, I'm the strongest Duelist in Bloodstone; I've dueled against every person here in town. But it's getting real boring dueling people that can't even last two turns against me." Pointing right at Sunset, she then told her, "But now that you're here Sunset, I'll finally get what I've always wanted from you!"

"From... me?" asked the otherworldly girl. "What are you talking about?"

"What else do you think??" Ember inquired. "I want to Duel you! And I won't take 'no' for an answer, got it?!" Sunset was a bit surprised by the sudden challenge, as were the crowd of people around her. She then recalled that, according to one of the other people, Ember supposedly only dueled those that were worth her time. Putting her arm back down, the blue girl told her, "Be here one hour from now, Sunset. We'll have our Duel then."

"One hour?" asked the red-and-yellow girl. "Why? If you really want to Duel me, why not right now?"

"That's... that's none of your business." Ember replied. "Just be here or I'll come and find you myself." She then motioned to her friends Prom and Amarant off to the side, who handed her backpack to her before they all left.

Soon after, Sunset Shimmer listened to the crowd of people as they began talking with one another about what just happened. "Did you hear all that?" asked one of them. "Ember's gonna fight a Regional Champion! This is gonna be intense!"

"Yeah... it must be serious if she told her name to an outsider!" Smolder commented. "She never does that! Though, to be honest, I'm not sure why..."

"Yeah, I never quite got why she doesn't want anyone tellin' her name to anybody..." mentioned the pink girl with blond hair. The crowds of people continued to talk as they left the park.

Sunset was left standing there by her Duel Runner, more confused than ever. "What's up with that girl...? I only just got here and she just challenged me to a Duel without even as much as a hello..." she asked herself. "And what's more, why is she so concerned with people knowing what her name is?" Something told her that there was more to this whole thing than what was on the surface. "Well, I guess if I'm going to find out what's going on, I'd better do it fast, before I have to come back here and duel her." Mounting her runner, she revved it up and drove off.

A few minutes later, Sunset stopped at a small diner in town to have lunch. All the while, she was still thinking about what had just occurred between her and the girl named Ember. Chewing on her sandwich and sipping some of her chocolate shake, she asked herself, (Who really is this Ember girl? Why is she so secretive about who she is? And why did she want to duel me so badly? It's as if she's wanted to fight me for a long time...) She then shuddered a bit as a sudden thought entered her head. (Oh no... what if...?) she then pondered. (What if she's from Skyes Academy? Is that it? Does she want to duel me in order to try and take my Numbers...? Or something worse?)

Looking at her key necklace, she then thought to herself, (Then again... I didn't sense a Number on her. Even if she had a blank one, my necklace would had picked it up. Still, that doesn't rule out the possibility that she's one of them; after all, I didn't sense a Number on those two creeps that tried to steal Babs Seed's Deck.) Thinking some more, she groaned a bit and said, "Rrrgh... I'm getting a headache just trying to figure this all out...!"

"Y'all seem stressed out, hon." said a waitress passing by, holding a pot of coffee. "I'll bet that blue girl challenged ya'll to a Duel, am I right?"

"You mean Ember?" asked Sunset.

"Hmmm... so it really is her, huh...?" the waitress asked herself. "I thought as much..." Putting aside her thoughts for the moment, she then asked Sunset again, "So what's the deal? Did she challenge you or not??"

"Well, yeah she did... but that isn't what's stressing me right now." the red-and-yellow girl answered.

"Hmm... So you really ain't nervous about takin' her on?" asked the waitress, a bit amazed. "You must either have nerves of steel, or you don't got any idea who y'allre up against."

"...You seem to know something about this Ember girl, do you?" asked Sunset. "Could you tell me anything you might know? Like who she is or anything like that?"

"Y'all serious?" the woman asked. "I'm kinda busy right now, and besides, I... I don't know too much."

"Please, it's really important, ma'am." the otherworldly girl insisted. "Even if it's just one thing, that would really help me."

"Hmmmm... well, since ya'll insist," the waitress responded after thinking about her request, "I suppose I have time to tell y'all one thing." Leaning over towards the teenager, the woman then whispered to her, "From what I know, Ember's a real chip off the old block, she is."

"A chip off the old block?" asked Sunset. "You mean she's related to someone that was a good Duelist?"

"Yep. I think his name was something like... ummmm... uhhhh, oh yeah! His name was Torch, I think." the waitress told her. "Bit of a scary sort of fellow he is... Just lookin' at the guy makes my spine shiver... Sorry I can't be of much more help to ya, hon."

"It's okay." Sunset replied. "It's more information than I had before I came in. Thanks." The waitress smiled and returned to work. Sunset then wrote down Ember's name on a napkin, followed by Torch's before drawing an arrow and a question mark next to them. She then pocketed the napkin and casually finished her lunch. As Sunset paid the check and left, the waitress stood there and watched her, thinking some more about their conversation.

"Torch?" asked a light green-skinned man with darker green hair when Sunset questioned him about the person the waitress told her about. "You mean Torch from Bloodstone Real Estate?"

"Real Estate?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, he runs the place here in town." the man told her. "Pretty wealthy guy, but real serious when it comes to his job. They say he won't accept failure from anybody he hires. He's known to be pretty harsh to anybody who makes a mistake while he's watching them."

"Sounds like a tough guy." the black jacket-wearing teen stated.

"Yeah, he sure is." the man responded. "But he's always been like that, even before he got his business here started."

"You mean when he was a Duelist?" Sunset asked him.

"Oh, so you know about that?" the man asked. "I didn't think any people your age would know about Torch's Dueling career, especially after he seemed to drop out of it so suddenly..."

"Drop out of it?" she then asked. "Why did he do that?"

"No one knows..." the man told her. "And rumor has it that he doesn't like to talk about it, either."

Satisfied with the information he gave her, Sunset put her helmet back on and said to him, "Well, thanks for your help, Mister... um, Mister..."

"Blacktip." he told her, revealing his name to her.

"Right. Thanks, Mr. Blacktip!" she told him before driving away on her runner. He looked on as she vanished from his sight, thinking to himself about the questions she had asked him. He then continued on his way, walking down the sidewalk.

In another part of town, Sunset found some of the teenagers that were watching Ember's previous Duel and decided to ask them if they knew anything about her or Torch. They immediately knew who she was by her Duel Runner. "Yeah, we know a little bit about Torch." one of the two boys said. "They say he was a real pro around here years ago. But why do you wanna know about the guy?"

"Just... just curious." Sunset told them. She then asked, "Does he happen to have any connection to Ember, by any chance?"

"Well, as a matter of fact-" started the other boy.

But the first boy quickly covered his friend's mouth before he said another word and told her, "Uh, nope! Not one bit! She's not related to him at all! Nope! No chance!" He then ran off, carrying his buddy with while loudly whispering to him, "I told you to keep your mouth shut when anyone asks about that! You wanna get her mad at us, or somethin'?!" The red-and-yellow girl was a bit confused as to their actions, but decided that they weren't going to give her any more information. She then shrugged and drove away.

Sunset eventually drove out of the main section of the town, making her way into the suburbs. Checking the time display on her runner's touch screen, she said to herself, "Only twenty-five more minutes before I have to duel Ember... And there's still so much that I don't know yet. So far, all I know is that she's related to someone named Torch, and that he used to be a Duelist before suddenly quitting it altogether... And apparently, her fans aren't willing to say anything about this relationship between them. But other than that, I still don't have much information about this whole-"

But she stopped her comment (and Duel Runner) short when she suddenly saw Ember walking down the sidewalk ahead of her. She was all by herself as she walked past several houses before eventually stopping in front of one that was built out of brown bricks.

(That's Ember...) Sunset said to herself. Slowly driving into an alleyway to conceal herself, staying far enough out of the blue girl's sight, she watched her closely, hoping to learn anything else about her. Sunset saw that Ember was walking up the path that led to the house's front door. (Is that where she lives...?) the red-and-yellow teen wondered.

As Ember got to the front door, she stopped all of a sudden. She then glanced to the left and to the right, looking to see if anyone was nearby. After confirming that nobody was around (at least to her knowledge), Ember then reached into her backpack and pulled out a small box. Sunset recognized that it was the same size as a standard deck box for storing cards. She then reached down towards a small statue of a red dragon sitting on top of a large rock, grasped the dragon itself, and pulled it up. As it turned out, the top half of the statue was removable, and it was hollow inside. She then placed the deck box inside the bottom half and replaced the top of it. After doing so, she used a key to unlock the house's front door and walked inside.

"What was that about...?" Sunset asked herself after having witnessed the bizarre scene in front of her. "Why did she hide her Deck in there?" Thinking to herself about all of the things that she had heard, as well as her gut instincts, the otherworldly girl began to formulate a hypothesis in her head as to what she thought was going on. After thinking about it all for a while, Sunset then told herself, "I think I have a feeling that I know what's really going on with her... But if I want to know for sure, I'll have to accept her challenge." Looking back at the house again, she then said, "I'll take you on, Ember, don't you worry about that. And when I do... hopefully, I'll get all the answers I need." She then turned her Duel Runner around and drove back to the place she met Ember, so that she could get ready for her Duel.

Returning to the town park where she first met her, Sunset sat down on a bench, waiting for Ember to show up. As she looked over her Deck, she constantly checked her cell phone to see what time it was. "...Only two minutes left." the red-and-yellow girl said to herself. She thought it was strange that Ember wasn't here waiting for her already, due to her earlier eagerness to duel her. "Well, hopefully I can use this Duel to figure out what's going on. Hopefully by getting a feel for her play style, I can learn more about who she is..."

Just then, Sunset heard a commotion coming from nearby. When she looked up, she saw a crowd of people gathering together. "Here she is..." the inter-dimensional girl said to herself as she took off her black jacket and stuffed it into her backpack before strapping on her D-Pad and placed her Deck inside of it before getting up and walking forward.

Sure enough, Ember was on her way to meet her, her blue D-Pad already on her left arm. The crowd watched with awe as she walked past them. "Hm?" she grunted as she saw Sunset walking towards her. Taking a deep breath, she then asked her, "So you DID show up, did you? Good... saves me a lot of trouble. So you ready to do this?"

Nodding, Sunset activated her D-Pad and Duel Gazer before telling her, "I am. I had no intention of backing down from this, Ember." As Ember activated her D-Pad, which had a dragon wing-like card tray for the Monster Zones, the red-and-yellow girl then asked her, "Is everything alright? You seem a bit... tense."

"...What are you talking about?" asked the blue teen, a bit confused by the sudden question. "I'm perfectly fine! What're you asking something like that for??"

"...No reason. Just forget I mentioned it." Sunset answered, deciding not to pry any more into the matter. However, she could see more than ever that something was not quite right about her opponent. Nothing to suspect her of being a bad person (or at least she hoped so), but there was something about this girl that seemed amiss. "Alright, here goes..." Sunset said to herself as she drew her opening hand, as did Ember. "Alright, Ember..." she told her, "you wanted to Duel me? Well, that's exactly what you're going to get!"

"Good! 'Cause I've been wanting this match for a long time!" Ember informed her. "Now it's time to see who's REALLY the best Duelist here: The Canterlot champ, or the Bloodstone champ!" The crowds cheered, knowing that this game would be an incredible one.

"LET'S DUEL!!!" the two girls shouted, ready to begin their battle (Ember: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000). The crowds all watched intently with their Duel Gazers, curious to see how a match-up between Sunset and Ember would turn out. Of course, everyone was pinning for Ember to win, since she was a local. But they were also curious to see how Sunset dueled as well. One way or another, they expected to see some intense dueling from both of them.

"Home team goes first, Sunset." Ember told her. Taking a card from her hand and playing it onto her D-Pad's tray, she said, "I'll begin my turn with this monster! Guardian of Felgrand in Attack Mode!!" The monster that appeared on Ember's field was a stout man with slightly-tanned skin, shiny, silver armor with a white cape, and a large, silver axe in his hand (Guardian of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 500).

"A monster with only five hundred attack and defense points?" asked Sunset, curious as to why she played such a weak monster this early in the game. "Something tells me that he isn't as he appears to be, am I right?"

"That's right, Sunset." the blue girl told her. "On the turn that Guardian of Felgrand is Normal or Special Summoned, I can take any Level 7 or Level 8 Dragon monster from my hand or Graveyard and stick it on him as an Equip Card! Then, he gains half that monster's attack and defense!" Taking a second card from her hand, she then added, "So since my Felgrand Dragon here is a Level 8 monster, I'll equip it to my Guardian!" She then placed the monster into the D-Pad's Spell & Trap slot, causing a sparkling light to radiate around her monster on the field. Then, the light temporarily morphed itself into a dragon as it powered up the warrior (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 500 + 1400 = 1900 / DEF 500 + 1400 = 1900).

(Hmmm... an expert play on her part.) thought Sunset Shimmer. (Felgrand Dragon can't be Special Summoned except from the Graveyard, and in order for that to happen, it must have been sent there from the field... By using her Guardian of Felgrand, she was able to place Felgrand Dragon on the field WITHOUT having to Tribute Summon it, so once it gets sent to the Graveyard, she can bring it back later...) Smiling, she then told her opponent, "Very clever move, Ember: I'm impressed."

"Hmph... I know it is. You don't need to tell me that." the blue girl huffed. Taking one more card from her hand, she told Sunset, "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn." the red-and-yellow girl stated. Before she drew a card from her Deck, she glanced down at her necklace. Eariler, she had suspected a possibility that her opponent may have been one of the people from Skyes Academy that were causing her and her friends trouble. However, Sunset saw that it wasn't making any sort of reaction. (My necklace isn't doing anything...) she thought to herself. (It was glowing when I fought against Klaus earlier, but not for her... That means she doesn't have a Number card. However, like I said earlier... those two jerks that we met at AJ's farm didn't have any Numbers either, so I still need to be careful...)

"Are you gonna draw a card sometime today?" asked Ember, a bit impatient. "You'd better not be slow-playing me here!"

Snapping out of her thoughts for a moment, Sunset nodded and drew a card from the top of her Deck. Looking at it, she then thought, (Let's see... Felgrand has 2,800 attack points, so I'd better Summon a monster with more than that, just in case she does have a way to bring it back from the Graveyard.) Taking a card from her hand, she played it and declared, "I activate my Shard of Greed! Now when I draw a card during my Draw Phase, I can place a Greed Counter on this card. Then, after it has two of them, I can send it to the Graveyard and draw two more cards from my Deck!"

"I see..." said Ember. "But you'll have t' do better than that, Sunset... Or this Duel's gonna be over real quick!"

"Then how's THIS for better?" asked the red-and-yellow girl, holding up another card. "Since you're only one with a monster on the field, I can Special Summon my Oracle of the Sun in Defense Mode!" After placing the card onto her D-Pad, the monster, decked out in Incan-style robes and holding a long staff, appeared on the field (Oracle of the Sun: Level 5 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000). "And because that was a Special Summon, I can still Normal Summon a monster this turn!" Sunset told her. "So I'll Summon Fire Ant Ascator!" Sunset's second monster, a giant, dark-red ant, then appeared on the field, sitting right beside her Oracle (Fire Ant Ascator: Level 3 / ATK 700 / DEF 1300).

"A Tuner, huh?" asked Ember. "I see what you're up to."

"Now I'll tune my Level 3 Fire Ant Ascator to my Level 5 Oracle of the Sun!!" Sunset shouted as her ant monster covered itself in flames before splitting into three small lights that flew up into the sky, returning as three green rings that surrounded her other monster. Her Oracle then split into five small lights within the rings (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8). "Dragon deity of the Sun," she chanted, "illuminate all the darkness! Brighten the day with your benevolent light! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Sun Dragon Inti!"

A column of light then appeared, engulfing the rings and lights on Sunset's field. When the light vanished, her four-headed, red-and-orange dragon appeared on the field, its sun-shaped stone glowing brightly (Sun Dragon Inti: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2800).

"So you use Dragons too, I see..." Ember responded, showing no fear even in the face of Sunset's powerful Synchro Monster. "Well don't expect that to help you win! No one in town's better at dueling with Dragons than me!" She then thought to herself, (I knew you'd try and get over my monster's attack power, as well as Felgrand's attack power as well... And I have a little surprise waiting for you afterwards...) She then asked her opponent, "So? Are you gonna fight me or what?"

Noticing something about her tone of voice, the red-and-yellow girl then replied, saying, "Not just yet... I have a feeling that you're up to something, so I think I'll play this card before I make my attack." Revealing her card - the one that she had drawn this turn, Sunset announced, "I activate the Equip Spell, Rainbow Veil, and equip it to my Sun Dragon!"

*******************************

Rainbow Veil:
(Equip Spell Card)

If the equipped monster battles an opponent's monster, negate the effects of that opponent's monster while it is face-up on the field, during the Battle Phase only (but its effects can still be activated).

*******************************

After equipping the card, Sunset's Sun Dragon became bathed in a rainbow-colored light. "What the-?!" gasped Ember, not expecting that move.

"You get it, don't you?" asked Sunset. "Since I've equipped Rainbow Veil on him, when my Sun Dragon attacks your Guardian, your monster's effect to power itself up will be negated, and he'll return to his original 500 attack and defense points."

"So... you knew I was going to try that?" asked Ember, a bit astounded.

"Well, I had an hour to prepare myself, so I made sure to be ready for anything." the red-and-yellow girl stated. She then shouted, "Go, Sun Dragon!! Attack her Guardian of Felgrand!! Solar Rainbow Breath!!" The monster then let out a powerful roar as it shone its rainbow-colored light all over the field. Everyone, including Ember and even her monster on the field covered their faces to shield themselves from the intense light. Though Guardian of Felgrand wasn't blinded by it, the glow did suppress his powers, just as Sunset said (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 1900 - 1400 = 500 / DEF 1900 - 1400 = 500).

"No...!" said Ember. "If that attack hits, I'll take a lot of damage!!"

"That's right!" Sunset confirmed. "So you'd better brace yourself for this attack, because it's coming your way!" Her dragon then unleashed its full power, breathing a powerful rainbow-colored flame stream down on Ember's Warrior monster, wiping it out completely. The rest of the flames then struck the blue girl directly, taking out a great deal of her Life Points (Ember: LP 4,000 - 2,500 = 1,500).

"Urrrrgh..." Ember grunted, dropping to one knee after having been struck by her namesake.

"Ember! You okay there?" asked Smolder, a bit surprised by what had just happened. She wasn't alone: Everybody in the crowds were just as shocked.

"Woah... did you see that??" asked Ember's light-pink friend Prominence. "She knocked off over half of Ember's Life Points on her first turn!"

"But that never happens!" stated Amarant, the amber-skinned boy that was also a friend of Ember. "At least not THAT quickly... Just who is that chick with the red and yellow hair? How's she this good?"

Panting a little, Ember got back onto her feet and said to Sunset, "So you are as good as they said you were... It's no wonder you won the Regionals last summer."

Sunset appreciated the compliment, but still felt that something was off. "Ember... are you sure you're still up for this?" she asked her.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" the blue girl asked, having been caught off-guard by that question. "Of course I am!! What makes you think I'm not?!"

"It's just a feeling..." the otherworldly girl responded, "but something just doesn't feel right with this Duel. It sort of feels like... like you're only playing with half your power or something. I said that I prepared myself for whatever you'd try to do, but even then, I wasn't expecting my earlier combo to go through THAT easily... I might be completely wrong about it, but it sort of seems like something's holding you back and preventing you from going all-out against me, even though you said that a Duel with me is something that you've always wanted."

"What're you trying to say?" asked Ember, taken aback by what her opponent was saying to her. "Are you saying that I'm nervous or something?? Well you're WRONG! I'm not nervous about anything!"

"If that's the case, then prove it right now." Sunset told her. "Come at me with everything you have and show me your true strength! One way or another, the outcome of this Duel will help convey your real feelings!" Taking a card from her hand and placing it onto the field, she then said, "I'll set this card face-down and end my turn."

Ember was confused by what her opponent had just said, "Convey my real feelings...?" she asked. "What on Earth are you talking about?? Duels don't do things like that! It's just a game that two people play against each other; that's it! How's a Duel supposed to be any deeper than that??"

"...I suppose we'll see soon enough." Sunset simply responded.

"Well, while you're going on about all of that," Ember told her opponent, "I'll go ahead and play this card before your turn's completely over! I activate the Spell Card, Magical Spring!"

"Magical Spring??" asked the red-and-yellow teen.

"So you've heard of it, I see..." the blue girl replied. "This rare Quick-Play Spell lets me draw a card for each Spell or Trap you have on the field. But I also have to discard a number of cards equal to the Spells and Traps that I have out."

"In other words, you draw two cards for the cards that I have in my back row..." Sunset calculated. "But since your Magical Spring is face-up on your field, you have to discard one, right?"

"That's right. So I'll go and do just that." Ember confirmed. She then drew two cards and discarded her Stamping Destruction to the Graveyard. "Luckily for you, I can't destroy or negate your Spell and Trap Cards until the end of your next turn, but it still won't be enough to save you from defeat."

"We'll just see about that, Ember." Sunset told her, not losing her confidence. "Only our cards can decide who will be defeated. Now let's continue this Duel!"

"Hmph... have it your way. I draw!" The blue girl then drew her next card and looked at it closely. Placing it into her hand for the moment, she then took out a different card and said, "I'll activate the Spell Card, Terraforming! This allows me to add any Field Spell to my hand!" Taking her chosen card out of her Deck, she then played it, shouting, "I choose this card! Dragon Ravine!!" Instantly, the field around them transformed from a quiet park to a gigantic cliff, colored red under the setting sun.

"I had a feeling you'd use that Field Spell in your Deck." Sunset told her.

"Hmhmhmm... Then I guess you know what I'll do next, too!" Ember responded. "I'll use my Field Spell's effect! By discarding a card from my hand - like my Darkblaze Dragon, I can now send any of my Dragons that are in my Deck straight to the Graveyard! And I choose my Arkbrave Dragon!"

Sunset remained determined, even though she knew what was coming next. (If she's sending a specific dragon to her Graveyard,) she thought, (then there's no doubt that she plans on Summoning it right now!)

And her guess was right on the dot when she saw her opponent play her next card. "From my hand, I activate Monster Reborn!!" Sunset then noticed that its artwork was different from the one that she had in her own Deck: Instead of the green-and-blue symbol that was usually on the card, Ember's copy of the card instead had a green-colored ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life. However, it worked just as well as the other version of the card. "From my Graveyard, I Special Summon Arkbrave Dragon!!" the blue teen shouted.

Sunset watched her opponent's side of the field as a dark-purple portal formed on the ground. Out of the portal came a giant, gold-and-white dragon with two sets of wings, and a shimmering body. A bright, sapphire-blue aura radiated around it as it let out a powerful screech, while at the same time, parts of its body - such as its horns and talons, began to glow a light-blue light. Everyone in the crowd oohed and ahhed at this powerful beast once it emerged onto the field.

*******************************

Arkbrave Dragon:
(Effect Monster/Dragon/LIGHT/Level 7/ATK 2400/DEF 2000)

If this card is Special Summoned from the GY: You can banish as many face-up Spells/Traps your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, this card gains 200 ATK/DEF for each card banished. Once per turn, during the Standby Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was sent there last turn: You can target 1 Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster in your GY, except "Arkbrave Dragon"; Special Summon it.

*******************************

"Woah... not bad." said Sunset, also impressed by the appearance of this powerful dragon. "She Summoned a high-Level monster so easily... Now the only thing I'm concerned with is what this guy can do."

"Well, you won't have to think about it for too much longer, Sunset..." Ember informed her, "because I'm gonna show you what Arkbrave can do! I activate his effect!!" As her dragon began to glow even brighter, she then added, "Since I Summoned Arkbrave from the Graveyard, I can banish every one of your Spell and Trap Cards that are face-up on the field!"

"Wait, hold on a second!" Sunset protested. "I thought that your Magical Spring card prevented you from destroying my Spell and Trap Cards!"

"That's right, it did." confirmed the blue teenager. "But Arkbrave banishes your cards WITHOUT destroying them. Which means the effect will still work! So I banish your two Spell Cards on the field with his effect!!" And with that declaration, Arkbrave Dragon's eyes began to shine as it radiated its light all over the field. Now it was Sunset's turn to shield herself from the intense light that her opponent's monster was creating. As she did, she saw her Shard of Greed and Rainbow Veil vanish without a trace.

Once the light died down, the otherworldly girl moved her arms away from her face and told her opponent, "That was a pretty good move, finding a way around your Spell Card's limitations and still eliminating my cards on the field."

"Hmph, guess I'm not as nervous as you thought I was, huh?" Ember told her. "And I'll take you down in order to prove it! And thanks to Arkbrave's effect, he gains two hundred attack and defense points for each card his effect eliminated!" The dragon let out another powerful screech as his power increased (Arkbrave Dragon: ATK 2400 + 400 = 2800 / DEF 2000 + 400 = 2400).

"Not bad..." Sunset began to tell her. But she reminded her opponent of something else. "There's just one problem: My monster still has two hundred more attack points than your dragon does. And even if you got his attack any higher to beat him in battle, my Sun Dragon's effect would inflict enough damage to you to end this Duel!"

"So then I guess it's a good thing that I never intended to destroy your monster in battle, is it?" Ember told her in a casual tone of voice. Taking the card she had just drawn this turn, the blue girl then said, "I activate my Hammer Shot Spell! This card takes out whichever monster has the highest attack power on the field, and I don't mean to a fancy dinner!" After playing her card, she then added, "Since your Sun Dragon has an ATK of 3,000, while my Arkbrave Dragon has an ATK of only 2,800, your monster is the one that's destroyed!"

Sunset gasped as a large hammer came down from above and crushed her only monster on the field. "Urrgh!!" she grunted, trying to stay focused on the game.

"Yeah, way t' go Ember!" cheered Smolder.

"Yeah, show that newcomer who's the boss around this town!" Amarant chimed in.

"That's right! No one can beat Ember!" shouted Prominence. "Not even a Regional Champ!" The rest of the crowd cheered as well, very sure of themselves that Ember had this Duel won now.

"Since your Sun Dragon wasn't destroyed in battle, my Life Points don't take a hit from him!" Ember told her opponent. "But yours certainly will! I attack with Arkbrave Dragon!! Get in there and attack her directly!!" The golden dragon then charged up a great deal of energy in its mouth and unleashed it on Sunset in the form of a powerful beam of light. "I'd say this evens the score between us, doesn't it?" asked the blue girl. "Guess you don't know as much about me as you thought you did, huh?"

But Sunset smirked a bit and told her, "Actually, I would say the same about you, Ember. Because if you knew ME as well as you thought you did, you'd realize that you wouldn't be able to get me that easily!" Tapping her D-Pad's screen, she shouted, "I activate the Counter Trap, Negate Attack!!"

"WHAT?!? Negate Attack?!?" said Ember in surprise.

At that moment, a swirling red-and-blue vortex formed in front of the red-and-yellow teen and absorbed the dragon's attack. "Sorry, Ember..." she began to tell her, "but not only does this stop your attack, it also ends your Battle Phase this turn, so my Life Points are safe!"

"Urrrgh... How'd that happen...?" the blue girl asked herself. "How'd I not see that coming...?" Grumbling a bit, she then informed her opponent, "That'll only get you one more turn! It won't make any difference, Sunset! There's no way you can get though my monster in just one turn!"

"Don't be so sure, Ember." the otherworldly girl told her. "If you're as good a Duelist as they say you are, then you should know that anything can happen, and anything is possible!" Placing her fingers on the top of her Deck, she then pulled the next card and shouted, "It's my turn! I draw!!" Looking at her card, she then said, "I activate the card I just drew! Pot of Desires!"

"What the-?! You actually managed to draw that card now?!" asked Ember, shocked by Sunset's impressive top-decking skill.

"I just told you: Anything can happen, especially when you least expect it." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "Now I banish the top ten cards of my Deck to draw two more!" After doing so, she then looked at her new cards and said, "Now I'll use one of the cards I drew! I Summon Chronomaly Mud Golem in Attack Mode!" Immediately, her brown, Dogu-like monster appeared beside her (Chronomaly Mud Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). Taking the other card that she drew, she then said to Ember, "Next, I'll play Palenque Sarcophagus and draw two more cards from my Deck, since I control a Chronomaly monster." After drawing her next two cards, she then revealed a monster in her hand and said, "Then, I activate the effect of Chronomaly Crystal Skull. By discarding it while I control a Chronomaly monster, I can add another Chronomaly from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand, such as my Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet!"

"Yeah, are you just gonna draw cards, or are you gonna play them?" asked Ember in an annoyed tone.

"...If you insist." Sunset replied with a slight smirk after taking her chosen monster from her Deck. Shoving one of her cards into her D-Pad, she then announced, "I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Reception! This card allows me to Special Summon any monster from my hand that matches the Level of my Mud Golem. In other words, since my Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet is a Level 4 monster, just like my Mud Golem, I can bring it out right now!" And that's just what she did, Summoning her bizarre mechanical monster.

"Another one??" asked Ember, getting a little worried.

Sunset then explained, "Of course, since Cabrera Trebuchet was Summoned using Xyz Reception, its ATK and DEF are zeroed out, and it loses its effects (Chronomaly Cabrera Trebuchet: Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 1800 > 0), but it won't matter for what I need it for!" Putting her hand out, she then shouted, "I now overlay my Level 4 Mud Golem and Cabrera Trebuchet and create the Overlay Network!!"

"Overlay Network?!" gasped Ember. "You're going to Xyz Summon?!"

Sunset's two monsters then transformed into a pair of orange lights. The two lights then flew into a red summoning portal that began to glow brightly. "Noble marksman of the sky! Raise your mighty rifle in the name of justice and fell your enemies with skillful precision!" the red-and-yellow girl chanted. "Xyz Summon! Gilda, lend me your strength! Rank 4! Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer!!" And with that, a column of light shot out of the vortex, allowing Sunset to play the card she had gotten from Gilda. The birdman then prepared his powerful rifle and aimed it right at Ember (Castel, the Sky Blaster Musketeer: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Aw no! Not that card!!" shouted Ember, knowing that she was in trouble now.

"Now I activate Castel's effect:" Sunset told her opponent. "By removing both of his overlay units, I can send one card on the field back to its owner's Deck!"

"No way!!" the blue teen said in shock. "You're gonna spin my Arkbrave Dragon back into my Deck?!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" the otherworldly girl confirmed. Taking out both of the cards under her Xyz Monster (Castel, the Sky Blaster Musketeer: OLU 2 - 2 = 0), she then shouted, "Go! Send Arkbrave back into Ember's Deck! Typhoon Bullet!!" The birdman then aimed his rifle at the dragon next and fired a gust of wind out of the barrel. The shot didn't cause damage to Arkbrave, but was able to send it flying into the air and out of sight.

Ember just stood there, completely at a loss for words at what had just happened. It wasn't just her, though: The people in the crowds watching them were also in a similar state of shock. They didn't expect someone, especially an outsider to the town, to actually defeat her in a Duel.

"It's over, Ember." Sunset told her calmly. "So brace yourself..." She then pointed ahead and ordered, "Castel, attack her Life Points directly!! Whirlwind Musket!!" Her monster then fired another blast of wind at Ember, hitting her hard. Even so, the blue girl just stood there, taking the attack without flinching, as if she had accepted her fate (Ember: LP 1,500 - 2,000 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

The result of Sunset's and Ember's Duel shocked everybody that was watching. "No way... I don't believe it..." said Prominence, eyes almost as wide as dinner plates. "Ember lost...! She couldn't beat her!"

"Beat her? She couldn't even TOUCH her!" Amarant pointed out. "That other chick didn't take any damage at all!" He then stated, "I suppose that means the rumors about her bein' a Regional Champ were true after all..."

"Aw man... Poor Ember..." said Smolder.

Ember dropped down to her knees; she was the most surprised of them all about how the Duel played out. "No... I couldn't do it..." she muttered to herself. "I couldn't even do a single point of damage to Sunset... So much for my undefeated streak..." The blue teen then noticed that her opponent was walking over to her, prompting her to ask, "What...? You gonna rub your win in my face or something?"

Sunset shook her head and told her, "No, not at all... I just wanted to see if you were okay, that's all."

"Huh? ...Oh, yeah I'll live..." Ember responded, getting up. "It's just... well, no one's ever beaten me in Duel 'til now... I'm just not sure how to feel right now..." Sighing, she then told her, "I guess I really am not ready for the big leagues after all..."

"That's not true, Ember." Sunset told her in a comforting tone. "During our Duel, I could tell that you were a really strong Duelist, and that you had a lot of potential... Possibly enough to even go into the Pro Leagues!"

"Don't patronize me, Sunset... You're just sayin' that to make me feel better." Ember grumbled, not considering the comment to be a compliment.

"No, I'm saying it because that's how I really feel, Ember." the red-and-yellow girl explained to her. "To be honest, I think you would have done a lot better out there if you weren't holding yourself back so much."

Sighing, the blue teenager then said to her, "I still don't know what you're talking about...! Why did you think I was nervous out there?! I told you: I wanted a Duel with you more than anything!!"

"I know that's what you said, and I believe you." Sunset answered her. "But I just didn't feel like you were completely in the game during our match, like you had some sort of self-doubt or something... Your head may have been in the game, but it didn't seem like your heart was."

"Look... just... just, enough with that already!" Ember told her, trying to end the conversation. "I-I don't wanna talk about it!"

"I'm just trying to help..."

"I told you, I don't wanna hear your opinions, Dad!!" Ember then shouted loudly. She then gasped and covered her mouth when she realized what she had just blurted out.

Sunset was dumbstruck by what Ember had shouted, as was everyone else. "...Dad?" the otherworldly girl then asked her. "Is that what you just said? What's this really all about, Ember?? You need to tell me."

After her outburst, Ember then decided that there was no point in hiding anything anymore. Sighing sadly, she then told Sunset, "Alright, since you're not gonna let this go, I'll tell you everything... Just give me a sec." The blue teen walked past the red-and-yellow girl and over to her friends and the rest of the crowd and told them, "I need a moment to myself right now, guys... So head home, all of you."

"Um... are you okay, Ember...?" asked Smolder.

"Yeah, you're kinda freakin' us out here..." Amarant then stated.

"Yeah, really... What's going on??" Prominence asked her, confused and a bit concerned.

"Just go. I'll be fine, so just quit worrying already..." the blue teenager reiterated. The crowds eventually dispersed quietly, leaving Ember and Sunset by themselves. Once she was sure that nobody was around, she then walked back over to Sunset and told her, "Okay, that's all taken care of... Sorry, but I don't want them to hear anything."

"So... are you going to tell me what's going on, then?" the red-and-yellow girl then inquired.

"...As much as I hate talking about my feelings, something tells me you're not giving me much of a choice here... So fine." Ember then led Sunset over to a nearby park bench, the two of them sitting down on it. "The thing is..." Ember began, "It's my dad... For some reason, he really doesn't like it when I duel."

"He doesn't like that you duel?" asked Sunset. "Why not?"

"Pffft... Heck if I know." the blue girl answered. "All I know is that he doesn't want me dueling and he's forbidden me from going to any tournaments in town or anywhere else. And every time I ask him why, he says something stupid, like, 'Because I said so!'. To this day, he's never given me a real reason as to why he keeps me from dueling..."

(...That explains why she was hiding her Deck earlier.) thought Sunset, remembering when she had previously seen Ember. (She didn't want her father to see that she had one.)

"I just don't know why he's like this all the time!" grumbled Ember. "I mean, I know that his job at the real estate place stresses him out a lot, but that can't be all that it is!"

"Wait... did you say, 'real estate'?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah, Bloodstone Real Estate." the blue girl confirmed. "That's where he works. What's so important about that?"

Remembering what she had heard during the past hour or so, the inter-dimensional girl then inquired, "Then your father's name must be Torch, right?"

A bit startled, Ember then asked her, "How'd you know that?!"

"Well, I heard from a lot of people that Torch was a very strong Duelist back in his time." Sunset explained. "And they're also saying that you're supposed to be just as good as him. But I talked to these two guys that said that you two weren't related... Even though someone else thinks that you are."

"Well, those two guys lied to ya." Ember admitted to her. "Not many people know that Torch is my dad, and I tell the few people that DO know not to blab about it to anyone else. That way, he wouldn't know that I've been having Duels behind his back. The last thing I need is somebody tattling on me to him..." She then asked Sunset, "By the way, who told you that I'm related to Torch?"

"Um... some waitress at a diner that I went to before our Duel." Sunset answered.

"...Oh." Ember replied, not expecting that answer from her. "Good, then it wasn't any of my friends from school. I don't remember telling anybody at a diner about my dueling, so I have no idea how she found out about it." She then told the red-and-yellow girl, "Still, my old man doesn't seem to know what's going on, so at least she didn't say anything to him or anybody else... until now, of course."

"I see now..." Sunset responded, understanding her concerns. "Well, she only seemed to THINK you had some relation to him, but she didn't seem too sure about it... So I guess that's why she didn't tell anybody else. I think she only told me because I kept asking her about it." Trying to get off of that subject, she then asked her, "So, anyway... your dad used to be a great Duelist, is that right?"

"...My dad wasn't just a great Duelist;" Ember told her, "he was the best in the whole town, and one of the best in the whole country!" Unconsciously forming a smile, she continued to say, "They say that back in the day, no one could beat him in a Duel, and most were lucky to survive more than two turns against him! Some even said that most of his competitors got scared merely by the thought of fighting him in a Duel!" She then sighed sadly and finished, saying, "But then... all of a sudden, he just stopped..."

"That's also something I heard about him, too..." Sunset chimed in. "Do you know why?"

"Nobody knows why he just stopped dueling." Ember answered. "Not even me. And yeah, I've asked him, but he never wants t' talk about it." Huffing a little, she added, "By this point, I've given up trying to get anything out of him..."

Sunset could just sense that underneath Ember's tough skin, she was a very sad person, and she felt very sorry for her troubles. Suddenly, she got up onto her feet and said to her, "Ember... I want to help you."

"...I don't need your help, or anyone else's." Ember told her, trying to keep her facade going. "I'm just fine."

"You don't sound fine to me." the red-and-yellow girl. "You can't possibly be content with things as they are. I know that deep down, you really want things to change for the better... Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so open to telling me how you felt just now."

Ember glanced over at Sunset, but said nothing back. She just continued to listen to what she was telling her.

"A long time ago, I used to keep my feelings all bottled up and not do anything to resolve them." the otherworldly girl stated. "And because I did, some really bad things happened. I felt scared and alone all the time, and I wasn't willing to open up or let someone help me through my troubles because I was afraid to do it... Back then, I felt as though it was me against the whole world, and that no one would help me get through my problems."

"...Really?" Ember calmly asked.

"Really." Sunset answered. She then smiled and told her, "But then someone came and told me that I didn't have to feel so sad or scared or angry all the time... She helped me realize that I can make things better for myself and others, and that I don't have to go through it all alone. There's nothing wrong with letting someone help you out, especially when you're feeling overwhelmed by all sorts of things." Extending her arm, she then told Ember, "And right now, I want to help you with what's bothering you. I want to help you become the person you want to be. And if it means arguing it to your father face-to-face, I'm willing to do it! So please... let me help you. If anything, do it for yourself so that you can become the Duelist I know you want to be..."

Ember thought about what Sunset had just said to her; up until now, no one ever offered to help her out with anything. Granted, she probably wouldn't have felt that she needed help in the past, but this was the first time that someone had ever bothered to even ask if she needed help. The blue teenager thought and thought for a while about whether or not to accept Sunset's offer. Finally, after what seemed like a long time, Ember smirked and asked the red-and-yellow girl, "You think you might be able to convince my dad to change his mind about the whole dueling thing?"

Sunset smiled back and told her, "I'm willing to give it a shot if you're okay with it."

Getting up off the bench, Ember nodded to her and said, "Alright, if you think you can do it, I'll... I'll cooperate." She then asked, "So, what's your plan? How're ya gonna get my dad on my side about this whole thing?"

"...That I'm not sure of just yet." the otherworldly girl admitted. "But where there's a will, there's a way. My friend Applejack told me that." Humming to herself a little, she then told her new companion, "I think the first thing we ought to do is to learn some more about your father's dueling career and figure out what made him stop. I'm pretty sure it may have something to do with his attitude now..."

"Annnnnnd... how're ya gonna do that?" asked Ember. "It ain't like he's willing to work with us on this one. I told you: Every time I bring it up, he says he doesn't wanna talk about it."

"Perhaps not..." thought Sunset, "but I think if I'm going to figure out what to do, I'll have to start... by paying your dad a little visit!" Ember was a bit surprised by this comment, as she and everyone else knew just how scary her father could be. One could only wonder what Sunset had in mind, but Ember hoped that it would finally resolve her family issues once and for all...

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (13 Numbers total):

Number 50: Blackship of Corn

RANK 31: An Ember of Passion:

Author's Note

And so, we reach the end of 2018 with the follow-up to the previous episode.

Overall, I had a good Christmas this year, though there was a bit of sadness prior to it. My grandmother, Catharine Jessup passed away on the 18th as a result of failing health. If you wish to say anything concerning it, send me a personal message (instead of leaving a comment).

I hope everybody had a good holiday, and I will see you all in 2019. :twilightsmile:

RANK 31: An Ember of Passion:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

After defeating yet another Number-possessed Duelist and claiming another Number card (and subsequently earing her Turbo Duel license in the process), Sunset Shimmer decided to look around the town of Bloodstone for something to do, since her initial plans of entering a Duel Monsters Tournament back in Canterlot were not possible. While driving on her new Duel Runner, she caught sight of a Duel involving a powerful dragon named Felgrand Dragon. The owner of the card was an older teen named Ember who, upon encountering Sunset, immediately challenged her to a Duel, without giving any reason as to why.

Sunset agreed to the Duel, but only to try and learn more about Ember through her play style. While Ember's Deck was tough, it was no match for Sunset's Chronomaly Deck, and she was beaten without even damaging Sunset once. Sensing that something was holding her back, she asked Ember why she wasn't dueling with all her strength. Eventually, Ember caved in and revealed that her father, a former Duelist named Torch, had forbidden her from dueling.

Determined to help Ember and find out why her father didn't want her dueling, Sunset is prepared to face Torch and figure everything out. But can Sunset succeed where Ember had failed...?

"So, what's your plan?" asked Ember, a blue-skinned teen in the town of Bloodstone. "How're ya gonna get my dad on my side about this whole thing?"

"...That I'm not sure of just yet." admitted Sunset Shimmer, who had met the young up-and-coming Duelist just today and had offered to help her figure out why Ember's father Torch had outlawed her from dueling. "But where there's a will, there's a way. My friend Applejack told that one to me." Humming to herself a little, she then told her new companion, "I think the first thing we ought to do is to learn some more about your father's dueling career and figure out what made him stop. I'm pretty sure it may have something to do with his attitude now..."

"Annnnnnd... how're ya gonna do that?" asked Ember. "It ain't like he's willing to work with us on this one. I told you: Every time I bring it up, he says he doesn't wanna talk about it."

"Perhaps not..." thought Sunset, "but I think if I'm going to figure out what to do, I'll have to start... by paying your dad a little visit!"

Ember was a bit surprised by this comment, as she and everyone else knew just how scary her father could be. "You're... gonna try and talk to my old man?" asked the blue teenager. "No offense, but there's no way someone like you will be able to get any info out of him. After all, if I couldn't get him to talk about his dueling career or why he doesn't want me dueling, what do you think your chances are?!"

"I will admit, it won't be easy," the red-and-yellow girl replied, "but that doesn't mean it's impossible!" She then smiled a bit and calmly said, "I think the reason that you can't get any answers from your father is because you're going about it the wrong way."

"How so?"

"You're trying to ask him directly when it's pretty clear that he won't say anything about it." Sunset smirked a little and added, "But then... who said we HAD to ask him about it directly, or even ask him about it at all?"

"What are you talking about, Sunset?" asked the blue girl, still not sure where this was going.

"I think there could be a way to find out more about your father that won't require him to actually tell it to us." the otherworldly girl told her. Putting away the Duel Pad on her arm and stuffing it into her backpack, she then said, "And we'll start by looking around your home and see what we can find."

"Dig up?" asked Ember. "You've gotta be crazy! If he catches us snooping around his things, he'll be furious! You'd have a better chance of swan-diving right into an active volcano and not get burnt!"

"Then we'll just have to make sure we don't get caught then." Sunset simply replied. "Since he won't tell you what's going on, we don't have another choice. So it's either this, or we give up on this completely. What's your choice?"

Ember thought about it all for a while, not sure if what Sunset suggested would actually work. "I've gotta be honest, Sunset..." she started to say, "this sounds like more trouble than it's worth..." But then, she began to think about all of the secret Duels she had and how much she enjoyed dueling as a whole... Even the match against Sunset felt quite enjoyable, even though she had lost. Coming to a decision, she told her new companion, "Okay... I'm in. Let's give it a try."

Smiling and nodding, Sunset put her jacket back on and strapped on her motorcycle helmet, telling her, "Then let's get going. We haven't got a moment to lose!" She then got onto her fiery red Duel Runner (which she received as a gift after returning the driving instructor at the DMV to normal and taking the Number that possessed him), revving the engines to get it warmed up. Ember then carefully sat down behind her and held on tight to make sure she wouldn't go flying off. The inter-dimensional teen then sped off, getting onto the road and making her way to Ember's home.

As they drove down the road, Ember gave Sunset directions on how to get to her house. Sunset, however, didn't really need the instructions, as she had already seen her house earlier (she decided it was best not to mention that fact, though). On their way over, the blue teenager then asked Sunset, "I've gotta admit, this Duel Runner is pretty awesome... Is it true that you got it after beating that guy Klaus at the DMV?"

"That's right." the red-and-yellow girl confirmed. "He was pretty tough, but I managed to pull through and win against him, even when he thought he had me cornered." She then told her new friend, "That's one of the great things about Duel Monsters; it teaches you never to give up on anything until the very end."

"Never give up, huh...?" asked Ember. "No wonder you're so determined to convince my old man into letting me duel."

Nodding her head, Sunset then said to her, "And I know you have that same feeling yourself. I know deep down that you never gave up on the idea of being able to compete in Duels without having to hide it from your father. All I want is to try and help you make that dream come true."

Ember was happy to hear someone say that to her, but was still perplexed by all this. "So what's the deal anyway?" she then asked. "Why're you goin' out of your way to help me? You didn't even know who I was until today..."

"Maybe that's true," Sunset responded, "but I know enough. I know exactly how you feel, and I want to show you just how valuable a helpful friend can be. Just like how a whole bunch of helpful friends gave me a hand when my times were at their darkest..."

"Woah, that's pretty deep..." Ember thought out-loud. "These friends of yours; they must be pretty lucky to have someone like you, huh?"

"...To be honest, it's more like I'M really lucky to have them." the red-and-yellow girl said. "But... that's a story for another day." Getting back on the main task at hand, she then asked, "How much further until we get to your house, Ember?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh... not much further." the blue girl said to her. "Just take another right at the next intersection." Sunset nodded and followed her new friend's directions, making another right turn ahead.

Finally, the pair had reached Ember's house. Sunset knew that they had arrived at the correct location, because she had spotted the dragon statue near the front door; it was the spot where Ember had hidden her Deck so that her father wouldn't know about her dueling behind his back. "Well... here we are." said the blue teenager. "My house."

Looking around, Sunset then noticed that a car was missing from the garage that was built into the home. "Doesn't look like anyone's home..." she stated. The last time she was here, Sunset recalled that there was a old-looking black car in the driveway, which she assumed belonged to Ember's father.

Noticing the empty garage as well, Ember breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good, my dad's not home right now. That means we might be able to find out something before he gets back." The two girls stepped off of Sunset's Duel Runner as the red-and-yellow teen took off her helmet. "Still, we'd better move fast: I have no idea when he'll get back, since I'm usually not home before then." Sunset nodded as the two of them walked up towards the front door. Ember then used her key to unlock the door and allow them inside.

The two girls then slowly entered the house. Sunset moved even more quietly and cautiously, just in case there was anyone else inside. Noticing this, Ember then told her, "Relax, Sunset... There's no one here but us."

A bit surprised, the red-and-yellow girl asked her, "Really? What about your mother?"

Ember was silent for a bit after her new friend asked that question. She then told her, "She... doesn't live here anymore. She and my dad divorced a long time ago... And that's all I'm sayin' about that." Sunset was a bit saddened to hear that Ember's parents had split apart, but decided that she wouldn't say anything else about it. Based on Ember's tone of voice, Sunset figured that it was the one thing that she probably would NEVER talk about, no matter what. Besides, it wasn't the most important thing right now anyway.

The two of them walked into a large room with a fancy-looking desk in the center, with a bookshelf behind it. Strewn across the desk were several important-looking papers. "This is my dad's Study." Ember told Sunset. "If there's anything worth looking for regarding him, this is where we'll find it." She then warned her, "Just be careful: He can't know that we were in here, so make sure to leave everything where it is. He's very meti- um... metal... uh..."

"...Meticulous?" Sunset asked, guessing the word that Ember was trying to pronounce.

"Yeah, that." the blue girl confirmed. "So don't mess with his stuff too much, or I'll never hear the end of it."

"I'll try my best." the inter-dimensional girl said with a nod. The pair then looked around, trying to find some sort of clue that would help them to figure out why Ember's father acted the way he did. Whatever it was, Sunset figured it must have been pretty bad for him to try and keep his daughter from dueling.

For the next several minutes, Sunset and Ember looked around Torch's study, but couldn't find anything. Getting a little bit frustrated, the blue teenager said to her companion, "Rrrgh... this is pointless! We've been here for a long time and we haven't found anything!"

"Don't give up hope yet, Ember..." Sunset urged her. "We just have to keep looking for anything out of the ordinary." As she inspected the bookshelf, she then spotted a red book that seemed a little out-of-place: It seemed to have been put there upside-down. Turning her head, Sunset read the title of the book on its spine: "...Peering Into Your Potential." she read. Humming to herself, she then said, "This book... it doesn't seem like the others. Maybe there's something in here that might give us a clue." She then reached for the book and took it off the shelf.

But before she could open it, something else happened: Like something out of a mystery movie, the bookshelf that held the book began to slide along the wall to the left. Sunset and Ember just stood there, not sure what was going on. "Uh... Sunset?" the blue girl asked. "Wh... what did you just do...?"

"I... I don't know...!" the otherworldly girl replied. "I just took this book out of the shelf to see if there was something inside of it! I didn't know it would do something like this! I swear!" She then asked, "Why didn't you warn me that would happen if I took the book out?!"

"'Cause I didn't know about it!" Ember told her. "My dad doesn't want anyone snooping around in his Study, so I never seen anything like this before!" The two girls could only watch as the bookshelf continued to move aside, revealing its secrets to the two of them.

Once it finally stopped, Ember and Sunset were amazed at what they found: Behind the bookshelf was a large trophy case that was filled with several awards. A light had automatically switched on, allowing the golden prizes to shine and shimmer in an impressive display. Needless to say, the two of them were awestruck by what they saw.

"Woah... what's up with all this??" Ember asked. "I've never seen so many trophies all in one place!"

Stepping towards the display case, Sunset then made an interesting discovery about these awards, "These aren't just any trophies, Ember..." she began to tell her friend. "These are all Duel Monsters Tournament Awards! And all of them are for placing first!"

"What?! ALL of them?!?" asked the shocked blue teenager. "I don't believe it... So it was all true: My dad was not just a great Duelist... He was AMAZING!!"

"And you were right about him being meticulous, Ember." Sunset observed. "All of these awards are arranged in order of the year in which he received them." But as she looked at each and every award, she then noticed something odd. "Hmmm... what's with this big, empty space here?" she asked. "It looks like-"

But her thought was interrupted when the two girls heard a sound that made Ember's heart skip a beat: The sounds of a car pulling into the garage. "Oh, crud!! That's my dad!" she exclaimed, sweating a bit. "If he finds us in here, he'll go into a rage!" Thinking quickly, the two of them pushed the bookcase back to its original position and Sunset replaced the book that she took out of it. The bookshelf gave off a CLICK sound, letting them know that it was locked into place once more. "Hurry and get out of here, Sunset...!" Ember instructed her in a low tone of voice. "There's a way out the back, but make sure he doesn't see you."

"What about you?" asked the otherworldly girl.

"I'll distract him so that you can get out of here." the blue teen replied. "Just get moving!"

"Okay." Sunset said with a nod. "I'll head over to the town library. Just meet me there as soon as you can." Ember nodded as the red-and-yellow girl slipped out of the room and exited through a back door. Luckily, Sunset had thought ahead and did NOT park her Duel Runner right in front of Ember's house, so that Torch would not know that someone else was there.

Luckily, she escaped from the house before Torch came walking in. To say he was an intimidating man was an understatement; one look at his hardened face and large body could outright terrify most folks. He had dark, slate-blue skin with some slightly darker splotches, along with a pair of fiery orange eyes that completed what may have been the scariest-looking scowl on his face. His hair (which had long ago started thinning) ranged from light yellow to sienna brown in color. He wore a black suit with a red crystal pinned onto the left side shirt pocket.

Torch looked down at Ember and said to her, in a deep-sounding voice, "You're home early, I see... Unusual; you're usually not here when I come home from work."

"Ummm... I, uh... I finished up my... my errands a bit earlier this time." Ember fibbed to her father, trying not to seem too scared of him. "That's why I'm, uh... why I'm home early. That's all."

Torch just stared at her, saying nothing for a few seconds. Sighing a bit, he then told her, "I'm starting to wonder what these... 'errands' you speak of actually are." Giving his daughter a bit of a glare, he then added, "You're not... up to anything, are you?"

"Uh, me?! No! Not at all!" the blue girl assured him.

The adult man simply huffed, figuring there was no point in saying anything more on the matter. "Well, in that case," he told her as he walked into his Study, "were one of those 'errands' studying for that school project of yours that you need to have done after your Spring Break is over? You had better not be slacking off on your schoolwork like you seem to do every now and then... You know as well as I do that I do NOT tolerate slacking off of any kind."

Remembering what Sunset had said to her earlier, Ember then told her father, "Oh! Yeah, thanks for reminding me about that! There's this book I need to get from the library in order to, um... finish the project!" In reality, she had actually finished this school project already just so that her father wouldn't get on her case about it all the time. "Guess I'd better go and get it!" she then said, preparing to leave. "Oh, WHAT would I ever do without you, Dad?"

"...I'd rather not imagine something like that, to be honest." Torch said with a bit of a grumble. "Just go and get this book and finish up the rest of your schoolwork! I have a lot of work to do here, and I DON'T want to be disturbed!"

"Yeah... I hear ya." Ember said in a low voice as she picked up her things and walked out the door. As she did, Torch stared at the front door, humming to himself in thought. Something about her attitude made him a bit more suspicious about her than usual, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it...

Back in town, Sunset waited by her Duel Runner at the Bloodstone Public Library building, watching for when Ember would show up. As she waited, the girl thought to herself, (I hope Ember's alright. I was able to get a glimpse of her father, Torch... and he was pretty scary-looking; now I can see why she was so determined to make sure he wouldn't find out about her dueling. He looks like a volcano that's ready to blow at the slightest thing!)

Taking a look at her Deck stored safely away in her deck box, Sunset then said, "I don't care how scary he might be, though; I have to help him see the error of his ways. I know he must have some reasons for his actions, but even he must know how badly Ember wants to become a Duelist. Whatever is making him feel this way, we need to get to the bottom of it and figure what to do about it!" Sighing a little, she then added, "After all, I know for a fact that Ember is a talented girl, and I can't call myself a Duelist if I don't help her realize her potential." Putting away her Deck, she finished her soliloquy, saying, "This isn't just about convincing her father to let her Duel; it's also about convincing Ember about how strong she really is, and I'll do whatever it takes to help them both!"

After she was finished with her thoughts, the inter-dimensional girl suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from nearby. "Hey! Sunset!! Over here!!" it yelled.

Sunset Shimmer glanced over to her left and saw that the voice belonged to Ember. The blue teenager was running as fast as she could to reach her. "Alright! You finally got here!" Sunset told her new friend. "I was hoping that your father hadn't figured out everything too soon."

"He was a bit suspicious at first, but I managed to fib my way out of it." Ember told her. She then asked, "So, what're we doin' here at the library? I thought we were gonna find out what's up with my father and why he's keepin' me from dueling..."

"We are, and we will." Sunset told her. Turning around to face the building behind her, she then stated, "Like my friend Twilight always says: 'If you're ever in doubt, always check the library for the answer!' That's what she'd be telling us if she were here." Ember still wasn't sure where her new companion was going with this, but decided to follow along, figuring that there was some point to it all.

Inside of the building, it was all quiet (as any good library ought to be), with everyone inside either reading the books that they had checked out or sitting in front of a computer, looking up things on the web. Sunset walked up to the front desk and asked to have some time with one of the computers. She presented her library card to the librarian working there, and after everything was in order, the librarian gave her a pass that would allow her to use one of the computers made available to guests.

Sitting down in front of the screen, Sunset then started typing on the keyboard, telling her friend, "Alright, now let's see what sort of information we scrounge up here..."

"I still don't get it..." Ember told her. "Why are we here in the library looking for stuff? We won't be able to figure out what to do about my dad here."

"Oh, I can assure you that we will, Ember." the otherworldly girl told her. "That's if what I found in your father's Study was accurate."

"What're ya talking about?" asked the blue teenager. "What'd you see?"

"When that trophy case opened up and we saw all of those awards, I noticed that there was an empty space right next to the most recent trophy that your dad had in there." Sunset explained to her. "It seems that your father had planned to put his next award there, but couldn't for some reason. Are you starting to understand what I'm saying now?"

Thinking about what she had told her just now, Ember began to see where her new friend was going with this. "Wait a sec..." she began to ask, "are you telling me that-?"

"Exactly." Sunset replied, knowing what she was going to ask her. "But it's only a hunch; hopefully, whatever I can get off of here will be able to confirm my suspicions or not..." She then typed up Torch's name on the search engine, hoping to confirm her assumptions. After doing so, several results came up relating to him. However, many of them were about his current position as the owner of Bloodstone Real Estate. Deciding that she needed to give more specific information, Sunset then typed the word "duelist" next to the man's name. After that, several different results appeared, including a picture of a young man that looked very familiar to Ember.

"Is... is that my dad??" asked the blue teen. "It's weird seein' him with hair... or with a smile."

"That's him alright." the red-and-yellow girl confirmed. "According to this, he had entered every major tournament both in here and throughout the country. Back then, he was known as 'Torch, the Dueling Inferno', as his opponents' monsters were always left in ashes after he was done with them. Anybody who faced him in a Duel only contributed to his long list of victories; he had never lost a single match."

"Woah... that's amazing..." said an astonished Ember. "To think that MY dad was an undefeated Duelist back in his time... It's incredible..." But this only continued to puzzle her. "But is that's true, then what happened to make him completely change his tune?"

"Right here, it says that after his last victory in a major tournament, he went to compete in the Nationals." Sunset read off of the webpage. Clicking on a hyperlink that was attached to the name of the tournament where Torch's most recent victory came from, she was able to pull up a date. "Just as I thought:" she told her companion. "This date matches up with the one that was engraved on the last trophy that I saw in that case! Luckily, your father's meticulous nature made figuring that out very easy, as he had all of his awards arranged in the order in which he won them."

"So what, then? What happened at the National Tournament?" Ember asked, speaking in a tone that suggested that she already knew what happened.

Clicking back onto the pervious page, Sunset then made her way to another page that detailed all of the information regarding the National Tournament. One of the things that was shown on there was the tournament bracket, which listed all of the Duelists that competed, as well as who won against who. Sunset then gasped when she saw one of the other names that were listed among the competitors. "I don't believe it!" she said in an amazed-sounding voice. "One of other people in the tournament... was Vice Principal Luna!"

"Wait, did you say Luna??" asked Ember. "As in the former Pro Duelist?"

"Yeah, that's her alright..." the inter-dimensional teen answered. Looking at the brackets, she then told her, "According to this, both your father and Luna had made it all the way to the final match. But when the Duel ended... Torch had lost."

"He... lost?" Ember then inquired. "How... how bad did he lose?"

"...Pretty badly." Sunset told her. "He lost without even damaging her once." She then suddenly remembered that, during her earlier Duel, Ember had lost in the same fashion. Feeling a bit guilty, she then said to her, "Um... sorry, Ember."

"What're you sorry for?" asked the blue girl, a bit confused at first. But then, after realizing what she was talking about, she then said, "Oh, that? You don't need to be sorry 'bout that, Sunset. I wasn't playing at my best, so I don't blame you for it." Getting back on the main topic, she then asked her, "So what happened after my dad lost?"

Looking back on the webpage, Sunset then answered her, saying, "Says here that, after his defeat, Torch just got up and left the building. He wasn't even there for the award ceremony, and he left the 2nd place trophy behind. After that, he hadn't been heard from in the dueling world again..."

"Woah..." Ember replied, a bit amazed at how her big, scary father could take losing a Duel so hard. "So that's what it is... That loss must've bummed him out so much, that he doesn't want anything more to do with it, and that's why he's not letting me duel."

"It sure seems that way..." the red-and-yellow girl commented, thinking about everything so far. "From what I can gather, it looks like your father lost his spirit and passion for dueling when he lost at the tournament. And it's those bitter feelings that are making him act this way towards you." Sunset sighed to herself, knowing full well how one's bitterness can cause someone to lash out and cause problems for those around them.

"So... what now?" Ember asked her friend, causing Sunset to snap out of her daze. "Now that we know what's up, what're we gonna do about it?"

Sunset hummed to herself, trying to think of some way to convince Torch to let his daughter become the Duelist she felt that she was meant to be. Coming up with something, she then told her, "I think the only way you'll be able to get your father on your side is re-awaken his love and passion for dueling."

"Re-awaken it?" asked Ember. "You don't mean that I should duel him, do you??"

The jacket-wearing teen nodded and said to her, "It's the only thing that'll work, Ember. He's been bitter about his loss for a long time. And I think the best way for him to get rid of that bitterness is in a Duel!"

Ember wasn't as sure as Sunset was on the whole idea. She then asked her, "But how am I gonna convince him into dueling me anyway? He'd never do it!"

"Then just make him an offer; one that you know he wouldn't refuse to take." the red-and-yellow girl suggested. "And don't worry: I'll be right there with you help you through it!"

"Y...you will?"

"Absolutely, Ember. After all, true friends support each other."

The blue teen (even though she wouldn't show it on her face) was truly touched by how much support Sunset was giving to her. She was even willing to stand up to someone as scary as her father in order to lend her a helping hand. Ember knew that refusing her new friend's offer was not an option. "...Alright, if you're so sure about this," Ember told Sunset, "then I'm willing to do it."

Nodding, the otherworldly girl told her friend, "Then let's get a move on, Ember! There's no time to waste!" The pair then left the library and hopped onto Sunset's Duel Runner. They immediately took off, heading straight towards the house where Ember and her father Torch lived. Somehow, someway, they were going to convince the man to come out of his retirement from dueling...

After a short drive back to the suburbs, Sunset pulled her Duel Runner to the side of the road, a few feet away from Ember's house. The blue teen was a bit confused by this action and asked her companion, "What're we stoppin' here for? My house is just up ahead."

"To discuss a few more things before we confront your father." Sunset answered.

"What kinds of things?"

Taking off her motorcycle helmet, the red-and-yellow girl turned around to face Ember and told her, "Before we go in there, you need to make sure that you're ready for this. After all, once your father hears about what's going on, there's no doubt he'll get pretty angry and try to intimidate you. But you have to have the courage to tell him how you really feel and not let him see your fear." Pausing for a moment, she then added, "The biggest challenge for a Duelist is overcoming their nervousness, and that often must be done BEFORE a Duel as well as during one."

Ember sighed a bit. She wouldn't admit it out-loud, but she did have a slight amount of fear in her at the thought of standing up to her own father.

"But just because it's difficult, that doesn't mean that you can't do it." Sunset continued to tell her friend. "You just need to find the courage to speak your mind and let him know your feelings; the same way that you did when you challenged me to a Duel earlier."

"...You... you think it's really that easy?" asked Ember.

Nodding, the otherworldly girl said to her, "I KNOW it's that easy, Ember. Even though I can tell that you aren't the type that's often willing to share her feelings with others."

"H-how'd you know that?"

"Because like I told you before," she continued to say, "I used to be the same way. But now I know that keeping my feelings and pain to myself only made things worse for everyone, especially myself. And deep down you know that, unless you stand up for what you believe in now, nothing's going to change for the better! This is something you need to do before it gets any worse!"

Inspired by Sunset's strong words, Ember nodded and confidently told her, "You're right, Sunset; this is something I've gotta do. I don't care how much he tries to scare me! I'm going to tell my dad exactly how I feel and that's that!" No longer feeling nervous about the situation, she then told her new friend, "Let's get over there and do what's gotta be done!"

Happy to see her feeling much more confident in herself, Sunset nodded and told her, "Yeah, let's go!" She then revved up her Runner and drove up to the front of her house.

Hearing the sounds of a vehicle outside, Torch lifted his head up from his work desk and looked outside. There, he saw Sunset's Duel Runner and Ember sitting on it. (Ember?) he asked himself. (What's she doing on that motorcycle? The library isn't that far from here...) He then gasped when he saw what was strapped onto his daughter's right arm. (What?! Is that a Duel Pad?!) Growing and snapping his pencil in his fist, he snarled to himself, "I knew it..." He then got up from his desk and headed towards the front door.

Just as Torch entered the living room, Ember and Sunset walked into the house. Right away, they could see that Ember's father was not in a pleasant mood. But even in the face of such an angry... face, Ember bravely walked towards her father, ready to say what she needed to say.

"So... the rumors ARE true..." Torch said to his daughter in a low, unhappy voice. "You HAVE been dueling behind my back! Admit it! And don't you dare try to lie to me!"

Ember nodded yes and said to her father, "I didn't plan on lying, Dad. I HAVE been dueling for a while now without you knowing about it. But now it's time for that to end!"

"Indeed..." Torch agreed, though not in the way that Ember was conveying. "Hand over that Duel Pad and Deck right now, and maybe I WON'T ground you until your high school graduation!"

"That's not what I meant by that, Dad..." she then told him. "I meant that it was time for YOU to stop preventing me from dueling!"

"WHAT?!" shouted Torch. "Absolutely not!! You know full well that I forbade you from dueling under my watch!"

"Yeah, I know that!" Ember responded. "But what I really wanna know is WHY you don't want me to duel! You've never given me a reason as to why you keep me from dueling, and I'm sick of it! So unless you give me a good reason right now as to why I shouldn't be doing this, I'm not going to let you keep me from dueling, no matter what!"

Torch was now more confused and more angry at his daughter's actions. He then glanced over to Sunset standing behind her and angrily asked her, "You... you put her up to this, didn't you?!"

But Sunset also wasn't about to let him intimidate her as she told him, "I didn't put her up to anything she didn't already want to do. I know first-hand that your daughter is a great Duelist and she can only get even better. But not if you don't support her rather than stifling her!"

"You be quiet!" Torch yelled, face getting red. "You have no right to intrude in matters regarding my daughter and I, so stay out of it!!"

Sunset was about to say something back, but Ember put her arm out to stop her, saying, "He's right about one thing: This is between me and my dad right now. If anyone's gonna tell him off, it'll be me, got it?"

Nodding and taking a deep breath to calm herself, the red-and-yellow girl replied, saying, "I understand, Ember. Even so, you still have my support in all this."

Calming herself down as well, Ember then said to her father, "I'm just gonna get to the point: Yelling at me isn't going to work. Punishing me isn't going to work. Nothing you can think of will change my mind about me and Dueling, got it?"

Grumbing a little, Torch then said to her, "You're quite the stubborn one, aren't you?"

Smirking a little, she responded, "Yeah, I suppose I am... But only because I got it from you."

Torch now realized that his usual brand of intimidation-based parenting skills weren't going to be effective on her anymore. However, even though he was willing to admit that he wouldn't be able to scare his daughter out of dueling, he wasn't about to buckle under that easily. "Be that as it may," he told her, "I still do not want you dueling, and that's final!"

"If that's how you really feel, then there's only one way to settle our argument." Ember said to him. "And I don't think I need to tell someone like you what that is, right?"

Torch did know what she meant by that. "You mean to say that you want to duel me?" he asked. "And why should I?"

"Because if you win, then I'll willingly give up dueling for good." she told him. "But if I win, then you let me become a Duelist and not complain about it!"

Torch just stood there for a moment, staring at his defiant daughter. He wasn't sure what had come over her all of a sudden. (Ember... what's going on with her right now??) he asked himself. (The things I said to her just now would've scared someone twice her age! I should know: I do the same to my employees whenever THEY screw up! Just what's gotten into her?? ...Has she always been like this and I didn't know it?)

"Well, Dad?" Ember asked him. "What's it gonna be?"

Huffing, he then answered her, "Very well, then... If it'll finally put this matter to rest once and for all, I'll accept your challenge." He then walked into his Study and operated the bookshelf that concealed his trophy case. However, trophies and awards were not the only things in there: Inside was a red-and-black Duel Pad, along with a Deck and D-Gazer. Taking those specific items out of the case and strapping them on, Torch felt a strange feeling come over him, one that he hadn't felt in a long time. But he pushed it aside and said to his daughter, "I hope you enjoy this Duel, my daughter... because it will be the last one you ever have!"

"We'll see about that!" Ember responded as both of them activated their devices and drew their opening hands. "Now let's duel!!" (Torch: LP 4,000) (Ember: LP 4,000)

Sunset, activating her own Gazer, mentally told Ember, (Do your best out there, Ember... After all, your future is practically riding on this one Duel. So give it all you've got!)

Ember and Torch looked over their opening hands closely, each of them already trying form the best strategy that they could. The intimidating man then looked over towards his daughter and thought, (Ember, you are not ready for the brutal nature of the dueling world, and you never will be... And I will make sure you know that by the end of this Duel!) Deciding that he would go first, Torch shouted, "I'll begin with this monster in Attack Mode!" After playing his first card of the Duel, a geyser of flames then erupted from the floor in front of him. Ember and Sunset watched as a small, black object - in the shape of an egg, emerged from the flames and rested itself in front of its owner.

"What's that thing?" asked Sunset.

"It... it looks like an egg." Ember figured.

"It's not just ANY egg, you two..." Torch told them. "It's my Black Stone of Legend! (The Black Stone of Legend: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0) But don't be fooled by its lack of attack and defense points, as its true power is locked INSIDE of it! By releasing my Black Stone, I can replace it with a new monster from my Deck!" At that moment, the stone began to glow a deep red and exploded into flames. Taking a card out of his Deck and putting it onto the card tray of his D-Pad, he then said, "Behold!! The ferocious and deadly dragon whose black flames of fury incinerate anyone unfortunate enough to get in its sight!! I Summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!!"

The flames in front of Torch began to swirl into a cyclone before eventually taking shape. The flames formed themselves into a gigantic dragon that was so big, it leveled the living room along with the rest of the house (not for real, of course; only in the AR virtual reality display) The dragon was made up of jet-black scales covering an overall thin body, with large wings, sharp claws, and a piercing red-eyed stare that could scare almost anyone (Red-Eyes B. Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000).

"Incredible..." said Sunset. "He managed to Summon the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon on his first turn... Good for him, but not so much for Ember. Fortunately, since he's going first, he can't attack with it yet."

Torch, however, had something else in mind. "You might think my dragon can't strike you just yet, Ember... but I'm afraid you won't be getting off that easily." He then took a card from his hand and told his daughter/opponent, "I now play the Spell Card, Cards of the Red Stone! By sending a Level 7 Red-Eyes monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can then draw two cards from my Deck." He then chose to send a monster from his hand to pay the cost of his Spell Card. After drawing his two cards, he then added, "In addition, after I draw my cards, I can then send another Level 7 Red-Eyes monster from my Deck to the Graveyard!" And that's exactly what he did.

(He must be sending monsters to the Graveyard so that he can Summon them later...) Ember figured. She then asked her father, "So what about those cards you drew? Let's see 'em!"

"...If you saw what I drew, then I'd doubt you'd be so eager for me to use them." Torch then asked her, "Remember when I said that I had a way for my dragon to attack you, even though I took the first turn? Well, you're about to see what I meant by that!" Revealing one of the cards he drew, the man shouted, "I activate Inferno Fire Blast!!"

*******************************

Inferno Fire Blast:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 1 "Red-Eyes B. Dragon" in your Monster Zone; inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. "Red-Eyes B. Dragon" cannot attack the turn you activate this card.

*******************************

"Oh no...!" gasped Sunset. "Thanks to that card, he'll be able to inflict a ton of damage on Ember right now!"

"Now my daughter," Torch said to her, "say goodbye to 2,400 of your Life Points!!" He then shouted to his monster, "Go, Red-Eyes!! Inferno Fire Blast!!" The powerful and vicious dragon then launched a powerful fireball from its mouth, sending it towards Ember like a bullet. The blast then exploded upon impact, causing her a ton of damage.

"Ember! You okay?!" asked Sunset out of concern. The blue teenager was forced onto one knee as a result of the impact, but was able to get up with little difficulty (Ember: LP 4,000 - 2,400 = 1,600).

"Now do you see, Ember?" asked Torch. "The dueling world is too much for someone like you! You're better off if you quit right now!"

But Ember huffed and said to her father, "Please... you're gonna have t' do a LOT better than that if you plan on ending my dueling career!"

Grumbling a bit, the intimidating man then said, "I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!!" Ember shouted as she drew her first card of the Duel. She then looked over her cards closely, trying to figure out the best way to use them. (Aw man... It's my first turn, and I've already lost over half my Life Points! How am I gonna beat my dad now...?) she wondered.

"Don't be nervous, Ember!" Sunset shouted to her. "Just because you're behind now, that doesn't mean that you're in a hopeless position! Just stay calm and tell yourself that you can get through this!"

Ember didn't reply back, but took her new friend's words to heart. (She's right...) she said to herself. (I've just gotta keep a level head... My nervousness about my dad was what made me lose my Duel to Sunset, but I don't plan on letting it happen again! I won't let him scare me... not at all!) She then took out most of the cards in her hand and shouted, "I'll set FOUR cards face-down!!" The images of four cards then appeared in front of her.

"F-four cards??" asked Torch, sweating a little. (What's she up to...?)

"Next, I'll Summon Paladin of Felgrand in Attack Mode!" Ember declared. Her first monster of the Duel was a blonde-haired man with shiny blue armor and a long, sharp sword (Paladin of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 300). "Then, I use his effect and equip him with my Level 8 Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand from my Deck!" At that moment, a phantom image of a gigantic gold and silver dragon with shimmering black wings appeared over her Warrior monster before infusing itself into his sword. "With my Divine Dragon equipped to him, my Paladin is now immune to all of your monster effects!"

"Hmph, but not from my monsters' attacks!" Torch reminded her. "And my face-down card here will allow me to Summon more of them to attack you with! I activate Return of the Red-Eyes!! With my Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field, I can bring back any Normal Monster from my Graveyard to join it! And since the Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon in my Graveyard is a Gemini Monster, I can bring it to the field! So come forth, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!!"

A dark-purple portal then emerged onto Torch's side of the field, shooting out a mixture of red and black flames. Out of the flames came a dragon that was even scarier-looking than his first one, with fiery red wings and glowing red eyes, along with a shiny black body that shimmered in the light of its own fire (Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000).

"A what monster?" asked Ember.

"He called it a Gemini Monster." Sunset answered. "I've heard about them..."

*******************************

Gemini Monsters:

This type of Effect Monster is treated as a Normal Monster while on the field or in the GY. While a Gemini Monster is face-up on the field as a Normal Monster, its controller may Normal Summon it again (as a result, they have used up their one Normal Summon/Set on that turn). If successfully done, it will be treated as Effect Monster and, in turn, gain its effect. This action is often referred to as a "Gemini Summon".

*******************************

Ember growled a bit under her breath, knowing now that she had to deal with TWO powerful dragons instead of just one. But she wasn't going to let her father see her sweat. "I end my turn!" she shouted to him.

"Hmph... As I thought: You don't have what it takes to survive in the dueling world if that is the best you can do!" Torch said to her. He then drew his next card and declared, "Now I'll give up my Normal Summon this turn in order to Gemini Summon my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon on the field!" At that moment, the second dragon that Torch had Summoned became bathed in a bright, white light as it gave out a mighty roar. "Now my dragon has fully regained his power! Now, when he battles, my Black Flare Dragon can further damage your Life Points at the end of any Battle Phase that he participates in! So I'm afraid that, one way or another, this Duel will end right on this turn!"

"Oh really?" asked Ember in a defiant tone. "Then just try it, if you think it'll work!"

"Oh it will, my daughter..." Torch said to her, "and my next few moves will make sure of it!" Taking the card he drew this turn, he then played it and announced, "I activate Foolish Burial Goods! This card allows me to send any Spell Card or Trap Card from my Deck to the Graveyard. And the card I choose will be... Return of the Dragon Lords!!"

This move surprised both Sunset and Ember. (Return of the Dragon Lords??) the inter-dimensional girl asked herself. (But that card could have allowed Torch to bring back a Dragon monster from his Graveyard... So why did he dump it out his Deck...?) Ember, however, had a feeling she knew what her father was planning...

"Now for the move that will end this Duel and your foolishness for good!" shouted Torch, quite sure that he had this Duel won already. "I activate the Trap Card, Burst Breath! By releasing my Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field, I can destroy every monster on the field whose defense points are less than his 2,400 attack points!"

"But that'll wipe out your monster, too!" Sunset told him.

"Not quite..." Ember corrected her friend. "Since his Return of the Dragon Lords is in the Graveyard, all he has to do is banish it, and his monster will stay on the field. That's why he sent that card to the Graveyard earlier."

"Exactly." Torch confirmed. "Which means that once your monster is gone and I attack you directly with my Black Flare Dragon, you'll lose this Duel! And once you do, I'll make certain that you never hold a card again!" Thrusting his arm out, he then shouted, "Now, Burst Breath! Wipe out her monsters!!" The Trap Card then released a powerful blast straight towards Ember's side of the field. "You lose!!" said the man, confident that he has defeated her.

"Guess again, Dad!" Ember shouted. "You forget about all my face-down cards?"

"Wh-HUH??" Torch gasped.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Magical Spring!!" the blue girl told him. "This card lets me draw a number of cards from my Deck equal to the number of face-up Spells and Traps that you've got on the field! Since you've got your Burst Breath AND your Return of the Red-Eyes face-up on the field, I get to draw two cards!"

"Maybe so," Torch told her, "but since you ALSO have 2 Spell Cards face-up on the field, you have to discard two cards after you draw two! And besides that, it won't stop you from losing your monster or this Duel! Your move was completely pointless! If you're going to play useless cards like that, then you're better off if you quit dueling for good!"

"...Did I say that I was done?" Ember asked. "There's a lot more to my strategy than that, Dad... Because I'm going to chain a second card to my Magical Spring before it resolves!" Tapping her D-Pad's screen, she then declared, "I discard one card to activate my Trap Card, Rainbow Life!"

"What?!" shouted Torch.

"Thanks to this card," Ember explained to her father, "instead of losing Life Points this turn, I GAIN Life Points equal to whatever damage I would take this turn! Which means if you attack me directly this turn, you'll only make me even stronger!" She then smirked and added, "But I'm STILL not done yet."

"Y-you're not?!" asked Torch, who was beginning to get a little concerned for himself.

"Nope, because now I chain a THIRD card to my Rainbow Life! Go, Emergency Provisions!" she then shouted. "Now by sending any number of Spells or Traps to the Graveyard, I then gain a thousand Life Points for each one of them! And I'll choose to send Magical Spring and Rainbow Life, along with the Divine Dragon that's currently being used as an Equip Spell on my Paladin of Felgrand!" And with that, all three of those cards disappeared from the field, boosting Ember's Life Points considerably (Ember: LP 1,600 + 3,000 = 4,600).

"Th-that can't be!!" shouted Torch, surprised by that move. "How could you have known how to do all of that?!?" The look on his face was one of pure astonishment.

(That was a great move on Ember's part...) Sunset thought to herself. (Even though she sent her activated Spell and Trap Cards to the Graveyard, she still gets their effects since Emergency Provisions doesn't negate the cards it targets. That means she still gets the protective effect of Rainbow Life, and then the draw effect of Magical Spring. And not only that, but because she no longer has any face-up Spells or Traps on her field, she won't have to discard any cards after using Magical Spring! And from the look on Torch's face, I don't think he expected his own daughter to make such a good move like that...)

Ember then drew two cards from her Deck with her Magical Spring as her father's Trap Card destroyed her monster. Torch then banished Return of the Dragon Lords to prevent his own monster from getting destroyed by his own card. The blue teen then smirked and asked him mockingly, "What was that you said earlier? You said that you'd beat me on this turn! So why don't you go ahead and do it?! Well??"

Torch grumbled, but he knew that he was out of moves for this turn. Scowling, he said to his daughter, "It's your turn..."

"Somehow, I had a feeling you'd say that." she told him. "I draw!" She then pulled her next card and looked at it. Afterwards, she played her card and said, "I activate Pot of Desires! I banish ten cards from the top of my Deck face-down and draw two more!" After removing a sizable chunk of her Deck and drawing her next two cards, she looked them closely and thought, (These could help out a lot...) Ember then played one of her newly-drawn cards and shouted, "I activate my Continuous Spell, Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords!"

*******************************

Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords:
(Continuous Spell Card)

If a monster(s) is Special Summoned, except from the GY, while you control a Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster: That face-up Special Summoned monster(s) has its effects negated until the end of this turn (even if this card leaves the field). Once per turn: You can send 1 other face-up card you control to the GY; Special Summon 1 "Dragon Lord Token" (Dragon/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0). If this card is in your GY: You can send 1 Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster from your hand or face-up from your field to the GY; add this card to your hand.

*******************************

"And now that I have that card on the field, I'll activate my remaining face-down card!" she then declared. "I play my Call of the Haunted, which I'll use to revive my Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand from the Graveyard!" With the help of her Trap Card, the Dragon monster that she sent to the Graveyard with her Emergency Provisions Spell Card was back on the field, this time as a Monster Card. It let out a powerful roar that shook the area around them (Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800).

"No...!" said Torch, realizing her plan a little too late. "You had that card ready to Summon your Dragon back to the field after I wiped out your Paladin!"

"To be honest, I was kinda shocked that you fell for that, Dad." Ember admitted.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" he asked, seemingly offended.

(She has a point...) Sunset pondered. (If those websites describing Torch were accurate, he should've been able to see her plan and counter it. I guess his time away from dueling has made him a bit rusty... and I have a feeling that Ember was counting on that fact when she challenged him.)

"I expected a lot better out of you, Dad," Ember told him, "but I guess you spent a little TOO much time in retirement..."

Growling a little, Torch then told his defiant daughter, "Just make your move...!"

"I'd be glad to!" she responded. "I activate my Divine Dragon's effect! Since I Special Summoned him from the Graveyard, I can now banish your Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon from the game! Go, Divine Decimation!" Her dragon then let out a bright light from its wings, shining several bright rays onto Torch's dragon and wiping it out completely. "Heh... so WHO, exactly doesn't have what it takes to survive a Duel? Looks to me like you're the one that's in trouble..."

Torch said nothing in response, but his situation brought up some old memories; ones that he wished would leave his mind. He remembered going into the final Duel of the National Tournament, facing off against his opponent... and then losing in shame.

Continuing her turn, Ember then shouted, "Now I'll Summon my Kidmodo Dragon in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was a tiny, salmon-colored dragon with cute, beady black eyes and tiny little wings (Kidmodo Dragon: Level 3 / ATK 100 / DEF 200). "Now for my Battle Phase!" the blue teen shouted. "Attack, Felgrand and Kidmodo!!"

"URRRGH!!!!" grunted Torch as both her Dragons struck him hard: First Felgrand (Torch: LP 4,000 - 3,500 = 500), and then Kidmodo (Torch: LP 500 - 100 = 400). Now it was Torch who had fallen far behind in Life Points; quite a change from when the Duel had started.

"I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." Ember told her father. "Like it or not, I'm gonna be a Duelist, Dad! And not even you can stop that from happening!!"

Torch was still completely shocked by how well his daughter was playing. (I don't understand...!) he thought to himself. (How is Ember this strong?! I banned her from dueling, so she shouldn't have been able to pick up on the game so well...!) After thinking a bit more, he then asked himself, (Did... she really manage to figure it all out on her own? But how?? ...And what's this strange feeling I'm getting? It feels... sort of familiar... Like I've had it before, but where? And when??)

Sunset and Ember just stared at the large man, wondering what we was doing just standing there, not making a move. "Uh... what's up with my dad?" asked the blue teenager. "It looks like he's spacing out..."

"I guess he's finally figured out that you're not going to be as easily beaten as he thought." the red-and-yellow girl figured. "Now the only way he'll be able to beat you is if he starts taking this Duel seriously."

"What d'ya mean by that, Sunset?" Ember asked.

"It means he'll need to re-awaken his passion for dueling, just like he did in the past." she answered her. "In other words, he'll need to stop treating you like a child and START treating you as a worthy opponent!"

Ember still didn't quite understand what her friend was talking about... but Torch was beginning to. (My... passion for dueling?) the man thought. (Is that what this whole thing is about?? To get me back into dueling?) Sighing, he then said to himself, "That could never happen... I gave up all that up. I no longer have that passion in me." But the more he talked about it, the bigger that feeling he was getting became.

"Well, Dad?" asked Ember. "You gonna make your move or what?!"

Snapping himself back into reality, Torch then shouted to her, "Fine, if that's what you want! I draw!!" After drawing a card from the top of his Deck, he then immediately played it. "I activate MY Pot of Desires! By banishing the top ten cards of my Deck face-down, I can draw two more cards!" After removing a sizable chunk of his Deck and drawing his next two cards, he then played one of them. "Next, I'll activate a second Spell Card! Dark World Dealings!"

"Dark World Dealings??" asked both of the girls.

"I guess you are aware of what this card does, then." Torch stated. "Now we each draw one more card from our Decks, then after that, we each discard one!" Torch then drew the next card from his Deck and smirked, knowing that he got a good draw out of his Spell Card. He then discarded one of his Monster Cards to the Graveyard afterwards. Ember drew another card from her Deck... and then discarded that card, as she didn't need it right now.

(Torch must be setting something big up...) thought Sunset Shimmer. (But what is it?)

Taking another card out of his hand, the large man then said to his daughter, "Get ready, Ember... for a taste of what you'll get in the dueling world!! I activate the Spell Card, Dragon's Mirror! This card allows me to banish monsters on my field or in my Graveyard to Summon a Dragon-Type Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck!"

"A Fusion Summon?!" exclaimed Ember, a bit worried at what her father was planning to bring out.

Taking two cards from his Graveyard, Torch then stated, "From the Graveyard, I banish the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, as well as the card I discarded with Dark World Dealings: My Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight!" The two monsters then appeared on the field before being sucked into a red-and-blue vortex that appeared in the sky. "Black dragon with the crimson eyes! Metal knight with the crimson eyes! Rise from the black shadows and carry the fallen back into battle!" Torch chanted. "Fusion Summon! The ferocious and deadly dragon with steel armor! Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!!"

After the chant was complete, a blast of flames came shooting out of it, striking the ground in front of Torch. Out from the flames came a pair of glowing, red eyes that carried with them a sense of dread. When the flames finally died down, Torch's powerful dragon was on the field once more, except now it was covered in strong, steel armor, colored black, red, and silver. On each of its forearms - as well as on its tail, there was a large, metal blade that looked as though it could cut through absolutely anything.

*******************************

Red-Eyes Slash Dragon:
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Dragon/DARK/Level 7/ATK 2800/DEF 2400)

"Red-Eyes B. Dragon" + 1 Warrior monster
When a "Red-Eyes" monster declares an attack: You can target 1 Warrior monster in your GY; equip it to this card as an Equip Spell with this effect.
* The equipped monster gains 200 ATK.
When a card or effect is activated that targets a card you control (Quick Effect): You can send 1 Equip Card you control to the GY; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon as many monsters from your GY as possible, that were equipped to this card.

*******************************

Sunset was surprised by the appearance of this powerful dragon. "Unbelievable..." she said. "He actually HAS that card? I've never seen one before!"

Ember was equally as shocked by the appearance of her Dad's monster. (I never knew he had that in his Deck, even though I knew he used a Red-Eyes Deck...) Regaining her composure, she then reminded her father, "Your Slash Dragon might be strong, but its attack points are still lower than my Divine Dragon! And because you Special Summoned it, my Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords negates its effects this turn!"

But that comment only made Torch snicker. "That won't matter, Ember!" he boldly told her. "This Duel will end in my victory all the same!" Tapping his Duel Pad, he then shouted, "I once more activate the effect of my Return of the Red-Eyes to return my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon to my field!" And just like that, his monster revived itself and was ready to wreak havoc. "Your Ruins card only negates the effects of my monsters if they weren't Summoned from the Graveyard." the man reminded his daughter. "But since my Black Flare Dragon WAS Summoned from there, it's not affected by it!"

"That's not good..." said Ember, knowing what her father was going to do next.

"Now, I Gemini Summon my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon, so that I can use its effect!" Torch yelled as his dragon began glowing in a white light. "And as you recall, if my Black Flare Dragon battles, he can then inflict his original attack power on you as damage!" Taking another card out of his hand, he then added, "And not only that, but I'll use my Axe of Despair Equip Spell to give my Slash Dragon another one thousand attack points!" (Red-Eyes Slash Dragon: ATK 2800 + 1000 = 3800)

"Oh no...!" Sunset gasped, realizing what was going to happen. "If he attacks all her monsters this turn, the battle damage combined with that effect damage will drop her down to zero Life Points! She won't survive it!" But then she noticed the cards that her friend had on the field. (Or can she...?) Something told the otherworldly girl that this Duel wasn't quite over just yet...

"Time to end this Duel!" shouted Torch, smirking as he did so. "Red-Eyes Slash Dragon, attack her Divine Dragon Lord!! Inferno Steel Fire!!" The armor-plated dragon then screeched as it shot a powerful flame at Ember's dragon, wiping it off the field in an instant, as well as inflicting some damage to the blue-skinned girl (Ember: LP 4,600 - 300 = 4,300). "And now it's my Flare Dragon's turn to attack!"

Ember braced herself for whatever her father had in store for her. (Bring it on, Dad...) she told him mentally. (Give me all you've got!)

Torch then went over his plan in his mind. (My Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon has 2,400 attack points, and her remaining monster has only 100...) he pondered. (After I attack, she'll be down to just 2,000 Life Points! Then, once my Flare Dragon uses its effect, she'll drop all the way down to zero! I'll win the Duel!) He then paused for a moment, as if he had forgotten something. (...Oh, and that would mean that... she would quit dueling.) he recalled in his memory. (How did I forget about that...?) Deciding that now wasn't the time to dwell on that, Torch then shouted, "Flare Dragon!! Wipe out her Kidmodo Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!!"

Sunset gasped as the man's second monster launched its attack, sending a vicious fireball straight towards Ember's tiny dragon. The creature was too weak to survive the blast and was destroyed instantly. "Ember!!" she called out to her friend.

Chuckling to himself, Torch then said, "This Duel is over... You've lost, Ember." But when the flames dispersed and the smoke blew away, the man gasped at what he saw next. "What?!?"

Sunset was equally as surprised to see that Ember was still standing. Not only that, her Life Points didn't seem to have decreased (Ember: LP 6,000). "Sorry, Dad..." she told him, "but I'm not gonna go down that easily!"

"But... but how?!" asked Torch, having no idea what was going on. "How did your Life Points increase?! They should have gone down to 2,000!!"

"They would have, but they didn't." the blue teen replied. "Right after your attack hit me, I activated a Trap Card just before I took any damage!" The rest of the smoke finally cleared away, revealing the image of her face-down card, only now it was face-up. "It's called Nutrient Z! Since your attack would have hit me for at least 2,000 points of damage, this card give me 4,000 more Life Points BEFORE the damage is inflicted!"

"What?! No!!!" exclaimed Torch, shocked at how prepared his daughter was for the situation.

"Thanks to that Nutrient Z card," Sunset began saying to herself, "Ember gained a huge amount of Life Points, nearly doubling what she had started out with (Ember 4,300 + 4,000 = 8,300). After that big boost, the damage she took from Black Flare Dragon's attack was practically nothing (Ember: LP 8,300 - 2,300 = 6,000)! In fact, now she has even MORE points than when the turn started!" Smiling to herself, she then said, "Guess that extra time we took getting some new cards at that store on the way over here paid off."

"That's not all:" the blue girl continued. "Since Kidmodo Dagon was sent to the Graveyard, I can use his effect to Special Summon my Arkbrave Dragon from my hand!"

Ember's father gasped, having been taken completely by surprise. Not only did she survive such a powerful attack from his Red-Eyes monsters, but now she even managed to Summon a new monster to protect her. Her white-and-gold dragon with two sets of powerful wings then flew from the sky and onto the field, sitting in front of its controller and putting itself in Defense Position (Arkbrave Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000).

Torch just couldn't wrap his mind over how well his daughter was dueling. But before he could make any remark, Ember made one of her own. "If you're wondering how I'm doing so well right now, Dad..." she told him, "it's because I studied up on you before challenging you. Since I knew what kind of Deck you used back when you used to be a Duelist, I fine-tuned my own Deck so that I could beat it! I knew your strategy was all about hitting me for as much damage as possible, so I put in a few recovery cards to keep me safe from them!"

"You... you actually knew what I was going to do??" Torch asked, surprised (and a bit impressed) by the fact that Ember had seemed to thoroughly prepare herself before the Duel began.

"That's right, Dad." she answered him. "That proves how much I'm willing to do in order to become a great Duelist myself! I know it won't be easy, but I still want to go out there and do my best, just like you used to!"

That last comment made Torch gasp; he hadn't realized just how far his daughter was willing to go in order to become a Duelist. For a moment, he contemplated surrendering the Duel to her... But of course, he wouldn't. Changing the subject back to the Duel in progress, he then calmly told her, "Since Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon battled, he now inflicts his original attack power on you as damage." His Gemini Monster then let out a roar as it shot out another blast of flames that struck Ember directly (Ember: LP 6,000 - 2,400 = 3600). "You may have survived this turn," he informed her, "but next turn, I WILL defeat you. And there isn't a thing you can do about it! Now make your last move!"

Ember did her best to remain strong, even as her own father was coming after her with his dragons. As she prepared to draw her next card, she then heard Sunset say, "You can do it, Ember!"

Glancing back at her new friend, the blue teenager asked her, "You really think I can? Even you have to admit, this isn't exactly the best of situations right now... One way or another, this probably will be my last turn."

"Maybe," the inter-dimensional girl replied, "but that doesn't mean it's hopeless! It's like my friend Applejack told me: 'It ain't over 'til the last card's drawn!' You've still got one more card to draw, and it could very well be exactly what you need. But you'll never know until you draw it."

"You've got a good point, Sunset." agreed Ember. "I've got to try, at the very least..." Putting her fingers on the top card of her Deck, she added, "Win or lose, no one'll accuse me of wimping out! I WILL become a Pro Duelist someday, even if that doesn't happen right now! I'll just keep trying until it happens!"

That comment of hers seemed to affect Torch a little. "She's... she's not afraid of failure?" he asked himself. "Even if she loses this Duel, she's still willing to keep at it...?" For that moment, he began to wonder if it was wrong of him to prevent his daughter from becoming a Duelist.

"It's my turn! I draw!!" shouted Ember as she drew her next card. Once she got a look at what she drew... she smiled. "Perfect." she said. Facing her father, she then asked him, "You ready t' watch me win this Duel?"

"W-win??" asked Torch, not sure what she had planned.

"The first thing I'll do is activate the other effect of my Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords!" Ember declared. "By sending my Arkbrave Dragon on the field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Dragon Lord Token to my field in Defense Mode!" And just as she said, her larger dragon vanished from the field. In its place, a statue of a dragon rose up from the ground in front of her (Dragon Lord Token: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"You must be kidding me..." said Torch, not intimidated at all. "You sent such a powerful monster to the field just to Summon a no-attack or defense monster??"

"Well... not really." the blue girl answered him. "Summoning the Token was nice, but what I really wanted was to put my other monster in the Graveyard."

"How come?" her father asked.

Ember then took the card she had drawn this turn and shouted, "I activate a Spell Card from my hand! I play... MY Return of the Dragon Lords!"

"What the-?!" said a surprised Torch.

"That's right, Dad: I have one in my Deck, too!" she told her father. "Only I'll use mine to re-Summon my Arkbrave Dragon back from the Graveyard!" In an instant, the dragon that she had previously sent to the Graveyard was now back on the field.

"So you sent your dragon to the Graveyard just to bring it right back??" asked the large man. "I don't understand what the point of that was!"

"The point, Dad, was that Arkbrave's effect only works when it's Summoned from the Graveyard, just like with my Divine Dragon Lord!" Ember told him. "When Arkbrave Dragon brought back from the Graveyard, his effect banishes all of your face-up Spell and Trap Cards!"

"What?! ALL of them?!" gasped Torch.

"ALL of them." she repeated. "And as an added bonus, Arkbrave then gains two hundred attack and defense points for every single card he gets rid of!" Ember then thrusted her hand into the air and shouted, "Go!! Magic Neutralizer!!" The dragon then roared loudly as it shone a brilliant light on the field. It was a light so powerful, that it managed to wipe away Torch's Axe of Despair and Return of the Red-Eyes (Red-Eyes Slash Dragon: ATK 3800 - 1000 = 2800). Then, Ember's dragon gained even more power after having used its effect (Arkbrave Dragon: ATK 2400 + 400 = 2800 / DEF 2000 + 400 = 2400).

"T-twenty-eight hundred attack points?!" exclaimed Torch. "But that means-!"

"You've got it, Dad." Ember told him. "That means that when Arkbrave attacks your Flare Dragon, this Duel's over!" She then shouted to her monster, "Go! Arkbrave Dragon!! Attack his Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!! Arkbrave Light Stream!!" Ember's dragon then charged up energy in its mouth and shot a powerful ray at her father's lower-ATK dragon. The blast hit it dead-on, destroying it completely and wiping out the rest of the man's Life Points (Torch: LP 400 - 400 = 0) (WINNER: Ember).

Torch dropped to his knees, eyes wide with disbelief at what had just happened. "I... I don't believe it..." he uttered quietly. "I lost... Ember actually beat me..."

"Alright, Ember!!" cheered Sunset. "You won! I knew you'd do it!!"

The blue teenager gave her new friend a thumbs-up and told her, "Of course I could; with everything that I had riding on the outcome, there was no way I'd let myself lose that Duel!"

Sunset nodded and told her, "From the moment we met earlier, I knew you had a lot of talent... But I also knew that you had a lot of pressure on you because of your father." Smiling, she then said, "But once you got rid of all of that pressure, there was no stopping you! The most important thing a Duelist needs to know is to never let their fears or worries get the best of them. No matter what stands in your way, you have to face it head-on!"

"You bet I will, Sunset." Ember said with a nod. "I won't back down from anything, no matter what!"

Happy to hear that, the otherworldly girl then told her, "That's good to hear. You've stood up to your own personal demons and overcame them." The two of them looked over towards Torch, who was still shocked after losing the Duel. "Now it's time for your father to overcome his demons as well..." Sunset then added. Ember nodded yes and the two of them walked over towards the large man.

"I... I don't understand...!" Torch said to himself, still a bit in denial from his loss. "I used to be a pro at this game...! I've had far more experience than she does!" Punching the ground in frustration, he then shouted, "So how did I LOSE?!" At that moment, he then saw his daughter and her friend standing in front of him.

"Alright, Dad... we had a deal:" Ember told him in an assertive tone. "Since I won, that means you're not allowed to keep me from dueling anymore. No exceptions."

"Urrrgh... no... no, I can't let you...!" Torch responded, still unable to process everything.

"What?!" shouted Ember. "Why not?! Tell me what the big deal is! Why don't you like it if I duel?!"

Getting up, he then told his daughter, "You... just can't...! You're not ready for the brutal nature of the dueling world!"

"What do you mean 'I'm not ready'?!" argued the blue teen. "I think it's pretty clear that I've got what it takes to do well out there! What are you so concerned about?!"

"I... well, I..." Torch struggled to say why he didn't want his daughter playing Duel Monsters, but something was keeping him from doing that.

"I think I know what's going on here..." Sunset suddenly spoke up. Walking over towards Ember's father, she asked him, "Does your reason for keeping Ember from dueling have anything to do with that Duel at the National Tournament years ago?"

Torch gasped a little. "You...! How did you know about that?!" he asked.

"When Ember left to go to the library," the red-and-yellow girl explained, "she and I looked around on the Internet to find information about your past dueling career. We then found out about the last official tournament Duel you ever played: The only Duel you had ever lost... The one where you played against Luna."

Torch grumbled a bit, not happy about the girl bringing up that bitter memory again.

"I have a feeling that, because of your defeat that day," Sunset continued to tell him, "you decided that you wouldn't allow your daughter to duel... That way what happened to you then wouldn't happen to her."

Ember was a bit surprised to hear that. Her anger towards her father subsiding a little, she calmly asked him, "It's true, isn't it...? You didn't want me to lose badly against someone like you did, is that it?"

With all of it out in the open, Torch knew that he couldn't keep his feelings bottled up anymore. Sighing, he confessed, saying, "It's true... When you told me a long time ago that you wanted to be a Duelist, all I could think about was the day that my dueling career ended. Without even thinking about it, I decided to forbid you from dueling." Sighing again and looking away in shame, he then added, "That way... you wouldn't fail as bad as I did..."

Ember was taken aback by what her father had told her. She now realized that the only reason he was keeping from dueling was because he was trying to protect her from suffering a humiliating defeat, just like he had suffered during that tournament. "I... I had no idea..." she told him. "Why didn't you tell me, Dad? If you had told me this long ago, we might've been able to work things out, or something..."

"I just didn't want you to think less of me, that's all." Torch admitted. "But you're right... We should have talked about it. Then things might not have gone out of hand the way they did..." With a solemn look on his face, he then told his daughter, "Please forgive me, Ember... I'll understand if you don't, but you must know that I'm truly sorry for everything I've put you through regarding the matter."

The blue-skinned girl wasn't really sure what to do. At first, she was angry at her father for preventing her from becoming a Duelist. But now that she knew why he was acting that way, she couldn't seem to get mad at him anymore. Confused, Ember glanced over to Sunset and asked her, "Wh... what do you think I should do...?"

Smiling warmly, the jacket-clad teen told her, "While he may have gone about it all the wrong way, he was only doing it for you because he cares about you, Ember... You can't really blame him for that." Nodding her head, she then said, "If I were in your position, I'd forgive him. He may have done wrong, but his intentions were good. Believe me, it'd be best just hug it out and help each other move on."

Ember thought about what Sunset had told her, and decided that she was right. Turning over to her father, she said to him, "While I'm not into the whole 'hug it out' thing... I agree with everything she said." Trying her best to smile, she added, "You were just looking out for me, and now that I know that, I can't stay mad at you."

Torch was surprised, but pleased to hear that his daughter was willing to forgive and forget. "Thank you, Ember." he said, smiling warmly (possibly for the first time ever). "I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you... With your mother not in the picture anymore and everything, I just, well-"

"Dad, don't worry about it." Ember interrupted. "I just said that I forgave you. Let's just leave it at that."

Torch stopped his sentence short, and the father and daughter each shared a friendly laugh with each about the whole thing. Going back to a serious tone, the man then said to Ember, "During our Duel, I was able to feel just how strongly you wanted to become a Duelist. And I must admit, you managed to bring back that spark - that love for dueling that I thought I had lost so long ago..." Sighing a short sigh, he then told her, "But I was honest when I told you just how tough the Dueling world really is. There are many players out there with more experience and stronger Decks than you might have... Knowing that, are you sure you want to be a part of all that?"

"Of course, Dad." the blue-skinned girl told him without a second thought. "It's been my dream ever since I heard about how great a Duelist you used to be." Looking at her Deck in her D-Pad, she then said, "And I know there's people out there that may be better than I am... But I won't let that stop me! I may lose every now and then, but I'll never give up on becoming a great Duelist!"

Torch was impressed by his daughter's determination, even after he had warned her about all of the powerful Duelists that were out there. He then said to her, "When I had the chance to become a Pro, I foolishly threw it all away... I will only allow you to keep dueling if you can promise me that you won't make the same mistake that I did. Can you do that?"

Ember nodded and said, "I promise that I'll make you proud of me, Dad. As long as I have your support, I'll do my best!" Torch smiled a little, happy to know that his daughter would always give her all, no matter how tough the challenge. Sunset Shimmer, watching the whole time, wiped a tear from her eye at the touching moment before her.

Outside, Sunset was prepared to leave Ember's house for a new destination. As she was getting onto her Duel Runner, she heard a voice calling out her. "HEY!! Sunset!!" The red-and-yellow girl looked up and saw that Ember was running over to her.

"Hey, Ember. What's up?" Sunset asked.

"Just wanted to thank you again for everything you did." the blue teen told her. "I guess it wasn't a bad idea after all to let you help me patch things up with my dad."

"I was just doing what I could to help." the otherworldly girl simply replied. "In any case, I'm glad that you and your father are on good terms with each other again and that he's going to let you become a Duelist for real."

Ember nodded and smiled before asking, "So, where are ya heading now?"

"Not sure, really." Sunset admitted. "I was only just passing by this area, looking for something to do since a tournament in my hometown got cancelled because of a roof leak."

"A tournament? You mean a Duel Monsters Tournament?" asked the blue teenager. Sunset nodded yes to answer her friend's question. "Well, I heard there's one going on here in Bloodstone tomorrow. If you stick around for a bit, you could probably try it."

"Really? Thanks!" Sunset said, grateful to her. "Are you going to join, too?"

"Not yet." Ember answered. "I'm gonna train with my Dad for a little bit before I get into any kind of real competition. But when I do get into it, I'll want a rematch with you. And I can promise you that I won't be as easy to beat next time!"

"I'm counting on it, Ember." the red-and-yellow girl replied, eager to face her again one day.

Pulling out her deck box, Ember then pulled out one of the cards inside and showed it to her new friend. "Here, Sunset." she told her. "Take this card. It's the least I can do for everything you've done for me and my dad. It might help you win the tournament tomorrow."

Taking the card, Sunset gasped and asked, "Is this Tornado Dragon?! I've always wanted one! And you're just giving it to me?" The blue girl nodded yes. "Wow, thank you so much! I'll use it well!" the jacket-wearing teen replied, putting the card safely away in her own deck box.

"Good t' hear." Shaking her friend's hand, Ember smiled and told her, "See ya around, Sunset Shimmer."

"Until we meet again." Sunset replied, also smiling from the new friendship she had forged with Ember. After that, Sunset started up her Runner and drove off. Ember watched on, still smiling and happy to have met such a good person today.

Back in the home of Mrs. K (a.k.a. Kisara), inside of the desk drawer where she had kept her multi-colored blank Number cards, the one with a yellow color in its picture began to glow a light in the shape of Sunset's necklace...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 32: Bloom's Divine Card Game:

Author's Note

This episode was pretty fun to write, as it features two very well-known decks, as well as the premise behind it all. Overall, I'm pretty proud of this one and I hope you all enjoy it as well.

RANK 32: Bloom's Divine Card Game:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

During the Spring Break Week, everyone had planned their own agendas for enjoying their time off. Twilight Sparkle went back home to spend the vacation with her Ponyville friends, but wound up tangling with her dark side in a high-stakes Duel. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Sweetie Belle went to attend a major fashion show in Manehattan, only to encounter a girl named Diamondbright who had tried to turn their vacation upside-down. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo spent a day over at Cheese Sandwich Family Fun Center to play games and enjoy themselves... after they had to deal with an obnoxious bully named Garble, who was terrorizing the other patrons. As for Sunset Shimmer, she journeyed to the town of Bloodstone, earned her Duel Runner driver's license, and helped a girl named Ember resolve a spat that she had with her father.

For Applejack and her family, they decided to spend the week off from school doing work around the farm. So far, things have been going swimmingly for them. Nothing intense has happened there since their encounter with Ms. Skyblaze and Lucky, and it seems that all will remain calm and relaxing on the Apple Family Farm. But for Apple Bloom, who is determined to become a strong Duelist like Sunset one day, she's not in the mood to stay calm and relaxed for long...

"Alright! I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization!" shouted the voice of Babs Seed, who was currently in the middle of a Duel with her younger cousin Apple Bloom. The two of them were competing in the middle of an open field not far from the barn. After playing her Spell Card, the girl from Manehattan then said, "I'll fuse togethah mah Predaplant Chimerafflesia and mah Predaplant Sarraceniant... and Summon a new Fusion Monster!"

"Uh-oh... that doesn't sound good..." said Apple Bloom, knowing that she was in trouble now (Apple Bloom: LP 1,400).

Instantly, a red and blue-colored portal appeared in the skies above, drawing in Babs's strong Fusion Monster (Predaplant Chimerafflesia: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000) and her other Plant-Type monster (Predaplant Sarraceniant: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 600) in order to create something more powerful. "Parasitic corpse flower that feeds on the living!" Babs chanted. "Merge together with my gluttonous plant and bloom a creature whose hunger can never be satisfied! Fusion Summon!" At that moment, the portal shot out a brilliant light that struck the ground, causing something to come out from below. "Emerge now, draconic plant! Predaplant Dragostapelia!!"

Babs Seed's new Fusion Monster appeared to combine the traits of a dragon and a plant, based on its appearance. It was mostly dragon-like in terms of its body structure, but growing out of its mostly-green body were all manner of vines and thorns, adding to its overall frightening appearance. Every breath it took caused it to exhale a poisonous purple cloud from its maw, and its wings were a deep maroon (Predaplant Dragostapelia: Level 8 / ATK 2700 / DEF 1900).

"Oh man..." Apple Bloom said to herself. "I don't like the look that thing's givin' me..."

Applejack - who was watching the Duel with her older brother Big McIntosh, and her grandmother Granny Smith, commented, "That guy looks like he fell outta the Ugly Tree n' hit every branch on the way down!"

"Either that," Granny remarked, "or that thing IS the Ugly Tree. In any case, it looks like this Duel's about t' be over."

"Eeeyup." agreed Big Mac.

Pointing forward, Babs then shouted, "Alright, Dragostapelia! Attack Apple Bloom's Wind-Up Dog with yer Corrosive Vapor!" The creature then exhaled a forced blast of poison straight towards Bloom's only monster on the field (Wind-Up Dog: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 900). The cloud enveloped the mechanical-like creature and melted it down to nothing more than a fine mist.

"Aw, darnit...! Ah lost...!" groaned Apple Bloom (Apple Bloom: LP 1,400 - 1,500 = 0) (Babs Seed: LP 4,000) (WINNER: Babs Seed) "That's the third time in a row that Ah couldn't even touch ya!"

As the AR images faded away, Babs said to his younger cousin, "Sorry, cuz... maybe you'll do bettah next time."

"At the rate that Ah'm goin'..." said the bow-wearing girl in a disheartened tone, "Ah highly doubt it..."

"Don't get so down in the dumps, Apple Bloom!" Applejack told her, trying to lift her sister's spirits up. "Ah thought y'all did much better that time."

"...You're jus' sayin' that." Bloom replied, not in the mood to be patronized. Sighing, she then added, "This ain't fair! Ah'm supposed to be the head of the Duel Monsters Crusaders! What kinda leader am Ah supposed t' be if Ah can't even win one Duel?! Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo told me that they finally won Duels durin' the week, but for some reason, Ah can't!"

"Now, now Apple Bloom..." said Granny Smith, walking over to her. "There's no need to start cryin' over spilled cider." Putting her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder, she told her, "No Duelist, not even pros like Celestia and Luna, ever got to where they were without hittin' a few bumps in the road. It may seem like it'll never happen, but if you keep workin' n' practicin', you'll start improvin' before ya know it!"

"...You really think so, Granny?" asked the little yellow girl.

"Sure Ah do!" the older woman replied. "It may take y'all a li'l while t' get better... But once you do, Ah know you'll make us all proud! After all, bein' a late... 'bloomer' means that you've got the chance to make the biggest splash of them all!"

Apple Bloom giggled a little at Granny Smith's comment, especially the "late bloomer" part. Snapping out of her discouraged feelings for the moment, the young girl formed a smile and said, "Thanks, Granny... Ah guess you're right. Ah know Ah'll win a Duel someday: Ah shouldn't try n' force it to happen."

"Now that's more like it." said Applejack. "Just 'cause yer friends have won games before ya, that doesn't mean it'll never happen. y'all just gotta keep workin' at it until ya succeed!" The orange-skinned girl then remembered something after making that statement. "By the way, speakin' of work..." she began to ask her younger sister, "did y'all finish that report ya had t' do for your Literature Class next week?"

That question caused Apple Bloom to freeze up a little. Now her earlier Duel Monsters loss became the least of her worries. "Um... m-m-mah report??" she asked, pupils dilated and sweat running down her cheek. "I, uh... I..."

"Hmmmm... Ah thought so." Applejack said, having a feeling that her younger sister was shirking off her homework. "Well," she then started to say, "before y'all work on improvin' yer dueling skills, you oughtta get t' work on that assignment first."

"Aw man..." moaned Bloom, who wasn't too excited about doing schoolwork, especially during Spring Break.

Looking at her watch and seeing how late it was, Granny Smith suggested to everyone, "Well, before that, though... Ah think it's time we all get ourselves into the kitchen n' have some dinner, what do y'all say?"

"Ah'm completely fine with that!" Apple Bloom said instantly, wanting any chance to get away from doing her schoolwork, even if it was just for a brief amount of time.

Applejack sighed a little at her sister's sudden case of procrastination, but decided to roll with it for now. "Well, maybe a li'l brain food'll do ya some good when you get to that report." she stated. She then glanced over to Babs and asked her, "Are y'all stayin' fer dinner?"

"Yeah, I guess I could." the Manehattan girl simply said to her older cousin. "My folks ain't expectin' me t' be back right away, so I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

"Alright then." Applejack said before glancing over to her brother. "Ya comin' Big Mac?" she called out to him.

"Eeeyup!" he replied as he finished putting away some of the heavier farm equipment back into the barn. As he closed the barn doors, he then glanced over at his Apple Bloom, who was walking back to their home with the others and began to think about something to himself. "Hmmmmm..." he hummed, rubbing his chin a little. Eventually, he put his sudden thoughts aside and ran up to join the rest of them as they walked back to the farmhouse.

Inside of the Apple Family home, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Babs Seed were sitting at the table while Granny Smith and Big Mac were busy in the kitchen making the dinner for tonight. Normally, Applejack would assist them, but this time, she decided to help her younger sister figure out what to do with her homework assignment. "Alright, accordin' to what this paper says," the orange teen began to say as she read the instruction paper that stated what the assignment was and how to do it, "y'allre supposed to write an essay about a book or some other form of literature of your own choice. Has t' consist of at least 500 words, double-spaced, and you have t' be able to read it in front of the whole class on the day it's due."

"Uuugh... thanks for remindin' me, big sis..." groaned Apple Bloom. The tone of her voice told everyone that she had little, if any, interest in the assignment. When it came to working on the farm, Apple Bloom didn't mind that at all. But work from school was an altogether different story. "It's not fair..." the bow-wearing girl complained, "it's like the teachers'r TRYIN' to suck the fun outta Spring Break by givin' us homework..."

"Amen t' that, cuz." agreed Babs Seed.

Applejack sighed a bit at their comments (despite the fact that she somewhat agreed with their opinions). "Now, girls... Ah don't like gettin' assignments over vacation as much as the next person," she told them, "but the fact remains, Apple Bloom: y'all have an assignment t' do, and as far as Ah know, there ain't never been a member of the Apple Family that's shirked off work of any kind, no matter what!"

"Ah guess so..." Bloom replied. "But Ah don't even know what kinda book Ah'm gonna write about! Knowin' the teacher, Ah probably have t' do it on some really long, really borin' book or somethin' that'll take me the rest of the week t' finish readin'..." The yellow girl then asked her cousin, "Say, Babs... you're in mah class, too: What did y'all write about?"

"Uh, me?" asked the Manehattan girl. "I chose The Grapes of Wrath. I liked the sound of the title, so I decided t' go with it. I'll admit, the story wasn't what I was expectin', but it turned out to be bettah than I thought."

"Ah wish it were that easy for me t' choose a book for the report..." Apple Bloom stated.

"Ah'm sure you'll think of somethin', sis." Applejack told her in a reassuring tone of voice. "It's like ya said earlier: You shouldn't try t' force yourself to figure this out, or y'all won't do as well at it. Maybe tomorrow, you'll be able t' come up with somethin', and we'll all help ya out as much as we can!"

"Thanks, big sis." Apple Bloom replied, gaining some hope that she could overcome the daunting task of her homework assignment.

A few seconds later, the phone began to ring. "Ah'll get it! Ah'll get it!" Granny Smith said, walking over to the phone. Picking it up, she spoke into it, saying, "Hello? This is Apple Family Farm! How can we help ya? ...Mhmmm... yes... Really? ...Okay, Ah'll tell her." Moving her face away from the phone, she then called over towards the dinner table, "AJ! It's fer you."

"Alright, Ah'll be right over!' said Applejack. She then gave her little sister a friendly pat on the back before getting up and walking over to the phone. After taking it from her grandmother (who then went back to the kitchen to assist Big Mac), the orange-skinned girl spoke into the receiver, saying, "Hello? This is Applejack speakin'... Hm? Is that you, Cherry Jubilee? How's it goin'? ...Mhmm... well, it's good t' hear from ya after so long! So what's up? ...You're kiddin'! You found it?! How'd y'all get it?!"

As Applejack continued to talk on the phone, Big Mac came out of the kitchen with a large roast chicken, fresh out of the oven. He set it right in the middle of the table, where Babs Seed and Apple Bloom could look at it in all its glory. "Oh man... dat chicken looks so good..." said Babs. Taking a long sniff of the air, she added, "And it smells even bettah!"

"Ah know, cuz...!" Apple Bloom chimed in. "And listen: y'all can even hear it sizzlin'!" Big Mac was happy to hear them say that, since he was the one in charge of cooking the main course.

Soon after, Granny Smith brought out some other food items to go along with the roast chicken, such as white rice, green beans, and carrots (the last of which were generously provided by Golden Harvest's family), along with different varieties of dipping sauces. Big Mac later walked back to the dining table after having set the chicken down with some large bottles for drinks (and as you could probably guess, most of those drinks were made right there on the farm, such as apple juice and cider).

By the time the dinner was all set, Applejack had finished her phone conversation. She sat next to Babs and Apple Bloom, ready for a hearty Apple Family meal. Big Mac and Granny Smith then sat down as well, ready to enjoy the meal with the rest of their family. As they ate, Babs then asked her older cousin, "Say, AJ... Who was dat on the phone earlier?"

"Oh that? That was mah old friend, Cherry Jubilee." the orange girl answered. "She just called to tell me that she found that thing y'all were lookin' for."

"Huh?" asked Babs, a bit surprised. "You mean the thing I was talkin' to ya about last Monday? How'd she get it?"

"Ah'll tell ya about it later, after dinner." Applejack informed her. "Right now, let's just enjoy our meal together as a family." Babs nodded and went back to eating.

As Apple Bloom ate her dinner, she was a bit curious about what her sister and cousin were talking about. But that was pushed out of her mind as she continued to try and figure out what she should do for her upcoming book report. She ate her food slowly as she continued to mull over it in her head. Big Mac, who was sitting across from her, noticed that she was still a bit stressed about her homework and how it seemed to loom over her constantly. He knew how it felt to have tough school assignments and began to wonder if there was anything he could do to help her...

It was about 10 in the morning on the very next day, and by that point, the members of the Apple Family were already as busy as ever tending to things around the farm. Luckily, thanks to their break from school, they had managed to get a lot more work done than usual, and were ahead of schedule on most of the bigger chores. A good thing too, because Applejack and Babs Seed were heading over to the old pickup truck to take a little trip.

Carrying their backpacks and loading them into the vehicle. Applejack sat in the driver's seat and fastened her safety belt as Babs sat in the passenger's seat and did the same. Getting her key out, The orange-skinned girl said to her cousin, "Alright, let's see if the ol' girl will start up okay..." She then placed the key into the ignition and turned it. The truck then began to start up, but not all the way. "Hmmmm..." hummed AJ as she turned the key again. Again, no luck. "Alright, looks like we're gonna need a bit more elbow grease t' get this thing goin'." Rolling up her sleeves, she then told Babs, "Just gimme a minute while Ah get this all sorted out."

"Alright, whatever ya say, cuz..." the Manehattan girl replied as she watched Applejack get out of the truck and pop open the hood to see what the problem was.

Not long after, Apple Bloom and Big Mac had walked out of the house after hearing the truck sputtering. "Aw man, not again..." said the bow-wearing girl as she and her brother walked over towards Applejack. "That thing's on the fritz again, huh AJ?" she asked.

Applejack managed to, with a bit of effort, pop open the hood, which caused a cloud of hot steam to billow out. Instinctively, everyone backed away from the cloud so that it wouldn't scald them. "Yeah, looks like it." said the orange teen. "The good news is that it don't look too bad: The radiator just overheated a little, that's all." Turning over to Big Mac, she asked him, "Say bro, can ya go n' find where we keep the jug of antifreeze?"

"Eeeyup!" the older brother replied, running over towards the barn to find the item in question.

As Applejack continued to work under the hood, Apple Bloom walked over to the passenger's side door to talk to her cousin. "So... um, where are y'all goin'?" she asked her.

"We're goin' t' see somebody named Cherry Jubilee." Babs answered. "That's who was on the phone last night, when we was havin' dinnah."

"Cherry Jubilee?" asked the bow-wearing girl. "Isn't that the person whose family owns that big cherry farm over in Dodge Junction?"

"Well she certainly ain't raisin' grapefruits, cuz..." Babs told her, "otherwise, she'd be Grapefruit Jubilee."

Apple Bloom giggled a bit in response before asking, "So, why're y'all headin' over that way?"

"Um... Can't tell ya yet, cuz. It's a secret." the tomboyish girl answered. "You'll just hafta wait 'till AJ n' I get back."

"Awwww..." groaned the yellow girl.

As Big Mac returned with the antifreeze that his sister asked for, Applejack then told her younger sister, "Don't worry 'bout it for now, Apple Bloom. We won't be gone too long." She then poured the fluid into the radiator to help cool it down as she continued to speak. "Besides, this'll give you plenty of time to figure out what to write for that report that's due next week."

"...Yeah, Ah guess so." Bloom responded in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. She still wasn't too keen on doing any homework today.

Closing the hood of the truck, Applejack then said, "Alright, Ah think we're good now... But Ah'll take the antifreeze with me, just in case." She then turned to her brother and requested him, "While Babs n' I are out, see if you n' Granny can help Apple Bloom with her schoolwork, okay?"

"Eeeyup." Big Mac replied, nodding his head as he did so.

Applejack then got back into the driver's side and started up the truck. It took a second or two, but this time, it finally started up. "Yeah! Now that's more like it!" cheered the orange-skinned gal. Glancing back over at her brother and younger sister, she told them, "Well, Ah guess we'll see y'all a bit later after we're done with Cherry. Make sure the house is still standin' by the time we get back, okay?"

Waving goodbye, Apple Bloom shouted to them, "See ya, AJ! See ya, Babs! Come back soon, okay?"

"See ya later, cuz!" Babs called out back to her. "When we get back, let's have a rematch!"

"Sure! But I won't lose next time!" the bow-wearing girl promised her cousin. Afterwards, the truck began backing up out of the driveway and onto the road. Then, it drove forward towards its intended destination. Once AJ and Babs were no longer in sight, Apple Bloom and Big Mac walked back to the house.

Once inside the living room, Apple Bloom then said to herself, "Once Babs gets back, Ah wanna make sure that this time, Ah'll give her a REAL challenge! Ah don't plan on letting her win before Ah even get a chance to take out some of her Life Points!"

At that moment, Big Mac then coughed a little to get his younger sister's attention. "...Ahem!"

"Huh? What is it?" asked the little yellow girl. After taking a second to think about it, she then realized what her brother was saying, "Oh yeah... You think Ah should get that report done first, is that right?" she asked him.

"...Eeeyup." said Big Mac with a nod.

Apple Bloom sighed a little, but knew he was right. "Alright, alright... Ah'll work on that first." she promised him. Going upstairs to her room, she groaned a little, saying, "But Ah still don't know what Ah should write about...! This stupid report's so difficult t' do; Ah can't imagine anythin' harder than this!"

Big Mac watched his little sister walking slowly up the steps and dreading all the schoolwork that she had had to do. Remembering what Applejack had asked of him before she left, he thought to himself, (Ah just gotta find a way t' help my li'l sis out... But how?) Thinking a bit, he immediately came up with an idea. (Ah know! Maybe Ah can lend her one of my books... But which one?)

Knowing that he had a good idea going, Big Mac hurried up to his bedroom and looked at his collection of books on the shelf. As he looked through them, he remembered a long time ago that, when he had to do things such as book reports, he always dreaded them, much like his little sister was dreading her own assignment right now. But over time, as a result of having those assignments handed to him, he started to appreciate reading a lot more, and eventually he grew to like it a lot. Now he was hoping that he could help his younger sister go through a similar change.

Eventually, his thoughts were halted when he seemed to have found the perfect literary piece for his sister's assignment. Pulling the book out and opening it to a random page, he thought to himself, (Ah remember this one... Ah did a report on it back when Ah was in Literature Class. In fact, this was the story that changed mah attitude towards reading n' stuff...) Then, he felt a sudden bit of doubt as he pondered, (But... will Apple Bloom go for it? Hard t' say... Ah need to find some way to get her more interested in this story, but right now the only thing on her mind is gettin' better at Duel Monsters... Wait! That's it!) Big Mac came up with an excellent plan to get Apple Bloom more enthusiastic about writing her report...

In her bedroom, Apple Bloom was sitting at her desk, holding a pencil and staring at a blank paper in front of her. She had been there since her brother had convinced her to get her homework done, but she hadn't made much progress. "Urrrgh... this is impossible...!" she said to herself. "What in the name of Johnny Appleseed am Ah supposed t' write about??" She considered writing about the character she had just mentioned, but decided it was too predictable, given her name. She continued to tap her pencil on her desk, completely at a lost for ideas.

At that moment, Big Mac - who was holding the book that he had picked out from his collection earlier, walked up behind his sister. He then tapped her shoulder and asked her, "...Li'l sis? Can Ah ask ya somethin'?"

"EEP!!" Bloom shrieked, not recognizing the voice at first. But after she swiftly turned around and saw that it was her brother, she breathed a deep sigh and told him, "Don't scare me like that! Y'all know Ah can't always tell it's you when say more than one word!"

"Um... sorry." Big Mac replied. "Ah didn't mean t' frighten ya."

"I-it's okay..." the bow-wearing girl told him, knowing that he wasn't trying to scare her. Looking at the book that her brother was holding, she asked him, "What's that ya got there?"

"Hm? Oh! This is what Ah wanted t' ask ya about." he answered, presenting the book he was holding to her. "Ah found this book in mah room... Y'all think this could be good for your report?"

Taking the book he was holding, Bloom looked at the title and read it out-loud: "...The Divine Comedy?" She then looked at the cover of the book, which showed a picture of a man in a red, cloak-like garment holding a book in a fresco-style painting. "Hmmm... doesn't look that funny to me, Big Mac." she commented.

"That's 'cause it ain't THAT kind of comedy, li'l sis." he informed her. "It's a narrative poem that was written a long time ago and is one of the greatest works in all of literature. At least that's what most people say 'bout it."

"And ya think Ah could write a report about it?" asked Apple Bloom. Looking at the book again and seeing how big it was, she sighed a little and said, "Ah dunno, looks awful long to me... This could take forever t' get through..."

"...Ah figured y'all wouldn't be too interested in it at first glance," Big Mac told her with a smile, "but Ah think Ah might have an idea that could get the creative juices a-flowin'."

"How?"

Big Mac answered his sister's question by turning around, revealing that he had a deck box strapped to his belt. He then opened it and pulled out his Duel Monsters Deck that he carried in it. "How about we have a little Duel, sis?" he asked her. "Just the two of us."

"A Duel?" asked Bloom. "But Ah thought-"

"Ah think it'd do ya some good." he then told her. "Help y'all loosen up a li'l bit and get y'all pepped up n' stuff. So whad'ya say?"

Apple Bloom wasn't sure why her brother decided to challenge her to a Duel when she had a big assignment to work on. But in the end, she decided not to question it and took it as opportunity to get away from her book report. "What do Ah say?" she responded. "Ah say, 'Bring it on'!" Getting her Deck, D-Pad, and Gazer, she then told her brother, "Meet me out in the backyard, okay?"

"Eeeyup!" said Big Mac with a nod. As he watched his little sister rush out of her bedroom, he then thought to himself, (Apple Bloom, this Duel's gonna do a lot more than ease you up. By the time it's over, Ah promise you'll have the inspiration y'all need to write the best book report ya can!)

Outside, in the backyard, Big McIntosh was getting ready to have a special Duel with his younger sister, Apple Bloom. As they got their dueling gear prepped up, Granny Smith suddenly walked outside. Looking at the scene before her, she walked over to Big Mac and asked him, "What're y'all doin'? Ah thought we were supposed t' help Apple Bloom with that homework of hers that's due next week..."

"Ah know that, Granny." he told her. "And that's the whole reason we're gonna duel. See, the thing is that-" He then leaned in close to his grandmother's ear and whispered what he was planning to do in her so that Bloom wouldn't hear it. After he was done, he then asked Granny Smith, "So ya get it now?"

"Ah gotta admit, Big Mac; that's pretty clever of ya!" said the lime-green woman. Taking out her Duel Gazer and fitting it over her eye, she added, "This is somethin' Ah gotta see with mah own eyes!" Afterwards, she then sat down on the back steps of the house to watch the Duel that was about to take place.

With her D-Pad and Gazer ready to go, Apple Bloom then glanced over towards her brother and thought, (Ah've never dueled Big Mac before; he used t' always t' be too busy t' Duel... Ah wonder why he decided to duel me now all of a sudden?) The yellow girl began to wonder if there was something more to this match than what was on the surface. In the end, she decided not to think about it anymore so she could just enjoy her Duel with her brother. "y'all ready, big bro?!" she called out to him.

"All set here!" Big Mac replied, readying his D-Pad and Gazer.

"AR Vision Link established." said a computerized voice as an Augmented Reality projection filled the entire area around them.

Apple Bloom and Big Mac then drew their opening hands and shouted to each other, "LET'S DUEL!!" (Apple Bloom: LP 4,000) (Big McIntosh: LP 4,000)

"Youngest goes first!" Apple Bloom said, offering to make the first move. Taking a card from her hand, she played and said, "Ah'll start with mah Spell Card, Wind-Up Factory!" After the card was played, a large, colorful factory with oversized gears and smokestacks emerged from out of the ground behind her. "As fer what it does," she continued, "we'll get t' that a li'l bit later. Right now, Ah'll call up mah Wind-Up Rabbit in Attack Mode!"

Apple Bloom's first monster was a mechanical-looking toy rabbit that was colored mostly red and white with two large ears sticking out of its head. On its back was a golden-colored wind-up key (Wind-Up Rabbit: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / DEF 600).

Chuckling a bit, Big Mac asked her, "Still usin' that Wind-Up Deck of yours, aren'tcha?"

"It's mah favorite, so of course Ah'm gonna use it!" the yellow girl replied back to him. "And because Ah Summoned mah Wind-Up Rabbit, Ah can now Special Summon mah Wind-Up Shark in Defense Mode, usin' his effect!" After playing her second monster, a small, blue-and-white fish creature popped up onto her side of the field. Although it looked like a shark, it was smaller and a lot cuter-looking than the animal on which it was based. It had propellers built onto the end of its tail, and just like the rabbit, it also had a gold wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1300).

"Ah see..." Big Mac said. "Ah know what y'allre gonna do."

"Then Ah guess Ah'll go ahead an' do it!" shouted Bloom. "Ah use Wind-Up Shark's effect! By windin' its key backwards, I drop its Level down by one 'til the end of this turn! That makes him the same level as mah Wind-Up Rabbit!" The toy shark then turned its key one full turn, counter-clockwise, reducing its Level (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 - 1 = 3). "And now that Ah've used the effect of a Wind-Up monster," she continued, "Ah can use mah Wind-Up Factory to add a new Wind-Up to mah hand! And Ah'll choose mah Wind-Up Magician!"

(Ah've seen her do this before...) Big Mac thought. (Thanks to that Continuous Spell, she can just keep on addin' more monsters to her hand! That means she'll always have plenty of resources to use later!)

"And now Ah overlay mah Level 3 Rabbit AND mah Level 3 Shark to create an Overlay Network!" The two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one orange and one blue, and flew into a red vortex in the center of Apple Bloom's field. "Let's have some fun, my little toy tank!" she began chanting. "Wind up your key and let loose on the enemy! Xyz Summon!! Roll out, Rank 3! Wind-Up Zenmaines!!" The portal then shot out a red light, and from out of it came a much larger toy-like creature. It seemed to resemble a tank in some areas, but it was very colorful and had a pair of claw-like arms coming out of it. Floating around the monster were two red-colored light orbs.

*******************************

Wind-Up Zenmaines:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine/FIRE/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2100)

2 Level 3 monsters
If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, you can detach 1 material from this card instead. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this effect was used this turn: Target 1 card on the field; destroy it.

*******************************

"Ah'll put mah Zenmaines in Defense Mode to protect me." Apple Bloom told her brother/opponent. "And Ah'll set a card face-down to end mah turn. Now let's see what ya got!"

"If you insist, li'l sis." Big Mac said as he drew his first card for the Duel. After looking at it, he then began to tell his little sister, "But before Ah play mah card, Lemme tell y'all a bit about that book Ah showed ya earlier: The Divine Comedy."

"Huh...? Why now?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ah thought we were gonna duel, not write mah report yet."

"Don't worry, we're still gonna duel. But there ain't no harm in tellin' a story while we play." he replied. Taking a few seconds to clear his throat (as this was the most he had ever talked in one sitting), he told his sister, "In the tale of the Divine Comedy, there lived a man who was lost in a deep, dark forest. He was attacked by many vicious beasts, an' he used all of the strength he had t' escape... But no matter what he did, he couldn't get away from 'em. But just when all seemed lost, the man was rescued by someone who promised to help him find his way to a path of enlightenment." Taking a card from his hand, he continued, saying, "But as he would soon discover, that man would have t' journey through the darkness itself before he could find the light."

"Journey through the darkness...?" asked Apple Bloom, still not sure what her brother was talking about.

Playing the card that he chose onto his D-Pad, the skies began to grow dark around them all. Apple Bloom looked around a bit before hearing the sound of a vehicle coming their way. The vehicle was a creepy-looking black bus with a demonic-looking appearance. The doors on the bus then opened, and a young woman stepped out of it. She had short red hair done up into pigtails, with crimson-colored eyes and a fanged smile upon a pale, peach-colored face. she wore what appeared to be a bus driver's uniform that was all navy blue in color, with red streaks running along it, as well as long black socks and small, black shoes. Around her arm was a black purse with a skull and crossbones on it.

Trembling a little, Apple Bloom asked, "W-w-who's that?"

But instead of Big Mac, the woman answered the young girl's question. "Who am I?" she asked. "Just your friendly, ordinary tour guide... From the Underworld." (Tour Guide From the Underworld: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 600).

"The... the Underworld?" the bow-wearing girl asked, a bit scared.

"That's right." Big Mac answered her. "This pretty l'il lady will take us on a little trip into the story of the Divine Comedy. Of course, for a trip like that, she'll need some help..." He then asked his monster, "Ain't that right?"

"I sure do." the red-haired woman told him. "I could use a bit of a hand, on account that my two identical twin sisters aren't available at the moment."

Nodding and turning back over to his little sister, Big Mac told her, "Ah now use the effect of Tour Guide From the Underworld. When she's been Normal Summoned to the field, Ah can then Special Summon any Level 3 Fiend-Type monster from mah hand or mah Deck with its effects negated!" Taking a card from his Deck, he played it and declared, "Ah'll Summon this monster: Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!!"

After playing his second monster, a geyser of flames then erupted from underneath the bus that Tour Guide had used earlier. Out of those flames emerged a creepy-looking demon with a human-like appearance. However, it had wings where its arms would have been, and its feet were bird-like in their appearance, with razor-sharp claws. Long, silvery-white hair flowed from the back of its horned head, and a few chains were seen attached to his shoulder from the waist (Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1900).

"Wh-what's that?!" asked Apple Bloom.

"This is just one'a the many creatures that dwell within the deepest, darkest pits of the Underworld, accordin' to the story." Big Mac told her. "They were known n' feared for their vicious nature, and how they would deliver punishment to those trapped there with them." Taking a card from the box attached to his hip, he then continued, saying, "But even in the face of such vicious fiends, that man, along with his newfound friend, charged bravely through the Underworld, no matter how difficult it seemed! And now it's time to bring these heroes to the field!"

"To the field?" asked Bloom.

"Ah now overlay mah Tour Guide and mah Farfa - both Level 3, to create the Overlay Network!" shouted her big brother. The two monsters on the field began to radiate a purple light as the Xyz Summoning process began.

Winking, Tour Guide then said to the little yellow girl, "Remember, no flash photography or outside food is permitted during the tour. But otherwise, enjoy the trip!" She then chuckled a little as she transformed into a purple light along with the other monster before being sucked into a red summoning portal in front of them all.

Big Mac then began to recite the Summoning Chant, saying, "Bravest man among mortals... Overcome the hardships before you and let nothing stand in the way of what you seek! Xyz Summon!" After that part was said, a red light shot out of the portal, and before long, a human-shaped image could be seen within it. "Traveler of the Burning Abyss, Rank 3! Dante!!" Big Mac finished.

Apple Bloom watched as the light faded away, revealing a handsome young man with teal-colored hair underneath a crown of leaves on his head. He wore a red vest-like tunic with a black undershirt. He also had on brown pants and a pair of lighter-brown boots. Strapped to his belt were all sorts of supplies, such as a hunting knife, a sack with food, and smaller pouch with a book and map inside. Orbiting around him were two yellow orbs (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: Rank 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2500 / OLU 2).

"Oh my..." said Granny Smith. "Now don't he look like a strappin' young man...!" She seemed to be a bit enamored by Big Mac's newly-Summoned monster.

"Allow me to introduce the hero of the Divine Comedy: Dante!" Big Mac told everyone. "After being rescued in the woods, Dante and his partner journeyed to the Underworld. There, they endured many hardships all so that Dante could find the light he was searchin' for. And with his help, Ah plan on winnin' this here Duel!"

"But how?" asked Apple Bloom. "His attack power ain't high enough to defeat my monster. And even if it was, mah monster's special ability would save it!"

"That won't be an issue fer very long, li'l sis." Big Mac replied. "Ah remove one'a Dante's Overlay Units and activate his effect!" One of the two orbs then flew into Dante's chest, allowing him to absorb its power (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now by sendin' the top three cards of mah Deck to the Graveyard, Ah can increase Dante's attack power by five hundred for each of 'em! That's an extra 1,500 points!" (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: ATK 1000 + 1500 = 2500)

"T-twenty-five hundred?!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "That's higher than my Zenmaines!"

"That's right, li'l sis, but that ain't all!" Big Mac then showed his sister the card that he sent to the Graveyard to use his monster's effect. "Since Farfa got sent to the Graveyard," he informed her, "his effect lets me banish any monster on the field for one turn!"

"But how?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ah thought that your Tour Guide negated his effect!"

"Only on the field." he answered. "But once Ah used him for an Xyz Summon, he got his effects back! Which means that his effect will now banish your Wind-Up Zenmaines!" The bow-wearing girl gasped as her monster vanished from sight. "Since Farfa's effect banishes your monster without destroying it, Wind-Up Zenmaines can't stop it!"

"Aw no...!" said Bloom, not expecting that move.

"And it don't end there, Ah'm afraid..." the elder sibling continued. "Since Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss got sent to the Graveyard 'cause of Dante's effect, his ability now activates!"

*******************************

Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss:
(Effect Monster/Fiend/DARK/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1500)

If you control a monster that is not a "Burning Abyss" monster, destroy this card. You can only use 1 of these effects of "Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss" per turn, and only once that turn.
* If you control no Spells/Traps: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.
* If this card is sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your Deck, except "Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss".

*******************************

"Now, from mah Deck... Ah Special Summon Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Defense Mode!" said Big Mac as he played his next monster. Like the first of his Malebranche creatures, this one was also frightening in appearance, with its fanged mouth, creepy wings, and long, pointy claws on the ends of its hands. It also had messy grey hair some slightly scorched armor plating (Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 800 / DEF 2000). "But Ah'm not done yet!" he continued to say. "Ah'll now Special Summon a monster from mah hand, since Ah currently control no Spell or Trap Cards! Ah play the Tuner Monster, Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Attack Mode!"

Big Mac's next mean-looking monster was more humanoid in appearance compared to the previous Malebranche monsters. It was a purple-colored bland man with two sets of horns on his head, carrying a staff and holding a purple fireball in his hand. Of course, it was just as scary as the other Malebranche fiends (Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 100 / DEF 2100).

"Yeesh... how many monsters are y'all Summonin' this turn?!" asked Apple Bloom, wondering if her brother's turn was going to end anytime soon.

"Just one more, li'l sis." Big Mac answered. "As Ah told ya earlier: Dante didn't make his difficult journey alone. He had a lot of help from the man who rescued him that day. And it's time you met 'im! Ah tune my Level 3 Rubic to mah Level 3 Scarm!" The purple-colored demon then transformed his fireball into a ring of flames. Afterwards, he began glowing in a bright light and transformed himself into three smaller lights that shot into the air. They came back as three green rings that surrounded Scarm, turning him into three more lights (Level 3 + Level 3 = Level 6).

"Most noble of men, guide those who are lost in shadows..." Big Mac chanted. "Let your music become a light of hope for the weary! Synchro Summon! Rock Star of the Burning Abyss, Level 6! Virgil!!" After the chant was complete, a column of bright light shot down and engulfed the rings and lights. When it vanished, another young man was standing there. He had short, red hair underneath a large hat, and wore a very colorful tunic that was topped off with a long, red scarf around his neck. He wore striped pants and a pair of brown boots, and carried a shiny electric guitar (or rather, an electric mandolin?) that seemed to emit flames from the end of it (Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1000).

"Oh mah stars... Another handsome young man!" said Granny Smith, becoming a little smitten with Big Mac's Synchro Monster. "Why can't all'o these Duel Monsters cards look like them??"

"Now, Ah'll use the effect of Virgil by discarding mah Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss from mah hand." Big Mac told his sister. "That lets me take your Wind-Up Shark in the Graveyard and shuffle it back into your Deck!" Once that was done, he then said, "Now that the way is clear, it's time for mah Battle Phase! Dante, attack Apple Bloom directly!" The teal-haired human man then pulled out his hunting knife and ran forwards towards her, ready to strike.

"Hold on! Ah play a face-down card!!" shouted Bloom as she tapped her D-Pad's screen. "Go, Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light!!"

"What??" asked Big Mac, a bit surprised.

"This Continuous Trap lets me negate any attack you throw at me!" Apple Bloom told her older brother as five swords made out of light energy fell down in front of her, creating a powerful shield that repelled Dante's attack. "That means mah Life Points'r safe!"

As Big Mac's Xyz Monster reeled back from the failed attack, the big brother then said, "That's not ENTIRELY true, li'l sis. To negate mah attack with Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light, you've gotta pay a thousand of your Life Points each time."

"It's still better than losin' 2,500 of 'em." said the yellow girl (Apple Bloom: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000).

"Well y'allre about t' lose a few more!" Big Mac shouted. "Go, Virgil! Attack her directly!" The Synchro Monster then attacked next, using his musical instrument to fire a sound wave at Apple Bloom.

"Ah use mah Trap Card's effect again to negate the attack!!" shouted Bloom as the swords absorbed the wave and prevented her from taking damage (Apple Bloom: LP 3,000 - 1,000 = 2,000). Breathing a bit heavily, the young yellow girl then glanced up at her brother and smirked saying, "Ah'm not goin' down that easy, big bro! Ah'll beat you somehow, y'all can bet on it!"

Chuckling a little, Big Mac smiled and said, "Ah guess we'll see 'bout that in time. For now, Ah'll use Dante's effect and switch him to Defense Mode." After he said that, the teal-haired human took on a defensive stance. "Ah'll also set a card face-down and end mah turn."

"Good, that means your Dante goes back to his original attack power again." Apple Bloom pointed out (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: ATK 2500 - 1500 = 1000). "And not only that, mah Wind-Up Zenmaines also returns to the field!" As she said that, her Xyz Monster was back on her side of the board once again.

"That's true, but there's one other thing:" said Big Mac. "Since my Scarm was sent to mah Graveyard earlier in the turn, Ah get t' use his effect and add Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from mah Deck to mah hand."

(Great... now Ah gotta worry about what that thing might do next turn...) thought Apple Bloom. (But first things first, Ah gotta get past those two monsters he's got on the field! Ah just hope Ah can draw somethin' good...) She then drew a card from the top of her Deck and looked at it. "Alright! That'll help!"

Big Mac looked up, wondering what his sister drew. Granny wondered the same thing. "Ah wonder what that young'un's got planned...?" she asked herself.

"First, Ah'll Summon mah Wind-Up Magician in Attack Mode!" the bow-wearing girl said loudly. After she played her card, a small, toy-like magician colored purple and white appeared in front of her. It had the appearance of wearing a long, magician's robe, carried a long staff, and like her other monsters, it had a wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Magician: Level 4 / ATK 600 / DEF 1800). "And now that it's been Summoned, Ah can now Special Summon the Wind-Up Shark Ah just drew!"

"You drew another one?!" asked Big Mac. It was true: Apple Bloom drew another copy of her reliable Wind-Up monster. And the proof of that was right there on the field, as the small toy creature reappeared on the field. He then asked his sister, "So Ah'm guessin' you're gonna Xyz Summon again?"

"...Not just yet." Bloom answered with a smirk. "Ah've got a few more plays t' make before Ah do that!" She then thought to herself, (Ah just hope Ah do it right, just like how Ah practiced it...!) She then told her brother/opponent, "Ah activate mah Shark's effect! I wind him forward one more Level!" And just like that, Wind-Up Shark turned its key clockwise and increased its own Level (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 + 1 = 5).

"But why'd ya do that?" asked Big Mac. "Now their Levels're different, so y'all can't Xyz Summon..."

"Maybe, but now that Ah've used a Wind-Up monster's effect, Ah can use my Factory to pull Wind-Up Soldier outta mah Deck! But not only that, Ah can also use mah Wind-Up Magician's effect to Special Summon another Wind-Up monster from mah Deck in Defense Mode! And Ah choose mah Wind-Up Kitten!" Her next monster was a tiny, orange-and-yellow kitten toy with large, adorable eyes, and of course, a wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Kitten: Level 2 / ATK 800 / DEF 500).

"Uh oh... Ah remember that li'l guy." said Big Mac, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Then that means y'all remember its ability!" said Apple Bloom. "Now Ah can bounce any monster you've got on the field back t' your hand! And Ah choose your Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" The kitten toy creature then wound up its key and let out a loud (but cute) "MEOW!!!". The force of the loud sound was enough to send Dante back into Big Mac's Extra Deck. "Now that just leaves your Virgil!" said the young girl.

"Not bad, li'l sis..." said Big Mac. "However, none of your other monsters are strong enough to take him down! And since your monsters are all different Levels, y'all can't use 'em for an Xyz Summon!"

"Maybe not... but that'll change once Ah play my Spell Card, Weights & Zenmaisures!" said the bow-wearing girl as she activated her Spell Card.

*******************************

Weights & Zenmaisures:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 2 face-up "Wind-Up" monsters you control with different Levels; your opponent chooses 1 of them, and the Level of the other monster becomes the same as the chosen monster's, until the End Phase, then, if your opponent chose the monster with a lower Level, you can draw 1 card.

*******************************

"Alrighty then... Ah'll select mah Wind-Up Shark and mah Wind-Up Magician." said Apple Bloom. "Now you gotta choose which one'll apply its Level to the other!"

(Ah see... That's why she had no problem with raisin' her Shark's Level.) thought Big Mac. After thinking some more, he then said to his sister, "Ah suppose Ah'll let your Magician apply its Level to your Shark!" (Wind-Up Shark: Level 5 > 4)

"Thanks, big bro! That means Ah get to draw another card since you chose the lower-Level monster!" said the girl as she drew a card from the top of her Deck. Looking at it, she saw that it was a Trap Card; possibly something that could come in handy later. Placing it in her hand for now, she then shouted, "Ah overlay mah Level 4 Wind-Up Magician and Wind-Up Shark to create an Overlay Network!" The two toy monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one red and one blue, that were drawn into another red vortex.

(Hmmm... A Rank 4 Xyz Monster...) pondered Big Mac. (She must be goin' for Wind-Up Zenmaister; it's the only Rank 4 she has in her Deck... But its attack power isn't high enough to defeat Virgil...)

Apple Bloom then began reciting the Summoning chant, saying, "Take the stage, master maestro! When he leads the band, there's never a sour note! Xyz Summon!!" After that part, a column of red light, followed by a pleasant, merry melody, came out of the vortex. "The friendly fiend with an ear for music, Rank 4! Maestroke the Symphony Djinn!!" The monster that came out of the summoning portal was a young man in an elegant uniform that was colored black, red, white, and gold. On his head was a cylindrical hat, the front of it bearing an emblem of a gold musical note with white wings. In his right hand was a conductor's baton, which he wielded with pure elegance (Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: Rank 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 2300 / OLU 2).

"What?? Maestroke the Symphony Djinn?" asked Big Mac, surprised. "Ah didn't know you had that card!"

"Sunset traded it to me a few weeks ago." the yellow girl informed him. "She said it would be a big help in mah Deck, and Ah've been waitin' to try him out!" Taking out one of the cards under her Xyz Monster, she declared, "Ah'll remove an Overlay Unit from Maestroke to activate his ability (Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: OLU 2 - 1 = 1)! It allows me t' change any of your monsters from Attack to Defense Mode, and flip it face-down! And Ah choose your Virgil!"

"Aw no!" shouted the big brother as Maestroke waved his baton (which had earlier been super-charged with one of the two purple orbs that surrounded him) at Virgil, flipping him face-down and switching him to Defense Mode.

"Now Big Mac is open to an attack..." Granny Smith said to herself. "That new card Apple Bloom's got'll help her catch up t' him for sure!"

"Now that Ah've taken care of that, Ah'll switch mah Zenmaines to Attack Mode!" said Bloom. "And now it's time to attack! Maestroke the Symphony Djinn, attack! Baton Blade!!" Her Xyz Monster then transformed his baton into a long, fancy-looking sword and slashed it across Big Mac's face-down monster, destroying it with no trouble at all.

"Ah activate the effect of Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" shouted Big Mac. "When he's destroyed an' sent to mah Graveyard, Ah can draw another card from mah Deck!" He then drew his next card. Like his sister, he also drew a Trap Card during this turn.

"Now you're wide open, big bro! Which means mah Zenmaines can hit ya directly!" shouted Bloom. "Go! Wind-Up Mortar!!" He other Xyz Monster then fired a barrage of mortar shells, which succeeded in taking out a good portion of Big Mac's Life Points (Big McIntosh: LP 4,000 - 1,500 = 2,500). "Alright! Ah did it!! I just gave Big Mac a ton of damage! Ah might be able t' win this after all!" Taking the card she drew with her earlier Spell Card, she then said, "I'll wrap up mah turn with one card face-down!"

"Hold on a sec, li'l sis." said Big Mac, recovering from the blow his younger sister had dealt to him. "Ah'm not gonna let your turn end JUST yet..." Tapping his touch screen, he then said to her, "Ah activate mah Trap Card, The Traveler and the Burning Abyss!"

"Huh? What's that do?" asked the bow-wearing girl.

"It lets me bring back any'o my Burning Abyss monsters that were sent t' the Graveyard durin' this turn." he explained to her. "Which means that Ah can return Virgil to the field in Defense Mode!" And in the blink of an eye, Big Mac's Synchro Monster was back on the field.

"Aw no... not him again." Sighing, Bloom then told her brother, "Okay, go ahead with your turn, then."

"Gladly, li'l sis." he replied, drawing a card and putting it into his had. "Now it's time for the second part of Dante's tale to begin."

"Second part?" asked Apple Bloom.

Big Mac then said to his sister, "After havin' survived the hardships n' trials set before them in the Underworld, Dante and Virgil emerged in a world known as Purgatory. Standin' before a tall mountain, their journey would only become that much more difficult..." He then repositioned the Monster Card in his D-Pad, saying, "First, Ah'll put Virgil in Attack Mode, and then activate his effect. By discardin' Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from mah hand, Ah can return your Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light to your Deck!" And with that, Virgil then played a tune on his instrument that caused Bloom's Trap Card to vanish.

"Aw no...! Now Ah can't stop your attacks!" she said in despair.

"And since Ah sent Libic to mah Graveyard to use that effect," Big Mac continued, "Ah use his effect t' Special Summon any Level 3 DARK Fiend from mah hand with its effects canceled out! And Ah choose t' Summon another copy of Scarm in Attack Mode!" He then played the card, causing the grotesque creature to rise from the ground again. "And next, Ah'll Normal Summon mah Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Attack Mode!"

His second Malebranche monster was a blue-violet pig-faced creature with horns as dark as night growing out of his head. He had a very muscular body and around each of its wrists was some sort of shackle with a broken chain hanging off of each of them (Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200).

(Now he's got two more Level 3 monsters on the field...) thought Granny Smith. (If Ah know mah grandson as well as AH think Ah do, it means that he'll bring back that Dante guy again!)

And her assumption was true as Big Mac once more performed the Xyz Summoning process, overlaying his Scarm and Cir and turning each of them into a small purple light, each of them drawn into a red portal. "Now return! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" shouted Big Mac as his star Xyz Monster returned to the field in Attack Mode.

"He's back?!" asked Apple Bloom.

"Dante is the star of this tale, li'l sis." he reminded her. "There's no way that he'll stay gone for long." Removing one of the cards from under his Xyz Monster, he told her, "Ah'll use Dante's effect to mill the top three cards of my Deck and raise his attack power!" (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: ATK 1000 + 1500 = 2500)

"This ain't good..." said Apple Bloom, finding herself in the same situation as before: staring down two monsters that each had 2,500 attack points.

"Now for mah Battle Phase!" shouted Big Mac. "Virgil, attack her Wind-Up Zenmaines!" His Synchro Monster then played a loud tune on his mandolin, sending a powerful sound wave aimed straight at her Wind-Up monster.

"Ah activate mah Trap Card! Zenmaiday!" shouted the bow-wearing girl as she flipped her face-down card face-up.

"What does that do?" asked her older brother.

"It lets me attach any of mah Wind-Up monsters on the field as an Overlay Unit to one of mah Machine-Type Xyz Monsters that Ah've got out!" she told him. "So Ah'll use it to attach mah Wind-Up Kitten to mah Zenmaines!" In a flash, her kitten toy monster then transformed into a small, orange light that flew over towards Zenmaines and began orbiting around it. As it did, the orb gradually changed to a red color (Wind-Up Zenmaines: OLU 0 + 1 = 1).

"But that means that..." began Big Mac.

"It means that now that mah Zenmaines has an Overlay Unit, Ah can remove it to keep it from bein' destroyed by your attack!" Bloom finished, doing just that (Wind-Up Zenmaines: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). The red orb then flew into the monster's chest area, and allowed it project a shield to save it from harm.

"You'll still take the damage, since Zenmaines was in Attack Mode, li'l sis." Big Mac reminded her (Apple Bloom: LP 2,000 - 1,000 = 1,000). "And not only that, but once Dante attacks it next, your Life Points'll drop to zero! If y'all had just let your monster be destroyed, you would've survived this turn. That li'l blunder's about to cost you everything." Ready to make his final move, he then shouted, "Go, Dante!! Attack Zenmaines and end this Duel!" His monster then leapt forward and ran straight towards Apple Bloom's Zenmaines, ready to destroy it for good.

"...This Duel ain't over yet, big bro!" Apple Bloom shouted. "Ah activate the OTHER effect of Zenmaiday!"

"Other effect??" asked the orange-haired boy, a little surprised.

"That's right! Mah Zenmaiday has TWO effects!" Bloom answered him. "By sendin' it to the Graveyard, Ah can use one of the Wind-Up Xyz Monsters on mah field to Summon a new one that's one Rank higher!"

"What?!" gasped Big Mac. "A Rank-Up?!"

"Oh my... Ah sure didn't see that one comin'..." stated Granny Smith.

Once her Trap Card was removed from the field, Apple Bloom's Wind-Up Zenmaines then transformed into a large red light that flew into a portal that flashed between red and yellow. "Time for some fun, little toy jet!" she chanted. "Wind up your key and dive-bomb my enemies! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!!" At that moment, a powerful ray of golden yellow light shot out of the portal as a large figure came out of it. "Take flight, Rank 4! Wind-Up Zenmaister!!"

Displaying all sorts of colors, such as red, green, cyan, purple, and white, Apple Bloom's new Xyz Monster flew into the battle field from out of the ray of light, using the jets equipped to the bottom of it. With its arms outstretched and a single orange light orbiting around it, the new Wind-Up finally took its place in front of its controller and took a defensive stance (Wind-Up Zenmaister: Rank 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

Big Mac was visibly shocked at his sister's move, now understanding why she had protected her monster earlier. (Ah don't believe it...! Apple Bloom managed to pull off such a great move like it was second nature! Ah guess that training with Sunset Shimmer is finally payin' off for her.) He then smiled, happy to see how much his younger sibling had improved.

"y'all remember mah Wind-Up Zenmaister's effect, right?" asked Apple Bloom. "It gains 300 attack points for every one of its Overlay Units. And right now he's got one!" (Wind-Up Zenmaister: ATK 1900 + 300 = 2200). She then added, "Also, Ah Summoned Zenmaister in Defense Mode, which means Ah won't take damage if ya attack it!"

(And since my original attack target ain't on the field anymore,) pondered the orange-haired boy, (that means Ah gotta choose a different attack target for Dante or abandon the attack altogether...) Deciding what his next move would be, he then shouted, "Dante! Attack her Maestroke instead!" Dante then stopped moving towards Apple Bloom's Zenmaister, changed direction and lunged towards her conductor monster instead.

"Ah use Maestroke's effect to remove one of his Overlay Units!" said the yellow girl. "So he won't be destroyed!" After ditching his last material (Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: OLU 1 - 1 = 0), her monster then used his baton sword to block the attack and push Dante back. However, the damage wasn't blocked, and Apple Bloom still lost some of her Life Points (Apple Bloom: LP 1,000 - 700 = 300).

"Ah'm impressed, li'l sis." Big Mac told her. "y'all may only have three hundred Life Points left, but ya managed to survive attacks from two of mah strongest monsters! You're gettin' a lot better, Apple Bloom. No doubt about it!"

"Ya really think so?" asked the yellow girl.

"Just as how Dante was determined t' see his journey through to the end, you too have that same amount of determination to pursue your own goals." he replied. "In fact, if you were to put that determination to good use, you'd be able t' do anythin' y'all set yer mind to, even the stuff that seems like it's impossible."

"You mean like mah schoolwork?" asked the yellow girl. "y'all really think Ah could get it done that easily?"

Big Mac nodded. "Ah do." he answered. "You're a strong girl, Apple Bloom. And y'all can only get stronger from here." Taking a card from his hand, he continued the Duel and said, "Ah'll switch Dante to Defense Mode with his effect and set one card face-down. Then, at the end of mah turn, I'll use the effect of the Scarm that I detached with Dante's effect to get Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss out of mah Deck. It's your turn now, li'l sis."

Pleased to hear such encouraging words from her older brother, Apple Bloom was more than happy to start her turn and show just how much stronger she had become. "Ah draw!" she shouted, drawing her next card and looking at it. Placing the card into her hand for the moment, she then said, "Ah'll switch mah Zenmaister to Attack Mode and use his effect! By removin' an Overlay Unit, Ah can switch one of the monsters that Ah've got to face-down Defense! And Ah'll choose mah Symphony Djinn!" Her jet-equipped Xyz Monster then absorbed the orange orb that flew around it and used it power to flip Bloom's other Xyz Monster face-down (Wind-Up Zenmaister: ATK 2200 - 300 = 1900 / OLU 1 - 1 = 0).

"But that don't make no sense..." said Granny Smith. "Her monster lost some of its attack points by droppin' its last Overlay Unit! And furthermore, why did she wanna flip her monster face-down anyway?" She may not have known what was going on, but the look on Big Mac's face told him that he knew what his little sister was trying to do.

"It may seem weird at first," Apple Bloom began to say, "but now that Ah've used the effect of a Wind-Up monster, that means that mah Wind-Up Factory lets me add a new Wind-Up to mah hand! And Ah'll choose mah Wind-Up Shark!"

(Ah knew it...! she's plannin' another Xyz Summon...) Big Mac figured. (She only used her Zenmaister's effect t' get that Shark outta her Deck again. But what is she gonna bring out with it?)

"Now Ah Summon Wind-Up Soldier in Attack mode!" Her next monster was a green-and-white human-like toy with (you guessed it) a wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Soldier: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200). "And by Summonin' him, Ah can also Special Summon mah Wind-Up Shark again in Attack Mode!" And she did just that, bringing her Fish-Type Wind-Up monster back to the field once more. "Next, Ah activate mah Soldier's effect!" the bow-wearing girl continued. "By windin' him up, Ah can raise his Level by one, and his attack points by 400 'til the end of the turn!" The monster then activated his wind-up key and became stronger as a result (Wind-Up Soldier: Level 4 + 1 = 5 / ATK 1800 + 400 = 2200). "But then Ah'm ALSO gonna use Shark's effect and raise his Level too!" (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 + 1 = 5)

"T-TWO Level 5 monsters?!" gasped Granny Smith. "That means she's gonna try and Summon a really powerful monster!"

"You've got it, Granny!" Bloom confirmed. "And since your Deck's all about the Underworld, Big Mac... Ah think Ah'll bring out a Fiend of mah own to fight ya with!" Thrusting out her hand she then shouted, "Ah overlay mah Level 5 Soldier and Shark to create the Overlay Network!" The two monsters then transformed into an orange light and a blue light, respectively. The two lights then flew into yet another red portal as the Xyz Summoning process began. Remembering the Summoning chant that she and Sunset came up with when she gave her the Xyz Monster, Apple Bloom said, "Angel of darkness, descend! Emerge in the darkest hour and bring with you an age of destruction! Xyz Summon!!" A ray of red light then came out of the portal as a pair of black wings came out of it. "Ruler of the Apocalypse, Rank 5! Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon!!"

Once the red light had faded, the creature that had come out of it was a truly frightening one. He looked like he was once an angel, but had been corrupted by darkness and transformed by it as a result. His all-black color and intimidating look gave off an aura of fear that seemed to follow him wherever he went. In his hand was a small, glowing, red dagger with a spiky blade (Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon: Rank 5 / ATK 2600 / DEF 1700).

"You... you actually managed t' get that card??" asked Big Mac, shocked at seeing such a strong and rare card being Summoned right in front of him.

"You bet Ah did!" answered Apple Bloom. "Now lemme show ya what he can do! By removing one of Adreus's Overlay Units, he can destroy any of your face-up cards!" After absorbing one of the two purple orbs that surrounded him into his blade (Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), Adreus was ready to do his dirty work. "Now, destroy his Dante!" The dark angel then flew towards Big Mac's Xyz Monster and slashed at him with his dagger, destroying him.

"Urrgh... Ah activate the effect of Dante!" Big Mac began to tell his sister. "When he's destroyed, Ah can add any other Burning Abyss monster in mah Graveyard to mah hand! And I'll choose Farfa!" After he took his card back into his hand, he then noted that Cir was sent to the Graveyard along with Dante. However, he decided NOT to use Cir's effect.

"That's fine by me! Since he's not goin' on the field, he can't protect you from my monster's attacks!" the yellow girl told him. "Now I'll Flip Summon mah Maestroke and put him back in Attack Mode!" The conductor then reappeared onto the field, ready to fight. Moving onto her Battle Phase, she then shouted, "Adreus! Attack his Virgil! Armageddon Storm!!" The dark angel then whipped up a powerful black-colored tornado that eliminated Big Mac's Synchro Monster with ease (Big McIntosh: LP 2,500 - 100 = 2,400).

But the eldest of the Apple Family offspring wasn't ready to give up yet. "Ah use Virgil's effect and draw one new card since he was destroyed!" he declared. He then drew his next card... and seemed a little pleased at what he drew.

"Now you're wide open, big bro!" shouted Apple Bloom. "Once mah last two monsters hit you directly, Ah'll win!" Pointing ahead, she then gave out her next order. "Wind-Up Zenmaister, attack Big Mac directly!!" Her Wind-Up monster then zoomed forward on its jet engines and delivered a powerful punch that knocked off more of her brother's Life Points (Big McIntosh: LP 2,400 - 1900 = 500). "This is so great!" cheered Apple Bloom. "Ah'm finally gonna win a Duel!!"

But before she could continue her self-praise, Big Mac then asked her, "Didn't Granny used to say 'never count yer chickens before they hatch'?" Granny Smith nodded to say that she had, indeed said something like that.

"Huh?" Bloom responded, not sure what he meant by his remark.

"What Ah'm sayin' is that this Duel - and our story, ain't over just yet!" Tapping his D-Pad's screen he declared, "Ah activate mah Trap Card, The Golden Apples!!"

"The WHAT?!" exclaimed the bow-wearing girl in surprise.

"Ah can activate this card whenever Ah take any battle damage while Ah have no monsters out." the orange-haired boy explained. "Now Ah recover all of the Life Points Ah just lost (Big McIntosh: LP 500 + 1,900 = 2,400), but that ain't all: Ah also get t' Special Summon a monster known as a 'Malus Token'." At that moment, a small creature that looked like a multicolored flame with an eye and mouth appeared on Big Mac's side of the field in Attack Position (Malus Token: Level 1 / ATK ? / DEF ?).

"And what does that do, exactly?" Bloom inquired.

"After it's Summoned," Big Mac told her, "mah Malus Token then gains attack n' defense points equal to the amount of Life Points that Ah got back with the Trap Card. That's 1,900 points." (Malus Token: ATK 1,900 / DEF 1,900)

"Aw man! You've gotta be kiddin' me!!" said Apple Bloom, dismayed by the fact that she was so close to winning the Duel, only to be stopped in her tracks by Big Mac's face-down card. "Now if Ah attack with Maestroke, he'll just destroy himself!" Looking at her hand, she then thought, (But that don't mean Ah'm gonna give up that easily... Ah still have that card I drew at the beginnin' of the turn: Mirror Force! If Ah set it, Ah can save mahself from his attacks next turn, and then Ah might be able to still win this Duel!) Taking the Trap Card and placing on the field, she told her brother, "Ah set a card and end mah turn!"

"Then it's mah move! Ah draw!" said Big Mac as he pulled his next card. Looking at his sister, he noticed the fierce look on her face. (She doesn't look too afraid of what Ah might do this turn... She must be plannin' some sorta counterattack in order to survive the round... Ah had better play this move carefully, and this card I drew with Virgil's effect earlier might do the trick...) He then said to his sister, "Well, it looks like we're reachin' the end of our li'l story, Apple Bloom... It's time t' tell y'all the third part of the Divine Comedy."

"The third part?" asked the bow-wearing girl.

Big Mac then continued telling the story, saying, "After overcoming the challenges set before them on the Mountain in Purgatory, Dante and Virgil reached the entrance to Heaven itself. However, while Dante would be allowed to enter the divine realm, Virgil could not. Thus, he remained within Purgatory while his friend continued on."

"That seems pretty sad that he had stay behind like that..." Bloom noted.

"Virgil always knew that he wouldn't be able to lead Dante through his entire journey, and was willing to accept that, knowing that his companion would be ready for whatever he faced next." he told her. Taking a card from his hand, he then said, "Now Ah'll Summon mah Fiendish Rhino Warrior in Attack Mode!" After playing his card, a rhino-headed man with a long, thin sword appeared on his side of the field (Fiendish Rhino Warrior: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / DEF 900). And next, Ah'll use the effect of the Canga in mah hand to Special Summon it in Defense Mode!" His next Malebranche monster was very dog-like in appearance, much more than that of Graff, though it still had a very demonic appearance (Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 300).

"Wait, hold on! Dont the Burning Abyss monsters destroy themselves if ya have a different kind of monster on the field??" Apple Bloom pointed out.

"That is true, li'l sis." Big Mac replied. "But thanks to the effect of mah Fiendish Rhino Warrior, none of mah Fiend monsters can be destroyed by card effects! And that even includes their own effects!" Putting his hand out, he then added, "A good thing too, because Ah'll need 'em both to bring our hero right back to the field!"

"You mean-?" began Bloom, already having a feeling as to what was coming next.

"Ah Overlay mah Fiendish Rhino Warrior and mah Cagna - both Level 3, and create the Overlay Network!!" shouted Big Mac as he once more initiated an Xyz Summon. "Come back! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!!" For the third time, his trusty Xyz Monster had entered the field.

"Aw man... this guy's really overstayin' his welcome..." muttered the yellow girl.

Taking another card out of his hand, the big brother then told his sibling, "Now Ah'll play mah Spell Card, Dark Eruption. This lets me go into mah Graveyard n' pull out a DARK monster with 1500 or fewer attack points! And Ah'll pick out mah Scarm!" After adding his Spell Card's target to his hand, he then said, "And this will bring us towards the conclusion of Dante's journey: Once he entered Heaven, the brave traveler was aided by a young woman; she was the love of his life ever since they were young and the driving force behind his quest for enlightenment. Guided by the love he had for her, Dante continued on with an even greater hope in his heart!" While leaving his sister with that thought, he then made his next move, saying, "Ah now send Farfa from mah hand to the Graveyard!"

"Huh? Why're ya doin' that??" asked Apple Bloom. "And how?"

"By sendin' a Burning Abyss monster from mah hand to the mah Graveyard," Big Mac explained, "and by usin' Dante as the Overlay Unit, Ah can now call to the field the woman who guided Dante through the challenges that awaited him in Heaven!" Holding up a card that he took out from his Extra Deck, he then chanted, "Blessed angel of Paradiso! Awaken now and bestow upon your love the guidance and hope that he needs! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!! Angel of beauty and kindness, Rank 6! Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal!!"

After the chant was completed, Dante was then bathed in a pillar of bright light as their surroundings changed to that of a Heavenly scene: Dante then rose up into the sky as he was transformed into light energy himself. He, along with the two orbs that were his Overlay Units, flew into a glowing yellow version of the Xyz Summoning portal. Seconds later, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith gasped as a beautiful woman emerged from the portal, descending down to the field where Big Mac was standing. Her dress was made up of silver, white, and light-pink colors, she was adorned with sparkling jewelry that shone in all the colors of the rainbow, and she radiated a powerful light that could light up even the darkest of places.

*******************************

Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fairy/LIGHT/Rank 6/ATK 2500/DEF 2800)

2 Level 6 monsters
You can also Xyz Summon this card by sending 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your hand to the GY, then using 1 "Dante" monster you control as material. (Transfer its materials to this card.) If Summoned this way, the following effect cannot be activated this turn. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; send 1 card from your Deck to the GY. If this card in your possession is destroyed by your opponent's card (by battle or card effect) and sent to your GY: You can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions.

*******************************

"Oh... mah stars...!" said Granny Smith as she saw the beautiful, but also powerful being that had just appeared on the field. "That's amazin'...! So Big Mac really DID have that card...!"

"Wow... she's so pretty..." Apple Bloom complimented.

Big Mac nodded and told her, "This is Beatrice: A beautiful and mighty angel that took over Virgil's job as guide to Dante after he entered Heaven. With her help, Dante took on the last remaining challenges set before him so that he could become more than what he was when his journey began."

"Well Ah gotta say," the yellow girl told her older brother, "it's a nice change from all'o them creepy demon-monsters you've been usin'."

"...And speaking of those guys," he said to her, "Ah now activate Farfa's effect from mah Graveyard! And Ah'll use it to banish your Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon from the game until the end of this turn!" And just as he had told her, the dark-winged angel vanished into a dark-violet portal on Apple Bloom's side of the field, to her dismay. "But Ah'm afraid this Duel's gonna end before you CAN get him back, li'l sis!" Pointing forward, he shouted, "Go, Beatrice!! Attack her Wind-Up Zenmaister!! Light of Paradiso!!" Beatrice then gathered up a large amount of light energy in her hands and released it in the form of a sphere that hurtled itself towards Apple Bloom's Wind-Up monster.

"If that attacks hits," Granny noted, "this game's all but over!"

But Apple Bloom wasn't scared. "Ah ain't gonna let ya win that easily, Big Mac!" she informed him as she tapped her D-Pad's screen. "Ah play mah Trap Card, Mirror Force!!" And after her Trap Card flipped face-up, a large, reflective dome materialized around Bloom to protect her. When the light ball struck the dome, it bounced off and shot high into the air, exploding into smaller rays of light. "Now all'o your monsters in Attack Mode r' destroyed! Meaning that next turn, Ah'll attack you and win the Duel!"

Big Mac watched as Beatrice was struck by one of the rays of light and was destroyed. It seemed that there was nothing else he could do... until he lifted his head up and smiled, saying, "Ah'm sorry t' tell ya this, Apple Bloom... but this Duel ain't over for me yet! Ah knew you'd try somethin' like that!"

"You... you did??" asked the bow-wearing girl, not sure what her brother meant.

"Eeeyup." he responded. "That's the whole reason Ah Summoned Beatrice. Y'see if SHE is destroyed by one'a your cards an' sent to mah Graveyard, her effect activates!"

"Her effect?" asked Bloom. "What kinda effect?"

Taking another card from his Extra Deck, he then chanted, "Bravest man among mortals, your journey is complete! Through the dark trials you faced in the Inferno and Purgatorio, you have been reborn by the light and hope of Paradiso!" He then played the card onto his D-Pad's tray and finished the chant, saying, "Shine forth!! Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss!!"

Everyone gasped as a powerful column of light quickly shot down to the ground where Beatrice once stood. Then, emerging from that light was a familiar face: It was none other than Dante, only his appearance was considerably different: Instead of his usual clothes, the man was now wearing white and gold robes with an intricate white cape flowing behind him. Based on his appearance, he now looked very much like an angel, just like Beatrice (Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss: Level 9 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2500).

"HUH?! Wh-where'd he come from?!" exclaimed Apple Bloom, not expecting this to happen.

"After all his hard work and grueling hours through many difficult trials, Dante had finally succeeded in his mission." Big Mac told his sister. "Thus, he gained new and extraordinary power. Together with the love of Beatrice by his side, Dante became an angel himself and did many great things from that day forward." Taking the Beatrice card that was just sent to his Graveyard, he added, "And in Duel Monsters, the same general idea applies: When Beatrice is destroyed by your card n' sent to the Graveyard, she automatically replaces herself with any Burning Abyss monster from mah Extra Deck! And Ah chose mah Fusion Monster, Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss!"

"That's... it can't be..." said Apple Bloom. "Ah didn't know she could do that!"

"And there's more, li'l sis." Big Mac continued. "Since he was Summoned as a new monster durin' mah Battle Phase, Ah can now attack with him!"

"...That means you'll win this game." the bow-wearing girl realized. She sighed sadly a bit at the thought of losing, but knowing that she put up an amazing fight regardless, she didn't feel very bad for long. She then told her brother, "Give me all ya got, big bro! Ah can take it!"

Happy to see that his sister wasn't bummed out at all, Big Mac then shouted, "Go, Dante!! Attack her Wind-Up Zenmaister and end this Duel!!" Dante then held up his staff as a tremendous amount of light energy flowed into the golden crest on top of it. The green jewel in the crest's center then shone brilliantly as more and more power was drawn into it. Once it was charged up, Big Mac shouted, "GO!! Great Radiance of Paradiso!!"

Dante then fired a massive beam of light from out of his staff, aiming it straight towards Apple Bloom's Wind-Up monster. Zenmaister couldn't handle the attack and was reduced to scrap in seconds. Though she didn't win the Duel, Apple Bloom did her best to remain positive about it. (Ah didn't win this time, Sunset...) she said mentally, (but Ah promise t' learn and practice as much as Ah can! Next time, Ah'll win fer sure!)

(Apple Bloom: LP 300 - 900 = 0) (WINNER: Big McIntosh)

Once the Duel was over, Big Mac walked over to his little sister and asked her, "Y'all okay there, Apple Bloom? Ah'm sorry that you didn't win..."

While the young girl did wipe a small tear from her eye, Apple Bloom wasn't sad or angry about her loss. One thing that Sunset had taught to her was to always remain positive, even if you lose a Duel. Smiling and looking up at her brother, she said to him, "You don't have t' apologize, Big Mac; that was the best Duel Ah ever had! And even though Ah didn't win, Ah still feel like Ah did pretty well out there!"

Happy to hear that, Big Mac then told her, "Ah agree, li'l sis: You did amazin' out there! In fact, when you pulled off that trick with your Zenmaiday Trap Card, Ah nearly thought Ah was gonna lose! You've really improved a whole lot, Apple Bloom: If it was possible fer both players to win a Duel, it would've happened with this one, Ah know it."

"Gee, thanks Big Mac..." said the little yellow girl with a giggle. She then asked her grandmother, "What about you, Granny? What did you think of mah duelin'?"

Smiling, Granny Smith answered, "You were amazin' out there, BOTH of ya! y'all remind me of me when Ah was just a li'l whipper-snapper. Yep, those were the days, Ah tell ya... Collecting all those cards, duelin' with my friends... fantasizing about spendin' an island vacation with Yugi..."

"Uh, what?" asked Apple Bloom, a bit weirded out by that last part.

"Oh, nothing! Eheheh... ehhh..." Granny responded, pretending that she didn't say the thing about the island vacation.

Quickly changing the subject, Big Mac then said to his sister, "Ah just realized: This was the first time y'all saw mah Deck in action! Tell me, what did ya think of it?"

"Well, while Ah still think those demon-monster things were creepy-lookin'," she admitted, "Ah think your Deck was really cool! And really strong, too!"

"Ah'm glad ya think so, li'l sis." the older boy replied. Looking at his Deck in the D-Pad, he then said, "T' be honest, Ah chose t' use this Deck t' get ya more interested in the story of Dante's Divine Comedy. Ah just thought that, if Ah made the story come alive - especially in the form of a Duel, you'd start t' like it a lot more."

"And that's why you challenged me to a Duel, right?" asked Apple Bloom, figuring it all out.

"Eeeyup." Big Mac simply replied, smiling as he did so.

"Well, thanks for doin' that for me, Big Mac." the bow-wearing girl told him. "Ah really appreciate it. For once, Ah'm actually excited to get started on mah literature report after seein' your monsters in action!" Apple Bloom then walked over to the steps that Granny Smith was sitting and picked up an object that had been left there before the Duel started: It was the book that Big Mac had given to her earlier, which had the story of the Divine Comedy written inside of it. Looking at the book, she then added, "Besides that, compared t' what that Dante guy went through in this story, doin' homework doesn't seem so hard anymore."

Big Mac and Granny Smith shared a small smile and chuckle at Bloom's comment. All in all, things turned out as well as they had hoped, and the young girl was finally motivated to work on her report.

About an hour or so later, the sounds of Applejack's pickup truck could be heard by those in the Apple Family Farmhouse. Big Mac and Granny Smith exited through the front door to greet Applejack and Babs Seed after they had returned from visiting Cherry Jubilee earlier in the day. "Welcome back, AJ! And you too, Babs!" Granny Smith greeted. "How'd everything go over at Cherry's place?"

"Oh, pretty well as a matter of fact!" Applejack answered. "Ah tell y'all 'bout it a bit later." She then asked them both, "So how'd things go with Apple Bloom? Did ya manage t' get her to do her schoolwork?"

"Eeeyup!" Big Mac replied, pointing up towards the top of the house to say that Apple Bloom was in her room, working on it as they were speaking.

"Wait... you did?" asked AJ, honestly not expecting that answer. "That... that's incredible! How'd y'all do it? Care t' tell me the secret?"

But Big Mac smiled and told her, "Nnnope!"

"Not gonna talk, huh?" Applejack asked. "Never were much of a talkative type, are ya?" Shrugging, she then told him, "Aw, whatever. Ah'm just glad that Bloom's gettin' her work done like she's supposed to."

Just then, the four of them heard the sounds of feet running down a staircase. Then, bursting through the front doors came Apple Bloom, holding a pile of papers in her left hand. "AH'VE DONE IT!!" she proudly proclaimed. "Ah finally finished mah report!!"

"Oh you did, did you?" asked Applejack, gently taking the papers from her younger sister. "Lemme see that..." The older sister then read the papers thoroughly to see if Bloom really did write well enough. After about a few seconds of looking over the report, the orange-skinned girl then said, "This is incredible! It's so well-written! It's... it's almost like y'all were in the story t' see everything that happened for yourself!"

Big Mac and Apple Bloom then glanced at each other. The two of them then winked at each other, as a way of telling the other not to reveal the true secret behind how the report was so well-done.

"Dat's great t' hear, cuz!" said Babs, happy to know that her sister didn't have any more schoolwork to do now. "Ah was hopin' you'd be finished when we got back!" Showing the D-Pad strapped to her arm, she then asked the yellow girl, "So now that dat's outta the way, whad'ya say t' havin' dat rematch we was talkin' about?"

"You're on, Babs!" said Apple Bloom, psyched to Duel her Manehattan-born cousin. "But Ah won't let ya beat me this time!"

"We'll just see 'bout dat, cuz!" the tough little girl responded.

As the two young girls got ready to have another fun Duel against each other, Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith all shared a smile with each other. Eager to see the match between the younger members of the family, the three of them followed Babs and Bloom to the backyard behind the house to watch their Duel.

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 33: Cherry, Cherry, Quite Contrary:

Author's Note

So Season 9 will be the final season... But as long as fans like us exist, Gen 4 will continue to live on. :twilightsmile:

This episode went through several rewrites (including with the Duel) before I finally settled on this. So, hopefully it goes over well with everybody. As for the next update, I might skip next month to catch up on some things, as this month's uncooperative weather has had an adverse effect on getting more writing done.

RANK 33: Cherry, Cherry, Quite Contrary:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

During their Spring Break Vacation, Sunset and her friends have all gone to pursue different activities, often with other friends and/or with their families. While some of them have gone outside of the city of Canterlot, Applejack and her family have decided to stay home and catch up on their work at the apple farm. While farm work was no problem for Applejack's younger sister Apple Bloom, homework was a different story. The young girl had to write a report for her Literature Class, and at first, the task seemed too daunting and too difficult for her to complete.

Noticing her struggling to get her homework done, her older brother Big McIntosh decided to assist her in a rather unique way. He decided to tell his sister the old tale known as Dante's Divine Comedy. But instead of simply reading the story to her, Big Mac decided to make the story come alive with the help of his Burning Abyss Deck. He challenged his younger sister to a Duel with it, taking on her Wind-Up Deck. Although Apple Bloom lost the Duel, she was finally motivated to finish her schoolwork on time.

At that same time, Applejack had gotten a call from a friend of hers named Cherry Jubilee. After speaking with her, AJ decided to go and see her, taking her younger cousin Babs Seed along for the ride. What did Cherry have to tell Applejack, and why was she bringing Babs with her? The answers lie ahead...

(The following events take place at the same time as the events of "RANK 32: Bloom's Divine Card Game".)

"Alright, accordin' to what this paper says," Applejack told her sister as she read the instructions, "y'allre supposed to write an essay about a book or some other form of literature of your own choice. Has t' consist of at least 500 words, double-spaced, and you have t' be able to read it in front of the whole class on the day it's due."

"Uuugh... thanks for remindin' me, big sis..." groaned Apple Bloom, her tone of her voice obviously suggesting that she didn't want anything to do with her schoolwork. "It's not fair..." she then said, "it's like the teachers'r TRYIN' to suck the fun outta Spring Break by givin' us homework..."

"Amen t' that, cuz." agreed Babs Seed.

"Now, girls... Ah don't like gettin' assignments over vacation as much as the next person," Applejack told them both, "but the fact remains, Apple Bloom: y'all have an assignment t' do, and as far as Ah know, there ain't never been a member of the Apple Family that's shirked off work of any kind, no matter what!"

"Ah guess so..." replied Apple Bloom with a little sigh. "But Ah don't even know what kinda book Ah'm gonna write about! Knowin' the teacher, Ah probably have t' do it on some really long, really borin' book or somethin' that'll take me the rest of the week t' finish readin'..." She then asked her cousin, "Say, Babs... you're in mah class, too: What did y'all write about?"

"Uh, me?" asked Babs Seed. "I chose The Grapes of Wrath. I liked the sound of the title, so I decided t' go with it. I'll admit, the story wasn't what I was expectin', but it turned out to be bettah than I thought."

"Ah wish it were that easy for me t' choose a book for the report..." Apple Bloom told her.

"Thanks, big sis." Apple Bloom replied, feeling a little bit better about the whole thing.

A few seconds later, the phone began to ring. "Ah'll get it! Ah'll get it!" Granny Smith called out, making her way over to the phone. Picking it up, she spoke into it and said, "Hello? This is Apple Family Farm! How can we help ya?"

"Why hello there, Granny Smith!" said the voice on the other end. "It's good t' hear from ya again!" The voice was a southern accent, similar to the accent that Applejack's family had, but slightly different. "This is Cherry Jubilee. Ah was callin' 'cause Ah wanted t' talk to AJ a little."

"...Mhmmm... yes..." hummed Granny, listening to what the caller had to say.

Cherry then said to her, "Ah wanted t' tell AJ that Ah was able t' find somethin' that she'd been lookin' for."

"Really?" asked Granny, a bit surprised, but happy to hear that.

"So, if it ain't too much trouble, could y'all put her on the line so Ah can tell her everythin'?" Cherry asked her.

"...Okay, Ah'll tell her." said Granny with a nod. Moving away from the phone, she looked over towards Applejack and loudly spoke to her, "AJ! It's fer you."

"Alright, Ah'll be right over!' said Applejack. She then patted Apple Bloom on the back before getting up and walking over to her grandmother. After taking the phone from her, the orange-skinned girl spoke into the receiver, saying, "Hello? This is Applejack speakin'..."

"Hey there, AJ!" said Cherry on the other end. "Good t' talk to y'all again!"

"Hm? Is that you, Cherry Jubilee?" she asked, happy to hear from a friend of hers again. "How's it goin'?"

"Can't complain none." Cherry answered. "Cherry Hill Ranch is still as strong as evah, thanks mostly to that special fertilizer that your family sent t' us about a month or so ago! The cherry trees have nevah looked healthier than they do now!"

"...Mhmm... well, it's good t' hear from ya after so long!" said Applejack, pleases to hear that her old friend was doing well with herself. "So what's up?"

"Well, Ah was just tellin' your granny that Ah was able t' find that rare card that the two of you asked me 'bout." Cherry stated. "The one you that y'all described just after y'all finished deliverin' the fertilizer that day."

"...You're kiddin'!" the orange girl exclaimed, shocked to hear that. "You found it?! How'd y'all get it?!"

"Let me tell ya, it took quite a while t' track it down." Cherry explained. "y'all wouldn't BELIEVE what these people ask for just fer one li'l ol' card!"

"...Ah've seen some of the prices they ask for on the Internet." Applejack told her. "Ah'll believe ANYTHING."

"Luckily for me," Cherry continued, "some handsome young man gave me a good deal, an' Ah was able to buy it off of him. Ah checked the card a few times over, and Ah can safely say that it's one hundred-percent genuine! The bona fide, honest-t'-goodness real McCoy!"

"That's great t' hear, Cherry!" said an excited Applejack. "Ah'm real grateful that y'all went t' so much trouble just t' help mah li'l cousin out!" Pausing for a second, she then asked, "So, uhm... How much were y'all thinkin' ya wanted for it, Cherry?"

Giggling a bit, her friend told her, "Now don't y'all worry none 'bout it, AJ. You n' I've been friends since we were all in Middle School togethah, before mah family packed up n' moved out of town. Ah haven't forgotten how well we got along back then, and Ah made a promise to help out your li'l cosuin." She then told AJ, "Jus' come on down t' the ranch tomorrow, an' we'll work somethin' out."

"Alright, Cherry. Good t' hear that." the orange girl responded. "Ah'll see y'all tomorrow then. Good night."

"Good night, AJ." Cherry told her before hanging up the phone.

After Applejack had finished talking to her, she hung up the phone and walked back to rejoin her family over at the dinner table. By that time, dinner had just been served, with Babs and Apple Bloom salivating over the juicy, golden roast chicken. AJ sat down to join the others on what was to be another delicious Apple Family meal. As they ate, Babs Seed asked her older cousin, "Say, AJ... Who was dat on the phone earlier?"

"Oh that? That was mah old friend, Cherry Jubilee." the orange girl answered. "She just called to tell me that she found that thing y'all were lookin' for."

"Huh?" asked Babs, a bit surprised. "You mean the thing I was talkin' to ya about last Monday? How'd she get it?"

"Ah'll tell ya about it later, after dinner." Applejack informed her. "Right now, let's just enjoy our meal together as a family." Babs nodded and went back to eating.

By the time that they were done, it had gotten pretty dark outside. So the family decided to spend some time in the living room with each other, switching on a movie that was on TV and watching it while they chatted with each other. Now that Babs was now living nearby them, she was able to spend more time with her other relatives and even slept over at their house every so often (which her parents were perfectly fine with).

At about 10:30 p.m., just about everyone in the house was getting ready for bed. Applejack had just finished taking a shower and was on her way to her bedroom, wearing a soft and comfy bathrobe. As she passed by the guest bedroom, she saw that Babs was busy looking closely at her Duel Monsters Deck. AJ then recalled that, not that long ago, her friend Sunset Shimmer was in that very room doing the same thing. She remembered it mostly because that was the night that the Number Cards had first shown up.

The orange girl then strolled inside to talk with her younger cousin before turning in for the night. Walking over to her, she asked, "Are ya busy right now, Babs?"

Looking over to her, Babs answered, "Nah, not really AJ. Just lookin' ovah mah cards a bit. Dat's all." She then asked her, "What'cha wanna talk about?"

Deciding to sit down next to her, Applejack then told her, "Just wanted to tell you what we'll be doin tomorrow. At ten in the mornin', you n' I will head on over t' the Cherries' farm an' talk with Cherry Jubilee about gettin' that rare card for ya. It'll be a long trip, so make sure t' tell your folks and get everything you'll be needin'."

"Yeah, sure. I'll do that." Babs responded. She then asked, "So... what's this friend of yours like, Cuz? Is... she really gonna be nice enough to let me have that card?"

"Who, Cherry?" asked Applejack. "Of course she's a nice person, Babs! She n' Ah used t' be in Middle School together; we got along like two peas in a pod!" Sighing sadly a bit, she then told her, "But some time after Middle School was over, her family moved outta the city to set up their new farm over in Dodge Junction. Ah remember how sad Ah was when she left; she was one of mah best friends growin' up an' Ah hated t' see her leave. Luckily, we exchanged phone numbers so that we could keep in touch with each other and tell each other how things are going. And our two families help each other out as well, which means she an' Ah still get t' meet up with each other every now an' then."

"...I guess she sounds pretty nice, based on the way yous put it." stated Babs.

"She is, though Ah will say she is a bit eccentric at times." the orange girl admitted. "Don't worry, Ah have no doubts that she will give you that rare card, but if Ah know Cherry as well as Ah think Ah do, she won't just simply hand it over: You'll probably have t' do something for her in exchange for the card."

Babs hummed about it for a bit, but smiled and said, "That's no problem f' me, Cuz. After all, I've done way hardah things t' get cards." Looking at her Deck, she added, "After all, I was willing t' risk everythin' t' get mah Deck back from those jerks that stole it from me, so how hard could gettin' one card from somebody really be?"

"Ah'm just sayin' y'all should be prepared for whatever she might ask of ya." AJ said to her younger cousin. She then smiled and added, "But whatever it is, Ah know you'll be able t' handle it, just like how y'all handled that Duel with that Skyblaze woman a while back."

"Heh... thanks, Cousin AJ." said Babs, happy to know that her cousin had faith in her. "With yous by my side, dat card's as good as mine!"

"Then y'all had better get get some sleep, or y'all will be too tired to come with me t' Dodge Juction tomorow." Applejack informed her.

"Yeah, good call, Cuz." Babs then stretched her arms and yawned, saying, "G'night, AJ."

"Good night, Babs. Sweet dreams." the orange girl said as Babs got under the covers and began to fall asleep. Applejack then turned the light off and closed the door a bit before heading off to her own bedroom for some rest herself. She was determined to help her cousin get the rare card that Cherry had promised her, no matter what she may ask of her in return.

Early next morning, at about 10 a.m. or so, all the members of the Apple Family were up and about. They had already started to preform their daily chores in and around the farm. Thankfully, thanks to their break from school, all of them had been able to get more done in the past few days, so everything was well taken care of by this point.

Applejack walked back into the farmhouse after wrapping up a few loose ends that she wanted to take care of before she and Babs left for their trip. "Hey, Babs! Babs!!" she shouted, trying to get her attention. "Where are ya?! We've gotta get movin' now if we wanna make it t' Dodge Junction early enough!"

"I'm ovah here, AJ!" Babs called out from the dining room. The orange-skinned girl walked into the room and saw Babs was looking over her Deck one last time before she and her older cousin headed off to see Cherry Jubilee. Not wanting to keep her cousin waiting any longer, she put her Deck away in her box, packed it and her dueling gear in her backpack, and rushed over to meet AJ. "Okay, I'm ready t' go!"

"Good." said Applejack, checking the time on her cell phone. "If we get goin' right now, we oughtta make it t' Dodge Junction in about two hours." She then asked her younger cousin, "Are your folks okay with y'all comin' with me?"

"I asked them last night before I went t' sleep, and they said they was okay with it." the Manehattan-born girl told her. "They really seem t' trust ya if they was willin' t' let ya do this."

"Yeah, Ah suppose so." AJ replied. "In any case, Ah'm glad they were willin' t' let ya come with me. Now let's hope mah truck is just as cooperative as your mom n' dad were." The two of them then strolled over to the hat-wearing teen's vehicle, loading up their things and preparing for the long trip ahead. Once they were ready, the two of them jumped inside and secured their seatbelts as AJ got her key out. "Alright, let's see if the ol' girl will start up okay..." she said, hoping that it wouldn't give much trouble.

But after she inserted the key and turned it, the old pickup truck made only a few noises before sputtering out. "Hmmmm..." hummed Aapplejack, turning the key a second time. Just like before, the truck didn't do a thing. "Alright, looks like we're gonna need a bit more elbow grease t' get this thing goin'." Rolling up her sleeves, she then told her cousin, "Just gimme a minute while Ah get this all sorted out."

"Alright, whatever ya say, cuz..." Babs replied as Applejack left the truck to try and figure out what the issue was.

Hearing the truck from outside, Apple Bloom and Big Mac left the house to see if Applejack needed any help. "Aw man, not again..." said the bow-wearing girl. "That thing's on the fritz again, huh AJ?"

Applejack popped the hood open, causing a cloud of hot steam to puff out from the truck engine area. "Yeah, looks like it." said the orange teen. "The good news is that it don't look too bad: The radiator just overheated a little, that's all." Turning over to Big Mac, she asked him, "Say bro, can ya go n' find where we keep the jug of antifreeze?"

"Eeeyup!" the older brother replied, running over towards the barn to find it.

A few minutes later, after having finally gotten the truck in working order, Applejack and Babs were finally on their way to meet Cherry Jubilee over in Dodge Junction. "Well, it seems like the truck'll be just fine now, Babs..." noted the farm girl. "As long as the ol' girl keeps goin', we oughtta get there at a good time despite our little hiccup earlier."

"Let's hope so..." Babs responded. "I'd hate t' be stuck out in the middle'a nowhere with no way of gettin' back." She then asked her cousin, "So, are we meetin' this Cherry chick at her farm?"

"No, actually we'll be meetin' her over at this restaurant that's 'bout halfway between her farm an' ours." AJ explained. "Cherry explained it t' me on the phone just this mornin': We'll have some lunch, an' then she'll guide us over to her farm from there."

"I see..." Babs responded. She then asked, "But if that's the case, then why can't we just figure out what t' do 'bout the card at the restaurant? Why do we hafta go all the way over to her place?"

"Ah don't know, t' be honest. She didn't tell me, and she also sounded kinda frantic when she spoke..." Applejack answered. "But in any case, that's what she told us t' do, so we'd better just follow what she said." The Manehattan girl nodded to say that she agreed to do just that. However, the two of them still wondered why they had to go all the way out to Cherry's ranch if they were just going to meet her at a closer location. AJ wondered if it had anything to do with what she might have wanted in exchange for the rare card. Babs, however, just seemed unsure about the whole thing for some reason...

Over a half an hour later, as Applejack and Babs left Canterlot City completely, their surroundings started to look a bit more old and rustic. Anybody who traveled the road that they were on would start to get a feeling of the Old West. Compared to the sights and sounds of Canterlot and its suburbs, it was relatively calm, quiet, and peaceful. In fact, both AJ and Babs felt a bit more at ease just being there.

Having not said much in a while since they left the apple farm, the Manehatten-born girl then asked her older cousin, "So, AJ... yous think Apple Bloom'll finish dat assignment'a hers before we get back or what?"

"Ah'm not too worried, Babs." the farm girl answered her. "She may not look it, but Bloom's a hard worker: Ah'm sure she'll find a way to finish that report somehow. An' besides that, she's got Big Mac n' Granny helpin' her out, too! Who knows? Maybe she'll even find a way to make the assignment fun!"

"Pfft... no offense t' my little cousin or anythin'," Babs responded with a chuckle, "but the day that Apple Bloom has any kind of fun doin' her homework'll be the day that SPYRALs become a Tier 0 Deck."

Applejack let out a slight chuckle herself, but said nothing else in response to her cousin's comment. "Well, in any case," she then said to her, "Ah'm confident that mah li'l sis'll get her work done on time, just like how Ah'm confident that mah friend Cherry'll help you get that card y'all want so bad."

"But how d'ya know she'll come through?" asked Babs. "Dis Cherry chick, I mean." Despite sounding optimistic about it all last night, the young girl still seemed to have concerns about whether or not Cherry would keep her promise.

"Ah just have faith in her, that's all." AJ said with a smile. "She's an old friend, and Ah know she'd never back out on a promise she made herself."

"Well, I guess I can take your word for it..." the red-haired girl responded. "Maybe... Sorry, I-I guess I still don't trust people I don't know aftah what happened right after I got mah stolen Deck back."

Applejack knew what she was talking about: After Babs had sneaked into Skyes Academy and retrieved her stolen cards, some of the people from there had spread lies and rumors that Babs was the one who had stolen the Deck in the first place (most likely Ms. Skyblaze, seeing as she had tried to lie about it right in front of Applejack, her friends, and her family). After the rumors became known, Babs was picked on and scorned by the people that were once her friends, forcing her and her parents to move away to Canterlot. Even though Granny Smith had helped Babs convince the people she knew in her hometown that she was innocent, Babs hadn't yet forgiven them for what they put her through and didn't feel ready to talk to them anytime soon.

Looking up ahead, Applejack saw a large building off in the distance. "Oh! Look over there!" she said. "That's our stop! The Cherry Barrel Restaurant!" AJ breathed a sigh of relief, as she was hoping for something that would allow her to change the subject.

Babs looked out the window and saw where Applejack was pointing to. The restaurant sort of looked like an old-fashioned general store, only much, much bigger. It seemed to be a very popular spot, as the parking lot in front of the restaurant was almost completely filled with cars and other vehicles. "Looks real nice, this place..." stated the Manehattan girl, having never seen a restaurant like this before. At that moment, her stomach began growling a little. Chuckling a bit, she then said, "And just in time: I'm gettin' a bit famished n' stuff."

Chuckling as well, the orange-skinned girl told her younger cousin, "Well Ah'll just go ahead an' find a place t' park, and then we can go right ahead and take care of that li'l belly of yours." She drove around and found a good parking space from what was available, pulling into it carefully. Once the truck was stopped, the two of them hopped out and walked towards the large building.

The two girls glanced around a bit at all of the people going in and out of the restaurant, looking for the person that they were supposed to meet. "D'ya see her yet, Cuz?" asked Babs Seed.

"Mmmmm... Ah don't see anybody just yet, Babs..." Applejack answered. "Maybe she ain't here yet."

But that hypothesis was quickly dispelled when the pair heard the voice of a girl nearby. "Yoohoo~! Over here, AJ~!" the voice shouted, causing both of them to turn around towards where it was coming from. They soon spotted a taller girl waving over at them and trying to get their attention. She had pale yellow skin and bright green eyes, with a small dimple just below the left one. She had gorgeous red hair with darker red streaks and bunched up a bit in the back, with a yellow hairband with small cherry-shaped jewels on it. She wore a long, green dress with a pink waistband and a pink hem at the bottom of the skirt, along with a pink ascot around her neck. On her feet were a pair of pink-and-red boots with a stylish swirl imprinted upon each of them.

"Is that her?" Babs asked her older cousin.

"That's Cherry, alright." confirmed Applejack. "Ah'd recognize that accent o' hers a mile away."

Not wasting any time, the three girls ran over to each other to meet up. Giving her old friend a big hug, Cherry happily said to her, "Aw, Ah'm so glad to see y'all again, AJ! Ah've missed ya so much!"

"Same here, Cherry." Applejack replied, returning the friendly hug. "Always a pleasure t' meet ya." Breaking off from the hug, the orange country girl stepped aside, revealing her younger cousin behind her. "Cherry, Ah'd like y'all t' meet mah cousin: Babs Seed."

"So this is the li'l city girl, huh?" asked the pale yellow girl. Bending down so as to get to eye level with her, Cherry introduced herself to the Manehattan girl, saying, "Ah'm Cherry Jubilee. It's so nice t' finally meet y'all."

"Uh... yeah, same here." Babs replied, a bit startled by Cherry's sunny-sweet personality. "Uh, AJ's told me some stuff about ya; said you was real nice n' all that..."

Giggling a little, Cherry responded, saying, "Oh, Ah try mah best, li'l Babsie." The Manehatten girl blushed a little, embarrassed a bit by the other girl's nickname for her. "An' AJ's told me so much about ya, too! She said you're quite the li'l card shark when it comes t' Duel Monsters!"

"Aheheh... well, I guess you could say that I try my best, too." Babs replied back. Just then, the sounds of her stomach grumbling could be heard by all three of them. Babs blushed out embarrassment again after it happened.

Giggling again, Cherry then suggested, "Tell ya what: We'll talk some more after we go in an' have somethin' t' eat, okay?"

"Sounds great t' me, Cherry." Applejack replied. "Ah could go fer a li'l somethin' too; after all, it's been a pretty long drive all the way out here." The three girls then walked into the restaurant to have their meal and discuss their matters further.

Some time later, Applejack, Babs Seed, and Cherry Jubilee all had a satisfying lunch together (with Cherry offering to pay for their meal). Applejack had a grilled sirloin steak with some biscuits, mashed potatoes, and fried apples on the side, along with a glass of apple juice as a drink. Babs Seed settled for a double cheeseburger, cooked well-done with lettuce and tomatoes, with fries and macaroni and cheese on the side, plus a glass of Colta-Cola. Cherry's meal consisted of hickory-smoked ham with corn muffins and a hashbrown casserole on the side. In place of the vegetable side, Cherry opted instead for an order of sweet Bing cherries (among the many types grown on her ranch), and a glass of black cherry soda.

A little while later, the three of them had finished their meals and were positively stuffed. "Oh man... that was SOOOOO good..." Babs happily groaned. Suddenly, she let out a small burp, causing her to instinctively cover her mouth. "Aheheh... s'cuse me."

"You're forgiven, Babs..." said Applejack, also very much satisfied with her meal. "It ain't often Ah feel so full from a meal that ain't made at our house." Turning over to her friend, she told her, "Thanks fer suggestin' that we come over here t' meet, Cherry."

"Oh, it's mah pleasure, AJ." the dark red-haired gal replied. "Ah figured you n' li'l Babsie would have quite a long drive from your place t' mine, so Ah thought gettin a li'l bite t' eat before we get down to business wouldn't be a bad idea."

"So... about that," Babs began to ask her, "I don't suppose yous have dat card we was talkin' about on ya, by any chance?"

Giggling, Cherry answered her, saying, "As a matter o' fact, Ah actually do!" Getting her purse out and pulling out a card placed inside of a hard plastic card sleeve for protection, she showed it to both Babs and Applejack, saying, "Here it is, girls: The rare card Ah promised ya..."

*******************************

Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon:
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Dragon/DARK/Level 10/ATK 3300/DEF 2500)

1 "Predaplant" monster + 1 DARK monster whose original Level is 8 or higher
Must first be Fusion Summoned. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; until the end of this turn, change that target's ATK to 0, also that target has its effects negated. If this card is destroyed and sent to the GY: Destroy as many monsters on the field as possible, then you can banish 1 Level 8 or higher DARK monster from your GY and Special Summon this card from the GY.

*******************************

"Woah... awesome...!" gasped Babs, seeing this powerful and rare card for the first time ever. "Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon... It really does exist!"

"It sure does, li'l Babsie." Cherry told her. Looking at the card herself, she then commented, "T' be honest, this thing looks pretty scary and mean... Y'all SURE ya want a card like this one?"

"Of course I do!" answered the Manehattan girl. "Dat card's the only thing I need t' completely finish mah Deck! Even with AJ's n' Granny Smith's help, I wasn't able t' find one! Yous had bettah BELIEVE that I ain't gonna let this chance pass me by!"

Chuckling a little, Cherry then said, "My, oh my... quite the enthusiastic one, aren't ya?"

"That's Babs fer ya." Applejack told her friend. "Once she sets her mind on gettin' somethin', she ain't never gonna quit 'til she gets it!" Babs nodded to say that her older cousin was speaking the truth.

"Mmmmm... well, if this card's what the li'l gal wants," Cherry hummed, "Ah'd be more than happy to give it to her!"

"F-f-for real? No foolin'?!" asked Babs, part-shocked and also part-delighted to finally get the card that she always wanted. "Thanks so much!" she said, reaching for the card.

"Woah...! Hold on there, li'l Babsie." said the cherry-loving gal, pulling the card away from Babs. "Ah didn't say Ah was just gonna give it to y'all for nothin', now... This card cost me quite a pretty penny, so if you REALLY want it, y'allre gonna have t' do somethin' for me first."

"Uhhhh... like what?" asked Babs.

"Well, see... the thing is, Ah have a bit of a pickle t' sort out over at the ol' cherry ranch." Cherry Jubilee explained, putting the rare card away in her purse for the moment. "See, a couple o' our workers are sick, an' we're li'l shorthanded. So what Ah'm askin' ya is that if y'allre okay with doin' a bit of work for me over at the ranch, Ah'll give you the card as your payment. Ah figure that, for what this card cost me, a day's worth of work on mah ranch would be a fair trade, wouldn't y'all say?"

"You... wants me t' work at your farm?" inquired Babs Seed.

"Is that why ya wanted us t' go to your ranch, even though you told us to meet y'all here?" Applejack asked, having figured it all out.

"Is that alright with ya?" asked Cherry. "Ah know Ah might be askin' a bit much, but mah folks n' Ah really do need some help over at the ranch. Still, it's your choice: Take it or leave it."

"Um... well... uh..." Babs wasn't expecting to have to do something like that for the card she wanted. At first, she didn't seem too keen about doing any sort of hard work, and she wasn't sure what to do. But then, she remembered something that Applejack had said to Apple Bloom yesterday at dinner; that no upstanding member of the Apple Family would ever refuse to do any kind of work, no matter how tough it was. Making her decision, the Manehattan girl sighed a bit and told her, "Fine, I'll take it."

"You will?! That's wonderful! Ah knew ya would!" cheered Cherry Jubilee, happy to know that she would be getting some help. She then asked her friend, "Is... that okay with you, AJ?"

Nodding, Applejack told her, "That's fine with me, Cherry. In fact, Ah'll lend y'all a hand on your farm too."

"You will, AJ? Y'all don't really have to-"

"Ah insist, Cherry." the orange girl interrupted her. "You know as well as Ah do that Ah'll always help out a friend o' mine. So Ah'm gonna help y'all out; and Ah won't take 'no' fer an answer!"

Chuckling a bit, Cherry smiled and said, "Ah'm pretty sure you wouldn't, AJ. Alright then, y'all can give your li'l cousin n' me a hand over at the farm." Checking her watch, she gasped a little and added, "Oh my! We'd bettah get movin' if we wanna get all that work done! Let's hurry!" AJ and Babs nodded as the three of them got up from the table, paid the bill at the front counter and got into their vehicles. Cherry pulled out in her bright red farm truck first, allowing AJ and Babs to follow close behind. Together, they were all on their way over to Cherry's farm to help her out with her work there.

For the next several minutes, Applejack and Babs Seed were on their way over to the Cherry Hill Ranch, with Cherry Jubilee leading them there so that they wouldn't get lost. As they were on their way over there, Babs glanced over to her older cousin and began to ask, "Uh... AJ?"

"Hm? What's on your mind, Babs?" the orange girl asked her back.

"Oh... uh... well, I've uh... I've just been thinkin'..." the Manehattan girl responded, stuttering a bit as she tried come up with the best way to say what she had to say. "Isn't it just... well, a bit weird?"

"What's weird?"

"Well, what's weird is that dis Cherry chick didn't tell us about helpin' her out at her farm ahead'a time, y'know?" Babs told her cousin. "It's just... yous would think that'd be somethin' she'd tell us right away if it was so important."

"Maybe that's true..." Applejack responded, "but Ah'm sure she had a good reason for not tellin' us 'til now." She then asked the young girl, "Why do y'all sound so worried? It's just gonna be a li'l manual labor; you've done loads of it on the apple farm already."

"It's not the work, really..." Babs told her. "It's just, well... somethin' 'bout dis whole thing smells kinda fishy, don'tcha think?"

"What d'ya mean, Babs?"

"Well..." Babs explained to her cousin, "like I said earilah, I still have a problem with just takin' someone's word as it is. I know she's yer friend and yous trust her n' stuff, but... but I ain't like that: I have a hard time trustin' anybody I just met. Aftah all, that's how I got mah Deck stolen from me..."

"...Babs..." AJ replied, sad to hear this from her younger cousin.

"Even mah friends back home turned on me when dose jerks made up dat lie about me..." the Manehatten girl continued, feeling sadder and angrier just talking about it. "The same people that I thought were mah friends took someone else's word ovah mine without even thinkin' twice... I'll nevah forgive 'em, let alone trust 'em again... No matter how many 'I'm sorry' emails they send me..."

Applejack was concerned for her cousin having trust issues after all the trouble she had back in her old home. Between having her Deck stolen and her old friends turned against her, it seemed as though Babs would have a hard time trusting anyone ever again. "Well, Ah can assure you that this time'll be different, Babs." she said to her. "Ah've known Cherry for a long time, and she'd nevah take advantage of anybody. Sure, she's eccentric - like Ah said earlier on, but she's a good person; Ah know she is." Babs still wasn't sure if she could trust Cherry as much as Applejack did, but decided to go along with it for now.

After a long drive, the three of them finally made it to Dodge Junction. The town was quite small, but also quite lively, with many people walking around and going about their daily business. The town itself seemed like it was pulled straight out of an old western movie, looking similar to an old-fashioned boomtown. Only this one was not in any danger of deteriorating into a ghost town anytime soon. A fully-functioning train station was present, with trains coming into or departing from it on a regular basis. Plastered all over the town were advertisements depicting Cherry Jubilee's farm, Cherry Hill Ranch, which was where they were headed to.

Driving past the ranch entrance's open gates, Applejack, Babs, and Cherry pulled into a large driveway beside a tall, cherry-red barn. As Applejack and Babs stepped out of the truck, the Manehattan girl couldn't help but stare at the large building nearby. "Woah... dat barn's about as big as yours is, Cuz!" she commented. She then glanced beside it and saw all of the bright pink cherry trees off in the distance. "Woah! And lookit that!" she gasped. "Dat orchard's like, huMONGOUS!!"

"Yeah, Ah don't remember it bein' that big the last time Ah was here..." Applejack stated. "'Course, Ah said that same thing the last time Ah was here, too."

"Our cherry ranch is the biggest business here in Dodge Junction." said Cherry, having left her vehicle to join up with them. "In fact, it's pretty much the lifeblood of the whole town. In othah words, it's what keeps the whole town alive. So we've had t' keep on expandin' in order t' meet the expectations of our customers!"

"With a farm this big, it's no wonder y'all wanted our help so bad..." Applejack commented.

"With a lot'o our workers unable t' help out, we're in danger of fallin' behind on our orders." Cherry explained. "We can't let that happen, or othahwise we'll start losin' our customers! Ah'm sure y'all can undahstand how big an issue this is, AJ."

"Ah certainly do, Cherry." the orange girl said, agreeing with her friend. "Believe me, we know how it feels to get a bit shorthanded every now n' again."

Babs, doing her best to remain confident that everything would go smoothly, smiled and said to the cherry farmer, "But... now that yous got us workin' for ya today, it ain't gonna be a problem anymore, right Cousin AJ?"

Smiling and chuckling a little, the orange-skinned girl nodded and said, "Babs's right: With us on yer side, you ain't got a thing t' worry about! We'll show y'all what a li'l Apple Family muscle can do fer you!"

Giggling, Cherry said to them, "That's great t' hear, AJ! And thank ya kindly again!" Opening the barn doors and gathering up several baskets, she then told the pair, "In that case, let's get started right away! We've got a whole lot t' do!"

The three of them began their work over by the orchards; their first job was to pick all of the newly-ripened cherries from the trees. Since neither Applejack nor Babs were cherry experts, Cherry Jubilee helped them point out which trees were ready to be picked. Once they found the right sort of tree, Jubilee got a nearby step stool and began picking the cherries out of the tree. Babs did the same (after Jubilee showed her a tree that she could pick from), getting out another step stool in order to reach the tiny fruit. Applejack also helped hand-pick cherries from a tree that her friend had shown to her. The task took a while, but eventually, they were able to fill all of the baskets that they had brought with them.

After the cherries were picked, the three of them went into another building with their full baskets. Jubilee was able to carry several of them without any trouble, but both Applejack and Babs, with the amount of baskets that they were carrying, looked more like they were performing a balancing act in the circus rather than working on a farm. Nevertheless, all three of them managed to bring their cherry baskets into the building without spilling any. The room that they were in was sort of a processing plant, where the different types of cherries were sorted out so that similar ones were all bunched together. Though there were a few people inside working, the three girls lent them a hand in sorting out the small fruits. They did well, though Jubilee had to occasionally help her friends figure out which cherries were which when some were very similarly-colored to one another. Somehow, though, Jubilee knew which ones were which with little more than a glance, leading both AJ and Babs to think her skill was a bit superhuman.

Once all of the cherries were sorted out, they were packed into boxes and immediately refrigerated in order to keep them well-preserved. After that, the three of them went back into the orchards with empty baskets to start the process again. For the next hour or so, the three of them kept at it until there was no more work to be done. By the time they were finished, both Babs and even Applejack were quite exhausted as they sat on chairs under the shade of a large tree just across from the Cherry Family's farmhouse.

Wiping some sweat from her forehead, Babs said to his cousin, "Man... And I thought workin' on YOUR farm was hard..."

"Yeah, Cherry wasn't foolin' us when she said she was low on help here..." stated AJ. "Ah feel like Ah did the work of about TEN other people." Letting out a deep breath, she managed to smile and say, "But the important thing is that we stuck to it, and saw the work through to the end."

"And Ah can't thank y'all enough for helpin me out here." said Cherry, walking over to them and wiping some sweat from off of her as well. "Thanks t' y'all, we're all caught up with everythin'!"

"That's good t' hear." said AJ, happy to know that she and Babs were a big help to her.

"So... uh, now that yous got everythin' ya need from us..." Babs started, "d'ya think I could have dat card now?"

"Of course," replied Cherry, "but first, why don't Ah get y'all some refreshments? You two look about as jumpy as a herd of turtles with how tired y'all are." The two nodded to say that they would like a drink, and Cherry walked towards her house to find something for them. As she walked through the living room towards the kitchen, she stopped and looked up at the staircase that led to the second floor, where her bedroom was. Cherry thought about something to herself... and smiled as she got an idea.

About a minute or two later, Cherry returned with two bottles full of the cherry juice that her ranch produced; one for Babs and one for Applejack. "Here ya go." she said as she handed them the drinks. "Chilled to perfection."

Opening the top of the bottle, AJ nodded and told her friend, "Thanks a heap, Cherry. Ah gotta admit: This is probably the hardest Ah've ever worked in mah life! And that's sayin' a lot."

"Same here." Babs chimed in, guzzling down her drink. "But it was worth it t' get that Greedy Venom card."

"Weeeeeeellllll... actually," began Cherry, "there is just ONE more li'l thing Ah want y'all t' do for me, Babsie..."

"Huh? One more thing?" asked the Manehattan girl, gulping a bit. Applejack was also a bit curious as to what else her friend could have possibly wanted from them.

"Oh, now don't y'all worry none: It ain't more farm work." the cherry-loving gal assured them. "It's just that, while Ah was gettin' your drinks and everythin', I couldn't help but remember what AJ told me about ya, Babsie: She told me that you're a very strong Duelist, ain't that right?"

"Um, yeah I guess so." Babs replied, feeling a bit suspicious. "But what about it?"

"Well, nothin' much..." Cherry continued, "but perhaps Ah want t' make sure that, if Ah'm gonna give y'all such a rare and powerful card, that it'll be used well by whomevah Ah give it to." She then put on a determined look and told the Manehattan girl, "And the best way t' find that out... is by challengin' y'all to a Duel!"

"A-a Duel?!" exclaimed Babs, not expecting to hear that.

"You... you wanna duel Babs?" asked Applejack, also surprised by this sudden turn of events.

"Ah certainly do, AJ." Cherry responded with a nod. "So what do y'all say? Ya willin' to fight me?"

Babs was still a bit astonished by this girl's sudden challenge. But also because this all felt too familiar, like with what had happened concerning the people that swiped her Deck, along with her former friends back home in Manehatten. She had only expected to get the card after doing all that work on the farm, but now it seemed that she had to win a Duel against her as well. Still, despite all of that, she wasn't about to back down from a challenge. Putting on a determined face of her own, Babs shouted, "Alright, Cherry! I'll take yous on! And I'll beat ya, too!"

Cherry smiled and nodded, saying, "Ah'm lookin forward t' whatevah y'all have ready to throw at me!" At that moment, she pulled the rare card out of her purse again and tossed it over to Babs. With an almost lightning-fast reaction, the younger girl managed to catch it in her right hand without a problem. "Since y'all put in a good work for me here on the ranch, though," Cherry told her soon-to-be-opponent, "Ah'll even let ya take that card, just t' let ya try it out." Babs nodded, saying that she agreed to that. Applejack was still a bit confused by her old friend's actions right now, but decided not to say anything just yet.

A few minutes later, both Babs and Cherry had their D-Pads and Gazers ready to go. The two cut and shuffle each other's Decks and stood a good distance apart from each other. "You ready, Cherry?" asked Babs. "'Cause I ain't holdin' back! Not when a rare card's on the line!"

Cherry nodded and responded, saying, "Give me your best shot, Babsie!"

"I will!" the Manehattan girl shouted back. "...And stop callin' me 'Babsie'!"

Giggling a little, Cherry told her, "Aw, but Ah like callin ya that..."

"Rrrgh... whatevah! Let's duel!!" Babs said back as the two of them drew their opening hands (Babs Seed: LP 4,000) (Cherry Jubilee: LP 4,000). Applejack watched on, still wondering what was going on, but more importantly, how this sudden Duel would play out...

With the AR images fully materialized, Babs Seed and Cherry Jubilee were ready to begin their impromptu Duel. Applejack, along with a few of the other people that were in the ranch, had put on their Duel Gazers in order to watch. AJ, however, was still curious as to why her friend had suddenly challenged Babs to a Duel with the card that she promised her as the prize. (What's up with Cherry?) she asked herself. (Why'd she challenge Babs outta the blue like that? Normally, this wouldn't be that unusual, since she always wanted t' Duel me every time we'd see each other, but somethin' about this is... weird.) She then began to think back what Babs had told her in the truck on the way over. (...No, Cherry wouldn't lie t' Babs like that, and especially not me; Ah know her too well to even think she'd do that... She'd never break a promise to me or anyone. But Ah have a feelin' Babs doesn't feel the same way...)

And AJ was right: Babs was becoming more and more sure that this was just like what had happened in the past. (I knew it...!) she thought to herself. (She's probably nevah gonna let me have dat card! She's just stringin' me along, just like all those jerks back home!) But then - all of a sudden, she started to have a few doubts about her assumptions. (But... if dat's true, then... why'd she let me borrow the card for this Duel? It don't make no sense...!) Shaking her head a bit, Babs then said to herself, (Whatevah! I'll beat her so much, dat she won't even THINK about goin' back on our deal!)

"I'll start dis here Duel off!" Babs shouted, taking a card from her hand. "And I'll start by playin' the Spell Card, Terraforming! With it, I can add any Field Spell Card from mah Deck to mah hand!" After making her selection, she immediately played the card and said, "I choose dis one! Fusion Recycling Plant!" At that moment, the scenery around them changed to that of a junkyard in the middle of the night. Piles and piles of discarded refuse surrounded everyone, and several searchlights focused their lights on the area where Babs and Cherry were.

"So y'allre goin' with that card right away, Ah see..." the pale-yellow girl said. "Ah think Ah know what ya'llre gonna do next."

"Then dis next move won't be a surprise t' ya, then!" the Manehattan girl told her. "I Summon the Witch of the Black Forest in Attack Mode!" Babs's first monster was a tall, greyish-skinned woman with purple hair and an extra eye on her forehead. She wore a long, black, dress-like cloak on her body with a creepy-looking eye on top of it (Witch of the Black Forest: Level 4 / ATK 1100 / DEF 1200). "Then," she continued, "I'll activate the effect'o mah Fusion Recycling Plant! I discard mah Predaplant Banksiogre t' grab Polymerization from mah Deck!"

"Now Babs has what she needs to bring out one of her Fusion Monsters..." noted Applejack, knowing full-well that her little cousin always played big when it mattered.

"Now, I activate Polymerization to fuse Predaplant Chlamydosundew in mah hand with Witch of the Black Forest on the field!" shouted Babs Seed. At that moment, a red-and-blue vortex appeared overhead, drawing Babs's witch, along with a creature that seemed to be a cross between the sticky Sundew plant and a frilled lizard. "Lizard with sticky leaves! Spellcaster in nature's shadow!" she chanted. "Combine together and unleash a new, more vicious horror from deep in the abyss! Fusion Summon! Grow now! Predaplant Chimerafflesia!"

In no time at all, Babs Seed's powerful Plant Fusion Monster grew out from the ground in front of her, displaying its fanged tentacles and vicious-looking red flower (Predaplant Chimerafflesia: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"Oh my...! A Fusion Summon so quickly?" asked Cherry. Smiling a bit, she then told her opponent, "AJ was right about y'all bein' a powahful Duelist. But then again, she never lies 'bout anythin', so Ah guess Ah should've expected this much."

"Hmph, just wait n' see what I've got for yous later." Babs told her in a more stern-sounding voice. "And be ready to give me that rare card for good, and without any funny business!" Looking at her D-Pad's Graveyard slot, she then added, "And speakin' of business, I still have some t' take care of involvin' mah Witch of the Black Forest! After she's sent to mah Graveyard, I can take any monster with 1500 or less defense outta mah Deck! So I'll take mah Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!"

"Ah see." Cherry acknowledged. She then asked, "Is that all you're doin' then, Babsie?"

"I still have one more thing I can do." the Manehattan girl told her. "At the end of mah turn, my Recyclin' Plant lets me return any monster from my Graveyard to mah hand, as long as dat monster was used for a Fusion Summon dis turn!" At that moment, a card came out of her D-Pad, which she immediately picked out and placed into her hand. "Of course, the monster I'm takin' is my good ol' Witch of the Black Forest! That'll end mah turn."

"Not a bad first move, there." Cherry complimented. "Now let's see if Ah can make a good one as well. Ah draw!" After drawing her card, she wasted no time in playing it. "Ah activate the Continuous Spell, The World Tree!!"

Babs and Applejack watched as a small sprout began to come out of the ground immediately in front of the pale-yellow girl. But the sprout didn't stay a sprout for long. It quickly began to grow bigger and bigger until formed into a massive tree with bright green leaves. "What's with dat giant twig?" asked Babs. "What's it do?"

"You'll just have t' wait n' see, li'l Babsie." Cherry simply told her. Taking out another card from her hand, she then declared, "Now Ah activate my Trade-In Spell! By discardin' a Level 8 monster from mah hand, Ah can draw two new cards from mah Deck!" After discarding a card and drawing two more, she then played another Spell Card. "Ah activate One for One!" she shouted. "Now by sendin' any monster from mah hand to the Graveyard, Ah can Special Summon a Level 1 monster from mah hand or mah Deck!" Taking another card out of her hand, Cherry added, "Ah'll send mah Amarylease to the Graveyard and Summon Glow-Up Bulb from mah Deck in Defense Mode!"

The monster that emerged onto her field next was a small plant bulb with an eerie-looking purple eye. Sprouting from its "head" was a white flower with a red stigma in its center and small green leaves all around it (Glow-Up Bulb: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 100).

"Hmph, that little thing don't look so tough..." Babs commented, not scared one bit by the tiny little monster.

"Don't be too sure 'bout that, Babs..." Applejack warned her. "She's just usin' that li'l guy for somethin' even bigger."

"AJ's right." confirmed Cherry. "Glow-Up Bulb'll help me bring out the card that Ah really want on the field! At least once Ah make one more move first..." Taking a card from out of her Graveyard, she then stated, "Ah now banish Amarylease from mah Graveyard to activate its effect! Now, durin' this turn only, Ah can now Normal Summon any monster by releasin' one less monster than normal!"

"One less monster t' release??" asked Babs, a bit surprised. "But that means-"

"Exactly." the pale yellow girl interrupted. "It means now Ah can Summon this Level 8 monster in mah hand by gettin' rid of only ONE monster on the field! So now Ah'll release Glow-Up Bulb to Summon this! Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms!!"

In a flash, the tiny bulb vanished from the field. And then in its place, a giant cherry blossom flower grew with its petals closed up. Once it was fully grown, the petals began to spread, revealing that inside of the plant was a very lovely woman. She had peach-colored skin and dark-violet hair. She wore a purple kimono with a pink petal design on each of the sleeves, along with a golden flower decoration pinned to each of them. In her hand was a fan that also had a flower petal design, and after she unfolded her fan, several cherry blossom petals flew around, carried by the wind (Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 1200).

"No way...!" gasped Babs. "She Summoned a high-Level monster like dat on her first turn?!" Something told Babs that this Duel might not be as easy as she had hoped.

"Babsie, meet Talaya: The Plant Princess of Spring." Cherry said, introducing her newly-summoned monster. "Quite the lovely li'l flower, wouldn't y'all agree? And she's got power t' match that beauty as well! For each Plant monster that Ah've got on the field, she gains an extra hundred attack points. That even includes herself!" (Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms: ATK 2800 + 100 = 2900). Looking at Babs's Fusion Monster, she then added, "Ah COULD attack you right now, but Ah know that if Ah do, you'll just use your monster's effect to weaken mah princess and destroy her. So instead, Ah'll just set a card and end mah turn."

"Fine then! I draw!" shouted Babs, drawing her next card. As she looked over what was in her hand, she then thought, (Something's weird here... Dat chick said that she knew about mah Chimerafflesia's effect... So why'd she Summon her cherry princess in Attack Mode?) Babs tried to figure out what her opponent was planning, but wasn't totally sure. (Arrgh! Whatevah! I'll just wipe her out before her plan works! Whatevah it is!) she said to herself.

Applejack noticed that her younger cousin was beginning to show a slight amount of frustration. The orange farm girl hoped that, whatever it was that was bothering her wouldn't affect her gameplay. (Stay calm, Babs...) she mentally urged her.

"I'll start dis here turn with the Spell Card, Fusion Recovery!" the Manehattan girl declared. "It lets me get back any monster in mah Graveyard that I used for a Fusion Summon, along with a copy of Polymerization!" She then took her two cards, which included the Predaplant Chlamydosundew that she had used to Summon her Fusion Monster last turn. "Next, I'll Summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio in Attack Mode!" After the card was played, her scorpion/plant hybrid creature crawled onto the field, its stinger raised (Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 800).

"Hmmm, y'all sure do like scary, creepy plants don't ya?" asked Cherry Jubilee.

"If ya think he's scary," Babs told her opponent. "jus' wait 'til I do this! I use Ophrys Scorpio's effect! By sendin' mah Witch of the Black Forest to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon any other Predaplant monster from mah Deck! I'll choose mah Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra and put him in Defense Mode!" At that moment, a large, fearsome-looking plant grew out of the ground. It had a head and long neck growing out what appeared to be a second mouth, and had several long, tentacle-like vines growing out of it (Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra: Level 5 / ATK 800 / DEF 2300)

"Hmmm..." hummed Cherry, watching Babs's moves closely.

"And now I'll play Polymerization again!" the tough little girl shouted. "I'll fuse togethah mah Predaplant Chlamydosundew in mah hand, along with the Ophrys Scorpio on mah field!" Once more, a red-and-blue portal opened up, swallowing up both monsters. "I Fusion Summon anothah Chimerafflesia!!" In a matter of seconds, a second monstrous plant, much like the first one, grew out the ground in front of Babs.

"So you brought out anothah of those vicious flowers, did you?" asked Cherry, not showing much (if any) fear.

"Dat's right!" Babs replied. "And now I've got everythin' I need t' beat you in one shot!" Thrusting her hand forward, she then shouted, "Chimerafflesia!! Attack her cherry blossom princess!" One of the two plant monsters roared as it prepared its attack. "And at that moment, I'll use Chimerafflesia's effect! It lowers your monster's attack by a thousand (Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms: ATK 2900 - 1000 = 1900), and raises mah monster's power by the same amount!" (Predaplant Chimerafflesia: ATK 2500 + 1000 = 3500) Once that was all done, Bab's monster struck Cherry's with its thorned tentacles, wiping her off the field and dealing some damage (Cherry Jubilee: LP 4,000 - 1,600 = 2,400). The attack also caused a huge amount of cherry blossom petals to scatter around in the air around Cherry's side of the field. In the confusion, no one noticed a small, orange fruit growing out of the tree next to the pale-yellow girl (The World Tree: Flower Counters 0 + 1 = 1).

"Cherry's down t' just 2,400 Life Points..." noted Applejack. "Since Babs still has a second Chimerafflesia to attack with, she can wipe out the rest'o her Life Points right now." Humming a bit, she added, "But if Ah know Cherry as well as Ah think Ah do... there's no way she'd let herself get beat that easily..."

Babs, however, didn't feel the same way as she prepared her next attack. "Go, Chimerafflesia!! Attack her directly and end this Duel!!" At that moment, her second monster whipped up its thorned appendages, ready to strike Cherry. But when it did so, the force of the whipping caused the flower petals in the air to disperse... and revealed something that startled Babs. "Aw no...!" she exclaimed. "A face-down card! Ah didn't see it there!" In her haste to end the Duel, she had completely forgotten about the card her opponent had set earlier.

"Sorry, Babsie." Cherry said with a smile. "But Ah'm afraid it's too late t' take back your move now! Ah actiavte mah Trap Card, Mirror Force!!"

"Aw NO!!!" Babs shouted in despair.

After the Trap Card was activated, a shimmering shield surrounded Cherry to protect her. Chimerafflesia's thorned tentacle struck the barrier and shattered it, but was otherwise unable to harm Cherry herself. Then, soon after that, the shards of glass that broke off of the barrier began to glow before shooting themselves at both of Babs Seed's Fusion monsters, destroying them completely. "Thanks to Mirror Force," the pale-yellow girl told her opponent, "I'll be safe for the rest of this turn, since it destroys all of the monsters ya'll have on the field that are in Attack Mode. Luckily, your Hyrda on the field was in Defense Mode, so it survives."

"Darn it...!" grumbled Babs. "I thought I had it won, but she had that Trap to protect her." Groaning, she then asked herself, (What's wrong with me?? Usually I don't forget about stuff like that...! How could I have forgotten about that face-down card??)

As Babs Seed mulled over her setback, another fruit began to grow on the tree that Cherry had on her field (The World Tree: Flower Counters 1 + 1 = 2). Once more, no one noticed it... except for Applejack. (What was that?) she asked herself. (Why did that tree suddenly grow somethin' on it? And not only that, what was up with Cherry's earlier move? If she had that Trap Card, why'd she wait until AFTER her monster was destroyed before playin' it? If she did that, she would've saved her monster and kept from takin' any damage...) The country gal figured that her old friend was indeed up to something; otherwise, she would not have willingly taken such a hit to herself. AJ also noticed that her younger cousin was getting frustrated at having been so easily tripped up.

Babs was still annoyed by what had happened, and was scrambling to think of a new plan. Looking at the card she drew during her turn, she sighed, knowing that putting it on the field was the only other thing she could do now. Shoving the card into the Spell & Trap slot, she said to Cherry, "I'll set dis face-down, and then use mah Field Spell t' get back mah Chlamydosundew from the Graveyard. That'll end mah turn."

"That means it's mah turn, then!" the cherry-loving chick said. "Ah draw!" She then looked at the card and was pretty pleased with she managed to get. "Looks like this'll be a pretty fun turn for me, li'l Babsie." she said in a cutesy-sounding voice.

"Don't get too ahead'a yourself there, lady." Babs told her. "Now that it's the Standby Phase, I can now use each'a the effects of the two Chimerafflesias in mah Graveyard! Each one lets me take a Polymerization or Fusion Spell Card outta mah Deck an' into mah hand! Since two of 'em were sent to the Graveyard last turn, it means I can get two cards out of mah Deck!" She then revealed the cards she chose to take out of her Deck: Polymerization and Ultra Polymerization.

"Not bad, but Ah'm afraid this li'l ol' Duel's gonna end before ya'll get a chance t' play either one of them!" Cherry informed her. Taking one of the two cards that were in her hand, she said to Babs, "Ah'll play Foolish Burial from mah hand in order t' send a monster from mah Deck to the Graveyard!" After doing that, she then played the second card, saying, "Next, Ah play mah Fragrance Storm Spell Card!"

*******************************

Fragrance Storm:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 1 Plant monster on the field; destroy that target, and if you do, draw 1 card, then if that card is a Plant monster, you can reveal it and draw 1 more card.

*******************************

Babs grumbled a bit; since Cherry had no monsters on the field, the Manehattan girl knew that it would be HER monster that would be eliminated. And as she predicted, her Drosophyllum Hydra was immediately destroyed by the Spell Card's effect. "With that unsightly li'l weed pulled," the pale-yellow girl commented, "Ah can now draw a card from mah Deck." After pulling the top card, she smiled and said, "And since Amarylease - the card that Ah drew, is a Plant monster, Ah can now draw another card from mah Deck!" And that's exactly what she did (The World Tree: Flower Counters 2 + 1 = 3).

(Now another'o those fruits popped up on her big tree...) Applejack thought to herself. She was still unsure of what their purpose was, but knew that it wouldn't be much longer before she and Babs would find out.

Taking the second card that she drew with her Fragrance Storm card, Cherry played it and said, "Ah now play Pot of Desires from mah hand! By banishin' the top ten cards of mah Deck face-down, Ah can draw an extra two cards!" After doing so, she then activated one of them. "Now Ah'll play the Spell Card known as Reasoning! Now, Babsie: You have t' declare a number from 1 to 12... After that, Ah'll excavate cards from mah Deck until Ah flip ovah a Monster Card. And if its Level is different from the number y'all gave me, Ah can Special Summon it!"

Babs wasn't too happy to hear that, especially since she didn't know enough about her opponent's Deck to know what Monster Level she should pick. Sighing, she told Cherry, "I guess I'll predict that... that you'll reveal a Level 4 monster."

"Level 4, y'all say?" asked the cherry-lover. "Alright, let's see if you're right..." She then began flipping over the cards off the top of her Deck. The first card was Pollinosis (a Trap Card), the second was Seed of Deception (a Spell), then came the third card, which was Bottomless Trap Hole (another Trap). The fourth card, however, was a Monster Card, and it was one that Cherry seemed to be hoping for. "Too bad, Babsie." she told her opponent. "The monster that came up wasn't Level 4: It was Level 8! That means Ah can Summon it!"

"Anothah Level 8 monster?!" exclaimed Babs, shocked as ever.

"Now it's time to introduce the spicy li'l lady of Summertime!" Cherry Jubilee declared as she placed the excavated monster onto her D-Pad. "Ah Summon Mariña, Princess of Sunflowers in Attack Mode!!" After playing her powerful monster to the field, a large, bright-yellow sunflower began to bloom in front of her. Like the first giant flower, this one's petals were closed, but they soon opened up to reveal another pretty girl inside of it. This one had tanned skin, a sunflower-shaped headdress, and a red top and gloves. Her fiery-red eyes were quite bright, and the smirk on her face gave off a mischievous attitude (Mariña, Princess of Sunflowers: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 1600).

"Dat chick looks just like the first big monster she Summoned..." Babs pointed out. Now she was beginning to figure out what Cherry's strategy was: to Summon these Plant Princesses as quickly as possible.

"Ah'm afraid Ah'm not done just yet." said the pale-yellow girl. "Now Ah do believe it's time for me to reveal the power of mah World Tree!"

"Your what?" asked Babs. She then gasped when she suddenly noticed the tree sitting next to her opponent. She had completely forgotten about it. She also noticed something else: The three glowing orange fruits that were growing on the tree's branches. "What're those things?" she asked.

"Those are Flower Counters, Li'l Babsie." answered Cherry. "Every time Plant monsters are destroyed, mah World Tree gets a Flower Counter on it. Then, by removin' those counters, Ah can activate one its special powers! And right now, mah tree has three Flower Counters on it!"

"So that's why she let Babs destroy her monster!" Applejack realized. "So that she could put one'a those counter-things on her Spell Card!"

"That's right, AJ." confirmed the cherry-lover. "And not only that, but mah World Tree gets counters even when mah opponent's Plant monsters get destroyed! Which means Ah got two more for destroyin' your Chimerafflesia and Cordyceps!" Putting her hand in the air, she then declared, "Now Ah'll use mah World Tree's third effect! By removin' all three of its Flower Counters, Ah can Special Summon any Plant monster from mah Graveyard!"

Babs and Applejack could only watch as Cherry Jubilee prepared to play yet another powerful monster to her side of the field. They weren't sure what she would bring out, but they knew it would likely be something that was just as strong as the other two high-Level monsters she played so far.

"Now Ah Summon Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves in Attack Mode!" shouted Cherry as her third Level 8 monster appeared on the field. It was another woman living inside of a plant; in this case, she appeared out of a flower made out of red and yellow maple tree leaves. She had greyish-peach skin, an intricate headdress made out of more leaves in fall colors, and wore a pretty green dress that also had a leaf-like appearance (Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves: Level 8 / ATK 1800 / DEF 2800).

"Huh? Where'd dat chick come from?" asked Babs. "Ah was expectin' her t' play dat cherry blossom princess again..."

"Ah sent this card to the Graveyard earlier this turn with Foolish Burial." Cherry explained. "And as long as she's out, you can't attack any of mah other Plant monsters. And not only that, but if you destroy her, Ah can Summon another Plant monster from mah Deck to replace her."

"That's just great..." mumbled the Manehattan girl.

"But that's not all, Li'l Babsie... So far Ah've brought out the princesses of Spring, Summer, and Autumn." Cherry Jubilee informed her. "That just leaves one season left: Winter." Pulling out a card from her hand, she then added, "And with this card, Ah can bring out that Princess as well! Ah activate Monster Reborn!! Ah now Summon mah fourth princess from mah Graveyard in Attack Mode!! Tytannial, Princess of Camellias!!"

And with that, Cherry Summoned one more high-Level Plant from her Graveyard; it was the same card she had discarded earlier when she played Trade-In. This Plant Princess emerged from out of a Camellia flower, which were known to bloom during the winter months. She had very pale skin, almost as white as snow, wore a headdress that resembled the flower she came out of, and wore an elaborate dress with all sorts of leaves, flowers and vines all over it.

*******************************

Tytannial, Princess of Camellias:
(Effect Monster/Plant/WIND/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2600)

When a card or effect that targets a card(s) on the field is activated (Quick Effect): You can Tribute 1 face-up Plant monster; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it.

*******************************

Staring down all three of Cherry Jubilee's powerful Level 8 Plant monsters, Babs only had one question to ask herself: (How'd I let this happen...?) she thought. (Normally, I'd nevah let my opponent get THIS ahead'a me! What's goin' on??)

"Y'all seem a tad bit flustered, li'l Babsie." Cherry told her. "AJ told me ya'll were a tough Duelist, but it seems somethin's got y'all distracted. Am Ah right?"

Babs grumbled a little and said in a low tone of voice, "You're just tryin' t' throw me off, ain'tcha? So that you won't hafta give up that card ya promised me..." Cherry wasn't sure what Babs was saying... but only because she didn't quite hear her.

But Applejack did hear what her cousin said... and it helped her confirm her suspicions as to why Babs's game seemed to be off today. Standing up from the spot under the tree that she was sitting in, the orange farm girl walked over towards the two of them and put her hands into a T-shape, calling out, "Time out, girls! Time out!"

"Huh?" asked Cherry, a bit confused. "Time out?"

"Just gimme a sec, Cherry." AJ requested her friend. "Ah need t' talk to Babs for a little bit. It's real important." The cherry farmer wasn't sure what was going on, but nodded to say she was okay with it, deciding that her old friend had her reasons.

Babs however, wasn't sure what was going on. She asked her cousin, "AJ, what's the deal? What're ya doin'?"

Sighing a little, Applejack then said to her, "Babs, Ah think Ah know what's throwin' yer game off."

"You... you do?" asked the Manehattan girl. "Well, I'm all ears: What d'ya think it is, Cuz?"

"T' be as honest as Ah can, Babs..." the country girl told her, "Ah think it has somethin' t' do with what y'all were tellin' me in the truck earlier. Ya said you weren't sure if y'all could trust Cherry to give you that card, and now it seems that concern is causin' yer brain t' get all sidetracked."

"What d'ya mean?"

"You're so worried about Cherry goin' back on her promise," AJ continued to explain, "that you're not focusin' on what matters right now."

"Well if that's so, Cuz... then it's her fault I'm not focusin' on the Duel!" Babs responded with a slight pout. "If she'd just gimme a reason t' trust her, I wouldn't be in dis mess!"

Applejack paused for a moment, trying to think of some way to help her cousin see that Cherry was the honest person she knew her as. Getting an idea, she then told her, "Well Babs... from what Ah saw before the Duel started, it sure seems like Cherry trusts you quite a bit."

"...Huh??" said the Manehattan girl. "Whad'ya mean by that?"

"Well, just think about it:" AJ explained to her as best as possible. "She let you borrow that rare card for the Duel, don't ya remember? Even though she's never met ya 'til today, she MUST trust ya a whole lot t' give y'all that card and not think that you'll just run off with it without taking up her request t' duel."

Babs gasped a little bit; she hadn't realized that before. Cherry wouldn't have let her borrow the card for the Duel if she thought that Babs was dishonest. Pulling the card out of her Extra Deck and looking at it, she asked herself, (Is dat right...? Does that Cherry chick really trust me dat much...?)

"Ah know ya'll have a hard time trustin' people after what happened back in Manehattan," Applejack told her, "but y'all gotta know that not all people are like that. While there are some people out there that'll take advantage of ya, y'all gotta believe that there are just as many - if not more, people out there that're honest t' the core!"

Babs sighed a little and responded, saying, "I... I guess dat's probably right."

"And not only that," the orange teen continued, "but think about this: Your friends back home were lied to by those people just like you were. They didn't know the whole truth, an' right now, they probably feel real bad about how they treated ya. Maybe it was wrong of 'em t' take someone else's word over yours, but that don't mean y'all should just ignore 'em forever. Ah know ya'll really don't wanna do that, do you?"

"...No, I guess not."

Smiling and patting her on the back, AJ told Babs, "Babs, while it isn't wrong to be cautious around people ya don't know, it IS wrong to just always assume that no one's trustworthy. After all, if y'all can't have faith in others, then you're gonna have a hard time makin' any new friends... OR repairin' any damaged friendships, if ya know what Ah mean." She then asked her, "So... can ya trust me when Ah say that Cherry is nothin' like those people that stole from ya?"

Babs was unsure about the whole thing, but it wasn't about whether or not she could trust her cousin's friend. Now she was beginning to rethink everything she had thought about people up until now. At first, she believed that anyone that she didn't know was dishonest, and therefore an enemy. But after what Applejack had told her, she now began to realize that assumption was causing more harm to her than when her Deck had been stolen. Not only that, she then began to think of her former friends back in Manehattan and how they must have felt after Granny Smith helped her tell them the truth about what happened. She then realized that she was acting just the same way her friends did after they were lied to: Blindly distrusting others without even giving them a chance to prove that they were actually honest.

Sighing sadly, Babs said to her cousin, "You're right, AJ... All this time, I just assumed othah people would be a jerk t' me, just like the ones that stole mah Deck... But I guess I was bein' the jerk instead. You said dis friend'a yours was a good person, and I shoulda just taken yer word for it. But I was so distrustin' of othahs, that I even started t' doubt you. And you're the most trustworthy person I know." Trying her best to smile, she then apologized, saying, "I'm... I'm sorry, Cousin AJ."

"It's alright, Babs." Applejack told her. "Ah understand. Right now, just worry 'bout gettin' yer head back in the game and duel like the Babs Ah know!" Putting her hands on her shoulders, the orange girl added, "And y'all can believe that Ah'll be there to keep your spirits up!"

The Manehattan girl nodded and turned to face Cherry, ready to duel her without any concerns. "Alright, Cherry!" Babs said with a smile on her face. "Let's get back in this game n' finish our Duel!"

Cherry wasn't sure what Babs and Applejack were talking about, but was happy to see that her opponent seemed to have her head in the game now. "Well," she began to say, "Ah don't know what y'all were talkin' 'bout ovah there, but whatever it was, Ah'm glad t' see that it got y'all fired up again! ...Though it might be a tad bit too late, Babsie; Ah've got three of mah four Plant Princesses on the field, and you don't have anythin' on your side. If mah monsters attack you right now, the Duel's ovah!"

"Then give it your best shot, Cherry!" the fiesty young girl said back.

Cherry hummed a bit to herself and thought, (...She don't seem too scared, despite the fact that Ah've got three Level 8 monsters to attack her with... but why?) She then glanced down at the ground and noticed the card image that was in front of Babs. (Is it that face-down card?) she asked herself. (Does she have a plan t' save herself from losin' this turn? But... if that card targets a monster on mah field, Ah can just use Tytannial's effect t' stop it... But if it doesn't target, it'll be big trouble for me.) It took a little while, but Cherry came to a decision: (Alright, just t' make sure mah stronger monsters will be safe, Ah'll attack with mah lowest ATK monster first.)

Babs and Applejack watched the cherry farmer closely, wondering what she would do. The Manehatten girl hoped with all her might that what she had planned would be enough to keep her alive for another turn.

Pointing forward, Cherry shouted to her monster, "Chirubimé! Attack Babs directly!! Maple Leaf Storm!!" Her Plant Princess of Autumn put out both of her arms and summoned a typhoon made up of red, orange, and brown leaves that flew straight towards Babs.

"Babs!! Look out!" shouted Applejack.

"Trust me, cuz, Ah gots this!" the Manehattan girl said with confidence. "I play mah Trap Card, Call of the Haunted!" Her Trap then flipped face-up and blocked the powerful attack. "Thanks to dis here card, I can Summon any monster from mah Graveyard in Attack Mode! And I'll choose mah Predaplant Banksiogre!" After the card activated, a dark-purple portal manifested itself in front of Babs, and a large reddish-brown plant-like creature came out of it. It had several eyes and mouths growing around it, giving it a very creepy appearance, much like Babs's other monsters (Predaplant Banksiogre: Level 6 / ATK 2000 / DEF 100).

"Two thousand attack points?!" said Cherry with a gasp.

"Dat's right, lady." the Manehattan girl told her. "Which means if you continue your leafy-chick's attack, she'll take herself out. So what's it gonna be?"

Cherry sighed, but knew that she didn't want her monster to be destroyed. "Fine, Ah'll cancel Chirubimé's attack this turn." she replied. But then she shouted, "But Ah still have two othah monsters to attack with! Mariña, attack!! Rapid-Fire Seed Shot!" The sunflower Plant Princess thrusted out her left arm, causing several sunflowers behind her to grow up and fire their seeds like gatling guns. The high-speed shots struck Babs's monster and wiped it out, causing its controller to take damage (Babs Seed: LP 4,000 - 800 = 3,200), and her Call of the Haunted card to be destroyed. "Ah'm a bit confused, though:" Cherry said to her opponent, "Y'all could've used that Trap to bring back one'a your Fusion Monsters that Ah destroyed earlier... Why didn't you?"

"Because if I did, I couldn'tve done THIS!" Babs answered. "I activate Banksiogre's effect! When it's sent to the Graveyard, it sticks all'o your monsters with Predator Counters!"

Cherry and Applejack watched as three green heads with red eyes and sharp teeth flew out from the spot where Babs's monster was. Each of the three fanged heads flew towards Cherry's monsters and bit them on their arms. The three Plant Princesses winced a little in pain from the bites. "What's happenin' to them?" asked the pale-yellow girl.

"Don'tcha know?' asked Babs. "Any monster that's stuck with a Predator Counter drops down to Level 1... IF it's got a Level of course." The three heads then began radiating a shadowy aura as they reduced their victims' power (Mariña, Princess of Sunflowers: Level 8 > 1 / Predator Counters 0 + 1 = 1) (Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves: Level 8 > 1 / Predator Counters 0 + 1 = 1) (Tytannial, Princess of Camellias: Level 8 > 1 / Predator Counters 0 + 1 = 1).

"Hmmm... maybe so..." Cherry told her. "But their attack points don't change! So I'll attack with Tytannial next!" Thrusting her left arm out, she shouted, "GO!! Red Petal Twister!!" Her last Plant Princess shrugged off the discomfort of her bite and whipped up a tornado made up of red flower petals that struck Babs hard. The Manthattan girl held up her arms to shield herself as best she could.

"Urrrrgh!!" Babs grunted upon taking the hit (Babs Seed: LP 3,200 = 2,800 = 400). Though she was down to only a few Life Points, she managed to survive the turn.

"Good... she's still in this." Applejack said to herself. (C'mon, y'all can do it, Babs! Ah know ya can!)

Cherry smiled and said to her opponent. "Well, it seems y'all managed to stay in the game, li'l Babsie. But now you're down t' just four hundred Life Points. If y'all are the Duelist AJ said you were, then y'all should have no trouble gettin' past mah monsters! But ya only got one turn t' do it."

"And one turn's all I need t' win dis!" Babs said with pure confidence as she drew her next card. "I Summon mah Predaplant Chlamydosundew in Attack mode!" After playing the card, her creepy frilled lizard/plant creature popped up onto the field (Predaplant Chlamydosundew: Level 2 / ATK 600 / DEF 200).

"Hmmmm... creepy, but it don't look so dangerous." Cherry Jubilee commented. "Why Summon that?"

"I'd be happy t' tell yous." Babs began to explain. "Remember dose counters I stuck on all'o your monsters last turn?"

"...Yes..."

The spunky red-head then told Cherry, "Well, Chlamydosundew has a real neat effect: It can fuse itself with any monster on the field dat has a Predator Counter - even if dat monster's on the othah playah's side'o the field, in order to let me Summon a DARK-Attribute Fusion Monster from mah Extra Deck!"

"You... you're gonna use MY monsters to Summon your own?!" gasped Cherry. "Is that why-?"

"Yous got it." Babs told her, knowing what she was going to ask. "I didn't Summon mah Banksiogre last turn just t' protect me from losin' the Duel; my real goal was t' stick counters on your monsters in order t' prepare for dis move! And just in case you was thinkin' about using your Tytannial t' stop me from doin' that, don't bothah: Since Chlamydosundew doesn't actually target your monsters, she can't stop dis move!"

"Oh no...!" Cherry responded, knowing that she was in trouble now.

"So with all'o that said," the Manehattan girl began to say, "I'll use Chlamydosundew's effect and fuse him with your Mariña to Fusion Summon a monster!!" The two Plant monsters were sucked up into another red-and-blue portal in the sky as Babs began her Summoning Chant. "Sweet-smelling flower that invites the abyss! Princess of the Summer! Now become one, and indulge in whatever pleases you! Fusion Summon!" The portal then exploded in a powerful, bright light as the monster combined together. "Come forth! Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon!"

Cherry and Applejack watched as Babs prepared to Summon the rare and powerful Dragon-Type Fusion Monster that the cherry farmer gave to her at the start of the Duel. After the chant was complete, the portal above shot down a powerful ray of light. Then, from out of the light, came a monster that had some similarities to Babs's other rare Fusion Monster, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. This one, however, was a lot bigger in comparison and even meaner-looking. Instead of a murky green underbelly, Greedy Venom's was a silvery-white. Its wings had the shape of blooming flowers, along with thorn and bulb-like protrusions coming out of its body. Each of its bulbs glowed brightly as the mighty dragon gave out a terrifying roar (Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon: Level 10 / ATK 3300 / DEF 2500).

"Oh mah stars..." said a shocked, yet impressed Cherry Jubilee. "She actually did it...! She managed to Summon Greedy Venom..." After snapping out of her amazement, she then realized something: Something that didn't quite make sense to her. She then asked, "How... how'd y'all do that?? Doesn't Greedy Venom require at least 1 Level 8 or higher DARK monster t' be Fusion Summoned? Mah Mariña is an FIRE monster, and besides that, your Predator Counter reduced her to Level 1; it shouldn't have worked!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot t' mention somethin':" Babs responded casually. "See, due to Chlamydosundew's othah effect, it treats all monsters with Predator Counters as DARK monsters for a Fusion Summon. In addition, since Mariña's ORIGINAL Level was eight, I was allowed to use her for the Fusion Summon, even though her Level got reduced."

"Darn... Ah forgot about that. Not a bad move, li'l Babsie." Cherry complimented. "But even so, your monster's attack power ain't strong enough t' take mah Life Points to zero this turn! And if y'all try t' use your Dragon's effect, Ah'll stop it with Tytannial's effect!"

But Babs smirked and told her, "Yeah, I didn't forget about her ability. Anytime I target a card on your side'a the field, she can negate it..." She then added, "So, I'll get rid'o her first!"

"Uhhh..." was all that the pale-yellow girl could respond with. She had a feeling that Babs had a plan to get past her two remaining monsters.

Taking a card from out of her Graveyard, the Manehattan girl said, "Now I'll bring back mah Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra from the Graveyard! And all I gotta do is release a monster on the field: A monster with a Predator Counter, that is!"

"Oh no...! Not again!" gasped Cherry Jubilee.

"Say bye-bye to Tytannial, Cherry!" said Babs with a smirk as the wintery Plant Princess vanished from the field. Then, on Babs's side of the board, her large, tentacled, double-mouthed Plant monster revived itself in Defense Position.

"Since Drosophyllum Hydra's Summoning effect doesn't technically target a monster," Applejack commented, "Tytannial can't negate it or even chain to it... And because of the other move Babs made durin' this turn t' Summon her monster, Cherry's got only one monster left on the field to protect her! Babs managed t' wipe out two high-Level monsters, and it ain't even her Battle Phase yet!"

"Now that your Tytannial's gone," Babs said, continuing her move, "I can now use Greedy Venom's effect! Once per turn, I can drain the attack power of one'a your monsters t' zero, and negate its effects durin' this turn!" The powerful Dragon monster then emitted a powerful mist that shrouded Cherry's side of the field. The poisonous vapor caused her remaining monster to lose all of her power; she even seemed to be wilting a little (Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves: ATK 1800 > 0).

"Oh no...!" gasped Cherry in distress. "With mah princess's attack at zero, she can't block any of the damage!"

The Manehattan girl smiled and told her opponent, "You were a pretty tough chick, I gotta admit. But ya should've known there was no way I'd let ya beat me that easily! Not when a card as awesome as Greedy Venom's up fer grabs!"

Cherry said nothing, but smiled and nodded to Babs. She was amazed with her Dueling, but most of all, she was even more impressed by the fiery personality that the young girl had. No doubt, Cherry seemed to enjoy herself quite a bit during this Duel as well, even though she was about to lose. Staring straight at Babs, she said to her, "Gimme your best shot, Babsie!"

Pointing with her right hand, Babs shouted to her monster, "Go, Greedy Venom!! Attack Chirubimé and end this Duel!!" The powerful dragon then charged up a powerful purple light in its maw. Once it had gathered up enough energy, it fired the blast straight towards the pale-yellow girl's last monster, taking her down for the count. And with that move, the Duel was over (Cherry Jubilee: LP 2,400 - 3,300 = 0) (WINNER: Babs Seed).

After the Duel ended and the AR images disappeared, Applejack ran over to see if Cherry was alright. Babs took a moment to look at the Greedy Venom card on her Duel Pad before removing it and placing it back into her deck box. Afterwards, she ran over to where Cherry and AJ were. "Hey, are you alright there?" she asked the cherry farmer.

"Oh don't y'all worry none about me, sweetie." Jubilee responded. "Ah'm just fine." She then said to Babs, "That was a great Duel, Babs. Ah haven't had that much fun in a long time!"

"Uh, yeah. Same here." the Manehattan girl responded. She then asked, "So... can I have that card now? You said if I beat you, I could have it, right?"

"Hm? You mean Greedy Venom?" asked Cherry. Giggling, she then told her, "Aw, don't y'all worry 'bout it! To tell ya the truth, Ah was gonna give you that card whether y'all won or not."

Both Babs and Applejack gasped a little after hearing that, their eyes growing wider. "You... you were??" asked Babs, shocked by her comment. "Then... then why'd we have that Duel if you were just gonna give it to me?"

Sighing a little, but still smiling, Cherry explained herself, saying, "Do y'all know how borin' it gets 'round here sometimes? Out of everybody who works here at the ranch, Ah'm the only one who plays Duel Monsters! And even if there was someone nearby for me t' duel with, Ah rarely evah get much time at all t' do it! So can y'all blame me for wantin' t' have a li'l fun an' enjoy mahself?"

"Oh, now Ah get it; Ah should've known..." Applejack said, finally understanding what this was all about. "You just wanted t' duel with Babs for the fun of it, right?"

"That's absolutely right, AJ!" Cherry confirmed. "And Ah wouldn'tve been able to have any fun duelin' li'l Babs if it weren't fer you 'n her helpin' me out here at the ranch! In fact, Ah thought Ah'd nevah get all'o that work done aftah some o' mah workers called in sick this mornin'! Really, y'all were huge life-savers!"

"Wait... you mean they only told ya they were sick just today?" Babs asked. When Cherry nodded yes, the young red-head now knew why she and AJ weren't told this last night when Cherry had called them on the phone. Apparently, Cherry hadn't planned on her employees not being able to show up for work. Now that she knew all of that, Babs began feeling bad about the previous thoughts that she had about her cousin's friend. In a slightly sad tone of voice, she said to her, "Cherry... I... I'm sorry."

"Hm? Sorry?" asked the pale-yellow teen. "Ah don't understand; what're y'all sorry for?"

"Well..." Babs began. For the next few minutes, the Manehattan girl told Cherry everything about what had happened to her in the past, and then telling her that she distrusted her at first when she had them unexpectedly do work on the ranch, and then challenging her to a Duel. Babs admitted to her that, because of those actions, she mistakenly thought that Cherry wasn't planning to give her the rare card at all.

After hearing all of this, Cherry Jubilee felt a bit sad herself, "Oh my..." she uttered. "Is all'o that really true?"

"...Mhmm." Babs said, sniffling out of guilt. "I'm... I'm really sorry for thinkin' you were gonna cheat me out of that card. Ah should've known bettah... Please forgive me."

Cherry Jubilee hummed a bit, and then looked over at Applejack, who smiled and nodded to her, as if to say that Babs really felt terrible about everything and that she should forgive her for it. The cherry farmer then smiled and pulled out a small, white handkerchief. She offered it to Babs and said, "Ah, forvgive ya, Babsie. Ah understand how you feel."

"Y...you do?" asked the young girl, taking the handkerchief and wiping her eyes with it.

"Mhmm." the pale-yellow girl responded. "After what y'all told me, Ah don't blame ya for feelin' the way you're feelin. But it's like AJ told y'all earlier: Not everyone in the world are like those brutes who stole your Deck, and while it nevah hurts t' be cautious around people ya don't know, y'all should nevah shut them out completely. I mean, look at AJ an' me: When we first met, we didn't know each othah right away, but just 'cause we didn't know each othah didn't mean that we couldn't be friends."

"Cherry's right, Babs." AJ chimed in. "You can never truly trust or distrust someone until y'all get t' know 'em better. In the end, y'all might be surprised t' see that a person who may have been a complete stranger to ya at first, may end up becomin' the best friend ya ever had. In the end, it's up to you t' have the courage t' find that out."

Having finished wiping her face with the cloth that Cherry had offered her, Babs smiled and told them, "You guys're right... It'll take some work, but I think I might give it a try." She then walked over towards Cherry and put her hand towards her, offering a handshake. "So... uh... Cherry? You... you think we could, y'know... be friends, too? Even after everything that's happened?"

"Why of course we could!" the pale-yellow girl said without a second thought. "It's all water under the bridge, li'l Babsie." she added, accepting the handshake.

"Uh, okay... could ya stop callin' me 'Babsie' all the time?" asked the tough young girl, blushing put of embarrassment. "Just Babs is fine." Cherry giggled and nodded to say that she agreed to that.

Minutes later, Applejack and Babs left the cherry farm and were on their way home. After Cherry helped fine-tune her truck, AJ was able to head out onto the road without a problem. As they drove, Babs felt happy, and not just because she had gotten a rare and valuable Duel Monsters card. Moreso, she had gained an even more valuable friend today, not to mention that her faith in others had been restored, even if it was only just a little bit.

Babs looked at her Deck and hummed to herself a little. Hearing her cousin's humming, Applejack then asked her, "Somethin' on your mind, Babs?"

"Huh? Uh, not much, really." the red-head responded. "It's just... well, I've been thinkin'."

"About what?"

Babs paused for a moment, pondering about her thoughts some more. Turning to her cousin, she told her, "After I get back t' my place... I was thinking of checkin' mah email."

"Your email?" asked AJ.

"Yeah..." the Manehattan girl said with a nod. "I think there's a few old messages that've been sittin' in there that're long overdue for a reply..." Applejack smiled upon hearing that: She knew that Babs was talking about the apology email that her old Manehattan friends had sent to her shortly after Granny Smith helped prove that Babs had not stolen her Predaplant Deck. The orange-skinned apple farmer was pleased to know that Babs was willing to give her former friends a second chance as they both went back home.

Meanwhile, in the desk drawer of Mrs. K, a blank Number card with an orange background began to glow...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 34: Parks and Rescue Missions:

Author's Note

As you may have probably guessed with how things are going so far, this episode focuses on Fluttershy, and also introduces the rest of her family. Though my birthday falls on the week of this episode's release, I hope you enjoy the present I'm giving to all of you. :raritywink:

RANK 34: Parks and Rescue Missions:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

On the week of Spring Break, Sunset and her best friends have gone to enjoy some much-needed time off. Twilight returned home to Equestria to spend time with her Ponyville friends. Applejack and Apple Bloom took the opportunity to get some work done on the farm. Rainbow Dash went with her parents and Scootaloo to Cheese Sandwich's Fun Center. Rarity, along with Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle, spent their vacation in Manehattan to see a fashion show. Finally, Sunset took advantage of the time off to finally get her driver's license (and a obtain a new Duel Runner), while also helping resolve a spat between Ember and her father Torch.

As for Fluttershy, she is spending Spring Break with her family, which also includes her younger brother Zephyr Breeze. Zephyr had left home a while ago to attend a hairstylist school. Luckily, his school announced their Spring Break vacation at the same time as Canterlot High, so he was able to go with his family in their yearly camping trip at a local nature park.

As we have seen so far, Sunset and her friends have each encountered unexpected adventures while on vacation. What sort of challenges await Fluttershy? And will she be able to overcome them...?

On a road leading out of Canterlot City, a bright-yellow SUV was on its way towards a more rural area. The roof of the vehicle was packed with supplies for camping outdoors, such as tents and sleeping bags. Inside the car, amongst other various supplies, there were four people inside: In the back was Sunset's friend Fluttershy, with her pet rabbit Angel Bunny on her lap. Also with her was her younger (but taller) brother, Zephyr Breeze. Zephyr had pale aquamarine skin, light blond hair, and pink eyes. His outfit - which consisted of an orange vest with a purple teardrop pattern, scruffy blue jeans, and a pair of brown loafers (which had clearly been worn quite a bit, based on how rough they looked), gave him a sort of hippie-like appearance.

In the front seats were their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Shy. Mr. Shy (who was driving the car) had pale green skin, short, light-pink hair, and turquoise eyes above a small moustache that was the same color as his hair. He wore a fuzzy, blue sweater (with a light yellow shirt under it), along with a pair of blue jeans that were perfect for their camping trip, as well as a pair of brown shoes. Mrs. Shy had a pair of glasses with a turquoise frame overtop her shiny, reddish-pink eyes. Her swirly, medium-length hair was a nice raspberry color, and her skin was bright amber in color. Around her neck, she wore a shiny necklace made up of yellow-colored pearls, and she also had on a light-blue dress and a pair of white shoes.

Taking a deep breath and smiling, Mr. Shy said to everyone in the car in a soft tone of voice, "Well everyone, we're almost at Rainbow Falls Park...! I'm so excited to get there...!" As it turned out, both Fluttershy's father and mother were just as soft-spoken as she was, if not more.

"Oh, so am I, dear...!" Ms. Shy responded, also in a quiet-sounding voice. Looking at her outfit, she frowned a little and asked her husband, "Um... do... do you think this might have been the wrong outfit for camping...? I'm... um, I'm not really very sure to be honest..."

"I think it looks great...!" Mr. Shy answered. Then, a second later, he stuttered and said, "Un-unless you really don't think it is, of course... I-I wouldn't want to go against anything you say, i-i-it's just-"

Giggling a little, Fluttershy spoke up and said, "I think you look just fine, Mom."

Giving a slight giggle of her own and smiling, Ms. Shy said to her daughter, "Thank you, Fluttershy... I can always count on you make a bold statement when we need one." She then squeaked a bit and said to her husband, "N-n-not that I don't think that you can be bold too! I would never say that...!"

"Of course you wouldn't...!" Mr. Shy responded. "I-I-I'd never think that you would think that...!"

Fluttershy smiled a bit; she was always amused by how her parents acted... in a good way, of course. She then turned over to her brother and said to him, "And I'm happy that you were able to take the week off to spend time with us, Zephyr."

"Hey, you'd know I'd never miss the chance t' be with the family, big sis." he told her in a semi-casual tone. After pausing for a moment, he then asked her, "So... uhhhh... how's that friend of yours? Rainbow Dash? Has she been askin' about me since I transferred out of CHS?"

"Um... not really, to be honest." she answered him. "In fact, she hadn't said a word about you since last year..."

"She hasn't...?!" he replied, sounding surprised (and a bit upset) at first. Regaining his composure and clearing his throat, he immediately told her, "I-I mean... of COURSE she hasn't! I know her type: Not wanting to say anything just to hide the fact that she misses me a whole lot! Y'know, casually carrying on like it's no big deal... That's all it is! R-really!"

"Um... m-maybe." Fluttershy simply responded. She, of course, didn't have the heart to tell him that Rainbow was not the least bit interested in him. In fact, the athletic teen was more or less relieved that he had left CHS, because it meant he wouldn't be able to keep hitting on her every day.

"Speaking of which, Fluttershy... How are things with those friends of yours...?" Mrs. Shy asked her daughter. "They're not, um... making you uncomfortable, are they...? N-not that I think they're doing that, of course... I just..."

"It's okay, Mom..." the pale pink-haired girl told her. "Everything is fine with them. In fact, they've helped me overcome some of my shyness since I met them. In fact, they're, um... they're mostly the reason that I was able to win the Inter-school Duel this year. If it weren't for them, I don't think I even would have participated."

"I'm still having a hard time believing that you were able to win that Duel..." said Mr. Shy. Gulping a bit, he quickly added, "Uhm... Of course, I-I-I don't mean that I thought that you didn't have a chance to win, I'd never think that about you...! It's just that... y-you're the first member of our whole family to ever accomplish something so big..."

Narrowing his eyes, Zephyr told his father, "H-hey! I accomplish stuff, too! I got into that fancy-pants hair school, right? That's pretty big! ...Sure, maybe I only barely passed the entrance exam... And granted, I would've been able t' study a little more if I hadn't been so busy the day before..."

"Um... not to contradict you, Zephyr," Fluttershy meekly told him, "but... the only thing I saw you doing that day was sleeping on the sofa with the TV on. I remember because I had thought about waking you up so that you could study... but you were sleeping so peacefully, I just couldn't do it..."

"I-I-I wasn't sleeping...!" the younger brother protested. "I was, um... I was resting my eyes! ...For... four hours straight... with a bowl of popcorn on my lap." After he had said that, Angel Bunny poked at Zephyr's leg to get his attention. When the aquamarine-skinned boy looked over, the mischievous rabbit made snoring sounds at him, pretending to fall asleep. "A-and I wasn't snoring, either!" Zephyr said to Angel, who merely snickered a little in response.

Glancing up ahead, Mr. Shy said to everyone in the car, "Okay, everybody...! We're just about there...!" The others looked out their windows and saw a large sign ahead. It read, "Rainbow Falls Park: Exit 1 mile ahead."

"Oh...! This will be great...! Just like every year that we've come here...!" said Mrs. Shy in an excited (but still soft-sounding) voice. "It will be so peaceful... So calm..."

"Nothin' t' do but lie around like we own the place..." Zephyr added, feeling relaxed just thinking about it.

"And let's not forget about all the cute forest animals that we'll get to see." Fluttershy chimed in, looking forward to checking out all of the wildlife. She then looked at her pet rabbit and told him, "And you'll get to meet your bunny friends too, Angel. Perhaps even that little, brown, loppy-eared girl bunny you met last year." Angel smiled a bit as he licked his paw and brushed his ears back in an effort to look his best in the event that he would meet the aforementioned rabbit.

A few minutes later, the Shy Family's car came to rest in a small parking lot in front of Rainbow Falls Park's main office. The building was small and simple in appearance, as it was merely a log cabin-like structure with a rustic-looking appearance while still having a few modern-looking features, such as an automatic sliding glass door. Once there, the family of four (and one rabbit) got out of the car, got all their things, and walked into the building through the front doors. Looking around the first room they came to, they saw a receptionist sitting at a small desk off to their right. Mr. Shy walked over to her and asked, "Um... excuse me...? I... I hate to bother you if you were busy, but... I wanted to know: Is... is Mr. Jaune here...?"

"Hm?" The receptionist looked up at the soft-spoken man, having only just noticed that he was there. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked, having not heard him speaking earlier.

"Oh! Um... well, yes I did..." Mr. Shy replied. "I was just asking if your... um, boss was around. I-if he isn't, then please accept my apologies for bothering you..."

"Hmmm... you must be the Shy Family, correct?" the receptionist correctly guessed. "Mr. Jaune Fauna told me that you would be coming here. I'll let him know you've arrived."

"Um, oh! Um... thank you very much, Miss." the shy man responded.

Picking up a nearby phone, the receptionist spoke into it, saying, "Mr. Jaune, the Shy family is here to see you. Please come to the Reception Desk as soon as you can." She then placed the phone down and said to the group, "He'll be here to see you shortly." The family nodded as the waited for the owner of the park to come and meet them.

They didn't have to wait long though, as a middle-aged man with yellow skin, forest-green eyes, and thinning blue hair (complete with a moustache) walked into the room. His outfit consisted of a light tan shirt with buttons, complete with a badge on the left side of his chest. He also wore a pair of black pants and shoes, along with a belt that carried several pieces of equipment for use in helping patrol the park. "Well, well! If it isn't Mr. Shy and his family!" the man greeted them. "A pleasure to see you all again!"

"Um... yes! Same here, Mr. Jaune!" Mr. Shy responded, shaking his hand. "Just... here for our annual family vacation."

"Of course, Mr. Shy." Jaune responded in a pleased tone of voice. He then walked over to meet with the rest of the Shy family. "And a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Shy... and your children as well." he greeted them all.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Jaune...!" Mrs. Shy replied back. "Always nice to see you."

Looking around, Zephyr noticed something peculiar about the room they were in and asked, "Say, uh... Jaune? Did you, uh... do somethin' different to the place since last year? I don't remember you havin' some of this stuff around here last time: A waiting room, a receptionist..."

"Yeah..." Fluttershy added, "I noticed that too, but I thought it would be rude to say anything about it."

"Ohohoho! Now don't worry about that." Jaune told the two of them. "It's nothing much: Just a few minor changes around the place to help run things more smoothly. Come; I'll show you all around." The family then followed the man around to see what had changed. Since their last visit, the park's main office had improved in quality, and there also seemed to be a lot more employees this time. "Since last year," Jaune told the Shy Family, "we've made a few improvements in order to keep the park running at tip-top shape. We've even been able to hire more rangers to patrol the park and make sure nothing harms it, or anything living in it."

Looking into one of the rooms, where several park rangers (who wore similar clothes to Jaune) were currently in a meeting, Mr. Shy said to the owner, "Well, it sure seems like this place is a well-oiled machine from what I can see...."

"Well, I owe a lot of this progress to my new accountant." Jaune stated. Pointing ahead, he added, "He's actually over here; I'll introduce you to him." The group walked over to a tall man looking over at some papers that were in his hands. This man had silvery-grey skin and bronze eyes, along with short, black hair. Unlike the owner and rangers, his outfit was more formal, consisting of a navy-blue suit, brown shoes, and a red tie. Standing beside his accountant, Jaune introduced him, saying, "Everyone, this is Mr. Skrapa. Mr. Skrapa, this is the Shy Family; they have been coming here to the park every year."

The accountant glanced over at the visiting family with an uninterested look on his face. "Oh... guests, I see." Mr. Skrapa responded in a more monotone-sounding voice. "A pleasure to see you." Turning back towards Jaune, he spoke to him at a lower volume, saying, "Mr. Fauna, are you sure it's... wise to allow visitors to the park? You do recall the recent string of... complications that we've been having here lately?"

"I hadn't forgotten about that." the park owner told him. "And I told you that I am putting my most trusted rangers out there to investigate the matter. In the meantime, I don't want to close the park off to tourists completely."

"Well, I certainly hope that your 'trusted rangers' improve their investigation very soon," Mr. Skrapa responded, "because so far, they haven't had much luck in preventing some of the recent incidents here... Such as the bear attack last week, and the sinking boat issue a week before that. And I shouldn't have to remind you about the tree that fell right on top of a campsite two days ago. The only thing fortunate is that no one was injured during any of these affairs, or we would have most certainly faced a lawsuit."

"...I'm trying my best to resolve these issues, Mr. Skrapa." Jaune assured him. "Believe me, I am."

"...I certainly hope you are." the accountant replied sternly. "One more incident like those I had mentioned, and there's a chance you could lose the whole park."

Fluttershy and her family (along with Angel Bunny, who was standing beside his owner) stood there as the two men talked to one another, wondering what they were saying. "Um... I-I-I don't mean to pry..." Mr. Shy began to say to them, "but is there something wrong...?"

Jaune looked back over at the family and said to them, "Well, to tell you the truth, we have had a few accidents here at the park lately... But rest assured, we are working on resolving them: I have most of the park rangers out on patrol to ensure the safety of you and all the other visitors."

"A-accidents?" asked Fluttershy, becoming a bit worried.

"It's nothing you need to worry about." Jaune said, trying to sound as confident as possible to put his guests at ease. "Trust me: I would never let anything bad happen to any of you, I promise." Fluttershy was still a little worried, but nodded her head to say that she trusted him. The park owner then requested his accountant, "Could you show our guests to the campsites outside? Normally, I would do this, but I have an important meeting with the other rangers in a few minutes."

Mr. Skrapa sighed a little, as if it was something he didn't want to do, but nodded and said, "Of course, Mr. Fauna." Turning over to the Shy Family, the silver-skinned man said to them, "I'll use my map to find a prime camping location for all of you; somewhere safe and pleasant." The accountant then walked over to what could only be assumed as his desk and pulled out a golden-yellow object. As it turned out, it was a Duel Pad, much like the one Fluttershy had.

"A D-Pad?" asked Zephyr. "You play Duel Monsters?"

"Hm? Duel Monsters...?" asked Mr. Skrapa. "Don't be ridiculous... This device is merely for my work and nothing else. I don't have the time for such... childish things such as that." He then tapped on the touch screen a few times, pulling up a map of the entire park. After looking around the map for a while, he managed to find a spot for Fluttershy and her family to camp in. "Follow me, everyone." he told them. "It's not far from here." The family nodded and they all walked out the back of the main office building, while Jaune made his way into the room where several park rangers had already gathered together.

However, the room wasn't completely empty: One individual stayed behind after everyone else had left. It was none other than Angel Bunny, and the look on his face suggested that he was suspicious about something...

Outside, Fluttershy and her family followed Mr. Skrapa to a camping site that was a short distance away from the park's main office. As they followed him, the Shy Family looked around to admire the peaceful, natural setting around them: Large vast plains of bright-green grass and thick, tree-filled forests covered almost every inch of the area. Tall mountains could be seen in the distance, along with some rivers and waterfalls. In fact, the Shy Family even got a glimpse of the park's largest waterfall; it was notable because the splashing water created a nearly-permanent rainbow at the bottom of the falls, which is how the park got its name.

After walking for a while, the group arrived at the campsite that Mr. Skrapa had picked out for them. It was an open field, with a few trees here and there, with a picnic table being the only man-made thing there. After double-checking his map and making sure they were in the correct location, the accountant said to the family, "Here we are, everyone."

"Ooooo... it looks so nice..." complimented Mrs. Shy. "And so peaceful; the only noises I can hear are the birds chirping off in the distance...!"

"It's absolutely perfect...!" added Mr. Shy.

"...Glad to see you are all satisfied." said Mr. Skrapa. "Enjoy your time here... Oh, and please; stay safe and be careful..." And with those words, he turned around to leave.

Fluttershy and her brother Zephyr watched the man leave, still thinking about the "accidents" that Jaune Fauna had mentioned earlier. Before they had too much time to ponder about it, they heard the voice of their father, who (softly) called out to them, "Fluttershy...! Zephyr...! Could you help me with these tents? I-it would be nice if you could..."

His lazy side kicking in a little, Zephyr responded, "Um... well, uh... I'd like to, but... to be honest, the, um... the walk over here was a... was a bit longer than I thought! Yeah, I'm uh... I'm a bit winded, y'know? Maybe I oughtta take it easy for a bit."

Fluttershy sighed a little and said to her father, "I'll help you out, Daddy." She then left to help her parents, while her younger brother sat down on the picnic table seat and did pretty much nothing. Fluttershy spent a good amount of time helping set up the two tents they brought; one would be for her parents to sleep in, and the other was for her and Zephyr. After they were done, Fluttershy helped her mother with the rest of the items and set up the campfire and a kettle for boiling water. They also checked their food in order to plan out their meals for today and tomorrow.

Once their camp was all set up, Mr. Shy wiped some sweat from off of his forehead and said, "Well, it was quite a bit of work, but I think we did a good job...! N-not to brag or anything, of course."

"I think it looks just great...!" Mrs. Shy complimented.

"I agree." Fluttershy chimed in. She then asked them, "Um... so, uh... now that the work is all done, can... can I go and look around the park for a while? U-unless you'd rather have me stay here, that is..."

Her dad smiled and told her, "Of course you can, dear. Just be careful, okay...?"

Giggling a little, the yellow-skinned teen replied, saying, "I promise, Daddy. Don't worry." She then (softly) called out, "Okay, Angel! Let's go look around for some animals together...! I-if you want to, that is...!" But as she called for her pet rabbit, she noticed that he wasn't anywhere within her eyesight. "...Angel?" she asked, not sure where he was. She started to look around for him, searching their campsite. But she couldn't find him, and she was starting to panic. "A-Angel...?! Angel, where are you??" she said frantically. "Please...! Wherever you're hiding, please come out...!"

The only response she got to her worried plea was a groan from her snoozing younger brother. "Mmmmnn... what's the big deal, Sis...?" Zephyr asked groggily. "What're you makin' all that noise for?"

"Angel's missing, Zephyr...!" she told him. "I looked everywhere, but he's not here at the campsite...! What if he's lost...?! Wh-wh-what if he met a vicious animal and got frightened by it...?? Or worse... what if that animal wanted to EAT him?! Oh no...!" Fluttershy hunched into a fetal position, eyes wide and body trembling at the thought of her beloved pet in danger.

While Zephyr may have been bit of a lazy bum every now and then, the sight of his older sister becoming terrified at something snapped him out of his loafing. "H-hey, don't get so worked up, Sis..." he said, trying to calm her down. "I'm sure Angel's just fine... When'd you last see him?"

Sitting up on her knees, the pink-haired girl told him, "Well... now that you mention it, I think the last time I saw him was when we were all in the office..."

"Then he's probably still in there." her brother said to her. "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't just run outside all by himself. He's never done it before, right?"

"...No, I suppose not."

"Then you've got nothin' to worry about, Sis!" Zephyr continued to say. "Just go over to the office, and you'll probably find him waiting for you."

Fkuttershy was still a bit worried, but decided that this was one of the few times that her brother knew what he was talking about. Looking up to him and nodding, she responded, saying, "...You're probably right, Zephyr. I'm sure Angel's still in there, and he'll be okay." Still having a little bit of doubt, she then asked him, "C-could you come with me and help look for him?"

"H-huh?? Come with you?" asked the brother, not expecting to have any more involvement in the matter.

"U-u-unless you don't want to, that is..." the pink-haired girl meekly added, feeling a bit guilty of asking him that.

Zephyr wasn't sure what to do at first; on one hand, he didn't really want to do more work than he felt he should... But he also didn't want to let his sister down, either. Sighing, he finally caved in and said, "Oh, alright... I'll help."

Happy to hear him say that, Fluttershy gave her brother a friendly hug and said to him, "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Zephyr still wasn't too psyched about doing this, but seeing his sister calm and smiling made him feel a little good inside. (Eh, I suppose it can't be that hard to find one little rabbit...) he figured. (Even is it's Angel.) The two siblings stood up as Zephyr said to Fluttershy, "Alright, if we're gonna go do this, let's get going right now." She nodded in agreement before the two ran off towards the office where Angel Bunny was last seen.

Meanwhile, inside the office building, Angel Bunny was snooping around the desk belonging to Mr. Skrapa, the accountant (it was easy to tell, as the man's name was engraved upon a nameplate sitting on it). While none of the members of the Shy Family heard what Mr. Skrapa and Jaune were talking about earlier, Angel did thanks to his sensitive ears. After hearing about the incidents that had occurred at the park during the past few weeks, the rabbit became a bit suspicious about it all. So much so, that he had secretly split off from the group in order to look around the room while no one was around.

Angel hopped from the hardwood floor to the swivel chair in front of Mr. Skrapa's desk, and then onto the desk itself. After that, he began sniffing around for clues; both figuratively and literally. For a while, he couldn't find anything that looked odd. But after opening one of the desk drawers, he found something peculiar: Inside it, there was what appeared to be a Duel Monsters card. Hopping into the drawer, Angel flipped the card over so that the front of it could be seen. It was a Synchro Monster called Scrap Archfiend. What was peculiar about it was the fact that Mr. Skrapa had earlier suggested that, while he owned a Duel Pad, he didn't use it to play Duel Monsters. Also strange about the card was that there appeared to be a phone number written in the empty text box.

Angel was becoming more suspicious about this Mr. Skrapa guy. After all, why would this accountant have a Duel Monsters card if he didn't want anything to do with the card game? And why was there a phone number written upon it? To some people, it may have seemed like an arbitrary and useless clue, but to this intelligent rabbit, it made him wonder what else Mr. Skrapa could have been hiding.

Picking up the card, Angel hopped out of the drawer and closed it so that no one would suspect that anyone got into it. Afterwards, the rabbit looked at the tall, filing cabinet against the wall behind the desk. He gently put the card in his mouth and hopped onto the cabinet, grabbing onto one of the handles with his front paws. He then began climbing up the cabinet's handles like rungs on a ladder.

Once he got to the top of it, Angel tried to open the top drawer, but couldn't because it had a lock. Annoyed, but not willing to give up after having gotten this far, the rabbit moved his left front paw towards the lock and picked it using one of his claws. It took some effort, but he managed to get it open. Angel then opened the drawer and began looking around inside of it. There were all sorts of important-looking papers inside, some of which were particularly interesting.

Noticing one of the papers stored inside, Angel glanced at it and read what was on it (it was a little known fact that Angel actually learned how to read a little bit because Fluttershy read bedtime stories to him while he was a baby). The document was an invoice with several items listed upon it, and all of them were things that one wouldn't typically find in a nature park. Angel, of course, didn't understand most of the words or what the paper was, but he could tell that it was something important. Attached to the paper was an index card with a phone number on it; the same one written on the Scrap Archfiend card. Angel looked long and hard at the index card, feeling that it was also very important. But again, he wasn't exactly sure what it was.

But before he had much time to think about it, Angel suddenly heard a noise nearby: It sounded like a door had been opened. Fearing that somebody would find him snooping around, the rabbit quickly hopped out of the filing cabinet, still holding the Duel Monsters card and the index card that he had just found, hiding them in his fur and closing the drawer tight. Not long after he did, he could hear the footsteps coming closer and closer. Angel began to sweat a little, thinking that it was Mr. Skrapa coming back inside.

However, the person that had just walked into the building was none other than Fluttershy, followed close behind by Zephyr. "Angel??" she said, looking around. "Are you in here??" The rabbit breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it wasn't the accountant they met earlier. Hearing the sigh, Fluttershy glanced over and saw her beloved pet rabbit. "Oh! There you are...!" she said, picking him up from the top of the cabinet. "That was very naughty of you to wander off like that...!" she told him sternly. "You could have gotten yourself in real trouble...!"

"See, what'd I tell ya, Sis?" said Zephyr. "I told you he'd be alright. Now can we get back to camp?"

"Yes, I suppose we can." Fluttershy told her brother. Looking at Angel, she said to the animal, "You and I are going to have to talk about your behavior later, Angel. Right now, we have to head back." Content with everything for now, Fluttershy left the office with her rabbit and her brother.

Shortly after they left the building, someone else came in: It was Mr. Skrapa, who seemed to be scowling about something. "Rrrrgh... I wish he wouldn't call me while I'm here at the park; I told him not to call me during work hours...!" Mr. Skrapa grumbled. He then sat down at his desk, pulled out a cell phone and dialed it. After waiting for a while, he spoke into it, saying, "Hello...? Yes, It's me... Listen, I'm calling because I have a job for you..."

Later that night, the Shy Family had all changed into their sleeping clothes in order to get ready for bed. Fluttershy was wearing her favorite pajamas, which were a bright spring green color with a purple collar and sleeve cuffs, and decorated with several white butterflies. She was the last to change into her night clothes as she wandered back to the campsite and crawled into the tent where she and her brother would be sleeping in. Zephyr, wearing a loose t-shirt and striped boxer shorts, was already inside, snoozing and snoring in his sleeping bag.

Fluttershy got into her pale-pink sleeping bag, ready to go to sleep as well. Next to her was Angel Bunny, sleeping in a small basket with a dark-purple blanket inside it. Patting her pet rabbit on his head, she said to him, "Sweet dreams, Angel... I'll see you in the morning." She let out a small yawn before falling asleep while Angel did the same. All was calm and quiet on the park campgrounds; the only sounds that could be heard were chirping crickets and the tree leaves that rustled in the gentle winds. All in all, everything was peaceful, and it seemed the Shy Family would get a decent sleep tonight.

However, as it turned out, not everyone at the park was asleep. Off in the distance, the light of a flashlight could barely be seen. Its holder was dressed in an unusual manner: A mostly-black outfit, along with - of all things, a pair of sunglasses. Obviously, one wouldn't normally wear a pair of sunglasses in the middle of the night, so it was safe to assume this man was up to something.

The suspicious man crept across the field, moving slowly so as not to make any noise. Eventually, he reached his intended destination: The Shy Family's campsite. (Here we are...) the suspicious man thought to himself. (Time to get to work...) He then moved towards the tent belonging to Fluttershy's parents, cautiously reached inside and grabbed Mrs. Shy's purse before pulling his arm back and heading for the picnic table. The man continued to move slowly to keep from attracting too much attention to himself; the only sound he made at all was the snap resulting from stepping on a small twig.

As small as that sound was, it was enough to cause Angel Bunny's right ear to prick up. Raising his head up and yawning, the rabbit looked around, wondering what could have made that sound. That's when he noticed a strange ball of light coming from outside of the tent. Admittedly, after the incident where Fluttershy had been kidnapped by a Number-possessed Vinyl Scratch, the rabbit was a bit concerned about this bizarre event. Putting on a determined look, Angel hopped out of his basket bed and carefully made his way out of the tent to investigate.

Angel Bunny looked around the camp a little, trying to figure out what was going on. That's when his sensitive ears picked up yet another sound: Jingling keys. The rabbit looked towards the sound and saw the suspicious man, digging through Mrs. Shy's purse. Recognizing the purse, Angel knew that the man was a thief and sprinted over to where he was, stopping near his leg. The thief didn't notice the rabbit; Not only was he so focused on his task, but he couldn't see the small critter in the dark (Angel, however, had great eyesight thanks to all the carrots he had eaten over the years). As a result, the crook didn't see it coming when Angel lifted the man's pant leg up... and gave him a nasty bite to his heel.

"YEEEEEEEOWWWWWWWWCHH!!!!"

Not a second later, the man instinctively screamed as loud as possible upon getting bitten. And that was more than enough to wake up the rest of the Shy Family. Eyes instantly shooting open, Fluttershy and Zephyr quickly got up out of their sleeping bags. "Wh-wh-what was that...?!" asked a trembling Fluttershy.

"I-I don't know, Sis...!" her brother responded. "But it's coming from outside!" The two siblings quickly got out of their tent, flashlights on. They gasped when they saw the would-be thief, flailing around after Angel bit him. The rabbit, meanwhile, was still clamped down on the crook's heel, hanging on for dear life.

"Angel!!" Fluttershy cried out, concerned for her pet's safety.

Hearing his owner's voice, Angel Bunny released himself from the man's leg and ran off towards her. Before the crook knew what was going on, Zephyr ran up and tackled him to the ground. The aquamarine-skinned boy stayed on top of the thief to keep him still. "Urrgh...!! Get off of me!!" protested the crook.

"I'm not goin' anywhere!" Zephyr responded. "And neither are you!"

Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Shy got out of their tent after hearing all of the commotion outside. "Wh...what's going on...?" asked a groggy Mr. Shy, rubbing his eyes.

Running over to her parents, terrified by the whole ordeal, Fluttershy told them, "Mommy...! Daddy...! Someone tried to rob us!"

"R-R-ROB US?!?" exclaimed the husband and wife in shock. That's when they pointed their flashlights over towards the picnic table. There, sitting on the table, was Mrs. Shy's purse, and on the ground was Zephyr, who was keeping the thief still using his body weight. The pair were horrified at what was going on, but thankful that they were all okay and the attempted theft had been thwarted.

Minutes later, the strange thief was completely subdued, as Zephyr and Mr. Shy had tied him to a tree using the bungee cords they had previously used to tie their belongings on top of their car. Now that the crook was caught, all that was left was to figure out what he was up to. "This is really weird..." Fluttershy commented, still shaking a little. "Why was this guy trying to steal from us?"

"I have to admit, it's a little strange..." said Mrs. Shy. "What could we possibly have that he'd want? I don't carry a lot of money in my purse..."

"And not only that..." Mr. Shy added, "why would someone come all the way out here just to steal from us? It doesn't make any sense..."

"It sure doesn't..." Zephyr responded. Glancing over to the captured thief, he said to the rest of family, "I think the only way we'll get any answers about this whole thing is t' get 'em out of this guy!" Walking over to the crook, the aquamarine-colored teen looked him straight in the eye and asked, "Alright, whoever you are... what's the deal? Who are you and why'd you try and rob us?"

"Forget it, you brat!" the thief replied defiantly. "I'm not tellin' you anything! So don't even bother!"

"If you won't tell us, I'm sure the cops will make you talk, one way or another!" Zephyr told him, trying to intimidate him.

"Well, you ain't a cop, so I don't need t' tell you jack squat!" the crook snarled. Annoyed by this man's unwillingness to cooperate, Angel Bunny growled a bit and delivered another CHOMP to his leg. "YEEEEOOOOWWWWW!!!!" the crook screamed in pain. "Quit it, you disgusting little-!" But when the rabbit gave the thief a vicious-looking stare, the man dared not finish his sentence.

"Look, bud. Either you tell us what's goin' on..." Zephyr told the man, "or Angel bites your leg again. What's it gonna be?"

Not in the mood to get bit again, the crook finally relented. "...Fine... I'll talk." he grumbled. "To tell you the truth, I was only following orders from my bosses."

"...Following orders...?" asked Fluttershy. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Wiggling his hand near the left side of his hip, the crook told them, "Left pants pocket... Take a look for yourself." Zephyr nodded as he reached into the man's pants pocket. He then pulled out the crook's wallet and looked at it. "Open it and pull out the card in the back pocket." the thief instructed.

Zephyr did just that, reaching into the wallet and pulling out a business card of some sort. The boy looked at the card with a bit of bewilderment. "What's this...?" he asked, reading the name of the company on the card. Gasping a little, he told his family, "I recognize this name: It's for this big company that owns a bunch of resorts all over the country!"

"But... what does it all mean?" asked Fluttershy, still confused about everything. "Does he have something to do with them or something like that?" The shy girl took the business card from her brother to look at it herself.

Curious, Angel ran over towards his owner and sat on her shoulder to look at the card from the thief's wallet. He then recognized something interesting about it and began tugging at Fluttershy's ear to get her attention. "Ow...! Ow! Angel, what are you doing??" she asked him.

Once she addressed him directly, Angel Bunny then ran back into the tent that he, Fluttershy, and Zephyr were all sleeping in. Searching the bottom of his little basket bed, he pulled out a small object; it was the Duel Monsters card he had found earlier. Putting it in his mouth, he hopped out of the tent and waved the card in front of Fluttershy to show it to her.

"Is... that a Duel Monsters card he's holding?" asked Zephyr.

"I... think so..." the pale-yellow teen replied. She then took the card and looked at it, as did the other members of the Shy Family as well.

"Scrap Archfiend...?" asked Mr. Shy. "Is this... one of your cards, Fluttershy?"

"...No, I don't have a card like this one." the shy girl answered her father. "I don't know where Angel got this from..."

Mrs. Shy shuddered a bit from looking at the card's artwork. "It looks absolutely horrid...!" she said. "...N-not to insult the card or anything like that, of course." Looking at the bottom of the card, the woman then asked, "And what is with that number written on it?"

"I'm not sure, Mom..." Zephyr replied, "but that number written on the card matches up perfectly with the phone number that was on the crook's business card."

"He's right...!" gasped Fluttershy. "It does! But what does it all mean??" Glancing back over to Angel and pondering about everything that had happened so far, she then recalled, "Come to think of it... when Zephyr and I went looking for Angel after he disappeared, I found him sitting on a filing cabinet." Sitting down on her knees in front of the rabbit, she asked him, "Is... is that where you found this Duel Monsters card?" Angel nodded yes to her question.

"Well that clinches it: There's somethin' weird going on around here..." said Zephyr. "But I ain't got a clue what it is..."

"I'll go and see if I can find a nearby ranger to deal with the robber..." said Mr. Shy. "After that, we should all get back to sleep... As much as I hate to pry into other peoples' matters... we should go talk to Mr. Jaune tomorrow and figure out what all this is about..."

"Yes... that sounds like a good idea..." Mrs. Shy replied, though she was still a bit shaken up over the fact that someone had tried to steal from her. Mr. Shy left the campsite, heading towards the main office to find a ranger that was on duty at this time. Some time later, he returned with one, and the ranger took care of things from there, taking the crook away to eventually be handed over to the proper authorities. With the matter resolved for now, the Shy Family returned to sleep, knowing that tomorrow, they would (hopefully) get some answers...

The next morning - at about 7 a.m. or so, the Shy Family got up (though Zephyr protested against getting up so early) and made breakfast for themselves. Mrs. Shy made everyone waffles with the help of a handheld waffle iron provided by Mr. Shy that could be heated over a fire. After they finished their meal, everyone got out of their sleeping clothes and into their normal outfits for the day before making their way over to the office in order to speak with Jaune Fauna about what happened last night.

As they walked towards the building, Fluttershy asked her brother, "Zephyr... is something on your mind? You seem concerned about something..."

"Well... I didn't wanna say anything, but... but I was just wonderin'..." he told her. He paused for a bit, trying to figure out the best way to say what was on his mind. After about a second or two, he asked his sister, "Do... you think that Jaune guy might have something to do with that crook last night?"

"Mr. Jaune...?!" Fluttershy gasped. "O-of course not! He would never do something like that! At least... I hope not..." Shaking her head, she added, "No...! No, he couldn't have been responsible for that thief... I just know it!" Angel, who was riding inside of the back pack that Fluttershy took with her, nodded in agreement and glared at Zephyr for even thinking such a thing.

"Yeesh, okay! I get it!" the younger brother responded. "I-I wasn't saying that it WAS him for sure, I was... just thinking out-loud, that's all! I'm sure he's innocent about it...!" He then told her, "I-in any case, we'll know for sure once we talk to him, anyway." Fluttershy nodded, knowing that they would find out what was going on soon enough. Though she was pretty sure that Mr. Jaune wasn't behind the crook that had shown up last night, she was still somewhat concerned...

A few minutes later, the Shy Family entered the office and looked around for the owner. "M-Mr. Jaune? Are you in here...?" asked Mr. Shy.

"Mr. Shy? Is that you?" asked a voice coming from one of the ranger meeting rooms. The family looked over to see that it was Jaune Fauna who spoke to them and was now on his way to meet with them. Once he got over to the family, the owner said to them, "I heard about what happened last night from the ranger; I am so VERY sorry about what happened... That crook didn't hurt you or anything, did he?"

"No... we're all fine." said Mrs. Shy. "A bit shaken up, but nothing else."

Sighing out of relief, Jaune said to them, "That's good to hear... Honestly, if anything had happened to any of you, I... well, I don't know what I would do..."

Noticing how distressed Mr. Jaune was over the matter, Fluttershy and Zephyr had a good feeling that he wasn't responsible for it, as he looked genuinely horrified. But that still didn't tell them who WAS behind it. Thinking of an idea, Fluttershy removed her backpack and reached into one of its pockets. Inside was the business card that she and her family had found on the thief from last night, as well as the Scrap Archfiend card Angel had. "Here," she said to Mr. Jaune, handing the items to him. "Can you tell us anything about these?"

Taking the two cards, the park owner looked at them in bewilderment. "Ms. Fluttershy..." he began to ask, "what are these?"

"Well, after I COURAGEOUSLY detained the thief that viciously attacked us last night," Zephyr answered a bit boastfully, "we managed to find that business card on him."

"Mhm... I see..." Jaune replied. "And what about the other card?"

"Well..." Fluttershy began, "I believe my rabbit found that card in this office yesterday, some time after we arrived." She then looked over at her rabbit and asked him, "Is that right?" Angel nodded yes and began pointing over at the very desk that he found it in.

Jaune and the rest of the Shy Family looked over at the desk, which only served to confuse Jaune more. "But... he couldn't have found something like this over at THAT desk;" he said, "that's the desk that belongs to Mr. Skrapa..."

"Did someone call my name?" asked the voice of the accountant, who had just arrived.

"Mr. Skrapa!" said Jaune, walking over to him.

"I had heard about what happened last night from the on-duty ranger." the accountant said to him. "As I expected, there was yet another incident here at the park that threatened to cause harm to the patrons. You know as well as I do that we cannot afford to let situations like this to continue on. We have to close down the park until these matters can be taken care of."

"No...! Th-there must be another way!" Jaune pleaded with the man.

"I'm afraid there isn't if you value the well-being of everyone here." Mr. Skrapa tols him in a stern tone. "Unless these matters can be resolved right this minute, we will have to vacate the premises; rangers and all." Mr. Jaune didn't want to close down the park, but he knew that the safety of the general public was also very important. He struggled to figure out what he should do.

"...Um, if it will help, Mr. Skrapa..." Fluttershy meekly spoke up, "I found this business card on the thief last night... It could be some sort of clue..."

"Hm? A business card?" asked the accountant, seemingly uninterested about the item in question. "I'm afraid that isn't much of help to anyone, Miss. Things like that are carried by people all the time... So unfortunately, I don't see how a Detria Resorts business card is of help to anybody, much less the authorities." Fluttershy and her family were a little depressed that their only clue seemed arbitrary and useless.

But Zephyr noticed something odd and asked the accountant. "Hey, hold on a sec... How did YOU know the card was from Detria Resorts? We never said where it came from..."

Upon hearing that, Mr. Skrapa began to sweat. "Um... h-how? Well I... I, uh..."

Noticing signs of worry on the man's face and remembering the other clue they had, Fluttershy showed Mr. Skrapa the Duel Monsters card that Angel found and asked, "And - since my brother brought up the subject, why did we find this Duel Monsters card in your desk...? And why is there a phone number written on it that matches up with the number on the business card??"

"Um... well, actually I have a, uh... good explanation for that...!" the accountant responded as best he could, trying to remain confident in his tone (but not doing very well at it). "You see... I-" Annoyed by the man's stalling, Angel spontaneously leaped out of Fluttershy's backpack and over to the filing cabinet that he had snooped into yesterday. Picking the lock and opening it, he began tossing out the papers inside, making a huge mess.

"Urrrgh! What is that thing doing?!" asked Mr. Skrapa angrily. "Control that animal of yours!!"

"Angel...! What's gotten into you??" asked Fluttershy as she and the others began picking up the papers that were thrown out of the cabinet.

However, as Jaune grabbed a pile of papers in front of them, he saw something that startled him. "Wait...! What are these invoices for??" he asked, reading them. "Chainsaws...? Power drills?? Air horns?? I don't recall ever asking you to make such purchases!" Getting angry and suspicious, he turned around and asked, "Mr. Skrapa, why is something like this in your possession?" However, there was no one standing in the spot Mr. Skrapa was in; in the confusion, no one saw the man leave the room.

"Wh-where did he go...?" asked Ms. Shy.

"He was just here a minute ago...!" Mr. Shy added.

Just then, everyone heard a someone shouting outside. "Hey! What're you doing?! Give that back!!" This was later followed by the sounds of an engine starting and tires screeching. From what it sounded like, someone had gotten into a vehicle of some sort and took off quickly.

Fluttershy and the others raced out of the building to see what had happened. But all they saw was a park ranger lying down on the ground. Running over to him and kneeling down to his level, the pale-yellow girl asked him, "Mister, a-are you okay?? What happened?"

"I'm fine, but... I have no idea what got into that Skrapa guy!" the ranger told her. "He just pushed me out of my jeep and took off with it without as much as a 'how do you do'!"

"Mr. Skrapa did this to you??" asked Mr. Jaune, shocked by what he and the others had heard.

"Rrrgh...! I knew that guy looked like trouble!" Zephyr scowled. "But now what're we gonna do?? He took off!"

Looking over to the side, Fluttershy saw the dirt tire tracks left behind by the jeep the accountant had stolen. (Those tire tracks...) she thought. (I bet if I followed them, they would lead us straight to Mr. Skrapa...) The idea of going after the man made her feel nervous, and at first she felt too scared... But then, a voice inside her began to tell her that, if she didn't try and stop Mr. Skrapa, something bad would happen to the park that she and her family loved so much. (I don't know how...) she thought again, (but I have to try and do something! I... I need to be brave...! Just like when I faced Gilda in the Inter-school Duel!) And thinking back to that Duel gave her an idea.

Standing straight up, Fluttershy quickly ran back into the office building. "F-Fluttershy...??"her mother said, confused by her actions, as were her father and brother.

When Fluttershy emerged back outside about a minute later, her appearance was totally different: She was once more wearing the special outfit that Rarity had made for her prior to the Inter-school Duel. She had even re-styled her hair in the same way that it was during that match. And to complete the ensemble, her Duel Pad was strapped onto her left arm.

Startled by her wardrobe change, Mr. Shy asked his daughter, "F-Fluttershy...? N-not to pry, but... what's going on??"

Sighing, the pink-haired teen told him, "I'm very sorry, Daddy... But I don't have time to answer that... I have to find out Mr. Skrapa. I can't put my finger on it, but I just know he's going to try and do something horrible to the park unless I stop him...!"

"B-b-but you can't, dear!" Mrs. Shy protested. "I don't like telling anyone no, but... but I just don't want you to get into trouble...! What if he tries to hurt you??"

"...I know it's risky, Mom." Fluttershy told her. "Believe me, I'm even more scared about going after him, too... But I can't just sit here and let that man harm to this park...! It means too much to me - to all of us... and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try to do something to save it!" Looking at her worried mother, she then told her, "I'm sorry, Mom... but I've made up my mind; take care of things here with the others." And without another word, the usually-shy girl ran off, following the tracks that the jeep left behind, with Angel not far behind.

(Woah... since when did Fluttershy get so brave like that?) Zephyr asked himself, amazed by how his sister was acting. (Back when we were younger, she'd be startled by the smallest little things... And now she's risking her own safety just to save this park?) Thinking long and hard about everything a second time, the aquamarine-skinned boy came to a decision of his own. Glancing over at his parents, he said to them, "Mom, Dad... Keep an eye on things here; I'm goin' after Fluttershy."

"No, don't!" Mrs. Shy pleaded her son.

"Hey... someone's gotta look after her right?" he asked them. "I've got nothin' else to do, so it might as well be me!" Without another word, Zephyr took off, following his older sister.

Mrs. Shy was still very concerned for her children, wondering if they would be okay after all of this. Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to yelp a bit. However, she calmed down when she saw that it was just her husband. Smiling and remaining hopeful, he told his wife, "They'll be fine, dear... I just know it. We have to believe that."

"...I suppose that's true." Mrs. Shy replied. "They will be just fine... After all, our little Fluttershy has always been the most assertive member of our family..." (And that was quite true... compared to the rest of the Shy Family at least.)

A few minutes later, Fluttershy was still on the trail of Mr. Skrapa, who had all of sudden, snapped and ran off when several suspicious clues concerning him began to surface. Zephyr had already caught up to her and now the two of them were searching for the runaway accountant together. "Thank you for coming with me, Zephyr..." Fluttershy told her brother. "To be honest, I wasn't sure I would be able to find Mr. Skrapa on my own..."

"Well... uh, I... I figured that I could lend you a hand, Sis." he casually told her. "Besides, I would've gotten bored just sittin' around that office the whole time."

"...Were you just as surprised at what I was doing, like Mom and Dad were?" she asked him.

"Well, Mom always DID say that you were the boldest one in the family..." Zephyr replied. "But I'll admit, this is pretty big, especially for you... I remember one time in Fall when we were little, a leaf fell on your shoulder and you shrieked at it for about five minutes."

"I remember..." the pale-yellow girl said. "And now I'm out here, doing quite possibly the scariest thing I can imagine... I must admit something too; the very thought of it frightens me a lot..."

"So what's the deal, Sis?" Zephyr asked her. "Why're you doing something like this?"

"...I don't really know, to be honest." Fluttershy told him. "All I can say is... I feel I have to try and stop whatever it is Mr. Skrapa is trying to do... I don't know what it is or how I'll stop him, but I have to do something...! If my friends were here, they would say the same thing... Especially Rainbow Dash."

"Is that so...?" her brother responded. He then smirked to himself, wondering what Dash would think of him if she knew that he helped out one of her friends, grinning a bit as he did so. But his thoughts were interrupted when he saw someone up ahead of them. "Huh? Is that him?" he asked, pointing forwards.

Fluttershy looked up and saw that, in front of them, was the accountant, Mr. Skrapa. "It is...!" she answered her brother quietly. "Quick...! Hide in those bushes...!" The two of them knelt down behind some shrubs and watched the accountant from a safe distance. Mr. Skrapa was in the middle of a small clearing with a large stone cave on the side of the rock wall beside him. Also sitting there was the olive-green jeep that he had taken to make his getaway. The man was currently too preoccupied with a phone call to even notice the two teenagers spying on him. Fluttershy and Zephyr quietly watched and listened to what was going on.

"Yes... yes, I know this DOES interfere with things!" Mr. Skrapa said loudly into his cell phone. "...Yes, I KNOW it wasn't in the original plan! But I can assure you, this place will be cleared out right away so that we can move on with things as planned! ...Yes, I know what will happen if things go wrong... Yes... Yes, I'm aware of what the consequences will be, but this is our only option at this point...! I promise you this minor setback will not - I repeat, will NOT be any cause for concern! I'll call you back once I've taken care of matters... Goodbye, sir."

As Mr. Skrapa finished his phone call, Zephyr quietly asked his older sister, "What do you suppose that was all about...?"

"I'm not sure..." Fluttershy answered. "But I have a feeling that whatever he has planned, it's not good for this park..." Despite their talking, Mr. Skrapa had no idea he was being watched. If there was one thing the Shy Family knew how to do, it was speaking softly.

The accountant scowled a bit to himself, saying, "That overgrown windbag... Like it's my fault things aren't going the way he intended...!" Regaining his composure, he turned towards the cave beside him, pulled out a set of keys in his pocket, and clicked a button on a device hooked to them.

Just then, a loud sound could be heard from inside the cave, and the ground began to shake a bit. "Wh-wh-what's going on...?!" yelped Fluttershy, sweating a bit as she tried to keep her balance.

"I-I-I don't kn-know...!" Zephyr responded, "bu-u-u-t whatever it is, i-i-t's big!"

And big it was: Out of the cave came a humongous yellow bulldozer, larger than any others that Fluttershy or Zephyr had probably ever seen before. Thick, black smoke spewed out from its exhaust pipes as it lumbered forward on its tracks, its shovel-like scraper pushing up the dirt in front of it. The loud noise of the massive machine scared off any wildlife that was nearby; flocks of birds flew away in fear, squirrels scampered away in an attempt to get away. Even a large, brown grizzly bear was forced to flee from the intimidating vehicle.

"Wh-whoa...!" said Zephyr in shock and awe. "That thing's huge!"

(...I knew it...) Fluttershy thought to herself as she stared at the gigantic bulldozer before them. (If that man turns that... that thing loose, he'll cause a lot of damage...! More than that... if he has any more of those machines around here, he could destroy the whole park as well!)

Smirking to himself, Mr. Skrapa said, "I was planning on using this AFTER everyone was forced to clear out of the park, but I'll settle for scaring everyone out of here instead!" Climbing into the bulldozer, Skrapa was ready to give it the ultimate test run. The industrial vehicle then started forward, ready to tear apart anything in its path. As it did, the accountant failed to notice a herd of rabbits running in front of it in an last-ditch effort to get away (or perhaps he didn't care to notice them). One of them - a brown rabbit with drooped ears tripped over a tree root and fell dead-center in the bulldozer's path.

"H-he's not gonna run over that little rabbit, is he...?" asked Zephyr.

"Oh no...! I have to get it out of there!!" said Fluttershy. But before she could, Angel bravely hopped out from the girl's backpack and sprinted towards the brown bunny in order to help it. "A-ANGEL!! Come back!" the pale-yellow girl cried out as she ran after him. Zephyr followed to make sure no one would get hurt.

As it turned out, Angel knew this loppy-eared rabbit and was trying to rescue it. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, reaching the brown bunny in mere seconds. He leapt forward and pushed the rabbit out of the way of the bulldozer's path, seconds before it did the unthinkable.

"Hm?" Mr. Skrapa caught a glimpse of the two rabbits getting out of his bulldozer's way. Glancing over at them directly, he noticed that one of them looked familiar. "That white rabbit..." he said to himself. "That's the same one that got into my file cabinet! He was the one who messed everything up! But if he's here, then that must mean-"

"Stop this right now!" shouted a voice from nearby. The man looked ahead and saw Fluttershy and Zephyr standing there, glaring at him. "How dare you try to hurt those animals AND this park!"

Grumbling, Mr. Skrapa said to himself, "Rrrgh... Not them again..." He was then forced to stop his machine when the two teens stood in its path to block it. He then yelled at the two of them, "Haven't you brats meddled enough already?! Out of my way!"

Fluttershy gulped, but her desire to protect the park and its wildlife overpowered any fear that she may have had. She stretched out her arms and shouted back (in a softer tone of voice), "...I-I-I'm not moving, Mr. Skrapa! I won't let you hurt this park or anyone in it!"

"Y-yeah! What she said!" Zephyr added.

The crazed accountant was beginning to get irritated. "Rrrgh... lousy little nature freaks... How annoying." he snarled to himself. Climbing out of the bulldozer, he then said to them, "So you really don't have anything better to do than to annoy me and stall my plans, do you?"

"What kinds of plans are you talking about...?" asked Fluttershy. "Just what are you going to do this park, Mr. Skrapa?"

"Before that, I suppose I should first probably introduce myself, seeing as how you let the cat out of the bag back in the main office..." the man told the two of them. "You see, Mr. Skrapa is not my real name; it's an identity I adopted in order to get close to this park." Reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out a card - which looked exactly like the business card that Fluttershy and her family found on the thief they had caught last night, the accountant told them, "I am Mr. Fast Buck: Vice Chairman of Deltria Resorts Ltd., Canterlot Branch."

"Vice Chairman...?" asked Zephyr, surprised to hear this.

"So you were lying about being Mr. Jaune's accountant?" asked Fluttershy, equally as surprised. "But why?"

"It's none of your business, but perhaps if I explain my intentions to you, you'll realize the folly of your actions." the man, named Fast Buck, told them. "You see, Deltria Resorts turns a profit by opening five-star resorts across the country. To do that, we need to find prime locations that are pleasing to the eyes. And my bosses have found such a location: Right here in this very park!"

This statement caused both Fluttershy and Zephyr to gasp. "You can't be serious...!!" exclaimed the pale-yellow girl. "That's what you're trying to do? Build a resort in the park?!"

"Just think about it:" the man told them, trying to sway their opinions. "First-class hotels! First-class restaurants! First-class spas! First-class EVERYTHING!! All the accommodations anyone could ever want! We'll provide it all, and then some!"

"But... but you can't do that!" Zephyr protested. "You can't just drop a resort right in the middle of Rainbow Falls Park! It's against the law!"

"Hmph... that's of no concern to me or my superiors." Fast Buck rebutted. "My bosses have more than enough connections to take care of... 'messy details' such as that."

"But don't you see that you'll completely ruin this park if you do that??" Fluttershy asked, pleading with the man. "If the park is destroyed, all the animals here will have no place to live anymore! Don't you care about any of them at ALL??"

"...That doesn't bother me one bit." Fast Buck coldly replied. "In fact, that's the part I'm looking forward to the most. Why else would I have allowed all of those so-called 'accidents' to happen around the park if I wasn't trying to drive everyone away?"

This statement shocked Fluttershy the most. "Wait... you mean that... the thief that came after us last night... and all of those other things that happened here... That was you...?!" she asked, bewildered by Fast Buck's callous attitude. Fluttershy didn't get angry at someone very often, but she was certainly furious with this person. Glaring him right in the eyes as fiercely as possible, she told him in a stern tone of voice, "I won't let you get away with something like this! And I will never allow you to cause any more harm to this park!"

"Hmph... save it, girl." the man replied, not scared in the slightest. "What makes you think that such an insignificant individual like yourself could possibly stand up to someone like me? I step on people bigger than you on a daily basis. Just face it: There is no way that you can stand up to me."

"...Yes we can." said Zephyr's voice.

This comment got the attention of both Fluttershy and Fast Buck. The cruel businessman raised an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me...?"

"You heard me, jerk." the aquamarine-skinned boy told him. "My big sis is way braver than you, Mr. 'Hide-Behind-my-Titles-and-Corporate-Position-Because-Without-them-I'm-Worthless'!"

"Rrrrgh... you had better watch what you say..." Fast Buck told him, getting annoyed. "I have the power and money to make life miserable for you and your family..."

"I could say the same to you, buddy..." Zephyr said with a smirk, "...because the truth is, my family and I weren't just here for vacation."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked the businessman, a bit confused.

"Zephyr... what are you doing...?" asked Fluttershy, not sure what her brother was up to this time.

"Just play along, Sis... I know what I'm doin'..." he whispered back to her. He then turned back to Fast Buck and told him, "Y'see the REAL reason we're here is because we were hired by the local authorities to investigate the strange accidents that had been goin' on here at the park.... And to help us, each of us has been secretly equipped with special recording equipment on our bodies."

This statement startled Fast Buck; now he was beginning to get a bit scared. "Y-y-you're bluffing...!" he responded, trying to act tough. However, he wasn't sure if Zephyr was lying or not.

"Tell ya what: I'll give up the recoding equipment and everything... IF you can beat my sister in a Duel!" Zephyr boldly proclaimed.

"Huh...?!?" gasped Fluttershy. She was a bit shocked to hear her brother say that. "But... but Zephyr...!"

"Please, Sis..." he told her quietly. "I told you: For once, I know what I'm doing... Just... just trust me, please?" The yellow girl was a bit wary at first, considering that her brother often acted without thinking. But this time, she felt that he did have something planned to get them out of this situation in the best way possible. She then nodded to say that she with him on this one.

"A Duel...?" asked Fast Buck, more confused than before. "I've told you, I don't play such childish games like that..."

"I'm pretty sure that's not true either." Zephyr told him. "After all, we found a Duel Monsters card in YOUR desk, not to mention you have a Duel Pad. If you want us to believe that you don't Duel, you'll have to do a lot better than that."

"Hmph... quite the clever little brat, aren't you?" said Fast Buck. Chuckling a little, he then told them, "Fine, I'll accept the conditions. If I win, you are not to breathe a word of what I said to anyone, or your family will suffer for it!"

"But if I win," Fluttershy told the cruel man, fighting back her nervousness as much as she could, "then you have to leave this park and never come back...!" Mr. Buck nodded and the two of them readied their D-Pads. In an instant, the AR Vision System activated, and the two were ready to fight. "Now, Fast Buck... I-it's time to DUEL...!!" Fluttershy told him as bravely as she could (Fast Buck: LP 4,000) (Fluttershy: LP 4,000).

As their Duel began, neither of them noticed that Zephyr - who had NOT put on his Duel Gazer, glanced over at the titanic bulldozer owned by Fast Buck. He then looked over at Angel Bunny, who looked back at him. Without any words being spoken, the two of them smirked and nodded to each other, as if something was up...

Fast Buck and Fluttershy began their Duel to decide the fate of Rainbow Falls Park, drawing and looking over their opening hands. "The first move will go to me." said the businessman, taking a card from his hand. "And to get a jump start on converting this land to how I see fit, I'll begin with my Terraforming Spell Card. This allows me to take any Field Spell from my Deck. And I choose my reliable Scrap Factory."

Fluttershy watched her opponent carefully; she knew he was already up to something. She still wasn't sure why her brother had urged her to Duel him, but either way, she was planning to give it her all against this cruel person.

"Next, I shall place two cards face-down," Mr. Buck continued, "and then set a monster in Defense Mode." The images of three face-down cards - one of them placed horizontally, appeared on his side of the field. It seemed that he already had a plan of some sort going...

But so did Fluttershy. Taking a card from her hand, she shouted, "Come forth, Naturia Cosmobeet!" Not long after the man played his cards, Fluttershy had played one of hers. The monster that she Summoned in Defense Position was a tiny, bulb-like creature with pink and white flowers growing out of its head (Naturia Cosmobeet: Level 2 / ATK 1000 / DEF 700).

"Wh-WHAT?? How did you do that?!" asked Fast Buck, shocked. "How could you Summon a monster while it was still my turn??"

"With Cosmobeet's effect," Fluttershy explained to him, "I can Special Summon him after you've Normal Summoned or Set a monster." But she didn't stop there; she then reached for another card in her hand and added, "Also, because a Naturia monster's effect was activated this turn, I also get to Summon this monster! I play Naturia Hydrangea in Defense Mode as well!" He second monster was a trio of flowering plants with cute eyes poking out from under the flowers, colored pink and blue (Naturia Hydrangea: Level 5 / ATK 1900 / DEF 2000).

"...You expect me to be frightened by a few insignificant weeds??" asked Fast Buck, trying to sound intimidating. However, in his mind, he wasn't pleased by the fact that she now had more monsters than he did... And she had yet to take a turn of her own in this Duel. Grumbling a bit, he said to his foe, "Make your move!"

"...I will." the normally-shy girl told him. "I draw." She then picked the top card of her Deck and placed it into her hand for the moment. "Now I Normal Summon my Naturia Beetle in Attack Mode...!" she declared, placing one of her Monster Cards onto her D-Pad's tray. After that, a small rhinoceros beetle-like insect with baby-blue eyes, an acorn for a body, and leaves for wings appeared on her side of the field (Naturia Beetle: Level 4 / ATK 400 / DEF 1800).

"An insect...? Fitting, seeing as how you are nothing more than a bug compared to me..." Fast Buck said in an overly-prideful tone.

"...My beetle may be small," Fluttershy told him, "but its harmony with the nature around it will overcome anything you have against it...!" Taking another card from her hand, she shouted, "I play the Field Spell, Naturia Forest!"

*******************************

Naturia Forest:
(Field Spell Card)

If you negate the activation of a card(s) your opponent controls: You can add 1 Level 3 or lower "Naturia" monster from your Deck to your hand.

*******************************

After playing the card, the area around them began to change its appearance: Large, beautiful trees began growing all around them, the grassy fields became a bright green with many colorful flowers scattered across them, and several floating islands hovered in the air, covered in trees, vines and other plants. In addition, the activation of the Spell Card cause Naturia Beetle's effect to activate, swapping its ATK and DEF (Naturia Beetle: ATK 400 > 1800 / DEF 1800 > 400).

"This is the blessed sanctuary for the Naturia race..." Fluttershy said to her opponent. "And those who would knowingly destroy it out of greed will have to face its most powerful guardians! I now tune my Level 2 Naturia Cosmobeet to my Level 4 Naturia Beetle!"

"A Synchro Summon?!" gasped Fast Buck, not prepared for something like this. He watched as Cosmobeet began to glow and split into two smaller lights that flew up into the air. Afterwards, they returned as a pair of green rings that surrounded Naturia Beetle, causing it to glow as well.

"Blessed forest, hear my plea!" the animal-loving girl chanted, "Call forth the dragon whose cry strikes fear into those who would harm you! Synchro Summon!" After that, her beetle split into four smaller lights, followed by a column of light that shot down from the sky (Level 2 + Level 4 = Level 6). "Come forth! Level 6! Naturia Barkion!!" When the light faded away, a mighty dragon was sitting where her two other monsters used to be. It was serpent-like in appearance, with a white-and-brown body, as well as having a green moss-like substance growing upon its body in some areas. It seemed as though it was as much a plant as it was a dragon (Naturia Barkion: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1800).

A bit annoyed, but not willing to show it in front of her, Mr. Buck said to her, "So... a Synchro user, I see..."

Fluttershy nodded and continued her turn, switching her Hydrangea to Attack Position and saying, "You threatened to harm nature, Mr. Buck... But now nature shall fight back...! Naturia Barkion, attack his face-down monster!" Her Synchro Monster then gave out a roar, forcing the businessman's monster to reveal itself as a bird-like creature made out of what appeared to be bits of scrap and garbage (Scrap Searcher: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 300).

"So you revealed my monster... But that's as far as I'm willing to let you go!" Fast Buck shouted. "I activate the Trap Card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!! This card allows me to negate your monster's attack, but in addition, my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow also resets itself instead of going to the Graveyard! Too bad; I told you that someone like you couldn't touch me."

"...I'm sorry to disagree with you, but I'm afraid that's not quite true." the pale-yellow girl told him.

"Hm?"

"I activate the effect of Naturia Barkion!" she declared. "By banishing any two cards from my Graveyard, I can cancel out your Trap Card and destroy it!" After removing her Cosmobeet and Beetle from her Graveyard, her monster let out another roar and shattered the man's Trap Card instantly.

"No! That's not fair!" protested Mr. Buck.

"I'm afraid to say that it is quite fair..." Fluttershy informed her opponent. "And not only that, but thanks to my Field Spell, I can now add any Level 3 or below Naturia from my Deck to my hand. I'll choose... Naturia Beans." After she took her card, she then ordered her Synchro Monster, "Barkion, continue your attack! Bark of Nature!!" The massive dragon then finished the attack it started, blowing away Mr. Buck's only monster on the board. "And next," she continued, "my Hydrangea will attack you directly!"

Her second monster then shot out a cloud of blue pollen particles and blew them towards the cruel businessman. He coughed in response as the pollen sapped away a good portion of his Life Points (Fast Buck: LP 4,000 - 1,900 = 2,100). After the attack was finished, he asked himself, (How... how did she do that...?? There was no way that could have happened!) Grumbling some more, he then said to his foe, "So... you're much stronger than you look..."

"That's because I'm fighting for reasons other than for myself, Mr. Buck." she told him. "I told you I would protect this park from you and I will...!"

"Hmph... You're wasting your time, young lady." he said in an uncaring tone. "In this world, there's no point in fighting for something other than for your own benefit. What good would it do you if this park stayed as it is? There's absolutely nothing you could gain from going through all of this trouble."

"...I suppose someone like you would never understand where I'm coming from." Fluttershy responded. "It's just not true that I wouldn't gain anything from preserving this park. You may have money and power where you come from, but they could never help you have the same good feelings that I get just by coming to a beautiful place like this."

"Hmph... enough of you idiotic rambling." Fast Buck responded, not listening to a word she said. "Are you finished with your turn or not?"

Sighing, Fluttershy took two of her cards and said to him, "I'll end my turn with two face-down cards."

"Then it is my turn... I draw!" Mr. Buck said, drawing a card from his Deck and looking at it. Playing the card immediately, he shouted, "I Summon the monster I drew in Attack Mode! Scrap Recycler!" The monster he played was a small robotic creature with shovels for hands, a vacuum cleaner built into his waist area, and trash bin-like apparatus for a body (Scrap Recycler: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 1200). "By Normal Summoning Scrap Recycler, I can now send any Machine monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, which I'll do right now!" He searched his Deck for the card Minefieldriller and sent it to the Graveyard with his monster's effect. Taking another card from his hand, he then said, "Next I'll activate my Scrap Factory Field Spell!"

Fluttershy gasped as the forested area around him became surrounded by a thick, grey smoke. When the smoke cloud was gone, she was shocked to see the area around and behind him was completely devastated; the forest there had died out and was replaced by a large, grimy factory that sent soot and smoke into the air. Nothing could live in such a heavily-polluted place as that... at least nothing that had a heartbeat, that is. "Wh-what have you done...?" she asked him in a horrified voice.

"I told you earlier: I simply converted the land around me into something far more productive and profitable." Fast Buck told her. "Now that my factory is up and running, all of my Scrap monsters gain an extra 200 attack and defense!" (Scrap Recycler: ATK 900 + 200 = 1100 / DEF 1200 + 200 = 1400) Taking another card from his hand, he then told her, "But since the cards on my field currently are of no use to me, I'll dispose of them with this: I activate Scrapstorm! By targeting my Scrap Recycler, I can now send any Scrap monster from my Deck to the Graveyard and draw 1 more card." He used his card's effect to send Scrap Goblin to his Graveyard, and then drew one more card. After that, his Recycler immediately destroyed itself.

"Wh-what happened to your monster??" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, the side effect of my Spell Card is that it destroys the monster it initially targeted." Mr. Buck explained. "Of course, since Scrap Recycler was no longer needed, it hardly makes a difference if it's there or not." The animal-lover wasn't too happy to hear him say that; it seemed he cared as much about his cards as he did with nature, which was not at all.

"Now I activate the effect of Scrap Factory!" Fast Buck said next as his factory's windows began to glow. "Since a Scrap monster was destroyed by a card effect, I can now Special Summon another Scrap monster from my Deck! And I choose the mighty Scrap Golem!" His next monster was made out all sorts of junk: Its body was an old refrigerator, its single arm had a fan on it for a hand, and its head was a microwave oven (Scrap Golem: ATK 2300 + 200 = 2500 / DEF 1400 + 200 = 1600). "Next," he continued, "I'll activate Golem's effect and Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Scrap Monster from my Graveyard! I select Scrap Goblin!" At that moment, a small creature leaped out of the violet portal that appeared in front of him in Defense Mode. It was a small monster made out of various bits of junk, such as a camera, sunglasses, a faucet, a fork, a pot, and many other things (Scrap Goblin: Level 3 / ATK 0 + 200 = 200 / DEF 500 + 200 = 700).

(Scrap Goblin is a Tuner Monster...) thought Fluttershy. (I see... he was sending his monsters to the Graveyard so that he could Summon his Synchro Monsters...! This isn't good...)

Just as she had predicted, Fast Buck began the Synchro Summoning process. "I now tune my Level 3 Scrap Goblin to my Level 5 Scrap Golem!!" The tinier Scrap monster then jumped into the air and split apart into three smaller lights that came back as rings that surrounded and transformed Scrap Golem into five more lights (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8). "Born of refuse, watch as this mighty beast rises in to reduce all those who get in its way to mere scraps!" the businessman yelled. "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Level 8! Scrap Dragon!!"

After a large column of light engulfed the rings and light spheres, a large set of wings emerged from out. The wings were made of several discarded sheets of metal overlapping one another. When the light completely faded away, the rest of the recycled dragon could then be seen. A pair of glowing red eyes began glowing as the various pipes sticking out of is shot out puffs of steam. Though the creature seemed fragile by first appearances, it was no doubt very powerful.

*******************************

Scrap Dragon:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon/EARTH/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2000)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn: You can target 1 card you control and 1 card your opponent controls; destroy them. When this card in your possession is destroyed by your opponent's card and sent to your GY: Target 1 non-Synchro "Scrap" monster in your GY; Special Summon that target.

*******************************

Fluttershy gulped a bit upon seeing the intimidating monster in front of her, especially since it got an immediate power boost from his Field Spell (Scrap Dragon: ATK 2800 + 200 = 3000 / DEF 2000 + 200 = 2200). "That thing...l-looks scary..." she said to herself.

"Seems you realized too late what happens to people like you who try to take on big business." Fast Buck said in a cocky tone. "And just to ensure that my profit in this Duel far exceeds yours, I'll play my Pot of Desires to draw two more cards after banishing the top ten cards off of my Deck." After doing so, he then played one of the cards, saying, "Now I'll activate my Continuous Spell Card, Supply Squad! Now, from this point on, if any of my monsters are eliminated from the field, I can draw 1 more card each turn. Not that I'll need the extra resources, but it couldn't hurt, I suppose." Taking the other card that he drew, he played it and added, "Now I activate Guts of Steel!"

"What does that do?" asked Fluttershy.

"Simple: I pick three Scrap monsters in my Graveyard and you pick one for me to Special Summon." Mr. Buck explained. "The rest get banished from the game." Holding up his Scrap Recycler, Scrap Goblin, and Scrap Golem, he asked his foe, "Now, which one do you pick?"

Knowing that she didn't want him to get back his Tuner Monster, or his Golem that could keep reviving his monsters, she had only one choice: "I choose your Scrap Recycler." she answered.

"Hmph... I thought so." said the businessman. "Then I'll put in on my field in Defense Mode." The small robot monster was now back on his field, while the other two were removed from his Graveyard (Scrap Recycler: ATK 900 + 200 = 1100). "In that case, I'll activate Recycler's effect to send Red Gadget from my Deck to my Graveyard." Mr. Buck told her. "Then, I'll use his other effect to reshuffle Red Gadget and Minefieldriller into my Deck to draw one more card." After doing so, he then pointed to his Synchro Monster and shouted, "Now, I activate the effect of Scrap Dragon! His power destroys any two cards on the field; one on your side and one on mine! So say goodbye to my Scrap Recycler AND your Naturia Barkion!"

Fluttershy gasped, but there was nothing she could to stop the beast from eliminating her Synchro Monster along with its own ally. It fired off a powerful explosive that detonated upon hitting the ground, blowing both monsters away. "No...! Barkion!" she cried out.

"Hmph... you see? Even nature is worthless before power like this!" said the cruel man. "And not only that, but since my Recycler has once more been destroyed, I can now bring my Scrap Searcher back onto the field!" In an instant, the garbage-built bird returned to the field in Defense Position (Scrap Searcher: ATK 100 + 200 = 300 / DEF 300 + 200 = 500). In addition, he got to draw a card thanks to his Supply Squad Spell. Showing the card he drew, Mr. Buck then told his foe, "Now I'll play this Spell Card, Forbidden Substance, on my Scrap Dragon! With it, he can now attack you twice this turn AND do piercing damage if he attacks any of your defense monsters! In other words, your pathetic little resistance ends now!" Pointing forward, he shouted, "Now, Scrap Dragon! Attack her Hydrangea! Scrap Firestorm!!" The vicious dragon then began to unleash its attack...

"Not so fast...!" Fluttershy suddenly shouted. "I activate my Trap Card, Naturia Sacred Tree!!"

"Urrk...!" grunted Fast Buck as a giant tree began to grow out from behind his enemy. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"I'll tell you: Naturia Sacred Tree allows me to release an EARTH-Attribute monster - a Plant or an Insect, and then lets me Special Summon the other type from my Deck to the field!" Fluttershy explained. "I now release my Hydrangea..." After that, her Plant monster then vanished from the field. Taking a card from her Deck, the nature-lover finished, saying, "...and Summon this to replace it! Naturia Butterfly in Defense Mode!" Her new monster was a tiny, pink butterfly with large, adorable green eyes, a long and curly proboscis, and green legs and antennae (Naturia Butterfly: ATK 500 / DEF 1200).

"So THAT is your big move?" asked Fast Buck, not impressed in the slightest. "That little gnat is even weaker than your last monster! And thanks to my Forbidden Substance, my dragon can attack it, deal piercing damage, and then hit you directly immediately after! This changes nothing!" Confidant that he had nothing to worry about, he yelled, "Scrap Dragon! Continue your attack on that butterfly!" The beast then unleashed its mighty flames, striking Fluttershy's monster hard. When the smoke cleared and dust settled... absolutely nothing happened. "Wh-WHAT?! How did you monster survive?!" shouted the man. "And how are your Life Points unscathed?!? You must have cheated!!"

"...I didn't cheat, Mr. Buck." Fluttershy said calmly. "I activated Naturia Butterfly's effect. By sending the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard, it can negate your attack no matter how powerful it is."

The man growled, not aware that her monster could do something like that. He then shouted, "Scrap Dragon, attack that butterfly again!" The monster then unleashed its second attack, which succeeded in hitting the Insect monster and damaging its controller (Fluttershy: LP 4,000 - 1,800 = 2,200). However, Naturia Butterfly was still on the field. A bit scarred, but perfectly alright. "Luckily for you," Fast Buck informed her, "Forbidden Substance prevents my monster from destroying yours during its second attack. And I also can't attack with anything else this turn either."

(So that's how my monster survived...) thought Fluttershy. (Then I'll still have a chance after all...!)

Grumbling to himself that the Duel didn't end the way he had hoped for, the businessman then said to his foe, "It seems as though you'll be getting another turn after all. But don't expect to luck out a second time like you did just now!"

"I'm afraid to say that my luck isn't going to run out just yet...!" she said back. "Before your turn ends, I'll activate my Scapegoat Spell Card! This card allows me to Special Summon four Sheep Tokens to my side of the field in Defense Mode!" And just as she said, four small sheep (one yellow, one pink, one blue, and one red) popped up on her side of the field with a sleepy look on their faces (Sheep Tokens x4: ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"Grrrrn... NOW what is that little brat planning...?" wondered Fast Buck angrily.

Drawing her card for the turn, Fluttershy looked at it and wasted no time in playing it. "I activate a Spell Card..." she said. "I play MY Pot of Desires...!"

"What?! You have one as well?!" asked her opponent, surprised.

After banishing ten of her cards and drawing two more, she then made her next big move. "Now I tune my Level 3 Naturia Butterfly to all four of my Level 1 Sheep Tokens!" The small pink butterfly then flew up and turned into light energy, splitting into three smaller lights that flew up into the air and came back down as a trio of green Synchro Rings.

"No...! Another Synchro Summon?!" shouted Fast Buck, who began to sweat a little. He now realized that THIS was why she had used her Trap Card to Summon her butterfly monster earlier.

The four sleepy sheep floated into the Synchro Rings, each one transforming into a smaller ball of light (Level 3 + Level 1 + Level 1 + Level 1 + Level 1 = Level 7). "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings and strike down your enemies at the speed of light!" the nature-loving girl chanted, her voice sounding more confidant than before. "Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Instantly, a beam of light shot into the Synchro Rings, and a short time later, the Synchro Monster that Fluttershy had gotten from Rainbow Dash had now appeared on the field, ready to unleash its powerful attack (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"Wh-wh-WHAT?!? Clear Wing?!?" exclaimed Fast Buck, now becoming worried. "How did she get such a rare and powerful card?! It makes no sense!!"

Feeling more confident now that her best card was on the field, Fluttershy said to her opponent, "I now play another Spell Card from my hand... The Equip Spell Fairy Meteor Crush! Now my dragon gains the ability to deal piercing damage, just like your dragon could last turn...!" The Spell Card created a powerful ray of light to shine forth, covering her Synchro Monster completely and powering it up.

The cruel accountant began to sweat a little. (No... she's going to attack my Searcher with that dragon...!) he thought to himself.

And that thought was confirmed when the young girl shouted, "Clear Wing! Attack his Scrap Searcher with your Whirlwind Dive Slasher!" The dragon then flew into the air and came back down as a spinning missile. It crashed right into Fast Buck's weaker monster and wiped it out completely. The businessman also took a massive amount of damage from the impact as well, leaving his Life Points minimal (Fast Buck: LP 2,100 - 2,000 = 100). "I won't let you destroy this place, Mr. Buck...!" Fluttershy told him confidently (but still quietly). "I promise you, Clear Wing and I will stop you!"

"...Urrrgh... Don't go making promises you cannot keep, little girl..." the man told her, becoming even more annoyed at her. "This Duel is not over yet, and I promise YOU; I'll crush every last bit of resistance you have in you..." Pulling the top card of his Deck out of his Duel Pad, he added, "Due to the effect of Supply Squad, I draw a card because my monster was destroyed."

"Then I'll set a card to finish my turn..." said Fluttershy as she placed a card in her D-Pad's Spell & Trap Zone slot. She then glanced around a little; she couldn't see where her brother and Angel Bunny were and wondered what had happened to them.

"It's my turn... I draw!" said Fast Buck as he drew his card for the turn. He then played the card immediately, saying, "I'll begin my turn with this card: Pot of Extravagance!!"

"P-Pot of Extravagance??" gasped Flutttershy. "You have that rare card? Most people I know don't even have one...!"

"Heheheh, unfortunately, I'm not 'most people'." said Fast Buck. "One of the advatages of being rich and powerful is that there's nothing that I cannot afford! Seventy-three dollars for this card is mere chump change to me if it means snuffing out little brats like you!" Placing his card into his D-Pad, he then told her, "Pot of Extravagance forces me to banish up to six random cards from my Extra Deck. Then for every three cards, I get to draw one more from my Deck. And of course, I'll go ahead and banish six cards from my Extra Deck so that I can draw two more!"

Fluttershy watched as her opponent took out six cards from his Extra Deck (his D-Pad randomly selected the cards to be banished) and then drew his two new cards. The young girl wondered what sneaky tricks the man was planning this time.

Looking over his hand, Mr. Buck grumbled a bit, (There's not much here in my hand... and because of her dragon's ability, I can't use my dragon's effect to try and eliminate it... However, I can still prevent it from coming after me..." Taking the card he had drawn from his Supply Squad last turn, he said, "I equip your dragon with the wicked Mask of the Accursed!" At that moment, an ugly-looking mask stuck itself onto the chest of Fluttershy's Synchro Monster. "With this card, your so-called powerful dragon is unable to attack me! As far as you're concerned, it's useless!"

"Oh no...!" gasped Fluttershy. She was startled by this move, but tried her best to remain brave.

"Hmph... not scared, are you?" asked the cruel man. "Then let's see if this changes your mind! I Special Summon Scrap Breaker from my hand in Defense Mode, since you control at least one monster!" The monster that appeared was - like all of the other cards Fast Buck used, built out of discarded refuse. Though it seemed only half-finished, as it only consisted of a torso with a pair of arms coming out of it (Scrap Breaker: Level 6 / ATK 2100 + 200 = 2300 / DEF 700 + 200 = 900). "Of course, after I Special Summon it with its effect Breaker forces me to destroy one of my Scrap monsters. So I'll choose to have it destroy itself!" And as quick as it showed up, Scrap Breaker self-destructed.

"Why did you do that?" asked Fluttershy, confused as to why he would Summon that monster only to wipe it out immediately after.

"Because now that it has been destroyed," the businessman explained, "my Field Spell Scrap Factory lets me replace it with a new monster! So say hello to another Scrap Searcher!" Another of the junk-built birds then emerged from his Deck in Defense Mode (Scrap Searcher: ATK 100 + 200 = 300 / DEF 300 + 200 = 500). Taking another card out of his hand, he then shouted, "And then... I Summon the Tuner Monster, Scrap Mind Reader!" His next monster was a what appeared to be a robotic head of sorts built out of a hair heater. Attached to it was a shower head and a blow dyrer (Scrap Mind Reader: Level 1 / ATK 0 + 200 = 200 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200).

"Another Tuner..." Fluttershy said to herself, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Now I tune my Level 1 Scrap Mind Reader to my Level 1 Scrap Searcher and my Level 8 Scrap Dragon!!" shouted Fast Buck as his hair heater-headed monster's eyes began to glow green. It then transformed into a single ball of light that shot into the air, coming back down as a single green ring that surrounded his other two monsters, transforming them into a total of nine smaller lights (Level 1 + Level 1 + Level 8 = Level 10). "Mighty beast who slumbers in a trash heap! Rise up and reduce those who defy you to waste! Burn all who stand against you to cinders! Synchro Summon!!" the man chanted, becoming more deranged by the second. "Emerge, Level 10! Atomic Scrap Dragon!!"

Fluttershy trembled as she witnessed the Summoning of Fast Buck's most destructive monster. It was a massive dragon; three times the size of his previous monster, not to mention having three times as many heads. Its eyes glowed a piercing white, and it body was glowing a deep red, as it had so much power in itself, that it seemed like it could overheat at any second.

*******************************

Atomic Scrap Dragon:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon/EARTH/Level 10/ATK 3200/DEF/ 2400)

1 "Scrap" Tuner + 2+ non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn: You can target 1 card you control and up to 3 cards in your opponent's GY; destroy your targeted card, and if you do, return the opponent's targeted cards to the Deck. When this card is destroyed by your opponent's card (by battle or card effect) and sent to the GY: Target 1 non-Synchro "Scrap" monster in your GY; Special Summon it.

*******************************

"Well? Where's your confidence now?" asked Fast Buck in a condescending tone. "This is what it means to try and fight against the rich and powerful: No matter what you do, your only option is complete defeat! And now I'll make sure you remember that fact for the rest of your life!!" Pointing straight ahead, the man shouted, "I now enter my Battle Phase! Now prepare to lose your dragon to mine! Atomic Scrap Dragon, prepare to attack!" Atomic Scrap Dragon then roared loudly, as it boosted itself with his owner's Field card (Atomic Scrap Dragon: ATK 3200 + 200 = 3400 / DEF 2400 + 200 = 2600).

"W-wait...! I activate my Trap Card...!" Fluttershy stuttered, flipping her face-down card face-up.

"Like I care!!" yelled Fast Buck, ignoring her card completely. "Atomic Scrap Dragon, blast away her dragon! Metal Firestorm!!" The massive monster then fired its super-heated flames at Clear Wing with everything that it had. Fast Buck sneered, confident that this Duel was all but over. "Your dragon is no more, brat!"

"...I'm very sorry, Mr. Buck... but I have to disagree with you." said Fluttershy in a calm voice.

"...What are you talking about??" asked the businessman, confused.

"...The Trap Card I activated was Follow Wing." she answered him. "It prevents Clear Wing from being destroyed in battle or by your card effects. Which means my dragon is still on the field."

"Grrr... you'll still take all the damage!" Mr. Buck reminded her.

"Sorry, but I must disagree with you again." Fluttershy said to her opponent. "Follow Wing has a second effect that activates whenever a Level 5 or higher monster attacks Clear Wing. So instead of destroying my monster... it's YOUR monster that is destroyed!"

"WHAT?!?" screamed Fast Buck, having been caught off-guard. But it was too late to take his move back as Clear Wing's wings began to glow a bright golden yellow, flapping them with incredible strength. It was more than enough to blow back Atomic Scrap Dragon's flames, sending them back where they came from. Atomic Scrap Dragon was eliminated by its own vicious attack. "Grrr...!! How dare you destroy my monster!! You'll pay for this!! I MEAN IT!!" shouted Fast Buck, going into a temper-tantrum.

But Fluttershy ignored his ranting and told him, "After Follow Wing uses its effect, Clear Wing then absorbs the original attack power of your destroyed monster (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: ATK 2500 + 3200 = 5700), so I wouldn't recommend attacking it anymore this turn."

Fast Buck growled and told her, "This is absurd...! How could you have such a powerful Trap Card?? How?!"

"Well... to be honest, it wasn't that hard to get at all." the pale-yellow girl answered. "It was a common card, so it only cost me ten cents at the card store."

"Urrrrgh...!" Now Fast Buck was angry: Not only did his attack literally backfire, but it was because of a cheap common card. To him, it was an insult. "You'll regret humiliating me like that, you snot-nosed little brat...! Luckily for me, after Atomic Scrap Dragon is destroyed, its effect lets me bring back Scrap Mind Reader in Defense Mode..." After saying that, his Tuner Monster re-appeared on the field (Scrap Mind Reader: ATK 0 + 200 = 200 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200). Taking another card from his hand, he told his foe, "And if you think it was that easy to destroy my dragon, think again! I play Monster Reborn to bring my Atomic Scrap Dragon back onto the field!"

Fluttershy gasped a little when the businessman's powerful monster came back from the Graveyard (Atomic Scrap Dragon: ATK 3200 + 200 = 3400 / DEF 2400 + 200 = 2600). But now she was more determined than ever to make sure he wouldn't beat her. "You won't win, Mr. Buck...!" she told him with as much bravery as she could muster. "I won't let you ruin this park for everyone!"

"Hmph... you don't have a hope in doing so." Fast Buck mocked her. "After all, your dragon still can't attack me. And with my Spell Card Remove Trap, you won't be able to pull off that trick with your Trap Card anymore!" The Spell he played immediately destroyed the Follow Wing Trap Card, ending its protective effect (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: ATK 5700 - 3200 = 2500). "Poor little girl..." he continued to make fun of her as he ended his turn, "completely in over her head. You might have had a chance had you just let me destroy your monster... But instead, you went to all the trouble of protecting a useless dragon instead of thinking ahead. All you've done is left me a target for my dragon's next attack."

But Fluttershy didn't feel the same way, nor did she feel any more fear from this man. Staring straight at him, she said, "My Clear Wing was given to me by one of my best friends... She trusted me with it and knew that I would use it well; there is nothing useless about it!" Placing her fingers on her Deck and preparing to draw a card, she continued, saying, "You may have weakened Clear Wing, but it and I are far from being defeated...! I've had to deal with bullies like you for most of my life, and they have done all sorts of things to try and make me feel weak and worthless..." Staring at the cruel man with fire in her eyes, she told him, "But I'm NOT weak! With my friends behind me, both here and in spirit, I won't allow people like you to hurt my resolve! Clear Wing and I will find a way to win this Duel!" As she spoke, the top card of her deck began glow a faint pink.

Picking at his ear, Fast Buck then asked her in an uncaring tone, "...I'm sorry, did you say something? I wasn't listening."

"...Have it your way, then." Fluttershy said. "If you won't listen to my words... then my cards will have to speak for me. But one way or another, I'll make sure you won't ruin this beautiful place! I draw!!" She then drew her card and looked at it. Gasping a little, she thought to herself, (This card... This could help me Summon...) She then cut off her sudden thought and recalled a moment in the past...

The memory came from when she and her friends went to the Manehattan Duel Museum. After the tour was over, the students were each given a gift of five booster packs of their choice from the gift shop. Looking over their cards, Fluttershy's friends began to show off what they got. "Oh my! Brilliant Fusion?! Amazing! I finally got one!" cheered Rarity.

"Yay! Look!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Madolche Petingcessoeur! And a whole playset of them, too! Talk about lucky!"

Looking over at Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash asked her, "Hey, you get anything good?"

Looking at her new cards, the pale-yellow girl sighed and said, "No... nothing..."

"Aw... that's too bad, Fluttershy." said Twilight, feeling sorry for her.

"Yeah, really." Sunset added. "But these things happen every now and then..." Patting her on the back, she then told her, "Don't worry about it; you'll do better next time, I know it!"

"Maybe..." said the shy girl, still feeling a little down.

Rainbow Dash, having been close friends with Fluttershy since they were young, felt bad that she didn't get any good cards from her packs. Looking at her wallet for a moment and then at the counter, she came to a decision: She walked over and bought one more pack of cards from the same set that Fluttershy's packs came from. After making the purchase, she walked over to her friend and said, "Here... try this one."

A bit surprised, Fluttershy asked her friend, "You... got me another pack, Rainbow?"

"Yeah." the cyan girl answered with a nod. "Maybe you'll pull better out of this one, like Sunset said."

Fluttershy was a bit hesitant at first, but her attitude wouldn't allow her to refuse her friend's offer. Nodding, she took the pack and carefully opened it. Pulling out the nine cards inside, she looked through them all... And her pupils shrunk when she saw one of cards that was in there. "Is... is that... ?!" she asked, not believing her eyes.

Crowding around her, the other girls were in similar states of shock. "...No way...!" gasped Applejack. "Ah don't believe it!"

"Oh my GOODNESS! She actually managed to pull it!" said Rarity, almost ready to faint (but wouldn't without her favorite couch).

"Wow..." said Sunset in near-disbelief. "When I said you'd do better with your next pack, I didn't think you'd do THAT well."

"Yeah, and I thought I was lucky just now." Pinkie Pie chimed in.

By now a crowd had formed around her, both happy (and a little jealous) by Fluttershy's good luck. "Oh... my..." was all that she could say. She then looked over at her friend and asked her, "Is it... really okay for me to keep this? You bought the pack, so it should be yours..."

But Dash shook her head no and told her, "Don't worry 'bout it, Fluttershy. I may have bought that pack, but you pulled that card. Far as I'm concerned, that means it's yours. So keep it, Flutters; consider it another gift from me t' you."

Touched by her friend's kind and selfless gesture, the pale yellow girl wiped a tear from her smiling face and said, "Oh, thank you Rainbow...! Thank you! I promise I'll use it well for the both of us!"

(...I didn't forget what I promised back then, Rainbow.) Fluttershy said to herself. (I WILL use that card well and for the right reasons! With you and everyone backing me up... I have no reason to be afraid of people like Fast Buck.) Looking at her opponent fiercely, she told him, "It's time to end this Duel!"

"...What do you mean by that?!" asked the businessman. "You can't possibly win this! Not with your weakened dragon stuck on the field and unable to attack!"

"I told you already, Mr. Buck... That dragon was a gift from a dear friend who knew that I would use it well... " she said to her opponent. "And not even you can prevent it from unleashing its true power!" Playing the card she just drew, Fluttershy shouted, "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Naturia Cherries!" Her next monster was a pair of tiny, bright red cherries with cute faces on them (Naturia Cherries: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 200).

"A Tuner Monster...?!" asked the man, sweating a little. "That means that-...oh no!"

"Together with my friends, my family, and my courage..." Fluttershy began. "Clear Wing and I will evolve to even greater heights! I tune Naturia Cherries, Level 1 to Clear Wing, Level 7!!" In an instant, the cherry monster transformed itself, first to a small ball of light, and then into a Synchro Ring. But this ring was different, in that it radiated a sparkling, shimmering, glimmering light. Clear Wing roared as it split into seven smaller lights. This caused the mask that Fast Buck equipped to it to fall off and shatter on the ground. For once, Fast Buck had nothing to say. He stood there, frightened by what was happening and what would come of it.

Fluttershy clasped her hands together and chanted, "Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! Appear now and create an even greater world! Synchro Summon!" At that point, a column of light shot down through the shining Synchro Ring with incredible force. Then, two radiant wings came out of the light. The rest of its body then appeared, revealing an even mightier dragon covered with crystal armor, staring down the enemy with its bright, yellow eyes. "Come forth! Level 8! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"

*******************************

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon/WIND/Level 8/ATK 3000/DEF 2500)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner Synchro Monsters
Once per turn, when another monster's effect is activated (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that monster, and if you do that, this card gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK until the end of this turn. If this card battles an opponent's Level 5 or higher monster, during damage calculation: This card gains ATK equal to the current ATK of the opponent's monster it is battling during that damage calculation only.

*******************************

Needless to say, Fast Buck was taken completely by surprise, mostly by the fact that Fluttershy had such a card. "That... that can't be possible..." he uttered, losing a lot of his bravado after the beast was Summoned. "First Clear Wing... and now THIS?!? How could such a common little brat have such rare and expensive cards like this?!? It doesn't make sense!!!"

"I guess it wouldn't make sense to you, would it?" she told him in a disappointed tone. "My friend gave me this card like she did Clear Wing. Why did she? ...No reason other than because she was my friend."

"Hmph..." grumbled the man. "So she gives you stuff for free and for no reason? I can see why you're friends with her if that's what it's all about."

But Fluttershy shook her head no and told him, "It isn't what she gave me that makes her my friend, but why she did. She gave up an rare and expensive card just for the sake of my happiness without any regrets. In other words, it's knowing that my friends are always behind me that helps me feel good about myself. I don't need a lot of money or anything else you have in order to be happy... Especially since it seems that it hasn't ever helped you."

"Wh-WHAT?!" exclaimed Mr. Buck. "What did you say?!"

"Forgive me if I'm being rude," she continued, "but what I'm saying is this: Even with all the money and power you have, you don't seem to be satisfied. And then you see someone like me, who is pleased just from the simplest of things, like coming to this park and experiencing the beauty of the nature around me... Perhaps that's why you want to destroy this place: Because you're jealous that other people who don't possess even a small fraction of your wealth or power can be happy with their life while you cannot."

Fast Buck's eyes began twitching out of anger after hearing her say that. It seems she struck a nerve with her words just now. Of course, he denied her claims and shouted, "Y-y-you know NOTHING!! NOTHING!!! I'm tearing this place down for the profit to be gained!! Nothing else!!"

"Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong... Who really knows?" Fluttershy said calmly. "But it won't matter, because I won't let you ruin this park either way!" Thrusting her hand forward, she shouted, "Crystal Wing!! Attack Atomic Scrap Dragon!!" The mighty beast then began charging up energy for a massive attack.

"Have you lost it?!" shouted Fast Buck. "Your dragon's attack power is still lower than mine! You're only making this easier for me!"

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Mr. Buck..." Fluttershy told him. "When Crystal Wing attacks a monster that's Level 5 or higher, it absorbs the attack strength of your monster and adds it to itself. Which means my dragon is the stronger one...!" As she said this, her dragon began drawing power from Atomic Scrap Dragon to make itself even more powerful (Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon: ATK 3000 + 3400 = 6400).

"N... no! That's not possible...!" gasped the crooked businessman. "There's no way you could have done this...!" But he could no longer deny the fact that his defeat was inevitable.

"Go, Crystal Wing!" Fluttershy ordered her monster. "Attack!! Crystal Gale Edge!!" The powerful, radiant dragon then zipped into the air like a jet, its wings glowing brightly. Letting out a powerful roar as its body became cloaked in light, it flew straight towards Atomic Scrap Dragon and smashed right through it, turning it into... well, scrap. Fast Buck's most powerful monster crumbled into a heap of junk.

The force of the impact created a massive explosion that sent Fast Buck - and his Life Points, flying away (Fast Buck: LP 100 - 3,000 = 0). "AHHHHHHH!!!!!!" he screamed before hitting the ground, landing in a shallow mud puddle (WINNER: Fluttershy).

Standing before him, Fluttershy said to her vanquished opponent, "I'm afraid you lose, Mr. Buck..."

Grumbling as he sat up and looked at his now-muddy suit, he scowled and said, "This is impossible... How...? I'm the Vice Chairman of Deltria Resorts...! I'm one of the richest and most powerful people on the planet...! How could I lose to a worthless commoner like her...?!"

"Because I have something that your money and power could never give you." the young girl answered him. "I have the love and support of my friends and family behind me, and they give me the courage to stand up to people like you. With them backing me up, I have no reason to be afraid of fighting for what I believe in." She then told the man, "Now... please leave this place."

"Rrrgh..." Fast Buck grumbled. "Me, leave...?" Smirking, he then told her, "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone who plays fair."

"What??" But before she could say anymore, Fast Buck swiftly ran past her and jumped into the bulldozer behind them, shutting the door hard. "Wh-what are you doing?! You promised to leave this park alone if I won!"

"I agreed to nothing, you foolish little girl!" the cowardly man responded, sounding a bit crazed. "This park will be destroyed whether you like it or not!!" He then turned the key to start up the engines, snickering to himself as he did so. But he noticed that nothing was happening. "Wh...what...??" He turned the ignition again and again, but the engine didn't start up or even make any noise. "What's going on?? This thing was working just fine a few minutes ago!!"

Fluttershy was relieved, but confused as she watched Fast Buck's futile attempts to start the bulldozer's engine. "How... how did this happen...?" she asked herself.

"Hey, Sis!" called out a familiar voice from nearby. When the girl looked over, she saw Zephyr Breeze running up to her with Angel Bunny on his left shoulder. "That was an awesome Duel! I knew you'd win it!"

"Um, thank you, but... where were you all this time?" she asked him.

"Huh? Oh yeah...! I guess I should explain myself, huh?" the younger brother began to tell her. "Well, I figured that, while you and that Mr. Buck were duelin', I thought I'd check out the bulldozer for a bit. After lookin' at it for a while, I thought it needed a little... 'tune-up', if you catch my drift." He then waved a wrench that he was holding in his right hand, which he had gotten from a tool box that was inside of the bulldozer.

This caused both Fluttershy and Fast Buck to gasp in surprise. "Zephyr..." she began to ask, "are you saying that...?"

"Yep." nodded the brother. "While you kept that mook busy, I went and disconnected his engine. That thing ain't movin' around anytime soon." Fluttershy gasped out of amazement; this was his plan all along. Her Duel with Fast Buck was to distract him so that he wouldn't notice Zephyr messing with the engine.

"H-h-how dare you!!!" shouted the angry man from inside the bulldozer. "When I get my hands on you, I'll-" But when he went to open the door, he noticed that the door wasn't working either. He tried and tried, but it wouldn't open. "What's going on?!? Why won't this door-" He then figured out that Zephyr must have done something to the door to prevent it from opening from the inside. "You!! This was your doing too, wasn't it?!" the man yelled at him.

"Actually, that was Angel's idea." admitted the teenage boy. "For a rabbit, he sure knows his way around a monkey wrench." The bunny then smirked proudly, putting his front paws on his hips as he did so. Zephyr then told Fluttershy, "Sorry I didn't tell you my plan ahead of time, big sis... To be honest, I kinda made it up on the spot, and I didn't wanna risk him knowing..."

"That's okay, Zephyr..." she replied. "I understand. Besides, it's like my friend Rainbow always tells me: 'As long as everything works out, that's all that matters.' Besides, it was very clever of you to come up with something like that."

Zephyr chuckled. "Aheheh... thanks, Sis." he responded. "Just wanted to help out a little." He then said to her, "C'mon, let's go and let Jaune know about everything, okay?" Fluttershy nodded and they both began to leave.

"W-w-w-wait!" said Fast Buck, getting worried. "You... you can't just leave me in here forever...!! You can't!!"

"Aw don't worry." said Zephyr. "I'll make sure the cops let you out once they get here." As the two teens left, the cowardly businessman groaned, knowing that everything was all over for him...

About an hour later, after Fluttershy and Zephyr explained everything to Jaune Fauna and told him what had happened, the park owner phoned the police to come by and lend their assistance. Shortly after they arrived, Fluttershy told them about Fast Buck and where he was. The cops then went to the spot where the inactive bulldozer was sitting and saw the crooked man still trapped inside. Since the door could still be opened from the outside, the police had no trouble getting him out. Minutes later, the Shy Family and the park staff watched as Fast Buck was escorted away in handcuffs and placed in the back seat of a squad car.

As they watched the car drive away, Zephyr sighed and said, "Well, that takes care of that jerk. Hopefully, this'll teach him not to try and use a nature park for land development..."

"Let's hope so..." agreed Fluttershy, now having changed back to her original attire by this point.

Sighing sadly, Mr. Fauna said to them both, "On behalf of the whole staff, I deeply apologize for what happened... If I had not hired Mr. Skar... I mean, Mr. Buck, you wouldn't have had to go through something like this..."

"Hey, You don't need to apologize to us, Mr. Fauna." Zephyr told him. "It's not your fault the guy was a jerk."

"And besides," Fluttershy added, "it was my pleasure to help protect this place from being destroyed. I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't at least try to do something..."

"Well, thanks to the two of you..." began Jaune. He then heard a slight "Ahem!" sound coming from Angel Bunny, who scowled a bit as he pointed at himself. Chuckling, Jaune corrected himself, saying, "Thanks to the THREE of you, Mr. Buck's plan to steal the park and build a resort on it has been stopped."

"Yeah, that guy had almost everything figured out..." Zephyr stated. "To think that it was him causing all of those past accidents, such as using that chainsaw to send that tree crashing onto a campsite..."

"Using the power drill to make holes in the boats so that they would sink..." added Mr. Shy.

"And those horns to scare those poor bears so that they would attack people out of confusion..." Fluttershy said, feeling sorry for the bears in question.

"By doing all of that," Mrs. Shy chimed in, "he figured that either one of the patrons would file a lawsuit against the park, or that people would stop coming. Either way, it would allow him to try and take the park from you for almost nothing..." The woman shuddered a bit thinking about it all.

"And if it weren't for brave people such as you kids," Mr. Fauna explained to them, "he might have succeeded one way or another. For that, I cannot thank you enough."

"I was just doing what I felt was right, Mr. Jaune." Fluttershy told him. "Like I said before, I wasn't about to just stand there and let Mr. Buck get away with what he was doing. If any of my friends were in the same position as I was, they would have stood up to him as well. And that's why I had to try and do what I could to protect the park." She then turned to her parents and apologized to them, saying, "Mommy, Daddy... I'm sorry if I made you worried. I know what I did was probably very dangerous and risky..."

But her parents smiled, not angry or disappointed in her at all. "We understand, Fluttershy." Mrs. Shy said to her. "You did the right thing, and we're proud of you for it."

"If anything, we're more impressed with how much more assertive you've become..." Mr. Shy told her. "N-not that you weren't very assertive before, of course...!" Fluttershy giggled a bit, happy to know that her parents supported her decision to try and stop Fast Buck.

"Fluttershy," Jaune said to her, "as thanks to you, your brother, and your rabbit of course..." Angel smiled slyly, nodding as if to say, "That's right, I helped too." The park owner then fished his statement, saying, "As thanks for saving my park, I'd be more than happy to pay for your entire visit here!"

"Woah, really?! That's great!!" said Zephyr, happy to hear that.

"Oh... my... You didn't have to do that..." Fluttershy told him.

"I insist." said Jaune happily. "Consider it my treat to you all for all of your help." Fluttershy still felt a little awkward about accepting the offer, but since he seemed to have made up his mind about it (and that she had a hard time telling anyone "no"), she and the rest of the Shy Family agreed to take up him up on it. Now they were all set to have the relaxing Spring Break they always wanted.

Back in the closed desk drawer of Mrs. K, a blank card with a solid pink color background began to glow. Then it, along with six other similar cards, began to radiate an image that looked just like Sunset's key necklace...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 35: Wrong Way Railway:

Author's Note

(This episode was written BEFORE the recent banlist.)

Another episode featuring The Doctor. This was an episode I really wanted to get to, since there are quite a few twists, many of which you might not have been expecting. In any case, I hope you enjoy it.

RANK 35: Wrong Way Railway:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

During the week of Spring Break, Sunset and each of her friends have gone off to enjoy their vacations and relax in their own ways. However, they have all gotten into less-than-relaxing situations: Twilight battled her dark side (literally), Rarity and Pinkie Pie confronted a Duelist from Skyes Academy (whom Sweetie Belle managed to defeat), Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo encountered a bully, Sunset resolved a spat between a father and daughter, Applejack and her cousin Babs made a trip to Cherry Jubilee's farm to obtain a rare card, and Fluttershy dealt with a greedy land developer who attempted to destroy a nature park in order to build a resort on top of it.

They are not the only ones to have their own thrilling Spring Break experience: Derpy Hooves and Dr. Hooves (to whom she is an assistant to) have been spending their time off in a seaside town known for its popular beaches. So far, it seems that nothing out of the ordinary has happened during their trip, but for those collecting the Number cards, trouble can strike at any time, at anywhere...

Far away from the city of Canterlot, the sun was shining brightly over a popular beach just on the edge of the vast ocean beyond. This beach had a lot of daily business, both from the locals and tourists, and was a prime location to just kick back, relax, and forget about one's worries. Though many people visited the beach every day, there was always enough space for everyone most of the time.

Among the people spending their day at the beach were two young boys - about 16 or 17 years old, one with blue skin and one with green, tossing a Frisbee at each other. The blue-skinned boy threw the disc over to his friend, who managed to catch it in the air. "Alright, nice catch!" the blue boy complimented.

"Thanks, Jay." the green boy responded. Getting ready to throw it, he then asked his companion, "You ready? I'm gonna go long with this one!"

"Bring it on, Marc! I can get it!" the blue boy - named Jay, said confidently.

Nodding, the green boy - named Marc, then called to him, "Alright, then... Here it comes!!" He pulled his arm back and threw the Frisbee with all his might, sending it high up into the air at an incredible speed.

Jay gulped a little, not expecting his friend to throw it that hard. "Uh...I-I got it! I got it!!" he said, chasing after the Frisbee as fast as his legs could carry him. His friend then followed, hoping that he hadn't thrown it too hard (even though he was pretty sure that he did).

The pair ran after the disc, chasing it for about five or so seconds before it began to lose momentum and drop. "I think it's coming down now...!" Marc told his friend.

"Yeah, but it's so far away..." the blue-skinned boy told him. He then looked ahead and saw someone in front of him. Realizing that the Frisbee was dropping down towards the person in question, Jay called out to them, "Hey!! Watch out!!"

"Hm?" The other person, a girl with grey skin and long blonde hair wearing a bright-yellow two-piece swimsuit and sunglasses, heard the boy's warning and glanced up to see the disc flying towards her. Gasping, she held up her hands to protect herself...and ended up catching the disc moments before it would have hit her in the face. Feeling it in her hands, she looked at the object and sighed out of relief, happy that she didn't get hurt.

The two boys chasing the Frisbee finally managed to get to the young girl to check on her. "Hey, uh...you alright?" asked Jay.

"Um, I think so." the girl answered. "Luckily, I caught it before it could hit me."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Marc apologized. "I didn't mean to throw it that hard."

"It's okay." the grey girl said with a smile. "There's no harm done; that's what matters." Handing them their disc back, she said, "Here...I think this belongs to you."

The blue-skinned boy took the Frisbee and thanked her, saying, "Hey, thanks." He then introduced himself, telling her, "My name's Jay, and this is my friend Marc. What's your name?"

"Derpy." she answered. "Derpy Hooves."

"Um...Derpy?" asked Marc. He and his friend were a bit surprised to hear the girl call herself that.

"I know what you're thinking, but don't worry:" Derpy told them. "I know the name sounds bad, but it doesn't bother me to be called that. At least not anymore."

"Oh, well...in that case, thanks a lot, Derpy." Jay responded, still feeling a bit weird about calling someone that. He then asked, "Um, I haven't seen you around here before... You a tourist or something like that?"

"Yeah. I came here for my Spring Break vacation." she answered him. "I'm actually from Canterlot."

"Canterlot? I've heard of that place." Marc spoke up. "It's pretty far from here." He then asked her, "How long are you staying?"

"Until tomorrow morning." Derpy told him. "After that, The Doctor and I have to catch the next train back home."

"Well, in that case," the green-skinned boy continued, "perhaps you'd like to come with me to this great restaurant here on the boardwalk later tonight? It's the least I can do to make up for almost konking you on the head with my Frisbee." Derpy blushed a little hearing that.

"H-hey! What if I wanted to ask her something like that, Marc?" Jay told him, a little annoyed.

"Then you should've asked first." the green boy told him a bit smugly.

"Aw, c'mon! That's not fair!" Jay complained.

Not wanting the argument to continue, Derpy stepped in and said, "Hey, let's all calm down... Why don't I go with both of you? Would that be alright?"

Looking at each other, and then her, the pair realized that she had a good point. After all, they didn't want to look like jerks in front of her and risk the possibility of neither one of them getting to spend time with her. "Uh...I guess that's cool with me." Marc responded.

"Uh, yeah...me too." Jay added.

Derpy giggled happily and said, "Great! Then we'll meet up here later tonight! Six o'clock okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Jay agreed. "We'll see you then."

"Yeah, see you then." Marc told her. After that, the two of them left to go back to their spot on the beach.

Derpy blushed again, thinking about what just happened. (Heehee...I never thought that someday guys would be fighting over me...) she thought, giggling about it as she walked off.

The young girl was walking further away from the beach to a large, bright-white building in the middle of the town. It was a hotel, and a very nice-looking hotel at that. It offered high-quality rooms and service, and its expansive food court was good enough to be comparable to any five-star restaurant. Derpy walked into the lobby where several people, including hotel guests and staff, were gathered together. As this hotel was of the highest quality, the majority of the guests were of the wealthy sort.

Derpy walked up to the front desk and spoke to the person behind it. "Um, excuse me sir?" she said to the them. Once she got his attention, she told him, "I'm Derpy Hooves... I'd like to return to my room, please." She then showed him a small object: A card key with the room number on it.

Inspecting the card to make sure it was legitimate, the man at the desk said to her, "Very well, Ms. Hooves." He then motioned to a nearby bellhop to take Derpy's rolling suitcase and escort her to the elevator. The bellhop then operated the lift, taking them both to one of the higher floors.

The two of them rode the elevator for a while until it reached the designated floor. Once the doors opened, Derpy followed the bellhop to the front door of her room, where he handed her back her suitcase. Derpy got her purse out and tipped the employee for a job well done. Afterwards, she used the card key to open the door. "Doctor?" she called out. "Hey, Doctor! I'm back!"

"Is that you, Ms. Derpy?" called out a voice from the bathroom. A figure then walked out, wearing a navy-blue bathrobe. It was Dr. Hooves, and based on the fact that there was water dripping off of his face and hair, one can presume that he had just taken a shower.

As Derpy looked over, she gasped a little, blushed and said, "O-oh my! I-I-I'm sorry... I didn't know you were showering, Doctor. Is this a bad time?"

"Oh, do not worry about that; I just finished not too long ago." he assured her. "I'll just go and change into my other outfit before I come out."

"Oh, okay..." the grey teenager replied. The Doctor went back into the bathroom in order to make himself more decent while Derpy waited. As she did, she noticed the small round table in the room and saw that The Doctor had his Duel Monsters cards scattered on top of it. She walked over to the table and looked at them. One card then immediately caught her eye: A blank card with a black frame and colored brown in the artwork area.

Emerging from the bathroom, The Doctor rubbed his head with a towel to wipe away any water that remained. Now he was fully dressed in a white button-down shirt, a pair of brown pants, and dark brown socks. "There...much better." he said, dropping the towel into a wash basket. "I apologize if I've kept you waiting long." he said to his assistant.

Upon hearing his voice, Derpy looked away from the cards on the table and turned to face The Doctor. "Oh! N-not at all!" she replied to him. "You don't have to apologize for anything, Doctor! To be honest, I should apologize for not calling ahead of time, like I usually do... It's just that I had some other things going on in my mind right now, that's all."

"What kinds of other things, if I may ask?" Dr. Hooves asked her.

"Weeeeeeell..." she started, blushing a teensy bit. At first, Derpy felt too embarrassed to say what she had on her mind, but she toughed it out and told him, "Thing is...I kinda...sorta have a, uh...a date tonight."

"Hm? A date, you say?" asked The Doctor. "That's wonderful! With whom?"

"Um, well...to tell the truth, I don't think I can really call it a 'date', since there's two guys." the grey girl told him, rubbing the back of her head and blushing more fiercely. "Thing is, they asked me to come with them to a restaurant on the boardwalk, and I said it was okay."

"Hmmm, I see..." The Doctor replied. Smiling he told her, "Well, I wish you the best of luck; I hope you have a good time tonight."

"Thanks, Doctor." said Derpy, nodding. She then looked over at the table again and told her friend, "I see you've been busy, as usual. Not to sound rude, but the point of a vacation is to relax and not think about work or anything like that. But ever since we've come here, most of your day is spent looking over your Number cards..."

Sighing, Dr. Hooves told the girl, "I know... I apologize if you feel that I've been working too hard these past few days." He then walked over to the table and picked up the blank card sitting there. "I just felt that, since the chances of being attacked here by a Number holder was low, I decided I would try to crack the mystery of this card while I had the chance."

"You mean that card?" asked Derpy, pointing to the card that he was holding. "That's the one Mrs. K gave us, right?"

"It is." he confirmed. Staring at the card, he then added, "According to Mrs. K, this card was meant for me because I seem to have a role with some sort of ancient prophecy... However, the card remains blank, and - as much as I hate to admit it, I am no closer to figuring out how to unlock its power than I was when I obtained it."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner or later, Doctor." Derpy said, trying to remain positive and supportive. "You're the smartest person I know! After all, you've figured out way trickier problems than this before! I'm sure you'll be able to do it!"

Smiling, The Doctor said to her, "Thank you, Ms. Derpy. To be honest, I doubt I would have gotten this far without your aid." Looking at the card again, he then added, "Right now, my only concern is making sure I can solve this mystery before I would need this card's power, whatever it may be." Placing the blank card back on the table for the moment, he told his assistant, "Anyway, do not concern yourself over my problems right now; after all, you do have a date later tonight, and it wouldn't do you any good to appear worried in front of your hosts."

"...Yeah, you're probably right." Derpy replied, seeing his logic. "Right now I just need to worry about what I should wear when I meet them!" Giving her friend a hug, she told him, "Thanks, Doctor. I'll tell you how it went when I get back."

"Have a good time, Derpy." Dr. Hooves told her. "As for me, I think I'll take a moment to rest and refresh my mind. Hopefully, it will help me figure out the puzzle of that Number card."

"Sounds like a plan to me." the grey girl agreed. "Just don't go pulling an all-nighter like you did last Wednesday, or you'll be asleep all day."

Chuckling, The Doctor told her, "I promise." Derpy then went into her suitcase to pick out an outfit for later as Dr. Hooves returned his cards to his deck box for safekeeping. As Derpy finished picking out an outfit, she decided to take a quick shower herself, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

The Doctor then let out a deep yawn as he walked over to the nearby bed. Getting onto it and laying down on his back, he thought to himself, (This room may not be anywhere near as spacious as the Tardis, but Derpy was right: It does provide a calming, soothing atmosphere... And besides that, Derpy said that if I brought the Tardis here, I might have been tempted into holing myself up in there and working when I should be relaxing...) His eyes then began to get a bit heavy as yawned and said, "Yes...relaxing..." His eyes then shut completely as he fell asleep. But even as The Doctor's body rested, his mind was still working hard...

And as he slept, a faint glow could be seen radiating from his deck box...

Far, far away, it what appeared to be a vast valley surrounded by many tall mountains miles away from civilization, there was a large structure hidden from view. It was a temple of some sort, nestled so deep in the valley, that many did not know of its existence. But even though few knew of its location, the temple was far from empty. It was populated by a few people, each one clad in white robes. The people there looked very peaceful, treating each other with love and respect.

Deep in the temple's main building, a man was with brown skin and short, dark-brown hair was standing before an altar. He, too was dressed mostly in white, like the other residents of the temple. However, his outfit was more intricate, suggesting that he was of a higher power compared to the others. It consisted of a short tunic with dark-blue streaks running across it, a pair of pants worn underneath, a pair of stylish boots that strapped across the tops, and a flowing cape that bore a symbol on the front that resembled Sunset's necklace. On each of his wrists was a large, golden bracelet, and on the ring finger of his right hand, he wore a gold ring that also had the same symbol on his cape.

As he stood there, he felt the presence of two people coming towards him. Recognizing them, he turned to face them, looking ahead with his bright, blue eyes. "Ah, you have returned, I see." he said to them. "I trust your mission went well?"

"Yes, Master Daviten." said one of them, their voice sounding feminine. "We can confidently say that our work at the temple you sent us to has yielded a great amount of success."

The man - named Daviten, smiled and said to his guests, "Good. I expected no less from my two most trusted Priestesses. Splendid work to both of you...Priestess Sun'Et and Priestess Spakah."

As it turned out, the two people that had entered the temple were same two priestesses that - according to Kisara, assisted Pharaoh Seto in unlocking a major mystery surrounding the Astral World. "Thank you very much, Master." said Sun'Et, who had spoken to him earlier. "We are happy you are satisfied with our results."

"As you requested," Spakah spoke next, "Priestess Sun'Et and I traveled to Egypt in order to meet with the Pharaoh. He was a great help to us for finding out more about the Astral World beyond."

"And what have you found out?" asked Daviten.

"We discovered that a test was waiting for inside the temple." Sun'Et explained. "As soon as I, Priestess Spakah, the Pharaoh, and a member of his court entered, we were attacked by a horde of monsters. We all pooled our strength and managed to repel the attack."

"Soon after," Spakah added, "we encountered another monster, this time coming from the Astral World itself. It proved to be even more powerful. But with the Pharaoh's assistance, we were victorious. It was then we found out that, only through our combined efforts and teamwork, were we able to succeed."

"Hmmmm...so that's it..." the man hummed. "Based on what you have told me, the Astral World will only reveal itself to those who recognize and respect the bonds between each other."

"Yes." confirmed Sun'Et, nodding. The yellow-skinned girl then told him. "We have come to the conclusion that only when people can create peace with one another and put aside their differences - possibly even becoming friends, can they behold and appreciate the true power of the Astral World." Smiling, she then added, "Regardless, the entire experience has created a positive effect on myself, as well as with my friend."

Spakah blushed and smiled a little, knowing that she was talking about her. "Thank you, Sun'Et." the purple-skinned girl said to her. Sun'Et nodded back to her with a warm smile.

Happy to hear that, Daviten said to them both, "As High Priest to the Order of Astral, I'm very pleased with your progress, Priestess Sun'Et and Priestess Spakah, both on your mission as well as your friendship with each other. And I agree with you both that the Astral World should be for those who can find true friendship with their fellow man." Turning back towards the altar he was standing in front of, he then told them, "And so, I have a new task for the two of you to perform."

"A new task, Master?" asked Sun'Et. "What is it?"

"The Order of Astral is open to all those who wish to seek the Astral World and its benevolence." Daviten told them. "As you know, it has been this way every since I formed the order. I saw great potential in the two of you, and made you both High Priestesses because I knew that you would be a great asset to us all." Closing his eyes and pausing for a moment, he then added, "And now that we have this new knowledge, it is only logical to put that theory to the test."

"And what do you wish us to do, Master Daviten?" Spakah asked him.

"...I would like you to go out into the world once more." he instructed them. "And I wish for you to bring before me any others who - like yourselves, have great potential in them. Those whose spirits are strong enough to help fulfill my wish to bring this world one step closer to the Astral World. I am sure there are many others out there that have that strength, and I want the two of you to seek them out and convince them to join the order."

"Is there anyone you want in particular?" asked Sun'Et.

"They can be literally anyone, Priestess Sun'Et." Daviten answered. "Anyone from the richest noble to the poorest slave... All that I ask is that they have a strong soul within them. One with the strength and willpower to help make this world a better one for us all. I know I am asking a lot out of you, but I only request this of you because I have the utmost confidence in your abilities. During your time in the Order of Astral, I have seen fit to train you in mind, body, and especially spirit. And you have succeeded in every possible way I can imagine, possibly even more." Turning to face them once more, he asked of them, "So I ask you again: Can I count on you both to take on such an arduous task for the good of us all?"

"You need not say another word, Master." Spakah told him. "Sun'Et and I would consider it an honor to take on your request."

"Indeed." Sun'Et chimed in, nodding her head. "I promise we will find others that will meet not just your needs, but the needs of all those in the Order of Astral. You need not worry about us, Master; we shall make you and all those here proud."

"...You have already made me proud just by honoring my request." Daviten said to them, happy to have such strong-minded people on his side. "Very well then. You begin your task one week from now. Until then, continue to train and prepare yourselves for the journey ahead."

"Yes, Master Daviten." said both High Priestesses in unison before leaving.

The High Priest then turned back to the altar and thought, (I know not if I will live to see the day that our world becomes like the Astral World... I know not if such a destiny is within our earthly grasp...) Putting on a look of determination, he then said loudly to himself, "But even if the odds are against me, I shall not waver from my self-appointed mission! I will do whatever I can to help the world see peace, in this life or the next!"

"See...peace... Peace..." muttered The Doctor as he was still asleep in bed. Apparently, he had been dreaming a little during his nap. No one was around to hear him talk in his sleep; Derpy had left long ago for her date with the boys she met on the beach earlier in the day. The sun was already beginning to set outside, but Derpy promised that she would be back before it got too dark outside, according to a note she left behind when she saw that The Doctor was still asleep. The man tossed around in his bed a little, still apparently having that dream as his deck box continued to glow a faint light...

The next day, a whistle sounded as a train began making its way out of the town's train station. It was bound for Canterlot City, its passengers either going there to visit or coming back home. Dr. Hooves and Derpy were on board, catching the earliest train possible so as to get back to Canterlot quickly. Both of them were wearing different outfits from yesterday: Derpy was wearing a small white top with an orange spot pattern and orange shoulder straps, a pair of green shorts, and orange sandals. The Doctor's attire was also relatively simple, consisting of a tan, short-sleeved shirt, long black pants, and dark brown loafers. As Derpy watched out the window, she saw the two boys, Jay and Marc, waving goodbye to her. Naturally, she waved back to them with a smile.

Once the train had gotten up to full speed, Derpy sat back down on her chair and sighed, saying, "Wow, that sure was a fun week... I hope I'll be able to go back there sometime. I'd like to see what goes on during the summer, wouldn't you, Doctor?" But when she turned to look at him, he seemed unresponsive. He was awake, but he appeared to be in deep thought and didn't hear her question. Getting a little worried, she spoke to him again, asking, "Um, Doctor? Is everything alright?"

"Hm?" Dr. Hooves finally heard his young assistant talking to him and responded, saying, "Oh! Um...yes. Forgive me, Ms. Derpy... I was just...thinking about some things."

"Things? What kinds of things?"

"Um, well..." The Doctor's thoughts were on the dream that he had the previous night. He didn't know what to make of it, or of the strangely-familiar people he saw in it. Shaking his head a little, he then said to Derpy, "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. There's nothing for you to worry about." The young girl nodded to say she understood, though she actually became more concerned whenever he told her not to be.

"Attention passengers..." said a woman's voice over the intercom. "We are currently en route to Canterlot City. Estimated time of arrival: Around 4 hours."

"Well, it seems we'll be here for a while..." noted The Doctor.

"Seems like it." Derpy responded. "If we just used the Tardis, couldn't we have just zipped back home in a second?"

"Perhaps we could have." Dr. Hooves replied. "But every now and again, taking the scenic route does one a lot of good. Besides, four hours isn't terribly long, and it isn't as though we have anything urgent waiting for us back home, right?" Derpy nodded, agreeing with him on those points. Remembering something, he then asked her, "Oh! How did everything go on your date last night?"

"My date?" asked the grey teen. "Oh yeah! That! I forgot, I was gonna tell you all about it, but you were still asleep when I got back to the room." Tapping her chin, she told him, "It was really great! We went to this really nice restaurant, and then we all walked onto the beach to see a fireworks show! I'll admit, I was a little worried at first about what they would think of my weird eye and all, but they were fine with it. In fact, Jay even said that it makes me look adorable!"

"He did?" asked Dr. Hooves. Smiling, he then added, "Well, I suppose it does give off a unique charm, doesn't it? Of course, I mean that in the best possible way, Ms. Derpy."

"I know you do." she replied.

"So...do you think you would like to meet those boys again in the future?" asked The Doctor.

"Probably..." Derpy answered. "Maybe... I'm not totally sure just yet."

"Well, you have all the time in the world to think about it." The Doctor told her. "No sense in rushing to a decision now."

"Yeah. You're probably right." the grey girl responded.

Looking at the back of the train car, The Doctor then asked her, "Can you keep an eye on our belongings for a short while? I need to go and use the lavatory for a moment."

"Sure, Doctor." Derpy said with a nod. As Dr. Hooves left, the grey teenager glanced over at his backpack, which contained only a few items, including his Deck and D-Pad. Derpy's eyes then became half open as she let out a yawn, both out of tiredness and out of boredom; she had gotten back from her date a little later than she had thought, and didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. "So sleepy..." she said to herself as she waited for The Doctor to return. She tried her best to stay awake, but her weariness won out in the end. "Oh well..." she said lazily to herself, "It's not like there's...*yawn* anyone else in the car to worry about..." She ended up falling asleep in her seat, her head leaning against the closed window beside her. As she snoozed away, she failed to notice someone walking up to her, staring at her with glowing red eyes...

Several minutes later, The Doctor returned from his bathroom break. It took a little longer than usual because the bathroom in the car they were in just happened to be out of order. "Well, that was a smidge inconvenient... But at least I managed to find a working lavatory." he said to himself. Looking ahead, he then added, "I just hope that Derpy hasn't been waiting too lo-" But he stopped his sentence short when he saw that there was no one sitting in the seat he and Derpy were in. "Derpy...?" he said as he sprinted over to the seat. All of their belongings were there, but Derpy was nowhere to be seen.

"Derpy?" Dr. Hooves said again, getting worried. "Where is she...??" He looked around but he couldn't find her. Then, all of a sudden, he noticed a piece of paper sticking out of Derpy's backpack. "What is this...?" The Doctor took the paper from out of the bag and looked at it. It was a note that read: "I have your companion. If you ever want to see her again, you will come to the front of the train immediately. No funny business."

"Oh no...!" The Doctor said to himself, realizing that someone had kidnapped Derpy and was using her to get to him. He knew that someone was trying to lead him into a trap of some sort, but with his assistant's safety at risk, he had no other alternative. Getting his and Derpy's belongings, he raced towards the front of the train and hopefully find his friend and the one responsible for her abduction.

At the front of the train, in the last passenger car just before the engine car, there were two people (and no one else). On e of them was Derpy, who was hunched down on the floor, sitting upright on her knees. Her arms were tied up behind her with some rope, and she was understandably nervous. Stuttering a bit, she asked the other person there with her, "Wh-what's going on...? Wh-wh-what are you g-going to do to m-m-me...?"

At first, there was no response. Then, the man in the car with her turned his head back, showing his glowing red eyes. He then told her, "Nothing...that is, as long as your hunter friend complies with my demands."

"H-hunter...?" asked the grey girl. (Is he talking about The Doctor...?) She thought as she became more worried, this time for her friend.

At that moment, another figure burst through the doors on the other side of the car. It was Dr. Hooves; ready and willing to do what he needed to do to rescue his companion. "Derpy!!" he called out, seeing her at the other end of the passenger car.

"Doctor!!" You came!!" she cried out, happy to see him.

The Doctor was happy to see that she was okay, but then turned to a more serious expression and told the man in the car, "Let my assistant go now... I've complied with your request and came as you asked. Now release her! She has done nothing to you!"

Derpy's kidnapper was a man with light cream skin and short, brown hair. On top of his head was a blue-and-white striped conductor's cap, and around his neck was a red neckerchief. He wore a pair of blue denim overalls and brown work shoes, and underneath the overalls was a shirt in the same color and striped design as his hat. The man said to The Doctor, "Fine. You showed up like I wanted you to, so your little friend's no longer useful to me." He then slowly walked over to Derpy - who trembled a bit as he approached her, pulled her arm up in order to get her on her feet, then said to her, "Get going."

Derpy didn't need to be told twice; she ran over to The Doctor as quickly as she could. Once she was back with him , she whimpered a little and said, "Doctor...! I'm so sorry...! If I hadn't fallen asleep earlier, you wouldn't have-"

"Don't worry, Derpy." Dr. Hooves told her in a forgiving tone as he untied the ropes on her wrists. "I'm just pleased to see that you're okay." Once she was freed, the two of them looked over at the other man in the room. "Besides," The Doctor continued, "even if you weren't involved in all this, I'm sure this person would have found some other way to force us to come to him on his terms... That is, if I'm correct as to what this whole thing is about."

"Hmm...I heard you were pretty smart, but I'm still impressed that you managed to figure it out." the other man said. "But before we get to that, let me introduce myself: I'm Steamer, the conductor of this train... And if think you'll be able to take me down on my home turf, think again!"

"Home turf?" asked Derpy. "What's he talking about?"

"It's as I've figured:" Dr. Hooves told her. "I believe he's really after me... Or to be more precise, my Numbers."

"Your Numbers?!" exclaimed the grey teen. "Then...that must mean..."

"That's right!" said Steamer, revealing a black Duel Monsters card in his hand. At the same time, a red, glowing mark (which matched his red glowing eyes) appeared on his arm. The mark was shaped like the number 81. "I've got a Number of my own! And before this train stops, I'll have all of yours as well!"

"So your kidnapping Derpy was just to draw me out so that you could take my Numbers, is it?" asked The Doctor, knowing what the answer to his question was. "Well, at the very least, you've succeeded in getting me to confront you... But in order for you to take my Numbers, you'll have to defeat me in a Duel first. Something that I shall not allow!"

"Heh...we'll just see about that, Number Hunter." said the conductor as he readied his D-Pad and Gazer. "No one can beat my Railway Deck!"

The Doctor activated his device and said back at him, "Then in order to protect this world from the Numbers' power, I shall be the first one to beat your Deck." As he said that, a red mark then appeared over his left eye.

Derpy activated her Duel Gazer just as the AR Field was deployed around them. "You can do it, Doctor...!" she said, urging him to come out the victor in this high-stakes Duel.

"Let's DUEL!!!" shouted both Duelists as their battle began (Dr. Hooves: LP 4,000) (Steamer: LP 4,000).

As the train they were on raced along the tracks. Dr. Hooves was ready to do battle against the conductor, Steamer, who had been possessed by a Number card. Derpy sat down in one of the many empty seats in the car they were in. At the moment, no one but the three of them were in the passenger car. The Doctor and Steamer each drew their opening hands and were ready to do battle.

"I shall begin this Duel!" said The Doctor. "And I'll start with the Spell Card Photon Sanctuary! This card Special Summons two monsters called Photon Tokens to my field in Defense Mode!" After the card was played, two swirling balls of light then appeared on his field (Photon Token [x2]: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0). "However, I can now only Summon LIGHT-Attribute monsters for the duration of the turn. But that will not be a problem!" Taking another card from his hand, he shouted, "Now I Special Summon Photon Vanisher from my hand!"

His next monster was an armored man made up of a blue-colored light. In his hands was a powerful laser rifle that looked like it came out of an outer space movie (Photon Vanisher: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0).

"Since I control a Photon monster on my field," The Doctor continued, "I can Special Summon Photon Vanisher from my hand!" Tapping his D-Pad, he then added, "Next, I activate Vanisher's effect! After he is Special Summoned, I am allowed to add a specific monster from my Deck to my hand!" After his Deck auto-shuffled, he took the chosen card that was sticking out of his Deck and revealed it to everyone.

"Alright!" cheered Derpy. "It's Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Steamer only grumbled a bit in response.

"And now that it's in my hand, I can Summon it!" Thrusting his hand forward, Dr. Hooves shouted, "I release the two Photon Tokens, each with an attack power of 2000!" the two light balls then merged together, creating a large star made up of light energy. Grasping the star, The Doctor chanted, "The galaxy that lurks in the darkness. Become the light of hope and my very servant!" he then threw the star up into the air as he continued, "The embodiment of light, now descend! Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" After absorbing all of the light around it, the star transformed into The Doctor's powerful dragon. It belted out the loudest roar it could as took its place beside his master (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2500).

"Rrrgh...so you got your ace monster onto the field, did you?" asked Steamer. "So you're not foolin' around are ya?"

"Not when the safety of my assistant or this world is in question." Dr. Hooves told his opponent. "I'll end my turn with a face-down card."

"Then it's my turn. I draw!" Steamer said as he drew a card from his Deck. After looking at it and placing it in his hand, he took out a different card and said, "I said that this train is my home turf, but in reality, I plan to give us a different setting for this Duel! I play the Field Spell Card, Revolving Switchyard!" Immediately, the setting changed from a train, to an enormous switchyard, a place where several train cars were stored, intending for different destinations, and railroad tracks were scattered around like spaghetti noodles.

*******************************

Revolving Switchyard:
(Field Spell Card)

If a Level 10 EARTH Machine monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned to your field (except during the Damage Step): You can activate this effect; your opponent takes no battle damage for the rest of this turn (even if this card leaves the field), also you Special Summon 1 Level 4 EARTH Machine monster with 1800 or more ATK from your Deck, and if you do, it becomes Level 10. You can send 1 card from your hand to the GY; add 1 Level 10 EARTH Machine monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only use 1 "Revolving Switchyard" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

*******************************

"Now that the stage is set," Steamer began, "I'll use the effect of my Field Spell and send my Lionhearted Locomotive from my hand to the Graveyard. Now I can add any EARTH Machine monster with a Level of 10 to my hand from the Deck! And I'll choose my Heavy Freight Train Derricrane!"

"He just added a high-Level monster to his hand with hardly any trouble!" said Derpy. "But at least he can't Summon it yet; he has to release two monsters first."

"...I wouldn't be too sure about that, Derpy." Dr. Hooves told her, already feeling that his opponent was up to something.

After taking his chosen card from his Deck, he then played a different card, shouting, "Now I Normal Summon Night Express Knight to my field in Attack Mode!!" His first monster for the Duel was what appeared to be a large, white-and-gold train with the top half of a knight's body sticking out of the engine car, holding a lance and a shield (Night Express Knight: Level 10 / ATK 3000 / DEF 3000).

"Huh?!? How'd he do that?!" Derpy protested. "That monster's Level is too high for him to Normal Summon it just like that!"

"I'll tell you:" Steamer prepared to explain. "Night Express Knight can bypass the release cost when I Normal Summon him. But in exchange, I have to zero out his attack." (Night Express Knight: ATK 3000 > 0).

(He Summoned a high-Level monster to the field without releasing any monsters...but at the cost of leaving it without any attack points...) thought The Doctor. (I can see what his plan is... That monster is merely the set-up for his TRUE strategy...)

"And now that I've Summoned my Night Express Knight," Steamer continued, "I can now activate the effect of the Heavy Freight Train Derricrane I added to my hand earlier! Now I can Special Summon it from my hand with its attack and defense halved!" As soon as he played his second monster, a large yellow train came rushing onto his side of the field. It billowed out thick, black smoke and swung around a long crane from the back of it (Heavy Freight Train Derricrane: Level 10 / ATK 2800 ÷ 2 = 1400 / DEF 2000 ÷ 2 = 1000).

"So now he has a monster with zero attack," Derpy pointed out, "and a monster with only half its attack and defense... Why'd he bother Summoning them if he knew that would happen?"

"Because that move just allowed him to Summon two Level 10 monsters." The Doctor told her.

"T-TWO Level Tens?!" the grey girl explained. "But that means-!"

"It means now I can build an Overlay Network!" shouted the crazed conductor. "I overlay Night Express Knight and Heavy Freight Train Derricrane - both Level 10!" The two monsters then transformed into a pair of orange lights before being drawn into a red vortex in the center of the field. "From beyond the railway, arriving here and now, alongside the tremors of the earth! Make way for the monster train that gonna derail your chances of winning!" Steamer chanted. "Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 10! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max!"

After the chant was complete, the red portal flipped vertically and a pair of long train tracks extended out of it and onto the field. Then chugging along those twin tracks was a massive locomotive with a pair of swirling orange orbs. Its colors consisted of mostly slate blue, with some red on the front and a greyish green on the box-like apparatus on top. This train was many times bigger - and likely many times more powerful, than the train they were all on right now (Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: Rank 10 / ATK 3000 / DEF 3000 / OLU 2).

"L-l-look at the size of that thing, Doctor!" said a trembling Derpy. "It's bigger than...well, bigger than anything I've ever seen!"

"Indeed..." Dr. Hooves remarked. "But despite that, I do not intend to back down! Not as long as Galaxy-Eyes is by my side!"

"In that case, I'll take care of that problem right away." Steamer boldly declared.

"Surely you don't intend to attack me, do you?" asked The Doctor. "Our monsters have equal attack points; and not only that, Galaxy-Eyes can banish itself and your monster to escape destruction. Your attack would only put me ahead of you."

"Yeah, because your monster would then get stronger using my Gustav Max's overlay units." Steamer told him. "I already know that." That statement seemed to surprise The Doctor a little. "Too bad for you," the conductor continued, "I have no intention of attacking your monster!" Taking out a card from underneath his Xyz Monster, he shouted, "I activate Gustav Max's ability! By removing an overlay unit, I can blast away two thousand of your Life Points in one shot!"

"Two THOUSAND?!" shrieked Derpy. "But that'll only leave him with half his Life Points!"

"Exactly!" Steamer confirmed (Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). Pointing ahead, he then ordered his monster, "Now, Gustav Max! Fire your cannon!!" The giant locomotive then opened the green box-like structure on top of itself, revealing a ridiculously long cannon that was aimed right at The Doctor. One of the two orange orbs flew right into the giant gun and powered it up. Moments later, it fired off a mighty shot, blasting away its target.

"NO!!! DOCTOR!!!" screamed Derpy, concerned for her friend's safety.

Luckily, Dr. Hooves managed to stand up. He was fine physically, but his Life Points weren't nearly as lucky (Dr. Hooves: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). "This isn't good..." he said to himself. "If he hits me like that again, this Duel will be over..."

"Heheheh...actually, this Duel'll be over even sooner than that!" said the conductor. "Since I detached my Heavy Freight Train Derricrane to use Gustav Max's effect, I can now destroy any card you have on the field! And I choose to destroy your Galaxy-Eyes!"

"What?!" exclaimed The Doctor, who could only watch as his mighty dragon was immediately destroyed, leaving him with just one monster on the field to protect him.

"Now that your dragon's gone, I'll finish you off...!" said Steamer. Playing a card from his hand, his declared, "I play the Spell Xyz Unit! By equipping it to my Xyz Monster, I now raise its attack by 200 times its Rank! And since Gustav Max has a Rank of ten, that's two thousand extra attack points!" (Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max: ATK 3000 + 2000 = 5000)

"Five thousand?! Oh no!" said Derpy, getting more and more worried, "If that monster attacks now, The Doctor will lose the Duel!!"

"Exactly!!" Steamer shouted. "Go, Gustav Max!! Attack Photon Vanisher!! Gustav Hammer!!!" The monster then retracted its cannon and then extended the box-like structure it came out of. It then slammed the massive metal box on top of The Doctor's only monster, destroying it. "Hahahaha!! This Duel is over!!" said Steamer, confident that he had already won the game.

"Think again, Steamer!" shouted Dr. Hooves. "You won't vanquish me that easily! I activate my Trap Card, Nutrient Z!!"

"Urk! No!!" said the conductor, not expecting that move.

"Alright! He's still in this!" cheered a smiling Derpy.

"Correct. Nutrient Z grants me four thousand Life Points whenever an attack would cause me to lose at least two thousand of them." explained the Doctor. "And the Life Point recovery happens BEFORE the damage is dealt (Dr. Hooves: LP 2,000 + 4,000 = 6,000)! Which means this Duel is not yet over, Steamer!" (Dr. Hooves: LP 6,000 - 3,000 = 3,000)

"Grrrrn... Well that's kinda irritating, isn't it?" grumbled Steamer. "You may have gotten one extra turn with that stunt, but you'll never take down my Gustav Max!"

"We shall see about that." Dr. Hooves replied. "It's now my turn!"

As The Doctor drew his card for the turn, a voice began to speak in the mind of Number-possessed Steamer. "Well done..." it said. "Now he'll have no other choice...but to use THAT card..."

Dr. Hooves then looked at the card he drew. (Galaxy Trance...) he pondered. (If I were to use this, I might be able to eliminate Gustav Max and have another chance at winning this Duel...) He then just stared at the card, having some slight hesitations as he recalled a earlier event several months ago, when he first began collecting the Numbers...

Dr. Hooves and Derpy stared at a blank card in front of them. "Wh...what are you going to do, Doctor?" the grey-skinned girl asked him.

"Well, you heard what our guest told us..." he told her, "a great amount of energy from another world has come into this one, and is slowly corrupting those that come into contact with it." Looking at the card again, he added, "I'm...not sure that I can completely trust this person, but if there's a chance that our world and/or any other is in peril...then I have no other choice." Knowing what he needed to do, The Doctor reached out and took the card. As soon as he did, a powerful light surrounded him and the card. Derpy flinched, covering her eyes as the light became stronger. After a while, the light disappeared, leaving that red mark over his eye.

"Doctor!! Are you okay?!" asked Derpy out of concern.

"Urrgh... Yes, Derpy...I believe so..." replied The Doctor. But when they looked at the card once more, they gasped as a picture of a powerful dragon appeared upon it. "Oh dear...there's now a picture on this card!" he exclaimed.

"Oh wow...that monster looks so powerful..." said the grey teen.

"Hmmmmm...I knew that I made a good choice in enlisting your help." said a voice from the Tardis's computer. "It seems that your spirit is even stronger than I first perceived it to be. But that only means that I have no doubt that you will succeed in fulfilling my wishes... With the power that I have given to you, you will excel greatly in hunting down the Numbers and those who are possessed by them..." And after that remark was made, the voice could no longer be heard.

Derpy and The Doctor just stood there, wondering about what had just taken place. They both looked at the black card again, still a bit bewildered. "Well..." the Doctor began to say, "I'd like to say that I am surprised by this, but considering what I've seen in the past, things such as this just don't seem that out of the ordinary." Staring at the mysterious card, he then added, "I can sense a strong energy from this card...but..."

"But what?" asked Derpy. "Is something wrong with it? Is the card evil or something?"

"I cannot say for sure..." Dr. Hooves said to her. "Call it a hunch if you will, but something's telling me that something is amiss about all of this..."

"So what are you going to do?" the grey girl asked him. "Are you not going to find these Number card things after all?"

"No, I shall still do as I promised our guest..." he told her. "But I shall do so with caution; I still don't know if I can trust them, whoever they may be, but hopefully I can figure things out as I go along..." He then stared at the black card he was holding and sighed a bit. For some reason, he felt a little uneasy about the card, though he couldn't say for sure why...

(...I've managed to collect six of the other Numbers so far.) The Doctor continued to think to himself. (And not once did I use the card that was given to me by the stranger that visited Derpy and myself that day... I cannot explain why, but...I feel that it would be dangerous to use it.) He then sighed to himself and said, "But now it appears that I have no other choice now... I just hope that, for once, my hypothesis is incorrect..."

Derpy noticed that her friend seemed to have some trouble, but didn't know what. "Doctor..." she uttered, hoping that he would be okay.

Trying to remain brave, Dr. Hooves then shouted, "I activate my Spell Card, Galaxy Trance! By paying two thousand of my Life Points (Dr. Hooves: LP 3,000 - 2,000 = 1,000), I can revive any Photon monster from the Graveyard in Defense Position! So rise again, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!!" And in an instant, his mighty Dragon monster was back on the field. "And as an added bonus," The Doctor continued, "I can also Special Summon a Galaxy monster from my Deck whose Level is equal to that of Galaxy-Eyes! So from the Deck, I call forth Galaxy Knight!"

Immediately, a second monster - human in appearance, jumped onto the field beside Galaxy-Eyes. He was wearing light, but strong body armor colored white and black, with a pair of glowing blue orbs in the chest, as well as a very shiny helmet that completely covered his face. He then brandished a long, silver sword with a golden handle while putting on a powerful battle pose (Galaxy Knight: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2600).

"So what? Those two can't defeat my Gustav Max!" Steamer told his foe.

"Indeed, they cannot." confirmed Dr. Hooves. "Galaxy Trance Summoned them both in Defense Position, made their attack only two thousand (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon: ATK 3000 > 2000) (Galaxy Knight: ATK 2800 > 2000), and canceled their effects." He then stared straight towards his opponent and added, "But fortunately, they will not have to do battle with your monster!"

Derpy gasped a little and thought to herself, (Is he...going to Summon THAT monster...?)

"I overlay Galaxy-Eyes and Galaxy Knight - both Level 8, and create an Overlay Network!!" shouted The Doctor as his two monsters transformed into a pair of yellow lights and were sucked into a galaxy-like portal in front of him. The portal then exploded, revealing a reddish-pink Number symbol: 62.

"Appear! Galactic Ultimate Dragon, Number 62!" The Doctor chanted. "Darkness and light wandering in the universe... Sorrowful dragon who sleeps in the interstice! Its power of creation opens the door of truth! Xyz Summon! Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" At that moment, the Number symbol then rose into the air and began to shine even more brilliantly. Then, a gigantic blue sword - engraved with several Astral glyphs, appeared in The Doctor's right hand. He then raised it into the air as a bolt of light energy shot down, striking the sword before Dr. Hooves slammed the blade into the ground.

When that happened, the sword and the glyphs written upon began to glow intensely. Then a burst of blue energy shot from the top of it, drawing all the light around it. Once it took in as much as it could, the energy began to form into the shape of a dragon. It looked a lot like Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, but was much bigger and even more impressive. It radiated a powerful blue light all around itself, gained bulkier armor plating on its body, and boasted an even more impressive pair of wings. On one of its newly-gained shoulder pads, there was a red 62 imprinted upon it. The dragon belted out a massive roar that nearly shook the train.

*******************************

Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Dragon/LIGHT/Rank 8/ATK 4000/DEF 3000)

2 Level 8 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. If this card battles, during damage calculation (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card once per battle; this card gains ATK equal to the combined Ranks of all Xyz Monsters currently on the field x 200, during that damage calculation only. If this card in its owner's control is destroyed by an opponent's card effect while it has "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" as material: You can Special Summon this card during your 2nd Standby Phase after activation and double its ATK. Any battle damage this card inflicts to your opponent is halved unless it has "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" as material.

*******************************

Derpy and Steamer stared in awe at the gigantic, shimmering dragon that Dr. Hooves had just Summoned. It was clear to them both that The Doctor was through messing around. "Wooooow... He did it...!" said the grey-skinned girl. "He Summoned the card that he got when this whole Number thing started!" But as Derpy glanced over to her friend, she noticed that - despite the powerful creature on his side of the board, he seemed...worried about something.

Steamer just stood there, gazing upon the mighty Dragon monster before him. As his brain tried to figure a way out of his current predicament, he heard another voice in his head as well. "Do not worry, Steamer..." it said to him in a deep, sinister-sounding voice. "All is as planned..."

"...All is as planned..." he uttered to himself. Shaking his head, the conductor Duelist then said to his foe, "You may have Summoned a Number, but it's not strong enough to defeat Gustav Max! My monster has a thousand more attack points than yours does! So if you attack me, you'll just lose!"

"...Are you sure about that?" The Doctor asked him.

"Wh-what? What do you mean...?"

"I'll be more than happy to show you." Dr. Hooves then pointed forward and shouted to his new monster, "Galaxy-Eyes! Attack Gustav Max now!" As the dragon readied its attack, his controller added, "And at this moment, I use his effect! By removing an Overlay Unit, I can increase the attack of Galaxy-Eyes by 200 times the combined Ranks of all Xyz Monsters currently on the field!" As he said that, his monster then absorbed one of the two yellow orbs of light that circled around it (Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).

"The COMBINED Ranks?!?" Steamer exclaimed. Looking at his monster, he then nervously pointed out, "M-my Gustav Max...its Rank is ten!!"

"And my Galaxy-Eyes is a Rank 8 Xyz Monster." The Doctor added. "Totaled up, that's eighteen! So 200 times that amount - or 3,600, is added to Galaxy-Eyes' attack power!" (Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon: ATK 4000 + 3600 = 7600).

"S-s-seventy-six hundred?!?" gasped Steamer, knowing he was about to take a massive blow to his Life Points.

"Now, Galaxy-Eyes!! Attack!!" Dr. Hooves shouted. "Eternity Photon Stream!!" The powerful dragon - made even more powerful with his special ability, flew up into the air and charged up a large sphere of bluish-green energy in front of it. Once it was fully charged, Galaxy-Eyes then shot a gigantic ray of light, sending it straight towards Steamer's Xyz Monster. The beam of light pierced right through the monstrous locomotive, causing it to explode into a million, flaming pieces. "Gustav Max is eliminated!" The Doctor said triumphantly.

"Urrrgh...!" grunted Steamer. The force of the attack had caused him to fall over onto his back, and now he was struggling to get back on his feet. Eventually, he stood back up, not willing to admit defeat yet. "Th-this...isn't...over..." he told his enemy in between short gasps (Steamer: LP 4,000 - 2,600 = 1,400). "I...won't let you...beat me...!"

"I think it would be best for you to surrender now, for your own good." The Doctor told him. "But I can see that you don't plan to listen to reason - in which case, I have no other alternative." Taking a card from his hand, he stated, "I'll activate the Spell Card known as Photon Trade. I send the Photon Sabre Tiger in my hand to the Graveyard and draw two more cards." After doing so, he looked at one of the two cards for a brief moment. He then looked at his Xyz Monster, and then back at the card. He then nodded to himself and placed it into his D-Pad's Spell & Trap slot, saying, "I'll set this card face-down to finish my turn." With his turn done, Galaxy-Eyes' effect ended as well, and its attack power reverted back to normal (Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon: ATK 7600 - 3600 = 4000).

"Alright!" said Derpy, happy that her friend was back in control of the game. "If he keeps this up, he'll win next turn!"

(Galaxy-Eyes managed to eliminate his monster and a large portion of his Life Points...) Dr. Hooves thought to himself. (One more attack like that, and this Duel will end in my victory...) Sighing, he then said to himself, "But...this seems a little too easy... For some reason, I have this foreboding feeling..." He then looked at his monster, pondering some more about the situation. (A feeling that's come over me the moment I played Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon...) he said in mind, finishing his thoughts.

"M-my turn..." Steamer said, still a little worn out from the earlier attack. "I draw...!" Looking at the card, he then played it right away and said, "I...activate a Spell Card! Pot of Desires! I banish the top ten cards of my Deck face-down and draw two more...!" He then did just that and looked at the new cards he managed to pull before making his next move. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Field Spell, Revolving Switchyard! I send Express Train Trolley Olley to the Graveyard and add another copy of Night Express Knight to my hand from my Deck!"

(Night Express Knight...) thought The Doctor. (If he is taking that card, then it's obvious what he's planning next...) He now braced himself, hoping that whatever was coming next would be something that he could overcome.

"Now I activate Emergency Provisions!" Steamer then declared. "By sending my Field Spell Card to the Graveyard, I restore a thousand of my Life Points!" And with that, the scene around them reverted back to the train car that they were on (Steamer: LP 1,400 + 1,000 = 2,400).

"But why did he get rid of his Field Spell just to get back some of his Life Points?" Derpy asked. "That doesn't make sense to me..."

"Because now that I have no cards on the field," Steamer explained, "I can now play this card!" Slapping a card on his D-Pad, he shouted, "I now deploy my Rocket Arrow Express!!" After he did that, a large, blue train with yellow on the front of it pulled in beside the conductor. On top of the locomotive was what appeared to be a white jet plane (Rocket Arrow Express: Level 10 / ATK 5000 / DEF 0).

"HUH?!?" Derpy exclaimed. "Did he just play a five thousand-attack monster just like that?!"

"He certainly did, Ms. Derpy." The Doctor answered her. "But it comes at a price: Steamer cannot attack the turn he Summons Rocket Arrow Express. More so, he cannot activate the effects of any of his cards, nor can he Set them while that monster is on the field. In addition, he must send his entire hand to the Graveyard during each of his turns afterwards if he wishes to keep Rocket Arrow Express out."

"R-really...?" asked the grey teen, surprised by the monster's massive drawbacks. "That seems like a horrible move to me..." But the Doctor knew that this was just the beginning of something even bigger.

"I may not be able to play any of my card effects or battle this turn, but that doesn't mean I can't still play more monsters!" the conductor pointed out. "Now I'll Normal Summon another Night Express Knight! And just like last time, I'll zero out his attack so I can play it without releasing any monsters!" And with that, a second copy of Night Express Knight appeared on his field (Night Express Knight: ATK 3000 > 0).

"Oh no...two more Level 10 monsters..." said Derpy, getting worried.

(Here it comes...) thought The Doctor, getting ready for whatever was coming next.

"Now...! Summon it...!" rang the voice in Steamer's head. "Summon the Number...!"

"Summon...the Number..." the conductor said, sounding like he was in a bit of a trance. Regaining his composure, he then shouted, "I overlay my two Level 10 monsters and build the Overlay Network!!" The two monsters then transformed into a pair of orange lights that flew into a galaxy-like vortex in the center of the field. "Deploy now, Number 81!" he then began to chant. "Travel down the railtracks of time and space itself, and appear here in our world! Let nothing stop your rampage as you run down everything in your path! Xyz Summon!! Appear, Rank 10! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora!!"

Once his chant was complete, the portal in the middle of the field exploded, revealing a red-colored 81 symbol on the ground. Then, another portal appeared from behind Steamer, with four sets of train tracks coming out of it. Then, barreling down those tracks was quite possibly the largest locomotive that Derpy and Dr. Hooves had ever seen before. It was so huge, that it burst through the train they were on (not for real, of course), causing smoke to blow around them. When it cleared up, the setting had changed to a desolate desert with a wrecked train in the background. And towering above them all was a humongous machine covered in blue and silver-colored metal armor, a trio of long, intimidating-looking cannons, and streaks of orange glowing on the front of it. The behemoth machine sat on top of four separate trains riding on four separate tracks. The red 81 could be seen on the machine's right armor plate, as well as on the arm of its owner.

*******************************

Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine/EARTH/Rank 10/ATK 3200/DEF 4000)

2 Level 10 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; that target is unaffected by card effects, except its own, until the end of this turn.

*******************************

Derpy's jaw hung open at the sight of the massive mechanical monster before The Doctor and herself. "Th-that's his Number card?!" she exclaimed. "That thing's even bigger than the last monster he had out!"

(Perhaps...but his monster is still not strong enough to defeat Galaxy-Eyes...) Dr. Hooves noted to himself. (Even without using its ability, my monster still has eight hundred more attack points than his monster... So why did he put it in Attack Position?) The Doctor figured that something was up, but wasn't sure what yet.

"My monster isn't strong enough to defeat your Number in battle..." Steamer pointed out. "And not only that, I can't go into my Battle Phase this turn anyway. So I'll just set one card face-down and end my turn."

"It's my turn, then! I draw!" Dr. Hooves said, quickly drawing his next card. Still feeling a slight amount of worry, he then said to himself, (I have to end this Duel quickly...! For some reason, I feel that letting this Duel drag on would be a most perilous decision...) After drawing his card, he then said to his opponent, "I now use the effect of the Galaxy Cleric in my hand! This effect allows me to attach it to Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon as an Overlay Unit!" After doing so, a second yellow orb began to orbit his Xyz Monster (Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon: OLU 1 + 1 = 2). Steamer just growled a little in response.

(Okay...now all he has to do is attack, activate Galaxy-Eyes' effect, and he'll win the Duel!) thought Derpy, hoping that everything would go well.

Pointing forward, Dr. Hooves shouted, "Now prepare to lose this Duel and your Number card! This Duel is over!"

"Hmhmhmhmmm... Alright, I suppose that's enough playing around..." said the dark voice in Steamer's mind. "Now it's time for The Doctor to see his LAST Number card...!"

"Time to end this!" Dr. Hooves shouted. "I attack with-!" But his command was cut short when he heard a loud, painful-sounding cry come from his dragon. When he looked up at it, he gasped and asked, "Wh-what is this??"

Everyone watched as a dark aura began to surround Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon. From what they could see, it seemed like the dark energy was hurting it. It roared even louder as the energy began to consume it. "Wh-what's going on??" asked Derpy. "What's wrong with Galaxy-Eyes?!" Steamer said nothing, as he seemed to be just as shocked by this as well.

Once the dark energy completely surrounded it, Galaxy-Eyes was then dragged down into the ground beneath it. Then, the red 62 mark appeared where it used stand. But it didn't stay that way for long: Each of the two digits began to rotate individually and turn upside down, while at the same time changing color from red to blue. Once the process was done, the number symbol had transformed itself into the number 95.

"What is this...?" asked The Doctor, bewildered by the scene before him.

"The beginning of your demise, Doctor..." said the sinister voice. Only now, it could be heard by everyone and not just Steamer. "Your Number-hunting mission shall end today...!"

"No..." Dr. Hooves was astounded by what was happening. Then, that sense of dread that had been weighing down on him during the Duel began to grow again.

"Arise...Number 95!" chanted the evil voice. "The power filling the galaxy... When the ruler has exhausted his body and spirit, his soul curses the world! Xyz Summon!" As the chant progressed, a blob of purplish-black goo began to ooze from where the blue 95 was imprinted on the ground. The goo began to grow bigger and bigger in the center of the field before it began to change its shape. The goo formed itself into a hideous-looking dragon with black scales and tattered-looking wings. Its eyes glowed an eerie yellow glow as three purple orbs floated around it. The skies above even grew darker as it appeared.

"Come forth!! Rank 9!!" said the evil voice. "Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon!!!"

*******************************

Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Dragon/DARK/Rank 9/ATK 4000/DEF 0)

3 Level 9 monsters
You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a "Galaxy-Eyes" Xyz Monster you control as material. (Transfer its materials to this card.) Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Cannot be used as material for an Xyz Summon. When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can send 3 Dragon monsters with different names from your Deck to the GY; your opponent banishes 3 monsters from their Deck. You can detach 1 material from this card; this card can make up to 2 attacks on monsters during each Battle Phase this turn.

*******************************

"D...Dark Matter Dragon...?" said Dr. Hooves, trembling a little at the sight of the frightening beast that had just appeared before them all.

"D-Doctor...?" Derpy began to ask in a fearful tone. "Why did you Summon something so...so scary-looking??"

"...That's just the problem, Ms. Derpy..." he told her. "I DIDN'T Summon it. Somehow, that...that vile monster brought itself to the field! But there's no way that could have been possible...unless..." He then gasped, realizing what was going on. (Unless my Number card was...was corrupted somehow!) He then understood just why he felt so worried about Summoning Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon: Somehow, for reasons even he couldn't explain, he felt that something was wrong with the card that he received so long ago.

Steamer stared at the black dragon in front of him, also trembling a little. "Wh-what is that...?" he asked himself.

"Calm yourself..." said the voice in his head. "It is all going as planned..."

"It is all going as planned..." Steamer repeated, once again seemingly going into some sort of trance.

"Now...let us begin the end for you, Doctor..." the wicked voice said out-loud again. "I activate...Dark Matter Dragon's effect!"

Just then a beeping sound came from Dr. Hooves' D-Pad. When he looked at the screen, he saw a message that told him to send three of his cards from his Deck to the Graveyard. "What is this??" the brown-skinned man asked. "Why is my Duel Pad telling me to discard Galaxy Dragon, Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon, and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my Deck??"

"On the turn in which it is Summoned..." the evil voice rang out, "Dark Matter Dragon sends three differently-named Dragons from your Deck to the Graveyard... In exchange, the opponent must then banish three of their monsters from their Deck. Now...dispose of your Dragons!"

The Doctor scowled, knowing that the effect was actually hurting him more than it was helping him, especially since Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon was on the top of his Deck already. (If I had been able to draw Galaxy-Eyes,) he thought, (I could have attempted to Summon another monster with two thousand attack points, then release both it and Dark Matter Dragon in order to remove it from the field... But now I can't!) After he and his opponent removed their monsters from their respective Decks, the man continued to ponder, (Whatever that voice is...it seems as though it doesn't want me to get rid of that Number monster myself... But why?)

"Now for Dark Matter Dragon's SECOND effect!" said the evil voice once more. "By removing an Overlay Unit, this monster can attack two monsters this turn!"

"But that doesn't make sense!" Derpy pointed out. "Steamer has only one monster out! What's the point of using that ability now?"

The Doctor got that answer when he saw that he was being forced into removing Prime Photon Dragon from under the new Number card. (That's why...) he said to himself. (Normally, Prime Photon Dragon can revive itself from the Graveyard with its own effect, but only if it was destroyed while on the field... Since it is being detached to activate an effect, it won't be able to bring itself back...and I have no other cards in my hand that could revive it, either...) Growling a little under his breath, he then came to a conclusion. "Whatever this voice is, it's the one that is controlling Dark Matter Dragon... And it seems determined to sabotage this Duel!" (Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon: OLU 3 - 1 = 2)

"Now for the Battle Phase!!" shouted the dark voice. "Dark Matter Dragon, attack! Dark Photon Stream of Annihilation!!" The beast then unleashed its attack on Steamer's Number.

(If this attack hits, his Number will be destroyed...) thought The Doctor. (But if that voice controlling that dragon is trying to make me lose, then I'm certain that this attack will not work...!)

"I activate my Trap Card...!" shouted Steamer. "I play Shadow Spell!! This Trap stops your monster's attack and drops its power by seven hundred points!" And just like that, several heavy chains wrapped around Dark Matter Dragon, restricting its movements (Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon: ATK 4000 - 700 = 3300).

"Oh no...!" gasped Derpy, now getting more and more worried for her friend. "What's he going to do now...?? That creepy dragon really does seem to be acting on its own, just like The Doctor said... If that's true, then...does that mean he's going to lose...?" Shaking her head, she said to herself, "No! He can't lose!! Not because of something like this!! He'll figure out a plan to get out of this, just he always does! I know he'll win this!! I know it!!"

Derpy's pep talk was heard by The Doctor, which helped him snap out of his worried state. (She is absolutely right.) he thought. (I shall not allow this voice - whomever they are, from stopping my mission to protect this world! I made a vow that I would prevent the Number cards from being misused! There is absolutely no way that I shall allow myself to be defeated in this manner! I know there must be a way out of this situation... There HAS to be!) He then glanced at the face-down card on his field and began to think of an idea. (Maybe...) he pondered. (If my hunch is correct...there may be a chance after all...) He then looked ahead to his opponent and told him, "Alright, my turn is over!"

"Hmhmhmmm... By the time this Duel ends, more than that will be over, I assure you..." said the evil voice from within Steamer's mind. It then spoke to the conductor, saying, "Everything is going according to plan, Steamer... Now finish him off and claim his Numbers!"

"Finish...him...off..." the conductor repeated. "I draw..." He then slowly pulled his next card from the top of his Deck and looked at it. He then played the card right away, saying in a monotone voice, "I activate...the Equip Spell Train Connection...! I banish two Level 10 Machine monsters from my Graveyard - Heavy Freight Train Derricrane and Night Express Knight, to double Super Dora's attack power...!" The orange streaks on his Number card began to glow bright red as its power increased even higher (Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora: ATK 3200 x 2 = 6400).

"Now it's attack power is at sixty-four hundred!" Derpy noted.

"Yes, it is..." The Doctor responded. "If Dark Matter Dragon had not appeared, Prime Photon Dragon would have been able to use its ability to overcome that attack strength... But as it is now, if Super Dora launches an attack and destroys Dark Matter Dragon, this Duel will end..."

"Indeed..." said Steamer. "And once you're defeated, your Numbers will be in my possession..." The conductor was still talking in a monotone voice, as if someone else was controlling his actions.

"D...Doctor..." Derpy said, worried for her friend. She still clung onto the hope that he would prevail, even against the impossible.

"Now it's time to meet your end, Doctor!!" shouted Steamer. "Super Dora, attack Dark Matter Dragon and end this Duel!!" The monster then charged its cannons, ready land the finishing blow upon Dr. Hooves.

"Doctor...! Do something!! Hurry!!" Derpy urged him.

(She's right: It's now or never...!) the brown man thought. (I just hope that my hunch is right...) Tapping his Duel Pad's screen, he shouted, "I activate a Quick-Play Spell!! Clashing Souls!!"

"Wh-what's that??" asked Steamer, slightly surprised.

"This Spell Card can be activated when two monsters in Attack Position battle each other, and your monster has higher attack!" The Doctor explained. "Now I can pay five hundred of my Life Points to increase Dark Matter's attack power by five hundred!" Just as he said, he transferred some of his power into Dark Matter Dragon (Dr. Hooves: LP 1,000 - 500 = 500) (Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon: ATK 3300 + 500 = 3800). However, it seemed that its attack power wasn't the only thing that changed about it, as a faint aura of yellow light surrounded it for a brief moment.

"Hmph...how useless." said the voice in Steamer's mind, not caring about the card that The Doctor played.

"You go right ahead and do that!" said Steamer. "My monster will still destroy yours, along with your Life Points! Super Dora, launch your assault now!!" The Machine monster then fired its fully-charged cannons at Dark Matter Dragon. "This Duel is over!!" he then shouted.

But Dr. Hooves smiled and said, "I'm afraid that you're wrong, Steamer. Your attack is powerful enough to defeat Dark Matter Dragon, but due to the other effect of Clashing Souls...neither player takes any damage from the battle! Which means I won't lose the Duel this turn!"

"What?!? No!!!" shouted the evil voice. "That's impossib-" But his words were cut short when Super Dora's attack destroyed Dark Matter Dragon and removed it from the field. But just as The Doctor said, thanks to his Spell Card's effect, he was still in the game.

"Yay! He did it!! He survived!!" Derpy cheered. "And he even managed to get rid of that nasty dragon, too!"

Steamer just stood there, motionless as he tried to process what had just happened. "H...huh? Wh-what just happened?" he said, his voice sounding a bit more normal. Not only that, the 81 on his arm faded slightly.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Dr. Hooves said to himself, "Thank goodness that my plan worked... I deduced that, even though I may not have been able to control Dark Matter Dragon, it couldn't stop me from playing my own cards on it. And luckily, that deduction proved to be true, and I managed to not only survive the attack, but also destroy that dragon." He then noticed something else was different: That sense of worry he had seemed to have passed as well. "I wonder...did I accomplish more by destroying Dark Matter Dragon...?" he asked himself.

Elsewhere, at an unknown location, a figure cloaked in the darkest of shadows seemed to be frustrated at something as he looked at a computer screen filled with nothing but static. Slamming a fist on the screen and cracking it slightly, he angrily said, "No...!! How could this have happened...?!" His voice sounded exactly like the one that Steamer heard in his mind. "I planned on having The Doctor's Life Points run out at the exact same time that Dark Matter Dragon was destroyed...! But it didn't work! And with Dark Matter Dragon destroyed, my link to The Doctor is forever broken....! I can't even spy on him anymore!" Scowling, he then said to himself, "No matter... He has only five hundred Life Points left and no cards in play after his move... There should be no way that he can win the Duel..." The strange figure seemed sure that, despite this setback, there was no hope for Dr. Hooves...

Back at the Duel, Dr. Hooves began thinking some more about the events that had transpired. Taking out the Dark Matter Dragon card from his Graveyard, he stared at it and thought, (When this creature first appeared, it carried with it a powerful and evil energy... But now I can't feel anything of the sort coming out of it. I can't say for certain...but my earlier move may have cut off contact between this monster and whomever was controlling it...) Looking ahead, he then added, (I hope this is true, for even though I managed to escape that situation, I'm still not in a favorable position...I only have five hundred Life Points left, and no cards on the field... Meanwhile, the conductor still has his Number card... No matter what happens next, my next turn will most likely be my last...)

"You can do it, Doctor!!" shouted Derpy. "I know you can win this Duel! You're the smartest person I know!" The Doctor turned over to his assistant and friend, listening to her every word. "I've seen you in tougher messes than this before, and you always come out of them okay! You've come too far just to let someone beat you now! You stopped Dark Matter Dragon without a problem, so I know you'll get through this! I just know it!!"

(...She's right!) Hooves said, clenching his fist. (If I give up now, I would be disrespecting myself, as well as Ms. Derpy's faith in me! And like she said: I've never met a problem that I couldn't solve...a question that I couldn't answer...nor a puzzle I couldn't decipher! My intelligence and intuition has never failed me in the past, nor will it fail me in the future!) Smiling, he then turned to Derpy, and told her, "Do not worry... I promise that I will crack the code of this Duel and come out victorious for the both of us!" As he said that, a faint, blue glow could be seen from his Deck, though no one seemed to notice it right away.

Happy to hear him say that, Derpy cheered, saying, "You can do it, Doctor! Get out there and win this!"

Placing his fingers on the top of his Deck, The Doctor said to his opponent, "Prepare yourself, Steamer! I shall not give in! I promised to help protect this world, and I do NOT break my promises! Now prepare to witness my full strength!!" He then drew the top card of his Deck, put it into his hand, and played another. "I activate another Photon Trade! I discard the Photon Thrasher I just drew and draw two more cards!"

"Heh...after all that, you're trusting luck of the draw this late in the Duel?" said Steamer in a bit of a mocking tone. Even though the voice in his head had vanished, the Number was still controlling most of his words and actions.

"...You may call it 'luck of the draw'," Dr. Hooves responded, "but I do not rely on luck. Throughout my life, I have gained all sorts of knowledge that has aided me to this very day. I trust my hunches and they have always guided me in the right direction. And right now, my hunch is telling me I'll have everything I need to defeat you and claim your Number! For I fight not for my sake alone, but for the sake and well-being of all those in the world!"

As the man spoke, the glow from his Deck became stronger. Derpy then finally noticed it and asked herself, "Wh-what's going on with The Doctor's Deck?" The glow was mysterious to her...and also familiar. (Wait...that glow...it's almost like the same light that came from that blank card Mrs. K gave him...!) she recalled.

Placing his fingers on his Deck again, he said to it, "We have seen many tough battles so far, and this one could quite possibly be our most perilous one yet... This must have been how Ms. Sunset felt when I battled her in the city... Even against overwhelming odds, she refused to give up." Putting on a fierce look, he then added, "She believed in herself up until the very end, and that is something I must do now!" Then, as he drew his two cards, the glow from his Deck let out a brilliant flash of blue light.

"Rrrrgh...! Wh-what's that?!" Steamer asked. "What'd he do?!"

"Doctor...?" Derpy meekly asked, also wondering what had happened.

When Dr. Hooves looked at the two cards he drew, he saw that one of them was Galaxy Zero. But the other card was covered in that same blue light. At first, he didn't know what to make of it...

Far away, on a road leading out of the town of Bloodstone, Sunset Shimmer was driving her Duel Runner, heading back home. In her backpack, along with her cards and dueling gear, there was a shiny, gold plaque: It was a first-place award for winning the local Duel Monsters tournament in Bloodstone. The red-and-yellow girl couldn't wait to show it to her friends back in Canterlot. But as she drove down the street, she then noticed that her necklace was glowing brightly. "H-huh? My necklace... What's going on?" she asked, pulling over to the side of the road to take a closer look at it. The charm on the end of it was radiating a bright blue light, but Sunset had no idea what it meant.

"What is this thing doing now...?" she asked herself. "This feeling I'm getting from it... It's powerful, but oddly familiar too..." She then looked down the road ahead of her, trying to make sense out of what was happening. In the end, she figured that she wasn't going to get an answer right away as she revved up her bike and continued on her way. That being said, this was something she would have to ask Twilight when she came back...

Even further away, Twilight Sparkle - who was spending her Spring Break back in her home universe, was busy drawing up some things on a large sheet of paper set out on the table in front of her. The highly-detailed sketch showed a picture of a beautiful-looking building nestled beside a mountain with many streams and waterfalls around it. "Hmmmm..." she thought to herself. "Not bad so far...but I think I could make a few tiny improvements... What do you think, Spike?"

"Uh, maybe." the little dragon told her. "But I gotta ask: What is it you're drawing there, anyway? It kinda looks like a school building or something..."

"Oh...uh, nothing in particular. Just...sketching out a few ideas I had in my head; nothing special." She then used her magic to store the drawing away neatly in a box labeled "Working Ideas: Top Secret". As she returned to her table, she then noticed that her deck box - which has been sitting off to the side of her papers, was glowing blue. "Huh? That's weird..."

"What is it?" Spike asked his Princess friend.

"Has my Deck been glowing like that this whole time we've been here?" the Alicorn asked.

"Glowing?" The young dragon glanced over at the Deck a moment after the box stopped radiating light. "Uh...I don't see any glow..."

"But...I could've sworn that I saw some sort of light coming off of it..."

"It probably was just some light reflecting off of the walls, Twilight." Spike figured. "In case you forgot, this whole castle is made out of crystals; they're always glowing with sunlight during the day." Getting up out of his chair, he then told her, "Anyway, we gotta meet up with the others; If we don't get there soon, we'll all miss the boat going to Horseolulu." The young Princess nodded in agreement. She then levitated her Deck and put it with her other belongings, still unsure about the glow that she saw...

Back at the Duel, Dr. Hooves stared at the glowing card that he had drawn earlier, wondering what could have caused this phenomenon. Then, as suddenly as the glow appeared, it faded, revealing that the card was a Spell Card...but it was not one that the Doctor was familiar with. (What is this card...?) he asked himself. (I don't recall putting this in my Deck... And those markings...) He then looked at the card's name and the effect text and gasped when he realized what they were. (Th-those are Astral Glyphs! Just like on the Number cards! Does that mean that this card is related to the Astral World?) He didn't know where the card came from, but he knew that it came to him for a reason. After reading the card closely, he had quickly formulated a plan to defeat his opponent.

Taking the first card that he drew, The Doctor shouted, "I activate the Spell Galaxy Zero! This card allows me to revive any Photon or Galaxy Monster from my Graveyard! However, the monster it Summons is not allowed to attack or use its effects."

"So what're you planning to use it on, then?" asked Steamer, not sure what to expect.

Taking a deep sigh to collect his thoughts, Dr. Hooves surprised everyone by saying, "I use Galaxy Zero to revive Dark Matter Dragon!"

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed Derpy and Steamer in shock.

But it was true: The Doctor had brought back the terrifying dragon that had attempted to sabotage his Duel. But after it came back, everyone could tell that something was different about it compared to earlier. Dr. Hooves especially noticed a change in the monster as well. (...Good, it is as I presumed:) he thought to himself. (Whoever was controlling Dark Matter Dragon earlier lost its connection to it when it was destroyed last turn; now the monster is obeying only me...)

"So you got your big, scary dragon back on the field..." said Steamer. "But because of your Spell Card, it can't attack me! And even if it could, its attack power is too low anyway! So what was the point?"

Showing his opponent the back of the other card that he had drawn earlier, The Doctor told him, "Galaxy Zero was only the first step in solving the puzzle of this Duel. And by the time this is over, you will see what each step in my plan will add up to!" Revealing the card, he shouted, "I now activate...Photon Purification!"

"Photon...Purification??" asked Derpy. "What's that...?" She wondered just how her friend had gotten a card that even she had never heard of.

"Now pay attention, Steamer, because I will only explain this once." Hooves told him. "The cost for activating this Spell Card is that I must release a DARK-Attribute Xyz Monster on my field: Dark Matter Dragon fits that description perfectly."

"Y-you're releasing it??" asked the conductor. "But why?"

"By doing so, I am then allowed to Special Summon a LIGHT Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck that is exactly one Rank lower than the released monster, counting it as a valid Xyz Summon." he continued. "Since Dark Matter Dragon is Rank 9, I can now Summon a Rank 8 monster!"

"A Rank 8?" asked Derpy. "But the only other monster he has that's Rank 8 is Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon... And even it's not strong enough to defeat that guy's Number..."

"...It's not the only one, Ms. Derpy." The Doctor told her. Reaching into his deck box, he pulled out a card that he had stored away in his Extra Deck. "I believe this card will do just nicely."

"Wh-what do you think you're trying to pull?!" asked Steamer. "That card's completely blank!! You can't play a blank card!!"

"Normally, no." said Dr. Hooves. "But I can assure you that this card shall not remain blank for much longer!" As he said that, the card began radiating light, just like the Spell Card that he had played. "With my belief in bringing this world to peace, I shall awaken its full potential! Now come forth, Number of Harmony!!" And with that shout, the card began glowing even more fiercely than before, bathed in a copper-brown light.

"What's going on now?!" asked Steamer, becoming more worried by the second.

Derpy - recognizing the blank card as the one that Kisara had given to them, gasped in excitement and said, "That's incredible! You figured out how to use that card!"

"...WE figured it out, Ms. Derpy." he corrected her. "It was only through your faith in me that this Number can awaken. For it, too, believes in creating a greater world for us all! And I use the power it has given me to fulfill that dream!" The Doctor then declared, "I now release Dark Matter Dragon to activate Photon Purification, to Summon our newest ally!" At that moment, a yellow light began to surround Dark Matter Dragon, engulfing it just as its darkness had done to Prime Photon Dragon earlier. Once that was done, the light transformed into a sphere that flew into the center of the field.

Everyone watched as a summoning portal appeared where the ball of light had impacted. It had a galaxy-like appearance, just like with the other Numbers. But when it fully formed, the portal changed its color to bright yellow before exploding. All that was left behind was a red symbol that resembled the number 90. At the same time, the blank card that the Doctor was holding now displayed a picture and text (written in the Astral World language).

"Come before me! Number 90!" The Doctor chanted. "All-powerful warrior from beyond our star system, bring forth the light that can dispel the shadows of evil! Become the harmony that shines in the darkness! Xyz Summon!!" At that moment, what appeared to be a large, blue cocoon slowly descended onto the battlefield. Once it reached the ground, it unsealed itself, revealing its true form as a powerful armored warrior. He was decked out in blue and silver armor that looked very much like Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, and wielded a bright, blue sword that seemed to be made out of energy and not steel. All around his armor, there were glowing yellow orbs, and on the left portion of his armor was the red 90 that had appeared earlier. "Embodiment of knowledge and wisdom! Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord!!" he shouted, finishing his chant.

*******************************

Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/LIGHT/Rank 8/ATK 2500/DEF 3000)

2 Level 8 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. If this card has a "Photon" card as material, it cannot be destroyed by card effects. You can only use each of the following effects of "Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord" once per turn.
* When an opponent's monster activates its effect (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; negate that monster's effect, and if the detached material was a "Galaxy" card, destroy that card.
* During your opponent’s turn (Quick Effect): You can take 1 "Photon" or "Galaxy" card from your Deck, and either add it to your hand or attach it to this card as material.

*******************************

"Galaxy-Eyes...Photon Lord..." said Derpy, staring in amazement at The Doctor's new Number card. "It's...it's incredible...!"

Steamer was taken completely by surprise by the appearance of this new Number. "Th-that can't be...!" he said trembling. "How'd he do that...?!"

Dr. Hooves took a deep breath, having exerted a lot of power in Summoning his Number card. He then felt something unfamiliar on his right hand; looking at it, he was surprised to see that he was now wearing a gold ring on the ring finger of that hand. On the ring was same key-shaped charm that was on Sunset's necklace. He had no idea where it came from, as he wasn't wearing a ring there before. For now, though, he decided to think about that another time. He then faced his opponent and told him, "Steamer, I'm afraid this is where the Duel ends. Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord will defeat your Number and free you from its influence!"

"Urrgh...and how do you plan on doing that?" asked the conductor. "My Number is still more powerful than yours is!"

"Just observe for yourself, and you will see what I mean." Taking a card from his Graveyard, The Doctor then told him, "First, I use the effect of the Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon that was sent to my Graveyard as a result of Dark Matter Dragon. Since I control a Galaxy-Eyes Xyz Monster, I can attach this card to said monster as an Overlay Unit. So I grant the effect to my Photon Lord!" A violet portal then appeared on the field, and out of it came a small, glowing dragon. It then transformed into a yellow orb that zipped over towards The Doctor's Number card (Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord: OLU 0 + 1 = 1).

"That doesn't scare me even one bit!" Steamer told his foe.

"Then perhaps this will." Dr. Hooves replied. "I activate the second effect of Photon Purification in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can destroy any opposing Number card!"

"What?! But that means...!"

"It means you can say goodbye to your Super Dora, for it is the monster I am targeting!" shouted The Doctor. As he said that, a sphere of blue light then emerged above him. It then shot out a bolt of blue lightning that headed straight for Steamer's Number card.

"If you think I'll let you destroy my Number that easily, then think again!" the conductor shouted. "I activate Super Dora's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can make Super Dora unaffected by all other card effects this turn! So your stupid Spell Card won't destroy it!" One of the two orange orbs phased itself into the massive machine (Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), allowing it to use its ability. "Hah! So much for your plan!" Steamer said to his foe. "I stopped it cold!"

"...Which is what I thought you might do." said The Doctor.

"What?! You knew I'd do that?!" asked the conductor, taken aback.

"I considered it as a possibility." Hooves answered him. "And now that you've used your monster's effect, I shall now use my monster's effect as well." Taking the card he had just attached to it and sending it to the Graveyard, he declared, "I chain Photon Lord's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can negate your monster's effect when it tries to activate!"

"Oh no!!" Steamer said, watching as his opponent's monster absorbed its floating orb (Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). Photon Lord then charged up power in its left hand and fired that energy at Super Dora. This caused the red energy lines on it to become dull and inactive. "That can't be!" the conductor said in worry. "My monster's lost its power!"

"Yes, but that isn't all:" The Doctor informed him. Showing him the card that he had removed from his Xyz Monster, he explained, "Since the card detached from Photon Lord was a Galaxy monster, I also destroy the monster whose effect was negated!" And as he said that, a glowing yellow version of Galaxy-Eyes Cloudragon then appeared on the field and flew straight towards the massive train monster, bursting right through it. Sparks began flying out of Super Dora before it was engulfed in a fiery explosion.

"N-n-no...!! My Number is...is destroyed...!" said a trembling Steamer. "And I don't even any cards left in my hand or on the field to protect me...! I'll...I'll lose!"

Putting on a serious expression, Dr. Hooves then told his opponent, "This is for your own good, Mr. Steamer. You won't have to suffer anymore under the Number's control." Pointing forward, "Go, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord! Attack him directly with Photon Sword of Destruction!!" The mighty warrior then leapt into the air and hovered there for a while as he charged up a powerful light into his sword. "Tear apart the darkness and help bring this world closer to salvation!" he shouted as his monster slashed his sword, creating a blue shockwave that headed straight for Steamer.

There was nothing the conductor could do as the shockwave hit him, wiping out the rest of his Life Points. "AAAAAARRRRGH!!!" he screamed as the force of the attack knocked him off his feet (Steamer: LP 2,400 - 2,500 = 0) (WINNER: Dr. Whooves).

"He did it!!" cheered Derpy. "The Doctor won!! I knew he'd do it! I knew it!!"

Taking a sigh of relief, the Doctor smiled as he used his D-Pad to take Steamer's Number card from him. He then looked at the card, along with his new Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord.

Minutes later, Dr. Hooves and Derpy were back in their seats as the train continued on its way to Canterlot City. The Doctor was worn-out from his earlier Duel, but thankful that he had won. "I must admit, Derpy..." he told his assistant, "that was quite possibly one of the toughest Duels I've fought so far... I'm still quite exhausted; both mentally and physically."

"Yeah, that Duel took a lot out of you..." Derpy told him. But she smiled and said, "But you won it, and that's what matters! Not only that, but you even managed to use that card Mrs. K gave you! That was the most amazing thing ever!"

Taking out the card in question, Hooves smiled and said to her, "I most certainly agree, Ms. Derpy. It was thanks to all of us, including Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord, that we emerged victorious today. Hopefully this card will aid us in our mission to collect the Numbers and save this world and the Astral World..."

"Speaking of Numbers..." the grey teen began to ask, "what happened with that Dark Matter Dragon monster? Where did it come from? And why did it seem intent on trying to make you lose the Duel?"

"I'm not sure why it was attempting to sabotage the Duel," The Doctor told her, "but as for where it came from, I think I may know..." He then took Dark Matter Dragon out of his deck box and placed it on the table between them. He then took out a second card and placed it down as well, right next to Dark Matter Dragon.

"That's the other Number you Summoned during the Duel, right?" Derpy asked him. "Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon? What does it have to do with all this?"

"If my theory is sound, then it has everything to do with it." Dr. Hooves answered. "If you recall, Dark Matter Dragon Summoned itself by using Prime Photon Dragon's power. It consumed Prime and siphoned its energy to bring itself out. And I believe that it was slowly drawing that energy from the moment I Summoned Prime."

"So you're saying that Dark Matter Dragon was...connected to Prime somehow?" inquired Derpy.

"I believe so." said The Doctor. "And once it emerged, an outside force began dictating its actions, doing whatever possible to prevent me from getting rid of it and winning the Duel. However, when I allowed it to be destroyed, it seemed to have also cut off its link to said outside force. Clearly this individual - whomever they are, was trying to wipe me out for some reason."

"That's pretty scary..." the grey girl stated. She then gasped after realizing another important fact. "Hold on! That's right! Wasn't Prime Photon Dragon given to us by that guy that contacted the Tardis a while ago?"

"Very observant, Ms. Derpy." Dr. Hooves complimented her. "You are right: It was the card we got that day, when we took on his request so long ago."

"...But...then that means... That means he could have had something to do with Dark Matter Dragon, right?" Derpy then asked her friend.

"It's highly possible that he may not have been aware of it." The Doctor told her. "But it is equally possible that he was planning to double-cross us this whole time. Until I can gather more facts, I cannot say for sure what his role in this is. What I do know is that, until we know for certain what this is all about, we have to be more cautious than ever."

"Why's that?"

The Doctor paused for a moment and stared at the three Number cards on the table. He then told his assistant, "It won't be long before this saboteur finds out that his plan to make me lose failed. When he does, he'll surely strike again, and we need to be ready for it, when the time comes. I'll admit...this could be too dangerous for you."

"...I'm pretty sure it will." Derpy told him. But she smiled and said to him, "But I won't let that scare me! I promised to help you save the world and I'm gonna keep it! Whoever this guy is that's out to get us, we'll stop him together!"

Dr. Hooves smiled, impressed by his friend's bravery. "I should have guessed that you would say such a thing. I am truly honored to have such a remarkable person such as you aiding me." he said to her. Putting on a look of determination, he added, "In that case, I shall not let this new enemy stand in our way! We'll defeat them and save this world together!"

"You bet we will, Doctor!" the grey-skinned teen spoke, happy to give her friend all the help she could give him. There was no doubt that, despite the emergence of another evil force, Dr. Hooves and Derpy would make sure that their world would be safe, both for themselves and everyone that lived in it. And with the help of their newest ally - Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord, they had nothing to fear as they continued on their mission.

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED / REVEALED:

Dr. Hooves (10 Numbers total):

Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon (previously obtained)
Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora
Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord
Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon

RANK 36: Raiders of the Lost Deck, Part 1:

Author's Note

As I wrote this, I originally planned for everything to happen in one episode. As you can tell, that didn't quite happen. Eventually, it started getting long, and I knew I didn't want to cut out anything, as there was a lot of important events that happen. So it ended up as a two-parter. :twilightblush:

I got to watch some of the WCQ online, particularly the scripted Duel. I must say, I kinda liked Ishizu's new, sassy attitude. :ajsmug:

RANK 36: Raiders of the Lost Deck, Part 1:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Sunset and her friends have had quite an eventful week during their Spring Break vacation. They had every intention of relaxing, enjoying themselves, and taking things easy. However, fate had other plans for all of them; each of the girls have gotten into exciting, and often nerve-racking situations that called upon their strong dueling skills (or the dueling skills of their companions) in order to resolve those situations. Even Derpy Hooves - along with her friend Dr. Hooves, encountered trouble on their way back home to the city. But during the Duel against the Number-possessed train conductor Steamer, Dr. Hooves managed to unlock the power of the blank Number given to him by Mrs. K - revealing the card as Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord.

Now that Spring Break is over, Sunset and her friends are on their way back to school for business as usual. Mrs. K is also up to some business of her own, as she is in possession of seven other blank Number cards that are showing signs of awakening...

It was an early Monday morning in the suburbs outside of Canterlot City. In the home of Mrs. K (known to few as Kisara), the pale-skinned woman was busy working at her desk, filling out some forms. Everything seemed normal at first... until the woman noticed a bright glow coming from her deck box, which was placed on the left side of the desk. "Hm? What is this...?" asked Mrs. K, putting her pen down for a moment to look at her Deck. Picking up the box and opening it, she pulled out her cards and searched through them. She then found where the glowing light was coming from: It was being emitted by one of her two Number cards: Number 46: Dragulon.

"...Dragulon?" she said in slight bewilderment. Putting the rest of her Deck on the desk and focusing her attention on the card in question, she asked it, "What is this? Did something happen...?" She then closed her eyes as the room was met with silence. Even so, it seemed that the mysterious woman could hear something no normal person could hear. Opening her eyes again, she then placed the Number card down and opened the drawer in her desk. Inside the drawer were seven blank cards, each one with a different color filling in the artwork area. In addition, the cards were emitting a light similar to the one surrounding Dragulon.

"...I see." Mrs. K said to herself. Taking the blank cards and placing them into her deck box along with Dragulon, she continued to speak, saying, "So the time has finally come... The return of The Order of Astral..." After saying those words, she walked over to a nearby phone, picked up the receiver, and began dialing it...

Meanwhile, on Canterlot High School's campus, five people were standing nearby the school's giant statue, seemingly waiting for someone. The five people were Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy - friends of Sunset Shimmer. They had all gotten back from their respective vacations, and they - along with Sunset, had agreed to meet up at the front of the school to talk about their experiences during Spring Break before attending class. So far, neither Sunset nor Twilight Sparkle had shown up at the meeting place.

Groaning a bit out of boredom, the ever-impatient Rainbow Dash asked her friends, "How much longer are Sunset and Twi gonna make us wait?"

"Ah'm sure it can't be that much longer, Rainbow..." Applejack told her. "But whinin' about it ain't gonna get 'em here any quicker." The rainbow-haired girl just huffed in response to her friend's comment.

"Although I am not nearly as impatient as Rainbow Dash," Rarity began to say, "I must admit, I am a bit anxious to see them both soon. According to Sunset, she has a surprise waiting for us all when she gets here."

"I wonder what it could be...?" asked Fluttershy.

"Hmmmmmm..." hummed Pinkie Pie. Gasping out of delight, she then asked her friends, "Do ya think she's bringing us all a gigantic birthday cake?!"

"I... highly doubt that, Pinkie." Rarity told her. "It's not anywhere NEAR Sunset's birthday yet."

"I know that, Rarity..." the pink girl replied. Her eyes widened a bit before she gave her fashionista friend a funny look and asked her, "Wait: Are you telling me that you ONLY ever have birthday cake when it's YOUR birthday? Not even just for a quick snack? Yeesh... and the fans think I'M the weird one."

Changing the subject, Applejack then told the others, "Well, Ah'm sure that whatever Sunset's got t' show us, it'll be worth the wait."

"It better..." Rainbow commented. "I mean, if I have t' wait this long for it, it BETTER be the coolest thing ever."

Not long after she said that, the five of them heard a loud noise from far away. Startled a little by the noise, Fluttershy asked the others, "Wh-wh-what was that??"

"Ah think it sounded like an... an engine of some sort." answered Applejack as she and the others glanced around, trying to find the source of the noise.

"Look! Over there!" shouted Pinkie, pointing towards the northern end of the street they were on. The others looked in the same direction and saw what appeared to be a person riding on a motorcycle, wearing a motorcycle helmet, a black jacket overtop a light-blue dress with transparent yellow frills, blue pants, and black boots. The driver was moving at a pretty fast clip, but started slowing down as they approached the school. "Hey... I think they're coming towards us!" the pink teen stated. The other four girls looked at one another, wondering who this person was as they stopped their bike in front of them all.

As it turned out, they knew who it was right away after the driver removed their helmet and revealed themselves: It was none other than Sunset Shimmer. "Hey, girls." she greeted them all. "Sorry I'm late: Ran into some traffic on the way over."

Sunset's friends gasped when they saw her arrive on such an impressive-looking vehicle. "...Yeah, that's definitely the coolest thing ever." stated Rainbow Dash in awe.

"Oh wow, Sunnie!! You got yourself a motorcycle!!" cheered Pinkie Pie.

"Duel Runner, to be more specific." Sunset informed her pink-skinned friend. "After the tournament that I was planning to go to was cancelled, I decided to head over to Bloodstone since I heard their driving school was the only one that issued out Duel Runner licenses." Pulling on her jacket a little to show it off, she added, "It's also where I got this new outfit."

"I was just about to say something about your new look!" stated Rarity. "I must say, I like it very much: The light blue colors really give you a soothing outward appearance."

"Thanks, Rarity. I thought the same thing myself when I bought it." the red-and-yellow girl replied. Looking around, she then asked, "Twilight hasn't come back here yet, has she?"

Shaking her head, Fluttershy answered her, "Sorry, she hasn't... We've been here for while, but she hasn't come out of the mirror yet..."

"I wrote to her to let her know where we'd be meeting." Sunset informed them. "I guess she must be tying up some loose ends before she leaves."

"Sounds like Twi t' me." Applejack commented. "Ah'm sure she'll get here sooner or later!"

At that moment, one of the mirrors on the side of the horse statue began to glow. "Look!" said Rarity. "The mirror portal! It's activating!"

"See, what'd Ah tell ya?" Applejack asked them. "Ah knew she'd be on her way." The six of them stared at the mirror portal, eagerly awaiting the return of their inter-dimensional friend.

Not long after the portal activated, a figure stepped out of it. It was Twilight Sparkle, returning from her vacation in Equestria. "Alright! We made it!" said the young Princess. Glancing behind her, she asked, "So was this trip through the portal a little easier this time, Spike?"

Popping out of her backpack, the young purple dragon (now transformed back into a puppy), answered his friend saying, "A little bit, Twilight... Could've been a lot less spinny, though..."

Not wasting any time, Pinkie Pie rushed over to Twilight and hugged her tightly, saying excitedly, "Welcome back, Twilight!! We're so happy to see you!! We missed ya so much!!"

"I'm - urk...! I'm happy to see you too, Pinkie...!" said the purple girl, her voice slightly strained from getting such a tight hug from the silly pink girl. "Think you could... let up on the hug a little...? I can hardly... breathe...!"

Upon hearing that, the silly pink girl let go of her friend before apologizing to her, saying, "S-sorry! Sometimes, when I get all super-excited, I don't know my own strength!"

"Yeah, I noticed that..." said the young Princess, recalling that the pony version of Pinkie gave equally-strong hugs as well. Turning over to Sunset Shimmer, she greeted her, saying, "Glad to see you again too, Sunset. I like your new look."

"Thanks, Twilight." the red-and-yellow girl replied. "I felt that I needed a slight wardrobe change - y'know, to go along with all of the other recent changes in my life." Twilight nodded, understanding what she meant. Sunset then said to everyone, "Well, now that everybody's here, let's talk about how we spent our week. Did you all have fun?"

The other girls paused for a moment, none of them answering right away. Finally, Rarity spoke up, telling her, "Well... let's just say that my vacation was... exciting. Perhaps a tad bit TOO exciting." Pinkie nodded to say that she felt the same way.

"Too exciting?" asked Sunset. "What do you mean?"

A few minutes later, Rarity and Pinkie Pie had finished telling everyone about how their trip in Manehattan was almost a disaster, thanks to a rather unruly local they had met. "You're kidding!" said a surprised Sunset, shocked from hearing what they had told her, as was everyone else. "Is that really what happened?!"

"It is most certainly true, alarming as it may have been." Rarity informed her friends. "While we were on our trip, we met a person named Diamondbright, who tried to have all sorts of bad things happen to us, including possessing one of us with a Number card!" She then shuddered a bit, still having not completely gotten over her traumatic experience with the Number she had owned.

"She tried to possess one of you with a Number?" asked Twilight. "Then that means she must be one of those Skyes Academy people, right?"

"That's where she said she came from." Rarity confirmed. "Honestly, if it weren't for Sweetie Belle beating her in a Duel, it would have been catastrophic."

"Wait, did you say Sweetie Belle dueled her?" asked Sunset. "And she won?"

"Yeah! You should've seen it, Sunnie!" Pinkie told her. "...Though that might have turned out bad, since that Diamondbright girl was after you specifically... So it probably was a GOOD thing that you weren't there!" Putting her smile back on, she added, "But yeah! Sweetie Belle beat that bad girl like it was nothing!"

"That's great to hear!" Sunset replied, very pleased to hear that Sweetie Belle - a Duelist she helped train, had managed to get her first true victory. Putting on a serious look again, she then asked Rarity, "So what happened to her? Diamondbright, I mean."

"After Sweetie Belle defeated her, she ran off." the violet-haired teen answered her. "Later, we found out that Diamondbright had been placed on the missing persons list since...over a year ago."

"She's been missin' for a year?" asked Applejack. "So how come she showed up now? An' why's she involved in that Skyes Academy place anyhoo?"

"I'm not sure, but I suspect she may show her face again soon." Rarity told her. "And I'm certain she hasn't forgotten what happened in Manehattan; I just hope that we can deal with her when she comes back." Turning over to Rainbow Dash, she asked her, "So... how was your trip with your parents and Scootaloo?"

"Hm? How was it?" asked the cyan-skinned girl. "Well, we did go over t' Cheese Sandwich's place, like I said we would. Only, when we got there, we found out some jerky bully named Garble was terrorizin' everybody."

Upon hearing that name, Spike shuddered a bit and his pupils shrunk. "What'd you say?!" he asked. "There's a Garble in this world too??" Folding his arms (or rather, his forelegs), he then grumbled, "Great... The last thing we need around here is another one of HIM..."

"...Uh, what's with Spike?" Rainbow asked Twilight.

"It's a long story," the purple-skinned girl began, "but in my world, Garble's this dragon that Spike met a while ago. For Spike's sake, I'll leave out the details... but let's just say that there's some bad blood between them."

Rainbow nodded to say that she got the gist of it before continuing with her story. "So as I was sayin'," she resumed, "this Garble jerk was scarin' off the customers for a while. But then Scootaloo trashed the guy in a Turbo Duel! That jerk didn't know what hit 'im!"

"That's good." Sunset said to her. "I'll have to go and tell both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle that I'm very impressed with their progress as Duelists, especially since they seemed to be using their skills for the greater good." She then turned to Applejack and asked her, "On that subject, have Apple Bloom or Babs improved since I last saw them?"

"Well, Babs certainly did." the farmer girl answered her. "She an' I went t' go see mah old friend Cherry Jubilee over in Dodge Junction. Cherry called me some time ago 'cause she had a card t' give t' Babs, and when we got there, we helped her out a bit on her farm, and the two of them even had a Duel with each other." Pausing for a second, she then added, "As for Apple Bloom, Ah heard that she had a Duel with Big Mac, but she lost. But mah bro told me that it was actually a pretty close game; it really could've gone either way."

Smiling, Twilight then said, "Well, it sure sounds like they've been getting better since we last saw them duel, don't you think Sunset?"

"I agree." the red-and-yellow girl responded. "With some more work, those four could very well be Pro Duelists someday." Folding her arms, she added, "On that note, I also met someone in Bloodstone that I think will be an amazing Duelist too: Her name's Ember."

"Ember?" asked Twilight, not recognizing the name as anyone she knew in Equestria.

"Kinda sounds like it could be a dragon's name, doesn't it?" asked Spike. "It sounds kinda tough."

"Well, she is." Sunset told him. "Though when I dueled her the first time, she was flustered over some issues she had with her father, and she lost pretty badly. That's when I found out that her father had tried to ban her from dueling. But I helped her stand up to him, and after they had a Duel with each other, he decided to let her become a Duelist after all. And now that she's gotten past all of that drama, I'd love to take her on again... And when I do, I know she'll be playing at her absolute best." Everyone else hoped that would happen too, even though they didn't know who Ember was.

Turning over to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash asked her, "So, Flutters... How was your trip to that nature park place?"

The shy girl hesitated at first. "Um... well, I... ummm..."

"...Don't tell me something happened to you as well?" Rarity asked her.

Nodded slightly, Fluttershy answered her, saying, "...Yes. When we got to Rainbow Falls, everything seemed normal at first... But then we found out that their new accountant - Fast Buck, was trying to steal the park and destroy it to build a resort..."

"I heard about that on the news!" Pinkie exclaimed. "He was working for Deltria Resorts, right?" Fluttershy nodded yes.

"I heard about that as well." Rarity chimed in. "After an interrogation, Fast Buck revealed that his company had made some other illicit deals in order to expand their business. After that, several top-class investigators began digging around for evidence to use against Deltria Resorts...There are even rumors floating around that all the bad publicity could possibly cause the company to go bankrupt - what with all the possible fines they may have to pay and all."

Smirking, Dash then said, "And I'll bet that Fluttershy was the one responsible for stoppin' that Fast Buck guy in the first place, right?"

"Um... I guess I did have a small part in all of it, I guess..." Fluttershy said, quietly and modestly. Sighing, she added, "Even though that accountant was so cruel, I feel a little sorry for him; he had all that money and everything, but he seemed so miserable deep down inside... Maybe he wouldn't have been so bad if he learned how to be happier with his life..."

"Aw, don't worry 'bout him, Sugarcube." Applejack said to her. "We're just proud t' hear that ya'll stood up n' fought for what ya believed in. You're gettin' tougher n' tougher every day, y'know?"

"Oh... my... You really think so?" asked the shy girl, blushing and giggling a little.

"So what about you, Twilight?" Sunset asked her inter-dimensional friend. "Did your vacation take a more exciting and dangerous turn too?"

"Yeah, you could say that," the young Princess replied, "and not to toot my own horn, but I might have you all beat on the 'exciting and dangerous' part:" Clearing her throat, Twilight told them all, "After I came back to Equestria, I planned on spending time with my Ponyville friends, and for the first day, everything was fine."

"And then what happened?" asked Rarity.

"When I went to sleep for the night, I was attacked by this evil shadow in my dreams." the purple girl answered.

"Did this 'evil shadow' have sharp razors on his fingers and wear a striped sweater?" asked Pinkie. "If he did, then you might wanna lay off on the horror movies, especially before you go to bed, Twilight."

Shaking her head no, Twilight then told her, "No, it wasn't anything like that. As it turned out, a Number card somehow followed me back into Equestria and managed to literally get inside my head."

"What?! You're serious?!" exclaimed Sunset.

"I am." Twilight confirmed. "My dark side managed to get ahold of it and tried to use it to get rid of me forever. That way, she could take over my body and conquer all of Equestria. Luckily... that didn't happen." She then presented the Number card her dark half used that night: Number 98: Antitopian. She continued her tale, telling them all, "Utopia and I managed to defeat my dark side and banish her into the deepest parts of my mind. And hopefully she'll stay there."

"Woah..." Sunset responded, shocked by what she heard, as were the others. Putting on a serious face, she then presumed, "It's just a hunch, but I don't think that Number just came out of nowhere, Twilight."

"I was thinking that too." the Princess of Friendship agreed. "I think someone planted it on me somehow, possibly the night before I left through the portal."

"In that case, I'll talk to Manny and see if he can do something about it." the red-and-yellow girl suggested. She then said to the others, "Well, even though our Spring Break didn't turn out to be as relaxing as we wished it would have, at least we can be happy in knowing that - no matter what obstacles stand in our way, we have the power to overcome them."

"And every new challenge that we face will only help us become stronger inside." Rarity chimed in, agreeing with Sunset.

"You've got it, Rarity!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Th-that being said..." began Fluttershy, "I do sort of hope that our next Spring Break won't be as stressful or dangerous as this one was."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that..." said Pinkie Pie, shifting her eyes and then reaching into her hair, pulling out what looked like a script of some sort. On the back of it was what seemed to be a title, but her hand covered most of it; all that could be seen was a date: March 30.

Checking her cellphone clock, Sunset told her companions, "Well, we'd better get in the school building; Classes will be starting soon." Everyone else nodded and walked towards the school's front doors. But when Sunset tried to open them, they remained closed. "Huh? The doors are locked?" asked the red-and-yellow teen. "But it's 7:50; the doors should be open by now."

"That's not the only thing:" Twilight told her. "There's nopon- I mean, noBODY else here. We're the only ones on the campus."

"Yeah, she's right!" said Rainbow Dash, quickly looking around the area around them. Sure enough, the group of seven girls (and one puppy) saw that there was no one around for miles.

"How did we not notice that earlier?" Rarity asked.

"Ah guess we were just that engaged in talkin' 'bout our vacations, that we didn't think about it..." Applejack answered her.

"Oh my... I hope there isn't something wrong with the school..." said a worried Fluttershy. "Sh-should we just go home...?"

"No way, Fluttershy!" Pinkie told her. "If we do that, then the episode'll end too early! If we just stick around a TEEEEEENSY bit longer, something will happen that'll get things moving again, I'm sure of it!" Of course, the others had no idea what she was talking about.

At that moment, a woman walked towards the school, stopping when she approached Sunset and her friends. "What are all of you doing here?" she asked them.

The others glanced towards the source of the voice and saw that it was none other than Vice Principal Luna speaking to them. "Ms. Luna?" Rarity asked. "Is that you?"

"See? I told you...!" Pinkie said in a slight whisper.

"Um, Luna... Why are the doors locked?" Sunset asked the Vice Principal. "It's Monday, isn't it?"

"Hmmm... I guess none of you got the email that my sister sent." the dark-blue woman told them. "Though it was a bit last-minute, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised." She then explained to them all, "We had to close the school today: Just yesterday, the main water pipe sprung a leak and caused some damage to the basement. It's going to take at least until Wednesday to completely repair the pipe AND the basement. Until then, we don't have any functioning bathrooms or anything of the sort."

"Oh, I see now... That's why the school's closed." Twilight said, understanding the situation.

"But then why're you here, Ms. Luna?" asked Applejack.

"My sister asked me to meet with the plumber and supervise the whole thing." Luna answered. "Normally she would be the one to do that, but she had other important work to do in the meantime."

"Oh, THAT'S great..." huffed Rainbow Dash. "Y'mean I walked all the way out here for nothin'?!"

"Well...not necessarily, Ms. Dash." the Vice Principal told her. "There is actually another reason I'm here: I was going to call all of you to meet me here, at the front of the school. Of course, you have saved me such trouble as the seven of you are here already."

"Why did you want to meet with us here...? If you don't mind me asking..." Fluttershy inquired.

"Well, I'll admit it is a bit unusual..." Luna started to explain. She then asked, "You remember our newest hire, Mrs. K?" The girls nodded to say that they did. "Well, for some reason, she called me earlier and requested to see all of you specifically."

"She...wants to see all of us?" asked Sunset. "Why? What does she want with us?"

"I'll answer that question for Ms. Luna." said the voice of another woman. Everyone looked over towards the front parking lot, where a pale-skinned woman with silver-blue hair stood on the driver's side of a small, white car. It was, of course, Mrs. K standing there.

"Mrs. K...?" asked Sunset. "What's going on? Why did you want to see us?"

"Do not worry: I'll be happy to explain everything in my classroom once Ms. Luna unlocks the doors." the mysterious woman told her. The Vice Principal then walked towards the front doors of the school and unlocked them. Once that was said and done, Mrs. K started walking inside with Luna, telling the girls, "If you would be so kind as to follow me, I'll tell you what you wish to know." Sunset and her friends looked at each other for a second or two before deciding to follow the two of them inside the empty school.

"A field trip?" asked Twilight's voice from inside one of CHS's classrooms - the same room where Mrs. K was going to teach her history class very soon. Twilight, along with Sunset and the others, were meeting with the new history teacher along with Vice Principal Luna to discuss the reason as to why they had been asked to see them in the first place.

"That is correct, Ms. Sparkle." Mrs. K said with a nod. "I would like to invite the seven of you to come to the Pranceton Museum, owned by an old friend and colleague of mine. As you know, this is the start of a new semester for you all, and had the school not been closed you would have been attending my class today." Smiling, she then told them, "So I decided that, if I can't teach my history class here, then what better place to do so than in a history museum?"

"I must admit, that's a pretty neat idea..." stated Sunset. She then asked the teacher, "But why just the seven of us? Why not the rest of the class? I'm sure there's way more students than my friends and I."

"I know it is a bit sudden and unusual, but of the students that I have attending my history class this year, I feel that you would appreciate going on this trip the most." Mrs. K told them.

"How so?" Rarity inquired.

"Because the archeology team that my colleague leads had unearthed some very interesting relics during a recent dig..." the pale-skinned woman replied. Searching around her desk, she found the papers that she was looking for and presented them before the girls. "This is what had been discovered." she told them all.

The teens gasped when they saw that the pictures on the papers looked shockingly familiar. "Hey! Check it out!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Those look kinda like Duel Monsters!"

"And not just any Duel Monsters..." said Fluttershy, noticing something else familiar about them. "They almost look like those Number cards...!" She knew because the picture she was looking at was a carving that resembled Rhapsody in Berserk - the first Number card they ever had seen. It even had the same 80-shaped symbol next to it.

"Yeah! She's right!" Applejack commented, seeing a carving of Number 16: Shock Master. "These are all Numbers!" Rarity noticed that too, looking at another carving... and shuddered when saw that it was none other than Number 52: Diamond Crab King, the Number that had possessed her. All of the Numbers' carvings had their symbols placed right next to them somewhere.

But it was the picture that Sunset and Twilight were looking at that intrigued them the most: The carved stone displayed a picture of a large, white circle, with eight more circles - each one in a different color, sticking out of it. "Look at this, Twilight..." Sunset told her, pointing to a shape in the center of the white circle. "It looks just like my necklace!"

"It does...!" Twilight responded, also very surprised to see such a thing. "Do you think that this stone has some kind of connection to that Astral World place?"

At that moment, the young Princess heard the voice of her friend, Utopia, in her mind. (It appears so, Twilight...) the golden warrior told her. (It is only a feeling...but I am certain that there is indeed a link between this relic and the Astral World.)

Humming a bit to herself while she paged through the papers, Sunset then asked Mrs. K, "Where is this archeological dig taking place?"

"Nowhere near here, I'm afraid." the history teacher admitted. "While they are currently housed in Pranceton Museum, these relics were originally unearthed at a site nearby the Himalayan Mountains."

(Wait... the Himalayas?) the red-and-yellow girl asked in her mind. She then remembered hearing something about that area from Zecora when they met with her a while ago. (According to Zecora,) she thought to herself, (that's the place where she found my key necklace, and that it had a connection to the Astral World. And that's apparently where the Number cards also come from...) Sunset wasn't completely sure about everything yet, but she felt that going on this trip would help to answer some questions regarding the Astral World.

Putting away her papers, Mrs. K then made her offer again, telling the girls, "As I have stated before, I would like for the seven of you to accompany me to the museum and see the relics in person. If you wish to come with me, and your parents approve of it, then we will all meet at the front of the school tomorrow, at this exact time... What do you say?"

The seven girls (and one puppy) looked at one another, thinking about whether or not to take up her offer. However, Sunset had already come to a decision. Putting her hand on Mrs. K's desk firmly, she told her, "I'm in."

The other girls let out small gasps, amazed that Sunset had come to her decision so quickly... All except for Twilight, who also put her hand on the desk and said, "Count me in, too!"

"Same here!" said Spike from inside of Twilight's backpack.

Seeing that two of their friends had made up their minds, the others were spurred into doing the same. "Well, Ah guess if y'allre gonna go, then I'll join, too." stated Applejack.

"Same here!" shouted Pinkie with her usual level of enthusiasm

"That goes for me as well." Rarity chimed in, not about to be left out of it all.

"...I guess I could go if that's okay with everyone else." Fluttershy said a bit meekly. She then asked, "Are you going to go too, Rainbow Dash...?"

"Uh, I guess if all of you are." the cyan girl answered. "T' be honest, though... I'd rather stay home tomorrow and relax a bit; During the Spring Break, I got the new Daring Do book that came out, but I hadn't gotten t' read it yet."

"Oh? You're a Daring Do fan, Ms. Dash?" asked Mrs. K. "It's funny that you should mention that: As it turns out, the museum director is none other than the author of Daring Do herself, A.K. Yearling."

Rainbow's pupils dilated upon hearing that. "Wait-wait-wait-wait... What'd you say??" she asked in disbelief. "A.K. runs the museum? For reals?!" The history teacher smiled and nodded yes in response. Her attitude about the trip having completely changed, the cyan teen said in an excited tone, "Why didn't ya say that sooner?!? You better believe that I'm goin' on the trip! Absolutely!!"

"Figures." Sunset said with a bit of a smirk. "Ever since I got her into reading the Daring Do books, she became a superfan almost overnight."

"Same with my world's Rainbow Dash." Twilight commented. "Once she read the first book during a trip to the hospital, there was no stopping her. Would you believe that she actually tried to break into that same hospital just to finish the story without anypony knowing?" The jacket-wearing teen nodded to say that she could believe something like that.

"Well, if all that's settled," Mrs. K told them, "then I'd like you all to arrive here tomorrow before 8 o' clock in the morning. The museum isn't terribly far from here, but it will still be a long trip. I hope to see all of you bright and early tomorrow. For now, you are all dismissed." The girls nodded and left the school to return home. As they walked away, Sunset and Twilight looked back at the classroom they had exited: They were still a bit curious as to the new teacher's unusual request and wondered if there was more to this trip than what was on the surface...

Later that day, Sunset and Twilight returned to the apartment building (after having made a quick stop at a card store to see they had anything new). After having told the landlord, Manny Roar, about the intruder that had gotten into their room a week ago, he told them that he would do his best to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Satisfied, the two girls returned to Sunset's apartment together.

As Twilight looked over her Deck with Spike (who was happily munching on some popcorn), she said to Sunset, "It's kinda neat isn't it? To be going to a museum for what is technically our first day with the new teacher? I can't wait to see it all!" When she didn't receive a response, the young Princess put her cards down and looked over at Sunset, who was on her couch and lying down on her back. "Sunset? Is something the matter?" she then asked her.

"Not really, no..." the red-and-yellow girl answered. "It's just that... doesn't this all seem odd to you?"

"Odd?" asked Spike with a mouthful of popcorn. Swallowing it all down, he then questioned her, "What makes you say that? She seemed pretty on-the-level to me."

"Perhaps..." Sunset replied. Pausing for a moment, she then inquired them, "But...doesn't it seem strange that, out of all of the people that are in Mrs. K's class, why did she only invite us and our friends? It can't possibly be just a coincidence."

"Hmmmm...now that you mention it, it does seem weird." Twilight stated, now seeing what her friend was talking about. "You think she might be up to something?"

"Well...I don't think she's an enemy, if that's what you're asking." stated Sunset. "That being said, I DO think she has some sort of agenda going on, like there's more to this than what we know. To be honest, it's kind of the reason I agreed to go on the trip."

"It is?" asked both Twilight and Spike.

Looking over to the purple-skinned girl, Sunset then asked her, "Remember when we saw her at the card shop that closed down? Before we left, she started asking me about my necklace; about what it was and where it came from."

"Yeah, I remember." the Princess of Friendship answered. "It almost seemed like she might have already known about its origins when she asked you about it."

"That's the feeling that I got." Sunset replied. Looking at her necklace, she then said, "I think she might know more about this thing than she's making herself seem... And if that's the case, I have to get that information out of her somehow. It could make a huge difference with our battles against the other Numbers."

"Makes sense to me." said Spike, agreeing with Sunset's idea.

"Maybe, but let's not do anything rash, just in case it is a coincidence." Twilight suggested. "And if she is keeping information from us, there could be a reason why she's doing that."

"That's true, Twilight." the red-and-yellow teen responded. "In any case, we have to at least try and see if she can tell us anything she might know." Getting up off of the sofa, she then told her friend, "We'd better make sure we're ready to leave bright and early tomorrow. So I wouldn't recommend staying up 'til midnight studying dueling footage online like I know you do."

"Aheheh...yeah, that's probably a good idea." Twilight responded, giggling a little out of embarrassment. The three of them began getting their things together to prepare for their field trip tomorrow.

At 7:58 a.m. the next morning, in front of the school, a large bus was parked on the street, its engine still running. The bus was waiting to take Sunset and her friends - as well as Mrs. K, to the museum owned and operated by the history teacher's colleague, A.K. Yearling. Luckily, each of the seven girls had gotten permission to accompany Mrs. K on the trip (in the case of Sunset and Twilight, Celestia and Luna acted as their guardians, since their families were in a whole other universe).

The seven teenagers sat next to each other inside of the bus, waiting for Mrs. K to arrive. Of course, they each brought their Decks with them, since the museum exhibit was related to Duel Monsters. "So ya managed to finish that new F.A. Deck o' yours, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked.

"Yep! Got the last card I needed durin' the week off." the cyan-skinned girl replied. "I can't wait t' try 'em out!" She then glanced over to Fluttershy and asked her, "When we get back, think maybe you n' I could do a practice Duel with my Formula Athletes?"

"Uhmmm... I guess so." the shy girl replied, never one to refuse a request from her friends.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was giggling as she stared at two of her new cards. Rarity - who was sitting next to her, glanced over to look at the cards herself. "Oh my!" the fashionista said with a gasp. "You managed to get that rare card, Pinkie?"

"You mean this one?" asked Pinkie, holding up a card that showed a picture of a tiny little gnome girl with a pink, cone-shaped hat holding up a sign. "Yeah, I can't believe I got it either! Talk about getting super-duper lucky!" She then asked her friend, "Did you get anything new lately? Something that'll be really, really helpful in a future episode or something?"

"Um... well, it isn't much," Rarity responded, "but I did get these while we were in Manehattan." She then showed the pink girl three copies of a card called Power Giant. "A bit on the brutish-looking side, but I just can't say 'no' to those lovely-looking crystals growing out of it!"

Sunset and Twilight sat next to each other, with Spike sitting on the young Princess's lap. The two were still unsure about some things concerning the trip, but decided to not mention anything about it right now. Glancing out the window, Twilight saw a white car pulling into the parking lot. Recognizing it, she said to Sunset, "Mrs. K's here now. That means we should be leaving pretty shortly."

"And hopefully we'll figure out what she's up to." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "For now, let's just enjoy the trip to the museum and not say anything yet about what her deal is."

"Sounds good to me." agreed Spike. Twilight nodded to say that she agreed as well.

After having gotten some things out of her car, Mrs. K then boarded the bus and walked over to the group of seven girls (and one puppy). Smiling, she said to them, "I am glad to see that all of you could make it here today. That's good." Clearing her throat a little, she then told them, "The trip to Pranceton Museum will be a relatively long one. I trust that all of you are prepared, but just in case, if anybody needs to use the bathroom, get any snacks, or anything of the sort, this is your last opportunity, as we will not be making any pit stops."

Everybody nodded to say that they were well-prepared for the long drive.

"Good." said the teacher. "Then if everyone is ready, we'll be leaving immediately." She then motioned to the bus driver to begin the trip. He shifted gears - switching from park to drive, and began moving the bus forward. And with that, Sunset, Twilight, and their companions were on their way. As Mrs. K had told them, the trip would be somewhat long, but enjoyable.

Some time later, at the very museum that was their destination, a young adult woman was busy at work. The museum was still closed to the general public, but there were a few employees working to get things ready before they opened the doors. The woman was at a desk in a small office, and based on the nameplate attached to the front door, it was assumed that she was none other than A.K. Yearling, the museum owner (and well-known book author).

A.K. had light gold-colored skin and grey hair in various different shades covered by a silvery-gray hat topped with a white ribbon. A pair of red-rimmed glasses rested overtop of her rose-colored eyes. Her outfit was a simple dress with a purple-colored cloak overtop of it, and a pair of black high-heeled shoes. As she worked on some papers spread out on her desk, she heard a knock on her door. "Come in." she said.

The door opened and in walked one of the employees, as well as a security guard. "The display from the recent dig is all set up, Ms. Yearling." the employee told her.

"Good to hear." the woman told him. She then turned to the guard and handed him a photograph for him to look at. "This is my colleague, Mrs. K." she told him. "In about a half-hour, she'll be arriving with a group of students from Canterlot High School, before the museum actually opens to the public. Keep an eye out for her and her group and allow them inside once they get here."

"You've got it, Ms. Yearling!" the guard said with a nod, handing her back the picture before he and the other employee left.

A.K. Yearling sat there at her desk, looking at the photograph of Mrs. K and then at the clock in the room (which currently read 9:15 a.m.). (It'll be nice to see her again after she went and decided to go teach at CHS...) she thought. (I still remember back when was I at school there; I wonder if Mr. Cranky Doodle still teaches his Math Class?) Putting the photo down for the moment, she then thought, (But that K...she was...quite unique, to put it mildly. She was an amazing archeologist when we worked together. She seemed to know so much about the stuff that we dug up, like she'd already seen it before... I never asked her why that was, or why she decided to become a teacher all of a sudden. I doubt she'd say much, but maybe I can ask her when she gets here. Who knows? I might even come up with a new story idea today while I'm at it.)

But little did A.K. know was that a thrilling and dangerous tale was about to come her way. Outside of her office in the halls of the museum, the security guard was making his way to the front doors, where another guard - who had a slight amount of stubble on his chin, was currently located. "Time to change shifts." said the approaching guard to the other one. "I'll take care of watching the front. You can go and check on things near the new exhibit."

"Um...yes, of course." the other guard said, his voice a bit strained.

"...You alright?" asked the first guard. "Your voice is soundin' weird again. Another sore throat?"

"...Um, yes... I-I believe it is." the other guard answered, making small coughing sounds. "It's nothing, though... A little cough syrup and it should be manageable."

"Alright, if you're sure about it." the first guard said to him. "Anyway, the boss has the keys to the room where the new exhibit is, so go and talk to her about it."

"Yes, of course..." the other guard replied, walking away. As he did, a wicked-looking grin formed on his face and a slight glimmer reflected off his right eye. The guard made his way down the halls to where A.K.'s office was. He remained silent as he walked down the halls, as if he had an agenda of his own.

Stepping into the office, he approached the woman sitting at the desk and said to her, "I've...come to get the keys to the new exhibit, Ms. Yearling... I was told that you had them."

Looking up at the guard, A.K. said nothing at first. She just stared right at him, as if something felt off. However, with everything else that she had to take care of today, she decided not to say anything about it and told him, "Very well." She then reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out a small key. She used it on a lock in one of her desk drawers, opening it and revealing some items inside: A set of keys (presumably the keys that the man was talking about), several documents, and a Duel Monsters Deck in a small box. The guard looked in the drawer after it was opened; it seemed that the contents inside peaked his interest.

Taking out the keys in the drawer, Yearling presented him with them and said, "As you may know, these keys are for every door and lock in this entire museum, and it would take several days to replace them all... They're very important, so don't lose them."

"...You don't have to worry about that, Ms. Yearling." the guard told her. Then, all of a sudden, the man produced a hidden white cloth from his uniform and pushed it up against A.K.'s face. "You have much bigger things to worry about instead...!" he then added, an evil grin appearing on his face.

"Urk...!" A.K. had only a second to figure out what was going on...before her eyes grew heavy and she slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"That chloroform rag should keep you out of commission for a while..." the man said to her, even though he knew she wouldn't respond. Walking over to her desk, he then grabbed the documents and the Deck that were in the drawer. "Now that I've gotten these, all that's left are those newly-discovered relics..." Snickering to himself, he then left the room, thinking that everything was going according to plan...

Unbeknownst to him, however, A.K. had opened one of her eyes...

Less then a half-hour later, the bus that Sunset and her friends were riding in arrived at the Pranceton Museum. Now that they had reached their destination, the seven teens were anxious to get out of the bus and into the building. Pinkie Pie was especially anxious to get inside...but not to look at the exhibit. From her straining, sweating face, as well as her trembling body, it was obvious what was going on. "Rrrrrrn... Errrrrrrg...!" she grunted, her legs crossed. "I can't take it anymore...! I gotta go...!!"

"See? I TOLD you not to drink all of that Colta-Cola five minutes into our bus trip, Pinkie dear." Rarity reminded her sternly. "You're lucky that you only began having...erm, 'issues' just as we got into town."

Pinkie wasn't listening, as she was focusing all of herself on trying not to explode. As soon as the bus came to a complete stop, she zipped out of the vehicle like a lightning bolt. She stopped in front of the main entrance and pounded on the glass doors, shouting, "Please!! Let me in! Let me in! Let me in!! I gotta go like a race horse!!!" Then, all of a sudden, she changed to a calmer tone and said (seemingly to no one), "Heehee! See what I did there?"

The security guard standing on the other side of the doors looked at the struggling pink girl. Opening the door, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can I help you, young lady?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-yes you c-c-can...!!" she told him as best as she could. "I gotta go really bad...! REALLY BAD!!"

Narrowing his eyes, the unconvinced guard told her, "Ya think I just fell off turnip truck yesterday? The museum's closed; I ain't lettin' ya in!"

"But ya GOTTA!!" Pinkie pleaded with him, hopping around like a flea and clutching the hem of her skirt. "If you don't, I'll blow up for sure!!! I KNOW IT!!!"

"I said NO!!" the guard informed her again.

Just outside of the bus, Sunset, Twilight and the others could only watch as their silly pink friend tried everything she could to convince the security guard to let her inside. Mrs. K had now just gotten out of the bus after getting all of her belongings. Looking over at Pinkie, the teacher then said to the others, "I suppose I had better go and sort this out before there's a disaster."

"Yeah, ya probably oughtta." Applejack agreed. The rest of the group then made their way to the main entrance to try and help their burdened friend.

Once the rest of the group got to where the security guard and Pinkie were, the man then asked them, "What's going on here? Who are all of you?"

Taking a deep breath, Mrs. K told him, "Please forgive my student; she is having...a problem, to put it mildly. I can assure you she has no intentions of purposely causing you any trouble." Showing an I.D. cad, she explained to him, "I am Mrs. K, teacher at Canterlot High School. I've come here with some students of mine with Ms. Yearling's permission."

"Mrs. K?" asked the security guard, recognizing the name. "So you were the one Ms. Yearling asked me to let in. I guess that explains what you're doing here." Sighing, he then added, "Even so, however...I'm afraid I can't let you in right this moment; something's come up and until we take care of it, you'll just have to wait for now."

"Why...? What happened?" the teacher asked out of slight concern.

But before any more words could be said, Pinkie Pie then screamed, "I-I-I can't WAIT ANY LONGER!!! I GOTTA GO!!!" And before any force on Earth could stop her, she ran in through the open door and into the museum, hoping to find her destination before it was too late.

"H-HEY!! Get back here!!" shouted the guard. But the pink girl was completely out of his sight. Groaning, he asked himself, "Rrrgh...why me...?" He then looked at the rest of the group and told them, "Well you might as well come in now, before your friend hurts herself 'r something. But nobody leaves my sight, got it?"

"We promise to stay nearby." said Mrs. K. Sunset and the others nodded to say that they promised to as well. After that, they all ran into the museum in search of Pinkie.

Minutes later, the group of eight turned up nothing while looking for Pinkie Pie throughout the spacious building. "Darnit...! We'll never find her at this rate!" complained Rainbow Dash. "There's gotta be like, a hundred bathrooms in here!"

"We'll find her sooner or later, Rainbow." Twilight told her. "She can't be that far. If I were her at least, I'd have probably gotten into the first bathroom I could find. That being said, there's no telling which one she found first..."

"In that case, since this search might take a while..." Sunset began. She then turned to the guard and asked him, "Maybe you could tell us what's going on that you couldn't let us inside right away?"

"I must admit, I am curious about that as well." stated Mrs. K. "Did something bad happen?"

Hufing a little, the man sighed and told the young teacher, "Well, I suppose if you must know, we've learned that - besides your student just now, there's an intruder in the museum."

"An intruder?" asked Rarity. "What sort of intruder?"

"We don't know yet." the guard answered. "And we're not sure how they got in or why they're here. But we figure that they must be here to try and steal something."

"Oh...my...!" peeped Fluttershy. "That doesn't sound good at all...! Now I kind of wish we just stayed back at the bus..."

"Don't worry." Rainbow Dash reassured her shy friend. "We'll be fine as long as we stick together. Trust me, I won't let anything happen to ya."

The shy yellow girl smiled a bit and said, "Thanks... I feel a little better knowing that."

"That goes fer all'o us, too." Applejack chimed in. "As long as we're all together, ain't nothing bad's gonna happen to us!" Looking around, she added, "Of course, we still need t' find Pinkie before we CAN all be together..."

Just then, another security guard - younger than the one walking with Mrs. K and her students, ran up to the group and said to the other guard, "I'm glad I found you! We've learned where the intruder is!"

"Good." the older guard said, thinking that they had gotten a clue to Pinkie Pie's whereabouts. "Where is she?" he then asked.

"Um...she? They aren't a 'she'." the younger guard explained. "HE'S currently in the room where the new exhibit is located."

The others gasped, realizing that the younger guard was talking about the OTHER intruder. Realizing that their main target's location was known, the older guard then told the group, "Stay close to me, everyone. Just in case this guy has any accomplices or weapons, I want ya to stay near me where I can keep an eye on ya." The rest of them nodded and followed him towards their next destination.

In that very room, the short-bearded security guard that had previously paid A.K. a visit in her office was now walking through the unlit area, using the very keys he took from her to unlock display case after display case, pilfering the relics housed inside. Chuckling to himself, the man said, "Perfect... These particular artifacts will fetch quite a high price on the black market! And best of all, no one has any idea that I'm even here!" Hoisting up his bag of loot, he told himself in a bragging tone of voice (which had a bit of a Spanish accent to it), "By the time those fools realize what has happened, I'll be MILES away from here! Ha ha haaa!!" He continued to laugh as he went over to the door to open it.

But he noticed that something was wrong: The door was locked. "What? What is going on??" he asked. "I unlocked this door in order to get inside, and I know for certain that I didn't re-lock it..." Confused, he set the bag down and tried the keys. However, they didn't seem to work, as the door still didn't open. "Wh-what?! What's wrong with this door?!" he shouted. "Why won't it open?!?" He struggled to get the door open, but it wouldn't budge. He was trapped. Growling, he then looked through the window and gasped in horror at what he saw...

It was the two security guards, along with Mrs. and her students, who were on their way towards the room he was in. Sweating and even more baffled than before, he asked himself, "The guards?!? That's impossible!!"

Stopping in front of the closed door, the older of the two security guards said to him, "So, it was you all along, wasn't it? I had a feeling you were up to no good... If you thought you could just rob this museum in broad daylight and get away scot-free, you're absolutely crazy!" The crook simply grumbled in response.

Mrs. K and the others looked at the criminal through the door's glass window. For some reason, Sunset, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash had a strange feeling come over them upon looking at the man's bearded face. "Hmmm...why do I have this weird feelin' that I've seen that guy before?" asked Dash.

"I got that same feeling myself." Sunset told her. "I'm sure I've never met him before, so why does he looks so familiar?"

Twilight hummed to herself, trying to figure out where and when she could have possibly seen someone like this crook. "It doesn't make any sense... Who could he be?" she asked.

The crook had some questions of his own. "What's going on here?!" he inquired angrily. "How did you know I was here?! There's no way you could have possibly found me out!!"

"Oh, there's a way..." said the voice of a woman.

Everyone started looked around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. Just then, Rarity pointed towards the door window and shouted, "Look! In that air vent!" Everybody then looked towards the air vent in the room that the crook was trapped in. The cover had been removed and a figure leapt out, landing perfectly on the floor below. The mysterious individual then produced what appeared to be a small remote and clicked it, turning on all of the lights. It was then that the figure was revealed to be none other than a smirking A.K. Yearling.

"WHAT?! YOU?!?" exclaimed the crook. "How?! I thought I took care of you already!!"

"...You THINK you did. But as always, you're quite wrong." the woman told him. "Luckily, I saw what you were trying to do, so I held my breath just a split-second before you used that chloroform rag on me. After that, it was just a matter of making it look like I was knocked-out so that you'd drop your guard. Not that your trick would've worked anyway; even with a proper dosage, it would take way longer for that stuff to knock me out, and by the time it would have reached my face, it would have lost most - if not all, of its effectiveness." Folding her arms, she continued, saying, "After you left, I sent out an alert to the rest of my security to have them electronically lock the doors on this side to trap you in the room. I suppose you would have known about this...if you bothered to also steal a radio along with that uniform."

"Urk!!" The man then realized that HE was the one that had no idea what was really going on. "How dare you trick me!!" he shouted.

"Don't get angry at me; Did you honestly think I wouldn't have learned from the LAST time you used the old chloroform trick?" A.K. asked him.

"What?? What are you talking about?" asked the criminal.

A.K. chuckled a bit as she grasped her hat. She then threw it off, along with her cloak and her fancy dress. Everyone gasped when they saw that she was wearing an entirely different outfit underneath. She was now decked out in an greyish-green explorer's outfit, along with a beige hat and a pair of long, brown boots. In addition, she also let her hair down, revealing it to be rather long. Then, she took of her glasses and stored them in her chest pocket.

Gasping, the man said in a horrified voice. "N-n-no!! It can't be!!! You're...! You're...!"

"It's Daring Do!!!" shouted Rainbow Dash in excitement. "She's real!!" Everyone else was also astounded by this revelation. All except for Twilight and Spike, as they already knew that A.K.'s pony counterpart had the same secret identity. Mrs. K also seemed to know about her friend's other persona as well, as she was also not surprised by the big reveal.

"And since I've revealed my identity," Daring Do began to say as she reached for an object from behind herself, "why don't you go ahead and show us who YOU really are!" She then revealed the item that she was going for was a whip, which she aimed right towards the crook. The whip didn't cause him any injury, but it DID tear away his disguise.

With the security guard uniform now in shreds, the man's true appearance underneath was revealed: His skin was mostly greyish-brown in color and he had short, black hair, with a pair of light-green eyes and bushy eyebrows. His outfit was a simple one, consisting of a white shirt and a red ascot with white polka dots. His pants were tan in color, held up with a belt that also carried a gold, skull-shaped charm, ending with a pair of pitch-black boots.

Twilight, Sunset, and Rainbow Dash gasped when they saw what the crook really looked like. "Now I recognize him!" said the red-and-yellow girl. "That's Dr. Caballeron!"

"What?! Dr. Caballeron?!" exclaimed Dash. "You mean he's real, too?!"

"Just like in my world..." stated Twilight. "My friends and I ran across him before, and we learned that he was just as nasty in real life as he is in the books, if not nastier."

"So just what is that scoundrel up to here?" asked Applejack. "Is he tryin' t' rob the place or somethin'?"

"It does appear that way, Applejack." Rarity told her. "Just look at the bag next to him; it's full of relics!"

"And most of the display cases in the room are empty...!" Fluttershy chimed in. "He must have opened them to steal what was inside...!" Mrs. K said nothing, but her face began to get angry after hearing what was going on.

Back inside of the room, Daring Do continued to stare down her archnemesis, Dr. Caballeron, knowing that she had him right where she wanted him. "I've gotta say, Caballeron...I think you might be starting to slip in your old age; after all the times we've been butting heads with each other, you honestly thought that I wouldn't recognize that stubble on your chin when you walked right into my office earlier?"

"Hmmm...so you knew it was me all along?" asked the crook. "And you gave me those keys knowing that I would pull a fast one on you?" Chuckling, he then told her, "I must admit: I am a little impressed that you managed to figure it all out so quickly."

"Hmph. Flattery's not gonna get you anywhere." Daring Do told him. "Like it or not, you're on a one-way trip to the slammer, and you know it." Pointing straight at him, she then added, "But maybe if you if return everything you stole - including the papers concerning the digging site AND my Duel Monsters Deck that you took from my office, maybe I'll put a word in to the judge and see if he can lessen your jail time a bit. So what's your choice?"

"Heh heh heh...what's my choice...?" Dr. Caballeron repeated. He then looked up at his hated enemy with a crazed look on his face, his eyes now turning an eerie pink. "...I choose to be rid of you once and for all!!" At that moment, a pink mark then began to glow on the back of his right shoulder - shaped like the number 67, as he raised his right hand towards Daring, his pointer finger extended.

Mrs. K was the only one to see the mark...and know what it meant. "A.K.!! Watch out!!" she screamed, trying to help her friend.

"Huh?" asked Yearling. When she looked towards Dr. Caballeron, she saw that his finger was beginning to glow the same pink as his eyes. "What the-?!" she exclaimed as a beam of energy shot from his finger straight towards her.

Acting quickly, Mrs. K swiftly opened the doors (as they were only locked from the other side) and ran as fast as she could to her dear friend. She then leapt towards her, pushing them both out of the way of the beam. The shot struck the wall behind them instead, creating a smoky hole.

Needless to say, the others were shocked at what they just saw. "D-d-d-d-did you just see that?!" asked Rainbow Dash, stuttering out of astonishment. "If that thing hit her, then...then... Well, I don't wanna think about what would happen!!"

"How'd he even do that?" asked Applejack. "Does he have superpowers r' somethin'?"

Twilight and Sunset hummed a bit, having a idea of what was going on. That was confirmed when Utopia showed up in Twilight's thoughts and told her, (Twilight...I can sense a malicious and familiar energy in that man. There's no doubt about it: He is holding a Number.)

"I thought so." the young Princess replied.

"What is it?" asked Sunset, unable to hear her Utopia speaking earlier.

"Dr. Caballeron..." Twilight began to say, "he's holding a Number card. Utopia just told me."

"A Number?!?" gasped the other girls in shock.

"Th-that's not good..." said Spike. "If a guy that dangerous has a Number, then we're all in trouble!"

Back in the room, Dr. Caballeron was annoyed by Mrs. K's sudden act of heroism when she pushed Daring Do out of the way of the deadly beam. "You dare get in MY way, woman?" he asked the teacher angrily. "Stay out of this, or I'll make sure it's the last thing you ever do!"

"K, you'd better get out of here...!" Yearling suggested to her friend. "I don't want you gettin' hurt 'cause of me!"

But the teacher closed her eyes and calmly told her, "Thank you for your concern, A.K., but I will be just fine." Daring Do wasn't sure what her friend was talking about, nor was she sure of why she was willingly going up against a dangerous criminal like Caballeron.

"...So you won't leave, will you?" he then asked the teacher. "Have it your way. I'll take care of you first!" He then pointed his finger at Mrs. K and fired another pink beam.

"Mrs. K!! Watch out!!" shouted Rarity out of concern.

But the teacher didn't move an inch...except to activate her Duel Pad and set a card from her Deck onto it. Opening her eyes, a red, wing-shaped mark appeared over her left eye as she shouted, "Come forth, Dragulon!!" At that moment, her D-Pad lit up and shot out a huge column of light that surrounded her. The beam that Caballeron fired was neutralized the moment it hit the light column, doing no damage whatsoever.

"What the-?! How did-?!" stuttered the crook.

The others were just as amazed. Not just from the fact that Mrs. K was unharmed, but also because a large, white, serpent-like dragon had now appeared from the light column, acting as a shield to protect both of the women from harm. "What's that thing?!" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It looks like a dragon...!" stated Fluttershy, trembling a bit upon seeing the mighty beast.

Sunset and Twilight saw something else that surprised them: the yellow 46 mark on its wing. "S-Sunset, do you see that mark?" asked the Princess of Friendship.

"I...I do!" the red-and-yellow girl responded, mouth agape. "That's...that's a Number card! Mrs. K has one too!" Needless to say, everyone was shocked by this sudden turn of events.

Dr. Caballeron was the most shocked of them all; he did not expect someone to stand up to him, let alone succeed in doing so. Growling a little, he then asked, "So you're not just any ordinary person... Just who or what are you, anyway?!"

"...Someone that isn't going to allow you to continue your misdeeds." Mrs. K calmly - but angirly, told him. "You have stolen from this museum... You have stolen from my friend... You even tried to cause her harm in your greed-driven goals. I will personally see to it that you answer for your crimes today."

"...And how do you plan to do that, exactly?" asked Dr. Caballeron, not intimidated by her threats.

Showing her D-Pad she told him, "I challenge you to a Duel. And you will bet your Number Card and the Deck you stole from my friend on the outcome. I will wager my two Numbers as well."

"I see. So you have Numbers too... Very interesting." the man responded. "In that case, I'll accept your challenge. In addition, if I win this Duel...you won't leave this place alive."

"...Have it your way." Mrs. K told him. "But if I win, you will suffer a Penalty Game for your crimes against the world." Dr. Caballeron then huffed, not scared even one bit by her words, but he did wonder what she meant by a "Penalty Game".

Mrs. K then glanced back to her friend and said to her, "Yearling, have your security leave for now. I wish no harm to come to them until after I've dealt with that man. My students may stay if they wish, but your guards do not have the power to deal with that man the way he is now."

"You sure about that?" asked the acheologist/author. "I told you, Dr. Caballeron doesn't mess around; if he says he'll do somethin' horrible, he's crazy enough to try it!"

"I'm aware of that." the teacher responded. "But I promise that we'll all be fine. Now...if you please." Daring Do wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but decided to trust her friend and called her security to leave the scene.

As the guards left, Sunset and the others stayed behind "I don't believe it..." Rarity told her friends. "Our teacher is going to Duel with that ruffian...!"

"And she literally put her life on the life, to boot!" Rainbow added. "You heard what Caballeron told her, didn't ya?"

"Ah heard 'im loud n' clear, Rainbow." Applejack responded. "And she's still takin' him on in a Duel! Just what's up with her, anyway??"

(That's a good question AJ...) Sunset thought to herself. (Just who is Mrs. K...?) The jacket-wearing teen had some suspicions about their history teacher, and she had a feeling that they would know quite soon.

Snickering, Dr. Caballeron produced a D-Pad of his own, which had a Deck loaded into it. "I'll make you regret fighting me, woman..." he told her in a sinister tone, his eyes glowing pink. "And to add insult to injury, I'll crush you with your beloved friend's Deck! What do you think of that?!"

"...I think it will be YOU who will be regretting their actions today, if that is what you plan to do." Mrs. K told him, still speaking calmly and without fear. With their equipment ready, she then shouted, "Now, it's time to duel!" (Dr. Caballeron: LP 4,000) (Mrs. K: LP 4,000)

After both Mrs. K and Dr. Caballeron drew their opening hands, everyone else that was till in the vicinity had activated their Duel Gazers in order to watch the dangerous Duel that was about to take place. Then, at that moment, someone else came up behind the group and asked, "Hey! What'd I miss?"

The others looked behind them and saw that it was none other than their friend Pinkie Pie, who now seemed a lot more relaxed after having used a bathroom. "Pinkie?? How'd ya find us?" asked Applejack.

"Hmmmm...not sure, really." the pink girl simply replied. "Now that something important is happening, I guess I kinda had to show up." Looking ahead of them, she saw the Duel that was about to start and gasped, asking, "Is that Dr. Caballeron?! And our teacher?!"

"Yep. That's them, alright." Sunset answered her. "And they're about to duel each other."

"They're dueling?" asked Pinkie as she put on her Duel Gazer and activated it. "How come? What's going on?"

"Well, to make a long story short," Rarity began to explain, "Caballeron tried to rob the museum, but his plan failed. But just as he was about to caught, he lashed out and tried to harm Ms. Yearling. But somehow, Mrs. K managed to stop him... Though I'm not exactly sure how..."

"Well, before he shot another beam at them," Fluttershy began to say, "Mrs. K played a card on her Duel Pad. Then, there was a flash of light, and then we saw that dragon appear."

"But that don't make any sense..." stated Applejack. "We weren't wearin' our Gazers when it happened, so how'd we even see that monster appear?"

"I know why." Twilight told her. "That dragon she played is one of the Number Cards. According to Utopia, Numbers have powers beyond that of other Xyz Monsters, and they can even have abilities that affect the real world as well."

"Exactly." Sunset chimed in. "I know first-hand just how powerful the Numbers are in our world. From my Duel against Martin, and the time I used a Number card to find Fluttershy and Vinyl when they went missing, I'm very much aware of the effects they have outside of a Duel." Folding her arms, she then added, "The only thing I don't know...is how and why Mrs. K has a Number card, or what that might mean for all of us..." The other girls weren't sure either, but they decided that now wasn't the time to figure that out, as they had bigger things to worry about, such as the outcome of Mrs. K's Duel against Dr. Caballeron, the archeologist-gone-bad.

Snickering to himself, believing that he had the Duel won already, Caballeron then said to his opponent, "You really have no idea what you're up against, do you? Bet you wish that you backed out while you had the chance, did you?"

"...It is you who is unaware of who they're up against." Mrs. K told him in a stern manner. "If you think victory will smile upon a weak soul such as your own, then you are quite foolish... So I'll do the sporting thing and allow you the first move."

"Grrrn...I don't need your charity." the man huffed, yet took up her offer anyway. Looking at his hand and making his decision, he took every card in his hand and placed them in his D-Pad. "I set FIVE cards face-down and end my turn!"

Sunset and the others gasped at the move he made. "Did ya see that?!" asked Applejack. "He only played cards in his Spell & Trap Zones!"

"Cool! He didn't Summon any monsters, so he's wide open!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Rainbow darling." Rarity told her. "He still filled his entire back row full of cards, so it is obvious that he has set some sort of trap..."

"Rarity's right." said Sunset in agreement. "Mrs. K has to be careful not to set them off at the worst possible time."

Luckily, Mrs. K felt the same way as she drew her first card for the Duel and began her turn. Looking back at A.K. Yearling/Daring Do, who was now off to the side behind her (and having activated her Duel Gazer as well), she thought to herself, (Don't worry, my friend... I will do what is necessary to ensure that this scoundrel pays for his crimes against you...) Taking a card from her hand, she then declared, "I'll begin with a Spell Card: The Melody of Awakening Dragon!"

*******************************

The Melody of Awakening Dragon:
(Normal Spell Card)

Discard 1 card; add up to 2 Dragon monsters with 3000 or more ATK and 2500 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand.

*******************************

"I will now discard my Eclipse Wyvern and add two more Dragons to my hand from my Deck." Mrs. K said to her opponent. After disposing of the card in her hand, her Deck auto-shuffled and left two cards sticking out of the top. After she took them, Mrs. K then added, "And now that Eclipse Wyvern has been sent to my Graveyard, I activate its effect and banish one LIGHT or DARK Dragon from my Deck that has a Level of seven or more." After making her choice, her Deck shuffled itself again and allowed her to take the chosen card, which she placed in the box attached to her hip.

"So what did you choose?" asked Caballeron.

"...I'll show you right now." the young teach calmly replied. She then took one of the cards and presented it to her opponent.

The cruel man gasped at the sight of the card she showed to him. "Wh-what?! That's impossible!! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!"

The others (including Daring Do) were also taken aback by the card Mrs. K was holding. "That's crazy! How does she have a Blue-Eyes?!" asked Rainbow Dash.

"But...I thought Kaiba was the only one that owned them...!" stated Fluttershy.

"Yeah, isn't that what you told me, Sunset?" Twilight asked her friend. "You told me that Seto Kaiba was the only person to have that card."

"I did say that..." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "Honestly, I have no idea where she got that card from..." Now the jacket-clad teen was even more sure that Mrs. K was not who she appeared to be on the surface.

Dr. Caballeron refused to believe that what he saw in her hand was what he saw. "That card has to be a fake!" he protested. "It has to be!"

"I can assure you that this card is genuine." she told him. "But regardless of whether you believe me or not, it won't change anything. You will be defeated all the same."

"Rrrgh...just get on with your turn!" Caballeron snarled.

"Very well." said the teacher. "However, I should inform you that I didn't show you my Blue-Eyes simply to shock you or even because it was required of me to have you verify that I chose a proper target for my Spell Card."

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"I'll show you...by revealing the OTHER monster that I placed into my hand with my Spell Card!" Mrs. K told him, as she placed a different card onto her D-Pad's tray. "I Special Summon this monster! Come now, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!!"

After playing the card, the ground in front of her burst apart, shooting out a ray of light. Emerging out of that light was a massive dragon with pure white scales, glowing blue eyes, and several markings all over its body that glowed the same color. In short, the dragon looked just like the original Blue-Eyes, but seemed to be much more powerful (Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 3000).

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed Dr. Caballeron, not expecting to have a monster with three thousand attack points Summoned in front of him so quickly.

"My Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon can be Summoned straight to the field by simply revealing the original Blue-Eyes in my hand." Mrs. K explained. "But you'll soon see that it shall be the least of your worries as this Duel continues on." Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "Now I play Stamping Destruction from my hand. Since I control a Dragon monster, I can destroy any of your Spell or Trap Cards and inflict 500 points of damage to your Life Points as well." She then chose her target and her Dragon monster flew up and crushed it with its massive feet.

The targeted card was destroyed, but there was something strange about it: When it revealed itself, it was shown that wasn't a Spell Card, nor a Trap Card; it was a Monster! "What the-?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "What's goin' on?! How'd he put a Monster Card in his back row??"

"Yeah, I thought only Spells and Traps could be played there!" added Pinkie Pie.

"Heheheh...that's the power of Artifact monsters." the bad doc explained (Dr. Caballeron: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500). "Even though they are Monster Cards, I can place them in my back row as Spell Cards instead! And when your foolish teacher decided to destroy one of them, she set off its effect!" At that moment, the card then reappeared on the field, this time in the Monster Zone. "You see," he continued, "Whenever an Artifact monster in my back row is destroyed during my opponent's turn, it returns to the field as a Monster! Now behold as I Summon - in Defense Mode...Artifact Achilleshield!"

After the card was played, a bronze, mechanical-looking shield came out of a dark-purple vortex in the center of the field. Once it did, several parts of it began to glow purple, and a ghostly-looking figure - colored purple as well manifested behind it (Artifact Achilleshield: Level 5 / ATK 1500 / DEF 2200).

"A monster that starts out in the back row n' moves to the front row if it's blown up??" asked Applejack. "Ah ain't heard of such a thing!"

"That means destroying his back row cards could be dangerous..." Sunset stated. "Any one or more of them could be more Artifact monsters."

But Mrs. K wasn't startled even the slightest. "I knew you were using Artifacts. After all, you stole that Deck from my friend. You won't be able to catch me off-guard if you're using her Deck against me, as I know everything about it."

"Heh...then you ought to know," said Caballeron to his foe, "after Achilleshield is Summoned on your turn, you cannot target any of my Artifacts with your monsters' attacks for rest of the turn!"

"That won't be enough to stop me from vanquishing you." said Mrs. K as she took a Trap Card from her hand and placed into her D-Pad. "I'll set a card face-down, before I prepare my next move."

"Heheheh...sorry, but you'll have to wait even longer for your next move!" said the crooked man. "I activate a Trap! Artifact Sanctum! I use this card's power to Special Summon another Artifact, this time from the Deck! And I choose to Summon Artifact Caduceus in Defense Mode!" After playing his second monster, a large, bronze staff fell from the sky and struck the ground. Then, parts of it began to glow orange as a similarly-colored phantom-like figure picked it up and heaved it into the air (Artifact Caduceus: Level 5 / ATK 1600 / DEF 2400).

"Hmmm...in that case, I activate the effect of my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!" stated Mrs. K. "By forfeiting its regular attack this turn, I can have my Dragon destroy any one of your monsters! I target and destroy your Achilleshield!" Her monster then began to spark with lightning as it prepared its assault.

"Not so fast!" shouted Caballeron. "I respond with this! Artifact Ignition!!" After his Quick-Play Spell Card flipped face-up, he then told her, "With this card, I can destroy any Spell or Trap on the field! However, I won't destroy any of YOUR cards! I'll destroy one of my own!" He then revealed the target of his Spell Card's effect: Artifact Aegis, another "Artifact" monster. It was immediately destroyed and sent to his Graveyard.

"He just took out one of his own Artifact monsters!" said Twilight. "But doesn't that mean-"

"Right." Sunset answered, knowing what she was going to say. "Now he'll get to Summon that card as well. Not only that, but his Spell Card also lets him set any Artifact monster from his Deck to his back row."

Having set a card from his Deck using the effect of his Spell Card, Caballeron then told his foe, "Now that Artifact Aegis has been destroyed during your turn, I now play it to my Monster Zone in Defense Mode!" His monster then appeared, first as a shield (which was shaped differently from Achilleshield), and then as a bright-yellow, feminine-looking figure that took ahold of it (Artifact Aegis: Level 5 / ATK 1200 / DEF 2500). "And now that it has been Summoned, my Artifacts cannot be targeted or destroyed by any of your card effects this turn!" This elicited a gasp out of Mrs. K as her monster's blast struck his monster, but failed to eliminate it.

"Aw no..." said Pinkie Pie. "She wasn't able to get rid of any of his monsters!"

"Yeah..." stated Applejack. "Thanks t' those two monsters he played, she can't destroy 'em, nor can she target 'em with effects or attacks! That means he'll still have all of his monsters on the field durin' his next turn!"

(And since they're all Level 5,) Utopia said to Twilight, (he will most certainly use them for an Xyz Summon.)

"That doesn't sound good at all..." the young Princess replied. "Not for Mrs. K, anyway..."

Chuckling, Dr. Caballeron then told everyone, "And as an added bonus, thanks to the effect of Artifact Caduceus, I draw one card for every Artifact I Summon during my opponent's turn after it's on the field!" He then drew a card from his Deck and added it to his hand.

(That is troubling...) thought Mrs. K. (I admit: I didn't expect him to use my friend's Deck as well as he did during my turn... However, I will not allow him to get the better of me; not when the safety of myself, my friend, and the chosen ones are at stake...!) Putting on a determined look, she told her opponent, "I'll end my turn."

"Hmph...not scared yet, are you?" asked Caballeron. "Well we'll just see how long you can keep up that act of yours! Now I draw!" Playing the card he drew right away, he said, "I activate Pot of Desires! I banish ten cards from the top of my Deck face-down and draw two more!" After he resolved the effect of his Spell Card, he then played a second one, telling her, "Next, I activate my Celestial Transformation! This allows me to Special Summon any Fairy monster from my hand with its attack power cut in half! So I'll Summon my Artifact Chakram in Attack Mode!" Afterwards, a pair of bladed weapons dropped down from above and were then picked up by another ghostly figure, this one colored in a dark pink hue (Artifact Chakram: Level 5 / ATK 1900 ÷ 2 = 950 / DEF 2000).

"That Spell Card destroys the monster it Summoned during the End Phase of the turn it was played." Sunset pointed out. "However, I don't think that monster will be around during the End Phase... I'm pretty sure that we're about to see his Number card very shortly." Her friends nodded to say that they felt the same way.

Mrs. K also knew that Caballeron's Number card was about show itself, and she braced herself for whatever he might bring out. She said nothing, but kept up her confident expression so as not to let him see her fear.

"Still not scared?" asked the bad doc. "Then let's see how brave you are when I do this! I overlay three Level 5 monsters: Achilleshield, Aegis, and Chakram, combine and create the Overlay Network!!" In an instant, all but one of his monsters transformed into yellow-colored energy and flew into a galaxy-like vortex in the center of the field. After that, the portal exploded and left behind a mark shaped like the number 67. "Appear, Number 67!" Caballeron chanted. "Descend from the skies above and bend Lady Luck to my will! Xyz Summon! Now come forth, Rank 5! Pair-a-Dice Smasher!!"

After the Summoning chant was complete, a large, white, six-sided die came crashing through the digital roof above them, surrounded by three orbiting yellow spheres. The die then split in half, revealing some sort of blue statue inside a glass case and extending a large pole from out of itself, forming into a large hammer. Then, the die hammer began to glow yellow and used the light it created to form into a red, grinning human-like creature wearing a white skirt-like garment around his waist and a pair of sandals, the left one bearing his number symbol. The creature took hold of the die hammer and chuckled as he held triumphantly into the air.

*******************************

Number 67: Pair-a-Dice Smasher:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fairy/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2100/DEF 2100)

2+ Level 5 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1: You can detach 2 materials from this card; each player rolls a six-sided die twice. The player with the higher total cannot activate monster effects or declare an attack, until the end of the next turn. Once per turn, if either player rolls a six-sided die (or dice) while this card has material, you can treat one of the results as 7.

*******************************

Sunset and her friends stared at the newly-Summoned Number card on Dr. Caballeron's field, puzzled a bit by its appearance. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Pinkie then said, "I've gotta say, as a leading expert in things that are weird and silly, that monster's pretty high up there."

"Right now, Ah'm more concerned with what thing does than what it looks like." stated AJ. "Whatever it is, Ah know it's gonna be big trouble for our teacher."

"You can certainly say that again, Applejack..." Rarity told her.

Despite the appearance of the new Number, Twilight and Sunset remained hopeful that Mrs. K would over come it. "He may have Summoned his Number card," the red-and-yellow girl then said, "but I wouldn't count Mrs. K out of the Duel just yet."

"You think she could still win this?" asked Spike.

"Maybe." said Twilight. "With what we've seen so far from her Deck, I have a feeling that just about anything could happen." Sunset nodded in agreement.

Admittedly, Mrs. K did sweat a little after her opponent managed to Summon his Number card...for about a second. But she wasn't ready to show him any fear, and she certainly wasn't about to give up the fight. She then defiantly told Caballeron, "You may have your Number card on the field, but it will not guarantee a victory for you! I will find a way to overcome it and make you answer for your crimes!"

Laughing cruelly, the bad doc told her, "You will do NOTHING! Pair-a-Dice Smasher will smash any chance you had at winning against me! And once I'm done with you, this museum and everything in it will be mine!! I'll become rich beyond compare, and there's not a thing anyone can do to stop me! Hahahahahaaaa!!!"

Daring Do, watching the Duel with a feeling of worry in her heart, said to her friend mentally, (Please, K... You can't let him win... If you do, then we'll all be in major trouble...)

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 37: Raiders of the Lost Deck, Part 2:

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

RANK 38: The Harmony Numbers:

Author's Note

Directly following the last episode, Sunset and her friends are about to learn more about the Numbers, the Astral World, as well as a few things about themselves that they could have never imagined...

A special thanks to ArcanaMaverick7 for coming up with the collective name of those special Numbers owned by Mrs. K. :pinkiesmile:

RANK 38: The Harmony Numbers:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

At the Pranceton Museum, Mrs. K (a.k.a. Kisara) had invited Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and all their friends to come and see a new exhibit on display. But when they arrived, they witnessed Dr. Caballeron - a disgraced archeologist who turned to a life of crime, trying to steal the valuable artifacts from that very exhibit. However, A.K. Yearling (a.k.a. Daring Do) stopped his plans short... and then the villain revealed that he had one of the Number cards in his possession. He then fought a Duel against Mrs. K, using a Deck that he had lifted from Daring Do that same day.

Despite his best efforts, the stolen Deck did not grant Caballeron victory, and he lost to Mrs. K's Blue-Eyes White Dragon Deck. She then used her mystical powers to plant an illusion into his mind and render him completely harmless. By that point, Sunset, Twilight, and the others were very curious as to who their teacher really was, due to the fact that - among many other oddities about her, she also held Numbers of her own. Luckily, Mrs. K revealed the truth of herself to them - such as her true name, as well as her mission: To locate the reincarnated members of the ancient Order of Astral and reunite them to combat a great evil...

And based on everything that they had learned, Sunset has come to a shocking realization...

At the Pranceton Museum - in the office of A.K. Yearling, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and all of their friends had learned some very interesting things from their new history teacher, Mrs. K. One was that her real name was Kisara, and that she was actually a reincarnated soul from over 3,000 years in the past. They also learned more about the Astral World, as well as the Order of Astral - a clan of priests and priestesses that devoted themselves to finding that world. But after comparing clues that Zecora had given to them prior to now, Sunset came to the most important and most shocking revelation ever...

"I think what Mrs. K is trying to tell us is that... is that WE'RE the people in that painting!" she exclaimed. "WE'RE the Order of Astral!!"

This statement elicited a gasp out of all her friends, as well as A.K. Yearling, upon hearing it. "You've gotta be kiddin'!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "You're sayin' that's supposed to be US in that picture?! There's no way!!"

"I must admit, it seems far-fetched to me as well, Sunset dear..." Rarity told her. "How could that possibly be all of us? I know they LOOK similar to us all, but... it just couldn't be...!"

"...But... what if it is?" Fluttershy asked sheepishly. "N-n-not to disagree with either of you, but... we don't know for sure that it COULDN'T be us in that picture..."

The others were a bit surprised that Fluttershy seemed to think that what Sunset said could be true. Whether they really believed it or not, they knew their shy friend had made a good point. "I suppose that makes sense..." Twilight stated.

"Yeah..." Yearling chimed in, looking at the picture herself. "After all, we don't really have any evidence that could dispute it all... So it could really be possible."

"...Hang on a sec!" Applejack suddenly said. She then asked Kisara, "Mrs. K, what about Sunset n' Twi? They're not from our world, so how could they have ancestors - or whatever those are, here?!"

The young teacher calmly replied to the farm girl, stating, "I know that Ms. Shimmer and Ms. Sparkle are from a universe parallel to this one, similar to how the Astral World is parallel to it as well. While I do not know the exact nature of how the reincarnation process works - despite that I have gone through it myself... it can be safe to assume that - because the Astral World transcends all other worlds, it is not always a guarantee that a soul will be reborn in the world it originated in." Looking over at the two otherworldly girls, she added, "Perhaps a governing force in the Astral World saw it fit for the two of you to be reborn elsewhere for a greater purpose."

"I was wondering about that..." said Pinkie Pie, tapping her chin. "Good thing I was patient enough to wait for the exposition to pop up in the story on its own!"

"I... guess that makes sense..." said Sunset, rubbing the back of her head. "But how can you be sure that we're those people in that picture? I have to agree: Even though I made the hypothesis, it's still hard to believe that the seven of us were really alive over thousands of years ago..."

"I don't blame you for your skepticism, Ms. Shimmer." said Kisara. "I can imagine that all of this is quite a shock to you, and to your friends." Closing her eyes, she continued, telling her, "But I am certain that you are indeed the Order of Astral reborn in the modern era. I knew it from the moment that I saw the Emperor's Key that you wear."

"...Emperor's Key?" asked the red-and-yellow girl. "You mean my necklace?" Hearing that allowed Sunset to recall something else important. (Hold on...) she thought, (I remember; I heard it called that before... When I had that weird dream. There was a door that beckoned me to open it...)

Sunset then took a closer look at the figures in the picture - specifically the one that bore a resemblance to her, and saw that it wore what appeared to be priestess robes, all colored white. (That's right! I was also wearing robes just like the one in the picture! Both in my dream... and also when I saw that Doctor guy's memories! And not only that...) Sunset then shifted her gaze over to the eighth figure in the picture. It didn't look like her or any of her friends, but it DID look almost exactly like The Doctor. (Does this mean that he's involved in this Order of Astral thing, too?) she asked herself.

Kisara then continued to speak to Sunset and her friends, explaining more and more about the Order of Astral. Showing them one of the pictures that she presented to them yesterday at the school (the one with a carving shaped like Sunset's necklace), she told them, "The Emperor's Key was the symbol of the Order of Astral. The High Priest who led the order was said to have discovered the symbol the first time he witnessed the Astral World. Thus, he - as well as his seven High Priestesses, wore the symbol upon them, believing that it had a significant connection to the Astral World. When the order vanished, so did the Emperor's Key... But now it has found its way back here to this world, in your possession, Sunset. That is when I knew for sure who you were."

"You really think so?" asked the jacket-clad teenager.

"You should know yourself if it is true or not." Kisara responded. "After all, you hold Number cards, just as I do. You are able to control them without being controlled by them, unlike with what you saw concerning Caballeron."

"Yeah... that's right." said Sunset, looking at her necklace again. "On the night the Numbers first appeared, I found one and picked it up. After that, I could feel it trying to take over my mind. But then, my necklace began to glow at that moment and a second later... I was just fine."

"But... then what about me?" asked Rarity, still confused about something. "A while ago, I found one of those Number cards and it took over my mind! If that's the case, how could I be a part of this Order of Astral if I can't control a Number card??"

"A very good question, Ms. Rarity." Kisara told her. "And one that I may have the answer to." Taking out her three Number cards (Dragulon, Heartlandraco, and the one she had just gotten: Pair-a-Dice Smasher), she explained to them, "As you know, the Numbers are extremely powerful cards, with powers far beyond that of other cards - even other Xyz Monsters. And as you also know, many who have obtained a Number card fell under a great and terrible power that commanded them into performing reckless, even evil acts. Ms. Rarity... You may think that it was the Number card's power that overwhelmed your mind and caused you to act out... But it wasn't."

"What?!" asked Sunset. "Are you saying the Number wasn't the reason Rarity acted the way she did?"

"...The Numbers are a by-product of the Astral World's power, though I currently do not know exactly what their purpose is or what brought them into being." Kisara said to her. "But I do not believe that the Numbers' powers are malicious in any way. After all, the Astral World is said to be an absolute perfect realm; one without fear or evil. Because of that, I do not think that the Numbers themselves are to blame for what has happened involving them so far."

"...I think you might right about that, Mrs. K." Twilight said, agreeing with the young teacher without hesitating.

"What makes y'all say that?" asked Applejack. "You've seen just how those cards make people go outta control, haven't ya?"

"But not all of them are like that, remember?" the Princess of Friendship inquired. "After all, Utopia's been with me ever since I came here to help you, and he's never tried to force me into doing anything I didn't want to do. I know for sure he's not even the least bit bad!" Utopia himself felt happy hearing his owner say that.

"Oh yeah, Ah forgot 'bout that." the farm girl responded, realizing she had a point.

"And that's not all:" Sunset spoke up. "When Bon Bon and I encountered that Windmistress person, she used a Number card against us as well. But the card didn't seem very happy serving her. At the end of the Duel, Bon Bon managed to take control of the card without any side-effects... And for a brief moment, I could sense that the Number card felt relieved to get away from that woman. So I think Twilight and Mrs. K are right about the Numbers not really being evil."

"But... if the Numbers aren't really doing all of that bad stuff..." Fluttershy began to ask, "then what is? I-if you don't have a problem with telling us, that is..."

"...I'm not completely certain of it," Kisara began to answer, "but I do have a theory." She then asked them all, "Do you recall the card shop that closed down?"

"The one on Maiden Street?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What about it?"

"As you recall," Mrs. K replied, "the owner was arrested for making and selling counterfeit cards at the shop. What you didn't know... is that he was holding a Number card himself."

"He had a Number?" asked Sunset. "But how do you know that?"

"Because I confronted him after hearing the rumors." Kisara continued to explain, holding up Heartlandraco's card as she did. "I dueled him and obtained his Number after defeating him. After I took the card, I could sense a powerful energy surrounding it." Putting the card down and picking up Pair-a-Dice Smasher, she then told them, "The same was true for this card as well: I could sense the mystical energies of the Astral World within it. But... I also felt a different kind of energy in the card as well: A darker one..."

"Darker...?" asked Twilight.

(I thought so.) said Utopia. (After I held the Number cards that we had won through our Duels, I could sense some sort of malicious energy inside them, if only for a second. This was especially the case when we obtained Number 98: Antiopian from your dark side.) Folding his arms, he added, (But... now they don't appear to give off that energy anymore.)

(So you're saying that - after we got the cards, we somehow... purified them or something?) Twilight asked him mentally.

(I believe so.) Utopia responded. (I suspected it was the case, but your teacher's words have confirmed those suspicious: It is safe to assume that someone, or something... has tainted the Number cards with an evil power.) Twilight was surprised to hear him say that.

Mrs. K had just told everyone else the same thing herself. "I am not sure how or why the Number cards are being consumed by evil," she said to them, "but it does appear to be a sign that the Order of Astral was needed once again in order to combat this force, just as they had done 3,000 years ago." Looking at Sunset, she then told her, "When I saw the Emperor's Key around your neck, I felt that you may be one of those reborn souls, but I had to make sure of it first before I revealed what I knew. So I gave you a test - that day at the Spirit Festival."

"Spirit Festival?" asked the red-and-yellow girl. Gasping, she remembered that day and asked, "Wait, so that Mana girl that I dueled was working for you?"

"In a way, she was." said Kisara. "I asked her to duel you at the festival to test you, to see if you truly were who I thought you were... Of course, she was very happy to know that she would get a chance to play against you. So she wasn't lying when she said that she had always wanted to duel you."

"I see..." was all that Sunset could respond with.

"When you emerged victorious in your Duel with Mana," Kisara continued, "I knew for sure that you were one of the reincarnated Priestesses. Turning over to Twilight, she told her, "And you, Ms. Sparkle... The evidence I needed was right in front of me, when I watched your Duel with Ms. Mulia Mild."

"It was?" asked the young Princess.

"Yes." Mrs. K replied. "You hold Number 39: Utopia; also known as Hope, King of Wishes. Although he is a Number card, he has not controlled your mind or your actions. Do you know why that is?"

"...N-not really, no." Twilight answered. "I asked Utopia about it one time, but he said he didn't know why either." Coming to a realization herself, she then asked, "Wait... are you saying YOU know what the reason is?"

Nodding yes, Kisara answered her, saying, "As I have told you, there is some sort of evil power that is corrupting the Number cards... However, it seems there a few Numbers that cannot be tainted. Numbers that have been blessed with the light of harmony, and as such, no amount of evil can corrupt or control them. In fact, they have the power to dispel the Numbers' corruption. And your Utopia is one of those Numbers."

"I see... so that's why." said Twilight, looking at the ghostly form of her Number.

"So what are these other 'Harmony Numbers', Mrs. K?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Harmony Numbers?" asked Rarity.

"What? They oughtta have some kind of name that we can call them by, right?" the pink girl pointed out.

"I'm glad you asked, Ms. Pie," Kisara answered her, "because I happen to have them right here with me."

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed the others in complete amazement.

Reaching into a pocket on her shirt, Kisara pulled out seven Duel Monsters cards from out of it and spread them out on A.K. Yearling's desk. "When I found Dragulon, I also obtained these cards with it. But as you can see, they all remain blank."

"Yeah, an' not only that," Applejack said, "but the artwork areas are all colored in!"

"That's right!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "I remember a while ago, when I saw a blank Number card for the first time, it was all white in the picture. So how come these have different colors?"

"And what's more," Sunset began to ask Kisara, "why are they all still blank? If you've been holding them all this time Mrs. K, they should have already awakened by now."

"That was a mystery that - once again, was solved the day I first saw you and your friends." the teacher answered. "When I first got the cards, I wasn't told of why I had them or what to do with them. But then I came to the conclusion that the reason they haven't awakened yet was because they were not meant for me to use."

"Lemme guess:" Pinkie Pie began to ask her. "You're gonna say that these cards are supposed to be for all of us, right?"

"I believe so, yes." Kisara confirmed with a nod. "I know this because some time ago, I had a visitor come and see me... His name is Dr. Hooves; a.k.a. 'The Number Hunter'."

"The Number Hunter?" asked Sunset in surprise. "You've met with him?"

"...So you know of him as well." said the young teacher. "Interesting." She then told her, "Yes, he did meet with me. He intended to obtain my Numbers in order to further his goals. But when he came to me, I told him everything that I have told you just now and assured him that my goals involving the Numbers are just. After we talked, one of the blank cards began to react to him... That was when I knew that he was part of the Order of Astral as well. Once I knew that, I gave him the card in the hopes that he would unlock its true potential... And I suspect he has done just that."

(So he really is involved in this whole thing...) Sunset confirmed to herself. Speaking to Kisara once more, she asked her, "So... what about us, then? What are we supposed to do with these Number cards?"

"You all must do as The Doctor has done, Ms. Shimmer:" the teacher answered her. "You must unlock the Numbers' powers... And you must do it soon. For I already suspect that the evil force that is collecting and tainting the Numbers is on the rise."

"But how...?" asked Twilight. "There's still so much we don't know about the Astral World or the Numbers..."

"Then perhaps we should move on to the main reason we came here to the museum." said Kisara, standing up. "We will go and see the exhibit that displays all of the relics that are believed to be connected to the Order of Astral." She then turned to A.K. Yearling and asked her, "Will you lead the way?"

"Of course, K... I mean, Kisara." the archeologist replied. She then told the rest of the group, "Come and follow me, everybody!" The others formed a line and followed both Yearling and Kisara to the room they had visited earlier to see the priceless relics that could give them a clue about the mysterious Astral World...

When the large group returned to the room where Kisara dueled Dr. Caballeron, they saw that - in the short time since they were in Yearling's office, the setup crew had replaced the ancient relics to their original places. Mrs. K and A.K. Yearling then led the group of students through the room, hoping to help them figure out what they needed to do next.

"Wow... they sure did a good job cleaning this place up..." noted Spike, looking around.

"I most certainly agree..." Rarity stated. "It almost makes you forget that a criminal was just here mere moments ago."

"My clean-up crew does a pretty bang-up job when it comes to emergencies like this." Yearling noted. "In fact, it seems like they also did a pretty good job of escorting Caballeron out of the building."

"I still can't believe that jerk's actually a real guy." said Rainbow Dash. "Or that you're the real Daring Do... Does that mean that all of the stuff you did in your books really happened?"

"Well, I do jazz up the stories a little bit... but ONLY a little." the author/archeologist told her. "I base my books on all of the things I discover, the people I meet, the challenges I face - everything." She then turned to Kisara and added, "However, when I told Mrs. K about all of these relics a while ago, she requested that I not tell anyone about them right away; especially not in the form of another novel. At first, I wasn't sure why, but with everything that she's been saying today, I think I'm starting to see why."

"And I thank you for doing that for me, my friend." Kisara said politely. "It is highly important that these relics - and the information that they provide, does not end up in the wrong hands." Stopping in front of a large stone tablet, the young teacher then said to the group, "This is what I want to show you first."

The seven teenage girls (and one puppy) looked at the tablet; it was the one that they had seen on paper before, showing the Emperor's Key symbol in the center of a large, white circle, surrounded by eight smaller circles - each one a different color. Sunset then noticed something else about them. "Hang on..." she began to say. Turning over to Kisara, she asked her, "Mrs. K, can you show us those blank cards again?"

"Of course." the teacher complied, pulling out the seven blank Numbers once more.

"I knew it... the colored-in spots of those cards..." Sunset started to say, "they're the same colors as the circles on that tablet!"

"What? Are you sure??" asked Rarity. Stepping closer, she inspected the tablet and the blank cards more closely. "...I-it's true! They're almost exactly alike!" she then exclaimed.

Twilight was next to look at the tablet with more attention to detail. Like Sunset and Rarity, she also saw that the colors of the cards and the circles on the table matched up nearly perfectly. But that wasn't all that looked familiar to her. (Wait... these colors...) she thought. She then glanced at the blank cards that Kisara was holding onto. (...Blessed with the light of harmony...) she continued to ponder. (...Could it be...?)

"So what does all'o this mean, Mrs. K?" Applejack then asked. "What do those circles on the tablet stand for?"

"These circles represent the governing force within the Order of Astral; those who led their followers to a path of peace and enlightenment." Kisara explained. Pointing to the brown-colored circle, she then said, "It is believed that this circle here represents the order's leader, seeing as how it was placed far up at the top." She then moved her pointer finger to show the two circles just below it - one colored yellow and one colored a dark pink. "It is said that the leader - a High Priest, was assisted by his two faithful High Priestesses, who were personally trained by him."

"He personally trained them?" asked Twilight. That reminded the girl of how Princess Celestia had done the same for both her and Sunset Shimmer, when she had them as her personal students.

"And who was this priest?" asked Sunset. "Is there anything you can tell us about him?"

"Only that he was once an ordinary young man who wandered aimlessly through the world..." said Kisara. "He journeyed through many lands, never staying in one place... He sought for a place to live that was without fear, pain, or wickedness... But he could not find such a place. Everywhere he went, he could only see the maliciousness of man and became disheartened... And so he continued his journey, completely alone..."

"That sounds so sad..." noted Fluttershy.

Looking at the tablet once more, Kisara continued her story, telling them, "According to manuscripts, it is believed that one day - when it seemed to him that his journey was meaningless and without purpose, he wandered into a desolate land, void of any sign of life. He rested there, thinking that he would never find what he had been searching for... And then, something wonderful happened..."

The others moved in closer to hear what she had to say.

"He didn't know if it was real or if it was a dream," the teacher told them, "but that night, in the middle of that wasteland, he saw something truly breathtaking: He saw a beautiful world, a glorious world... It was pure, untainted by human failings, a place where not even a speck of evil existed. The last thing he heard before this vision disappeared... were the words, 'Asutoraru Sekai'."

"Hey! Ah remember hearin' those words before...!" Applejack pointed out. "Zecora told us that when we saw her last, remember?" Indeed, the others did remember that (except for Twilight; she wasn't there at the time, so Sunset explained what Applejack was talking about to her).

"When he regained his senses, the young man could not stop thinking about that beautiful world from his vision." Mrs. K told them next. "He then came to the conclusion that this world - which he came to call the Astral World, was the place he was searching for: A perfect utopia. The ancient text goes on to say that he devoted his life to finding a way to enter the Astral World, as well as seeking out other people who could help him reach it. Thus, the Order of Astral was formed."

"So that's how it all started...?" asked Sunset.

"So, how does someone get to be part of the Order of Astral?" asked Rarity. "What must they do?"

"Those in the Order of Astral must train themselves in mind, body and spirit and rid themselves of their negative emotions: Jealousy, anger, greed... all of the most wicked thoughts in a person must be dispelled for one to bear witness to the Astral World." Kisara explained. "Those who can do that are considered to have 'Ranked-Up' their very spirit, and have achieved a higher state of being. The leader of the Order of Astral eventually perfected this training upon himself and obtained this state. And from there, he decided to grant this knowledge to any others that truly wished it. He allowed anyone to come to him and become part of the order: Race, religion, financial status... those things and others did not matter. All that the High Priest was concerned with was the strength of their spirit."

"That sounds so wonderful..." said Pinkie Pie. "And to think; we were part of something like that!"

"Now don't get ahead of yourself, Pinks..." Rainbow Dash told her. "We haven't proved anything 'bout that yet."

"Yeah, but ya gotta admit;" the pink girl told her friend, "Sunnie's key necklace that looks like the picture on that tablet... The blank Number cards... The people that look like us on that picture... If all of that's just one big coinky-dink Dashie, then this is gonna be a pretty anti-climactic story!"

Scratching her head a little, Rainbow then told her, "Yeesh... you're a tough one to argue with, Pinkie; mostly 'cause I don't know how t' respond to that."

Looking over at the girls, Kisara then told them all, "I know some of you are still skeptical about all that I have told you today, but hopefully, you will come to fully believe my words in time." Holding up the seven blank cards, the young teacher then walked over to Sunset Shimmer and told her, "I entrust these Numbers to your care, Ms. Shimmer."

"You're... giving them to me?" asked the red-and-yellow girl. Looking at the cards for a moment, she hesitated, remembering the Number cards that had been planted on other people, such as on Vinyl Scratch and Mulia Mild, as well as the attempted possessions on both Twilight and Sweetie Belle.

Sensing her uneasiness, Kisara told the girl, "There is nothing to fear, Ms. Shimmer. These cards do not posses any evil intent... I'm sure you can sense it yourself."

Hearing that, Sunset held her Emperor's Key necklace up to the cards. The key began to glow for a moment, but other than that, nothing else happened. "...You're right..." she said. "These aren't like the others that I've seen. I can't feel anything bad coming off of them." Convinced that the cards were not evil, Sunset held out her hand, and Kisara placed the blank Numbers in the teen's palm. Sunset then looked at the cards and asked her teacher, "So... now what? How do I awaken these cards?"

"That I cannot say." Kisara told her. "What I can say is that the Numbers will reveal themselves soon enough."

"Oh boy, it's one of these 'when the time comes, you'll know' deals..." said Pinkie Pie.

"For now, though," said Mrs. K. "hold onto those cards and tell no one else about them. That goes for the rest of you as well." The girls nodded to say that they would keep that promise. From that point, the rest of the day was spent looking around the Pranceton Museum. But even as they casually enjoyed their day, each of the girls thought about what their history teacher had told to them about the Order of Astral and what might be expected of them in the future...

Sometime after they had gotten back from their field trip, Sunset, Twilight, and their friends all decided to spend some more time together to discuss what had happened that day. They all agreed to meet up at Sunset's apartment to talk about everything and what they should do next. When they arrived at the building and entered Sunset's home, the seven girls all sat down at the dining table to talk with one another. Spike popped out of Twilight's backpack and seated himself on the table itself, right next to the young Princess.

"I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that I certainly didn't expect anything like what we saw and heard at the museum." stated Sunset.

"Y'all can say that again, Sunset." Applejack agreed. "Even I'm havin' a hard time believin' that any of it's true 'r not."

"Yeah, I mean when's the last time anybody's ever heard that they had a past life all the way back three thousand years ago?" Pinkie asked.

"Not often, I can imagine." Rarity replied. "To think that we've all lived full lives here once before... It doesn't seem possible..."

"But what if it IS true...?" Fluttershy inquired with her usual meek attitude. "I mean... all of those things Mrs. K showed us... those ancient drawings that look just like us... It all seems to fit perfectly... Oh, I hope you don't think I'm crazy for thinking any of this..."

"Hey, it's no big deal, Fluttershy." said Rainbow Dash, giving her a calming pat on the back. "I'll admit, I didn't believe it at first... But to be honest, I kinda hope it's all true. It's cool to think that we were part of somethin' big in the past."

"But if it IS all true, and we are all reincarnated souls like Mrs. K said," Twilight began to say, "then why is it that Sunset and I were sent to Equestria and not this world? I'm sure there's some reason, but I can't even begin to think about what it could be..."

"Well, the important thing is that we're all here now, Twilight." Sunset pointed out. "And that means we can figure this all out together. No matter what we were or what we'll be later on, we'll always help each other out one way or another."

Twilight smiled and nodded, saying, "You're right, Sunset. We'll figure this all out somehow. Just like with my friends back in my own world, we'll get through this as a team!" That statement - particularly the part where she mentioned her Equestrian friends, caused Twilight to gasp in surprise. "Wait! I've got it!"

"Um, got what exactly?" asked Spike.

Looking back over to Sunset, she asked her, "Can you pull out those cards that Mrs. K gave you?"

"Uh... sure, Twilight. Here." said the red-and-yellow girl, taking the blank cards out of her Deck Box. She then spread them out onto the table so that everyone could see them.

After looking at the cards again, and recalling the tablet that Kisara had shown them back at the museum, Twilight was able to figure something out. "Just as I thought...!" Turning over to her puppy assistant, she asked him, "Spike, do you notice anything... familiar about the colors of these cards?"

The dragon-turned-dog inspected the cards and hummed a little. "Well... now that you mention it, it does seem like I've seen these colors already, but from where?"

"I'll tell you:" said the Princess of Friendship. She then cleared her throat and told everyone, "Back at the museum, Mrs. K told us that the some of the Number cards were immune to being corrupted by the evil power that had already consumed some of the other Numbers... She said that these Number cards were 'blessed with the light of harmony' - such as my Utopia card, and that prevented them from becoming tainted like the other cards. And then when I saw these blank Numbers, it all came together for me."

"So spill it: What'd ya figure out?" asked Rainbow Dash impatiently.

Twilight then crossed her arms in front of her chest and said, "These cards are the same colors... as the most treasured items back in Equestria: The Elements of Harmony!"

This caused everyone in the room to gasp in shock. "The Elements of Harmony?!" asked Sunset. "Like the crown that I... um... brought here, so to speak?" Twilight nodded yes in response.

"So... what you're sayin' is that these cards are... They're supposed to be like those Element-things back in your world?" asked Applejack.

"That's what I've come to believe." stated the purple girl. "And if that's true, then not only does Mrs. K's story about us have merit, but it also means that I know exactly who each of these cards belongs to!"

"Wow, you're serious?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "That's awesome!!"

"Well, what'd you expect?" asked Spike a bit smugly. "Twlight's the smartest one I know. Who else but her could figure it all out so fast?"

Sunset seemed just as impressed by how her friend managed to come to such a brilliant deduction like it was nothing. But when she looked at the cards again, she asked her otherworldly friend, "Hold on... According to Princess Celestia, there are only supposed to be SIX Elements... But Mrs. K had eight of these cards. One of them went to that Dr. Hooves guy, and we're left with these seven..."

"Exactly." Twilight told her. "But if my theory is correct, I'll know to whom six of these cards will go to. Which means that whichever card is left afterwards is likely to be yours. A simple matter of process of elimination."

"I guess that makes sense to me." the red-and-yellow girl replied, seeing the logic in her friend's words.

"So... um... not to rush you or anything, but..." Fluttershy began to say, "which cards do we get?"

Picking up the orange-colored card first, Twilight said, "This card is colored just like the Element of Honesty. That means it goes to you, Applejack." She then presented it to her orange-skinned friend.

"Sure, I'll believe that. Thanks, Twi." Applejack said, taking the card from her.

Twilight then looked for the red-colored card and picked it up off the table. "This card has the same color as the Element of Loyalty." Presenting the card to whom she believed was its rightful owner, she told her, "Rainbow Dash, this card's for you."

"Thanks. I'll take it!" said the cyan-skinned girl, quickly taking the card.

"Rarity, I think this card is yours." said the Princess of Friendship, placing the violet-colored Number in front of the purple-haired teen. "Its color is similar to that of the Element of Generosity."

"Um... thank you, Twilight." said the fashionista, looking at the card in front of her.

Picking up the pink card next, Twilight then turned over to Fluttershy and told her, "I think this card is for you; it has the same color as the Element of Kindness." The yellow girl said nothing, but smiled as she received the card from her friend. Twilight then reached for the blue-colored card and stated, "And this card is colored the same as the Element of Laughter."

"And I'll bet it's for me, right Twilight?" Pinkie guessed.

"That's right, Pinkie." the young Princess confirmed, handing the card over to the silly pink girl. Taking the magenta-colored card next, she said, "This one's color is like the Element of Magic, so I'm pretty sure that it's for me." After placing the card in her deck box, she then took the yellow-colored card and said to Sunset, "Which means that - since this is the only card left, this one must belong to you." Sunset took the card into her hand and stared at it, thinking about the different virtues that each of her friends' cards supposedly represented. She then wondered what hers was supposed to symbolize...

"Hey, what gives?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking at her card with a puzzled look on her face. "Why ain't this card doin' anything? I thought the Number cards're supposed to fill in all the blank parts after someone holds it!" She tried shaking it a bit to try and get it to work, but nothing happened.

"Yeah... doesn't this kinda contradict what's already been established in the story so far?" asked Pinkie. "Including what this is all based off of?"

"Well, don't forget..." Rarity began to explain. "Mrs. K had all of these cards for some time, and they haven't activated in her hands either. I think that... that we probably have to fulfill some other requirement first before these cards take on any sort of form..."

Noticing something, Applejack then asked the fashionista, "Hey, Rare... how come y'all haven't touched that card yet?"

"Who, me?" asked the purple-haired girl. "Um... well, it's just that I... um, well... I..."

"...Is it because of what happened with your other Number card?" asked Fluttershy.

Rarity gave out a sigh, feeling a little too embarrassed to admit it. But she sighed as she looked down at the card, telling her shy friend, "...It is."

"...I'm... I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, Rarity." the shy girl apologized. "I just..."

"It is alright, Fluttershy dear..." the fashionable teen told her. "I know you didn't mean to make me feel sad... But it's true: Ever since I was possessed by that Number card at the Fall Formal, I've... I've sort of become... afraid of those cards... I am so mortified by it all..."

"Hey... it's alright, Rarity." Sunset told her. "You don't have to feel bad for feeling that way. I can only imagine just how horrible it was for you when you got taken over by that card. I don't blame you for feeling even a little bit scared of them after something like that..."

"Thank you, Sunset..." Rarity told her. "That makes me feel a little better. Even so, I still blame myself for doing something so foolish by picking up that card in the first place... I know you've told me that what happened at the Formal wasn't my fault, but I still feel like I'm to blame for at least some of it..." Everyone felt sorry for Rarity for what had happened to her. For a while, no one said anything.

After a while, Spike - who always deeply cared for Rarity (any version of her), walked over to her and said, "I know how ya feel... I'll admit, I've... I've done a few things I'm not really proud of either; stuff that I never thought I could forgive myself for. Like one time - on my birthday, after I got a few nice presents from my friends, I started getting greedy... Before I knew it, I ended up with so much stuff, I didn't know what to do with it all... In fact, it got so bad, I ended up turning into a monster."

"A monster?" asked Rarity. "As in you started taking things from others and you couldn't control yourself?"

"Well... that and I also LITERALLY turned into a monster." he told her, sweating a little. Twilight then explained to them how, in her world, greed causes a dragon to grow in size and power. Spike then continued his story, telling Rarity, "I almost destroyed all of Ponyville... But someone helped me snap out of it. That someone was you... as in, the you from my world."

"Really, Spike?" asked the fashionista, a little surprised to hear that.

The little puppy nodded and told her, "I felt really bad about the whole thing, about how I acted. For a while, I hated myself for causing all of that trouble." Looking over at a smiling Twilight, he added, "But my friends understood how I felt and helped me get through it all. In one way, I'm kinda glad that it all happened... Because now that it has, I've learned to be an even better friend - and a better person as a result."

"Spike makes a pretty good point, Rarity." Sunset spoke up next. "After all, I'm sure you remember just how bad I used to be in the past, and how I used to hate who I was because of it all. The point we're trying to make here is that if we can forgive ourselves for our past mistakes, so can you. Otherwise, that fear and self-loathing might cause you problems later on. We know you too well to dwell on something like what happened at the Formal forever, Rarity... I know it'll be hard, but you've got to try and get past it. Otherwise, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life..." As she said that, her necklace began to glow a little, but no one noticed it.

The purple-haired girl thought about everyone's words for a while, smiled, and said, "I truly appreciate what you said to me, and I will do my best to try and overcome my issues." Looking at the Number card, she then added, "Still, I don't feel comfortable taking this card yet..."

"I could hold onto it for you, if you want." Spike suggested.

"Are you sure about that, Spike?" asked Twilight.

"No problem!" the little puppy assured her. "The Number card hasn't reacted to anyone yet, so I'm... pretty sure I'll be okay!" That being said, when he looked at the card, he hesitated a little before slowly bring his right paw down. In an effort to get it over with, he quickly slammed it down onto the card, closing his eyes and sweating a bit. After he noticed that nothing had happened, Spike slowly opened his eyes and looked at the Number, still blank. "S-see? What'd I tell you?" he said, still sweating a bit.

Twilight giggled a bit and picked up the puppy. "Spike and I will hold onto your Number card for now, if that's okay with you." she told Rarity.

"That will suffice, I suppose." the fashionable girl replied.

Just then, Rainbow Dash heard a faint buzzing sound coming from the table in the living room; the one in front of the TV. Looking over, she saw that the noise was coming from a cell phone that had been placed there earlier. "Uh, Sunset?" she began to say, "I think your phone's ringin'."

"My phone?" asked the red-and-yellow girl, a bit surprised. "Odd... I wasn't expecting a call today. Better not be another one of those stupid robo-calls, I swear to Celestia..." Sunset then walked over to the table and picked up the phone, looking at the name that the Caller ID showed. "Hm? Hold on... This call IS from Celestia...!"

"Celestia?" asked Applejack. "What's the principal callin' ya for, Sunset?"

"Usually she calls to check on how I'm doing here at the apartment, since she and Luna are helping cover my rent." she answered. "But she usually only does that on a Monday, and that was yesterday. So I have no idea what she wants."

"Well, answer it and find out, then." suggested Rarity, curious as to why CHS's principal was calling.

Sunset nodded and swiped her finger across the phone to accept the call. "Principal Celestia? It's me, Sunset..." she spoke to her. "...I'm doing fine, just as I said yesterday. So what's up? You usually don't call me at this time... Hm? You need my help with something?"

"What is it?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What're ya talking about?"

"Hold on, Dash..." said Sunset, raising her pointer finger to tell her friend to wait a moment. She then asked Celestia on the phone, "Do you mind if I put you on speaker phone, or is this something personal...? Okay, cool. Just give me a minute." The red-and-yellow girl then tapped her phone a few times before setting it in the center of the table where she and her friends were sitting. Sunset then asked, "Can you hear me, Principal Celestia?"

"I can hear you just fine, Ms. Shimmer." said the principal's voice on the other end.

"Hi, Principal Celestia!! It's me, Pinkie!!" said the enthusiastic pink girl. "How are ya?!"

"I'm doing just fine, thank you." said Celestia with a slight giggle. "How did you enjoy your trip to the Pranceton Museum?"

"Well... I can say that we'll never forget it anytime soon." stated Fluttershy.

"How are things on your end?" asked Twilight. "By that, I mean the repairs at the school?"

"Don't worry, Ms. Sparkle. Everything went just fine." the principal stated. "My sister had told me that the repairs to the water pipes went perfectly, so we'll be able to open our doors tomorrow."

"That's great!" said Twilight, happy to hear that the school would be open again.

"Yeah, woo-hoo..." Dash chimed in, but not sounding nearly as ecstatic about it as her friend did.

Clearing her throat a little, Sunset then asked, "So, um... Principal Celestia? What was it you needed from me? You said that you wanted me to help you with something...?"

"I did." Celestia answered. "And it's a very important matter." She then told everyone, "As I'm sure all of you know, next month, Canterlot City will play host to a major event: The Duel Monsters World Championship Qualifiers."

"The WCQ's?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "No kidding? Our city's holding it this year?!"

"You kiddin' me, Dash?" asked Applejack. "Ah'd have thought y'all would've known about it already! It was only the biggest news on the Internet!"

"I was busy the whole week, AJ!" the cyan teen rebutted. "I was helping Scootaloo get used to the new scooter that Cheese Sandwich gave to her."

"I didn't hear about it either..." Fluttershy admitted. "The nature park we were at didn't have Wi-Fi outside of the main office, so I wasn't able to read about it..."

Not sure what they were talking about, Twilight asked her friend, "Um, Sunset...? What's a World Championship Qualifier?"

"Well, Twilight..." the red-and-yellow girl began to explain to her, "The Duel Monsters World Chamionship is the biggest tournament of the year, where Duelists from all over the world compete with each other to determine who is the greatest... at least for that year, of course. The World Chamionship Qualifiers - or WCQ's for short, is a three-day, invitation-only event where Duelists compete for a chance to represent our continent at the World Championship."

"Sounds like a pretty big deal, huh?" asked Spike.

"To be admitted to compete in a tournament that determines the best Duelist in the whole world... It certainly IS a big deal, Spike." Sunset told him.

"Have you ever gotten to compete in one of those Tournaments, Sunset?" asked Twilight.

"Actually, I did get into the WCQ's last year after I won the Regionals." Sunset answered. "But it was pretty tough, and unfortunately, I only made top eight."

"That's still not bad, considering that you were up against a lot of other skilled players." Twilight told her. "I doubt I'd be able to get that far at my current level."

"Hey, don't go sellin' yourself short, Twilight!" Pinkie told her purple friend. "You're an amazing Duelist! You even beat Trixie, remember? She was in the Regionals too, and you managed to win against her like you've been playing Duel Monsters your whole life!"

"I guess you're right..." the young Princess responded, blushing a bit.

"Pinkie's right." Rainbow Dash said next. "Even when we dueled, I could tell that you had some serious skills, even though ya didn't win against me. I think you'd do awesome at a WCQ Tournament if ya gave it a try!"

"You might be right..." Twilight told her. "But right now, I just want to focus on Dueling to get those Number cards back."

"Fair enough." said Sunset, understanding her friend's feelings. Looking back over to the phone on the table, she then asked, "So, what is about the WCQ's that you need my help with, Principal Celestia? What does it have to do with why you called me?"

"It has everything to do with it, Ms. Shimmer." Celestia told her. "As I've stated before, the World Championship Qualifiers begin next month. But this month, we will be hosting a tournament this weekend to determine who will represent Canterlot City at the WCQ's."

"A tournament?" asked Sunset. "To choose a representative for the WCQ's?"

"So basically, it's a qualifiers for THE Qualifiers, right?" asked Pinkie with a giggle.

"I suppose that's what it could be called." said the principal. "Industrial Illusions sent out invitations to all of the other Duelists competing in the WCQ's. All of the invitations had been issued out... except for one. That one is meant to given to someone in our city, but they hadn't yet figured out who it will go to."

"So that's it..." Rarity figured out. "That's what this tournament is for: To find out who will get that invitation!"

"That's correct, Ms. Rarity." confirmed Celestia. "In fact, the idea for this 'qualifier qualification' tournament came straight from Industrial Illusions themselves: I was contacted by them through email yesterday, since they knew that I was a former Pro Duelist that lived in the area."

Sunset then recalled that Vice Principal Luna had mentioned that Celestia had some "other important work" to do that prevented her from supervising the repairs at the school. The jacket-wearing teen figured out that this must have been what Celestia was doing at the time. "So, what does this have to do with me then?" she then asked the principal. "I still don't understand what this is all about... I mean, if you wanted me to join the tournament, that won't be possible: Since I competed last year, I can't go to the WCQ's this year."

"Sunnie's right!" Pinkie then told her. "I mean, I don't know how WCQ's work in any other world, but that's how it is in this one!"

"I'm well aware of that. However, I'm not asking you to join the tournament as a contestant, Ms. Shimmer." Celestia told her. "I want you there... as an official Judge."

"A-a-a-a... A JUDGE?! Me?!" asked Sunset in shock.

"No way!! Is that true?!" Rarity inquired. "You want Sunset to be the Judge for the tournament??"

"I do indeed." Celestia told them. "I spoke to the person who contacted me about the tournament, and I recommended you to him to take the Judge Certification Test. And he agreed to give you that opportunity."

"Wow... that's incredible!" said the red-and-yellow girl, not believing what she had heard. "Me... an official Judge! Me!"

"Um, what's a Judge?" asked Twilight.

"Well, t' put it in the simplest way," Rainbow Dash began to explain, "a Judge is sort of like the referee at sporting events. Their job is to enforce the rules at official tournaments and make sure that everybody's playin' fair."

"Oh, I get it!" said the Princess of Friendship, understanding the idea.

"The Judge is usually there t' do all sortsa things at a tournament." Applejack said, continuing the explanation. "Things like settlin' disputes over what cards do what, as well as helpin' set up an' organize a tournament."

"And if necessary, they also have the authority to disqualify anyone that they believe have knowingly broken the rules of the game or the tournament guidelines." Rarity chimed in.

"Wow... it all sounds pretty important..." said Spike. "So how do you get to be a Judge?"

"You have to take a test, both online and with an official." stated Sunset. "I've heard the test is tough, and it requires you to have extensive knowledge of the card game, among other things."

"I know first-hand that the Certification Test isn't an easy one, as I have taken it myself during my time as a Pro Duelist." Celestia told her. "However, I feel that you will have no trouble passing it. You have become a fine Duelist, as well as a fine person overall, Ms. Shimmer."

"I guess I have..." said Sunset. She then asked, "But, Principal Celestia... if you're an official Judge, then how come you want me to take the test and be the Judge for this tournament instead?"

"Well... there is ONE reason why I asked this of you." the principal told her, sounding a bit more somber in her voice. "This tournament will attract a lot of Duelists from in and around the city... And there is a possibility that some of those Duelists might be holding Number cards."

"You really think that could happen?" asked Twilight.

"I'm almost certain of it." stated Celestia. "And based on what we've witnessed so far, if a Number user were to enter the tournament, I fear that person could end up causing a disaster for the other competing Duelists."

"...I understand." said Sunset, figuring it all out. "That's why you want me to be the tournament Judge. So if someone with a Number DOES show up, I can deal with it... Is that right?"

"It is, Ms. Shimmer." said the principal. "I know I am asking a lot out of you right now, but I truly need your help in order to make sure that the tournament goes smoothly. If something went wrong - depending on how bad it is, there's a chance we may never be able to host another major tournament ever again. To put a long story short, the reputations of this city and the people in it are resting on your shoulders, Ms. Shimmer. Knowing all of that... I don't blame you if you refuse my request, as it is quite a hefty one. But I will ask: Will you take the Certification Test and be the official Judge for the upcoming tournament?"

Even after hearing everything that Celestia asked of her, the decision was easy for the otherworldly girl. "Of course I'll do it!" Sunset answered. "I'll take the test and become an official Judge!"

"You serious, Sunset?" asked Rainbow Dash. She and the others were a bit surprised to hear their friend come to a decision like this so quickly.

"You bet I am, Rainbow." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "You heard what the principal said: This city's depending on me to make sure the tournament goes without a hitch. And if a Number user gets involved, I have to be there to deal with them. This is something that I have to do... AND want to do!"

"That's right, Sunset!" Twilight said, supporting her friend's decision. "I'm with you all the way on this! I know you'll pass that test and become a great Judge! And I know you'll make sure that everyone in the tournament will be able to compete without any worries!"

"That goes for me, too!" Spike told her with confidence in his voice.

"Same for us!" said Pinkie, as she and her friends agreed to support her as well.

Happy to know that everyone in the room had so much faith and support for her, Sunset wiped a small tear from her eye and said, "Thanks everybody... Seriously, thank you all. With all of you by my side, I know I won't let anyone down! I'll pass that test and become the tournament Judge!"

"Thank you very much, Ms. Shimmer." Celestia told her in a pleased tone. "I'm very proud of you for taking up such a big responsibility. Tomorrow, after school is done, I want you to come to my office; there, the official from Industrial Illusions will meet with you, and you can begin the test right away. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Principal Celestia." Sunset replied. "Don't worry; I'll be there."

"Then I will see all of you tomorrow." said Celestia. "Until then, have a pleasant night, everyone."

"You too." said the red-and-yellow girl. "Goodbye." She then tapped on her phone to end the call. Sighing a bit, she then said to her friends, "Well, I guess I'd better get started studying for the Certification Test... Think you could help me with it, Twilight?"

"Help you?" asked the young Princess. "But you know way more about Duel Monsters than I do; what could I possibly help you study for that you don't already know?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to help me, Twilight." Sunset told her. "Admittedly, I just really need someone to be there with me while I'm knee-deep in my study sessions. Seeing as how you're one of the most organized people I know, you'd be great at helping me out with all sorts of things... Like helping me focus, arranging all of my information neatly, stuff like that."

"I see." Twilight replied, understanding everything Sunset told her. "Don't worry, I'll help you out as much as I can. In fact, it might be good practice in case I get to have a personal student like Celestia did with me."

"Exactly! It'll be a learning experience for us both!" Sunset pointed out.

"Sounds like y'allre gonna have quite a busy night." stated Applejack. "In that case, we'd better take our leave so y'all can focus better. We'll see ya at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya guys later!" Rainbow Dash said as she and the others got up out of their chairs, preparing to go to their respective homes.

"Oh! Before you leave," Sunset spoke up, "I'm just curious: Are any of you thinking about joining the tournament?"

"Um... I'm not sure yet if I want to join, to be honest." Rarity answered her. Fluttershy said nothing, but hummed a bit to herself in deep thought.

"Yeah, neither am I." Pinkie added. "Don't get me wrong: I'd love to give it a try, but there's a chance that someone else would really, really, really, really want to be a part of it, and I wouldn't want them to miss out on it."

"I ain't really into big competitions, really." Applejack admitted. "I'm more of what ya call, a 'casual player'."

"And I need some more time to practice with my new Formula Athlete Deck a few more times." said Rainbow Dash. "So, for now, I think I'll pass..."

"Well, if any of you do enter, I'd like to hear about it." Sunset told them.

"We'll let ya know if we do." Applejack promised her. "Y'all have a good night, then."

"Good night to all of you, too." Twilight told them. "We'll see you tomorrow." The other girls nodded and left through the door. Once they left, the purple girl then turned to Sunset, smiled and told her, "Alright, we'd better get started, Sunset. We've got a lot of studying to do if you're going to pass that test!"

"Right. Let's do it!" said Sunset, eager to get started.

For the rest of that day, Twilight and Spike helped their friend study for the Certification Test as best as they could. They looked over all of the necessary information and quizzed each other on said information. By the time they had finished, it was just a little past 11 o ' clock, and the three of them decided that they had better get some rest so that they would be recharged by tomorrow. Spike remained on the living room couch, while Sunset and Twilight went into the bedroom to get some well-deserved Z's.

Even as they both slept peacefully, their minds were still functioning. In fact, as Sunset snoozed away, images began to appear in her mind. The same was true for Twilight as well...

The sun had just risen on another brand-new day. However, it was not in Canterlot City. In fact, the area that had just received the light of the sun was not a city or a town at all: It was a large temple hidden away in the mountains, far away from most civilizations. However, that didn't mean that it was deserted; far from it. Many people - young and old and clad in white robes, could be seen everywhere; Walking, talking, laughing and playing. Everything about this place and the people in it was soothing and peaceful. Such was the nature of the temple that was home to the Order of Astral.

Stepping out of the temple was a young teenage girl with purple skin and hair: Her name was Spakah, one of the Order of Astral's High Priestesses. She stepped out in front of the temple entrance, her gold crown bearing the Emperor's Key symbol shining in the sunlight. Spakah looked around at all of the people outside and smiled. "This truly is a beautiful place..." she said to herself. "A true utopia: No fear, no hatred, and no pain... I hope that one day, we could spread such serenity throughout the whole world as well."

Spakah then looked around a little and noticed something peculiar. "...Strange... Where is Sun'Et...?" she asked herself. "I thought that I would have seen her by now..." Glancing around, she then noticed a girl that was her age walking by; she had grey skin, blonde hair, and yellow eyes, and she wore a white, toga-like robe. Recalling that this girl did some work in the temple, she wondered if she knew anything about her friend. "Excuse me...!" Spakah called out as she ran over to her. "Have you seen Priestess Sun'Et? I have not been able to find her today."

"Priestess Sun'Et?" asked the grey-skinned girl. "Oh! Yes I have! I... I think I saw her heading to the fountain!"

"The fountain?" asked Spakah. "I wonder why she went there...?" Smiling, she then told the helpful girl, "In that case, that is where I shall go. Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome, Ms. High Priestess!" said the grey teen, waving to her.

Spakah spent the next minute or so walking to the spot that the grey girl had mentioned. Eventually, she came to the large, grassy clearing where the fountain was. The fountain was made up of a small pool of water, which came out of a spout-like structure that was erected in the center of it. Along the sides of the fountain pool were what appeared to be words written in Astral Glyphs - the language of the Astral World. Spakah looked over to the side and - sure enough, her friend and fellow High Priestess Sun'Et was there. The red-and-yellow girl was kneeling in front of the fountain, looking at her own reflection in the rippling water.

"S...Sun'Et?" Spakah asked sheepishly, wondering if her friend was busy with something.

Hearing the voice, Sun'Et looked behind her and saw who it was. "Spakah? What are you doing here...?" she asked her.

"I was... looking for you, actually." the purple girl answered. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"...Not really, no." Sun'Et responded. "Just thinking about some things..."

"Like what? Could you tell me?"

Sun'Et thought for a few seconds about her friend's request. After that, she smiled and told her, "Sure. That's okay with me." Getting up off her knees and sitting on the edge of the fountain, she then requested her friend, "Come. Sit here next to me." Spakah smiled back and did just that. For a few seconds, neither one of them said a word to the other. Then, Sun'Et spoke up and said, "It's been two days... Two days since Master Daviten gave us that request of his."

"I know, Sun'Et..." Spakah replied. "Soon, we'll be travelling around again, just like when he had asked us to locate that temple some time ago. And our goal will be to enlist new members into the Order of Astral; people with souls as powerful as ours and our Master's, to be trained as High Priests and High Priestesses..."

"I am not sure why he asked us to do this," the red-and-yellow girl admitted, "but if that is what our Master wishes, then I am certain that it is only for a good reason. And for that reason - whatever it may be, we must do our best for him." Sighing a little, she then said to her friend, "This reminds me of when we underwent the training to become High Priestesses ourselves... It was during that time that we had first met."

"I remember, Sun'Et." Spakah said, removing her crown and staring at it. "I remember that Master Daviten chose me to undergo the training at the request of my mother and father. They had told him that I was exceptionally brilliant for my age, and feared that my gift would go to waste if I were to remain in my birth town."

"That was the same for me." said Sun'Et, looking at her Emporer's Key necklace. "For a long time, I knew not of how he was aware of how smart I was and how he knew where to find me... Perhaps he may have foreseen our destinies within the order, and that is why he knew to send for us?"

"Perhaps that may be so..." the purple girl said, agreeing with her. She then added, "What I do know is that after we were brought here to the temple, our training began immediately. That was when we first met each other... Unfortunately, things between us back then were... rough, to put it mildly."

Sun'Et sighed a bit, saying, "I know... During our training, we were far ahead of all of the others. But I was always one step behind you. I am ashamed to say it, but... I began to harbor feelings of jealousy towards you at that time. No matter what I did, I wasn't able to surpass you. To think that I actually despised you over something as trivial as that..." Spakah put her hand on her friend's shoulder to help comfort her while she talked about her past troubles. "My envy towards you began to affect my studies, and I began to start falling behind..." the red-and-yellow girl continued. "Our Master noticed this and told me of it, which only made me even more frustrated..."

"I remember..." said Spakah. "I overheard what our Master said to you after our lessons that day, and after we left for our quarters, I rushed over to you and asked if you needed help with anything... And then-"

"I know..." said Sun'Et, interrupting the purple girl's words, as she felt that she needed to say this herself. "When you spoke to me, I snapped at you... I said some things to you that... well, I would rather not repeat what I said for a number of reasons. I then ran off in frustration, thinking that you were being condescending with your words... But that wasn't it, was it?"

After a brief pause, Spakah then said to her, "If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't hurt by what you said to me. Startled, maybe... but not hurt. It was then that I knew what was going on... and I knew that I had to help you somehow. So I followed you, and I found you sitting right at this very fountain, with the saddest face I had ever seen..."

"When I saw you walking towards me, I went on the defensive again and tried to keep you away." Sun'Et told her. "But as you spoke to me, and told me that you really wanted to try and help me improve on my studies... I then realized that you weren't trying to outdo me during our training. You weren't even aware that I was envious towards you. You were just doing your best, like all of the others... And like what I should have been doing..." Wiping a small tear from her eye, she finished, saying, "I guess deep down, I always knew that, but my pride got the better of me..."

"But then things got better, remember?" asked Spakah. "After that talk we had, we started working together more closely. We became the most accomplished students out of everyone else. And after that, Master Daviten had us both officially recognized as High Priestesses together."

"And I owe it all to you, my friend." said Sun'Et. "Even after the way I had treated you, you still wanted to help me pass the training. I would never have become a High Priestess if it wasn't for you."

But Spakah shook her head and told her, "You made that come true on your own. It was you who realized that we in the Order of Astral must work as one to achieve our ideals. None of us are in this all by ourselves; something that I also realized that day as well. Up until that point, I never thought I needed anyone's help to become a High Priestess. But through working together with you, we both did much better than either us could do on our own. And I think that was what our Master was trying to teach us during our training..."

"I think so too, Spakah." said Sun'Et, managing to smile after all of that. "Because of our support for each other, we finally became High Priestesses... But more importantly, we got to become friends. And I believe that's even better."

"You really think so, Sun'Et?" asked the purple girl, feeling warm inside just hearing her say that. "Because I feel exactly the same way. And I hope that we'll be able to find other people that will do just as well as we did and pass that training. And with the bond we have together, I know we will make Master Daviten proud!"

"You're right, Spakah." agreed Sun'Et. "We must do our best to help the Order of Astral become stronger, so that we can continue to help those who need it, and create the world our Master always wished for. It may seem like a tall order, but we can do it!"

Spakah nodded in agreement, happy to see her friend in a better mood. She then asked her, "So... I must ask: Is that the reason you came to the fountain, Sun'Et? Because our Master's request for us brought back those past memories?"

"Well, that was one of the reasons." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "But I was also thinking of something else..." Her friend listened to hear what it was that Sun'Et had on her mind. "Spakah... do you recall one of the lessons our Master taught to us? About the nature of the souls that reside in the Astral World?" she then asked.

"Yes..." Spakah replied. "Which one exactly?"

"According to our Master," Sun'Et began, "when our physical bodies perish, our souls move on to the next life. He says that those who have sufficiently Ranked-Up their spirits will enter the Astral World. From that point on, they will reside there for all eternity." She then looked at her necklace again and added, "However, there is also the chance that souls within the Astral World could very well return to the living world, reborn in new bodies if the powers that be will it to be so for one reason or another."

"That's right. Our Master did say that." Spakah stated. "However, even he is not completely sure exactly how it works or why it happens, if it happens at all."

"...Back when I was jealous of you... back when I harbored hatred towards you during our training..." the red-and-yellow girl continued, "those are feelings that I never want to have in my heart... However, if what our Master says is true, and we can be reincarnated... I fear that those feelings could very well return and haunt me once again." Clenching the Emporer's Key in her fist, she then turned over to Spakah and asked her, "I want you to promise me something, my friend..."

"Promise something?" asked the purple girl, unsure of where this was going.

"If... if we do come back to this world in the future," Sun'Et told her, "and if those feelings of darkness threaten to lead me astray again... Do whatever it takes to lead me back into the light. WHATEVER it takes."

"...Of course I would do that, Sun'Et." Spakah told her. She then asked, "But... but if we are reborn, will we even remember that promise?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest..." the red-and-yellow girl admitted solemnly. "But I hope that we will... somehow..." She then asked her friend, "In any case... will you do that for me? Will you try to help me stay on the path of light?"

"I will, my friend. I promise I will." said Spakah with a nod. The two smiled at each other and gave the other a comforting hug to cement their promise.

Present Day:

The next morning came with both Sunset and Twilight waking up as usual. But other than getting dressed and having breakfast, they didn't have much interaction with each other. In fact, neither of them had said a word after greeting each other a good morning. As Sunset poured some cereal into a bowl in front of her, she glanced over at Twilight and thought, (...Should I say something...?) Humming for a while, she then shook her head and said to herself, (No... not right now. I probably should wait for another time... Still, what was up with that dream last night...? I was at a fountain... and I was looking at myself... But was it even me? She looked so much different, but also the same...) Thinking more about the dream, she then added, (And then... I saw someone who looked... who looked and sounded just like Twilight... I just don't get it: How could someone be alike and different at the same time...?)

She wasn't the only one having such confusing thoughts running in her head: Twilight had some of her own, as well. Looking over towards Sunset, she asked herself, (What should I do...? Should I say something...? If I do, what do I tell her? How could I possibly put into words what happened in that dream last night...?) As it turned out, Twilight had the same dream as Sunset, the only difference was that it was from a different perspective. But just like in her friend's dream, she saw people that looked and sounded almost EXACTLY like the two of them, sitting and chatting at a fountain. However, neither of them knew that they had such a dream, because neither of them was willing to discuss it.

Watching from the sofa nearby, Spike began to feel a little worried after seeing both the girls sitting and eating their breakfast without hardly a word spoken between them. (Aw man... they've got that look on their faces...) Spike said in his mind. (I know that look: It's the same one Twilight gets when she has really deep, worried thoughts... Does this have anything to do with the stuff we saw and heard at the museum yesterday?)

Finally, Twilight decided to break the awkward silence (and get her mind off of the strange dream she had), saying to her friend, "Um, so... you said that you'll taking that Judge test today, right?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah, I am..." the red-and-yellow girl responded, also trying her best to think about anything else. "After school's over, I'll be going to Celestia's office to take it with a rep from Industrial Illusions. So, because of that, you'll have to stay a bit later at the school, since you haven't yet gotten your own key for the apartment. So...um, I'm sorry in advance for the inconvenience."

"Oh, it won't be inconvenient at all!" the young Princess assured her. "I can just hang out at the library until you're done. It's no problem!"

Chuckling a bit, Sunset then said, "Oh yeah. I almost forgot who I was talking to for a moment." Twilight giggled a bit herself as well. "Anyway, thanks again for all of your help yesterday." she then told her friend.

"You're welcome Sunset." the purple teen replied. "Believe me, it was my pleasure to help you study for that test. And I know you'll pass it for sure!"

Sunset smiled, happy to know that her friend believed in her so much. Looking at the clock in the room, she then told her, "It's almost time to head out, Twilight."

"Okay." the young Princess said. Looking back at Spike, she asked him, "Are you ready to go?"

"I sure am!" the dragon-turned-puppy replied, hopping into Twilight's backpack.

In no time, the two of them made their way from the city to Canterlot High School on Sunset's new Duel Runner. Luckily, it was able to support two people, and Sunset had previously gotten Twilight her own helmet to help protect her during the ride. When the two of them arrived at school, many of the students at the front doors got their first look at the advanced motorcycle. Some were impressed upon seeing it, others a bit jealous. Either way, Sunset's vehicle became a major topic for discussion at that time.

"Well, lookit the two of you, comin' here to school in style." said Applejack as she and the rest of her friends walked over to greet both Sunset and Twilight.

"Yeah, you know everybody here's gonna be talkin' about your Duel Runner for at least the rest of the week." Rainbow Dash commented.

"That's a good possibility." said Sunset. She then turned over to Pinkie and said to her, "I hope you're not sad that we won't be car-pooling with you as often as before."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Sunnie!" the pink girl told her. "Dashie and Fluttershy rode up here with me today, so it wasn't like I was all alone. Besides, you have such a cool new Duel Runner, it'd be a waste for you NOT to drive it here!"

"Well, as long as you're okay with it, I'll keep using it." the red-and-yellow teen responded.

"So, are you ready to take that test to become an official Judge, Sunset dear?" Rarity asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Sunset answered. "Twilight and I studied all night to make sure I'd be prepared, no matter what."

"I don't think she's going to have any problem at all." Twilight informed the others. "She'll pass with flying colors, no doubt!"

"We'll be rooting for you too, Sunset...!" Fluttershy told her. "D-do your best out there."

"I will. Thanks, everyone." Sunset replied. "Just watch me: I'll pass that test and become an official Duel Monsters Judge!"

"And when you do," Pinkie began to say to her, "just prepare yourself to have people calling 'Judge!' to you over and over again for the rest of your life." Sunset chuckled a bit at the comment and nodded to say that she understood. The seven of them then walked into the school building together to go to their respective classes.

Throughout the day, things were relatively normal for Sunset, Twilight, and the others during their classes. Though when they walked into their new history class for the first time, they couldn't help but to look at Mrs. K a bit differently compared to how their other classmates saw. After all, they knew her secret identity of Kisara. However, they kept their promise to her and did not say a word about it or their meeting at the museum yesterday as the young teacher taught her class. They acted just as the other students did as to not attract any unwanted attention to themselves or Mrs. K. The history class ended on time just as normally as when it started, without any major issues.

Once the school day was done, Sunset was ready to take her Judge Certification Test with Principal Celestia and the representative from Industrial Illusions. After saying goodbye to the others for the day, Sunset made her way to Celestia's office while Twilight and Spike went over to the library to pass the time until their friend was done. The red-and-yellow girl stepped up to the door leading to the main office, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. (Well... here goes nothing...) she thought as she opened the door.

Sunset was immediately greeted by Principal Celestia, as well as a brown-haired man in a jet-black suit and red tie; assumedly, this man was the representative from Industrial Illusions, sent to oversee Sunset's exam. "Ah, Ms. Shimmer! Right on time, as I had hoped." the principal said to the young girl as she walked in.

"After all of the late-night studying I did with Twilight yesterday, I wasn't going to miss it." Sunset informed her.

Nodding, Celestia then gestured over to the man beside her and said, "This is Mr. Jay Dunstan. He works at Industrial Illusions and is in charge of overseeing and organizing all official Duel Monsters Tournaments, including the WCQ."

"Um, p-pleased to meet you, sir." the red-and-yellow girl greeted him, a bit nervously.

"So you are Sunset Shimmer." Mr. Dunstan replied, shaking her hand. "Your principal has told me a lot about you, and your accomplishments as a Duelist. After what I've heard, I agree that you would make a fine Judge for the upcoming tournament. That is, IF you pass the Certification Test."

"Well, I certainly don't plan on failing the test when I came here to take it." she told him. "I promise that I'll pass it and prove that what Celestia told you is true!"

Chuckling warmly, the man said, "You have quite the determined spirit, Ms. Shimmer. If Mr. Pegasus was still here with us, he would most certainly be impressed by your confidence." Stepping aside, he then asked her, "Shall we begin?" Sunset nodded and followed the two of them to Celestia's office so that she could start taking that test.

About nearly an hour had passed since Sunset met with Principal Celestia and Mr. Dunstan. During that time, Twilight and Spike had spent their time in the school library. They were mostly alone, aside from the staff that worked there, as well as Lyra and Bon Bon - both of them studying for a big project together. All in all, the library was mostly quiet (as any good library ought to be).

As Twilight finished reading a stack of books she had put aside, she looked at the clock on the wall above and hummed a bit. "I wonder how Sunset's doing...?" she asked herself. "When I saw her taking the practice test on her computer, I looked at the questions they were asking; a lot of them were pretty tricky, even by my standards..."

"I'm sure she's doing just fine, Twilight." Spike told her. "Sunset's practically your equal in terms of all of that smarty-pants-related stuff. Do ya really think this test will be any more challenging than some of the others I've seen you take?"

"I guess you have a point, Spike..." the young Princess told him. "I suppose I shouldn't be that worried for her, but I just can't help it, though; she's my friend, and I just want to know that things will be okay for her."

"I get what ya mean, Twilight." her young assistant told her. "I get that feeling myself every now and then, too. But really, Sunset'll be just fine. You just gotta keep tellin' yourself that." The Princess of Friendship nodded to say that she understood what he meant. Spike then said to her, "Anyway, try not to think about it too much, Twilight: Think about something else... Like maybe all of those cool dragon cards that Mrs. K used on that Caballeron guy!"

"Yeah, I guess they were pretty neat, weren't they?" said the purple teenager. "Up until now, I never thought I'd actually see the Blue-Eyes cards in action, since that Kaiba person was the only one to ever use them!" She then hummed a bit and asked, "I wonder where she got them... They can't be fakes, since Sunset told me that the D-Pads are equipped to only recognize genuine cards, so where did they come from...? Does it have something to do with her having a past life, or something like that?"

"Hey, I don't care where she got 'em from!" Spike told his friend. "It was just so awesome watching them take that jerk down like they did!" Twilight nodded to say that she felt the same way too. After all, watching the Blue-Eyes White Dragons on a DVR recording was nothing compared to seeing them in front of her own eyes.

Just then, the two of them heard the front doors of the library opening. When they saw that it was Sunset Shimmer walking in, they wasted no time to get over to her and find out how things went. "Sunset! You're back!" said Twilight as she and Spike reached her. "How did the test go??"

With a smile, she told them, "It went great! I passed it! Check it out!" Sunset then presented them with a sheet of paper that had recorded her test score.

"Woah, check it out! A near-perfect score!" Spike commented, impressed to see that 98% mark printed on the top with a green circle beside it (the circle meaning that she had gotten a passing score).

Twilight Sparkle then read the text under her test score, saying out-loud, "This document states that Ms. Sunset Shimmer of Canterlot City has passed the Official Duel Monsters Judge Certification Test. As of now, Ms. Shimmer is officially acknowledged as a Tournament Judge for any and all Official Duel Monsters Tournaments." Smiling, she told her friend, "That's so great, Sunset! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks, Twilight." the red-and-yellow girl responded. "I mean it: I don't think I would have passed that test if you and Spike hadn't helped me study for it."

"So, what happens now that you're a Judge?" asked Spike.

"Well for now, it means that I'll be able to act as the Judge for the upcoming tournament." she answered him. "I can't wait to be there for it! In fact, I can't wait to get back to the apartment and tell all our friends about it!"

"I'm sure they'll be pleased to know how well you did." Twilight said to her. "I certainly am." Getting an idea, she then asked her, "In fact, why don't we all have a party to celebrate you passing the test?"

"A party?" asked the red-and-yellow girl. "You think you could put one together right now? It's kinda last-minute..."

"I can't, but Pinkie probably could." the young Princess reminded her.

"Oh yeah... that's true." Nodding and smiling, Sunset told her friend, "In that case, I'm all for it!" With their minds made up, the two of them left the school building, with Sunset calling and telling all of their friends about the good news and if they wanted to celebrate the accomplishment. Naturally, they all agreed, and Pinkie was more than pleased to put together a quick party at the apartment. It seemed that everything was going quite well for them all...

But far away, in the run-down remains of Skyes Academy...

"Hmmm... so Caballeron turned out to be a disappointment..." said the voice of Chrysalis as she sat down in front of an old-looking vanity with a broken mirror, staring at four cards set in front of her - one of them being Number 70: Malevolent Sin. "Oh well... there's more where that came from." she said with a rather passive attitude. "I have other methods at my disposal, so losing him won't be much."

"...Mistress Chrysalis?" said a boy's voice. "I have come as you asked..." Hearing the voice, the wicked woman looked at her reflection in the mirror, noticing that the yellow mark imprinted on the side of her face was visible. Quickly, she got out some of the beauty supplies stored in the vanity's drawers. Using a special cream that was roughly the same color as her skin, she plastered some of it over the yellow mark, hiding it from sight.

Once that was taken care of, Chrysalis then said, "Come inside." The source of the voice walked inside, his appearance concealed by the shadows in the room. After reaching the center of the room, she then asked him, "I assume you remember why I have asked you to come to me, correct?"

"...I do." the figure answered in a low tone of voice.

"...There is a tournament that is about to be held in Canterlot City, where Sunset Shimmer lives." the woman told him. "You are to enter that tournament."

"...Do you wish for me to win this tournament?" asked the voice.

"That won't be necessary." she told him. "Your main objective is to find any Duelists there that could make good candidates for one of my blank Numbers. You may win the tournament if you so wish to, but do not forget your primary goals... Understood?"

"I understand, Mistress Chrysalis." the boy responded. "I will do as you ask..." After that, he then left the room. Not long after, another figure entered Chrysalis's room: It was none other than Windmistress, the vicious Harpy-user that Sunset and Bon-Bon had encountered once before.

"I see you have returned, Windmistress." Chrysalis said to her. "Did you do as I asked this time?"

"...I have, Mistress Chrysalis." said the dark-grey girl. "It was difficult, but I found the three people you asked me to find. When I informed them of why you wanted to speak with them, they showed no hesitation in coming back here with me."

"Very good." stated Chrysalis. "You are quite close to making up for your previous blunder during the last mission I entrusted you with... When you have fully repaid me, I will trust you with my Number cards once more."

"I... I understand, Mistress Chrysalis." Windmistress told her. "I promise you, I shall not make such a mistake again." As she turned to leave, she then thought to herself, (And more than that... I will make certain that Sunset and her despicable little friends pay for my humiliation...! In fact - with the added assistance of the people Mistress Chrysalis asked me to find, I may very well make good on that threat...)

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 39: The Tournament Begins:

Author's Note

The Tournament story arc is now officially on its way. The next episode will reveal who all managed to make it, including the four OC's I've chosen to make an appearance. For now, enjoy the episode!

RANK 39: The Tournament Begins:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

During their trip to the Pranceton Museum, Sunset and the others have learned some rather shocking information regarding the ancient Order of Astral: Specifically that THEY were the order's High Priestesses in a past life! Their history teacher, Mrs. K - otherwise known as Kisara, revealed to the girls that they, like herself, are reincarnated souls. However, unlike Kisara, Sunset and her friends have no recollection of their former lives from over 3,000 years ago. However, Kisara then revealed to them seven blank Number cards that she claimed were the keys to unlocking their past memories and their true power.

On that same day, Sunset received a rather interesting call from Principal Celestia. The principal told her that the upcoming Duel Monsters World Championship Qualifiers was being held in Canterlot City this year, and all but one of the invitations have been sent out. To determine who would get that last invitation, Industrial Illusions - the producers of the Duel Monsters card game, organized a special tournament open to all those living in or visiting Canterlot. Not only that, Celestia also arranged for Sunset to take a special test that would allow her to become an Official Duel Monsters Tournament Judge. With a bit of help from Twilight and Spike, Sunset was able to study for and pass the test.

Now Sunset is the official Judge for the upcoming tournament, and is in charge of enforcing the rules. Will the tournament go off without a hitch? Or will outside forces threaten to make trouble for the competing Duelists...?

It was late afternoon in Sunset's apartment, and the air was alive with excitement: Pinkie Pie had thrown a party in celebration of Sunset Shimmer passing a test that made her officially recognized as a Duel Monsters Tournament Judge. Naturally, everyone was there to celebrate her achievement: With her were Twilight Sparkle and Spike, as well as her friends Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and of course Pinkie. Also at the party were Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, as well as Manny Roar, the owner of the building that Sunset lived in, and even Flash Sentry, Sunset's ex-boyfriend (but still a regular friend).

"Wow... this is just like when we had that party for when I won the Inter-School Duel..." Fluttershy mentioned as she poured out some fruit punch for herself. "I hope we won't be too loud..."

"You needn't worry, miss." Manny Roar told her. "As I've said before, the walls are soundproof. No expense was spared to ensure my tenants could live here peacefully. So don't be afraid to be a little loud every now and then!"

"Um... that's okay, Mr. Roar..." the shy girl said to him. "I'm not the... um, 'loud' type."

Elsewhere, Sunset Shimmer was talking to both Celestia and Luna in regards to the Judge Certification Test that she had passed just today. "I must admit, Ms. Shimmer:" Luna began to say. "When my sister told me that you had become an official Judge, I was quite surprised. But I suppose that it was no surprise to you, considering how high your score was. In any case, congratulations on such a marvelous achievement!"

"Thank you, Vice Principal Luna." said the red-and-yellow teen. "To be honest, I'm still finding it all hard to believe: Me, an Official Duel Monsters Tournament Judge!"

"What's not to believe?" asked Rainbow Dash, walking over towards them all. "You're every bit as much of a brainiac as Twilight, after all!"

"She's correct." Celestia then told her. "Today you proved to yourself and everyone else that you deserve such a great honor. Quite a change from how things used to be, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it sure is..." Sunset replied. "Maybe that's why I'm finding it hard to believe it all: Because now I'm getting honor and praise from everybody without having to force it out of them. I guess that's something I may never get used to..."

"But you definitely deserve it all, Sunset." Twilight then told her. "You've worked hard to change who you are, and it's paying off. I'm really proud of you, and so is everypon-er, everybody here!"

Smiling, the jacket-wearing girl told her Princess friend, "Thanks, Twilight. I've said it before, but I'm glad that we got to become friends. I don't know how I'd have gotten this far without you."

Twilight shook her head and told her, "While I may have helped you a little every now and then, in the end, you made all of this come true on your own. It's like I said: You worked hard to better yourself and become the good person you were always meant to be. You have to give yourself more credit, Sunset. You're a very strong person, and you can do anything you set your mind to."

Sunset thought about what Twilight said to her just now; for some reason, she could have sworn she had heard something like that once before, but she didn't know where. She then nodded to her friend and told her, "I guess you're right, Twilight. Still, thanks for everything you've done for me."

"Anytime." the young Princess replied.

Clearing her throat, Celestia then said to Sunset, "Now don't forget: Tomorrow morning, I want you to come to my office early to help with the opening announcements."

"The announcements?" asked Applejack. "Does this have anything t' do with her becomin' a Judge?"

"Sort of." the principal answered. "I'm going to have her announce to the school that she will be the active Judge for the upcoming Qualifier Tournament. In addition, I will have her inform all of the students when sign-ups for the tournament will take place."

"And when will that be?" asked Rarity. "And moreso, where will it take place?"

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find that out, like everyone else." Celestia replied. Looking at her cellphone's clock, she then said, "Oh my! I nearly lost track of the time! Forgive me, but Luna and I have some more work to do regarding the tournament. We will see you tomorrow morning."

"Good night, Celestia! Good night Luna!" said the ever-cheerful Pinkie Pie. "See you bright and earlyyyyy!"

Celestia chuckled and waved good-bye. As they headed towards the door, she then said to her sister, "Just thinking about the tournament takes me back to our glory days, doesn't it Luna?"

"Indeed it does, Sister." the vice-principal replied. "Ah, to Duel on such a grand stage once again... It would most certainly be divine." The two of them continued to chat with each other as the left the apartment and shut the door behind them.

Sunset, overhearing the principals' conversation, hummed a little to herself in thought. As she did, Manny Roar got up out of the chair he was sitting on and said, "Well, I suppose I'd better be on my way, too. Got a lot of work to do. You all take care now, okay?" After that, the kindly landlord left the room as well.

"So," Twilight then asked the others in the room, "have any of you thought about joining the tournament?"

"Eh, I thought about it," Pinkie began to say, "but I don't think I will."

"Whaddya mean, Pinks?" asked a somewhat surprised Rainbow Dash. "Your Madolche Deck is amazing! You could go all the way and probably win the whole thing!"

"Maybe, but to be honest, I'm really not that into big tournaments like this one." the pink girl admitted. "I just like playing for the fun of it, that's all!"

"Eh, fair enough, I guess." the cyan teen replied, understanding Pinkie's opinion. "As for me, I need some more time to practice with my new F.A. Deck, so I guess I'm out too."

"Ah'll hafta sit this one out as well, girls." Applejack told them. "I wanna join, but Ah got too much work t' do on the farm, that Ah won't have enough time t' practice."

"I'm afraid my case is quite similar to Applejack's." Rarity told her friends. "I just got a dress order from one of our regular clients so I won't be able to find the time to practice with my Deck either." She then turned to Twilight and asked her, "What about you, Twilight dear? Are you entering the tournament?"

"Um, I'm afraid not." the young Princess answered. "As good as I've gotten lately, I don't think I'm quite ready for a major tournament yet. Besides, Sunset asked me to help her out during the competition, so I couldn't enter even if I wanted to."

"Wait, you're gonna be Sunset's assistant?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Mostly with paperwork and all that." Sunset answered her friend. "That way, I can focus my attention on my Judge duties and make sure that everybody's playing by the rules." She then glanced over to her ex-boyfriend and asked him, "What about you, Flash?"

"Me?" he replied. "Actually, I think I will give the tournament a try. I've been working on my Deck for a while, and so far it's been doing very well. I'd like to see how far I can go with it."

"That's good to hear." said the red-and-yellow teen. "What kind of Deck is it?"

"It's a Heroic Deck." the boy answered her. "I've tried a few different archetypes, but that's the one that seems the most natural to me so far." Twilight felt the same way; even though she had never studied the Deck before, she also figured that it would fit someone like him the most, based on what she knew of his Equestrian counterpart.

"What about you, Fluttershy?" Pinkie then asked, turning over to the person in question. "Are you gonna enter the tournament, too?"

"Ummm... well..." But before the shy girl could answer, her cellphone began to ring. "Oh my...!" she exclaimed softly, pulling out her device and looking at who it was that was calling her. "Um, please excuse me for a moment. My mother's calling me." She then walked into the bathroom so that she could have a private conversation with the person on the other end. What no one knew was that despite what Fluttershy had told them, the name listed on the phone wasn't her mother's name...

"Welp... guess we'll hafta wait 'til later t' find that out." noted Applejack.

"Guess so." Rainbow Dash chimed in. For now, the others decided not to worry about it for now, despite how curious they were at the moment.

About an hour or so later, the party was beginning to wind down and the guests were ready to head home. One by one, each of them left the apartment, saying goodbye as they did. After a few minutes, Only Sunset, Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie remained in the room. "Say, Sunset?" the young Princess began to ask her friend.

"What is it?"

"Well, Pinkie invited me and Spike over to her house for the night." Twilight told her. "I just want to make sure that's okay with you, that's all."

"You don't have to ask me permission for that sort of stuff, Twilight." Sunset informed her. "It's no problem to me if you want spend the night over at Pinkie's."

"I know. I was only asking because..." the purple-skinned teen said. "if I do go, then... then you'll be all by yourself the whole night."

"I'll be fine, Twilight. Don't worry about me." she told her friend. "I've had to live alone for a while before you came back here, so I'm a bit used to it already. To be honest, I could use a little time alone anyway. There's a lot of... well, let's just say there's a lot of stuff on my mind that I have to sort out, and it'll be easier if I'm by myself when I do it. Anyway, you don't have to be concerned about me. Just go and enjoy yourself."

"Okay then. Then... I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, Sunset." Twilight responded.

"See ya later, Twilight." Sunset told her. "Have a good time with Pinkie Pie."

"Oh, she will. I can guarantee that!" the silly pink girl assured her. She then asked Twilight, "Before we go, though: You need to use the bathroom at all?"

"Um... no, I'm fine." the purple girl answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know, in another few hours, the sun will rise..." Pinkie answered her.

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight then asked, "...Um, what does that have to do with me using the bathroom?"

"Well... um... You know, now that you mention it, I have absolutely no idea." Pinkie admitted. She then shrugged her shoulders and left for the door. Sunset and Twilight shared an awkward giggle regarding Pinkie's comment before the young Princess made her way out as well.

For the next several minutes, Sunset took it upon herself to clean up the slight mess following their party, tossing out the garbage, taking down the decorations, and putting away the leftover snacks and drinks in the kitchen. By the time she was done, the otherworldly girl left out a tired sigh and wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead. "Phew... finally, that's all taken care of." she said to herself, a bit exhausted. "I could use a little break..." She then removed her jacket and laid it out on her couch before walking into her bathroom.

About a minute later, the red-and-yellow-girl was relaxing in her hot tub after a long day. She was now clad in a black, two-piece bathing suit, with the top part showing part of a design that resembled her pony form's cutie mark (during her trip to Bloodstone, she had bought it along with her new outfit). Although she was in a relaxed state, she was still thinking about everything that had happened recently. With no one else around, she felt safe talking about it to herself out-loud. "It's still hard to believe everything that just happened today and yesterday..." she said to herself. "I'm actually going to be the Judge for the tournament this weekend. I'm feeling nervous just thinking about it. But that's not the only thing..."

Sunset then glanced over to the hamper beside the tub; sitting there were her nighttime clothes, which she planned to put on after she was done with her soak. On top of her night outfit was, of course, her key necklace - also known as the Emperor's Key. Sunset stared at the key for some time before she eventually got up out of the tub a little in order to reach over and take it. The red-and-yellow girl sat back down in the water, looking at the key-shaped charm and saying to herself, "Kisara told us that this was worn by a High Priestess in the Order of Astral. And she also said that it was 'interesting' that I had gotten it..." Thinking about it some more, she then recalled the dream she had last night. "That's right... the person in my dream... The one who looked like me..." she said to herself. "She was wearing a necklace just like mine."

Sunset then thought some more about her dream as well as what Kisara had told her and the others. "Kisara said that she was a reincarnated soul. And when a soul is reborn in a new body, they usually can't recall the memories of their previous life. But those memories still exist within their mind... And when Kisara picked up a Number, she was able to remember who she was in the past." Humming a bit more to herself, the inter-dimensional girl then asked herself, "If that's true... then that dream that I had... was it really a dream... or... was it a memory...?"

The young girl still wasn't completely sure of what was going on, but the one thing she could figure was that the dream she had served some sort of purpose. What that purpose was wasn't clear to her yet, but Sunset resolved to figure it out one way or another. As she kept thinking about these things, her key necklace gave off a faint glow (too faint for Sunset to notice). Not only that, her Duel Monsters Deck - which she had left in her bedroom, gave off a faint glow as well...

The next morning, Sunset drove her Duel Runner to Canterlot High School. She was about an hour or so early because she had promised Principal Celestia that she would help her with the morning announcements; specifically the part concerning the upcoming tournament. After she arrived, she phoned Celestia to let her know that she had arrived at the school (as it was still too early for the doors to be open). The principal then came to the front doors not long after and unlocked them to allow Sunset inside.

After getting to Celestia's office, the principal then discussed things with Sunset on how the morning announcements were to be delivered, and to use her best speaking voice. The two of them rehearsed the announcements a few times before the school officially opened. About an hour or so later, when a substantial number of students were in the building, Sunset was ready to give it her all.

(Alright then... here goes nothing.) the red-and-yellow girl thought to herself. Putting on a smile, she then spoke into Celestia's microphone and said, "Good morning, students of Canterlot High School! This is Sunset Shimmer, and I will be delivering the morning announcements for today!"

"That's interesting... Usually the principal or the vice principal gives the announcements in the morning." said one of the students; it was Shining Spoon, who was busy going over a small manual that was issued out in his new Woodshop Class this semester.

"Yeah, I wonder why Sunset's the one doing it this time?" asked Indigo Bolt, sitting next to him. She was also reading the same manual herself, as the two of them were in the same class.

Clearing her throat a little, Sunset began the announcements, saying, "First things first, throughout the semester, Principal Celestia will begin a fundraiser for an upcoming summer trip to Camp Everfree. You are not inclined to donate, but anything you can offer will be appreciated. Whether it's money, food, supplies, or anything else."

"Camp Everfree?" asked Applejack, who was sitting with the rest of her and Sunset's friends in the cafeteria, where most students congregated before 1st Period. "Ah've heard of that place; ain't that the summer camp run by that Gloriosa chick?"

"Yes, it is..." Fluttershy confirmed. "She runs the place with her brother. I've heard rumors that they're having some issues though... I hope everything's alright; I always loved going there during the summer when I was still in elementary school..."

"Moving onto the next subject," Sunset continued with her announcements. At that moment, Vice Principal Luna handed her a small index card. "Whoops, hang on... I was just handed something, give me a sec..." After reading what was written on it, she then nodded and said, "Okay... To the owner of a 2013 Volkswagon Beetle... License number PPK-0519, your lights are on. That's a 2013 Volkswagon, license PPK-0519, your lights are on."

Letting out a groan, Pinkie Pie stood up out of her seat and said, "Darnit, that's me... I'll be right back." She then walked off to switch her car lights off right away.

"I guess that might be partially my fault;" Twilight admitted to the others as Sunset continued on with the announcements. "Pinkie and I were talking about some things, so I might have unintentionally distracted her."

"It happens to the best of us, Twilight dear." Rarity told her. "I'm sure Pinkie would forgive you for it."

"What was it that you guys were talking about?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well... it's about those things that Kis-... I mean, Mrs. K told us at the museum." the purple teen answered, stopping herself from saying the history teacher's real name.

"What about 'em?" asked Applejack.

"Well, last night," Twilight began to tell her friends, "I was talking with Pinkie Pie, and then Utopia..."

Last night:

"I still can't believe it all..." said the Princess of Friendship, as she sat on top of a sleeping bag that Pinkie provided to her so that she could sleep in the pink girl's room. "To think that we were all alive and living different lives over 3,000 years ago! I mean, what are the odds?!"

"Well, we're main characters; both in this and in the official release... so I'd say the odds're pretty good." Pinkie replied in her usual odd manner.

Taking her Deck out and pulling her Utopia card out of it, she then asked it, "Utopia, what do you make of all this? Did we really have past lives all those years ago?"

(As you recall, Twilight,) Utopia told her in her mind, (I have no memories of events such as those your teacher mentioned. That being said, there is something... familiar about it all. I cannot explain it, but something about you... When I first met you in your home universe, I could sense something natural concerning our connection to each other, as if we had co-operated once already...)

"You really think so?" asked Twilight. "If that's so, then there might be some truth to what Kisara told us..."

(I am not certain whether or not this Kisara is who she claims to be...) Utopia informed his owner. (But I do not believe that she was lying about everything she told to us so far. At least for now, there should be no consequences in trusting her words.) Twilight nodded, understanding him. She then proceeded to tell Pinkie everything Utopia had said, since she couldn't hear him like Twilight could.

Smiling a little, Pinkie then asked, "I wonder what we were like back then... Were we just like we are now, or different? Or both the same and different? Whatever we were, I hope we were all friends with each other like we are right now!"

Twilight giggled a little and said, "I'm sure we were, Pinkie."

"And you guys must've been really important people if somebody felt that you needed to come back, right?" asked Spike, who was curled up next to the young Princess.

"Yeah, I bet we were!" said Pinkie. "You heard was Mrs. K said: She said that we were all High Priestesses or something! If that's not important enough, I don't know what is!"

"It sure sounds pretty important to me." Twilight told her. She then pulled out another card from her Deck: The blank card that Mrs. K had given to her and the others at the museum. "And I have a feeling that these cards might have the power to help us remember who we used to be... maybe."

"Who knows?" asked Pinkie as she got her blank card out as well. "Either way, Mrs. K's counting on us to use these cards to... um, do SOMETHING good and nice! Anyway, we've got a job to do, whether we wanted it or not!"

"That's true." said Twilight. "We have to do whatever we need to do to make sure that this world stays safe. Right now, that means making sure that none of the other Number cards fall into the wrong hands! I promised all of you that I'd do my part, and I'm still going to make good on that promise!"

"I feel the same way, Twilight!" Spike said, getting up. "I want to help as much as I can, even if I can't play cards like you and the others. No more couch potato-ing for me! I'm your assistant, and I'm gonna start actin' like it!"

"Thanks, Spike." the young Princess told him, giving him a little hug. "I feel even better knowing you're all on my side."

"There's no better side than the right side!" Pinkie told her with high enthusiasm.

Twilight felt a little better about the whole ordeal knowing that her friends were there to support her. Looking at her Utopia card and her blank card again, she then said to Pinkie Pie, "There's... one other thing I want to talk to you about... Last night, I had this strange dream..."

After that, Twilight then told the rest of her friends about her bizarre dream, in which she saw figures that looked just like herself and Sunset, only the setting was lot more... ancient-looking. Needless to say, the others were a bit amazed by what she told them. "So... these people that look like the two of you," Rarity began to ask, "Who were they?"

"It's kinda hard to remember..." Twilight started, trying to recall the people from her dream, "but I think I heard them say that their names were... um, Sun'Et... And the other girl was named... um, oh! Spakah!"

"Sun'Et... and Spakah...?" asked Applejack, trying to process the unusual names.

"So not only do these guys look like you," Rainbow Dash started to say, "but their names even sound similar to yours... Weird."

"If that's the case..." Rarity chimed in, "then does that mean what Mrs. K told us is actually true...? I mean, this can't all possibly be a coincidence, could it? She tells us that we had past lives, and then you have a dream about people that looked and sounded almost exactly like you and Sunset!"

"It does seem like my dream is fitting in perfectly with what Mrs. K told us, but there's still so many things I don't know yet..." Twilight responded. "Like for instance: Where is this Astral World place? Who or what is in there? And if we were priestesses back then, what was our purpose regarding that world? I hate to admit it, but this might be one puzzle that even I may not be able to put together..."

"I'm sure we'll figure it all out before too long, Twilight..." said Fluttershy. "There's no need to rush ahead and try to force the answers out. Besides, whether we were priestesses or not, that doesn't change who we are now, and it definitely won't change the fact that we'll always be friends with each other..."

"Perhaps you're right." said the young Princess. "It's like Princess Celestia told me once: If I'm meant to know something, it'll come to me sooner or later." Sighing a little, she then told the others, "Anyway, about the dream: I haven't told Sunset about it yet. I would have, but I don't want to burden her with it until after this tournament is overwith. So... I hate to ask this of you, but... could you not tell her about it for now?"

"You want us to keep a secret?" asked Rarity, a little surprised by her otherworldly friend's request.

"I'll tell her about it after the tournament's done." Twilight promised them. "So, you won't have to keep it a secret very long. So please... promise me that you won't say anything about it until I'm ready?"

"Of course we promise, Twi." Applejack replied with a smile. "But only if YOU promise t' tell 'er like y'all said ya would."

"I will, Applejack." the purple girl said with a nod. And with that, the agreement was made.

At that point, Pinkie Pie got back from switching the lights off on her car. "Sorry about that, girls." she told them all. "Sooooo, what'd I miss?"

"Twi was just tellin' us about that weird dream of hers." Rainbow Dash said.

"Ohhhhhhhh yeah! I remember that!" the pink girl replied. "She told me about it last night when she was over at my house! Made me Pinkie-Promise not to tell Sunnie though."

"Yeah, she had us promise that, too." Applejack told her.

"Speaking of Sunset..." Fluttershy began, "I think she's almost done with the morning announcements." The others quieted down so that they could hear their friend reading off the last bit of news.

"And last - but certainly not least," Sunset said with pride in her voice, "This weekend, right here in the CHS football field, there will be a big Duel Monsters Tournament that will take place."

"A Duel Monsters Tournament??" asked Sweetie Belle, who was sitting with her friends Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed.

"This tournament is being held to determine who will be the last entrant to the upcoming World Championship Qualifiers, which will be held here in our city next month." Sunset continued. "Anyone here in Canterlot, as well as the cities nearby, are welcome to come and sign up to enter."

"The WCQ's?" asked Vinyl Scratch, sitting with her friend Octavia Melody. "Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it Tavi?"

"Hmmm... I do admit, it does sound particularly interesting." the sepia-skinned teen replied. "Perhaps I should give it a try..."

"The winner of the tournament will receive an invitation to the WCQ's this year, and it will be hand-delivered by an official from Industrial Illusions." Sunset went on to explain. "But in addition, this official has also promised another secret prize for the tournament champion as well; a rare, one-of-a-kind item that no Duelist would pass up the chance to receive! ...At least that's what he told me, that is."

"One-of-a-kind?" asked Button Mash as he temporarily paused the video game he was playing on his cellphone to listen to the announcement. "I wonder what it could be...? I'll bet it's some mega-rare card, or maybe even a limited-edition D-Pad!" The young boy was almost salivating at the thought of what this "secret prize" could be.

"Sign-ups will take place tomorrow at the Canterlot Community Center, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m." the red-and-yellow teen told everyone. "After that, those who signed up will take part in preliminary rounds to determine who will enter the main tournament." She then added, "Also, I'm sure many of you are probably wondering why I'm the one giving such an announcement: That's because I will be acting as the official Judge for the competition!"

A collective gasp could be heard throughout the entire school the moment Sunset revealed herself as the Judge for the tournament. "No way!!" said Derpy, having nearly shot the milk she was drinking out of her nose from the shock. "Sunset became a Tournament Judge? I didn't know... Then again, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, considering how well she did against The Doctor..." She then turned over to the person she was sitting next to and asked them, "Did you know anything about that?"

"...Pfffft." was the only response she got from her table-mate, Flufflepuff.

Wrapping everything up, Sunset then said, "That is all for the opening announcements. Have a good day here at CHS, and I hope to see many of you tomorrow at the Community Center."

Taking out her Duel Pad, Rainbow Dash then searched for info regarding the tournament that Sunset was talking about. "Yep, there it is:" she said to her friends. "They just put up a promo about the tournament online. Now everybody in the area'll know about it."

"That means that we could possibly see Duelists that we have never encountered before coming to compete!" Rarity pointed out. "Oh, I wish I could have the chance to Duel some of them."

"I must admit, I'd like that kind of opportunity too; to be able to play against people other than the ones around us." Twilight told her. "It would be neat to challenge ourselves with people from further away, using Decks we might not have seen before."

"Well, maybe we can't Duel 'em now, but there's always another chance right on down the road." said Applejack.

"In fact, I might even hit one of 'em up for a Duel after the tournament's done!" Rainbow Dash told her friends. "After all, I wanna test my new Deck out, and it'd help to have a practice partner." She then turned over to Fluttershy and asked her, "Speakin' of which, whad'ya say you n' I go have a quick Duel after school's done?"

"M-me?" asked the pale-yellow teen. "I... I'm sorry, Rainbow... I have something to do after school, so I'm afraid I can't make it..."

"Huh? You do?" asked the cyan-skinned girl. "Doin' what?"

"...I... I can't say." Fluttershy answered. "I'm sorry..."

"Come t' think of it, you've been busy with stuff since yesterday..." Rainbow Dash pointed out to her shy friend. "You didn't even wanna come with me to the football game here at the school last night. So what's up?"

"Honestly, Rainbow... You shouldn't pry into Fluttershy's personal business like that." Rarity told her. "If she can't tell us, then we should respect her privacy."

"...Yeah, I guess ya gotta point there." the athletic teen admitted. "Sorry, Flutters..."

"...It's okay. I understand." the shy girl responded. She then asked, "So, um... not to pry into your business myself, but... are all of you going to meet up with Sunset at the Community Center later?"

"I know Spike and I will be." Twilight answered. "I agreed to assist her with the tournament and everything, after all."

"I managed to make some significant progress on that dress order that I mentioned before, so I'll be able to come by." Rarity stated.

"I'll be there." said Applejack. "Granny told me that she n' Big Mac'll be there to cater the event, an' Ah know they'll be needin' another set'a arms to help 'em out."

"I'd be pretty bored just sittin' at home all day doin' nothin'." Rainbow Dash told the others. "So, sure. I'll pop by and see who's there."

"I'm coming too..." Fluttershy then stated. "But... I'll be a little later, since I have something important do... Like I said earlier..."

"And I have absoLUTELY nothing else better to do with my time than be where all of you guys are!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"Then I guess that settles it:" said Twilight. "We'll all be there to lend Sunset a hoof- er, I mean HAND." The other girls nodded before they got up from their table to go to their First Period classes.

After the school let out the next day, Sunset, Twilight, and most of their group were already at the Canterlot Community Center, where sign-ups for the upcoming tournament were about to take place. The jacket-wearing teen now had something to wear ON her jacket: A shiny, golden badge that said "Official Tournament Judge". Checking her cellphone clock, Sunset said to herself, "It's 2:56... Four minutes until we start." She then spun her swivel chair around and said to her friends, "Thanks for coming by to help me, girls. I really appreciate it."

"Eh, no biggie." Rainbow Dash said in a casual tone of voice. "We just figured you could use a hand or two."

"N-not that we don't think you can handle things on your own, of course." Rarity added. "We just felt that we ought to help out in any way we can."

"I know." Sunset responded. "And again, I appreciate whatever help you can offer me. Speaking of which..." The red-and-yellow girl then picked up a small pile of papers, handed them to Twilight, and asked her, "Could you go and see Mr. Dunstan and have him make copies of these? It's the modified banlist for the tournament, and I want to hand them out to everyone who comes in."

"Sure thing, Sunset." Twilight said with a nod as she took the papers. "How many?"

"As many as you can." Sunset told her. "If we're short, we can always tape them onto the wall or something. Just make sure there's enough for the people that will make it into the main competition." The purple-skinned girl nodded and left to take care of the task. After Twilight was a good distance away, Sunset then turned over to the rest of her friends and said to them, "Um, girls...? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Uh, what is it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well... it's kinda weird, and I don't really know for sure what it's all about, but..." Sunset paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to best put her thought into words. Eventually, she told them, "Last Tuesday night... I... Well, I had this dream..."

"A... dream?" asked Applejack. "Last Tuesday?" After Sunset had mentioned it, AJ and the others started to get a slight sense of déjà vu.

"In the dream, I saw myself looking into a fountain..." the inter-dimensional girl told her friends. "Only... I looked very different. My hair was the same color, but it was much straighter. And I was wearing these pure-white robes instead of what I wear normally. Thinking about it some more, those robes looked exactly like the ones I had in that other dream; the one where I saw that big, scary door..."

Having the feeling like she already knew the answer, Rarity then asked her, "So... did you, um... see anyone else in this dream, Sunset dear?"

"...Well, actually I did." Sunset answered. "There was another girl my age that came over to me. And other than the fact that she was also wearing similar robes to ones I had... She looked exactly like Twilight!"

The others gasped in surprise. As they had already figured, Sunset had a dream just like the one that Twilight had told them about earlier on. "You're kiddin' me!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"I'm not lying, Rainbow." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "I know what I saw, and I definitely remember seeing Twilight in my dream! Only... I didn't call her Twilight... And she didn't call me by my name either; She called me 'Sun'Et'... and I called her 'Spakah'."

"Sun'Et and Spakah?" asked Pinkie Pie. "You mean the names that Twi-"

But before she could finish that statement, Applejack quickly covered her mouth so that Sunset wouldn't hear. Luckily, the jacket-clad teen did not hear what the pink girl said. Trying her best not to let her friend blow the secret they promised to keep, the farm girl then asked Sunset, "So... Ah don't suppose y'all told Twi about your dream, did ya?"

"No, I haven't yet." she replied. "Normally, I would tell her about things like this, but with the tournament going on, I don't want her thinking about something like that and not be able to concentrate on helping me out. So, could you all keep this a secret until after the tournament is done? Please?"

"Um... of course, darling." Rarity replied. "We promise not to tell her until you're ready to."

"Thanks, girls." the red-and-yellow girl said, trying her best to smile. She then looked beside them all and realized something. "Uh oh... Fluttershy isn't here yet. I didn't realize that, since I'm so used to us all being together. I was planning to tell her, too."

"We'll pass the message along for ya." Applejack offered, all the while, still covering Pinkie's mouth.

"Thanks." After that was all settled, Sunset then saw Twilight coming back over with a large stack of papers. "Ah, you're back! Thanks for getting that done for me." she told her.

"Happy to help." Twilight responded, handing the pile over to her friend. Glancing over at Applejack and seeing that she was covering Pinkie's mouth, she asked them, "Um... did I miss something? What are you two doing?"

"Um, me? I... I, uh..." Applejack didn't want to say that Pinkie was about to blow the secret they promised to keep, but she didn't want to tell a lie either (as it wasn't in her nature to do so).

Luckily, she didn't have to lie; Pinkie pushed AJ's hand away from her mouth and said, "AJ's helping me practice being a ventriloquist!"

"A... ventriloquist?" asked Spike, popping out from Twilight's back backpack and raising an eyebrow, as did Twilight.

"Yeah! You know, like that Jeff guy!" the silly pink girl told her. "I thought that it would help make me even funnier, so I decided to try it out!"

The young Princess felt that the answer to her question was a very unusual one. But she didn't think much of it, considering that it was Pinkie who gave such an answer. "Oh, okay then." she replied, suspecting nothing.

Relieved, Applejack then whispered, "Thanks, Pinkie..."

"No prob." she whispered back. "But next time, warn me if you're gonna do that." Pinkie sniffed a little and then asked her, "Have you been using a new hand soap? I thought I smelled lilac..." AJ blushed a little, but offered no response.

Looking over at the clock, Twilight saw that it was now 2:59 p.m., and the second hand was a quarter into its current cycle. "We're almost ready to open the doors."

"Okay, does everyone know their job?" Sunset asked them. "AJ, Rainbow; you guys make sure that everyone stays in line and follows the rules. We don't need anyone cutting in line or starting fights; especially physical fights."

"Got it." said Rainbow as she and Applejack gave a confirming nod.

"Rarity and Pinkie will handle the actual sign-ups." Sunset then stated. "Make sure they print their names clearly and show their I.D.'s. Afterwards, give them a identification number." The two girls nodded to say that they understood their job. Turning over to Twilight, the red-and-yellow girl told her, "I'll need you to help me out later after the sign-ups are through. Until then, I need you and Spike to supervise things with me."

"I'll do my best, Sunset." the young Princess told her.

"Same here!" Spike added, giving a salute.

"Then if everyone's clear on what they need to do," Sunset began as she walked over to the double glass doors, pulling a key out of her jacket pocket, "then let's open these doors and let everyone in!"

As expected, there was already a good-sized crowd waiting outside, hoping to register for the tournament. Duelists from all over the area - both in Canterlot City as well as beyond it, were gathered together, talking about their collections, trading cards with each other; some were even having practice games with each other. "Hey, they're unlocking the doors!" shouted someone in the crowd. Immediately, everyone stopped what they were doing to look over at the doors, seeing that Sunset was already there, using her key to unlock the entrance.

Once the doors opened, Sunset walked outside with the rest of her friends, preparing to speak to the crowd. "Attention Duelists!" she announced. "Thank you for coming here to take part in the WCQ Qualification Tournament!"

"If you were hoping for Sunnie to make a joke referring to her hair, we're sorry we disappointed you." interrupted Pinkie.

"Um... yes, anyway..." Sunset said next, clearing her throat and returning her attention to the crowd, "before you can compete in tomorrow's tournament, you must first sign up for and pass the Preliminary Rounds. I will explain the details later on, but for now, I want everyone here to form two single-file lines up to the tables you see ahead of you: There, you must present your official Industrial Illusions Tournament I.D. and print your name on the sign-up sheet. After 6 o' clock, we will end the sign-ups and begin the Prelims. So make sure you sign up as soon as you can!"

"Okay, everyone!" Applejack called out to the crowd. "Start formin' a line like Sunset told ya!"

"Same over here!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. The people in the crowd then arranged themselves into two neat and orderly lines. Rarity and Pinkie returned to the tables to help people sign up, while Sunset and Twilight stood off to the side to see who all came by to enter.

"Looks like a good turnout so far, doesn't it?" asked Spike, still sitting in Twilight's backpack. "I mean, there's like a hundred people here already!"

"Yeah, it looks like the tournament's going to be a big success." agreed Twilight. "Personally, I can't wait to see it!"

"You and me both, Twilight." Sunset told her. She then peered into the lines, looking at all of the people lined up.

"Are you looking for anyone in particular, Sunset?" Spike asked.

"Just seeing if I recognize anybody, that's all." the jacket-wearing girl answered. Spotting someone at the front right away, she told the two of them, "Look, there's Flash! He just finished signing up."

"Well, he did tell us yesterday that he was going to enter, after all." Twilight reminded her friend. Seeing someone else in the line in front of her, she said to her friend, "Hey! Over there! It's Sweetie Belle!"

"Wait, did you say Sweeite Belle??" asked Sunset, a bit surprised. When she looked over for herself, she did indeed see Rarity's younger sister waiting to sign up. "Wow... I'll admit, I didn't expect her to try out for the tournament. But it's good to see her here."

Rarity herself was also shocked, but pleased to see her sister trying out for the tournament. "I must say, I didn't know you wanted to enter the tournament, Sweetie Belle." the purple-haired girl told her.

"I know... I'm kinda surprised, too." Sweetie replied, blushing and rubbing the back of her head. "But I've been practicing a whole lot, and I wanted to get the Duel Monsters Crusaders' name out there... So me, Scootaloo, Bloom, and Babs all agreed that I should play in the tournament. Plus, I got a really cool new card that I wanna show off to everybody, so there's that."

"Well, I wish the best of luck to you, Sweetie." Rarity told her. "I promise that I'll be rooting for you the whole time!"

"Thanks, Rarity. I'll do my best! I promise!" the younger sister replied. She then showed her I.D. and signed her name to get into the Prelims.

"Wow, I didn't know you were gonna enter the tournament!" Pinkie Pie said to the person in front of her. "In fact, I didn't even know you PLAYED Duel Monsters!"

"Hmhmhmm..." chuckled the woman she was speaking to. "I am known for collecting many an artifact, but I'm also a strong Duelist; that's a fact." As it turned out, the woman was none other than Zecora, identifiable by her tribal-like attire (and her penchant for rhyming). "I wish to make my tournament debut, and I plan to start with a victory or two."

"Well, I hope ya do well, Zecora!" said the pink teen. "By the way," she then asked, "what kinda Deck do ya have?"

"Do not dismay, but I cannot say." the zebra-striped woman replied.

"Awwwww... Oh well. Worth asking." Pinkie responded as she helped her finish signing up. After Zecora left, the pink teen then yelled, "Who's next?!"

"I am! I am!!" shouted the voice of a young girl. It was Gabby, a friend of both Gilda and Martin and known for her very ecstatic personality. Slapping her I.D. card on the table, she then said to Pinkie Pie, "Sign me up, too!"

"Wow... now THAT'S what I call an enthusiastic first impression!" the party-lover told her. "I'd be happy to get ya signed up!" Noticing the necklace she was wearing, Pinkie asked the girl, "Saaaaaay, I've seen that griffony-looking thing before! A friend of mine named Gilda has one just like it on her shirt!"

"You know her?" asked Gabby with a smile. "She's a friend of mine too! She's been teaching some super-awesome new strategies for my Deck. She even lent me some of her cards to make it even better!"

"That's great to hear!" said the silly pink girl as she finished Gabby's sign-up. She then asked her, "So, is Gilda coming here for the tournament, too?"

"Yeah, but she's also bringing along someone that wants to enter, so she'll be a little bit." the grey-skinned girl answered her. "To be honest, I hope I don't have to fight her first; I haven't won a Duel against her so far..."

"I'm sure you'll win one sooner or later!" Pinkie said, trying to lift the girl's spirits up. "Until then, just keep on doin' your best!"

"I will! Definitely!" Gabby replied with a big grin as she took her I.D. card back and got out of the line.

An hour passed by since the doors opened, and the sign-ups were still going on. It almost seemed like the flow of people coming into the community center was endless. Sunset and Twilight had since gotten a pair of chairs to sit down on as the lines continued to move. "Man... these people just keep on comin', one right after another..." Spike noted. "I've lost count of how many that came in so far."

"What did you expect?" asked Sunset, her head pointed up wards and staring up at the ceiling. "This is the WCQ's we're talking about here: One of the biggest Duel Monsters Tournaments in the whole world. If hardly anyone showed up, THAT would have been surprising."

"More surprising than me?" asked a girl's voice.

Sunset immediately recognized the voice as someone she knew. When she looked ahead of her, she saw none other than her friend from Bloodstone, Ember. "Ember?! Is that you?" she asked.

"Who were you expecting? Puff the Magic Dragon?" the blue-skinned girl asked.

Standing up from her chair, she then introduced her friends to Ember, saying, "This is Twilight and her drag- er... DOG, Spike." She then said to the two of them, "Guys, this is Ember; the girl from Bloodstone I told you about earlier."

"Um, pleased to meet you." said the young Princess.

"Yeah, same here." Spike added, both of them felt a little nervous, as Ember seemed to radiate an intimidating aura around herself.

Stepping back a bit, Ember then asked Sunset, "Um... did that dog just say something?"

Sighing a little, Sunset then said in a stern voice, "Spike... what did we tell you about talking to other people just like that?"

"Sorry...! It just kinda came out." the dragon-turned-puppy admitted.

Rubbing the back of her head, she then told her faraway friend, "Yeah, he can talk, Ember. But not everyone here knows that, so could you keep it a secret?"

"Sure, I guess." Ember promised her. "I wasn't going to tell anyone anyway."

Satisfied with that answer, the red-and-yellow girl then asked her, "So, did you come to sign up for the tournament?"

"Already did." said Ember, showing a numbered sticker (this one labeled 65) that was handed to her and the other applicants. "And not only that; I'm planning to make my grand debut as a Pro starting with this tournament!"

"So I guess your dad was okay with you coming here to compete?" Sunset then asked, knowing that back when they first met, Ember's father Torch was against her playing Duel Monsters.

"Don't you worry:" the tough girl told her. "When I told him about joining the tournament, he insisted that I go and do it without any hesitation. So yeah, I think he's okay with the whole thing."

"Well that's good to hear." said Twilight. She then asked, "So is there any particular reason you wanted to enter the tournament? Like for the prize or just for the competition?"

"Well, there IS one huge reason why I'm here." said Ember. She then turned to face Sunset, pointed to her, and said, "And YOU'RE that reason."

"Um... me?" asked the red-and-yellow girl, sweating a little.

"Sunset," the Bloodstone Duelist began, "when you and I first dueled each other, I played such a horrible game against you that didn't even come close to representing the Duelist I really am. Even after I've resolved things with my father, that one Duel still eats at me... So when I found out that you were the official Judge for this tournament, I saw it as an opportunity; an opportunity to give you the Duel that I should have given you when we first met! I want to show you the REAL me this time around, and I don't plan on losing so badly this time! No, scratch that - I don't plan on losing at all!"

Sunset was a bit taken aback by the challenge Ember gave to her. Smiling a bit, she then told her, "Ember, I'd love nothing more than to face you when you're truly at your best. I must admit - I didn't feel very good winning that first Duel we had, due to the circumstances at the time. How about this: If you do well in this tournament, I'll accept your challenge. Sound good?"

"Heh, sounds perfect." the blue-skinned girl replied as she shook hands with her friendly rival, sealing the deal. "Just don't get TOO scared while you're watching me Duel out there." Sunset nodded as they both smirked at each other, a fiery spirit welling up in each of them.

"Woah... that was some exchange they had with each other..." said Twilight.

"Not to mention that Ember person's really cool, too..." said Spike. "Kinda cute, too. Um, don't tell Rarity I said that, okay?" Twilight chuckled a little in response.

A half hour later, the vast majority of the crowds had already signed up and were waiting in the lobby. The lines were starting to get shorter, but they were still relatively long. Since then, Sunset and the others had seen several more familiar faces signing up for the tournament, such as Derpy and Octavia, as well as Indigo Bolt, a young girl who had earlier on watched Twilight's Duel with Mulia Mild. Of course, there were many, MANY more people that they didn't know or even recognize, but that only meant that the tournament could possibly host some fresh faces as well. At some point, Applejack and Rainbow Dash decided to stay over with Sunset, Twilight, and Spike to keep them company while keeping an eye on the crowds.

"I wonder how many people have entered so far..." Twilight pondered to herself after a few more minutes passed by.

"According to Rarity," Sunset answered her, "She told me that there have been about 116 when I last asked her."

"A hundred and sixteen?!" exclaimed Spike. "That's crazy!"

"And there's still a whole bunch more comin' in." noted Applejack. "An' don't forget: there's people comin' here from outside of the city to compete as well."

"I know... there's a lot of Duelists I don't even recognize in those lines..." Sunset stated. "For instance..." She then pointed to an older teenage boy in the line with purple skin and long, icy-blue hair. "I've never seen anyone like that person before in the city..."

"And don't forget, there was that girl Ember, as well as Gilda's friend, Gabby." Twilight pointed out. "They're from other towns, too."

"Speakin' of which, where IS Gilda?" Rainbow Dash asked. "She called earlier t' say that she was comin' for the tournament, but she ain't here yet! Not only that, Fluttershy's a no-show too!"

"I'm sure they'll be here soon, Rainbow." Sunset told her.

"Scratch that, Sunset... They're here already!" said Spike. "Look!"

Everyone glanced over towards the doors leading into the community center. Just as Spike had told them, Gilda was standing in line, along with Fluttershy. "It IS them!" Applejack exclaimed.

"But... what's with Fluttershy?" asked Twilight. "She's not wearing her usual dress; like the one she had on at school today."

"Wait a sec... that's the dueling outfit Rarity made for her before the Inter-school Duel!" Rainbow Dash realized.

"Dueling outfit?" asked Spike. Both he and Twilight weren't sure what that meant.

"When Fluttershy was picked t' duel Gilda a coupla months ago," Applejack explained to them, "Rare made her that outfit t' help boost her confidence. But she doesn't wear it often; only when she's doin' somethin' majorly big..." Gasping, the farm girl then figured it all out. "Hold on...! Ah think Fluttershy's enterin' the tournament, too!"

"She is?!?" exclaimed Sunset, surprised just like the rest of them were. Curious, the five of them rushed over to Fluttershy and Gilda to figure out what was going on.

Noticing her friends coming their way, the shy, yellow girl let out a frightened peep and said, "Gilda, look...! It's Sunset and the others...!"

"Hm?" The kindly roughneck from Griffonstone High peeked over to see their friends coming. "Heh, I guess they finally figured out what we're up to, huh?" she asked. "Might as well let 'em all know what's up."

Finally reaching them, Sunset then said to Fluttershy and Gilda, "We saw you both in line; are you two both entering the tournament?"

"Nah, we just REALLY like standin' in line." Gilda answered sarcastically. "You better believe that we're entering the tournament! Right, Fluttershy?"

"Um... she's right." the shy girl confirmed.

"So... when y'all said you had stuff t' do today..." Applejack began to inquire her, "it was related to this?"

"...Y-yes, that's right." Fluttershy answered. "And, at Sunset's party... when I said that my mother called me... It was actually Gilda calling me about the tournament. I'm really sorry I lied about that, but I wanted to keep everything a secret until today."

"How come?" asked Twilight. "Why keep it a secret?"

"Well," she began to nervously answer, "it's just that... I know none of you were entering the tournament, and I... I didn't want to look selfish for entering when none of you were... that's all."

"Is that all?" asked Rainbow Dash. "You had nothin' to worry about, Fluttershy. Just 'cause none of us were going to play in the tournament doesn't mean you couldn't. We were just surprised that you wanted to play in it in the first place. I mean yeah, you did well at the Inter-school Duel, but you were chosen for it. It's not like you signed up for it."

"Funny you mentioned that, Dash... The Inter-school Duel has a lot to do with why Fluttershy n' I are gonna compete in the tournament." Gilda told them.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sunset.

"It's pretty simple, actually." the Griffonstone girl told her. "I just want to have a rematch with Fluttershy here, in front of a huge crowd and everything. So when I heard about the tournament comin' up, I called her to say that I wanted us to enter the competition together. I wasn't gonna play unless she was, too."

"I didn't want to deny her a chance to enter the tournament, since she really sounded like she wanted to be in it... so I agreed to go with her." Fluttershy then added. "But don't worry: She wasn't forcing me to play in it or anything... This was something I chose to do... And to be honest, I really do want to duel Gilda again. I can't explain it, but... the thought of dueling her again is... well... exciting!"

"I know that feeling." Rainbow Dash told her. "That's your fighting spirit, Flutters. A tiny flame inside of ya that burns up when you face someone tough! Or when you're fightin' for something you believe in, like when you told us how ya took down that Fast Buck guy at the park."

"A... fighting spirit...?" asked Fluttershy, a bit confused. "I... I didn't even know I could have something like that..."

"Don't be crazy." Gilda told her. "Everybody's got a fighting spirit inside of 'em, just waitin' to be unleashed! It's like I said before: You're a tough person, probably more than ya realize. And that's the person I want to duel in the tournament!"

"Gilda..." Fluttershy spoke, flattered that her friend/rival spoke so highly of her.

"But... if all you want is a rematch," Twilight began to ask them, "why don't you just have one? It's not like you couldn't duel each other anytime you wanted."

"Maybe," Sunset answered her, "but I think there's more to it than that. Isn't that right, Gilda?"

"Yep." said the Griffonstone girl. "When we had our first Duel, it was in front of a big audience on a grand stage. Yeah, I know, I wouldn't exactly call a high school soccer field a 'grand stage', but you get the point. The thing is, for something as big as our rematch together, I just wanna recreate that same feeling we had when we faced each other." She then turned towards the normally-shy girl and said to her, "Fluttershy, 'cause of you, I've gotten a lot better... both in Duel Monsters and in just bein' a good person. And I know you've done the same yourself. When and if we face each other in the tournament, I know it'll be our best Duel yet, no matter who wins. But make no mistake; I'm gonna beat you this time!"

Fluttershy blushed a little after hearing all that, and was happy to know that Gilda was taking her more seriously than she did when they first met. Putting on a smile, she told her with a slight giggle, "I accept your challenge, Gilda...! And... and I'll win!" The roughneck was pleased to hear her say that.

Sunset and the others were also happy to see their friend Fluttershy becoming a bit braver, as well as seeing both her and Gilda getting along so well even after their first not-so-friendly meeting during the Inter-school Duel. "That's something I like to see." Twilight noted. "Even though they're rivals with each other, they're trying to help each other become stronger in their own way." Utopia felt the same way as well, watching the scene from inside Twilight's Deck.

Wrapping up their conversation, Sunset then said to them, "Well, if you two want to have that big rematch with each other, make sure you sign up right away. Personally, it'd be an honor to be the judge for your match." The two girls nodded and waited patiently for their turn to sign up.

"Man... never knew Gilda could be that deep about stuff." Rainbow Dash stated.

"Yeah, she's like that." said Gabby, surprising everyone by her sudden appearance. "Tough outer shell with a soft inside; and all of it's sweet as can be! Just like those creamy egg-thingies."

Gilda blushed a little after hearing that. "Um... I thought I told ya t' stop comparing me to those chocolate eggs... It's embarrassing!"

"But it totally fits you!" Gabby informed her.

"Th-that doesn't mean I want you t' go tellin' it t' people!" the roughneck protested. "I've got an image t' keep, y'know?!" The rest of them chuckled a bit at the scene before heading back to where they were sitting earlier.

It was now past 5:30, and the lines to sign up for the tournament were reduced to hardly anything. At this point, Sunset and the others decided to join up with Rarity and Pinkie Pie at the tables to help out. Fluttershy decided to see them too; after she and Gilda signed up for the tournament, the usually-timid girl decided to give them a hand with the rest of the work (making up for the fact that she hadn't been there to help out most of the time). Gilda also decided to assist them as well, feeling as though she was the reason for Fluttershy being a no-show.

"So, Rarity? Pinkie? How many people do we have for the Prelims?" asked Sunset.

"Quite a lot, as a matter of fact!" the young fashionista told her. She then showed them the list that she clipped onto her clipboard. "Just look at all of these names! And this is only from my OWN lists; I can safely assume that Pinkie has almost the same amount on hers as well!"

"Your assumption is right on the button!" said Pinkie with her usual enthusiasm. "Sorry 'bout the rhyme; When ya hear Zecora speaking that way, it kinda makes you wanna do it too."

"Alright! This tournament's gonna be so awesome!" said Rainbow Dash in excitement at the thought of so many people taking part in the competition.

"Oh my..." said Fluttershy, looking at all of the names. "I didn't realize there would be so many people here..."

"Works for me." Gilda said without much of a care in the world. "Just means there's more people to beat! So I say bring 'em on!"

Looking at the clock, Sunset said to the others, "Well, it's almost six, so Twilight and I should get ready to make the announcements for the Prelims." She then asked her friend, "You think you can handle it, Twi?"

"I think I can." the purple teen replied. "I've been doing a lot of public speaking since I became a Princess, so I'm used to it by now. Wish I could say I was a natural at it."

"You're tellin' me; I still remember how stressed-out you were rehearsing your coronation speech." noted Spike.

"I'll admit, I didn't think I'd get through it, either." Twilight told him. "I tried that trick where I just picture the audience naked, but... well, you know."

As Sunset looked over the papers that had their announcements written on them, she glanced out the doors and noticed something outside. When she saw what was out there, her heart sank a little. "Oh no..." she groaned. "It can't be..."

"Somethin' wrong, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked Sunset.

"...Look." the red-and-yellow girl said, pointing outside. When the others looked in the direction she was pointing in, they all let out a gasp as three girls their age walked in through the doors.

The first one had sky-blue skin and raspberry-pink eyes. She had long, blue hair with darker blue streaks, done up into a ponytail that hung behind her upper back. She wore a dark-purple shirt with a magenta collar and cuffs, with light blue fasteners on the front and an emblem on upper right part of the shirt; the emblem was a pink heart with a jagged, light-blue musical note on top of it. The rest of her outfit consisted of a light-pink skirt, pink studded bracelets, and a pair of hot-pink sneaker boots.

The second girl had light purple skin and eyes colored in a much darker purple. Her hair was about the same color as her eyes, with a few streaks of light aquamarine, done into a pair of long pigtails with silver star-shaped accessories. She wore a bluish-green jacket with its sleeves torn off overtop of a white tube-top shirt. On each of her arms were three plain, purple bracelets. She wore long, mulberry-purple pants held up with a purple belt with a star-shaped buckle, finishing with a pair of dark purple boots.

The last of the three - who appeared to be the head of the group, had light yellow skin with pink-colored eyes, similar to the first girl's eyes. Her orange-and-yellow hair was very poofy, not unlike Pinkie Pie's hair, topped with a deep purple headband decorated with gold spikes. She wore a small, light-purple coat overtop of a purple jumper, as well as a gold studded belt with a jewel-shaped buckle around her waist. On her left hip was an accessory shaped like a gold jewel overtop of a purple treble clef. Her long pants were light purple, decorated with several darker-colored triangles, and on her feet were a pair of dark-purple boots, each with gold spikes running along the back, as well as on a band on the front.

"Aww no... not THOSE three..." groaned Rainbow Dash. "Of all the people to come here, why THEM?"

"To be honest, I was kinda curious when they'd pop up in the story..." Pinkie Pie admitted. "I mean, I COULDN'T have been the only one, right?" Of course, her friends had no idea what she meant.

The three girls walked in from outside, heading into the community center. Glancing over to the tables where Sunset and her friends were, the orange-haired girl chuckled a bit and said, "It looks like our audience is waiting for us."

"Sure looks like it, Adagio." said the girl with the pigtails, folding her arms and looking a bit smug. "And they look REAL happy t' see us comin'."

"Really, Aria?" asked the light-blue girl, confused. "They don't look too happy at all to me..."

Groaning, the girl named Aria said to the light-blue girl, "Honestly, Sonata... Do you even KNOW the meaning of the word, 'sarcasm'?"

"Isn't that what we had at that taco place last night?" Sonata then asked. "Y'know, they put it in that napkin in a basket so that it looked like the taco was sweating?"

"Urrgh... no! You're thinkin' of a tacos sudados!" Aria informed her. "Seriously, do you only ever have tacos on the brain?!"

"...Only when I'm hungry, Aria." the ponytailed girl simply replied. That answer caused Aria to facepalm herself in mild frustration.

"If the two of you are quite finished," said the third girl - named Adagio, in a slightly annoyed voice, "we have work to do here. So could we stay focused for at least a minute?" Aria grumbled a bit, but decided to do as Adagio told her. Sonata still looked somewhat befuddled, but complied with the request as well. Turning their attention back to the sign-up tables, the three of them walked over towards them. Stopping in front of Sunset and her friends, Adagio said to them, "Well, well... if it isn't the Rainbooms. It's been sooooo long..."

(Unfortunately not long enough...) thought Sunset. She then asked them, "And what - exactly, are the three of you doing here? I thought the three of you left town after Celestia had you three expelled for that stunt you pulled at the Battle of the Bands."

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten about that, Shimmer." Adagio told her, a hint of anger in her voice. "But then, how COULD I forget about the time when we were set for taking over this world, only to end up with the very source of our powers literally shattered to pieces?" Regaining her composure, she formed a sly smile and then said to Sunset, "But... that's all in the past now. After all, there are much bigger things to worry about in this world than things such as that... So you need not worry about the three of us."

"...Good to know." Sunset replied, though based on the tone of her voice, you could tell that she wasn't convinced that their old foes were truly on the level. "It's safe to assume you're not here to chat with me, right? You three are thinking of entering the tournament?"

"Actually, only one of us is here for your little tournament." Adagio answered her. Pointing behind her with her thumb, she told Sunset, "Sonata is the one entering."

This surprised Sunset and her friends a little, considering that they knew that Sonata wasn't exactly the brains of the group. "Uh, why her?" Applejack asked out of curiosity.

"Because scissors beats paper." Aria grumbled a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed. Sonata giggled a little, making her hand to look like a pair of scissors and "snipping" them.

"Honestly, if we could, we'd all enter the tournament," Adagio told them all. "But admittedly, we only had enough cards to put together one Deck. It's not easy for inter-dimensional beings to make an honest living in an unfamiliar world... Of course, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Shimmer?"

"Enough with the drama, Adagio," said Sunset, a bit impatient, "the cut-off time for sign-ups is 6 o' clock, which is only a few minutes from now. So is your sister entering or not?"

"Oh, right... of course." she replied back. "Where ARE my manners...?" Looking over towards the light-blue girl, she told her, "Sonata, if you would...?"

"...If I would what?" she asked, not having paid much attention to the earlier conversation.

"Urrgh... She wants you to go sign your name on the sheet so you can enter the tournament... Duh." Aria groaned. "Honestly, if it was me entering, we wouldn't have to explain the whole thing ten times..."

"Well, if you wanna enter it next time, get better at rock-paper-scissors." Sonata said a bit smugly as she signed her name on the sheet. Aria grumbled a bit hearing that remark.

Taking the sheet, Sunset handed the light-blue girl a sticker with a number on it, like the one Ember had shown earlier. "Your number is 229. Wait in the lobby with the rest of the competitors until the Prelims start." Sunset said in a somewhat monotone voice. One could tell she wasn't exactly happy about letting one of the Dazzlings enter the tournament.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Shimmer." Adagio told her in a condescending tone of voice. "Until we meet again." The trio then took their leave to wait for the Preliminary Rounds to begin.

Sighing loudly, Sunset folded her arms on the table and put her head down in-between them, groaning, "Of all the things to happen today, WHY did those three have to enter the tournament I'M supposed to be judging...?"

"Just lucky, I guess..." Rainbow Dash said, also not happy about the whole thing. "BAD luck."

"Um... what's goin' on?" asked Gilda. "Why did those three upset you so much?"

"...Oh my... I forgot, you weren't there when it happened." Rarity responded.

"When what happened?" asked the Griffonstone student.

"Last year," Applejack started to tell her, "our school had a music competition called the Battle of the Bands. Those three girls - Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk, formed a band t' compete. But it was just a trick so that they could control all'o the students' minds and feed off of their negative emotions t' become even MORE powerful."

"Woah... that sounds rough." said Gilda. "Sure glad they didn't try that at our school; there's more than enough negative stuff there to make a banquet for 'em."

"When we found out what they were up to," Twilight then explained, "we formed a band of our own to try and stop them. It wasn't easy, but we managed to defeat them and put an end to their plans by destroying the pendants they used to wear around their necks. Without them, they couldn't sing anymore and thus, they couldn't control people with their songs either."

"Ohhhh... so that's what the poofy-haired chick meant with the whole 'shattering' thing..." the Griffonstone student recalled. She then asked Sunset, "Well, if you have such a problem with them, they why didn't ya just kick 'em out? I mean, you didn't have to let them into the tournament."

"...That's just the problem, Gilda. I can't do that." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "It's against regulations to prevent anyone from entering an official Duel Monsters Tournament over personal issues or anything like that. I had to allow them to enter even though I don't like them very much."

At that moment, Pinkie began humming to herself, as if she was in deep thought about something. "Is something the matter, Pinkie...?" asked Fluttershy.

"Hm? Oh, just thinkin' 'bout some things." the pink girl answered her. "Like how it's odd that the Dazzlings just HAPPENED to enter the tournament that Sunnie's judging."

"...Hmmm, now that you mention it," Rarity pondered, "it DOES seem a tad unusual that they would show up literally out of nowhere just for this tournament. In fact, I never even knew they still lived around the area or even played Duel Monsters until now..."

"That does seem a li'l weird that those three - whom we haven't seen since the Battle of the Bands, would just show up all of a sudden..." Applejack pointed out. "An' Ah don't think they're just here t' push our buttons. Ah think they may be up t' somethin' again..."

"I think so, too." Twilight admitted. "But let's not jump to conclusions just yet, girls. After all, there's the chance that they may have reformed themselves after what happened."

"Twilight's right." Sunset chimed in. "For now, let's just keep an eye on them and see what they're up to. That's pretty much the only thing we can do at this point." Getting up from the table, she added, "Besides, we have more important things to take care of: Twilight and I need to make the opening announcements, and Fluttershy and Gilda have to go join the rest of the competitors for the Prelims. Right now, I just everyone to do their part to make sure things go smoothly here and not be concerned about the Dazzlings."

"Good call, Sunset." said Rainbow Dash. "But if those three get into any trouble, we'll let ya know right away!"

Satisfied with that, Sunset finally formed a smile and asked Twilight, "You ready?"

Nodding, the Princess of Friendship said to her friend, "I am. Let's get the tournament started!"

"Good luck out there, Twilight!" cheered Spike. "I know you can do it!" The purple teen smiled and patted her assistant on his head before leaving the room with Sunset.

It was finally six o' clock by the time the last few people had signed-up, and the tournament was ready to begin. All of the Duelists who entered were escorted by the rest of Sunset and Twilight's friends to another, much larger room. Inside the room were several large objects that looked like video game cabinets - much like the machines one would see in a typical arcade. The machines were colored silver and black, with a large circle in the center, a large, red button off to the right, and a pair of speakers above the cabinet's monitor screen. On the lower right side of each machine was what appeared to be a USB port.

"What are those things?" asked Sweetie Belle, having never seen a machines like these before.

"I must say, I've never seen such a device before..." noted Octavia, standing next to her friend Vinyl Scratch.

"Alright, everybody!" Applejack shouted. "Ah want all'o ya t' stay put here. In a minute, the Tournament Judge will be here to make the openin' announcements!" Everyone did as they were told, and they waited patiently.

About a minute and a half later, Sunset and Twilight walked into the room from another door (this one the door to an office, where Jay Dunstan - an official from Industrial Illusions that was overseeing the tournament, was sitting in). Turning to face them, Rainbow Dash told the pair, "Your audience is waitin', guys. Give it your best!"

Taking a deep breath and telling herself not to be nervous, Sunset beamed a smile and spoke to the crowd, "Greetings, Duelists! My name is Sunset Shimmer, the official Judge for the WCQ Qualification Tournament! With me is my assistant, Twilight Sparkle."

"Um, hello Duelists...!" the purple girl answered a bit awkwardly, as she didn't expect to have to say anything just yet.

Turning back to the crowd, Sunset then told them, "Now, according to the listings, over 230 of you have signed up to take part in the tournament tomorrow. However, I do regret to inform you, that - out of this entire crowd here, only 16 of you will make it into the main competition."

"O-only SIXTEEN?!?" gasped Derpy in shock. The rest of the crowd was equally as surprised to hear this.

"I know, it is distressing to hear, but that's what the officials from Industrial Illusions have put into place." the red-and-yellow girl explained. "Now, to determine who will make it into the main tournament, everyone here will have a turn dueling on the Duel Terminal cabinets provided by the company for use in the Preliminary Rounds."

"Duel Terminals?" asked Gilda. "So that's what they are... It's the first time I've ever seen one."

"Each Duelist will play a best two-out-of-three game against an A.I. Duelist chosen for them at random, and placed on the highest difficulty setting." Twilight told them, reading her part of the speech from a paper. "Each of you will plug your Duel Pad into the Terminal via the USB port. The machine will read the cards in your Deck, and afterwards, you will begin your Match."

"After you are done with your Match," Sunset continued, "step aside to the designated waiting area until everyone has had a turn on the machines. After that, you will be given a score based on how well you did during your Match. This score is based on numerous categories, such whether or not you won your Match, your remaining Life Points, how many turns the game lasted, etc. At the end of the Prelims, the sixteen Duelists that have the highest scores will advance to the main competition." Looking towards the crowd again, she then asked, "Is everyone clear on the rules?" There was no response, and no one raised their hands to ask a question, which told Sunset that everyone understood what they had to do. "In that case," she said, "Let the Preliminary Rounds begin!"

Looking at the sheet she was given, Twilight then called out, "We will begin by asking Duelists numbered 1 through 50 to come up to the Terminals first." At that moment, fifty people in the crowd ran over to the machines in order to get started right away. Each of them plugged their Duel Pads into the USB ports on their respective machines in order to begin their Matches.

Flash Sentry was at the end of his Match against the computer. Both he and the machine had won one game, and they were now on the tie-breaker (Flash Sentry: LP 2,000) (A.I. Duelist: LP 3,000). "I activate the effect of Heroic Champion - Excalibur!" the boy shouted. "I remove two overlay units and double his attack power!" After his monster detached its materials (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: OLU 2 - 2 = 0), it began to radiate a massive amount of power, glowing bright yellow as it did so (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: ATK 2000 x 2 = 4000). "Now! Attack directly!"

"Activating Trap Card..." said the computer Duelist. "Drowning Mirror Force... All opposing monsters in Attack Position return to the Deck..."

"You got me with that last round, but you're not going to get me with it again!" Flash said with a smirk. "I chain Trap Jammer! Since you played a Trap during the Battle Phase, this card negates and destroys it!" And with the Trap Card negated, Flash's monster wiped out the rest of the computer player's Life Points easily (A.I. Duelist: LP 3,000 - 4,000 = 0) (WINNER: Flash Sentry). "Yes! I won!"

"Not bad, Flash." Rainbow Dash complimented. "I'll admit I was worried for a sec when you lost the second Duel, but ya managed to make a comeback."

"Indeed, a most impressive feat." said Zecora, who had already finished her Match and was watching Flash's game. "You will be most difficult to beat."

"Aheheh... maybe. I guess we'll see when the tournament begins tomorrow, assuming I make it in." the boy replied.

"Are you kidding? Of COURSE you'll both get in! I know it!" Dash told the two of them. "You both won your Matches; that's sure t' give ya both high scores!"

Chuckling warmly, Zecora told her, "I truly appreciate your support, Rainbow Dash." Turning to Flash Sentry, she said to him, "And I hope to meet you in the tournament, Flash."

"Same here." he responded, shaking her hand.

Less than forty minutes after the Prelims began, the first fifty Duelists had finished their Matches. Most had difficulty playing against the computers, since they were all set to the highest skill level possible to ensure that only the best of the best could make it into the main tournament. Despite the overwhelming odds, though, rookie Duelists Sweetie Belle and Gabby managed to win their Matches, getting praise from both Rarity and Gilda respectively. Once they were done, the next group of fifty walked up to play their Matches. Among that group, only four had managed to win their games.

After the second group had finished their games, the next fifty Duelists got their turns on the Duel Terminal cabinets. Among the people in the next group was Ember, who pulled off an impressive victory against the A.I. Duelist, winning both the first two games of her Match very quickly. Sunset, who was watching her, was quite impressed and had a good feeling that she would make it into the tournament for sure.

In the next group of fifty, Several people that Sunset and her friends were familiar with now had their turns on the Duel Terminal machines. This included Fluttershy, who had entered the tournament along with Gilda. Since they both entered at about the same time, they were standing right next to each other as they played their respective Matches against the computer. Though the A.I. Duelists proved to be rather difficult, neither of them had much trouble and they both managed to win their Matches.

Derpy Hooves struggled a bit against her A.I. opponent, but wouldn't give up. After she lost the first of the three Duels, she managed to win the second one, causing the game to go into the third and final Duel (Derpy Hooves: LP 500) (A.I. Duelist: LP 2,000). Drawing her card, she then looked at the field and saw that her A.I. had Level Limit - Area B active. (Because of that card,) she thought, (any monster higher than Level 3 gets stuck in Defense Mode... and if that happens, I won't be able to attack that monster it has out...)

*******************************

Servant of Catabolism
(Effect Monster/Aqua/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 500)

This card can attack your opponent directly.

*******************************

(If it attacks me next turn, I'll lose...) Derpy thought to herself. (Lucky for me, I drew this card...) Playing the card she had just drawn, she said, "I activate the Continuous Spell, Non-Spellcasting Area! While this card is on the field, every face-up non-Effect Monster on the field is immune to all other card effects!" Taking out another card from her hand, she then declared, "Then, I activate the Spell Card, Swing of Memories! This card brings back any Normal Monster from my Graveyard! And I choose the Level 8 Cosmo Queen!"

Her monster was an incredibly large woman with long, purple hands and wearing a red cloak, accessorized with a green-and-gold chest plate and a similarly-colored crown on her head that looked as if it should be too heavy for her to wear (Cosmo Queen: Level 8 / ATK 2900 / DEF 2450).

"Since Cosmo Queen's a Normal Monster," said Derpy, "your Level Limit - Area B card doesn't affect her, thanks to Non-Spellcasting Area! Which means this Duel's over! Cosmo Queen! Attack that monster! Cosmic Distortion!" Her monster then formed what appeared to be a miniature black hole, causing the tiny monster on the opposing field to be sucked inside. After that, the black hole let out a blast of energy that wiped out the A.I.'s remaining Life Points.

"Game over..." said the computer after the attack hit it (A.I. Duelist: LP 2,000 - 2,200 = 0) (WINNER: Derpy Hooves).

Letting out a sigh of relief, Derpy said to herself, "Well... I made it. I just hope the rest of the tournament won't be as hard as that Match was..."

Nearby, Octavia and Vinyl were playing their Matches as well. The young cello-player went in with her reliable Melodius Deck, while her DJ friend played her Vampire Deck. Not far away from where they were, the purple-skinned boy with ice-blue hair that Sunset had pointed out earlier had finished his Match, winning easily. According to the display on the monitor, his name was registered as Night Switch.

Elsewhere, Indigo Bolt had just won her first Duel in her Match against the A.I. and was ready to begin her second (A.I. Duelist: LP 4,000) (Indigo Bolt: LP 4,000). "Alright computer, let's Duel!" the young girl said with enthusiasm.

"Beginning turn..." said the computer. "Activating Quick-Play Spell Card... Fires of Doomsday." After the card appeared on-screen, the A.I. then explained, "Fires of Doomsday allows the player to Special Summon two 'Doomsday Tokens' to their field... Summoning Tokens..." After that, a pair of dark, whispy creatures appeared on their side of the board (Doomsday Token [x2]: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

(So it's already setting up for a big monster on the first turn...) Bolt figured.

"Releasing Tokens..." said the A.I. "Tribute Summoning Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror in Attack Position." Then, as quickly as the two Tokens appeared, they vanished. Then, in their place, a massively gigantic, demonic-looking creature appeared on the field, sitting upon a mighty throne and covered almost completely in scary-looking bones (Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2000).

"Wow... this thing really IS on a high difficulty setting..." said Indigo Bolt, though she still showed no fear in the face of this massive monster.

"Setting two cards face-down... Turn end." the A.I. Duelist stated.

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" shouted Indigo as she drew her first card of the Duel. Looking over her hand, she then said, "I play Pot of Desires! I banish the top ten cards of my Deck face-down and draw two more!"

As she did that, Sunset and the others decided to stroll over to see how the girl was doing. After getting a look at the monitor screen, Rainbow Dash commented, "Woah, do ya see that girls? The computer already played a 3000 ATK monster, and it's only the second turn of the Duel!"

"Well, these A.I.'s are all on max difficulty," Sunset reminded them, "so of course they would play well."

"Maybe so..." said Indigo Bolt, seemingly unfazed by what she was up against. After drawing her two new cards, she smirked and told them, "But with this hand, I've got this Duel in the bag!" Taking one of the cards in her hand, she declared, "I activate the Spell Card, Amazoness Call! I use its effect to move Amazoness Spy from my Deck to my hand!"

"She's playing an Amazoness Deck..." noted Rarity as Bolt retrieved her chosen card.

"That Deck is notable for massive field swarming and even Summoning their member monsters during a Battle Phase." stated Sunset. "Not many of them have a whole lot of attack power, but their strength relies on their effects and in their numbers."

Showing a card from her hand, Indigo Bolt then said, "I now reveal Amazoness Scouts in my hand to Special Summon Amazoness Spy in Defense Mode!" Her first monster was a dark-skinned woman with ash-black hair wearing a headband and a face mask over her mouth, an indigo-blue cape, skull-shaped shoulder pads, and an outfit that consisted of minimal clothing: a short, red top and a skirt-like loincloth. She also had knee-pads and cloths wrapped around each of her feet, and carried a large knife in her right hand (Amazoness Spy: Level 3 / ATK 800 / DEF 1200).

"And then I'll Normal Summon my Scouts in Attack Mode as well!" Bolt added, playing the card she had revealed previously. Her next card brought a pair of younger girls, possibly no older then thirteen or so, but looked very physically strong for their ages. One had short, red hair and wore a yellow outfit that consisted of nothing more than a top and a short skirt. She wore brown-furred leg wrappings, but other than that, she was barefoot. A tattered tan cape hung behind her back, and she wielded a short sword. The other girl had short, blue hair and wore a blue outfit much like her companion. Her weapon of choice was a bow and arrow (Amazoness Scouts: Level 2 / ATK 500 / DEF 1100).

"Next, I activate the Spell Card Double Summon!" Indigo said next. "This allows me to Normal Summon one more time this turn! So I'll release my Spy for a Tribute Summon!" After her first monster vanished from the field, she then played her next monster and added, "Meet the ruler of Amazon Tribe! Amazoness Queen!!"

Her third monster in the Duel was a much taller woman with a very imposing appearance: Nestled among her long, blue hair was a skull-marked eye patch, assumedly as the result of a costly battle. Her top was nothing more than a tannish-brown bra top decorated with fangs and other markings. She had a flowing, red cape on her back that dropped down to her ankles, and an animal-skin skirt with a flap of cloth overtop of it that was intricately designed. Instead of typical footwear, the woman wore bandages on her feet, accentuated with bits of metal armor, and she carried a large sword in her hand (Amazoness Queen: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1800).

"Not bad." stated Gilda. "That's one way of putting a powerful monster on the board."

"But neither of her cards aren't as strong as that monster the computer has out..." Fluttershy pointed out.

"Perhaps, but thanks to the Queen's effect, neither of her monsters can be destroyed in battle." stated Sunset.

The A.I. Duelist knew that too, which warranted its next move. "In response to your monster's Summoning..." it said, "I activate a Trap Card: Torrential Tribute."

"That ain't good..." Applejack told everybody. "That card wipes out every monster on the field!"

"And since Amazoness Queen can only protect herself in battle, she's powerless to stop it!" Rarity said with slight despair.

"...When it comes to the Queen of the Amazons," Bolt began to say, "there's no such thing as the word, 'powerless'!" Tapping her D-Pad's screen, she declared, "I chain the effect of Amazoness Scouts! By releasing them, I prevent my Amazoness monsters from being destroyed by card effects this turn! Which makes your Torrential Tribute a total wash-out!" At that moment, the two younger Amazons leapt in the path of the giant wave coming towards their Queen, taking the powerful wave at full force. Though they were destroyed as a result, the Queen was unharmed. The Archfiend - however, wasn't as lucky; it got caught up in the massive wave of water and got pulled under.

"Nice! That means her bigger monster's still on the field!" said Rainbow Dash. "And not only that, that digital dummy blew up his own monster in the process!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Rainbow dear..." Rarity told her. "I think it is well aware of what it has done. Just take a look..." Everyone then turned their attention back to the screen, wondering what their friend meant.

"Activating second face-down card: Call of the Haunted." the computer then spoke. "Reviving Archfiend Emperor back from the Graveyard." And just as quickly as it was destroyed, the powerful Fiend came right back.

"Aw shoot... now it's back on the field again...!" stated Applejack, getting a little worried for Indigo Bolt.

"And her Queen has less attack points than that Archfiend card..." noted Sunset. "She can't take it on with brute force..." The red-and-yellow girl hummed in thought, wondering just what this young - but seemingly tough, girl had planned.

"I'll end my turn with two face-down cards." Bolt then said to the A.I. Duelist. "Your turn!"

"Draw Phase... drawing card..." said the computer's voice. "Standby Phase... Main Phase 1..." For a while the terminal said nothing, as it was processing its strategy. "Setting card face-down..." it then finally said, placing a card in the back row.

"And before you do anything else, I'll activate one of my Trap Cards!" shouted Bolt. "I play... Ojama Trio!"

*******************************

Ojama Trio:
(Normal Trap Card)

Special Summon 3 "Ojama Tokens" (Beast/LIGHT/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 1000) to your opponent's field in Defense Position. They cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon, and each time 1 is destroyed, its controller takes 300 damage.

*******************************

"...Ojama Trio?" asked Gilda. "That's an odd choice for her Deck."

"It does seem weird that she would play a card that would give her opponent more monsters, even though all three of them are weak..." noted Twilight.

"Yeah, what would she wanna do that for?" Spike then asked. Sunset however, had a feeling that this was part of Bolt's strategy.

"Processing..." said the computer. "Activating the effect of Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror: Banishing Lancer Archfiend from the hand to target and destroy Amazoness Queen."

"Uh oh...! This doesn't look good!" said Pinkie Pie.

"It isn't good." said Bolt. But then she smirked and added, "Not good for the computer, that is! I chain a monster effect from my hand! I discard Effect Veiler from my hand to negate your Emperor's effect! Which means my Queen is still in command!" After discarding the last card in her hand, a small, angel-like girl with long, blue-green hair flew towards the massive Archfiend and surrounded it by a powerful aura of light that weakened it.

"Amazing!" Rarity commented. "She managed to counter the effect perfectly!"

"Which means she's still got a chance to turn this around..." Applejack added.

"...Initiating Battle Phase." the computer said, unable to make any other move to try and remove the Amazoness Queen on Bolt's side of the board. "Attacking Amazoness Queen with Archfiend Emperor, the First Lord of Horror." The massive fiend then got up off of its throne and readied its ridiculously large, blood-red sword. It then swung its sword down, aiming straight for Bolt's only monster.

"Not so fast! I play my other Trap Card, Amazoness Archers!" the young girl shouted. "With this card, I weaken your monster's attack by five hundred! Which means I only take a hundred points of damage!" After the card was flipped face-up, an army of bow-wielding Amazon warriors leapt into the middle of the battlefield. They took aim and fired a flurry of arrows at the Fiend-type monster, aiming for the arm that held its sword. When they struck, the Archfiend roared in slight pain, and - as a result of the hit to its arm, his swing was slowed down and made much less of an impact when it hit Amazoness Queen, blunting the battle damage (Indigo Bolt: LP 4,000 - 100 = 3,900).

"Thanks to the Trap Card," Gilda noted, "she took less damage, and her Queen's effect kept her on the field... But I'm sure you know:" The Griffonstone student then smirked and added, "That wasn't her REAL goal, was it?"

"Real goal?" asked Twilight.

"She's right, Twilight." Sunset chimed in. "Amazoness Archers has another effect: It switches all of the opponent's monsters into Attack Mode and forces them to attack. And if you recall, Indigo had just played a card that put more monsters on the opposing field..."

The Princess of Friendship gasped; she then realized what Bolt was trying to accomplish. "So that's it!" she said. "She played that card so that they'd be forced to attack AFTER she used Amazoness Archers!"

"Exactly." Sunset confirmed. "And since those Ojama Tokens on the other side of the field each have zero attack points, they'll get wiped out instantly. Between the battle damage, and the effect damage caused by each Token's destruction... The A.I. will take a total of 8,100 points of damage!"

"EIGHTY-ONE HUNDRED?!?" exclaimed the others in shock. But it was true: When all three of the Ojama Tokens were forced to attack Amazoness Queen, the blue-haired woman just sneered at the weaklings and swatted them all away with her sword, destroying them and wiping out the opposing player in one shot (A.I. Duelist: LP 4,000 - 8,100 = 0) (WINNER: Indigo Bolt).

"And that... is how you win a Match." the young girl simply said with a smile after she finished her game.

"...Did you see that??" asked Rainbow Dash. "She pulled off an OTK!" She - as well as the other Duelists within earshot of her, were quite impressed with how the younger player managed to win so easily.

Ember was among the people that had overheard Indigo Bolt's amazing victory. (Quite an interesting strategy... not to mention an unexpected one.) she thought. (A Duel with you might provide me with a significant challenge...)

Across the room, the Dazzlings had also heard of the young girl's impressive victory. "Hmmmm..." hummed Adagio, saying nothing more about it. Turning over to Sonata, she told her. "You're up next."

"I-I am?" asked the blue girl, a bit unsure about it all.

"I don't see any other Sonatas here, do I?" Adagio asked her.

"Yeah, thank goodness for that." Aria responded, shuddering at the thought of more than one of her. She then said to Sonata, "You'd better not screw this up."

Blushing out of slight anger, the blue girl told her pigtailed sister, "What makes you think I'd do that, Aria?!"

"Last week, you spent the whole day trying to solve a Where's Waldo book... and you were still on the first picture." Aria pointed out.

"Well, I'd like to see YOU try and find him!"

"I did." Aria replied. "About five seconds after you got frustrated and tossed the book at me."

"Girls, as interesting as this conversation is," Adagio interrupted them, "I should point out that the last group is already out there on the Duel Terminals. So perhaps we could save this... discussion until AFTER Sonata's done with her Match?" Aria grumbled a bit, but decided to keep quiet, even after Sonata pulled down an eyelid and stuck her tongue out at her as she left to play her Match.

Less than three hours after the Preliminary Rounds started, they were over. Sunset - along with Twilight, Spike, and Mr. Dunstan, walked over to the crowd in the waiting area to make an announcement. "Duelists, we wish to thank you for coming to compete in the WCQ Qualifier Preliminary Rounds." the red-and-yellow girl said to them all. "We have just now finished calculating your scores." Showing the people in the room a sheet of paper, she then added, "The list printed on this sheet has the names of the top sixteen Duelists; They, and they alone, will be permitted into the main tournament for a chance to compete in World Championship Qualifiers this year!" Using a piece of clear tape, she posted the list onto the wall behind her and instructed the crowd, "Everyone form a neat and orderly line in front of the sheet to see if you made it in or not."

Immediately, the crowd of people were arranged into a single, straight line. Once they were, Sunset then allowed them to take a look at the list of names on the paper. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of disappointment among the crowd, as the vast majority of the players saw that they didn't make the cut.

But one that did was overjoyed to see their name on the list. "I can't believe it!! I actually got in! I ACTUALLY got into the tournament!!" cheered a happy Sweetie Belle, overjoyed by what had happened.

"And you deserve it, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said to her, proud of her little sister's accomplishments. "I must admit, it's a bit funny: To think that once, you had a difficult time winning against anyone other than your friends, and now you're in a major Duel Monsters Tournament!"

"...Um, yeah. That's pretty funny." Sweetie responded with a bit of an annoyed tone.

Realizing that her comment may have come across as condescending, the violet-haired girl then said to her sister, "Oh, but I mean it in the best possible way, Sweetie Belle! I truly am proud of you and what you've accomplished! I speak the truth!"

Knowing that her sister's words weren't meant to put her down, the young girl smiled and said, "I know. Thanks Rarity." The two siblings then hugged each other afterwards.

"I've gotta say, I'm pretty impressed too." said Ember's voice. "To be honest, when I first saw you, I didn't think you'd make it. But Sunset told me that she'd been helping you improve, so I guess you showed it out there. Just don't get too cocky: You may have passed the prelims, but that doesn't mean the rest of this'll be easy. In fact, you'd better expect some tough competition up ahead."

"Well, I think my little sister will do very well for herself." Rarity replied. "In fact, I believe she'll even win the whole thing!" Turning to face Ember, she then told her, "What, do you think she's going to lose right in the first round?"

"Uh, I didn't mean it like that." the Bloodstone Duelist replied.

"Relax, Rarity." Sunset said to her fashionista friend. "That's just Ember's version of a pep talk. What she's saying to Sweetie Belle is that in a tournament as big as this, she should be ready for whatever opponent or challenge comes her way." Turning over to Sweetie, she told her, "You have to be prepared for anything and not play at anything but your best game, understand?"

Nodding, the young girl said, "I understand. I know what Ms. Ember meant, and I won't forget it!" Running over to Ember, she hugged her and said, "Thank you for the advice, Ms. Ember! I'll use it well!"

"Um, yeah. Great... Could you stop with the hugs? It's makin' me feel weird." the Bloodstone Duelist responded, feeling slightly uncomfortable from the gesture.

"Weird good? Or weird SUPER-good?" asked Pinkie Pie with a silly smile on her face. Ember decided not to respond to the pink girl's question.

After Sweetie Belle broke the hug and left to talk to Rarity, Sunset then said to Ember, "I see you made it in, too. Not that I'm surprised. After all, you managed to win your Match almost flawlessly."

"I said that I was planning to prove to you how much I've improved since we first met." Ember stated. Smirking, she then added, "I can't exactly do that if I lose the Prelims, can I? Just remember: If I win this thing, it's you and me, Shimmer. No holding back!"

Nodding the red-and-yellow teen told her, "You've got it. Good luck to you in the tournament." The Bloodstone Duelist nodded and walked off.

"She sure seems sure of herself, don't she?" asked Applejack.

"Well, she is the daughter of an ex-pro, and she won both her duels in the Prelim Match without losing one, so I don't blame her for feeling confident in herself." Sunset stated.

At that moment, Fluttershy came running up to the others with a smile on her face. "Girls...! You won't believe it!" she told them. "Gilda and I made it into the tournament...! Isn't that great...?!"

"You made it?! Awesome!! I knew you guys could do it!" cheered Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, congrats!!" Pinkie shouted ecstatically. She then asked, "You're not nervous about it, are you Fluttershy? Y'know 'cause that's your thing and all?"

"I am a little bit, of course..." Fluttershy admitted. "But... I'm also a little excited, too...! It's strange; I never thought that I would ever want to do something like this... But, here I am; about to duel tough opponents... i-in front of a large crowd. A while ago, I never would have considered attempting something like this..."

"That just shows how much you've grown as a person, Fluttershy." Sunset told her. "You remember how nervous you were about the Inter-school Duel, and you didn't want to go through with it at first. But you did, and you're a stronger person because of it."

"I guess that's why I'm here..." Fluttershy figured to herself, "to prove how strong I've become to everyone... and to myself."

"You've already proven that, Flutters." said Gilda behind her. "You're a tougher chick than you give yourself credit for. You stood up to me even when I was actin' like a total jerk to you. You earned my respect that day... And well, that's kinda why I'm here."

"Wh-what do you mean, Gilda?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, uh..." But before Gilda could get a word in...

"She wanted to join 'cause she wanted to feel like you respected her!" said a smiling Gabby, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Blushing from embarrassment, Gilda then shouted, "G-Gabby!! I was trying to find a way to say that! You don't just blurt out mushy stuff like that in front of people!! I-it's embarrassing!!"

"Waah! I-I'm sorry! I didn't know!" the younger Griffonstone girl replied.

Sighing with a slight groan, Gilda then told Fluttershy, "I-I'll talk about this a little later. Gabby n' I have stuff t' do before the tournament tomorrow. We'll see ya later." The two Griffonstone students then took their leave, heading to another spot in the room.

"She... wants my respect?" asked Fluttershy. "I don't understand..."

"I'm not totally sure about what transpired between you and Gilda during that Inter-school Duel," Twilight began to say, "but it seems like Gilda still has some issues about the whole thing and still doesn't feel equal to you yet."

"Yeesh... talk about low self-confidence." Spike added.

"Eh, she's always kinda been like that." Rainbow Dash explained. "And I'd guess it's safe to say that - after we ended our friendship in the past, it was kind of a big blow to her, too. I mean, you all remember what she told us after the Duel was over and how miserable she felt?"

"Yeah, that was kinda sad to hear how unhappy she was..." Pinkie answered. "But... it does look like she's starting to feel a little better."

"I'm sure in time, Gilda will feel a lot better with herself and try to get past all of her earlier troubles." Twilight told them all.

"I guess we'll see." Sunset noted.

"So, who else got into the tournament?" Rainbow asked, changing the subject.

Looking at another copy of the tournament list, she told her, "Well, I don't know everybody on this list, but there are a few names that I recognize. There's Derpy and Zecora... they both finished with high enough scores."

"And there's that Flash guy, too." Spike pointed out.

"An' no surprise; that Indigo chick who pulled off the only OTK in the Prelims got in too." stated Applejack.

Sighing, Sunset then told her friends, "It also looks like Sonata made it into the tournament as well. Which means we'll have to make sure that she doesn't cause any problems in the competition, as well as both Aria and Adagio. To be honest, a part of me was hoping she'd make the cut; that way, we can keep a better eye on her and the others."

"I agree with you, Sunset." Twilight told her. "But..."

"But what?" asked Fluttershy. "Is something wrong?"

"Just one thing:" the young Princess explained. "I'm sure they're expecting us to keep an eye on them. After all, they know full well that we don't trust them to abide by the rules. But if they know we're watching, they'll likely fake being good just get us to drop our guards."

"Hmmm... you make a good point, Twilight." Sunset admitted. "That COULD be a problem. If they act like they've changed their ways when they really haven't, there's no point in any of us keeping an eye on them..." Just then, she got an idea. "That's it...! We just have to get ANOTHER pair of eyes on them: Someone that they don't know we're friends with!"

"But... who would do that?" asked Rainbow Dash, a bit skeptical.

"Hmmmm... I think I know a certain duo who would be happy to lend a hand." the red-and-yellow teen told her, glancing over behind her.

Having just emerged from the long line, Snips and Snails had just learned that neither of them make it into the tournament. "Aw man...!" Snails said to his buddy. "I was so close! I thought I'd get into that tournament for sure!"

"Well, what'd you expect?" asked Snips. "You lost the first two games in the Match; that's practically a guarantee that you wouldn't get into the tournament! Not that I did any better, of course. Why'd they hafta set the difficulty so high?!"

"Hey, you two." said Sunset's voice. She had walked up to the pair after noticing them leaving the line.

"Uh, hey Sunset!" said Snails. "Ummm... what're ya doin' here?"

"Uh, she's the Judge for the tournament... Remember?" Snips reminded his often-clueless friend.

"Oh yeah..." Snails responded.

"Speaking of judging," Sunset began to ask, "I can see that - judging from your disappointed-looking faces, that you didn't make the cut, right?" The two boys shook their heads no in response. "Well, don't get too bummed out about it." she said to them with a smile. "You may not have gotten in this time, but there will be other tournaments in the future. Until then, you should learn from your loss and try to grow from it."

"Yeah, I get it..." Snips replied.

"In any case, since you two aren't going to be competing," she then said to them, "I have something else to ask of you: Do you remember when I asked you to help me out with things involving the Numbers? It was just after Trixie and Twilight dueled each other."

"Yeah, I remember." the short, pudgy boy answered. "We hadn't found anything like that at the school yet, but Snails n' I have been lookin' all over."

"That's right!" the tall, thin boy chimed in.

"Well, anyway... It may not be related to Numbers - in fact, I'm hoping that Number cards have nothing to do with it at all," Sunset explained to them both, "but there is something important that I'd like you two to do for me." Pointing over to the line, she asked them, "Do you see those three girls waiting in line together?"

"Uhhh... Aren't they those Dazzlling chicks from the Battle of the Bands?" asked Snips. Growling a little, he told her, "Those jerks made fun of us when Snails and I were practicing our rap song! Sure, we lost in the first round, but they didn't need to rub it in and be jerks about it!"

"Well, my friends and I believe that they're up to no good again, and I'd like you two to keep an eye on them." Sunset instructed them. "If you see them doing anything suspicious, let me or my friends know."

"Um... I dunno... They're kinda scary, aren't they?" Snails asked her, shuddering a bit.

"I know it might be scary, and I know it isn't really a fair request. But anything you could do to help would really be appreciated." she told them. "So what do you say?"

Snips and Snails looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do. But they nodded to each other after having come to a decision. "You've got it, Sunset!" said Snips. "We'll make sure they don't try anything funny!"

"Don't get too ahead of yourselves, guys." Sunset warned them. "I don't want you two getting hurt or anything trying to stop them yourselves. Just let us know if they're doing anything bad and nothing else, got it?"

"Got it!" said the two boys with a hearty salute before leaving the room.

After they left Sunset then thought about everything she had said just now. (I really hope that the Dazzlings showing up at this tournament has nothing to do with those Numbers... Otherwise, this could mean much more trouble than just a potential blow to Canterlot City's reputation...) She then looked at her key necklace... and then the blank card that was given to her by Kisara, thinking more about everything she had learned concerning them, as well as the bizarre dream that she and Twilight had a few nights ago. All things considered, Sunset knew that - for her and her friends, more challenges would be coming their way once the tournament began...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 40: The Pride of the Pros:

Author's Note

This episode will reveal all of the contestants chosen for the tournament, as well as feature a Duel between two characters that I felt was long overdue.

Although the series may be over on television, I still believe in what I said before: As long as there are still fans like us out there, the adventures of Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and all the others will never truly end.

:twilightsmile: :ajsmug: :rainbowwild: :raritywink: :yay: :pinkiehappy:

RANK 40: The Pride of the Pros:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Sometime after their unforgettable trip to the Praceton Museum, Sunset and her friends received a call from Principal Celestia: They were informed that a Duel Monsters tournament would be starting that weekend. The prize was an invitation to the World Championship Qualifiers, one of the biggest Duel Monsters competitions in the world. Celestia then offered Sunset the chance to take a test that would allow her to be recognized as an Official Tournament Judge for the contest. Not surprisingly, Sunset passed the test.

Later that week, Sunset and her friends came to the Canterlot Community Center to help people sign up for the Preliminary Tournament that would determine who would make it into the main competition. Over 230 Duelists signed up, including familiar faces such as Ember, Sweetie Belle, Gilda, Fluttershy, and even Zecora. However, members of a former singing group called the Dazzlings - Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk, also came by during sign-ups. They claimed that they were only there to enter Sonata into the tournament, but Sunset and her friends were wary of them, figuring that they were up to something...

At the end of the Preliminary Rounds, only sixteen Duelists have made the cut, and are ready to battle each other for the title of Champion. What twists and turns are in store for these competitors, as well as for Sunset and her friends? Read on to find out...

Canterlot High School; Football Field: Time 9:30 a.m.

"Good morning, Duelists of all ages!!" said the voice of a female announcer during a bright and sunny Saturday morning. "It is with great honor that I welcome you all to this event sponsored by Industrial Illusions: The Canterlot City WCQ Qualification Tournament!" A large round of cheering and applause followed the high-spirited announcement.

"Yes siree, today is a beautiful day for dueling if I ever saw one!" the announcer continued on. "The seats are packed-full of Duel Monsters fans from all over the area, and more are coming in as I speak! But before we get started, allow me to introduce myself to those who may not know me: My name is Megan Williams, and I'll be your announcer and MC for this tournament!" The young lady in question had pale-yellow skin, baby-blue eyes, and long orange hair done up into a ponytail and accessorized with a single, red bow. Her outfit consisted of a pair of turquoise overalls with some frills on the straps and a red heart mark on the chest area, overtop a pink shirt with white frills on the ends of each sleeve, and finished off with a pair of small, red shoes on her feet. Overall, it was a simple - but pretty, outfit for her. Hey body build suggested that she was still relatively young - about the same age as Sunset and her friends, but possibly a few years older.

"And while we're on the subject of introductions," Megan continued, "let me welcome our official Judge for this competition: Ms. Sunset Shimmer!" Turning over to her side, she approached Sunset in order to get an interview with her. "Ms. Shimmer, how does it feel to be the official Judge for a tournament as major as this one?"

"Um, well...I have to admit: I'm still a bit nervous about it." the red-and-yellow girl confessed. "After all, I only became a Judge about a few days ago, and my first big duty as one is for this tournament. I'm not gonna lie: It's quite a lot of pressure... But I'll try and do my best and make sure not to let down those who asked me to take the test!"

"From what I've heard from Mr. Jay Dunstan, the organizer of the tournament," Megan continued to interview her, "he said that you had one of the highest scores he had ever seen anybody get on the Certification Test. How did that make you feel?"

"Pretty good, I'll admit." Sunset answered. "Only now I'm sure that - because I did so well, he's expecting quite a lot of me as a Judge. Luckily, I have a few friends helping me out, so I think everything should go well."

"Well, I'm sure that it will go well with you in charge." said the young announcer with a smile. She then turned around towards the audience and told them, "In about a half-hour from now, we will officially begin the tournament and announce the competing Duelists! So if you have any food or bathroom-related business - or anything of the sort, take care of it now so that you don't miss ANY of the dueling action that will take place today! For now, this is Megan Williams, signing out!" She then gave a cute wink as she turned off her microphone and continued to talk with Sunset.

Elsewhere, in the school building, all sixteen of the tournament competitors were assembled in the gymnasium. Iron Will - one of the gym teachers, was assigned to security duty, along with a few other officials from Industrial Illusions. They made sure everything stayed peaceful - both inside AND outside the gym.

Looking around, Sweetie Belle began to sweat a little after seeing all of the different people that would be taking part in the tournament. "Wow...just look at all of these people..." she said to herself. "They all look so tough..." Shivering a little, she then asked herself, "Am...am I really ready for such a big thing like this...?"

"You okay, kid?" asked the voice of someone behind her. When Sweetie turned to look, she recognized who it was.

"You...you're Gilda, right?" the younger girl asked.

"Yep, that's me." the teen from Griffonstone confirmed. "I can tell you've got some pre-tournament jitters, right?"

"Um...yeah, a little bit." Sweetie Belle replied, blushing a little and feeling embarrassed about it.

"Hey, don't get so down: Every Duelist gets those feelings at some point in their lives... Even me." Gilda told her. "Sure, there are a lot of good players here, and perhaps some of them might be stronger than you are. But that's no reason to feel afraid: Instead, you should feel excited about it!"

"Excited?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah." the kindly roughneck told her with a nod. "You should feel excited that you managed to get this far already. You should feel excited about being able to Duel with some of the best Duelists around! This is your chance to really make a name for yourself out there, and you certainly won't do that by runnin' away and hidin', am I right?"

"I...guess not." the young girl replied, seeing the logic in Gilda's words.

"So you get out there and show everyone what you're made of!" the tough teen urged. "Show 'em no mercy!"

Smiling, and finding her courage, Sweetie nodded and said, "You're right! I can do this!" She then asked, "But...how did you know exactly what to tell me just now?"

"Let's say, I've had t' give this speech twice today already." Gilda answered. Behind her, Gabby and Fluttershy rubbed the backs of their heads; apparently, they had a bit of nervousness about the competition themselves. Sweetie Belle giggled a little as she and Gilda walked over to the two of them to chat, hoping to help them forget their worries before the games began.

"Quite the formidable crowd, wouldn't you say?" asked Octavia Melody, who was also one of the Duelists participating.

Next to her was Vinyl Scratch, who was huffing a little, saying, "This stinks... I should've gotten in the tournament, too!"

"Now, now Vinyl... It isn't good for you to be jealous." Octavia told. "Besides, you know I would have loved it if you and I could be in the tournament together."

"Yeah, yeah... I know you know that." the young DJ replied. "That's why I'm bummed out: I ain't jealous that you got in and I didn't... I wanted t' be out there with you." Sighing and forming a smile, she then added, "Well, the good news is that one of us got into the tournament at least, so I'll be happy for that. And like I promised ya, Tavi: I'll be there t' support ya, and help ya win the whole thing!"

"Thank you, Vinyl." the sepia-skinned girl replied. "I feel stronger knowing that I have you with me. I promise I'll Duel with as much strength as we can muster!"

"You go n' get 'em, Tavi!" Vinyl said, giving her friend an enthusiastic pat on the back. "Knock 'em down for the both of us!" Octavia nodded and gave her DJ friend a hug to show her appreciation.

Standing a bit further away, Ember - the girl from the town of Bloodstone, looked over all of the competitors in the gym, trying to asses the strength of each and every one of them at a glance. Eventually, her eyes spotted the young girl named Indigo Bolt. (That's the girl that managed to pull off the only OTK during yesterday's Prelims... The A.I. didn't stand a chance against her after that...) There was no doubt that Ember wanted to see just how strong Indigo was for herself, and was secretly hoping that she would get paired with her at some point.

Elsewhere, in a corner of the room, there was a purple-skinned boy who seemed to be keeping to himself, not really acknowledging the people around him. His name was Night Switch (according to the screen on the Duel Terminal he played against the day before), and though he wasn't really interacting with everyone in the gym, he seemed to be keeping a close eye on them, for whatever reason.

"Wow...there sure looks like a lot of tough Duelists are gathered here." Flash Sentry told himself as he walked around, looking at each and every competitor. The only thing he wasn't looking at was where he was going - he ended up bumping right into someone. "Oop! Sorry about that! I really need to start paying attention more..." He then looked and saw that it was Twilight Sparkle. "Oh! Twilight! It's you! That's a...that's a nice suit you have on. Did...you get it just recently?"

As he had noticed, Twilight - blushing a little from Flash's remark, was now wearing a very formal-looking suit that was magenta in color, complete with a tie that was the same purple as her skin color. All in all, it gave her the appearance of an important businesswoman...if it weren't for the fact that Spike was sitting on her shoulder, that is. "Um, yes I did actually..." she told Flash. "Sunset recommended that I should wear something formal for the job that I'm doing, and Rarity agreed. So they helped whip this up for me. It's...it's not too much, is it?"

"...I think you look great in it. Very important-looking." the boy said, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Th-thanks." said Twilight, blushing a little more.

"Um, I hate to break up the conversation," said Spike, "but don't ya still have to meet up with the rest of the people in the tournament? We only have about twenty minutes."

"Oh! You're right!" exclaimed the young Princess. Turning back to the boy, she told him, "I'll...I'll talk to you later, Flash. I still have some work to do."

"Yeah, sure. I understand. Good luck, Twilight." Flash replied before the two of them walked away.

Elsewhere, a bit further away from the crowd were three other girls: Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk - collectively known as the Dazzlings. Sonata had signed up for the tournament, and Adagio and Aria had been permitted to accompany her as coaches. It wasn't yet known why they were here, but Sunset and her friends figured that they had some sort of reason.

"So this is our competition, huh?" asked Aria. "Pfft... These guys are nothing." Looking over at Sonata, she then asked, "Still...Adagio, are you sure you want Sonata in this whole thing? If it were me dueling, I'd clobber these losers in no time!"

"Well, you're NOT the one dueling," the blue-skinned Dazzling told her sister, "so get over it!"

"Don't you tell me t' get over it!" Aria argued.

"Would you two stop acting like such children and be quiet for a few seconds?" Adagio asked them in a low, firm voice. "I swear, if this tournament was a shouting match, you two would tie for first place." The other two Dazzlings huffed and folded their arms, turning away from each other. "Now...as for your concerns, Aria," the leader of the group continued, "you have nothing to worry about regarding Sonata. I guarantee you that even she'll have no trouble trouncing every last Duelist here."

"You hear that, Aria?" asked Sonata with a sneer.

"Oh, shut up..." groaned Aria, rolling her eyes.

It was now 9:50 on the clock - ten minutes before the tournament was to start. Knowing what she had to do, Twilight then walked to the closed double doors leading outside and into the soccer field. "May I have your attention, everypo- er, everybody?" she called out to the whole crowd. When they turned to face her, the Princess of Friendship then said to them, "In ten minutes, the tournament will officially begin. Each of you will be introduced individually, so when you hear your cue, head out into the football field. Does everybody understand?" There was no audio reply, but the people in the crowd knew what they had to do. "Alright then," said Twilight with a nod, "in that case, get ready for your moment, and good luck to all of you!"

Twilight then left the crowd and walked into a side room; the office for the female gym coach (as it was connected to the Girl's Locker Room). She then approached two other individuals that were already in the room and said to them, "You should get ready, too. After all, the audience is expecting to see the 'surprise guests' for the tournament..."

Around that same time in the audience stands, Sunset and Twilight's friends had already arrived and were ready to watch the tournament. Sitting next to her friend Rarity, Applejack glanced at her cellphone clock and told her, "Well, only about ten minutes 'fore the tournament..." She then looked around them and asked, "Where the heck're Pinkie n' Rainbow? They haven't sat down yet?"

"Snack run." the violet-haired girl answered. "And I'm sure that I need not remind you just how long that can be when Pinkie is involved." AJ nodded, knowing full well that getting snacks with Pinkie was an adventure in and of itself.

About a minute later, the two girls spotted what appeared to be piles of food and drinks with legs walking up towards them. Of course, they both knew who they were: "Think you two have enough food t' last the competition?" Applejack asked the walking food piles.

Leaning her head to the side and looking past the snack pile she was holding, Pinkie said, "I think so. I might have to stretch it a little, but I think we'll manage!"

Leaning her head to the side as well, Rainbow Dash - who was carrying the other snack pile, asked her pink friend in a slightly strained voice, "Can we save the talking until AFTER we put this stuff down? I'd like it if I could NOT have my arms fall off today." Pinkie nodded and the two of them gently placed down all of the snacks and drinks for them and their friends. Letting out an exhausted groan, Dash then told Applejack. "Next time, YOU go with her to get food, got it?"

As the two girls sat down, Rarity pulled out her phone and looked at it; she had just gotten a text message on it. "Fluttershy says that they'll be ready to come out soon." the fashionista told them.

"And what about the Dazzlings?" asked Applejack. "Did they show up?"

"I'm afraid so." Rarity answered, reading the rest of the message. "I just hope they aren't up to anything sinister, like Sunset believes they are."

"Well, if they wanna act like jerks again, we'll be ready for 'em this time." Dash casually stated. "After all, what could they POSSIBLY do now that their stupid necklaces broke?"

"Not much, I can imagine..." Rarity responded. "Still, that doesn't mean we should not count out the possibility of them trying something regardless of that fact."

"Awww, you guys worry too much!" Pinkie told them, trying to relieve them of their concerns regarding the Dazzlings. "If anybody can do it, Sunnie'll make sure they don't do anything bad again! She's the Judge after all!" Leaning forward in her seat, she added, "Besides, I'm more excited about that thing we saw online about the tournament!"

"You mean the thing about 'special guests'?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I gotta admit: I'm a little curious too... I wonder who these guys are?"

"Ah'm pretty sure we won't need t' wait long t' find out, girls." AJ informed them. However, she was also curious as to who these special guests were as well.

Back down in the field, Sunset took a deep sigh as she prepared herself for the big opening speech. "Still a little nervous?" asked a voice.

The otherworldly girl looked over at the source of the voice, seeing that it was from Megan. "Uh, yeah. To be honest, I think I'd be LESS nervous if I was one of the competitors." she admitted. "When it comes to Dueling or singing with my friends, I'm perfectly fine. But big speeches? Not exactly my strong suit. Just doing the morning announcements at my school earlier in the week was nerve-wracking enough..."

"Well, if that's the case, you shouldn't feel nervous at all!" Megan told her with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"There was a time that public speaking felt too difficult for me." the other girl told Sunset. "But I later learned that it isn't as scary as you might think it is. I think - in your case, you should treat this moment as like one of your Duels, or pretend that it's the audience for one of your musical performances!"

"You really think it's that easy?" asked Sunset curiously, having not thought about it in such a way before.

"Absolutely!" Megan said with a nod. "You just need to make the situation feel like something that's less scary. I do it all the time!"

"Hmmm...maybe you're onto something there." said the red-and-yellow girl. "I'll try it!"

Looking at her watch, Megan saw that it was now 9:59 a.m. "One minute 'til show time." she said. "Are you ready, Sunset?"

"I think so." Sunset replied. "Let's do this." The two of them then steeled themselves, ready to give it their all. Then, the clock struck 10...

"Alright, Duel Monsters fans! The time has come!!" Megan said in a proud, lively voice. "I, Megan Williams, Master of Ceremonies..."

Sunset then took the microphone, saying, "And I, Sunset Shimmer, Official Duel Monsters Tournament Judge..."

"We welcome you all to the Official Duel Monsters WCQ Qualifier Tournament!!" the two of them shouted in unison. The audience went wild over the commanding performance the two of them delivered.

"Yeah!! You go, Sunset!! Yeah!!" cheered Rainbow Dash, getting pumped up. Pinkie also cheered for her friend, but her mouth was full of the snacks she and Dash has picked up, so her speech was mostly unintelligible.

"In but a few minutes, this field will play host to some of hottest duels this side of Canterlot City!" Megan continued to say. "And come tournament's end, only one Duelist will be left standing to take the crown! That Duelist will then be given the honor to compete at the World Championship Qualifiers, held in Cloudsdale Stadium next month for a chance to take on the strongest Duelists in the world! Honestly, can you think of any prize greater than that, Sunset?"

"It truly is a grand honor!" the otherworldly girl responded, replicating the same passion in her voice that was present in Megan's. "Yesterday, over 230 Duelists signed up to take part in a series of preliminary rounds. But out of that many people, only sixteen have proven themselves to be the best of the best! And now they will duke it out here, in front of all of you in the audience!" The crowds cheered again, ready to see some real action.

"As our MC has told you already," Sunset continued, "the winner of this tournament will personally receive an invitation to the WCQ's this year, courtesy of our tournament organizer, Mr. Jay Dunstan!" On cue, the rep from Industrial Illusions appeared on a giant TV screen hooked up to the football field's scoreboard, revealing an envelope in his hand; no doubt it carried the invitation inside. "But in addition, our tournament winner will also receive a rare treasure straight from Industrial Illusions' vault! And here it is!" She then held up a small rectangular object in her hand, which was also shown on the video screen.

"What is that?" asked one of the people in the audience.

"It...it looks like a card..." a boy responded. Indeed it was a card in Sunset's hand...

*******************************

The Despair Uranus
(Effect Monster/Rock/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2900/DEF 2300)

When this card is Tribute Summoned while you control no Spells/Traps: You can activate this effect; your opponent declares either Continuous Spell or Continuous Trap, then you Set 1 card of that type directly from your Deck. Gains 300 ATK for each face-up Spell/Trap you control. Face-up cards in your Spell & Trap Zone cannot be destroyed by card effects.

*******************************

"This card is known as The Despair Uranus." Sunset stated. "But this is not just ANY copy of the card; This card is the ORIGINAL prototype created by the late Mr. Phoenix, father of former Pro Duelist Aster Phoenix! As you can imagine, this one-of-a-kind card is highly valuable, and it will be awarded to the winner of this tournament along with the invitation to the WCQ's!"

Needless to say, the audience was quite astounded after seeing the rare copy of The Despair Uranus that was practically hand-made by the respected card designer. "Woah...an original prototype... That sure is somethin'..." AJ noted.

"If I remember correctly," Rarity began to say, "I believe Sunset also owns a card that was created by Mr. Phoenix: The Surpremacy Sun. And it, too, was the original print. Quite fitting for that Uranus card to be the prize for the tournament that Sunset is Judge for."

"Darn... If I'd known that card was gonna be a grand prize, I would've entered too!" huffed Rainbow.

"Yeah, same here." Pinkie chimed in. But then she giggled a little and added, "Aw well, can't win 'em all."

Back in the middle of the arena, Megan then announced to the public, "And now, Duelists: Let's kick off this tournament by introducing...our sixteen super-strong competitors!!" The audience cheered loudly in response. Looking at the list of contestants that she was holding, the MC said, "Our first Duelist entering the field comes to us from the city of Bloodstone. She is the daughter of Torch - an ex-Pro Duelist, and she is expected to make a huge impact here today! So everyone give a round of applause for...Ember!!"

The fans cheered as the blue-skinned teen walked out into the football field. She didn't wave back to the cheering people in the audience as she made her way to the center of the field, a confident and determined look upon her face. Sunset looked over at Ember, who looked back with a smirk. (Alright Ember...) thought the red-and-yellow girl, (I'm ready to see your true strength as a Duelist...)

"Um, Sunset?" Megan asked her. "It's your turn to introduce the next Duelist."

"Hm? Oh! Sorry." Sunset responded. Clearing her throat, she then announced, "Our next Duelist is one of our youngest competitors in this tournament! But she has so far proven that age means nothing out there on the battlefield. So I introduce to you a Duelist that I have proudly trained myself: Sweetie Belle!"

As the younger sister of Rarity ran out into the football field, she could hear several people cheering for her. Not surprisingly, the other members of her club - Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed, were in the stands, rooting for her and holding up a long banner that read "SWEETIE BELLE #1". "Wooo!! Go for it, Sweetie Belle!!" Scootaloo shouted in excitement. "Win this one for the Duel Monsters Crusaders!" Seeing her friends in the audience, Sweetie giggled and waved back at them.

Continuing on, Megan then declared, "Our next Duelist is quite a unique one, to put it mildly: On one side, she's the owner of a curio shop, selling and displaying rare relics from all over the world. But today, she's come here as a competitor, possibly hoping to add that rare Uranus card to her curio collection! Presenting the Duelist who loves to rhyme all the time...Zecora!!" The fans cheered as the zebra-striped woman walked out onto the field. She then looked over at Megan and made a gesture with her right hand. "Oh? It appears she has something to say to us, everyone." The MC then handed her the microphone.

Holding the microphone up to her face, Zecora then said to everyone, "Thank you all, I am very proud... To be here in front of such a lively crowd. Although this shall be my first major contest, I shall show no fear and play at only my best! But although I intend to seek complete victory, enjoying myself and having fun are more important to me. So to my fellow Duelists, I have but this to say: We can all be winners, if we have fun when we play."

Taking the mic back, Megan said to everyone, "Those are some very heartfelt words, Ms. Zecora. And you're absolutely right! The most important thing about Duel Monsters is to make it enjoyable for not only yourself, but also for your opponents. After all, there's no point in trying to win if you can't even enjoy it, am I right?" The audience cheered loudly in agreement. Zecora smiled as she took her place with the other competitors.

"...Not a bad speech you made out there." Ember complimented the zebra-striped woman.

"Yeah, same here!" Sweetie Belle added. "I agree: Having fun's way more important than just winning!"

"...Course, I plan on having fun AND winning, too. Don't get me wrong." the Bloodstone girl added.

Nodding, Zecora then told her, "I can tell that you'll do well." She then offered a handshake to Ember, who returned the offer.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's continue introducing our competing Duelists!" Sunset then announced. Looking at the list, she then said, "Our next two Duelists have requested that they be announced together, as they had both entered the prelims in the same manner. These two Duelists have competed against one another before - right here at CHS, at our annual Inter-school Duel Competition! Now they've come back here for a shot at an even greater title: The World Champion! It is my pleasure to introduce to you...Gilda and Fluttershy!!"

As the audience continued their cheers, Fluttershy - still standing in the building with all of the other Duelists, gulped a little out of nervousness. "I-I-I don't know about this..." she said with a slight whimper.

But just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She yelped a little before turning around and realizing that it was Gilda's hand sitting there. "Hey, don't wimp out on us now, Fluttershy. You can do this." she told her.

"You think so?" asked the shy girl.

"Of course I do." the Griffonstone student answered. "After all, we can't have our Duel if ya don't go out there, right?"

"...R-right...!" Fluttershy then slowly stepped out of the building and walked onto the football field with her friend/rival. Although Flutterhsy was still nervous about being in front of a crowd that looked ten times as big as the one during the Inter-school Duel, she did her best to try and remain calm. Of course, having some familiar faces like Gilda and Sunset there with her helped her keep it together.

Looking at her list, Megan then said, "Our next competitor has been credited with one of the most unique Decks ever crafted for a major competition. She won't say what it is, and we can only wait and see just how it will fare against our other competitors! Everyone, assist me in welcoming a girl who has an eye for Dueling: Derpy Hooves!!" On cue, the young grey girl and assistant to Dr. Hooves ran out onto the field with lots of energy. She waved to the crowd as she did so, seemingly excited to be here. Sunset glanced over at her and smiled, though she seemed a little puzzled by her appearance in the tournament...

Continuing on, Megan then read her list and announced, "Our next Duelist comes to us from parts unknown. He hasn't said were he comes from or what brought him here today, but we can only assume that he's planning to take it all the way to the top. Please welcome...Night Switch!" The purple-skinned, ice-blue haired boy in question then walked slowly onto the football field in about the same manner as Ember did, showing little to no emotion. Sunset also wasn't too sure about this person, based on how oddly quiet he was. However, she decided not to think too much into the whole thing and continued on with the introductions.

Looking at the next name on the list, the red-and-yellow girl declared, "The next Duelist is another young competitor, but also one of our fiercest! During the Preliminary Rounds yesterday, she was the only Duelist to have achieved a One-Turn-Kill during her Match." The people in the audience were quite amazed to hear that as they spoke with one another on the matter. "Now, today...we shall see if she can perform the same sort of strength here as she did in the prelims! Allow me to introduce...Indigo Bolt!"

Indigo Bolt then casually walked onto the field, but her appearance was different from the day before. Instead of her usual outfit, she instead wore what appeared to be a white, toga-like robe with a long, flowing skirt and a dark-blue cape on her back. The top was fastened in place with a ruby-red brooch and a gold necklace with shoulder pads. she also wore a pair of bracelets and anklets, a pair of sandals, and a ring-like crown on her head with a red jewel in its center. Her Duel Pad was also a little different, as it was shaped like a crossbow. In addition, Bolt wasn't wearing her glasses this time, opting instead for contact lenses.

"Well, isn't this interesting!" Megan commented. "Seems Ms. Bolt decided to dress up for the occasion! I must say, it sure looks...powerful."

"You better believe it is!" Indigo replied. "Just a little something to help get me in the mood. After all, if I'm gonna be fighting like a warrior, I'd better look the part, as well."

"Well, it's good to see you so enthusiastic for your matches. Just don't get too overconfident." Sunset told her. "After all, you won't be fighting computer opponents this time." Bolt nodded as she walked over to join the others.

Reading the next name off the list, Megan then said, "Our next competitor's origins are also unknown. What is known is that she was a member of a former singing group. And now she makes her debut as a tournament Duelist! Introducing our next contestant...Sonata Dusk!! Along with her coaches, Adagio and Aria!"

As Sonata and her sisters walked onto the field, there was some cheering in the audience. But none of those cheers were coming from CHS students. After all, they knew just how much trouble those three girls were in the past.

"Well, here they come..." Rarity said to her friends next to her.

"Rrrrgh...I can't stand them just walking out there so casually!" Rainbow grumbled. "It's like they forgot about all the mess they caused here before!"

"Well, we can't bust 'em for doin' somethin' like that, Dash." Applejack informed her. "Until they ACTUALLY cause trouble, we'll just hafta sit and stay quiet. So just cool yer jets for now."

"Besides, Sunnie'll keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't do anything bad again! She can do it!" Pinkie assured them all.

Sunset glanced over at the Dazzlings as Adagio gave a sly glance back. (I don't know what you're up to...) Sunset thought, (but whatever it is, it's not going to ruin this tournament...) Looking into the audience, she saw Snips and Snails sitting together. Earlier, she had asked them to keep an eye on the Dazzlings for her and her friends as well. Sunset hoped that would be enough to ensure that the tournament would go smoothly.

For now, the otherworldly girl put her concerns aside and began to introduce the next contestant. "Our next Duelist," she announced, "also comes to us from Griffonstone High School. Although she is said to be relatively new to Duel Monsters, I've been informed that she had been personally trained in dueling by Gilda, one of our other competing Duelists! And it's obvious that her training is paying off, for she now stands here as one of our elite sixteen! Please give a round of applause for Gabby!"

The Griffonstone freshman ran out onto the field with her usual level of excitement and energy. "Yeah! yeah! YEAH!!" she cheered to herself as she joined the others on the field.

Smirking a bit, Gilda said to her school friend, "Congrats on gettin' this far, Gabby! Course, it doesn't surprise me: After all, I taught you everything I know 'bout dueling."

"I know!" said Gabby in a cheerful tone. "And now look at me: I'm gonna be in the main tournament! I could even win it all! I'm so excited!"

"Just don't get too ahead of yourself, Gabby." Gilda warned her. "You got a long ways t' go still before you can get to the end. Just take it one Duel at a time, and only worry about the finals when ya get there. Got it?"

"Got it!" the enthusiastic girl replied with a nod before heading off to where she was supposed to be.

"Our next competitor is another Duelist who wants to make his tournament debut right here in front of all of you in the audience!" Megan stated. "He is a guitarist for a band partially named after him... Not to mention the ex-boyfriend of our tournament Judge here."

Embarrassed and blushing after hearing her say that, Sunset said to the MC, "Urk...! H-hey!! You can't tell them that!!"

"Uh...yeah...I guess that might've crossed a line. Sorry." Clearing her throat, Megan continued, saying, "Anyway, allow me to introduce our next Duelist, Flash Sentry!"

The blue-haired boy then ran out onto the field to join with the other competitors. He then walked over to Sunset and told her, "I'm sorry about that. Believe me, I didn't ask her to mention the thing about us being exes."

"It's okay." Sunset told him. "It was my fault, probably. I mentioned it to her before we got started, but I didn't think she'd tell everyone else about it, not that it's much of a secret to everyone here."

"Again, REALLY sorry about that." said Megan, feeling a little bad about mentioning such a touchy subject.

"Eh, it's probably for the best anyway." Flash admitted. "At least now that everyone knows it, we don't have to keep it a secret." The red-and-yellow girl nodded to say that she agreed with that. "Anyway, good luck as Judge out there: I know you'll do great." he told her.

"Thanks, Flash." Sunset replied as he walked off to join the other Duelists. The Judge then looked at her list and announced, "Our next Duelist competing here today may not seem like the competitive type. But as a Duelist who has battled her once before, I can most certainly say that she is much stronger than she looks! Everyone, give a round of applause for our part-time Duelist, part-time Cello enthusiast...Octavia Melody! Along with her friend/coach, Vinyl 'DJ Pon-3' Scratch!"

On cue, the two musically-inclined friends walked out onto the football field together. As they walked over to meet with the other Duelists, Vinyl said to her friend, "Good luck out there, Tavi. I'll be rootin' for ya all the way!"

Smiling the cello-player said to her friend, "Thank you, Vinyl. With you by my side, I shan't play at any less but my best!" She then stared at her Deck in deep thought before looking over at Sunset next. Then, she took her place with the other competitors.

Taking a look at the next name on the list, Megan told the audience, "Our next Duelist also comes to us from out of town. According to my notes here, he is the son of a former Mixed Martial Arts fighter. But now he comes here to a different sort of fighting ring, where his strength will rely on the power of his mind and his Deck! But he has stated that - whether he battles in the octagon or in a dueling arena, he plans to aim for the top! So now I present to you...Sol Burner!!"

Everyone watched and cheered as a young, medium-sized teenage boy walked out towards the football field. He had ash-grey skin, with bright orange eyes and scruffy blue hair with orange highlights. His outfit consisted of a red checkered shirt overtop a white shirt with a blue fireball imprinted on it, blue jeans, and sneakers with a flame pattern on them. He also seemed a bit on the muscular side, likely due to his training in MMA-style fighting. On his arm was a Duel Pad that was colored orange and blue, just like the rest of him.

"Woah...check that guy out." Gilda said as he took his place with the others. "He looks like he could tear a phone book right in half... Or maybe a phone BOOTH."

"Sure looks like it..." said Sweetie Belle, secretly hoping she wouldn't have to fight him first.

Checking the list, Sunset then told the crowd, "Our next Duelist comes from quite a long ways away as well, coming all the way from Texas! The eldest among his siblings, he is an avid basketball player, having carried his high school team quite far during his senior year. But he claims that he has an even bigger love for dueling, and wants to make his mark here as well! So now, without further ado, allow me to introduce...Slid Diamond!"

The next Duelist to enter the football field was a tall male with light-brown skin and short black hair, along with brown eyes behind a pair of glasses. Although he was apparently the oldest among his siblings, his outfit suggested that he had a great amount of youth still inside of him: His clothing consisted of a black and white baseball cap, a short-sleeved red shirt, black shorts, and a pair of red shoes with long, white socks sticking out. His D-Pad was red in color as well, matching most of his outfit. He then took his place with the other competitors, seemingly ready for anything.

"Next," Megan continued, "we would like to introduce a Duelist who prides himself on trying all sorts of new things and always planning ahead! And as a Duelist, such valuable traits are highly desirable to becoming a champion! So now, I introduce to you, the Duelist who is always in pursuit of something new to learn: Bright Mind!"

The next person to walk out onto the field was a younger-looking boy - not as young as Sweetie Belle or Indigo Bolt, but close to it, with grey skin, dark-green hair, and dark-green eyes with a pair of glasses. He wore a grass-green sweater vest overtop a plain white undershirt, blue jeans, and green sneakers. Even his Duel Pad had a shade of green to it as it shimmered in the sunlight.

"Safe to assume what his favorite color is." Octavia stated.

"Yeah...I bet he never has t' worry about gettin' pinched on St. Patrick's Day." Vinyl commented.

Sunset then read the next name on the list and said, "And finally, our last competitor. Like a few of our other Duelists here, this one's origins are unknown, but he's traveled all over the country atop his Duel Runner, with no set destination in mind. But today, he has come here with a goal, and that is to become a tournament champion and get a shot at the World Championships! So please help me greet our last competitor, Steel Shadows!"

Everyone cheered as a boy in his late teens walked onto the football field. His skin was a metallic grey in color, complimented by long, black hair done up into a ponytail that drooped to his upper back area. Part of his hair was white, which covered his left eye. His eyes were a bright blue, suggesting that - underneath his rough-looking exterior, lied a pure soul. His outfit consisted of a black leather jacket with a grey shirt underneath, black pants, and large work boots. On each of his wrists was a black spiked band, and his D-Pad was also jet-black in color.

Steel Shadows then glanced over at the rest of the competing Duelists, particularly Ember. He walked over and said to her in a stoic tone of voice, "You must be Ember."

"Uh, you know about me?" asked the blue-skinned girl.

"...I stopped by Bloodstone on my way here." he told her. "I heard rumors about how good your were, and that you were planning to join this tournament." Turning around and preparing to walk away, he then said to Ember, "...I'm looking forward to a Duel with you." As he walked off, the girl from Bloodstone - as well as some of the other contestants, just looked on, wondering what he meant by that. One thing that they could see however, was his enormous fighting spirit; they could tell that he wasn't going to go down easily.

"And with that, we have our sixteen Duelists for the WCQ Qualifier Tournament!" announced Megan as the crowds cheered loudly. "And now," she continued, "Mr. Jay Dunstan - our tournament host, has come to make an announcement of his own!" She then handed the mic over to the man as he made his way to the center of the field.

Speaking into the mic, Mr. Dunstan said, "For a tournament as significant and momentous as this one, I think we should have a more appropriate setting for our Duels here. So I ask everyone to put on their Duel Gazers and switch them on right now!"

Everyone, including the audience, the contestants, and even the event organizers did as he said and activated their gazers. And when they did, they were surprised at what they saw. "Holy horseapples!!" exclaimed Applejack. "It's a giant arena!!" Through the use of AR programming, Canterlot High's football field had been transformed into a Roman-style coliseum.

"InCREDIBLE!!" said Rarity. "This absoLUTELY remarkable!"

"Yeah, this is so awesome!!" added Rainbow Dash. "Havin' the Duelists fight each other in a place like this! So cool!"

"It sure is, Dashie!" Pinkie chimed in. "Though I think Kaiba had the idea first."

In the center of the football field-turned coliseum, Sunset spoke to the audience, saying, "And now, with all of that said, we are ready to begin the WCQ Qualifiers!" Smiling, she then added, "But before we begin the tournament proper, I'd first like to introduce our two special guests. I'm sure many of you are wondering just who these surprise guests are... Well you'll wonder no more, because I'm going to introduce them both right now!"

Sunset then pointed over to the building where all of the tournament participants had previously been in as she said, "I've asked these two guests to make an appearance here today; after all, what better way to kick off the tournament than to have these two come out here and hold a special exhibition match right here, right now?!"

"An exhibition match?" asked Babs Seed.

"But who's goin' up against who?" asked Apple Bloom.

Smiling a little, Sunset continued her speech, saying, "Allow me to introduce two very special people who have agreed to give you all a mere taste of what to expect in major tournaments such as this one! Many of you here might already know who they are, whether it's from their previous roles as Pro Duelists...or their current employment as school principals!"

"Wait a sec..." said Applejack as she and her friends realized who the surprise guests were. "Is she sayin'-?"

"Please give a well-deserved round of applause...for Celestia and Luna!!" shouted Sunset with great enthusiasm.

Just as she said, the principal and vice principal of Canterlot High School walked into the arena, a smile on each of their faces. On their left arms, they each wore their customized D-Pads: Celestia's was shaped like a sun, while Luna's was in the shape of a crescent moon. As they walked out into the arena, the crowds were going wild, excited to see a Duel between former Pros.

"Did you hear what Sunset said, girls?" asked Rarity. "Our principals are about to Duel against each other!"

"That's awesome!!" cheered Rainbow. "I've never seen 'em Duel in person before!"

"I know, Dashie!" Pinkie added. "After all, it's been about 36 episodes since they showed up, and now we're finally gonna see them Duel!"

Looking around at all of their cheering fans, Celestia wiped a small tear and said, "Oh my...I never realized just how much I missed this, Luna."

"I feel the same way, sister." the younger sister responded. "I feel younger just standing here, in front of these cheering crowds..."

"Oh, Luna...stop talking like you're seventy. You're not that old." The elder sister said with a slight giggle. "But you are right: This really takes me back to our glory days as Pro Duelists. It still amazes me that we went from such a highly-competitive life to the humble positions we have now..."

"I agree, sister." said Luna. "But that's life: You never know where it's going to bring you next." She then walked over to Sunset and told her, "Ms. Shimmer, I wish to thank you for convincing us to Duel here for the tournament."

"It's no big deal, really." the otherworldly teen said. "I just overheard you two as you left the party I had in my apartment. I heard you wanted to Duel like Pros again, so I figured it would be a good idea. Twilight agreed too, so she helped arrange everything with Mr. Dunstan."

"Well, we truly appreciate this, Sunset." Celestia told her. She then turned to her sister and told her, "And we promise to show that appreciation by giving this audience the performance of a lifetime, right Luna?"

"Indeed, sister!" the younger sibling replied. "But don't expect this Duel to be like all our others: I plan to defeat you this time around!"

"I'm ready for whatever you have!" said Celestia with vigor in her voice. "And I don't plan to lose, either!"

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," Megan began to say, "our special exhibition match between former Pros Celestia and Luna will now begin!" The two sisters then walked over with Sunset to the center of the arena to prepare for their Duel.

"Alright, you know the rules: Cut and shuffle your opponent's Decks." said the red-and-yellow girl. Celestia and Luna nodded as they took each other's Decks and mixed up the cards in them. Once they were done, they handed the other's cards back to them. "Next, we'll determine the order of play with rock-paper-scissors." The two sisters then shook their hands and showed their choices: Celestia threw scissors, and Luna threw rock. "Luna gets to decide the turn order." Sunset stated.

"I think I'll go first, if you don't mind." the dark-blue woman said.

"Fine with me." said Celestia. The two sisters then walked in opposite directions, taking their respective places in the dueling arena.

"The Decks have been shuffled, the order of play has been determined..." Megan began to say, "and now we're ready to begin what will no doubt be a great Duel between former Pros! Duelists, are you ready?"

"Ready!" shouted both Luna and Celestia as they drew their opening hands (Luna: LP 4,000) (Celestia: LP 4,000). "Let's duel!!" And with that, the battle began...

With the Duel between Celestia and Luna underway, Sunset stayed in the center of the arena in order to carefully watch both sides' moves. At that moment, Twilight walked up to her friend, carrying Spike in her arms. "Sure is exciting isn't it?" asked the young Princess. "Is it okay if I stand here with you? I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"It's okay with me, Twilight." Sunset assured her. "Just remember that I'll need to pay close attention to the Duel and make sure it goes smoothly."

"I understand." said Twilight. "I promise that I won't distract you too much."

"So...Celestia and Luna..." said Spike. "Just how good are they, Sunset?"

"They're former Pro Duelists, so naturally, they're both tough customers." the red-and-yellow teen answered him. "Not only that, but they both have wildly different Decks and strategies from each other, so it'll be interesting to see how things go between them." Twilight and Spike looked at each other before turning their attention back to the Duel in progress.

(Sister...) thought Luna, (I've accomplished many great things during our years as Pros... But the one thing I've never managed to do during that time...was defeat you in a Duel. In every major competition that we entered, I always lost to you whenever we were paired up. But I don't plan on letting you beat me so easily this time... This may be a mere exhibition match, but I plan to win it!) Taking a card from her hand, she announced, "I'll start by setting a monster in Defense Mode. Then, I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Hmmm..." hummed Applejack. "That's usually how Luna starts all'o her Duels: Placin' cards face-down an' keepin' her opponents guessin'."

"Yes, she could be planning just about anything..." Rarity noted. "All we can do is wait and see what she has prepared for her..."

Looking out at her younger sister's field, Celestia thought to herself, (I see you're still up to your old tricks, Luna... But if you think keeping me in the dark about your moves will be enough to scare me, you're in for a surprise!) Preparing to draw her first card in the Duel, the elder sister said, "It's my turn. I draw!" Looking at the card she pulled, she took out a different card from her hand and said, "I'll begin with this Continuous Spell Card: Lightsworn Sanctuary!"

After playing the card, a large, golden shrine appeared behind Celestia. The light that shone on it reflected back in rainbow colors. "Woah...check that thing out!" said Rainbow Dash. "I wonder what that does?"

"I'll explain the effect of my Sanctuary a bit later." Celestia said. "But first, I'll play the Spell Card known as Solar Recharge! First, I must discard this card from my hand to use it: Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!"

As the principal of CHS discarded her card to the Graveyard, Sweetie Belle said, "Oh yeah...that's right: Principal Celestia uses a Lightsworn Deck."

"That's a tough Deck..." Ember stated. "Almost all of their monsters have massive attack power and strong special abilities."

"True, but they come at an equally-massive price." Gilda added. "They force their users to mill cards off the top of their Decks. So losing by a Deck-Out is a constant danger. Anyone using Lightsworns has to win quickly, before that happens..."

Continuing her turn, Celestia then said, "Now I can draw two more cards from my Deck. After that, I send two more to the Graveyard off the top of my Deck." She then did just that, drawing two cards and removing two more. "And now that cards have been sent from my Deck to the Graveyard, I now play the effect of Lightsworn Sanctuary! It gains one Shine Counter every time that happens!" At that moment, a glowing ball of light appeared next to the shrine behind her and began to orbit around it (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 0 + 1 = 1).

"With that card out," Sunset told Twilight, "she's turned the disadvantage of losing the cards in her Deck into an advantage. Because that card will get more Shine Counters EVERY time her cards go from the Deck to her Graveyard."

"But what does she plan to use those counters for?" asked Spike.

"I'm sure we'll find out pretty soon..." Twilight told her. "Celestia's one of the smartest people I know back home... And I'm sure her counterpart in this world is every bit as intelligent as she is."

Looking at her hand, Celestia then declared, "Now I'll Summon my Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn in Attack Mode!" The principal's first monster in the Duel was a tanned human man with well-defined abs and short, black hair. He wore a long, purple cloth around his neck like a scarf, and a pair of dark grey pants equipped with white and gold armor. His weapon of choice was a pair of short swords, each colored similarly to his armor (Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000).

"Not a bad first choice..." Rarity noted. "That monster starts out with a decent attack power, but can increase it even more with his ability... And with how Lightsworns work, there is no doubt in my mind that Principal Celestia will use that ability."

As the fashionista predicted, Celestia then said to her sister/opponent, "I now use Raiden's effect: I send the top two cards of my Deck straight to the Graveyard." After pulling the cards out of her Deck, she looked at them and added, "And since one of the two cards is a Lightsworn monster, my Raiden gains an extra 200 attack points, which lasts until the end of your upcoming turn." She then placed the two cards in her Graveyard, and her monster became surrounded by a faint aura of light (Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn: ATK 1700 + 200 = 1900). "And since cards were once again sent to my Graveyard from my Deck," the woman continued, "my Lightsworn Sanctuary gains another Shine Counter." (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 1+ 1 = 2)

"Is that all, dear sister?" asked Luna, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid not, Luna..." Celestia responded. "Since the Lightsworn monster that was just sent to my Graveyard was Wulf, Lightsworn Beast, he automatically Special Summons himself. I place him in Attack Mode." The woman's second monster was an anthropomorphic wolf with bright white fur, wearing armor that was similar in color to Raiden's. Wulf was also bare-chested, and he wore a sarong-like cloth around his waist with a pair of green shorts underneath. He carried a trident as his weapon, and it was the same color as his armor (Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: Level 4 / ATK 2100 / DEF 300).

"Wowee!! Cellie got two monsters on the field already!" said Pinkie Pie in her usual excited tone.

"That's two monsters to Luna's one," Applejack pointed out, "so it looks like Celestia's got 'er outnumbered..."

"Or maybe that's what Luna WANTS her to think..." Rarity told her.

Looking out onto her sister's field, Celestia thought to herself, (Luna only has one monster on the field, but it's face-down... Even so, I'm sure that it has some sort of effect, if I know my sister well... Still, I have to take a chance.) Pointing forward, she shouted, "Raiden, attack Luna's face-down monster!" The human man then jumped forward, brandishing his twin blades.

"I thought you might attempt an attack, sister!" Luna told her. "Which means I can now reveal my Ghostrick Jiangshi!" After her monster revealed itself, it was shown to be a small boy-like creature wearing Chinese-styled robes, colored purple and black. He also wore a similarly-colored hat on his head, and had a yellow paper stuck onto his bleached white face (Ghostrick Jiangshi: Level 3 / ATK 400 / DEF 1800).

"A Ghostrick Deck..." said Sunset. "I thought so. Luna's always considered it her favorite."

"What kind of Deck is it?" asked Twilight.

The red-and-yellow girl answered her friend, saying, "It's comprised of mostly Fiend, Spellcaster, and Zombie-Types... And their main gimmick is that they can force themselves - or enemy monsters, face-down. But Ghostricks thrive on being flipped face-down, as that's how they get most of their best combos working. To most Duelists, it's actually not that strong a Deck, but Luna always seemed to make hers work well, and even win with it."

"I guess that sounds pretty impressive..." Spike figured.

Back at the Duel, Luna told her older sister, "Now that you've revealed my Ghostrick Jiangshi by attacking it, you've activated his effect! Now I can add any Ghostrick monster from my Deck whose Level is equal to or lower than the number of Ghostrick monsters I have in front of me. Of course, since all I have is Ghostrick Jiangshi, I can only add a Level 1 monster. So I'll pick my Ghostrick Lantern."

"Nevertheless, my Raiden still destroys your Jiangshi in battle!" Celestia reminded her sibling. And just as she said, her Lightsworn monster had little trouble defeating the small ghost.

"Indeed he does." Luna replied casually. "But that only serves to activate the effect of yet another of my Ghostrick monsters! You see, when one of my Ghostrick monsters is destroyed, I can place my Ghostrick Specter on the field in Defense Mode! And in addition, I can draw another card from my Deck." She then placed her next monster on the field face-down, then drew a card from her Deck.

"That is quite an impressive effect." said Bright Mind. "Now she has another monster to defend herself, and she even got to draw another card from her Deck. A very efficient effect."

"Oh, but I am not done taking cards out of my Deck, sister..." Luna told her sibling. "I now activate one of my face-down cards. The Trap Card... Metaverse! This card takes a Field Spell out of my Deck, and then I can either put it in my hand, or activate it! And I choose the latter option!" Taking her chosen card from the Deck, she then declared, "I activate Ghostrick Mansion!" After she played the card, the arena around them began to change once again, this time turning into a stereotypical haunted house, complete with cobwebs, wrecked furniture, and even a spooky mist all around.

*******************************

Ghostrick Mansion
(Field Spell Card)

Monsters cannot attack face-down Defense Position monsters, but can attack directly if all monsters their opponent controls are face-down Defense Position. All effect damage, and battle damage inflicted by monsters other than "Ghostrick" monsters, is halved.

*******************************

"Now that the field is more to my liking, sister," Luna told her opponent, "My victory is all but inevitable!"

"Don't be so sure, Luna." Celestia told her younger sister. "I knew you would activate one of your three Field Spells sooner or later, and I'm prepared to take advantage of it right now!" Pointing forward, she then said, "Now that you have one out, I'll use its effect and have Wulf attack you directly!" The principal's second monster then jumped forward with a roar, his trident pointed forward as he rushed in.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that move." Luna said, taking a card from her hand. "I now activate the effect of Ghostrick Lantern from my hand! Since you've initiated a direct attack against me, I can negate the attack and Summon Lantern face-down!" After placing her monster on the field, a ghostly figure with a pumpkin for a head and carrying a small lantern popped up in front of Wulf, cackling and giggling as he shone a bright light from his lantern. The light blinded Wulf and forced him to back off. Satisfied, the little ghost then flew down into the ground, reappearing on the field in card form.

"Looks like Luna managed to survive the turn, huh?" Vinyl asked Octavia.

"It appears so, Vinyl." the sepia-skinned girl replied. "Not only that, but she now has more monsters on the field than she did when Principal Celestia's turn began."

Smirking, Luna then asked her sibling, "Sister, did you honestly think I would allow you to attack me so easily?"

"...No, I didn't." Celestia answered her with a smile. "I know your style, and am aware of how hard it is to land a blow on you." Taking a card from her hand and placing it into her D-Pad, she then said, "I'll set a card face-down, and end my turn."

"Don't forget, sister." Luna reminded her. "Since Raiden is on your field, his effect forces you to send the top two cards of your Deck to the Graveyard."

"Believe me, I know." Celestia said as she did just that. "Of course, that also means my Lightsworn Sancturay gains an additional Shine Counter (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 2 + 1 = 3). Plus, one of those two cards was Felis, Lightsworn Archer. So due to its effect, I can Summon it in Defense Mode." She then played her next monster, which was another anthropomorphic creature - this time of a cat-like beast, with green hair and wielding a bow as their weapon (Felis, Lightsworn Archer: Level 4 / ATK 1100 / DEF 2000).

"Now Celestia has Luna outnumbered again." Twilight pointed out. "She has one more monster out than she does, just like before."

"Maybe for right now," Sunset said to her, "but if I know Luna's Duels well, it won't be that way for much longer..."

"It's my turn! I draw!" Luna declared as she drew a card from her Deck. She then looked at and smirked. Looking back up towards her sister, she then said to her, "Now I shall Flip Summon both of my face-down monsters, Specter and Lantern!" She then revealed the two monsters on her field; one of them was the same pumpkin-headed ghost that had been seen earlier, and the other was a white ghost with a goofy-looking face painted on it. (Ghostrick Specter: Level 1 / ATK 600 / DEF 0) (Ghostrick Lantern: Level 1 / ATK 800 / DEF 0).

"But...neither of those monsters are anywhere near Celestia's in attack points." said Rainbow Dash. "If they attack, they're toast!"

"Maybe, but Ah've got a funny feelin' that Luna's not goin' after Celestia's monsters..." Applejack informed her cyan-skinned friend.

Taking out the card she had drawn for the turn, the dark-blue woman then announced, "Now I activate the Continuous Spell, Swords of Concealing Light!!" After playing the card, several swords rained down from the dark ceiling above, each one bathed in a pitch-black shadow, and scattered all over Celestia's field.

"Oh no...!" the lighter-skinned woman said to herself, knowing that she was in a tight spot now.

"Thanks to my Swords of Concealing Light," Luna explained, "all three of your monsters are flipped face-down. And furthermore, as long as my Spell Card is active, you cannot change the battle positions of your monsters. That means for the next few turns, you won't be able to attack me with any of those monsters you Summoned last turn!"

"Woah, not bad...!" said an impressed Gilda. "Not only can Celestia not attack with those monsters, but thanks to Luna's Field card, she can attack her directly, since all of her opponent's monsters are face-down!"

"Oh my..." said Fluttershy. "I've seen Luna do this before in her Duel videos, but it's very different seeing it in person...!"

Celestia looked at her now face-down monsters and sighed a bit, saying, "Well, this certainly isn't going to help me..." Smiling, she then said to her younger sister, "Looks like you haven't lost your touch, Luna."

"Just because I'm retired from Pro Dueling doesn't mean I've been slacking off, sister." the vice principal told her. "And this is just the start!" Taking a card from her hand, Luna declared, "Now I'll Summon my Ghostrick Stein in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was based on Frankestein's monster, though it was smaller and was in different colors: Its face was blue, though it still had the stereotypical bolts embedded in its neck, and it outfit was made up of a red, button-down shirt, brown pants, and black shoes, all of them in a tattered state (Ghostrick Stein: Level 3 / ATK 1600 / DEF 0).

"And now it's time for my Battle Phase!" Luna announced. "I use the effect of Ghostrick Mansion and attack you directly with all three of my monsters!" Her Ghostrick Stein was the first one to attack, delivering a strong punch to Celestia and deducting some of her Life Points (Celestia: LP 4,000 - 1,600 = 2,400). "And as an added bonus," the dark-blue woman told her, "whenever Stein damages your Life Points in battle, I can add a Ghostrick Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand! I select Ghostrick Break!" after putting the card in her hand she then shouted, "And now for my next attack!"

Celestia shielded herself as best she could as Luna's Ghostrick Specter attacked next, knocking away another six hunderd of her Life Points (Celestia: LP 2,400 - 600 = 1,800). Looking at the face-down card on her field she thought, "My face-down card...it only works if I have a face-up Lightsworn on the field... But as things are now, it won't work...)

*******************************

Lightsworn Barrier:
(Continuous Trap Card)

When a "Lightsworn" monster you control is targeted for an attack: You can send the top 2 cards of your Deck to the GY, then target the attacking monster; negate the attack.

*******************************

Celestia looked back up in time to see Luna's third monster - Ghostrick Lantern, coming her way. It then reached into its lantern and pulled out what appeared to be a blue fireball. The ghostly monster then tossed the fireball, dealing even more damage to the light-pink woman (Celestia: LP 1,800 - 800 = 1,000). "Urrrgh!" she grunted as she took the hit.

"No way...!" said Sweetie Belle. "She just took out three thousand of Principal Celestia's Life Points in one turn!"

"One more attack like that, and Luna'll beat her!" Apple Bloom said to her friends sitting in the audience with her.

"Yeah... How's the principal gonna come back from that?" asked Scootaloo. "There's no way!"

"Don't forget, Scoots..." Babs Seed told her, "Celestia's a former pro, too. I'm sure she's gonna be just fine out there. After all, you don't get t' be a Pro Duelist without havin' a trick 'r two up yer sleeve..."

"That's all for my Battle Phase for this turn, sister." Luna told her. "On my second Main Phase, I'll set two cards face-down... And then, to make sure that my Specter and Lantern aren't left exposed on the field, I'll Overlay my two Level 1 monsters and build an Overlay Network!" Instantly, her two monsters on the field transformed into a pair of purple lights that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Dark Fiend without a head," she then chanted, "emerge from the blackest night and strike your deathly fear into the souls of mortals! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 1! Ghostrick Dullahan!"

Leaping out of the vortex was an armored man on a white horse with a light-purple mane and a silver bridle. The man's dark-colored armor was certainly creepy-looking, but not nearly as much as the fact that he had no head...at least in the spot where it was supposed to be. Instead, he carried his head in his left arm while holding the reins with his right. Floating around him and his horse were a pair of purple orbs (Ghostrick Dullahan: Rank 1 / ATK 1000 / DEF 0 / OLU 2).

"My Xyz Monster gains an additional 200 attack points for each Ghostrick card I have on my field." Luna then explained. "As I currently have Stein and Mansion out, that raises his power by 400." (Ghostrick Dullahan: ATK 1000 + 400 = 1400)

"I see..." Sunset said to herself. "By using her two Level 1 monsters for an Xyz Summon, Celestia can't attack them and do a lot of damage to Luna's Life Points."

"Next," the dark-blue woman continued, "I'll activate Ghostrick Stein's effect, which allows me to change him to Defense Mode and flip him face-down." She then did so, causing the image of the monster to vanish, being instantly replaced with the image of a face-down card. "Of course, this does reduce my Dullahan's attack points, since I now only have a single Ghostrick card that is still face-up (Ghostrick Dullahan: ATK 1400 - 200 = 1200), but now you cannot attack him, due to my Field Spell's effect." Giving a slight smirk, she then said to Celestia, "It's your turn, sister."

"Yes, I suppose it is." the light-pink woman replied, drawing a card from her Deck and looking at it. (Thanks to that Field Spell of hers,) Celestia thought, (I can only attack her Dullahan... But her Swords of Concealing Light prevent me from using any of the monsters I currently have out. So first, I have to get rid of those cards...) Taking the card she had just drawn, the principal declared, "I play my Spell Card, Solar Recharge!"

"Again with that card, I see..." Luna said. "Very well, let us hope for your sake that you draw something decent."

"I don't think I need to worry too much about that." Celestia told her as she discarded one of her Lightsworn monsters, drew two cards, and then sent two more to her Graveyard (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 3 + 1 = 4). Looking at her hand, she then said, "Now I release my Raiden and Tribute Summon...Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"

Everyone - including Luna, gasped when one of the principal's face-down monsters was immediately removed from the field. In Raiden's place, a female angel with long, blue hair, wearing white and gold armor and a golden yellow halo over her head, floated down from above on a pair of large, white wings. In her gloved hands was a long staff, which radiated a powerful light over the entire field (Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: Level 5 / ATK 2300 / DEF 200).

(Rrrgh...I should have figured that my sister would have that card in her hand by now...) Luna thought.

"Wow...check it out, girls!" Pinkie said to her friends next to her. "Our principal Summoned a monster that's named after her! Orrrrrrr...was SHE named after the monster?"

Smiling, Celestia (the principal, not the angel) told her sister, "I now activate my Lightsworn Angel's effect. After she is Tribute Summoned by releasing a Lightsworn monster, I can send the top four cards of my Deck to the Graveyard and destroy two of your cards!"

"Oh no...!" said the vice principal.

"With that effect, Celestia can break Luna's combo and even possibly get an attack this turn." Sunset said.

"Uh, wait: Which Celestia are ya talking about, Sunset?" asked Spike, getting a little confused from there being TWO figures out there with that name.

"Actually, her statement could apply to either one of them." Twilight pointed out to her puppy assistant.

After ditching four cards off the top of her Deck, the light-pink woman then said, "Now, my angel! Destroy Luna's Ghostrick Dullahan and Ghostrick Mansion!"

"Not so fast, sister!" Luna shouted. "I can't allow you expose my combo's weak point that easily! So I chain my Ghostrick Dullahan's effect! By removing one overlay unit, I can cut the attack points of any of your monsters in half! And I choose your angel!"

"Nevertheless," Principal Celestia told her sibling, "my monster destroys it and your Field Spell all the same."

"I'm afraid my Field Spell isn't going to be subject to her effect after I do this!" Luna then tapped her D-Pad and shouted, "I activate my Trap Card, Ghostrick Renovation!"

*******************************

Ghostrick Renovation:
(Normal Trap Card)

Target 1 "Ghostrick" Field Spell in your Field Zone; return it to the hand, then you can activate 1 Field Spell from your hand or Deck. You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster with a different name, by using that target as material. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.) You can only use this effect of "Ghostrick Renovation" once per turn.

*******************************

"With my Trap Card's effect, I return my Ghostrick Mansion to my hand!" the vice principal explained. "As a result, it is no longer within your angel's range! But in addition, I now replace it with a new Field Spell from my Deck! And I select...Ghostrick Museum!" Immediately, the area around them changed from a haunted house to a haunted museum. Like the first field card had done before, the surrounding area was bathed in a shadowy cloud, making everything dark around them.

"My word..." Octavia said to her friend, "Luna certainly knows how create such a frightening setting for her Duels."

"I know, it's so awesome!" Vinyl replied, since she was into all of that scary, creepy stuff.

"Now that Luna's Trap Card has resolved," Sunset stated, "the next card in the chain - Ghostrick Dullahan, gets its effect, and Celestia's monster loses half her attack points until the end of this turn (Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: ATK 2300 ÷ 2 = 1150). Then, Lightsworn Angel's effect resolves, and Dullahan is destroyed." And just as the red-and-yellow girl had stated, the powerful angel then raised her staff and shone a holy light on Luna's monster, destroying it completely.

"And don't forget:" Principal Celestia then added, "My Lightsworn Sanctuary gains a Shine Counter, since I had to send cards from my Deck to the Graveyard in order to activate my angel's ability." (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 4 + 1 = 5)

"That may be so, sister," Luna said to her, "but thanks to my new Field Spell, any monster that damages a player during battle is automatically flipped face-down. In addition, like my Mansion, my Musuem also prevents either of us from attacking face-down monsters."

"Hold on..." said Rainbow Dash, "I thought that Swords card of Luna's prevents the monsters from switching modes."

"That only applies to switching their positions manually." Rarity told her. "It doesn't prevent against card effects that switch a monster's battle position. That means that angel will be flipped face-down after she attacks, and the principal won't be able to switch it back until the Swords card wears off."

"Man...Ah wonder she'll get outta this one?" asked Applejack. "Seems like too tough a situation t' get out of, even for her."

Smiling a little, Luna then said to her sister, "While you mull over how you could possibly escape my trap, I'll activate another! I play Ghostrick Break! Since a single Ghostrick monster was just destroyed by your monster's effect, I can use my Trap Card to bring back two of them from my Graveyard and place them face-down! So I return my Ghostrick Jiangshi and Ghostrick Lantern to the field in Defense Mode!" In an instant, two more face-down card images appeared on the field. "Furthermore," she continued, "due to the effect of Dullahan, I can now return my Ghostrick Specter to my hand!"

"Hmmm...I see." said Principal Celestia. "Not a bad move, Luna. It's good to see that our retirement from Pro Dueling hasn't affected your skills one bit. But you should know, I haven't slacked off on my dueling either!" Playing her next card, she announced, "I activate another copy of Solar Recharge!"

"What?? Another one??" asked Luna.

After resolving her Spell Card, the light-pink woman then told her sister, "With the two cards I sent to my Graveyard just now, my Sanctuary gets another Shine Counter (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 5 + 1 = 6). Also, because I had sent my Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden to the Graveyard from my Deck, I must send an additional card along with her... But that means I can place yet another counter on my Sanctuary!" (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 6 + 1 = 7)

"Hmmm...quite a costly turn for you, dear sister." said Luna. "Your Deck is almost nearly gone, and you haven't found a way to break through my defenses."

"Actually, thanks to my Minerva, I now have a way to break your board and win the Duel." Principal Celestia told her.

"Wh-what?!" exclaimed the dark-blue woman.

(I wonder what Celestia has planned...?) thought Ember. (Whatever it is, she seems pretty sure she can win the Duel with it.)

Taking the card that she had just sent from her Deck to the Graveyard, Principal Celestia showed it to Luna and asked, "Do you remember this card?"

"Oh no...!" said Luna, becoming a bit frightened by the card she was looking at. "Not Lightsworn Judgment!"

"It is, Luna." the principal told her. "And after it is sent to the Graveyard through the effect of a Lightsworn monster, I can add my Deck's most powerful card from my Deck to my hand..."

"Most powerful card?" asked Sweetie Belle. She then asked Gilda, "What card's that?"

"Judgment Dragon." the Griffonstone student answered her. "One of the most devastating Monster Cards ever printed, and the boss monster of Lightsworn Decks. I had a feeling that your principal wasn't just blowin' smoke when she said she'd win the Duel this turn..."

"Oh my..." was all that Fluttershy could respond with, wondering just what would happen next.

Taking the card in question out of her Deck and putting it into her hand, Principal Celestia then said, "Before I call upon this monster, I have a few other moves to make first. So I play Monster Reborn and revive Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, which I had previously discarded to activate one of my Solar Recharge Spells." Right after she played her card, however, the woman then added, "But in addition to that, I also chain my Emergency Provisions Quick Play Spell. I now send Monster Reborn and my face-down Lightsworn Barrier to the Graveyard to regain two thousand more Life Points." (Celestia: LP 1,000 + 2,000 = 3,000)

"Wow...she just recovered from most of the damage Luna gave her last turn!" said Derpy.

(Not only that,) the ever-quiet Steel Shadows thought to himself, (Celestia still gets the effect of Monster Reborn, even though she sent it to her Graveyard. So she still gets her monster back.)

After Celestia resolved her Monster Reborn card, she then Summoned her second monster this turn. It was a female human wearing white robes with gold trims (similar to the armor worn by Celestia's other monsters), with a bit of her midriff exposed. She had short, blond hair and tanned skin, wore a small tiara on her head, and both of her hands were glowing brightly (Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000).

"And what do you plan to do with her?" asked Luna.

"I'm glad you asked, Luna." the light-pink woman replied. "By discarding a card from my hand, Lumina allows me to bring back any Level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster back from the Graveyard." After discarding a card from her hand, she then stated, "I select my Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn, Level 4!" And just like that, her first monster of the Duel had returned to the field. "And since Raiden happens to be a Tuner Monster...I can now do this! I tune Raiden, Level 4...to Lumina, Level 3!"

"She's Synchro Summoning...!" exclaimed Fluttershy as she and the other competitors watched on. Raiden bathed himself in a mighty light as he then split into four smaller lights that flew up into the sky. They came back down as four green rings that surrounded Lumina, transforming her into a trio of small lights as well (Level 4 + Level 3 = Level 7).

"Almighty leader of the Lightsworns," Principal Celestia chanted, "lead the souls of fallen warriors and banish the evil that dares to oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth from Heaven above, Level 7! Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn!!" After the chant was finished, the green rings and white lights were engulfed in a pillar of light that shone all over the arena. When the light finally faded away, a powerful man was now standing there. He wore golden armor, with a set of metallic wins on his back and carried an enormous sword in his right hand. His powerful, muscular form told everyone around him that he was not one to be trifled with (Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn: Level 7 / ATK 2600 / DEF 2000).

Luna gulped a little upon seeing her sister's Synchro Monster gracing her side of the field, but calmed herself down a little, thinking, (Calm down, Luna...even if both of my sister's monsters attack me, I'll still have Life Points left; their combined attack power right now is only 3,750...that would still leave me with 250 points...)

"Now I use the effect of Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn." Principal Celestia then said. "By paying one thousand Life Points (Celestia: LP 3,000 - 1,000 = 2,000), I can banish any one card on the field. And I choose your Ghostrick Museum!" Luna gasped as her sister's monster used his power to wipe out her Field Spell Card. This caused the arena to revert back to its default appearance.

"Why'd she do that?" asked Gabby. "She could've attacked Luna directly with her two monsters and give her a lot of damage..."

"Yeah, but if Celestia did that," Flash said to her, "then the Field card would've flipped all her monsters face-down and left her vulnerable next turn. But now that the Field Spell's gone, she doesn't have to worry about that anymore."

Luna huffed a little and told Principal Celestia, "You may have rid the field of my Museum, but by doing so, you no longer are able to attack me directly, sister. After I survive your next attack, I'll reactivate Ghostrick Mansion and use the monsters I have left to deplete the rest of your Life Points!"

"But unfortunately for you, Luna," the light-pink woman began to tell her, "you WON'T survive my next attack." Taking out a card from her hand and showing it, she then asked her, "Did you already forget about my Judgment Dragon?"

"Oh no..." the vice principal uttered, knowing that she was in trouble.

"Oh yes." Principal Celestia told her. "And since I have at least four different Lightsworn monsters in my Graveyard now, I can call him to the field!" Holding up her card, she then chanted, "Almighty dragon with the powers of a god...come to us from the heavens above and pass judgment upon the wicked and evil! Descend now! Judgment Dragon!!"

Everyone watched with amazement and some fear as the dark skies above began to shine a powerful light down to the earth below. From out of that light came a beautiful - yet powerful, dragon. Its head, body, wings, and limbs were all pure white in color. The only parts of it that were not white were its claws and eyes, each of them a brilliant red. The dragon roared loudly to show it amazing power (Judgment Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2600).

"Incredible..." said Ember, impressed by the powerful beast that had now appeared. "In all my years dueling, I never got to see Judgment Dragon right in front of me..."

"It looks so pretty..." Sweetie Belle complimented. "And it looks so fluffy, too! I just wanna go over there and hug it!"

"Seriously...what is it with you people and hugging things?" the Bloodstone girl then asked her.

Staring into the face of her sister's most powerful monster, Luna knew that she was in the worst possible situation. "No... I was hoping to win this Duel BEFORE she could call up her Judgment Dragon...!"

"I'm afraid this Duel's over." said Principal Celestia. "I now activate the effect of Judgment Dragon. At the cost of one thousand more of my Life Points, my dragon can destroy every other card on the field!"

"Did ya hear that, guys?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "Celestia's gonna nuke the whole board!"

"That's why she used her Emergency Provisions card..." Applejack figured out. "So that she could use those extra Life Points t' activate both of her monster's effects!"

"But...if Judgment Dragon destroys everything on the field other than itself," Rarity pointed out, "that means all of Celestia's other cards will be destroyed, too! Even though Judgment Dragon will get a clear shot at Luna afterwards, she won't lose the Duel right away."

"I'm not so sure about that..." Pinkie then said. "I think Cellie's got it allllllll figured out!"

Once Celestia paid the cost of her monster's effect (Celestia: LP 2,000 - 1,000 = 1,000), she then shouted, "Now, Judgment Dragon! Destroy all of the other cards on the field!!" The principal's monster then lifted its wings up and used the light shining down on it to charge up an enormous ball of energy. Once the sphere was fully powered-up, the dragon roared as the sphere exploded, engulfing everything on the field.

The powerful blow wiped out all of Luna's monsters at once, along with her Swords of Concealing Light. But the vice principal then shouted, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Specter in my hand! When any of my Ghostrick monsters are destroyed, I can Special Summon Specter face-down and draw one card!" Once she did that, Luna then thought to herself, (With this, I can at least survive one more turn...) But when the dust settled after Judgment Dragon's blast, the dark-blue woman gasped and said, "WHAT?! But how?!? Your Micheal and Celestia are still on your field?!"

"What happened?" asked Derpy Hooves. "I thought that dragon was supposed to destroy every card on the field except itself... So how come Celestia's other monsters are still there?"

"I'd tell you," the light-pink woman said to her sister, "but I believe that's Ms. Shimmer's job to explain what just happened, am I right?"

Getting the message, Sunset then said to everyone, "Normally, when Judgment Dragon uses its effect, it destroys all of the other cards on the field. However, Celestia still had her Lightsworn Sanctuary on the field. Its effect allows Celestia to remove 2 Shine Counters from her field in order to save one of her own cards from being destroyed by a card effect. By this point, her Sanctuary had acquired a total of seven Shine Counters, so she removed six of them to prevent Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn, and the Sanctuary itself from being wiped out by Judgment Dragon's effect." (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 7 - 6 = 1)

"She had this Duel all planned out from the start." Twilight noted. "She sent her cards to the Graveyard as often as possible not only to help Summon her dragon, but also build up the counters on her Spell Card in order to protect the monsters she had out."

"That's amazing...!" said Spike. "She knew what she was doin' the whole time!"

All of the tournament participants were equally as amazed by Principal Celestia's strategy. Ember in particular, was the most impressed. (So...this is what a Duel in the Pro Leagues is like...) she thought. (If that's the case...I can't wait to get in there myself!)

Luna was no doubt devastated by how easily her sister had managed to eliminate her advantage. Sighing, she said to her, "That's it then... There's nothing I can do to stop you from winning now." Even in the face of defeat, the dark-blue woman smiled and told her sibling, "But don't count me out yet, sister! One day, I'll surpass you and never let you back on top!"

Smiling as well, the principal chuckled and told her younger sister, "I'll always be happy to take you on again, Luna. I'm looking forward to it." Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Now for my Battle Phase! I attack your monster with Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!" Even though its attack power had been cut in half, it was more than powerful enough to destroy Luna's remaining monster on the field.

"Well, seems like it's over now." said Applejack. "Once Celestia attacks with her other two monsters, this Duel's done."

"It's a bit sad to see Luna lose after fighting so well..." Rarity commented.

"Yeah, tell me about it..." added Rainbow Dash. "She came real close, too."

"Maybe, but they fought such an amazing Duel and had so much fun out there!" Pinkie chimed in. "In my book, that makes them BOTH winners! I know, it sounds a little cliché, but it's totally true!" Celestia and Luna felt the same way: Deep down, they knew that enjoying the game was far more important than winning or losing. As long as they had fun while playing, nothing else really mattered, and that was something that they hoped all of the Duelists watching them would always remember, even in the thick of competition.

"Now, Micheal and Judgment Dragon! Attack Luna directly and end this Duel!!" Celestia ordered her other two monsters. The armored man then leapt on top of Judgment Dragon's back as the mighty white beast flew towards Luna. The two them each fired a beam towards the dark-blue woman; Micheal shot his through his sword, while Judgment Dragon launched its beam from its mouth. The two streams then merged together and struck Luna directly. The vice principal just stood there smiling, satisfied from a Duel well-fought even as she took the combined attacks of both Micheal (Luna: LP 4,000 - 2,600 = 1,400) and Judgment Dragon (Luna: LP 1,400 - 3,000 = 0) (WINNER: Celestia).

"This Duel is over!!" announced Sunset Shimmer. "The winner is Principal Celestia!" The crowds cheered for not only Celestia, but also for Luna as well for their incredible Duel.

"Wow!! What an amazing start to our tournament!" spoke Megan Williams. "These two former Pro Duelists have just proven that they've still got it even after their retirement! Do we know how to kick off a tournament or what?"

Walking over to Sunset, Celestia said to her, "Thank you again for having us come here and Duel. That was the most fun that I've had in quite a while, don't you agree Luna?"

"I must admit, I did enjoy myself...despite my loss to you." answered the vice principal. "Even so, I shall not give up trying to outdo you, sister. So don't expect me to go so easy on you next time."

"I'm always happy to Duel you anytime, anywhere." said the light-pink woman. And with that, the two Pro Duelist siblings shook hands with each other, congratulating the other for a battle well-fought.

"That was the coolest thing ever!" said Scootaloo.

"Yeah it sure was, huh?" asked Babs. "Now I can see how they got t' be Pro Duelists all'o those years ago... I'd love t' see how I'd do against 'em myself. What about you, Bloom?"

"Um...maybe." replied Apple Bloom. "But maybe I'll first try t' beat mah big bro and big sis before Ah even think about fightin' Celestia or Luna."

"And now that our special exhibition match is through," Megan began to say to the crowds, "Let's begin the tournament proper with our first Duel of Round One! To ensure fairness during the Round One Duels, each pair of Duelists will be chosen at random before each Duel starts! According to the rules, no Duelist may change the contents of their Deck after they have registered it for the tournament! Therefore, no one will be able to prepare for their opponents ahead of time!"

"That means these Duels must be won using your own power alone, without having any inside information about your opponent!" Sunset then added. "So without further ado, let's select our first pair of Duelists!"

Everyone then turned their attention to the big screen monitor, where two empty squares were displayed. But the squares didn't stay empty for long: Each square then cycled through portraits of each of the competing Duelists, slot machine style. To further emphasize this, the monster Slot Machine stood in-between the portrait areas, bobbing up and down.

Microphone in hand, Megan then spoke into it, saying, "And the first two Duelists to compete will be..."

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 42: Everypony Duel the Dinosaur:

Author's Note

Normally, I put up a new episode during the last full week of each month. But since Christmas falls on the last full week this time, I decided to upload this early, just in case I couldn't do it next week. I'm certain none of you will have a problem with that. :twilightblush:

Anyway, enjoy the episode, and have a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Hearth's Warming Eve/Decemberween! :yay:

RANK 42: Everypony Duel the Dinosaur:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The WCQ Qualification Tournament kicked off with a bang, as Ember and Indigo Bolt were chosen as the first two Duelists to compete. Ember - wielding her powerful Felgrand Dragon Deck, came all the way from the city of Bloodstone to compete in the tournament, hoping to get a chance to challenge Sunset Shimmer to a rematch. Indigo Bolt came into the tournament with a very strong start; with the help of her powerful Amazoness Deck, she passed the Preliminary Round, having been the only Duelist to score a One Turn Kill during her Match. The two fought a fierce Duel, but in the end, it was Ember who came out victorious.

While the Duel was in progress, however, several other events were taking place as well: Snips and Snails - two young boys who were once Sunset Shimmer's subordinates, found themselves helping out their former boss once more; this time to spy on Adagio, Aria, and Sonata (a.k.a. the Dazzlings) and see if they were up to no good. In the audience stands, Luna met up with Ember's father, Torch - whom she had beaten in a major Duel years ago, and the two managed to bury the hatchet. And back in Equestria, Discord - the wily spirit of Chaos, was preparing for another trip into the minds of both Sunset and Twilight, hoping to uncover new information about the Astral World.

And while all this is going on, the next two Duelists to compete in the tournament have been selected...

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen!!" announced Megan Williams, the high-spirited announcer for the WCQ Qualification Tournament, which was held in CHS's football stadium (now turned into a coliseum, thanks the AR Vision technology). She then continued, saying, "Our second Duel for the first round will be against two out-of-towners! But they are most certainly NOT out-of-practice, as they both came out of the Prelims with impressive scores! So please give a hearty Canterlot welcome to Slid Diamond and Steel Shadows!!"

The audience members cheered as both Duelists made their way towards the center of the arena, where Sunset was waiting to see them. The brown-skinned Slid Diamond appeared to be a young man - not quite a teenager anymore, but still relatively youthful in appearance. He was dressed rather casually for the tournament, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, a baseball cap, red shoes and glasses, which added to his youthful look.

His opponent - the metallic-grey Steel Shadows, rather different in comparison. He had sort of a 'drifter' look, as if he was the type that didn't often stay in one place for too long. His outward appearance looked rather rough: His black jacket was a bit worn, indicating that he had it for quite a long time, and his large boots were in a similar state. Part of his hair covered his left eye, and he had a somewhat serious look on his face. All in all, he had a subtly intimidating appearance, but he didn't seem to be unfriendly.

As both Duelists approached each other, Sunset walked up to the two of them and said, "Alright, go ahead and shuffle each other's Decks. Then head to your respective sides of the field." The two of them nodded as they handed their Decks to the other.

As they shuffled each other's cards, Slid spoke to his opponent, saying, "It's great t' finally meet ya, Steel. I've heard you won the last tournament all the way over in Baltimare. That was pretty impressive." Steel said nothing in response (or smiled), but simply nodded his head to say that he appreciated the comment. Sunset - overhearing the comment, hummed to herself; she had actually watched a livestream of that tournament some time ago and now recognized the person in question. "And now here I am; actually getting to Duel you..." Slid spoke to him again. "It's, um...i-interesting, to say the least..."

Looking towards his opponent, Steel finally spoke, asking him, "...Is this your first tournament?"

"Huh? Oh! Well, sort of..." Slid answered. "I've done well in a few small tournies back home, but this'll be my first major one."

"...I see." Steel then handed Slid's Deck back to him and simply told him, "I wish you the best of luck."

"Uh, thanks! You too." Slid replied, his brown skin blushing a little from the comment. Taking his Deck back and handing over Steel's, he said to him, "Here's your Deck back." The grey-skinned man nodded silently and took his cards back before the two of them headed over to opposite sides of the arena.

Walking over to Sunset, Twilight asked her friend, "So, um...do you know anything about these two people? I don't recall seeing them anywhere around here..."

"Probably because they aren't from around here." the red-and-yellow girl answered. "You heard what Megan said: They're both from outside Canterlot." Looking over towards the grey-skinned male in the black jacket, she then told Twilight, "That person over there is Steel Shadows. He's said to be a strong contender in Duel Monsters Tournaments; after all, he's won a few of them. But other than that, he's never really said much about himself or where he came from. His performance in dueling competitions are all anyone really knows about his past."

"Well, he certainly looks pretty strong..." Spike noted. "And a bit scary-looking... You don't think he's with those Skyes Academy guys, do you?"

"...I don't think so, Spike." Twilight told him. "Sure, he does give off a bit of a 'bad colt' look - or in the case of this world, a 'bad BOY' look, but he doesn't seem like he actually IS bad..." Pointing over to Steel's opponent, she then asked Sunset, "What about him? Do you know anything about him?"

"Not particularly, Twilight..." the otherworldly girl answered. "His name is Slid Diamond, but that's about all the information I have. Still, I'm pretty certain that he must be pretty good to make it into the main tournament." It was clear that none of them really knew a whole lot about the two Duelists that were about to fight each other. But they figured that they would find out a bit more about them during their Duel.

"By the way," Twilight began to ask her friend, "any word from Snips or Snails yet?"

"Nothing yet, but they're sure they can dig something up soon." Sunset replied. She then glanced over to where the remaining Duelists were. Once again, neither Sonata nor her sisters were present to watch the match. This only served to raise Sunset's suspicions even more.

In the audience, Principal Celestia looked around herself; Luna had been gone for a while, and she was wondering what her little sister was up to. At that moment, someone approached her asking, "Um, is that seat taken, Principal Celestia?"

The woman looked over and saw that it was Indigo Bolt, still dressed in her toga costume. In the first round, she fought against Ember and lost. Celestia smiled and said, "My sister was sitting here, but she's taken off somewhere, so I'm sure she won't mind if I rent it out to someone. Please, come over and take a seat."

"Thanks." said Bolt as she sat down next to CHS's principal.

"I must say," the light-pink woman commented, "that is a rather nice costume you have on. Did you make it yourself?"

"Kinda." the toga-wearing girl answered. "My mom helped with some of the finer details. I planned on having it on the whole time I'd be in the tournament, but...well, you know. And after all the trouble we went through to have it ready for today; I'll have to keep it on the whole day just to get our money's worth."

"Well, I think you look very nice in it." Celestia told her. "And even though you didn't win, you can take what you've learned today and improve yourself for your next Duel: It's all a matter of trial and error."

"Yeah, I know... Ember and Sunset told me something like that earlier." said Bolt. "I know I'll do better next time, but until then, I'll keep on practicing with my Deck and work out some of the bugs."

"That's the spirit, Ms. Bolt." said the principal. "After all, no one can say they got to the top without hitting a few bumps in the road." She then asked, "By the way...you wouldn't happen to know where Luna went, by any chance?"

"Not really," Indigo told her, "but I did hear rumors that two people were having a Duel just outside of the arena. And it sounded like one of them was Luna. Don't quote me on that, though."

"Hmmm...I see. Okay then." Celestia replied, figuring that - if what she heard was true, she didn't need to worry too much about her sister. Putting those thoughts aside for now, she and Bolt turned their attention back to the arena to watch the next Duel.

Back in the center of the arena, Sunset flipped a coin to determine the turn order. After that was done, it was decided that Steel Shadows would get the first move. With their D-Pads activated, the judge said to them, "Alright, let's have a nice, clean Duel from the both of you, understand?" Both competitors nodded to say that they did. "Then let's get the second Duel of the First Round started! Draw your cards and prepare to battle!" shouted Sunset, raising her right hand into the air to signal the start of the game.

"Let's DUEL!!" shouted both Steel and Slid, drawing their opening hands (Steel Shadows: LP 4,000) (Slid Diamond: LP 4,000). The audience continued to cheer them on, excited to see how this Duel would play out...

Meanwhile, far away in another world altogether, Discord had just finished packing his things. He was about to embark on another visit to the minds of both Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. A while ago, he had been tasked with checking up on them and making sure that they were safe. However, Princess Celestia had also asked him to learn more about the Astral World, as well as the Number cards that came from that world.

"There we go: All finished!" said the draconequus, wiping his forehead with his right arm. "Ah, packing's so much easier when it's done off-screen: It takes far less time, and I don't have to divulge any details about what I packed right away, either!" Taking the suitcase that he had in front of him, he folded it in half, then folded it again, and again, and then once more until it was the size of a jellybean before stuffing into a...pocket on the left side of his chest.

"And now that that's out of the way," Discord said to himself, "it's time to get to work!" He then made his way out through a door in his attic, which naturally led him out the front door to his house. He then pressed his doorbell (which chimed in reverse), and stood patiently. After a while, his front door opened once again, revealing the inside of an elevator.

Inside the elevator was another Discord, dressed like a bellhop at a hotel. "Good afternoon, Mr. Discord." he said to the other. "Where to this time?"

"Sunset Shimmer's mind, if you please." the original draconequus responded as he got into the small chamber.

"Alrighty then...!" the bellhop Discord said as he pressed a few buttons on a keypad inside of the elevator. The doors then closed as it began to move. On a display at the top was a number representing the floor that they were on. However, as you may have probably guessed, it didn't cycle through the numbers in a normal sequence. Starting at the number 42, it then displayed the following: 201, 917, 411, 1218, 429, and then finally, 616.

"Floor six hundred and sixteen: Sunset's Shimmer's soul room." said the draconequus bellhop as the elevator doors opened.

"Why, thank you kindly, dear sir." Discord told him as he exited the chamber.

"...Ahem." coughed the other Discord as he glanced off to the side and stuck out his hand, making a grabbing gesture with it. Getting the message, the original Discord sighed and reached into a pocket, pulling out a golden bit coin and placing into the other's palm. Satisfied, the draconequus bellhop chuckled and closed the elevator's doors before fading out of existence.

"I swear..." Discord mumbled to himself, "that guy's picking me out of house and home... Well, never mind; I've got some important work to do..." Pulling out a map from the same pocket that held his suitcase, the draconequus unfolded it and began reading it closely. "Let's see...now to find Sunnie's soul room; or rather soul ROOMS, as she has more than one..." He then continued on his way, hoping to find something soon...

Back in CHS's football field/coliseum, Steel Shadows and Slid Diamond were ready to begin their Duel. As most of the people watching were unfamiliar with the competitors, they weren't sure just what to expect out of them. But they wouldn't stay in the dark for long...

"To begin this Duel..." Steel started, "I will play a Spell Card: Gateway of the Six." After he played the card, a large castle gate came out of the ground behind him. The gate resembled what one would see in front of a Japanese-style castle, except that it had a large, circular adornment on the front of it, colored completely black.

*******************************

Gateway of the Six
(Continuous Spell Card)

Each time a "Six Samurai" monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned, place 2 Bushido Counters on this card. You can remove Bushido Counters from your field to activate these effects.
* 2 Counters: Target 1 "Six Samurai" or "Shien" Effect Monster; that target gains 500 ATK until the end of this turn.
* 4 Counters: Add 1 "Six Samurai" monster from your Deck or GY to your hand.
* 6 Counters: Target 1 "Shien" Effect Monster in your GY; Special Summon that target.

*******************************

"Gateway of the Six...?" asked Rainbow Dash, who was sitting with Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie with the rest of the audience. "I thought that card was banned..."

"It used t' be, but they took off the list a while ago." AJ informed her friend. "Granted, it's only at one per Deck, of course."

"I remember how powerful that card was back before it was Forbidden...and even before it was Limited." Rarity stated. "I can't imagine that they would ever take that card off the list completely..."

"Actually, they did in Japan." Pinkie pointed out.

"You're kidding!" exclaimed the fashionista.

"Usually, I do, but not this time." the pink girl said with a smile and a giggle.

Staring at the giant gate behind his opponent, Slid smirked a bit and said, "I should've know you'd be usin' your Six Samurai Deck... That's the one that won you the Baltimare tournament, right?"

"Indeed it was." Steel responded. "And you'll soon see why. I now activate the Spell Shien's Smoke Signal, which allows me to add any Level 3 or below Six Samurai monster from my Deck. And I select Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki." Placing his chosen card in his hand for now, he then took out a different card and said, "Next, I will play a third Spell Card: Six Samurai United!" After he played the card, a larger image of it appeared in front of him, sitting right next to the other Continuous Spell that he played.

"Yeesh, just how many Spell Cards does that guy HAVE in his Deck??" asked Spike.

"Not sure," Twilight told him, "but it's obvious he's setting up something big... The question is: Just WHAT is he setting up...?" The two watched to see just what Steel was trying to accomplish, as did Sunset.

Taking the card that he had previously added to his hand earlier, the grey-skinned Duelist then stated, "Now I will Summon my Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki in Attack Position." After the card was played, a man clad in red and black samurai armor leapt onto the field. He shed lightning wherever he walked and carried a total of four swords on him: Two were in his hands, and another two were attached to a pair of mechanical arms coming out of the armor on his back (Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki: Level 3 / ATK 200 / DEF 2000).

"After Kageki is successfully Normal Summoned," Steel continued, "I am now able to do the following: First, whenever a Six Samurai is Normal or Special Summoned, I can place two items known as Bushido Counters on my Gateway of the Six." After he said that, the black circle on the gate behind him began to glow blue as a pair of small lights appeared upon it (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 0 + 2 = 2). "In addition," he continued, "I can also place a counter on my other Spell Card as well." Just as he said, a small light appeared on his Six Samurai United card as well (Six Samurai United: Bushido Counters 0 + 1 = 1).

"Soooo...what happens after that?" asked Slid in a curious tone.

"You'll see a bit later..." Steel informed him. "For now, though, I have still another effect to use. After Kageki is successfully Normal Summoned, I am then able to Special Summon a differently-named Six Samurai from my hand, no higher than Level 4. And I choose the Tuner monster, Kagemusha of the Six Samurai." He then placed the card horizontally on his D-Pad's tray, calling up another armored samurai man. His was green and bronze in color, and his weapon of choice was a short spear (Kagemusha of the Six Samurai: Level 2 / ATK 400 / DEF 1800). "And since he was Special Summoned," Steel continued, "my two Spell Cards gain more Bushido Counters." (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 2 + 2 = 4) (Six Samurai United: Bushido Counters 1 + 1 = 2)

"I see now..." Sunset said to herself, "he's making use of the Six Samurai's ability of field swarming to build up a lot of power in those two cards..." Of course, she also knew that there was probably more to his strategy than that.

Continuing his turn, Steel then said, "Now that I have two Bushido Counters on Six Samurai United, I choose to activate its effect. By sending it to the Graveyard, I can draw two cards; one for each of its counters." He then drew his two cards, noting that one of the two was a Trap Card. Placing them both in his hand for the moment, he then told his opponent, "And now...I tune the Level 2 Kagemusha to my Level 3 Kageki." After he said that, his lower-Level monster raised his spear as he transformed into a pair of small lights.

"No way...! A Synchro Summon?!" gasped Slid Diamond. All he could do was watch along with the crowds as the two lights flew into the air and came back down as a pair of green rings. The rings surrounded Kageki and transformed him into three more light spheres (Level 2 + Level 3 = Level 5).

"Great warrior spoken of only in legend," Steel chanted, "manifest yourself before me and bring with you the fires of doom! Synchro Summon! The Legendary Six Samurai, Level 5... Shi En!"

The rings and lights were soon engulfed by a giant column of light that shot down from above. When the light vanished, a powerful human man was standing in its place. He wore red armor with golden trims, which also appeared to have a pair of dark-colored bat wings attached to the back of it. In his right hand was a katana (a super-sharp Japanese sword) which had ridges on it; clearly the ridges were meant to deal as much damage to his foes as possible (Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En: Level 5 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1400).

"Did ya see that, guys?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "He just busted out a Synchro Monster, and it's just his first turn!"

"I do say, that was quite impressive." mentioned Rarity. "A very strong opening play."

Ember, standing on the sidelines, thought the move was quite strong as well. (Not a bad start, I'll admit...) she thought. She continued to watch the Duel carefully not only to see who would be victorious, but also to study both competitors' Decks and strategies with fine detail. After all, whoever won this Duel would go up against her in the quarterfinals.

Looking towards his opponent, Steel then said to him, "With my Shi En's Summoning, I now add two more Bushido Counters to Temple of the Six." (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 4 + 2 = 6) Taking another card from his hand, he placed it in his D-Pad and added, "I'll finish with a face-down card. It's your move."

"Alright then, here I go!" said Slid as he drew his first card of the Duel. Looking over the field, he thought to himself, (Man...this guy's serious for sure: He brought out a 2500-ATK monster on his first turn... Guess I should've expected that from a tournament champ...) Looking over his hand, he then said to himself, "He might have more experience in tournaments than me, but I know how t' think on my feet... By the time I'm done with my turn, that Samurai's goin' down!"

"So...I guess we'll soon see what kinda Deck that other guy uses..." Spike mentioned. Twilight nodded as they both watched on. Sunset was also curious to see what cards Slid had at his disposal.

Taking a card from his hand and placing it out, he said, "I'll start with the Spell Card, Fossil Dig! It lets me add a Level 6 or below Dinosaur monster to my hand!"

"Hmmm... That won't work, I'm afraid." Steel replied. "I chain Shi En's effect to negate and destroy your Spell Card before it can resolve!" His monster then raised its left hand and shot out a bolt of electricity that eliminated Slid's card completely. "Did you forget that my Shi En can negate any Spell Card or Trap Card after it activates?"

"I knew what your monster can do, Steel." the brown-skinned Duelist replied. "And I ALSO know that he can only negate a card once each turn. And now that he used his effect this turn, he can't do it again!"

"I see." was all that Steel responded with. "In that case, show me what you plan to do with that knowledge."

"I intend to!" said Slid, taking another card from his hand. "I Summon Souleating Oviraptor in Attack Mode!" His first monster of the Duel was a large dinosaur with a mostly grey body, with some bits of red on it, along with a dome-shaped head. Several cryptic markings were spread all over its body, but most notable of all were the blue flames that poured out from its head and running along its back (Souleating Oviraptor: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 500).

"I see now..." said Steel. "You had a way of searching your Deck, despite my Synchro Monster's ability. Interesting..."

"I'm only gettin' started!" Slid told the grey-skinned Duelist. "Now that I've Summoned my Souleating Oviraptor, not only I can use his effect and search for another Dinosaur, but I can ALSO do this!" Taking another card from his hand and placing it onto the card tray, he shouted, "I Special Summon Kagetokage in Defense Mode!" His second monster appeared on the field first as a shadowy lump on the ground before forming into the shape of a lizard with eerie red eyes (Kagetokage: Level 4 / ATK 1100 / DEF 1500).

"Huh? How did he Summon another monster like that?" asked Vinyl, scratching her head.

"Kagetokage can be Special Summoned from the player's hand when they Normal Summon a Level 4 monster." Octavia answered her. "Because Souleating Oviraptor was a Level 4, that fulfilled the requirement."

After making that move, Slid Diamond then said, "Now I'll use Souleating Oviraptor's effect and add my mighty Super Conductor Tyranno to my hand from the Deck!" After taking his card, he then played another and said, "Next, I'll activate Trade-In! By discarding a Level 8 monster from my hand, I can draw two more cards from my Deck! So I'll discard the monster I just added; Super Conductor Tyranno!" He then did just that and drew two new cards. Looking at what he got, he thought to himself, (Great! I got the card I wanted!) He then took one of the cards he just drew and played it right away. "Now I activate my Ultra Evolution Pill!"

*******************************

Ultra Evolution Pill:
(Normal Spell Card)

Tribute 1 Reptile monster; Special Summon 1 Dinosaur monster from your hand.

*******************************

"So that's why he Summoned that shadowy lizard-thing..." Applejack noted. "He wanted t' use that card on it!"

"Now he'll be able to Summon just about anything!" Rarity added.

Continuing his move, Slid declared, "Now I release Kagetokage and Summon one of my biggest dinos to the field. Say hello to my Super-Ancient Dinobeast!!" The brown-skinned Duelist placed the card in Attack Position on the card tray, unleashing its might on the field. The monster was a bipedal Dinosaur with silver-blue scales, a pair of small wings on its back (which seemed TOO small to allow it to fly), and glowing, orange eyes. Its outward appearance was simple, but it still looked very strong (Super-Ancient Dinobeast: Level 8 / ATK 2700 / DEF 1400).

"Hmmm...impressive." said Steel Shadows. "So your activation of Fossil Dig was simply to prevent Shi En from negating that Spell Card, am I right?" he then asked his opponent.

"Exactly!" Slid confirmed. "And now your monster's about to go down! Super-Ancient Dinobeast, attack his Samurai!" The giant beast then blasted Shi En with a powerful blast from its mouth. Steel, however, didn't even flinch at the damage that he took (Steel Shadows: LP 4,000 - 200 = 3,800). "No reaction, huh?" asked the brown-skinned Duelist. "Then maybe my other monster's attack'll do the job! Oviraptor, attack him directly!!" The other monster's blue flames then turned orange as it fired a blast of fire at Slid's opponent, knocking away some more of his Life Points (Steel Shadows: LP 3,800 - 1,800 = 2,000).

"Woah...he wiped out that Synchro Monster like it was nothing!" said Sunset. "I've gotta admit, I didn't think he'd pull it off, but I guess he really did know what he was doing."

"He certainly did." agreed Twilight. "He managed to get ahead of that Steel Shadows person this turn... And now we'll see if he can stay ahead of him." Spike nodded to say that he agreed too.

Looking over at his opponent, Steel thought to himself, (That was a skillful play... For someone who never competed in a major tournament before today, this Slid Diamond is quite strong; most of my opponents don't know what to do in the face of my Synchro Monster's effect...) Giving off a small smile, he then said in his mind, (Alright then...I suppose I'd better get serious.)

Meanwhile, in the halls below the stadium, several food stands were running round-the-clock to satisfy the hungry spectators. Among those stands was one run by two members of Applejack's family: Her grandmother, Granny Smith, and her older brother, Big McIntosh. As one would expect from the Apple Family, their wares consisted of apple-related food items; slices of apple pie, apple fritters, applesauce, apple juice, candy apples...just about anything apple you could think of was there.

"Come back again, young'uns!" said Granny as she handed a slice of pie to a pair of customers. After they walked away, the elderly woman said to Big Mac, "It sure was a sweet idea t' open this here food stand durin' the big tournament! Ah daresay this is the best we've ever done sellin' our treats, an' Ah don't just throw that phrase around!" Looking over their wares, she hummed, saying, "Hmmmm...looks like we're gettin' a bit low on the apple crisp... Big Mac, could y'all head back to the truck n' git some of the extra ingredients so we can make some more?"

"Eeeyup!" Big Mac simply replied, heading towards the parking lot. As he left their stand and walked down the tunnels, he suddenly overheard someone talking nearby.

"So you know what to do, right?" asked a female voice.

"Hm?" hummed Big Mac as he heard the voice. Looking around, he saw three figures off in the distance, fay away from where most everybody was. (Who're those girls...?) he asked himself, looking over at them from behind a nearby wall so as not to attract their attention. After taking a closer look, he then recognized them. (Hold on a sec...it's those three girls from the Battle of the Bands...!) he realized.

Indeed, it was none other than Adagio, Aria, and Sonata standing there. It seemed as though they were talking to each other, but what they were talking about wasn't yet clear to Big Mac. "Um...I think I know what I'm supposed to do." stated Sonata, answering the question she was just asked, though she still seemed a bit confused. "...Um, maybe I do... Do I?"

Sighing a little, Adagio then said, "I'll tell you again: All you have to do is make sure you win the first round Duel. After you do that, the rest of the tournament will be no challenge, even for you. Luckily, it seems that most of the good players will be taking each other out, so you're not as likely going to go up against anyone challenging yet."

"And by the time you do," Aria chimed in, "you'll be more than prepared for them. Those dorks'll never know what hit them! Especially not those Rainboom losers."

"Do you really think this will work?" asked Sonata. "What if they stop us, just like last time?"

"I don't think we'll need to worry too much, as long as we stay on-the-level in front of them." Adagio told her. "You just do your job, and let us worry about Shimmer and her little friends." Hearing the crowds cheering, the Dazzlings' leader then said, "Alright, we've spent enough time down here; we'd better get back to the field before anyone notices how long we've been gone." And with that, the three of them left for the nearest doorway back out into the football field.

Big Mac just stood there, not sure what to make of what he had just heard. (What was that all about...?) he asked himself. (And what're those three plannin' to do to mah sister and her friends?) Before he could ask anything else, he then saw another pair of figures where the Dazzlings were. (Huh? Snips an' Snails...? And what're they up to?)

Looking over at his friend, Snips asked him, "Did'ja hear all of that? They're cookin' up somethin', and it ain't good."

"Yeah...it don't sound good t' me either..." Snails replied. "Should we tell Sunset?"

"Nnnnnnnot yet..." the pudgy boy answered. "I think we oughtta spy on 'em a little more and find out exactly what they're up to... Now c'mon! They went back into the football field, so we should probably head back to our seats." Snails nodded and the two of them left the area.

Big Mac still wasn't exactly sure about what had just transpired, but he figured - based on what Snips and Snails were saying, that they were keeping an eye on the Dazzlings for Sunset. It was all he needed to know to suspect that the former singing trio was up to no good. (None of this is soundin' good at all...) he thought. (After Ah get Granny's things, I'm headin' to talk to AJ...) He then continued on his way to the truck to get the items his grandmother wanted, still trying to piece together everything he witnessed...

Meanwhile, back at the Duel, Slid Diamond had just managed to defeat one of Steel Shadows's strongest monsters and even deal a large amount of damage. "Man, that guy with the Dinosaur Deck's pretty good!" said Spike. "After that last move, there's no way he can lose this!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume that, Spike." Sunset informed him. "Sure, Slid might be ahead now, but that doesn't always necessarily mean that his opponent can't make a comeback." After she said that, she then noticed that - back over where the other Duelists were gathered, she spotted Sonata and the other Dazzlings standing there with them. However, she decided not to say anything about it yet.

"I agree." Twilight added. "I'm positive we haven't seen anything yet." Spike wasn't sure what they meant by what they said, but decided to watch on and see for himself.

"Okay, Steel..." said Slid as he played his next card, "I'll wrap up my turn with one card face-down. So go ahead with your move."

"Actually, your turn is not yet done." the metallic-grey male said to him.

"Huh? What's that mean?"

"Before your turn ends," Steel Shadows said to his opponent, "I'll activate my face-down card, Swiftstrike Armor." His Trap Card (the one he drew earlier with Six Samurai United), then revealed itself as it flipped face-up.

"Swiftstrike Armor...?" asked Slid. "What does that do?"

"You will see very soon." said Steel. "But first, I must say: You are quite a skilled Duelist, especially since you told me that this is your first major tournament. To defeat one of my best cards so quickly proves how skilled you are."

"Um... thanks, I guess." the brown-skinned male replied, not really expecting his opponent to compliment him.

Placing his fingers on the top card of his Deck, Steel then told him, "As such...I must now Duel you with the respect and power you deserve." Drawing his next card, he then said, "I now use the effect of the Trap Card, Swiftstrike Armor. If I am able to draw a Six Samurai monster during my Draw Phase, I can show it to you and Special Summon it right away."

"Special Summon it?" asked Slid. "Does that mean that-?"

Nodding, he then revealed the card he drew. "I drew Secret Six Samurai - Doji." he responded. "So I now Special Summon it in Attack Position." He then played the card he drew, calling forth a bearded man wearing a black conical hat with purple lines running around on it. His clothes were also black in color, again covered in those same purple lines. His weapon of choice was a long black-and-purple rifle with golden trims (Secret Six Samurai - Doji: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1200).

"I've never seen a Six Samurai like that one before..." Applejack noted.

"Yeah, he kinda looks more like a ninja than a samurai, really." Pinkie stated.

Looking at the monster that was Summoned to his opponent's field, Slid then asked, "A Secret Six Samurai?"

"Yes..." Steel Shadows replied. "My Secret Six Samurai work in the shadows, protecting their Six Samurai allies in the midst of battle. But although their methods are unusual for samurai, they still have a great deal of honor and will use their skills for the greater good... And now that Doji has been Summoned, my Gateway of the Six gains two more Bushido Counters." (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 6 + 2 = 8)

"Well, if that's what you're gonna do," Slid began, "then I'll show you that you're not the only one who can Special Summon a monster!" Tapping his D-Pad, the basketball player-turned Duelist shouted, "I activate Call of the Haunted! I'll use my Trap Card to bring back Super Conductor Tyranno from my Graveyard!"

Slid's next big monster was a massive, green Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, there were parts of it that were most certainly NOT prehistoric: In particular, it was fitted with what appeared to be futuristic armor plating on its legs, tail, and chest, all of which were shedding powerful bolts of electricity. The beast roared loudly as a show of its incredible power (Super Conductor Tyranno: Level 8 / ATK 3300 / DEF 1400).

"Aiyiyi!!!" screamed Pinkie. "That thing's even bigger than the OTHER dino he Summoned!"

"Maybe...but why did he Summon it now, during his opponent's turn...?" asked Rarity.

Smirking, Slid then said to everyone, "If you're wondering why I played Call of the Haunted now, it's because now I can use the effect of my Super-Ancient Dinobeast. Whenever a Dinosaur monster is brought back to the field from the Graveyard, I get draw another card from my Deck. So I'll just go right ahead and do that."

"I see...so he had a strategy to bring out two high-Level monsters and reinforce his hand as well." stated Sunset. "Pretty clever."

Humming a bit, Steel Shadows then said, "So you Summoned a second monster with high attack power... In that case, I shall respond with an equally-strong move of my own." Taking a card from his hand and playing it, he told his opponent, "I activate Pot of Desires. I banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw two more." After doing that, he then activated another Spell Card, saying, "Now I play a second Six Samurai United from my hand."

"Another one??" asked Slid.

"Indeed." the grey Duelist responded. "Next," he continued, "since I control a Six Samurai on my field, I can Special Summon Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan from my hand in Attack Position. His new monster was a man wearing jet-black armor with some yellow trims and carrying a single katana in his right hand (Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 500). His Summoning then allowed Steel to add more Bushido Counters to his cards on the field (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 8 + 2 = 10) (Six Samurai United: Bushido Counters 0 + 1 = 1).

"So you're gonna just keep on adding more counters to your cards, huh?" asked Slid.

"Yes, but that is not all." Steel told him. "Since Doji was on the field when I Summoned Kizan, I can now send Secret Six Samurai - Hatsume from my Deck to the Graveyard." And he did just that.

"I wonder why that guy did that...?" asked Flash. "It's safe to assume he had a reason for it."

"I agree." said Bright Mind, the green-wearing Duelist standing next to him. "I'm certain that card in his Graveyard must have some use if he purposefully sent it there."

Taking yet another card from his hand, Steel Shadows declared, "Now I Summon...The Six Samurai - Kamon in Attack Position." His third monster this turn was another man wearing samurai armor... only his seemed to be made out of sticks of dynamite. The man gave off a devilish grin; between his teeth was a long, thin stick that was lit on the front end (The Six Samurai - Kamon: Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000) (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 10 + 2 = 12) (Six Samurai United: Bushido Counters 1 + 1 = 2).

"A third monster..." said Gilda, observing the Duel carefully. "He's definitely setting up something big, I know it." She knew full well that when a Duelist Summoned multiple monsters in one turn, it meant that they were more than likely going to bring out an even stronger creature with them.

"Now that there are two other Six Samurais on my field," Steel told his opponent, "my Kizan gains another 300 attack and defense points." (Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan: ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100 / DEF 500 + 300 = 800).

"I'm not totally sure what you're up to," Slid said to him, "but if you're plannin' to do something to my monsters this turn, I'll at least prevent that!" Taking a card from his hand, he shouted, "I send Miscellaneousaurus from my hand to the Graveyard to activate its effect!" After he disposed of the card in question, a ghostly skeleton of a dinosaur (which appeared to be made up of bones from multiple different dinosaurs) appeared on his side of the field and conjured up a ring of blue fireballs around each of Slid's monsters. "Now my monsters are safe from any of your card effects this turn!" the brown-skinned Duelist told him.

"Then I'll eliminate your monsters with other methods." Steel told him. "I now activate the effect of Kamon! Since I control a Six Samurai with a different name on my field, Kamon is permitted to destroy any Spell or Trap Card that is face-up on the field."

"What?!" exclaimed Slid.

"Your monsters my be protected from my card effects," the grey-skinned male said, "but your Spells and Traps are not under the same protection." Pointing forward, he then announced, "I'll have Kamon destroy Call of the Haunted!" His monster then pulled out a dynamite stick from inside of his armor, lit it with the twig in his mouth and threw the explosive at Slid's Trap Card. The dynamite detonated upon impact, destroying the Trap Card.

"Now that Call of the Haunted is no longer on the field," Sunset stated, "the monster it Summoned goes to the Graveyard with it!" And just as she said, Super Conductor Tyranno was immediately destroyed, leaving Slid with just two monsters to Steel's three.

"Aw no! My Tyranno's gone!" said Slid, cringing a little at the sight of his monster going extinct. Looking back over to his opponent, he thought, (I get it...since he couldn't destroy my monster with his own card effects, he wiped out Call of the Haunted instead... That's probably what he meant by using "other methods"...)

Continuing with his turn, Steel Shadows then said, "Now I send my Six Samurai United to the Graveyard. Since it had two Bushido Counters, I draw two cards!" Once he took care of that, he then declared, "Now I overlay my Level 4 Doji and Kizan and create an Overlay Network!" His two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one purple and one orange, that flew into a red vortex in the middle of the field.

"Now he's Xyz Summoning?!" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It sure looks like it!" Applejack answered her. "But what's he gonna bring out this time?"

"No doubt something as powerful as that Synchro Monster he started with..." Rarity figured. Pinkie said nothing, but watched as she stuffed her face full of popcorn from an extra-large bucket in front of her, wondering what was going to happen next (and spilling some of that popcorn on the ground in the process).

"Great warrior hidden from the naked eye," Steel Shadows said, reciting the Summoning Chant, "appear now before me and guard your allies from under the cover of shadows! Xyz Summon! The Shadow of the Six Samurai, Rank 4... Shien!" His next monster from the Extra Deck was another man in red armor, but his appearance was much different from the Synchro Monster he had previously Summoned. This warrior did not wear a helmet, giving everyone a look at firey-red hair. Over his armor, he wore a purple cloak, along with a mask over the lower half of his face. His weapon was a blade that was almost as long as he was tall. Orbiting him were two orange light spheres.

*******************************

Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/EARTH/Rank 4/ATK 2500/DEF 400)

2 Level 4 "Six Samurai" monsters
Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 "Six Samurai" monster you control with less than 2000 ATK; its original ATK becomes 2000 until the end of this turn.

*******************************

"Woah..." said Flash as he gazed at the powerful monster that had just been Summoned. "A Six Samurai Xyz Monster... So that's what he was going for."

Once Shien entered the field, Steel then told his opponent, "With my Xyz Monster on the field, I place yet another two counters on my Gateway of the Six." (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 12 + 2 = 14). Taking a card out from under Shien's card, he then added, "Not only that, I remove one of Shien's overlay units to activate his effect." Everyone watched as one of the two orange orbs flew into the Xyz Monster's sword, causing the weapon to glow brightly (Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).

"And what does he do?" asked Slid.

"Now Shien can target any of my Six Samurai with less than 2,000 attack points and strengthen that warrior." the metallic-grey man answered. "Now my Kamon's attack power rises up to 2,000!" (The Six Samurai - Kamon: ATK 1500 > 2000)

"That's great and all," the cap-wearing Duelist said to him, "but even so, neither of your monsters can defeat my Dinobeast on the field; he's way too powerful."

"Indeed, your Dinosuars have quite a lot of strength." Steel Shadows commented. He then took a card from his hand and added, "However, great power can also be a great burden as well..."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

Steel answered his opponent's question by playing the card he was holding. "I activate a Continuous Spell: Burden of the Mighty." After playing that card, a red aura surrounded both of Slid's monsters, causing them both to tremble and sweat, as if a heavy weight was put on them both.

"What just happened?" asked Spike. "Those dinos look like they're having trouble just trying to stay standing..."

"That's because Burden of the Mighty weakens the opponent's monsters' attack points." Sunset told him. "They lose 100 points times their current Levels. That's not a good thing for that Diamond guy, considering most of the best Dinosaur cards are high-Level monsters."

From the sidelines, Sol Burner, one of the other out-of-town competitors, found the move particularly interesting. (Not bad...) he thought. (That Steel guy turned the Dinosaurs' high Levels into an advantage for himself... Using the enemy's power against them; that is one of the many values of martial arts.)

Slid was starting to worry as he saw his monsters lose some of their power (Souleating Oviraptor: ATK 1800 - 400 = 1400) (Super-Ancient Dinobeast: ATK 2700 - 800 = 1900). Now they were vulnerable to an attack by his opponent's monsters. "This could be trouble..." he noted.

"...I suppose that's one way to put it." Steel replied. Putting his right arm out, he then said, "I enter my Battle Phase, and have Shien attack your Dinobeast!" The Xyz Monster then ran towards the massive Dinosaur, his sword ready to go. Moments after he was close enough, Shien leapt high into the air and seemed to vanish. Super-Ancient Dinobeast looked up, but could only see the Sun... Just then, in but a mere split-second, Shien came back down (seemingly from out of the Sun) and slashed the massive creature with his weapon, wiping it out (Slid Diamond: LP 4,000 - 600 = 3,400).

"Incredible!" exclaimed Bright Mind in surprise. "He completely exterminated it! And moreso, his Battle Phase isn't even over yet!"

Indeed, it wasn't: Steel then gave out his next order, saying, "Now I follow up with an attack by Kamon! Destroy his Oviraptor!" Snickering, his samurai that was decked out in munitions lit up a pair of explosives and threw them both at Slid's other monster, blowing it up and sending it straight to the Graveyard. The blast also caused some splash damage on Slid as well (Slid Diamond: ATK 3,400 - 600 = 2,800).

"Aw, no...!" the brown-skinned Duelist gasped. "He took down two of my best monsters just like that!"

"Woah...I guess you were right, Sunset..." Spike told her. "Y'know, about how that other guy could still make a comeback and all."

"Do you think that Slid person could do that as well?" Twilight asked her inter-dimensional friend. "Even though his opponent has such a major advantage right now?"

"There's still a pretty good chance of it." the red-and-yellow girl answered. "It all depends on if Slid has the courage to fight on, even though the odds are against him." Smiling a little, she added, "You know it as well as I do: Sometimes, when a Duelist is backed so far into a corner, it only makes them even more determined to strike back and win." Twilight and Spike looked at each other, and then returned their attention to the Duel, curious to see if what Sunset said was true or not...

Taking a card from his hand, Steel said to his opponent, "I will set one card face-down... Then, the effect of Shien expires, returning Kamon to his original attack power." (The Six Samurai - Kamon: ATK 2000 > 1500) After wrapping up his turn, he then told him, "With all of your monsters destroyed, your odds of a come-from-behind win are low at best... Do you surrender, or do you still believe that you'll come back?"

"Heh... I think you know the answer to that." Slid answered him, a smirk on his face. "After getting this far already, there's no way I'm gonna pack up and run! Sure, I might not be in the best of situations right now, but as long as I've got a chance to make a comeback, I'm gonna take it! So I'm still in this Duel!"

Steel then smiled a little himself and said, "I knew that you would say that... You are far too worthy an opponent to even think about giving up."

"You...you think I'm a worthy opponent?"

Nodding, the grey-skinned Duelist told him, "I do. I have traveled around for quite some time, perfecting my skills as a Duelist by competing against only the best and strongest... And I must admit: You have proven to be among the best that I have battled against."

"Um...thanks!" Slid replied. "That means a lot; really."

Nodding again, Steel then asked his opponent, "Shall we continue, then?"

"You've got it!" Slid answered. "I may be backed into a corner for now, but I don't plan to stay there!" He then placed his fingers on the top card of his Deck, preparing to draw it. "If I'm gonna make my mark as Pro one day, I've gotta keep on fighting! My dinos aren't going extinct yet, and neither am I!" He then drew his next card, ready to make good on that claim...

Meanwhile, in a whole different reality altogether, Discord was making his way towards Sunset Shimmer's mind, hoping to help solve the mystery surrounding the Number cards and the Astral World, as per orders from Princess Celestia. "Hmmm..." the draconequus hummed to himself as he looked at what appeared to be a map of some sort, but all it showed was a large picture of a brain. Discord traced a claw around the brain's wrinkles, as if he was working on a maze in a child's activity book.

"Now let's see here..." he said to himself. "I got past the brain stem...hung a left at the temporal lobe, and then straight through the Wernicke area to the parietal lobe..." Humming again, he then said to himself. "After that, I got to the frontal lobe and chatted with someone in the speech center; some woman with blonde hair who had quite the heavenly voice... I wonder if she's considered singing for a band or two, or at least try voice-acting..." Looking up from his map, he smiled and said, "Ah! Here we are: Sunset's Soul Room...or rather, Soul ROOMS."

Indeed, right there in front of the draconequus were a pair of doors: a mahogany door with Sunset's cutie mark painted on the front of it, and a metallic door covered in chains with an image of the Emporer's Key on it.

"Yep, here it is, just as I remember it." Discord said to himself. However, there was one thing that looked peculiar to him; he looked closely at the metal door and said, "Although...when I was here last, only one of those nine chains had been unlocked... But now it appears that one more of them has been removed... Eh, probably not important." Shrugging off the seemingly unimportant detail that he had noticed, the draconequus opened the other door to take a peek inside.

When he came in, he noticed that - while most of the room was how he remembered it (including the tiny, snarling form of Sunset's she-demon form in a cage, which he did his best to ignore), Discord did notice a few things had changed. "Yeeesh, this place is even more cluttered and messy than when I first popped in here..." he told himself. The mess told him that something must have happened recently to create such a thing. "I'm no psychiatrist...PSYCHOTIC, maybe - according to some ponies, but in any case... it seems Sunnie's gotten a few things on her mind recently and is trying to sort it all out. However, the fact that there's still a major mess here means that she hasn't had the time to take care of it yet, for whatever reason."

Just then, Discord noticed something else in the room that was new: A small television set with a built-in VHS player. In front of the TV was an unlabeled video tape. "Now what's this thing...?" the draconequus asked himself, walking over towards the desk. Picking up the tape and looking at it, he said to himself, "Now this looks important..." Knowing what to do, he inserted the tape into the VHS player to see what was on it...after getting himself a soda and a bucket of popcorn to munch on while he did so. He then sat down on a chair and kicked up his feet on the desk as the video began to play.

The video tape started up, showing an image of a temple in the mountains, as well as several people in white robes. He didn't know it yet, but the video that Discord was watching was none other than the dream that Sunset (and Twilight) had a few nights ago. The draconequus wasn't sure what to make of the video, but he could tell that - based on the context, he was seeing the world through the eyes of someone else. He came to this conclusion based on the fact that the other people in the video were looking directly at the "camera" and speaking to them directly.

Discord's hypothesis was confirmed when the person in question walked over to a large fountain and sat down on the edge of it. The person then looked into the water at their own reflection, revealing themselves as a girl who looked VERY familiar to Discord.

Eyes widened, the draconequus spit out the soda in his mouth in shock, saying, "Th-th-that person!! She looks just like Sunset!! The hair's styled a little different, of course...but that is her!" Standing up out of the desk chair, Discord looked closely at the screen and asked himself, "Hmmm...this is quite strange... I don't recall Sunnie ever having anything quite like that in her wardrobe... She doesn't seem like the type that's into toga parties..."

Before he could ponder about it any more, another voice was heard on the video. "S...Sun'Et?" asked the voice, sounding feminine.

The "camera" then showed the girl's reflection in the water gasp a little before the scene quickly moved over to the right, where another very familiar-looking girl could be seen. "Spakah? What are you doing here...?" asked another voice. Since the only person that was on-screen wasn't moving her mouth, it was assumed that it was the other person speaking - the one who had been staring into the fountain earlier and from whose perspective the video was showing.

"Unbelievable...!" said Discord, amazed. "A Twilight look-a-like as well as one of Sunset! But they didn't call each other by those names..." The draconequus continued to watch the video, listening to the conversation between Sun'Et and Spakah. Eventually, they got to the point of the conversation where they discussed the nature of souls in the Astral World; particularly the bit about how those souls could be reborn in the living world.

"Hmmmm...I think I'm starting to understand it all now..." Discord said to himself. "But to be sure, I had better take a look around Twily's mind as well." The draconequus then stopped the video, rewound it, and then ejected it out of the TV. Placing it back on the desk the way he found it, the wily spirit of Chaos was ready to take another journey, this time into the mind of Twilight Sparkle, where he would hope to find out more concerning this new development...

Back in the "real" world, Slid Diamond was just about to begin his turn. Although his field was empty and he was staring down two of Steel Shadows' powerful Six Samurai monsters, he wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Looking at the card he got, he said to himself, (Alright...if I'm going to have any chance at beating him, I have to try and make this work... Here goes everything...!) Placing the card he had just drawn into his hand, he took out a different card and shouted, "I activate the Spell Card, Double Evolution Pill! By banishing a Dinosaur monster and a non-Dinosaur monster from my Graveyard, I can Summon a Level 7 or higher Dinosaur monster from my Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!" The audience, the other competitors, and even Steel himself gasped in surprise.

"Ignoring the Summoning conditions?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, what does that mean exactly?" Spike inquired.

"I'll explain:" Sunset began. "First off, you need to know that there are some monsters out there that are bit more strict as to how you get them to the field. Some say that you have to Special Summon them in a specific manner, or they may say that they cannot be Special Summoned, or stuff like that. However, there are some cards out there that let you bypass those restrictions and Summon them anyway. It's a bit risky in the sense that they can't come back if they're destroyed, since they weren't properly Summoned, but it's often worth the risk."

"Yeesh...just when I think I've got this crazy game figured out, something else pops up!" Spike noted. "How can anyone remember all of that stuff like that?" Twilight chuckled a bit and gave her assistant-turned-puppy a comforting pet on the head to help calm him down a little.

Back at the Duel, Slid took out two monsters from his D-Pad's Graveyard slot and revealed them to his opponent. "I banish both Super-Ancient Dinobeast and Kagetokage from my Graveyard...to Summon my most powerful Dinosaur!" Taking out his chosen card and placing it onto the card tray, he shouted, "Come out! Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!!"

After the card was played, everyone watched as the skies above them began to darken. Then, several dark-purple lightning bolts rained down from the dark clouds above, causing even Steel Shadows to back off a bit (even though the bolts weren't real). Then, from behind the stadium, an incredibly large lightning bolt struck the ground. But instead of burning itself out, the bolt morphed itself into a sphere...and then into the shape of a massive dinosaur. The light then faded, revealing a black and red Tyrannosaurus Rex with several purple orbs dotted upon its body. Large sparks shed off of it every second as it belted out a very loud roar. The creature was so big, it didn't seem like it could fit in the arena, so it opted to stay outside of it.

*******************************

Ultimate Conductor Tyranno
(Effect Monster/Dinosaur/LIGHT/Level 10/ATK 3500/DEF 3200)

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 2 Dinosaur monsters from your GY. Once per turn, during either player's Main Phase (Quick Effect): You can destroy 1 monster in your hand or field, and if you do, change all face-up monsters your opponent controls to face-down Defense Position. This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls, once each. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card attacks a Defense Position monster: You can inflict 1000 damage to your opponent, and if you do, send that Defense Position monster to the GY.

*******************************

Everyone watching stared in awe (and some fear) at the gigantic Dinosaur monster that Slid had just Summoned to the field. "L-l-l-lookit the size of that thing!!" said Applejack.

"I-it's bigger than...than the whole school!!" added Rarity, trying her best not to faint (since she couldn't bring her fainting couch with her into the stadium).

"I really, REALLY hope this doesn't turn out like the Jurassic Park movies...!" Pinkie chimed in. "'Cause that thing looks like it could eat us all up like we're bits of cereal!"

"Why cereal?" asked Dash.

"Y'know, 'cause this place looks like a bowl and everything? Get it?" the pink girl explained.

Looking up at the massive Dinosaur, Steel Shadows...steeled himself and said, "So...this is his ace monster... Quite impressive." He then said to his opponent, "Do not forget...my Burden of the Mighty reduces your monster's attack power by 100 times its own Level." (Ultimate Conductor Tyranno: ATK 3500 - 1000 = 2500)

Looking up at his most powerful monster, Slid thought to himself, (Okay...I managed to get Ultimate Conductor Tyranno onto the field now... If I can get his effect to work, I can switch both his monsters to Defense Mode.) Looking at the other card in his hand (the one he had just drawn), he then added, (After that, I can use Monster Reborn and bring back Super Conductor Tyranno... That way, after I use Ultimate Condutor's effect to attack all of his monsters, even if he blocks the damage somehow, I can still use Super Conductor to finish him off, and I'll win!) He then glanced over at Steel's side of the field and saw his face-down card. (The only thing that could save him is that card he set last turn... Still, I gotta try and make this happen!)

"For my next move," Slid said to his opponent, "I'll use the effect of the Miscellaneousaurus I sent to my Graveyard last turn! By banishing it, along with any number of other Dinosaurs from my Graveyard, I can Summon a new Dinosaur from my Deck whose Level is equal to the number of monsters I banish!" Taking out another two cards out of his D-Pad, he then told him, "So in addition to banishing Miscellaneousaurus, I'll ALSO banish Souleating Oviraptor for the cost of the effect!"

"That means Slid can now Summon a Level 2 Dinosaur from his Deck..." Sunset pointed out. She then thought, (If I know how Dinosaur Decks work, I think I know what he'll Summon...)

After selecting the monster he wanted to Summon, Slid's Deck auto-shuffled his cards and left his chosen card sticking out. The cap-wearing Duelist then shouted, "I Special Summon Petiteranodon in Defense Mode!" His newest monster was a yellow and beige baby pterodactyl with big, green eyes and a small eggshell stuck to its horn-like appendage. It gave off a cute-sounding cry after it appeared on the field (Petiteranodon: Level 2 / ATK 500 - 200 = 300 / DEF 500).

"AWWWWW!!! He's so CUTE!!!" squealed Gabby.

"I know...!" said Fluttershy, her eyes lighting up as well. "It's definitely a lot less scary compared to that other monster he Summoned..."

Slid Diamond then told his opponent, "As you may already know, any monster Summoned through Miscellaneousaurus destroys itself at the end of the turn."

"I know." Steel replied. "And I also know that you don't plan to have it out for that long, am I correct?"

"Right on the money." Slid confirmed. "'Cause I'm gonna activate Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's effect! During the Main Phase, I can destroy any monster I've got in my hand or on my field, and after that, I get to flip all of YOUR monsters face-down and switch them to Defense Mode!"

"I see." Steel simply replied.

"But there's more:" the brown-skinned Duelist continued. "Ultimate Conductor Tyranno can attack every monster you've got on the field, and if he attacks a Defense monster, I can send his victim to the Graveyard and hit you for a thousand points of damage!"

Gasping, Twilight then said, "That's incredible! If he does that, he can eliminate both of his opponent's monsters, and wipe out all of his Life Points!"

"There's more to it than just that, Twilight." Sunset told her. "Part of Ultimate Conductor Tyranno's effect states that he has to destroy one of his monsters. And if he destroys his Petiteranodon, he can replace it with a new monster from his Deck, using its effect!"

"Either way, it looks like that Slid guy's gonna win this one!" said Spike.

(Hmmm...can it really be that easy?) Sunset wondered to herself. Looking at Steel's face-down card, she then thought, (Something tells me that guy has a counter for that effect ready to go...)

"Now, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno! Activate your effect!" Slid announced. His monster then began charging up an enormous amount of energy, ready to unleash it upon the entire arena. "I'll destroy my Petiteranodon and switch both of your Samurais to Defense Mode!" The massive Dinosaur then fired its lightning straight towards Steel Shadows and his monsters.

"...I must say, that was an impressive move, Slid Diamond." said Steel. "You managed to come back from my earlier attack even stronger than ever. You truly are a worthy opponent..." Then, displaying a look of determination, he then added, "However, this Duel is not over yet!"

"Huh?!" Slid wasn't sure what his opponent was talking about. Then, he remembered the face-down card that Steel had out, wondering if he was going to use it now.

"I activate my Trap Card..." the grey Duelist said, flipping over his Set card. "The Counter Trap, Musakani Magatama!!"

"Musa-whatey...whata-what?" asked Rainbow Dash, unsure about the card that was just played (or how it was pronounced).

Slid, also unsure about the card, asked his opponent, "What does that card do...?"

"Musakani Magatama activates in response to any effect that would destroy a card on the field, while I have a Six Samurai present." Steel Shadows explained. "Since part of your Ultimate Conductor's effect includes destroying one of your own monsters, I can now negate the action and destroy your Ultimate Conductor!"

"WHAT?! Aw, NO!!!" But there was nothing Slid could do as the Trap Card shot out a brilliant bolt of light that deflected Ultimate Conductor's lightning, sending it right back at him. The beast roared as its own attack destroyed him.

"Whoa...!! Did ya see that, Tavi?!" asked Vinyl, completely in shock. "That grey guy wiped out that huge Dinosaur like it was nothing!"

"I did see it, Vinyl..." Octavia replied, also surprised by what had happened. "That countermove was timed perfectly!"

Slid was still in a bit of disbelief after seeing his best card so easily destroyed. "Aw man...I was planning to win with that..." Still despite the setback, the cap-wearing Duelist wasn't about to surrender. "I'm not through yet! I activate the Spell Card Monster Reborn! It brings back one of my monsters from the Graveyard!"

"I see." Steel responded. "But don't forget: Because you Summoned your Ultimate Conductor Tyranno using Double Evolution Pill, you cannot bring it back."

"I know that." Slid told him. "But I CAN bring back this guy! Super Conductor Tyranno!!" In an instant, his other lightning-themed Dinosaur reappeared on the field, ready to fight...even though Steel's Spell Card weakened it a little (Super Conductor Tyranno: ATK 3300 - 800 = 2500).

"Not bad... You had a backup plan, just in case." Steel noted. "You chose not to banish it from your Graveyard with Miscellaneousaurus... That way, you could Summon it if you felt it necessary."

"That's pretty much it." Slid told him. "I might not be able to beat you this turn, but I can still shave off some of your Life Points and destroy one of your monsters, too!" Pointing forward, he then shouted, "Super Conductor Tyranno! Attack Kamon!! Lightning Fang Attack!!" The mighty Dinosaur roared as it charged in to attack.

"The Quick Effect of Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien now activates." Steel then said. "I remove his last Overlay Unit to increase Kamon's strength!" (The Six Samurai - Kamon: ATK 1500 > 2000)

"That still won't be enough!" shouted Slid as he continued his attack anyway. Super Condutor Tyranno then dove face-first into Kamon and letting off a massive burst of electricity that exploded, wiping out the Samurai and some of Steel's Life Points (Steel Shadows: LP 2,000 - 500 = 1,500). "Unfortunately, that's all I can do for this turn." he then told his opponent. "But since my turn is over, Petiteranodon - which I Summoned with Miscellaneousaurus, destroys itself." After the monster shattered apart, Slid then added, "But because that happened, I can use Petiteranodon's effect and Summon a Level 4 or higher Dinosaur from my Deck. So I'll play my Stegocyber in Defense Mode to protect me." Slid's next monster was yet another big dino; a stegosaurus that appeared to be covered head to toe in a metallic-like armor (Stegocyber: Level 6 / ATK 1200 - 600 = 600 / DEF 2400).

"Looks like Slid's doing his best to try and defend himself, now that Steel managed to buy himself another turn to fight back." said Sunset.

"Seems like it." agreed Twilight. It was clear that this Duel was nearing the end, but who would come out on top was still a mystery.

"My turn. I draw." said Steel as he drew his next card. Looking at it, he then said, "Since the card I drew was my Legendary Six Samurai - Enishi, my Swiftstrike Armor Trap Card Summons him to the field." He then played the card he drew right away, bringing out yet another powerful warrior. This one was dressed in green-colored armor, and his sword was almost as long as his body (Legendary Six Samurai - Enishi: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 700). His Summoning also meant that Gateway of the Six gained more counters (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 14 + 2 = 16).

"So...what's that guy do?" asked Slid.

"You will see right away," Steel answered him, "because I'm using his effect. Since I have another, differently-named Six Samurai on the field with Enishi, I can banish any two of the Six Samurais in my Graveyard." After he disposed of both Kagemusha of the Six Samurai and The Six Samurai - Kamon, he then told his opponent, "In exchange for that, I can now send any one of your monsters on the field back to your hand; I select Stegocyber."

Slid gasped as the monster he Summoned earlier was bounced back into his hand. But then he also realized something: "Hold on..." he began to say, "why didn't you do that to my Super Conducter Tyranno? After all, his attack points are higher..."

"You'll see." the grey man told him. "But first, I must make a few more preparations."

"Preparations?" asked Slid.

Nodding, Steel Shadows then pointed to his Gateway of the Six and said, "Throughout this Duel, I have been building up my power, preparing for the right moment... And now that time has come." Tapping his D-Pad's screen, he announced, "I now activate the effect of Gateway of the Six!"

"Gateway of the Six?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Dont'cha remember, Dash?" asked Applejack. "That was the first card that guy played when the Duel started."

"Oh yeah...that's right, I forgot about that." the cyan teen admitted.

"Since the moment he played that card," Rarity began to say, "it gained two counters every time Steel Summoned one of his Six Samurai monsters... If my math is correct, he had Summoned Six Samurais a total of eight times. Meaning that it now has sixteen counters."

"But...what's he gonna do with all of them?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Just watch...and you'll see why this card was Forbidden at one time." the purple-haired teen told her. The group turned their attention back to the Duel, waiting to see what would happen next.

Steel Shadows then declared, "I now use the second effect of my Gateway of the Six: By removing 4 Bushido Counters from it, I can retrieve any Six Samurai monster from my Deck or Graveyard and put it into my hand." After he paid the cost (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 16 - 4 = 12), he then added, "I use the effect to move The Six Samurai - Nisashi from my Deck to my hand." After doing that, he then added, "And for my next move, I'll Normal Summon him to the field right away!"

Clad in glowing, green armor, Steel's newest monster appeared on the field with an intimidating look in his eyes. He then showed off his weapons: A pair of laser swords that glowed in the same color as his armor (The Six Samurai - Nisashi: Level 4 / ATK 1400 / DEF 700) (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 12 + 2 = 14).

(Now what's this guy up to...?) wondered Slid, watching his opponent carefully.

"...Now that I have three monsters on my field," Steel Shadows began to tell his opponent, "I'm ready to call forth yet another of my most powerful warriors. I now initiate...a Contact Fusion!" This comment made Slid and the audience gasp in surprise.

"Contact Fusion...?" asked Twilight. "What's that?"

"It's a special type of Summoning method used by certain Fusion Monsters." Sunset explained. "Remember when we watched that Turbo Duel back at the Duel Museum? That Chet guy used that method for bringing out his XYZ-Dragon Cannon."

"That's right...I DO remember that!" said the young Princess. "He managed to combine his monsters together, without using some other card effect to do it!"

"Exactly." the red-and-yellow teen responded. "Ordinarily - in order to Summon a Fusion Monster, you have to use a card like Polymerization or something in order to initiate the Fusion Summon. Afterwards, you dispose of the Fusion Materials and Summon the monster from the Extra Deck. But with Contact Fusion, you don't need to use a card effect; you just combine the materials and Special Summon the Fusion Monster right away."

Back at the Duel, Steel then began his next move, saying, "I now Contact Fuse my Nisashi, Shien, and Enishi!" At that moment, a red-and-blue colored portal appeared above the arena, which the three warriors jumped up into. Each one transformed into a streak of light - one green, one orange, and one yellow. Those streaks then shot into the portal, causing the swirling clouds to glow brightly. "The Samurai who strikes twice, the Samurai who sleeps in shadows, and the Samurai who repels the enemy..." the grey-skinned Duelist chanted, "Unite together and create the great warrior that strikes silently and viciously! Contact Fusion! The Secret Six Samurai, Level 5... Rihan!"

After the summoning chant was complete, a column of green light struck the field in front of Steel Shadows. Slid shielded his eyes from the explosion of light, looking back only after it began to fade away. When he did, he saw that - standing there in front of Steel, was a powerful warrior wearing an outfit that seemed to combine the armor of a samurai with the loose-fitting garb of a ninja. The armor pieces glowed with an intense green light, as did the knuckle-mounted energy blades that he was armed with (Secret Six Samurai - Rihan: Level 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2400).

"I-I-I don't believe it...!!" said a shocked Slid Diamond. "A Six Samurai Fusion Monster!!"

"Indeed it is." Steel told him. "Secret Six Samurai - Rihan is the newest addition to my Deck... He can be Special Summoned via Contact Fusion, using any three Six Samurai that have different Attributes. In this case, I combined a WIND monster, an EARTH monster, and a LIGHT monster to Summon him."

"You said he was your newest card, right?" asked Slid. "I guess that explains why I've never seen you use it before... So...what exactly does he do?"

"I'll explain that, but first..." Steel began to say, "since I Summoned another Six Samurai, my Gateway of the Six gets two more counters (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 14 + 2 = 16). And on that note, I will activate its effect again: I remove four of its counters (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 16 - 4 = 12) and add Secret Six Samurai - Hatsume to hand from my Graveyard." after taking his card, he then told his opponent, "And now for the effect of Rihan: By banishing Hatsume from my hand, I can now banish your Super Conductor Tyranno from the field!"

"What?! Oh no!!" exclaimed Slid.

"I'm afraid so." the grey-skinned Duelist told him. "This was the reason I did not use Enishi's effect on Super Conductor earlier, just in case you had some method of replaying it from your hand. It was also the reason that I sent Hatsume to the Graveyard during my last turn." Tapping his D-Pad's screen, he then said, "Lastly, I will use the effect of my Gateway of the Six once more. This time, I will remove six of its counters (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 12 - 6 = 6). By doing so, I can revive any Shien Effect Monster from my Graveyard back to the field."

"A Shien monster?" asked Slid. "Does that mean...?"

Nodding and taking out a card from his Graveyard, Steel told him, "I revive my Shadow of the Six Samurai - Shien back from the Graveyard!" His Xyz Monster then re-emerged back to the field from a dark-purple vortex, already brandishing his sword (Gateway of the Six: Bushido Counters 6 + 2 = 8).

"No way...!" said Rainbow Dash. "So that's what he was really up to!"

"He planned it all out from the beginning..." Rarity remarked. "He played Gateway of the Six and had it build up those counters so that he could use them to fuel a finishing move right at the end."

Ember, watching from the sidelines thought to herself, (That guy's gonna be a tough nut to crack...) Based on the way things looked, she was certain that - next round, she'd be dueling him. She then smirked and added, (This just got a bit more interesting...)

"Now for my Battle Phase!" shouted Steel Shadows. "I attack directly with both Rihan and Shien!" Slid watched as the two warriors jumped forward, readying their respective weapons. "Rrrrrgh!!" he grunted as each monster struck him directly with their full power, starting with Rihan (Slid Diamond: LP 2,800 - 2,400 = 400) and then ending with Shien (Slid Diamond: LP 400 - 2,500 = 0). And with that, the Duel had concluded (WINNER: Steel Shadows).

"This Duel is over!" shouted Sunset. "Steel Shadows wins and moves on to the Quarterfinals!"

"WOW!! What an amazing finish to an AMAZING Duel!!" said Megan with a great amount of spirit in her voice. "Steel Shadows and his Six Samurai Deck will move on to the next round, where he will face off against our previous victor, Ember!"

Walking over to his opponent to check up on him, Steel asked him, "Are you okay?"

"...Yeah, I'm fine. A bit disappointed, but I'll live." Slid responded. He then smiled and offered a handshake, saying, "Thanks for such a great game, Steel... Though it looks like I might have more work to do if I'm gonna do better at the next big tournament."

"Perhaps..." the grey-skinned Duelist said to him, "but I believe it may not take you long to achieve that goal... You certainly put up a strong fight here today. I look forward to a rematch with you in the future."

"Uh, yeah...same here." Slid replied. "Just don't expect me to lose the next time, 'cause I'm planning to get much stronger!" Steel simply smiled, chuckling warmly a little as he accepted the handshake that was offered to him. After that, the two parted ways, with Steel returning to where the other competing Duelists were standing, and Slid heading off for the tunnels under the stadium, presumably to get a snack or something.

"Well, that certainly was entertain'." stated Applejack.

"Yeah, sure was!" Pinkie Pie chimed in, after having swallowed a large amount of popcorn. Looking into her bucket, she then added, "Oop! I was so focused on the game, I didn't even notice that I went through so much popcorn! I'm gonna go get some more!" She then ran off to do just that.

Just then, Rainbow Dash noticed someone walking up the set of stairs as Pinkie was walking down on. Recognizing them, she then asked, "Hey AJ... Isn't that your brother walking up towards us?"

Looking over in the same direction that Rainbow was, Applejack and Rarity saw Big McIntosh walking up the steps to where they were. "That is him...!" said Applejack.

"But I thought that he was busy helping your grandmother with her food stand downstairs..." Rarity pointed out.

After Big Mac made his way to the girls, his sister then asked him, "What's up, Big Mac? What're ya doin' here? Is somethin' the matter?" Big Mac then leaned over to his sister and seemed to whisper something to her. Gasping, AJ then asked him, "You're kiddin' me!"

Shaking his head, her brother simply replied, "Nnnnope."

"What's goin' on?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What'd he say to you?"

"He just told me that he saw those Dazzling chicks talkin' with each other down in the tunnels." Applejack explained. "He didn't hear the whole conversation, but from what he did get outta it, he figures they've got somethin' planned... But he didn't know what exactly."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Rarity.

Thinking for a short while, Applejack then told her brother, "Go 'n tell Sunset n' Twi about what ya found out. They'll know what t' do."

"Eeeyup!" replied Big Mac before leaving.

"It appears as though Sunset might be right about what she thought concerning the Dazzlings..." Rarity stated. "I just pray that whatever this 'plan' of theirs is, it won't negatively affect the tournament."

"Relax, Rarity!" Dash told her. "Sunset'll handle those jerks, no problem! And if she can't, then I can!"

"Well, let's not be quick to start anythin' just yet..." AJ told them both. "We still can't be sure if they really are up t' no good. For now, let's just wait n' see what they do first..." The other two agreed as they continued to watch the tournament, hoping that things would turn out well; one way or another...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???

RANK 43: Switching Destiny:

Author's Note

First episode of the New Year. I'd say more, but right now I'm still on a bit of a happy kick after seeing the recent banlist. For now, enjoy the episode.

RANK 43: Switching Destiny:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

In the second Duel of the WCQ Qualification Tournament's first round, two Duelists not native to Canterlot were paired up: One was Steel Shadows, a nomadic Duelist who traveled all over the country and was an experienced tournament player. The other was Slid Diamond, a young adult-age basketball player who was also skilled at Duel Monsters, having done well in small OTS Tournaments in the past. The two of them clashed, with Steel using a Six Samurai Deck and Slid fighting with Dinosaurs. In the end, the Duel concluded in Steel's victory, but both sides were satisfied with how things went and parted on good terms.

Meanwhile, Big McIntosh - Applejack's older brother, overheard a strange conversation between Adagio, Aria, and Sonata (collectively known as the Dazzlings). The three of them seemed to be discussing some sort of plan that they had involving the tournament. Suspicious, Big Mac informed his sister about what he had heard them say. Elsewhere, the chaotic draconequus Discord had once more entered the mind of Sunset Shimmer in order to check up on both her and Twilight...and also to find out more information regarding the Astral World. After looking around for a while, he watched a videotape that showed none other than the bizarre dream that Sunset and Twilight had several nights ago.

Now Discord plans to look around Twilight's mind and see if he can find anything else about the Astral World. As for the tournament, the third round is about to begin...

"Ladies and gentlemen," announced Megan Williams, the MC for the WCQ Qualifier Tournament, "There will be a five-minute intermission before the next round. Use that time to take care of any business so that you don't miss another second of the amazing dueling action that is sure to take place!"

As Megan was making that announcement, Big Mac was speaking with Sunset Shimmer - the tournament Judge, and Twilight Sparkle - her assistant. Earlier, during the second round, the elder brother of Applejack had overheard a bizarre conversation amongst the Dazzlings - Adagio, Aria, and Sonata, the latter of which had joined the tournament. Since they had shown up during the Preliminary Rounds, Sunset and her friends were suspicious of their motives and keeping a close eye on them.

"So that's what you heard?" asked Sunset after Big Mac had finished explaining everything. "And do you know what exactly they were talking about? Like what this 'plan' of theirs was?"

Shaking his head, Big Mac told her, "Nnnnope."

"I see... Well, thanks for letting me know." stated the red-and-yellow girl. After he left, Sunset sighed to herself and said, "This isn't sounding good at all..."

"Maybe it's not as bad as it sounds..." Twilight told her. "For all we know, this could be a misunderstanding. Though I'll admit, it's a bit of wishful thinking on my part. I know full well that there are some people that don't change so easily."

"Believe me," Sunset told her friend, "I WANT to think that they've learned their lesson... But I agree, not everyone can just do a complete turn-around as quickly as I did." Tapping her Duel Gazer, she spoke into the microphone, saying, "Snips? Snails? Have you two found out anything about the Dazzlings yet? One of my friends overheard them talking about something a few minutes ago, during the second round."

"Yeah, we heard it too!" spoke Snips's voice. "I dunno what they were talking about, but we're pretty sure they're up to somethin' bad! Ya want us to keep spyin' on them?"

"Yeah, try and see if you can figure out what this 'plan' they were discussing was..." the otherworldly girl instructed them. "And above all, make sure they don't see you."

"Got it!" replied Snips before cutting off the link.

Sighing, Sunset knew that - until there was any new information, she would have to just wait and see how things played out. (According to Big Mac,) she thought, (whatever those three are planning, they aren't going to reveal in front us anytime soon... Right now, though...I'd better get ready to judge the next Duel; I'll worry about those three later.) She then glanced over at the three girls in question; Adagio looked back over at Sunset and gave her a sly smirk.

After the five-minute break was up and most of the crowds of people had returned to their seats, Megan switched on her microphone and announced, "Alright, everyone! We're just about to begin the third Duel of the tournament's first round! As you already know, Ember and Steel Shadows have both made it into the Quarterfinals so far during the previous two matches. And now we're ready to see who will be the next Duelist to make it up there with them! So let's begin the selection!!"

After she said that, the photos of the remaining Duelists began cycling once again. Everyone, especially the competitors watched carefully to see who would face off against who...

"And our next two Duelists will be..." said Megan, watching the shuffling reels on the big-screen monitor. Finally the pictures stopped, revealing the next matchups. "Gilda and Night Switch!"

"Awesome! I'm next!" said Gilda, who had been anxiously awaiting her turn in the tournament.

"Good luck out there, Gilda...!" said Fluttershy encouragingly.

"Yeah, go get 'im!!" cheered Gabby in her usual excited-sounding tone.

Gilda began walking out into the middle of the arena, ready for battle. Glancing over at Night Switch - a purple-skinned boy with long, light-blue hair, she noticed his solemn-looking expression; it was as if he seemed relatively uninterested in the whole thing. The Griffonstone Duelist felt a bit uneasy just looking at him, but wouldn't let that affect her dueling. Still, she seemed to get a creepy vibe from her opponent.

After both Duelists cut and shuffled each others' Decks, Sunset took out a coin and said to Gilda, "Okay, go ahead and call it in the air." After that, she then flipped the coin upwards.

"Heads!" Gilda immediately shouted. Night Switch said nothing as he watched the coin fly up into the air.

After it came back down, Sunset caught it and placed it on the back of her hand without looking. After moving her hand away, she revealed that the coin result was indeed Heads. "Gilda gets to choose the turn order." the red-and-yellow girl declared.

"In that case," the good-natured roughneck began to say, "I'll go first!"

Night Switch hummed a little before speaking for the first time since the tournament began. "...As you wish." he simply said.

"Yeesh, finally you say somethin'..." Gilda commented. "For a moment, I was almost expectin' you to use sign language for the whole match." The two of them then walked towards their respective sides of the field and activated their Duel Pads. "Alright, Mr. Quiet... Let's get this Duel started!" (Gilda: LP 4,000)

"...Yes..." stated Night Switch. "Let us see which one of us destiny favors..." (Night Switch: LP 4,000) Gilda wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she feel a bit more uneasy about her opponent than she did earlier. Still, she wasn't going to let that creepy feeling negatively affect her game, and intended to go at him with everything she had...

Up in the audience stands, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had sat back down in their seats, ready to watch the next Duel. Rainbow was especially excited, since her friend Gilda was one of the competing Duelists. "Alright! Gilda's in the next match! This oughtta be good!" she said, anxious for the Duel to get started.

"Ah'm pretty sure it will be." Applejack stated. "Accordin' t' Gilda, she says she's been improvin' since we all saw her at the Inter-school Duel..."

"And back then, she was plenty strong to begin with." Rarity pointed out. "I can't imagine just how much more powerful she's become since then..." Just then, the young fashionista noticed something peculiar. "Hang on a moment... Where is Pinkie Pie?" she asked.

Looking to her left, Rainbow Dash had only now just noticed that their pink friend wasn't sitting beside her. "Oh yeah... I thought she'd be back by now." the cyan teen said. "She said she was just gonna get a refill on her popcorn."

"You know Pinkie; when it comes to gettin' treats, she tends t' get a li'l bit overboard." Applejack reminded them.

"Honestly, in Pinkie's case," Rarity added, "saying that she gets 'a little overboard' is an understatement. I mean...just HOW on Earth can she eat all of that food and not gain a single pound?? I swear, I'll find out that secret someday..." Applejack and Rainbow chuckled a little at that comment before turning their attention back to the Duel.

Fanning out the cards in her hand, Gilda then told her opponent, "Alright, let's see if you can keep up with me on just the first turn...!" Taking a card from her hand, she declared, "I Summon Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius in Attack Mode!" Her first monster was a large bird-like creature covered in silver, gold, and green-colored armor. It had a long, snake-like tail, but curiously lacked any visible feet (Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius: Level 4 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000).

"Hmm... I don't remember seeing that card in Gilda's Deck when I dueled her the first time..." Fluttershy pointed out.

"That's not the only new card she's got!" Gabby told her. "Just wait: You'll see!" The two then turned their attention back to the Duel in progress.

"Now I activate the effect of Napalm Dragonius!" Gilda began to explain. "Once per turn, my monster can hit you for six hundred points of damage! So take this!! Fire Bomb!" The large bird creature then shot out a massive fireball that hit her opponent in what seemed like an instant (Night Switch: LP 4,000 - 600 = 3,400). "As a drawback," the roughneck continued, "I can't use any non-Raidraptor monster effect for the remainder of the turn... Or that WOULD have been a drawback, except most of my Deck is Raidraptor monsters, so it doesn't really hurt me a whole lot."

"...I see." Night simply responded, still not showing much (if any) emotion at all.

"Hmph... well, maybe this'll get your attention." Gilda said, taking another card from her hand. "I use the effect of Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius to Special Summon it from my hand in Defense Mode!" After that, her Purple and blue-colored bird emerged onto the field, taking its place right next to her first monster (Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 1500). "And now I'll overlay my two Level 4 monsters to create an Overlay Network!"

Everyone watched as both of her two monsters transformed into a pair of purple lights before flying into a red portal in the center of the field. Sunset watched intently, wondering what was going to come out.

"Avian hunter of the afterlife," Gilda chanted. "seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! Xyz Summon! Take flight! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Force Strix!" After the chant was complete, her owl-like Xyz Monster appeared on the field in Defense Position with two swirling purple orbs surrounding it (Raidraptor - Force Strix: Rank 4 / ATK 100 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2).

"Hmmm, that's a kinda weird..." noted Rainbow Dash. "She started with a defensive monster instead of an attacking one... I've never seen Gilda do that before."

"She's probably learned to be a bit more cautious with her Duels since the last time." Rarity figured. "After all, she dueled rather recklessly during the Inter-school Duel and lost because of it. Now it appears she's become a bit more methodical in her play style..."

"Sure seems like it, at least for now." Applejack noted. "Now Ah guess we'll have t' see if that'll help her win this time..."

Taking a card from under her Xyz Monster card, Gilda then stated, "Now I'll use the effect of Raidraptor - Force Strix. By removing an overlay unit (Raidraptor - Force Strix: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), I can search out any Level 4 DARK Winged Beast monster from my Deck. And I'll choose my Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!" After taking the card from her Deck, she added, "But I ain't done yet: Since I detached Fuzzy Lanius to use Force Strix's effect, I can get ANOTHER Fuzzy Lanius outta my Deck! Finally, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

"A brilliant opening play..." thought Bright Mind, one of the other competitors. "She set up a strong defense, reinforced her hand, and even dealt some early damage to her opponent. It's quite apparent that she doesn't want to leave anything to pure chance."

"...Hmmm..." hummed Night Switch. "I must say...you made a strong move." Preparing to draw his first card for the Duel, he then added, "But that does not guarantee that the fates are on your side... But we will soon see...in time." Gilda still wasn't sure what he was talking about, but ignored his cryptic remarks for now to focus on the Duel...

Meanwhile, in the stadium tunnels, Pinkie Pie had just finished what appeared to be an adventurous snack run. Somehow, she had managed to get a full bucket of popcorn, an entire medium-size cheese pizza, a large Diet Colta-Cola, a stick of cotton candy, a candy apple (courtesy of Granny Smith), a box of various types of donuts (thanks to Donut Joe), a small box of tacos, and an orange popsicle; all with just two hands. The female vendor she had just finished with then asked the pink girl, "Um... a-are you sure you can eat all that...?"

"This?" Pinkie responded, leaning her head over to the side. "Aw, this is nothing! You oughtta see me when I'm REALLY famished!" Tossing the pile of food into the air, the silly girl then quickly grabbed some money from the purse she hand on her shoulder and gave it to the vendor before catching the food pile as it came back down. "Keep the change!" she then replied in her cheerful, sing-song voice before leaving. The woman just stood there, not sure if what she saw was what she saw.

Carrying all that food with hardly much effort, Pinkie Pie said to herself, "Wow... I can't WAIT to sit down and dig into all of this!" Her mouth was watering at the mere thought of all that food (she wasn't greedy, though; she would share some with her friends, too). Just then, she heard something coming towards her. "Hm? What's that?" she asked as she looked to the side. She then saw that someone was running in her direction. But that wasn't all: Pinkie recognized the person ahead of her. "Hey! That's Martin!!"

Indeed, it was Gilda's friend from school (and former victim of Number possession) running towards her. Of course, he wasn't exactly the athletic type, and was nearly out of breath; apparently, he had been running for a long period of time. Huffing and puffing, he said in between gasps, "I...I'm...I'm almost...there...!! I...I hope that...that I didn't miss...Gilda's or...Gabby's Duel...!"

However, he was so focused on making it inside the stadium on time, that he hadn't bothered to lift his head up. If he had, he would have seen Pinkie ahead of him. "Aaaahh!!" the girl screamed. "Watch out!!" This caused Martin to raise his head up, but both them were unable to move out of the way of each other in time. Martin clumsily collided right into Pinkie Pie, causing both of them to fall onto the floor and Pinkie's food pile to fly up into the air.

Realizing what had just happened, both of them gasped loudly in shock. "Oh no!!" Martin shouted, "It's gonna spill all over the place!!"

But just when it seemed that the custodians would have to work overtime to clean up what would have been a massive disaster of a mess, someone managed to catch everything before the unfortunate happened. Not a drop of food or drink managed to spill on the ground. A bit surprised, Pinkie exclaimed, "Hey, look! Everything's okay! Someone caught all the food!"

"B-b-b-but how?!?" asked Martin. "N-nobody could have been able to do that so quickly and accurately so as not to let even a small portion get on the ground!"

Glancing over to see who their savior was, Pinkie smiled and told him, "Nobody except for her!" Pointing at the person who managed to save the pink teen snacks, they both saw that it was none other than the bizarre - yet adorable, Fluffle Puff. Standing up along with Martin, Pinkie thanked her, saying, "Thanks a whole bunch! Good thing you just happened to be where it was most convenient for us!"

The fuzzy, pink girl replied with her usual response: A raspberry. "Pthbth."

"Um...what was that?" asked Martin. "Why did she do that?"

"That's...just how she talks." Pinkie explained. "She just said, 'You're welcome.'"

"Um...okay then." the boy replied, still not really sure what was going on.

Turning back over to Fluffle Puff, Pinkie then asked her, "Say, could you do me a favor? Could you go and bring that food over to where my friends are sitting? They're in Row C, seats 37 to 40."

"...Pthbth pth pthbth pthbth pthbth?" Fluffle then "asked" her.

"Sure, you can have the tacos if you do that for me!" Pinkie told her. "Just let 'em know that I have something to take care and I'll be back soon!" Fluffle Puff gasped happily and nodded to say that she would carry out her request. And with that, the strange girl happily carried Pinkie's massive snack pile to where the others were.

Once Fluffle Puff had left, Martin turned over to Pinkie Pie and - while rubbing the back of his head, said to her, "I-I-I'm really sorry, Pinkie... I wasn't watching where I was going, and we almost had a disaster."

"Awww, don't worry about it! Everything's fine!" the pink girl responded. "Let's just forget it happened and be happy that there WASN'T a disaster!" She then asked him, "So, are ya here t' watch Gilda's Duel?"

"Yeah, I am!" Martin answered. "And I also came here to see Gabby, too!" Sweating a little out of embarrassment, he added, "Trouble is...I was working on a big school assignment last night and I ended up oversleeping. So I pretty much had to rush over here as fast as I could. If my dad hadn't been off from work today, I don't think I would've made it..." He then asked Pinkie Pie, "So, um...did Gilda or Gabby duel yet? Please don't tell me I've missed it!"

"Actually, you're just in time to see Gilda's Duel!" the pink teen told him. "It only just started about two minutes ago! Funny how that always seems to work out just like that..."

"Oh good! I didn't miss it...!" the boy sighed out of relief. "In that case, we'd better get going and see it before it's over!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Pinkie said. Standing up on one foot and putting her arms out - doing her best impression of Snagglepuss, she then said, "And awaaaaaaaaay we go!!" After that, she sped off like a bullet.

"H-hey! Wait for me, Pinkie!!" Martin called out, running to try and catch up with her.

Back in the stadium, Gilda had just finished up her turn, having Summoned her Force Strix to defend her, and even deal some damage to her opponent, Night Switch. Now it was his turn, and everyone was anxious to see what he had planned, especially Gilda herself. "I draw..." Night Switch said, pulling the top card of his Deck and placing it in his hand.

"Alright, buddy... Let's just see what you've got!" Gilda said, preparing for anything he could try.

"It is not what I have got... Rather, it is what destiny has in store that will determine your future in this competition..." the boy said, remaining as solemn-sounding as ever. Taking another card from his hand, he played and said, "I activate Destiny Draw. This card permits me to draw two cards after discarding a Destiny HERO card from my hand." He then did just that, sending one of his cards to the Graveyard before drawing from his Deck.

"Wait, did you say Destiny HERO?" asked Gilda. "Like the ones that Phoenix guy used?"

"Wow...a Destiny HERO Deck..." said Sunset. "I never thought I'd see one with my own eyes..."

"So? Spill it: What's so special about that Deck?" asked Spike.

"Well, several years ago, there was an expert card designer for Industrial Illusions who was mostly well-known for creating the Destiny HERO archetype." the red-and-yellow girl explained. "That was Mr. Phoenix: The same Mr. Phoenix that also created the Legendary Planet cards. However, before either archetype was submitted to Industrial Illusions for mass-production...Mr. Phoenix was tragically murdered."

"M-m-murdered?!" exclaimed Twilight in shock. "That's horrible! Who would want to do something like that?!"

"Someone who wanted the cards for themselves, that's who." Sunset told her. "However, it had been confirmed that only one of the Destiny HERO cards - Destiny HERO Plasma, had been stolen by the assailant. The rest were given to Mr. Phoenix's son, Aster. As a result, those last cards he designed became one-of-a-kind, and went unreleased to the public. However, after Aster Phoenix retired from the Pro Leagues, he finally allowed his father's cards to be mass-produced for everyone to use."

"Wow... I can't even imagine what that was like for Aster, knowing that someone had killed his father..." said Twilight, feeling sorry for him.

"At least he knew his dad." said Spike. "I don't even know if my parents are alive or not... I wish I knew."

"Don't worry, Spike." the Princess of Friendship told him. "One day, we'll figure out what happened to them. I don't know how or if we even can, but I'll do my best to help you." Spike was happy to hear that, and hoped that they would find that out one day.

Sunset smiled a bit at the moment before returning her attention back to the Duel. (So...this Night Switch guy uses Destiny HEROes... I know a little about the Deck, but not a whole lot... I guess I'll see how well it stacks up to Gilda's Raidraptors...)

Taking another card out of his hand and placing it on the D-Pad's card tray, Night Switch then said, "I Summon...Destiny HERO - Drilldark in Attack Position." His first monster of the Duel was a thin humanoid man colored black and red and covered with small drill bits. In addition, he also carried a larger drill, which he wielded like a lance (Destiny HERO - Drilldark: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200).

"Hmph... you'll have t' do better than that, bub." Gilda told him. "He's not strong enough to get past Force Strix."

"...True, but he is not here to attack your monster." Night explained to her. "Upon his Summoning, Destiny HERO - Drilldark permits me to Special Summon a second Destiny HERO from my hand with equal or fewer attack points... I select and Summon Destiny HERO - Celestial." His second monster was another man wearing mostly black and red, though he appeared a bit beefier compared to Drilldark. Not only that, he carried a pair of incredibly large blades on his back that seemed to resemble the shape of the Sun (Destiny HERO - Celestial: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1400).

"Now he's got two monsters on the field..." Ember noted. "But what's he planning to do with 'em?"

"...Now for my next move." said Night Switch, taking yet another card out of his hand. "I Special Summon another monster from my hand...by discarding a HERO monster from my hand." Pitching a card into his Graveyard slot, he then added, "I discard Vision HERO Increase and Special Summon Vision HERO Faris." His third monster was another human clad in mostly-pink armor, with bits of purple and green here and there, as well as several yellow orbs doted around it, including on the front of its helmet.

*******************************

Vision HERO Faris
(Effect Monster/Warrior/DARK/Level 5/ATK 1600/DEF 1800)

You can discard 1 other "HERO" monster; Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can place 1 "Vision HERO" monster from your Deck, except "Vision HERO Faris", in your Spell & Trap Zone as a face-up Continuous Trap, also you cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn, except "HERO" monsters. You can only use each effect of "Vision HERO Faris" once per turn.

*******************************

"No way...!" said Vinyl Scratch, gasping a little. "He even has Vision HEROes in his Deck, too!"

"Indeed..." Octavia told her. "And both they and the Destiny HEROes have a great amount of synergy between them. This will be quite a tough Duel for that Griffonstone student..."

Gilda wasn't sure what to make of all this. "Well, you've got three monsters out, but all of 'em only have 1,600 attack points..." she reminded her opponent. "They can't beat Force Strix."

"...My turn is not yet over." Night simply told her. "I use the effect of Faris and place Vision HERO Poisoner from my Deck on the field as a Continuous Trap Card." He then took the monster and slid it into the Spell & Trap Zone slot of his device. After he did, a ghostly image of the monster appeared on his field.

"Huh? He put a MONSTER card in his back row?" asked Rainbow Dash. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"I must admit, I do agree with you a little." Rarity stated. "What good does that move do him? He cannot attack with a monster that's in his Spell & Trap Zone..."

"Somethin' tells me that guy's got a different plan for that card instead..." Applejack noted. "Otherwise, he wouldnt've made such an unusual move..."

Back at the Duel, Night Switch then continued his turn by taking out a monster from his Graveyard. "Now I activate the effect of the monster I discarded with Destiny Draw: By banishing Destiny HERO - Malicious from my Graveyard, I can Summon an additional Malicious from my Deck in Defense Position." After removing one of his Destiny HERO - Malicious cards, he then placed a second one on his field. The monster seemed to be part-human, part-demon with its mostly dark-colored body, three horns, claws, and giant bat-like wings. He was also covered in thick, dark-brown fur from the waist down (save for his knees and feet), had two thin tails, and a big "D" on his chest (Destiny HERO - Malicious: Level 6 / ATK 800 / DEF 800). "Now the preparations are complete..." said Night Switch.

"What d'ya mean?" asked Gilda, who was now starting to get a sense of worry, based on the tone of her voice.

Taking another card from his hand, Night said, "I activate...Polymerization! I use my Spell Card to fuse together my Destiny HERO - Celestial and Malicious." Instantly, the two monsters were drawn into a red-and-blue portal up above the battlefield. "Hero of the darkest cosmos... Hero of inevitable evil..." he chanted. "Now become one and reign in the pitch-black future...! Fusion Summon! Come now, Level 8... Destiny HERO - Dystopia!"

The portal above then exploded in a flash of purple light. Then, out of that light came an armored human figure. His armor was mostly purple in color, with a few exceptions: his shoulder pads, shin guards and face mask were all golden yellow (in addition, the mask had a big, red "D" imprinted upon it), and there were some streaks of green running along the arms, legs, and the side of his hips. The Fusion Monster then just floated there, crossing his arms and looking down at Gilda (Destiny HERO - Dystopia: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2400).

"Destiny HERO - Dystopia..." said Twilight, both impressed and a bit fearful of this new monster. Utopia (in spirit form) simply hummed to himself upon seeing the newly-Summoned Fusion Monster.

"A Fusion Summon..." the Griffonstone Duelist said. "I see... That's what you were planning. But that's still not enough to scare me!"

"In that case, I shall activate the effect of Dystopia." said Night Switch. "When Special Summoned, he is able to inflict damage to your Life Points, equal to the attack power of any Level 4 or lower Destiny HERO in my Graveyard."

"He does what?!?" exclaimed Gilda in surprise.

"...Consider this retribution for your Raidraptor's attack last turn." the boy spoke to her. "I designate Destiny HERO - Celestial as the target of Dystopia's effect... Go, Squeeze Palm...!"

The monster's hands then began to radiate a purple glow, causing a similar glow to envelop Gilda. Then, the roughneck felt like she was being squeezed like a toothpaste tube by some invisible force. "UrrrrRRRRRGH!!!" groaned Gilda as she took the damage (Gilda: LP 4,000 - 1,600 = 2,400).

"Oh my...! Are you alright, Gilda...??" asked Fluttershy out of concern.

"Urrrgh, I'm fine..." Gilda told her. "Don't worry; I ain't gonna let him get away with that...!"

"...I'm afraid that is not up to you." said Night Switch. "I move on to my Battle Phase and attack Force Strix with Dystopia. Seal her fate with your Dystopian Blow...!" His Fusion Monster then fired a pair of black-and-purple orbs straight towards Gilda's only monster.

"It's not up to me, you say? Well, I say it is!" the Griffonstone Duelist shouted. "I activate the Trap Card, Raidraptor - Readiness!" After her card flipped face-up, the attack launched by Dystopia was deflected by a bright, fiery-orange shield that surrounded itself around Force Strix.

Raising an eyebrow, Night then asked, "And what is that...?"

"My Raidraptor - Readiness card makes it so that you can't wipe out my Raidraptors in battle!" Gilda explained to him. "Sorry, but you're not gonna damage me any more this turn!"

Saying nothing in direct response, the melancholy boy simply told her, "...I will set one card and end my turn."

"That was close..." said Twilight. "Gilda managed to save her monster from being destroyed."

(And she also thwarted that boy's chance at a direct attack as well.) said Utopia telepathically. (Had it not been for that Trap Card of hers, she would have been down to a mere 800 Life Points.) Humming a bit, he added, (Still...I have a feeling that this Night Switch still has something else in store for her...and that worries me.)

(Why is that?) asked Twilight. However, Utopia gave no response as he continued to watch Gilda's opponent carefully. Twilight couldn't explain it, but she started to get a bad vibe from Night Switch as well...

Back in the tunnels, Martin had finally caught up to Pinkie Pie after the two of them (literally) bumped into each other. Pinkie, of course, wanted to rush ahead and get to their seats so that they wouldn't miss any more of Gilda's Duel. However, when she saw that Martin was far, far behind her and gasping for air, she decided - for his sake, that they sit down on a bench and take a breather.

As they sat on the bench and watched people walking by, Pinkie decided to make some small talk with Martin, asking about how things have been going for him since they last met back at the Manehatten Duel Museum. "So how are things with you and Gilda?" she asked him.

"Still good, mostly." Martin told her. "She's been keeping me safe from bullies... However, I still get picked on every now and then."

"That's too bad..." said the pink teen, feeling sorry for him.

"I don't want to have to keep relying on Gilda to get me out of those situations..." he then told her, "but there's no way I can stand up to guys like them; I'm way too weak and feeble..."

"That's not entirely true." Pinkie said to him. "You may not have big, bulging muscles, but you've gotta have at least some things that those bullies don't have! And that's what you've gotta use to stand up to them!"

Sighing, Martin then replied, "You and Gilda make it sound so easy... But I can't think of anything that I have that those guys lack...!"

"Well...I betcha you're a lot smarter than they are... Am I right?" Pinkie asked him.

"...Well, I guess I might be..."

"And remember when you dueled Sunnie and Gilda a while back?" she then asked him. "Well, I guess you probably don't wanna remember when you got super-crazy and tried to chain up one of my best friends... Look, the point is that I know that deep down, you want to be able to stand up to those people that pick on you and make you feel bad. You have to try and get over that fear you have of what could happen so that you can make things better for yourself!"

Thinking about it, Martin looked over at Pinkie and asked her, "You...really think I could stand up to them?"

"Think it?! I know it!!" the pink teen said with complete confidence.

Knowing that she had a point, Martin then said to her, "Well, I guess I'll give it some consideration... I'm still not sure yet, but I want to believe that what you and Gilda are saying is possible."

Just then, before another word could be said, the two of them heard what appeared to be crying nearby. "What was that??" asked Pinkie.

"I don't know..." Martin answered, pointing to the left of them, "but I think it came from over in that direction! Let's go see!" Pinkie nodded as the two of them got up out of their bench and rushed towards the source of the distressing cry.

When they got there, the scene they saw shocked them: A young boy - probably no older than ten, was on the ground with a small bruise on his face, crying and shivering as a pair of hooligans stood over him. Though neither Pinkie nor Martin knew it, the two people picking on the young boy were the former cronies of Garble, the bully that Scootaloo had defeated in a Duel some time ago. After Garble had lost, his two cohorts ran off to save their own skin. But it seemed that they hadn't learned their lesson after seeing their former boss suffer a humiliating defeat, as they were still causing trouble for people wherever they went. Pinkie and Martin quickly ducked behind a concrete column and watched at a safe distance.

The tall, thin bully with purple skin and yellow hair (some of which covered his eyes) was named Fume; in his hands was what appeared to be a Duel Monsters Deck. "Heheheheh! Looks like we just scored us some new cards!" he chuckled cruelly.

"Heh, yeah! Sure looks like it!" said the other bully, named Clump. In contrast to his buddy, he was short and a bit fat. He had dark-brown skin and short, blue hair with red streaks running down.

"P-p-p-please...!" cried the young boy. "G-g-give my cards back...! Don't take them...!"

"Give 'em back?" asked Fume with a curel smirk. "Dont'cha know the rules? Whiny crybabies aren't allowed to have cards! So they're ours!"

"B-b-b-but that's not fair!" the little boy cried. "There's no such thing as a rule like that!"

"It is now, Crybaby!" Clump mocked, chuckling himself. "And there ain't nothin' you can do about it!" the boy continued to whimper as the two bullies made fun of him.

"That's so mean...!" whispered Pinkie Pie. "We've gotta do something to stop them...!"

"...Y-you're kidding, right?" asked Martin. "Us? Stop them...?? You're crazy...!"

"Exactly!" the pink girl responded as she reached into her poofy hair and pulled something out of it. It looked like a hand grenade, but instead of having a dirty green color like normal, this one was bright pink with blue polka dots. Martin wasn't sure what it was, but had a feeling he would find out as Pinkie pulled the pin and tossed towards the two bullies.

Not suspecting a thing, Fume and Clump continued to make fun of their defenseless victim, thinking that they had the upper hand. But just when they were about to leave with their ill-gotten gains, the pink grenade rolled towards them and bumped into Fume's left foot. "Eh? What's this thing?" he asked, picking it up and looking at it curiously.

"Ummm... is it some kinda egg or somethin'?" asked Clump.

"Uh... Maybe?" asked Fume, totally clueless.

"...You're kidding me..." said Martin, astounded by the bullies' apparent stupidity. "How can they not know a grenade when they see it?" Of course, Martin himself wasn't exactly sure whether it was a grenade or not (but he was pretty sure that it wasn't a lethal weapon).

Before another question could be asked, the pink grenade suddenly exploded. But it wasn't the type of explosion one would expect from a grenade...because THIS one let out a massive cloud of colorful confetti that caused the bullies to jump back in surprise, not sure what was happening. As they did, Fume accidentally dropped the cards he stole from the boy. Once he saw that his cards were out of the troublemaker's grip, the little boy quickly scooped them all up and ran away as fast as he could.

Realizing what had happened, Fume growled and shouted at the boy, "Huh? HEY!!! Get back here, you little twerp!!"

"C'mon, you KNOW that never actually works." said Pinkie as she stepped out from behind the column she was hiding behind. Martin, however, stayed out of sight as best he could.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Clump as he and Fume turned to face the pink vigilante. "So that was YOU who threw that exploding egg at us!"

"GRENADE!!!" Martin blurted out. "It's a GRE-NADE!!!" He then quickly covered his mouth, realizing that he had just exposed himself to the two thugs.

"More specifically," Pinkie began to tell them, "it's my latest work in the field of super-fun party favors! I call them 'Aunt Pinkamena's Confetti Grenades' (patent pending)!" Holding up another one that she had pulled out of her hair, she added, "Light one up, and your everyday, ordinary party becomes a real hoot'-n'-a-holler! ...AJ came up with that last part."

The two bullies were a little stunned by what had just happened; unfortunately, that didn't last long as Fume pointed at both Pinkie and Martin and yelled, "GET 'EM!!" Knowing that they were the bullies' targets now, Pinkie and Martin made a run for it, with Fume and Clump trailing behind.

"P-P-Pinkie??" the Griffonstone boy then asked her frantically. "What's the next part of your plan?!"

"Next part?" asked the party lover. "I really didn't think about a 'next part', to be honest... Aheheh..."

"You're kidding me!" Martin said in shock.

"Don't worry!" Pinkie assured him with a wink. "I tend to do a lot of my best thinking when I'm in super-extreme danger!"

"And...does this count as 'super-extreme' to you?" the boy then asked her.

"I sure hope so!" the pink girl replied nonchalantly, still remaining as calm and cheery as before. Of course, that only served to worry Martin more as they continued to evade their pursuers.

"Get back here before we REALLY get mad, jerks!!" shouted Fume, becoming more enraged.

"I told you: That never actually works!!" Pinkie shouted to them as the chase continued...

Back in the stadium, Gilda had managed to survive a turn against Night Switch's Destiny HERO monsters. However, she was now staring down Destiny HERO - Dystopia, a powerful Fusion Monster. The kindly roughneck knew that she wouldn't win this Duel unless she took down Dystopia. (Alright, Gilda...) she told herself, (time to bring up your game...! I ain't gonna let this quiet creepy guy keep me from getting my chance to Duel Fluttershy again...! And besides, I've got a reputation to keep up!)

Still showing hardly any emotion at all, Night Switch said to her, "I am afraid you have no chance against what fate has awaiting you... Your best option now is to accept destiny and surrender now."

"If that's your best attempt at smack-talk, then YOU'VE got no chance at convincin' me t' give up!" the Griffonstone student told him as she drew her next card. Smirking, she then asked him, "Alright, buddy... If you know my so-called 'destiny' so well, did you see this coming? I activate the card I drew: Pot of Extravagance!"

Everyone watching gasped when they saw Gilda play that card. "Unbelieveable! She actually has that rare card?!" asked Sunset. "That one card alone's worth over seventy dollars!" No one noticed it, but Night Switch did seem a little surprised by the card that was played (as much as he would allow himself to, that is).

Chuckling a little, Gilda then explained, "Pot of Extravagance forces me to banish three or six random cards from my Extra Deck, but in exchange, it lets me draw a card for every three that get banished." Taking six cards out of her Extra Deck, she continued to tell him, "So since I'm gettin' rid of six cards, I get to draw two more!"

"...I see." Night Switch simply responded.

Gilda then looked at the two cards she managed to draw and hummed to herself. (Hmmm...these cards might be helpful later.) she pondered. (Right now, I need to focus on getting rid of that Fusion Monster he's got.) Smirking, she then said, "For my next move, I'll remove Force Strix's other overlay unit and search my Deck for Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius." She then did just that (Raidraptor - Force Strix: 1 - 1 = 0).

"Pot of Extravagance prevents its user from drawing any more cards with card effects." Rarity noted. "However, it DOESN'T prevent her from searching her Deck and adding cards that way."

After getting the card she wanted from her Deck, Gilda then declared, "Now that Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius is in my hand, I'll go right ahead and Summon it!" She then played her card right away, bringing out a large bird creature in green, silver, and navy-blue armor (Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1600). "Now that I have another Winged Beast on the field, Force Strix gains five hundred attack and defense points." Gilda then explained (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 100 + 500 = 600 / DEF 2000 + 500 = 2500). "But not only that," she continued, "Vanishing Lanius lets me Special Summon ANOTHER Raidraptor from my hand to join it! And I'll choose Raidraptor - Rudder Strix!"

Placing her next monster in Defense Position, it appeared as another armored bird, colored mostly blue and silvery-grey. On the armor around its wings were orange, feather-like appendages, and on its back and underside were fin-like protrusions. On its neck area was the Raidraptors' insignia (Raidraptor - Rudder Strix: Level 4 / ATK 0 / DEF 1600).

"Another new monster..." noted Sunset; she didn't remember seeing that card in Gilda's Deck either, and was curious as to what it could do.

"Now that Rudder Strix is on the field too," the roughneck continued, "Force Strix gets even stronger (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 600 + 500 = 1100 / DEF 2500 + 500 = 3000). But more importantly, since Rudder Strix was Summoned though the effect of a Raidraptor card, you take another 600 points of damage!" The new monster's eyes began to glow red as it fired off a barrage consisting of six fireballs, each one striking Night Switch hard (Night Switch: LP: 3,400 - 600 = 2,800). Smirking, Gilda then asked her opponent, "So tell me: Do ya STILL think that fate ain't on my side?"

Night Switch said nothing in response. He didn't even flinch after taking on the blast from Rudder Strix.

(This guy's really starting to annoy me...) thought Gilda. (The old me probably would've started getting frustrated by now... But that's what caused me t' lose last time, and now I know better. I guess the only way to get through to that weirdo is to knock him out of the tournament! And I'll do it without losing my cool...!) Taking another card from her hand, she then said, "I use the effect of Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius to Special Summon it from my hand in Defense Mode." She then Summoned yet another monster to her field, powering up her Force Strix in the process (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 1100 + 500 = 1600 / DEF 3000 + 500 = 3500).

(Now she has three Level 4 monsters...) Utopia said to Twilight telepathically. (It is quite clear what this girl is doing...)

(Yeah, I think so too.) the young Princess replied to him in thought, both of them knowing what was going to happen next.

"I overlay all three of my Level 4 monsters - Vanishing Lanius, Rudder Strix, and Fuzzy Lanius!" shouted Gilda as her three monsters each transformed into a purple light that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field "I use my monsters to create an Overlay Network!!"

Fluttershy, Gabby, Rainbow Dash, and everyone else watched the phenomenon, wondering what the Griffonstone girl was bringing out.

"Obscured falcon!" Gilda chanted in a loud voice. "Raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" As soon as the chant was complete, a larger bird creature emerged from out of the red portal and took to the skies above. The creature - like many of Gilda's monsters, was covered in armor. The armor was made up of multiple different colors, such as green, blue, purple, yellow and silver. Orbiting the monster were three, purple-colored spheres of energy. The bird-creature was incredibly massive as it hovered over the arena and gave out a loud screech (Raidraptor - Rise Falcon: Rank 4 / ATK 100 / DEF 2000) (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 1600 - 1000 = 600 / DEF 3500 - 1000 = 2500).

"Yeesh...all that for a monster with just a hundred attack points?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"You should know by now that looks can be deceiving, darling." Rarity told her. "Remember: Gilda had to use three monsters to Xyz Summon Rise Falcon..."

"That's gotta mean that it has some really strong ability to make the Summon worth it." Applejack pointed out. At that moment, the farm girl saw someone coming up with a pile of food. "Hey, look down there!"

"Is that Pinkie?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I mean, they're carryin' a lot of food, so it's gotta be her, right?"

The person carrying the food pile eventually got to where the other girls were sitting. Setting the pile on Pinkie's seat, the person was revealed to be none other than Fluffle Puff, whom Pinkie had asked to help carry her food while she was with Martin. As if the others needed any more proof that it was Fluffle Puff, the strange girl had a taco in her mouth that she had been munching on.

"Fluffle Puff?" asked Rarity. "Did Pinkie ask you to come here with all of that food?"

The strange, fluffy girl then replied in her usual manner, "Pthbth. Pthbth."

"...Uh, did anyone know what that meant?" asked Rainbow, scratching her head. "I ain't exactly fluent in raspberries..."

"Well, don't lookit me, girls..." Applejack told them. "I can't make heads r' tails of what she's sayin' either."

Realizing that they couldn't understand what she was saying, Fluffle Puff tapped her chin a few times, seemingly thinking of something. Gasping happily, she came up with an idea: She reached in her pants pocket, pulling out what appeared to be a pink crayon. Taking the donut box - which was plain white, she began scribbling on it.

"Now what is she doing?" asked Rarity.

Leaning over to look, Rainbow told her, "I...think she's writing some kinda note... Maybe she's gonna explain it to us that way."

Once Fluffle Puff was finished she handed them the donut box and said, "Pthbth."

Reading the note, Applejack told her friends, "It says: 'Pinkie Pie asked me to carry these snacks up for her. She will be back a little bit later. Also, she let me have the tacos... Yum yum.'" Satisfied with that response, she then told the pink fluffy girl, "Well, until she comes back, y'all wanna watch the rest of this Duel with us?" Fluffle Puff gasped and nodded happily as she sat down in Pinkie's seat and switched on her Duel Gazer.

Back at the Duel, Gilda was ready to show off what her newly-Summoned monster could do. "My Rise Falcon may not have a lot of attack points yet," she told her opponent, "but that'll all change right now! I activate Rise Falcon's effect!" Sending one of its materials to the Graveyard, she then explained, "At the cost of one overlay unit, Rise Falcon can absorb the attack points of one of your monsters! And I choose your Dystopia!"

Night Switch watched (again with little emotion) as Gilda's Xyz Monster sent one of its three floating orbs over towards his Fusion Monster (Raidraptor - Rise Falcon: OLU 3 - 1 = 2). The orb then dissolved and caused a light-blue aura to radiate around Dystopia, which then flowed over into Rise Falcon and strengthened it (Raidraptor - Rise Falcon: ATK 100 + 2800 = 2900).

"Now her monster's stronger than that other guy's!" said Spike. "She can beat it!"

"Let's hope so..." said Twilight, knowing that this Duel wasn't quite over yet.

"Next, I'll use the effect of my Fuzzy Lanius and grab another copy out of my Deck." said Gilda as she pulled the card in question from her Deck. "And then, I'll switch Force Strix to Attack Mode!" Once everything was set up, Gilda was ready to unleash her attack. "Now for my Battle Phase!" she shouted. "I attack with my Rise Falcon! And thanks to its effect, it gets to attack every one of the Monsters you Special Summoned!"

"Wait- did she say EACH ONE?!?" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah." Flash Sentry confirmed. "And since Rise Falcon has 2,900 attack points after using its effect...if it manages to attack all of that other guy's monsters, the damage from all those battles - along with a direct attack by Force Strix, will add up to 3,300! In other words, if Gilda's successful, this Duel is over!" Watching from the sidelines as well, Ember and Steel Shadows had also calculated it all in their heads. However, they weren't so sure that Gilda would succeed in ending the Duel right here and now, feeling as though her opponent had a trick up his sleeve that he had yet to reveal...

"Go, Rise Falcon!! Attack his Drilldark with Brave Claw Revolution!!" Gilda shouted, thrusting her hand out as she launched her attack. Her Xyz Monster flew in towards Night Switch's monsters, ready to tear them to shreds. However, no one noticed that the strange boy had tapped on his D-Pad's touch screen moments before the attack landed. Drilldark was viciously scratched apart and eliminated from the battlefield. "Now let's see what that does t' ya!" she then said, pumping her fist.

"Hmph...I'm afraid not much." Night responded quietly (Night Switch: LP: 2,800 - 650 = 2,150).

"What the-? What happened??" asked the Griffonstone teen in confusion. "That should've done way more damage than that!"

"Under normal circumstances, it would have..." said Night Switch. "But - as I had predicted, destiny had other plans for us today..." Revealing the card that he had played, he then told his opponent, "Before your attack landed, I activated my Trap Card, Damage Diet. Now for the rest of this turn, the damage I take is cut in half. Which means that I cannot lose the Duel this turn..."

"Urrgh...! No way!" But Gilda knew that - thanks to that card, she couldn't finish him off this turn.

"Darn...looks like that weirdo saved himself this turn." Rainbow Dash pointed out. "That ain't good..." Fluffle Puff sat there next to the cyan teen, seemingly very focused on the Duel in progress (and munching on another taco at the same time).

Huffing, Gilda then told her opponent, "Alright, maybe I can't wipe out your Life Points yet, but that still doesn't mean I can't get rid of all your monsters!"

"Perhaps," stated Night Switch, "but there are some places my monsters can go where yours cannot..."

"...Meaning?"

"I activate the effect of Vision HERO Increase, who sleeps in my Graveyard..." he told her. "After I take any sort of damage, I can move Increase from my Graveyard to my back row as a Continuous Trap." After he did that, another ghostly monster appeared, sitting next to the first one.

(That's the second time he's done that...) noted Twilight. (He somehow managed to place a Monster card in the Spell & Trap Zone... But why is he doing that? What sort of reason could he have to do that?)

(I'm certain that he has another terrifying strategy in store for her...) Utopia replied in the young Princess's mind. (I am very sure that he plans to unleash something even more powerful on his next turn... And moving those monsters to his back row is part of his strategy, whatever it may be.)

Gilda got that same vibe herself, but wasn't sure what her opponent was up to. For now she decided to continue her attack and eliminate as many monsters and Life Points from him as possible. "Rise Falcon!! Continue your attack! Destroy Vision HERO Faris and Destiny HERO - Dystopia!!" Her bird creature screeched as it slashed its claws on both of Night Switch's other monsters, wiping out both his Vision HERO (Night Switch: LP: 2,150 - 650 = 1,500), and his Destiny HERO (Night Switch: 1,500 - 50 = 1,450). Unfortunately, the damage was still weakened thanks to Night's Trap Card, but that wouldn't stop Gilda. "Now that you're out of monsters, I'll have Force Strix attack you directly!" Her other Xyz Monster then let out a loud "HOOT!!", taking off a few more of the enemy's Life Points (Night Switch: 1,450 - 300 = 1,150).

Still giving that cold, empty stare, Night Switch then asked his foe, "Are you quite finished...?"

Grumbling, Gilda then thought to herself, (I don't know what this creep's up to, but I'd better prepare for whatever he's got as best as possible...) Looking at the two cards she had drawn with Pot of Extravagance, she placed them both into her D-Pad and said, "I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"...Very well. I draw." Night Switch responded, pulling the top card of his Deck. After looking at it, he then said, "First, I will set this card face-down... Then, I activate the effect of Destiny HERO - Malicious in my Graveyard; I banish it and Summon the third copy from my Deck..." After he did so, another Malicious appeared on the field in Defense Position.

(Now what's he doing...?) wondered Gilda, bracing herself for the worst.

"Now..." Night Switch continued, "I activate the effect of Destiny HERO - Celestial in my Graveyard. I banish it, as well as Destiny HERO - Drilldark and draw two cards, since I currently have no cards in my hand..." He then did so, and looked at one of the cards that he drew. "...Just as predicted." Looking over at his opponent, he then told her, "...It is your destiny to lose here. And for defying your fate...you shall suffer a fitting punishment." Those threatening words hung heavy in the arena as everyone - especially Gilda, wondered just what the boy had planned...

Back in the tunnels below the stadium's seats, Pinkie Pie and Martin had gotten themselves in quite the situation: They had witnessed two bullies - Fume and Clump, picking on a young boy and trying to steal his Duel Monsters cards from him. Although Pinkie managed to use her usual unusual methods to stop them, the two bullies decided to go after her and Martin out of revenge. The chase lasted for a good amount of time, but Pinkie and Martin managed to lose them and hide away in a janitor's closet.

Watching from the small window in the door, the pink girl and the Griffonstone freshman saw Fume and Clump right outside, searching for them. Luckily, they didn't have the foresight to even bother checking the area where the closet door was. "Come on, ya wimps!!" yelled Fume out of frustration. "Get out here n' take yer lumps!!"

"Yeah! What he said!!" Clump shouted next.

From the safety of the darkened closet, Pinkie quietly said to Martin, "I keep on telling them...no one ever actually comes out like that when they tell them to come out. I've watched enough cartoons to know that."

"But we'll have to leave here sooner or later...!" Martin pointed out. "And when we do, they'll be all over us!" Shaking out of fear, the boy then said, "It's no use...! We're done for...! Th-th-there's no way out of here without facing them...!"

"...You're absolutely right." Pinkie told him. "At least about the part where we have to face them."

"Wh-what are you talking about??" asked Martin.

"I'm saying - if we can't get out of here without confronting them, then we'll just have to go out there and show them that we won't be picked on!" Pinkie said with total confidence in her voice.

"B-but how??" he asked her. "There's no way we can fight those two guys and escape without a scratch! They'll beat the living daylights out of us!"

"In that case, we'll just have to fight those bullies..." the pink girl responded, "by NOT fighting them!"

"Huh...? I don't understand..."

Facing him and trying to sound as serious as she could (which wasn't usually an easy thing for Pinkie to do), she told him, "Look, Martin: Those guys may have some physical strength on their side, but you've got stuff about you that's way, WAAAAAAY better than that! Next to Twilight and Sunnie, you're one of the smartiest people I know!"

"...That's very flattering," he replied, "but I don't think 'smartiest' is even a word."

"See? What'd I tell you?" the silly girl said to him. "I'm sure you can come up with a plan that'll help us get out of here safe and sound! I know it! And when you do, we'll get to the stadium and cheer Gilda on!"

"I still don't understand... How can you be so sure that I could do that?" Martin asked, still not sounding very confident. "How do you know I won't mess everything up?"

"How? That's easy!" Pinkie responded very casually. "I have faith in you, that's all! Trust me: I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it, Martin!"

"F-faith...?"

"Yeah, just like how Gilda has faith in you!" she explained to him. "That's why she's been helping you deal with all those bullies at school, so that one day, you can stand up to them yourself. And ya don't need big, meaty, CLA- er, muscles to do something like that! You don't even need a super-smarty brain either! All you REALLY need is the guts to stand up for yourself! What ya need is to be brave!"

"Me? Brave?" asked Martin. He was starting to get the gist of what Pinkie was telling him.

"Yeppity yep yep!" she responded. "Bullies only pick on people that they think won't stand up to them. But once you show them that you they can't pick on you anymore, there's nothing they can do to stop you. I know it sounds really easy, but that's because it is! After all, just think about it: If a bully doesn't have anyone to pick on, what do they have left? What if, one day...everyone decided to stop being afraid of them?"

After hearing that question and pondering about it, Martin finally understood what she meant. "I get it..." he said. "The only reason I was so afraid of bullies was because...I was LETTING them scare me...! I can't believe I never thought about it that way before..." He then finally stopped trembling and said, with more confidence in his voice, "But I'm not going to let them scare me anymore...! From now on...I'll do my best to stand up for myself...!"

"Yeah! That's the way, Martin!" said Pinkie Pie. Looking around, she then added, "Of course, we still hafta figure out how to get out of this pickle. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't found us yet after we started talking louder... Gotta love that cartoon logic."

Humming to himself, Martin then took another look out through the door window. That's when he noticed something that he hadn't before: There was another door across from them with a sign on it. The boy then read the sign, saying, "...Costume Storage..." Humming again, he then said to Pinkie, "I think there might be a way after all...but it'll require a small amount of luck... And I'll need your help."

"Whatever you need!" the party lover responded.

"Put on your Duel Gazer and synch it up to mine." Martin instructed, putting on his Gazer as he did so. "Then, I need you to go out there and distract those two guys; lead them as far away from here as you can until I say otherwise, okay?"

"Got it!" Pinkie responded with a salute after switching on her Duel Gazer. "'Distraction' is my middle name...! Except that it's actually Diane."

"Alright, get ready then..." Martin told her. "And above all: Be careful." Pinkie nodded as she quietly opened the door and tiptoed out into the tunnels once again.

Outside, Fume and Clump were still trying to figure out where Pinkie and Martin were (again, they didn't think to look near where the closet was). "Grrrrrn...where are those jerks?!" grumbled Fume. "I know they're around here somewhere...!"

"Uh, I don't see them..." stated Clump. "Think they left the place?"

"No way!" argued the taller bully. "There's no exit on this end of the stadium! Not even a fire exit! They're still here somewhere...! I can just hear their voices ringin' around in my mind!"

"Yoohoo~! Over heeeEEEEEre~!!" said Pinkie Pie's voice. The two creeps quickly turned around upon hearing the voice. There, they saw Pinkie, standing a fair distance away from them. Putting a hand on her hip and giving a sly wink, she asked them in a cutesy-sounding tone, "Lookin' for me, boys?"

"There! SEE?! I told ya they were around here, didn't I?!" Fume told his chubby companion.

"But, uh... weren't there two of 'em?" asked Clump.

"We'll find the other wimp later!" Fume informed him. "Right now, let's get her first!!" At with that, Pinkie ran off, with the two bullies pursuing her. As Martin had told her to do, she led the pair far away from the closet they were hiding in earlier.

Once he knew that it was quiet outside, Martin slowly opened the closet door and peeked around. Seeing that the coast was clear, the Griffonstone freshman carefully exited the room and headed for the other door. Trying the door, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was unlocked. Walking into the room and flipping the light switch, he glanced around at everything inside. The room was filled with various mascot costumes, and although the room was a bit cluttered, it was easy to see everything inside of it.

(Okay...now let's hope that there's something here that we can use to turn the tables on those bullies once and for all...) Martin thought as he rummaged through the different costumes...

Back in the arena, it was now Night Switch's turn. After drawing an extra pair of cards through the effect of one of his Destiny HERO monsters, he had issued a terrifying message to his opponent, Gilda. "You should have done as I said, Gilda..." he told her, "You should have accepted your fate... Now, this turn...you will confront your destiny the hard way..."

"Oh, is that so...?" asked the Griffonstone Duelist. "I've had it up to here with your ooga-booga talk about destiny or whatever! If you think you're gonna beat me, then stop talkin' about it and give me your worst!"

"...Very well, but you shall regret those words." Night Switch said as he continued his turn. "I now activate Pot of Acquisitiveness. This card allows me to return three of my banished monsters to my Deck... Then, I draw one card." Taking three cards from his banished pile, he told her, "I select the two Destiny HERO - Malicious cards, as well as my Destiny HERO - Celestial... I reshuffle them into the Deck and draw a card."

(I know why he played that card...) thought Sunset. (He did that just to get his two Malicious cards back into his Deck... Now he can re-use their Summoning abilities...)

"Next, I activate the card I set at the beginning of my turn: Pot of Desires." Night then told his opponent. "I banish ten cards from the top of my Deck, face-down...then I draw two more." After doing so, he then played one of cards he got right away. "Next, I play another copy of Destiny Draw, and discard the Malicious card I drew to draw an additional two cards."

"Yeesh... Just how many cards is that guy gonna draw from his Deck this turn??" asked Spike.

"It's obvious he's after a certain card in his Deck..." Twilight told her dragon-turned-puppy. "Now I guess we'll see if he gets it..."

After Night Switch drew his next two cards, Gilda then asked him, "So...did ya manage to luck out and get the card you need this time?"

"...I do not rely on luck. Fate determines what cards I draw." the strange boy told her. "And unfortunately for you, fate has decided to deal you a humiliating defeat..." Taking a card out of his Graveyard, Night then said, "Now I banish the Malicious in my Graveyard and Summon the remaining copy of it from my Deck in Defense Mode." After his monster appeared, he added, "And now to show you the inescapable future that awaits you... I activate...Vision Fusion!"

"Vision Fusion?" asked Gilda.

"Yes." Night Switch explained. "This Spell permits me to Fusion Summon a HERO monster from my Extra Deck. However...I can use the Monster cards in my back row as Fusion Materials as well...!"

"WHAT?!?" the roughneck then exclaimed.

"So that's what he was up to..." Ember said. "That's why he was putting all those monsters in his back row; to set up for this move!"

"A Fusion Summon from the Spell & Trap Zone... Most unusual." Steel Shadows said to himself, watching the Duel with an expert eye.

Taking the two monsters he had placed in his back row, Night Switch removed them from the field and said, "I use Vision Fusion to fuse Vision HERO Poisoner and Vision HERO Increase...!" After that, a red-and-blue vortex appeared in the sky above as the two monsters (now no longer in ghostly form) were drawn up into it. "Hero who wields burning toxins... Hero who gathers allies..." he then chanted, "Now become one and share your vision of victory...! Fusion Summon! Come now, Level 8... Vision HERO Adoration!"

Everyone watched as the portal above exploded in a violet-colored light. When the light faded, a tall man wearing a jet black-colored outfit with various shades of grey and bronze in some spots. He stood there with his arms folded out in front of him, giving off an imposing presence on the field (Vision HERO Adoration: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2100).

Gilda was a bit surprised by the move, but noticed something about the new Fusion Monster. "Not a bad trick, buddy..." she told him, "but your new guy's still not strong enough to beat Rise Falcon."

"...I disagree." Night said back. "I activate the effect Vision HERO Adoration: His power allows me to weaken the attack and defense power of one of your monsters by the attack power of one of my HERO monsters."

"You're gonna weaken my Rise Falcon with that?!" asked the Griffonstone Duelist.

"...Actually, I plan to reduce the attack power of your other monster - Raidraptor - Force Strix, instead. I lower its attack and defense by eight hundred; the same attack power as Destiny HERO - Malicious." Adoration then used its power to strip away Force Strix's strength, leaving it even more vulnerable to attack (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 600 - 800 = 0 / DEF 2500 - 800 = 1700).

"So that's your plan, huh?" asked Gilda. "Now if you attack Force Strix, I'll take enough damage to lose the Duel." But she then smirked and told him, "Too bad for you, I was ready for it! I activate a Quick-Play Spell: Poison of the Old Man! This card has two effects: I can either restore 1,200 of my Life Points, or take out eight hundred of yours! So to keep myself from losing this turn, I'll use the first effect and bump up my Life Points!" After saying that, an elderly man in a brown robe presented her with a green vial of potion. The fumes from the potion swirled around her, producing a healing effect (Gilda: LP 2,400 + 1,200 = 3,600).

"Phew... that was a close one...!" said Gabby, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "Now she won't lose!"

"...I'm not so sure..." said Fluttershy, feeling worried for her friend/rival.

"Huh?" asked the cheery Griffonstone girl. "Whad'ya mean?"

"That Night Switch person said he would finish Gilda this turn..." Fluttershy told her. "I really hope I'm wrong...but I have a feeling he has something else planned for her..." She then said in her mind, (Please, Gilda...be careful...!)

Not impressed with his opponent's move, Night Switch said to her, "...Once again, you are trying to put off your inevitable defeat... It has become most annoying."

"Hey! If anyone's annoying around here, it's you!" Gilda responded, irritated by her opponent's tone. "Now hurry up and finish your turn already!"

"...As you wish." said the unnerving boy. "I suppose the only way you'll realize the pointlessness of your actions is to experience your fate first-hand..." Taking a card from his hand, he then declared, "I now release both copies of Destiny HERO - Malicious...!"

"He's releasing them??" asked Rarity.

"That's right... Ah forgot, that guy didn't Normal Summon a monster yet." Applejack remembered. "Not only was he settin' up for that Fusion Monster, he was ALSO settin' up for a Tribute Summonin' too!"

"Aw man... I hope Gilda can stand up to whatever he's bringin' out..." Rainbow chimed in, worried for her old friend.

"...Pthbth." was all that Fluffle said on the matter.

After Night Switch's other monsters left the field, the skies above began to darken. Then, a massive, brown, sphere-like object appeared above, covering the entire sky. Everyone began to watched with amazement and some fear as Night Switch began to recite a chant. "Greatest of planets in our star system..." he said. "Appear before me and absorb those who defy fate into your great red storm...! Let no one defy your will! Come now... The Grand Jupiter!"

The spectators watched as a small speck of light shot froth from the large object above. But as it came closer to the ground below, it got bigger and bigger, appearing more as a comet once in came close enough. The comet then struck the ground, kicking up dust everywhere. It took some time, but after the dust settled, a figure even larger than Adoration now stood on Night Switch's field, appearing behind him. The monster was humanoid - at least in terms of its body structure, and was covered in green, shimmering armor. It had long, clawed hands, and it also seemed to have claw-like protrusions on most other parts of its body as well. But the most striking feature it had was the large orb on its chest, which looked exactly like the planet it was named for: Jupiter.

*******************************

The Grand Jupiter
(Effect Monster/Warrior/DARK/Level 8/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

Once per turn: You can discard 2 cards, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; equip that face-up monster to this card. Gains ATK equal to the combined original ATK of the monsters equipped to it by this effect. Once per turn, during the End Phase: You can target 1 Monster Card equipped to this card by this card's effect; Special Summon it to your field.

*******************************

"I don't believe it...!" gasped Sunset Shimmer in total shock. She certainly did not expect to see a card like that appear in this Duel. "He had a Legendary Planet?!"

"The Grand Jupiter...?" asked Lyra, who was in the audience with her best friend, Bon Bon. "Isn't that card similar to the one you've got in your Deck?"

"Yeah, it's one of the Legendary Planets, just like my Pluto card." Bon Bon told her. "Who would've guessed that guy would have one?"

Even Gilda sweated a little after having a Legendary Plant card Summoned in front of her. "Okay... I guess that guy wasn't just tryin' to get on my nerves with all of that stuff he said... Now I can see why he was so confident..."

"...As I have repeated throughout this whole match," Night Switch told his opponent, "it is your destiny to fall before me. Your time in this tournament shall come to a most brutal and undignified end; I will personally see to it..." And with the two powerful monsters he had, the boy seemed as though he would make good on that promise...

Back in the tunnels below, Pinkie Pie was busy giving the bullies Fume and Clump a run for their money...quite literally as she led them on a mad chase. Giggling a little, she said to her pursuers, "Aw c'mon, you guys! You'll never be able to catch me if you're running that slow!"

Behind her, the two brutes were doing everything they could just to keep up with her. But it was clear that they were nearly exhausted from chasing her all this time. Gasping, Clump then said to his buddy, "I...I can't take...all this running...anymore... M-maybe we oughtta just...y'know, forget about this...?"

Although he was just as tired as his cohort, Fume wasn't ready to give up just yet. "No way...!" he told Clump in-between deep breaths. "I ain't gonna... let that wimpy brat and her wimpier little friend...*pant*...get away with makin' fun of me! So stop whining and keep runnin'...!" Clump wasn't too happy to hear that he'd have to do more running, but didn't want to look weak in front of his buddy.

By this point, Pinkie was quite far ahead of them when she heard a beep from her Duel Gazer. Tapping it, she spoke into the device, asking, "Pinkie here! Got any good news, Martin?"

"Yep!" said the Griffonstone boy's voice on the other end. "I think I found something that'll help us turn the tables on those guys!" He then told her, "I need you to get them to follow you back to where we were, near the costume closet. Can you do that?"

"You bet I can!" the silly pink girl replied with a giggle. She then slowed down a little and told the bullies, "Hey! I betcha can't catch me even when I'm going at half-speed!"

"Ya think so, HUH?!" shouted Fume. "Well, we'll show you!!" Despite their weariness, they toughed it out and tried their best to pick up the pace to catch up to Pinkie.

The party-lover, however, was still way far ahead of them, and she still was by the time she reached the costume closet where Martin was. The young boy opened the door and made a beckoning motion with his hand to tell Pinkie to come inside. Nodding and smiling, she ran into the room and closed the door.

"There!!" shouted Fume. "She just ran into that closet! And that other twerp's with her!" The pair ran over towards the door together, and Fume began slamming the door with his right fist. "Alright, you jerks!!" he yelled. "We know you're in there!! Come on out before we MAKE ya come out!!"

Then, all of a sudden, the door swung open, surprising the pair of bullies. "Huh... That was easy..." commented Clump. Seeing that the room was pitch-black inside, he then asked his companion, "I can't see a thing... Hey, Fume...can ya turn the light on or somethin'?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'm gettin' it!" the other bully said to him. Feeling around for the light switch, Fume eventually found it and flicked it on...and their irises shrunk when they saw what was in front of them: It was some sort of large, serpentine dragon in red scales that was a tad bigger than they were. The pair just stood there, frozen in fear at what they saw.

Then, the dragon roared loudly. "RRRAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!" For some reason, the creature's roar sounded a bit feminine and high-pitched.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!" Fume and Clump screamed out of fear. They were so scared, they ran off, not even taking a second to question how a dragon could have been hiding in there in the first place. The dragon then gave chase, pursuing the bullies.

"I-i-i-it's still behind us!!" said Clump, running as fast as he could. "But what the heck is it?!"

"Who cares?!? Keep runnin'!! I ain't gonna be that thing's next meal!!" Fume cried out. The pair looked behind them as they ran, seeing that the dragon was still after them.

...So it was only natural that - because they weren't looking ahead at where they were going, they collided with someone in front of them. Both of them fell over backwards on their rear ends after the impact. "Uhnn...what'd we hit...?" asked Clump.

Fume then looked up and gulped: It was a young (but rather large) adult man wearing a black suit. "Uh oh...!" said the bully. "It's a security guy...!"

But that wasn't all: Out from behind the security guard stepped a young boy - the SAME boy that Fume and Clump had been picking on earlier. "That's them!" said the younger boy. "They're the ones who tried to steal my cards, big bro!"

"B-b-b-b-BIG BRO?!?" exclaimed Fume and Clump, horrified to learn that their victim was the younger brother of one of the security personnel.

The older brother then grabbed both of the bullies by their shirt collars and said to them, "I don't recall seeing YOU two coming in here with any tickets... And not only that, you were picking on my little brother, weren't you? Well, it looks like today's not gonna be your lucky day, punks..." The two bullies couldn't hide their fear any longer; they knew they were in deep trouble...

Seconds later, Fume and Clump were unceremoniously thrown out of the stadium, both of them landing in a nearby mud puddle. "And stay out!!" shouted the security guard. The two bullies groaned, defeated and humiliated.

Back inside of the stadium, the dragon that had been chasing suddenly let out a girlish giggle, and for good reason: Underneath the dragon was Pinkie Pie, with Martin following behind her. As it turned out, the dragon was merely a costume that had once been used during a Chinese New Year celebration. "Wow! Did you see that?!" said Martin. "The plan worked! We scared them right out of here! I can't believe it actually worked!"

"Of course it worked, Martin!" Pinkie Pie told him. "And it's all because you faced your fear of standing up to bullies! Now granted, there probably won't be a giant dragon costume available the next time you confront a bully..."

"It's okay. I think I got the message, Pinkie." the Griffinstone boy replied. Smiling, he told her, "Thanks for helping me to be brave... I couldn't have done it without you."

"That's what friends are for, right?" the party-loving teen asked rhetorically. "And speaking of friends, we'd better get back out there and cheer on Gilda! She'll need the moral support!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Martin replied as the two of them made their way back to the arena, hoping that Gilda's Duel hadn't ended yet.

Indeed, Gilda's Duel wasn't over yet, but from the looks of the field, it certainly seemed like it was: Night Switch had just Summoned two extremely powerful monsters, including The Grand Jupiter, a Legendary Planet. And he was ready to make good on his promise to wipe out the Griffonstone Duelist.

"This Duel shall soon be concluded, as I had told you from the very beginning..." the solemn-sounding boy told her. "You chose not to believe in your fate, and now you will regret it."

"...Just get on with your move already." Gilda told him, not interested in his speeches.

"...I activate the effect of Jupiter." he began to say. "By discarding two cards from my hand, I can select one of your monsters and have Jupiter absorb it into himself."

"Absorb it??" asked Twilight, feeling a bit more worried.

"Yeah..." Sunset told her friend. "That's why he didn't weaken Gilda's other monster. He was planning to steal it from her this whole time..."

Gilda could only watch as her Rise Falcon was sucked into the orb on Jupiter's chest. As a result, Night's monster became a bit stronger (The Grand Jupiter: ATK 2500 + 100 = 2600), but more importantly, the roughneck was wide open to an attack. "Now do you see?" asked the boy. "I told you there was no escape from your fate... And once you lose, the rest of your destiny shall soon come to pass..." As he said that, he glanced back at his deck box; inside was his Extra Deck, along with another card that seemed to be separate from the rest of the cards in there...

Gilda refused to believe that she could possibly lose to this person, but she had to admit that things weren't looking good for her. "No... I can't let this weirdo get the best of me...!" she said to herself. "I can't let him win...! But what can I do...?"

Just then, she heard a voice calling out from behind her. "Gilda!!"

"Huh? Martin?" she asked herself, recognizing the voice. She quickly turned around behind her to see the source of the voice.

It was indeed Martin, standing there at the front of the audience seats along with Pinkie Pie. They managed to finally get back after their adventure deep in the tunnels below and were ready to cheer their friend on. "Don't let that guy get to you, Gilda!" the Griffonstone boy called out to her. "You're the strongest person I know! There's no way someone like him could beat you in a Duel!"

Gilda was moved by that comment, as well as a little surprised at how confident Martin seemed to sound.

"Martin's right, Gilda!" Gabby called to her next. "You're the best Duelist Griffonstone's got! You even managed to beat your grandpa, and HE used to be a Pro! So this guy doesn't even stand a chance against you!" After hearing that comment, Gilda began to get her confidence back, knowing that she and Martin had a point.

Then, Fluttershy spoke up, saying, "Gilda... I can see just how much you've grown since our last Duel... You've become stronger in all sorts of ways..." Putting on the fiercest look she could muster, the normally-shy teenager then said to her. "You're no longer the Gilda you used to be during the Inter-school Duel; you're much stronger now! And I know you'll win!" She then took a deep sigh and asked herself, "Oh my...did I really shout so loudly like that...? I never thought I could be so...vocal.."

Looking over at her friendly rival, Gilda thought to herself, (They're right... I AM nothing like I used to be... Back before I met them all, I was all alone, and I thought that power was all that I needed to get by... But thanks to Fluttershy, Sunset, Martin, Gabby, and all the rest of 'em...I've gotten a bit stronger, and not just in my dueling...) Putting on her fierce look of determination, she then thought, (I'm not giving up! I said that I wanted to have my rematch with Fluttershy when I entered this tournament, and that's what I'm gonna get! That weirdo's predictions ain't gonna come true, 'cause I won't let 'em! This guy thinks he may have me figured out, but it's like they said: I've changed a whole lot since the Inter-school Duel!) Then Gilda gasped; thinking back to that Duel made her realize something...

"...That look on your face..." muttered Night Switch. "So you still wish to rebel against your destiny...? So be it." Thrusting his right hand out, he then added, "Let this defeat teach you that your destiny cannot and will not be changed...! Grand Jupiter, attack Force Strix with your Great Red Spot...!" His monster then drew in energy into the orb on his chest, turning it red before unleashing a massive, deadly beam of red light that completely engulfed Gilda's remaining monster.

"Gilda...!!" Rainbow Dash shouted out of worry for her friend.

There was nothing but smoke remaining on the field after the brutal attack. Night Switch huffed a bit, thinking that he had it all won. "This Duel is over." he said to his opponent. That attack has reduced your Life Points to only one thousand. Once I attack directly with Adoration, you will lose...as I had predicted."

"...Oh really?" asked Gilda's voice. "If that's what you predicted...then you must've been a little off!" Everyone looked up to see that Gilda was perfectly alright, standing tall and proud...and she hadn't taken any damage (Gilda: LP 3,600).

"She's okay!" said Martin, feeling relieved after seeing that she had escaped the attack unscathed.

"Yaaaaay!!! She's okay! Gilda's okay!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, giving a friendly (and tight) hug to Martin.

"Oh my...what a relief..." sighed Fluttershy, a bit winded from everything that had just happened.

The only one not feeling good was Night Switch...whose expression had quickly changed from overconfident to worried. "...N-no...No that's...that's impossible...! How could this be...?!" he stuttered, trying to make sense of what was going on. "How could you have survived that attack...?? Your monster had zero attack points...! You should have taken 2,600 points of damage!"

"Well, I would've..." said the kind roughneck, "if I didn't have this card to save me." She then took a card out of her D-Pad's Graveyard slot and showed it to him, saying, "All I have to do is banish my Raidraptor - Readiness Trap Card from my Graveyard, and in exchange, I take no more damage for the rest of the turn!"

"So that's how she survived..." said Twilight.

(Indeed...) said Utopia from within her mind. (Thanks to that card's Quick-like effect, Gilda will not lose on this turn. Now she may have a chance to turn this Duel around.)

Fluttershy then remembered something regarding that Trap Card during her first Duel with Gilda. (Raidraptor - Readiness...) she thought, (she used that during the Inter-school Duel... But last time, she had banished all of the Raidraptor monsters in her Graveyard, so she couldn't use its effect in the Graveyard.) This was just more proof to her and everyone else that Gilda had been learning well from her past defeat.

Smirking, Gilda decided to get a little payback for all of Night Switch's comments during the Duel; she taunted him, saying, "So...what was it that you said when you started your turn? Something along the lines of me 'confronting my destiny the hard way this turn' or something? Well, what're ya waiting for? Go ahead and beat me this turn!"

Night Switch growled a little from the taunt; he knew that he had no other moves left on this turn. That thought was beginning to make him angry...and caused a faint, blue aura to surround him for an instant. However, only Sunset seemed to notice it. (What was that...?) she asked herself.

Sighing with a hint of frustration, Night said to his opponent, "...This changes nothing...! You WILL lose this Duel! There's no chance left for you...!"

"That's where you're wrong, buddy." Gilda told him. "Y'see, I've got plenty of chances left as long as I've got cards in my Deck...and friends that support me." As she said that, she then turned back to glance at her friends cheering her on. Turning back to her opponent, she then told him, "You might think you've gotten everything figured out, planned out just the way you expected...There's just one problem: You can't really plan for everything to go the way you want it."

Night Switch raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in response.

"Sure, I don't really do a whole lotta pre-planning and junk like that when I duel or do anything else," Gilda continued, "but that's not really that bad a thing. At least that way, I can always be flexible enough to adjust to anything unexpected that comes my way. While people like you - on the other hand, panic the very moment something goes even slightly wrong; I can see the sweat runnin' down your face..."

Growling a little and feeling mocked, Night Switch told her in a stern voice, "You know nothing...! Nothing! You still shall not win this Duel...! You will lose right here, just as I said you would!" As he said that, Sunset saw that blue aura appear around him again, only it seemed a bit stronger. Again, it only appeared for a moment, but it was enough to make the jacket-wearing teen a bit more concerned.

"You still think I won't win, huh?" asked the Griffonstone girl. "Then we'll just see about that once I take my turn." As she prepared to draw her next card, Gilda thought (You might think you've got my future all figured out, but I've got a prediction of my own... And it's telling me that I'll win this Duel and get my chance to fight Fluttershy again! And I know that it'll come true!) Pulling the card off of her Deck, she shouted, "My turn! I draw!!"

Everyone waited silently and patiently as the roughneck drew her card. They all wondered what it would be...and if it was enough to help Gilda win.

The Griffonstone Duelist then looked at the card she drew...and smirked. "Sorry, buddy...but I think you're gonna need t' get a refund on your crystal ball." she said to her opponent.

"Hm?" Night Switch wasn't sure what his opponent was talking about.

Taking a card from her hand, Gilda told him, "But first, I'll Normal Summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius in Attack Mode, and then use his effect to bring out Napalm Dragonius!" After that move, two more bird creatures appeared on Gilda's field.

"Napalm Dragonius..." muttered Night Switch. "That monster can inflict damage with its effect... I will not allow it...!" Taking a card from his Graveyard, he added, "I use the second effect of Damage Diet! By banishing it, I halve all effect damage this turn...!"

"Nice move..." said Gilda, still smiling. "It's just too bad I wasn't going to use Napalm Dragonius's effect this time."

"You're...you're not??" asked Night Switch. Just as Gilda had said, he had began losing his overconfident tone the moment his careful plans had gone awry. He wouldn't say it, but now he had no idea what Gilda had planned for him.

"I overlay Vanishing Lanius and Napalm Dragonius - both Level 4, to create an Overlay Network!!" shouted Gilda as her two monsters transformed into pure, purple-colored energy and flew into a large, red portal in the center of the field.

"She's Xyz Summoning!" cheered Gabby, knowing that things were starting to look a lot better for her friend now.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon!" chanted Gilda as the red portal shot out a powerful ray of red light. "Appear now! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" And in an instant, the Griffonstone Duelist's ace monster was now on the field, belting out a mighty roar that shook the arena. Surrounding it were two purple orbs; its overlay units (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2).

"It's Dark Rebellion...!" said Fluttershy, recalling her first experience with that powerful monster.

"That's one of Gilda's best cards!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Bet that weird guy wasn't expectin' to see that!" Indeed, it seemed Night Switch was getting more worried now that Gilda had her best monster on the field. But again, he would never admit it out-loud.

"You kept saying that I'd be punished for defying destiny, or whatever it was you said..." Gilda began to tell her adversary. "Well, consider THIS move punishment: For tickin' me off!" Thrusting out her right arm, she then shouted, "I remove both of Dark Rebellion's overlay units and activate his effect!!" Instantly, her dragon absorbed both of its floating orbs into itself (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OLU 2 - 2 = 0). She then said, "This lets me snag half of your Grand Jupiter's attack points and add them to his own!"

Everyone gasped as Dark Rebellion shot out several purple tendrils that stuck themselves into Night Switch's Planet card. The tendrils then went to work, sucking away most of its power (The Grand Jupiter: ATK 2600 ÷ 2 = 1300). That power was then fed into Gilda's monster, making it stronger (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 2500 + 1300 = 3800).

"Now her monster can wipe out Grand Jupiter and the rest of his Life Points!" noted Martin.

"Urrgh...I shall not allow it!" grumbled Night Switch. "I activate the effect of a Trap Card that was sent to my Graveyard to pay the cost of Grand Jupiter's effect!"

"And what would that be?" asked Gilda.

Taking the card out of his Graveyard, he revealed it, saying, "I use the effect of Hero's Utility Belt!"

*******************************

Hero's Utility Belt:
(Normal Trap Card)

If you control a "HERO" monster: Add 1 Equip Spell from your Deck to your hand. If you control a "HERO" monster while this card is in your GY: You can banish this card, then target 1 Equip Spell in your GY; equip that target to an appropriate monster on the field. You can only use 1 "Hero's Utility Belt" effect per turn, and only once that turn.

*******************************

"Now...since I had also sent my Darkworld Shackles Equip Spell Card to the Graveyard for Jupiter's effect," the mopey-sounding boy continued, "I can use Hero's Utility Belt to equip it onto your monster...!" The audience gasped as a pair of large manacles attached to a chain sprung out of the ground and latched onto Dark Rebellion's ankles. Also attached to the chain was a large, weighted, metal sphere with a sinister smirk on its face.

Not impressed, Gilda then asked her opponent, "And what's that dopey-looking beach ball supposed to do?"

"Even now you continue to mock me...!" growled Night Switch. "That 'beach ball' as you put it prevents your monster from attacking me and lowers its attack and defense power to a mere one hundred...!" The chain and the sphere began to radiate a shadowy purple cloud that served to weaken Gilda's dragon (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 3800 > 100 / DEF 2000 > 100). "Now do you see?!" shouted Night, becoming much louder than he had even ben the entire Duel. "NOW can see that it was your fate to lose?! I told you that you couldn't change your future, and now you'll pay for rebelling against it!!"

But everyone was surprised to hear Gilda chuckling softly...and then going into a full-blown laugh. "Oh man...! Seriously?" she asked, not sounding even slightly worried. "You really think that's gonna convince me that you're going to win?! Sorry to tell you this - ...well, actually...I'm not sorry about it; that move isn't gonna save you from losing this Duel!"

"Wh-what?!" exclaimed Night, not knowing what Gilda was planning.

Taking a card from her hand (the one she drew this turn), she shouted, "I activate the Spell Card, Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force!!"

"A Rank-Up card?!" said Sunset, surprised - as was everyone else watching the match.

Placing the card in her D-Pad's Spell & Trap Zone slot, the kind roughneck then explained, "This card allows me to Xyz Summon a Raidraptor from my Extra Deck that's one Rank higher than the Xyz Monster on my field, by using it as the material!" As she said that, her dragon then transformed into a bolt of purple energy and flew into a red summoning portal that was emblazoned with the Raidraptor's insignia. "And since Dark Rebellion's not on the field anymore," Gilda continued, "your Equip Spell isn't either!"

Night Switch gasped as the metal ball shattered apart before his eyes. As the pieces of it fell to the ground, the grin that the metal ball displayed actually shifted to a sadder expression. "No... That's impossible...! You couldn't have had this all planned out in advance...!" he said, quivering a little.

"For once, you're absolutely right." the Griffonstone Duelist told him. "There's no way I could have known that you would play that card on my dragon...So I guess it's a good thing my Deck has a Plan B or C in store, just in case. After all, you can't always predict what'll happen next."

"That was a great move by Gilda!" said Megan with her usual excitement. "By playing that card, she removed the Equip Spell's effect and can now Summon an even stronger monster!"

Taking a card out of her Extra Deck, Gilda then chanted, "Ferocious falcon! Break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!" The portal in the center of the field then exploded in a flash of red light as she played the monster in her hand. "Appear now! Rank 5! Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon!"

Out of the massive light came a large fireball that zipped around the arena. When the flames died down, a bird creature in red and black-colored armor was floating there with a single purple sphere orbiting it, ready to strike on command (Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon: Rank 5 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000 / OLU 1).

"Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon..." said Sunset Shimmer. "I see what she's up to..."

But Night Switch apparently didn't as he said to his foe, "So that is all you could muster...? Your monster is not powerful enough to defeat either of my monsters. Even my weakened Grand Jupiter surpasses its attack power...!"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that Blaze Falcon isn't going to attack either of your monsters." Gilda told him. "Y'see, while he's got at least one Overlay Unit, he can attack you directly! And that's what I'm gonna have him do right now!"

The strange boy gasped as Gilda's monster fly up into the air dive straight towards him. He could do nothing but watch as Blaze Falcon let loose a barrage of fireballs that struck him and everything around him (Night Switch: 1,150 - 1,000 = 150). Grunting a little after receiving the brutal attack, he said to Gilda, "I've still got Life Points left...! Your attack did not change anything! Next turn, my Adoration will wipe out your monster!"

"Oh, is he?" asked the Griffonstone teen with a smirk. "Take another look at your monster before you say that."

Night Switch did just that and gasped in horror when he saw that his Fusion Monster was hunched down and covered in flames. A second later, he shattered and vanished from the field. "What?! What happened...?! I thought you weren't attacking my monsters!! So why was Adoration destroyed?!"

"For someone who thought he had this whole Duel figured out, you sure ask a lot of questions... And I'm getting a little sick of having to explain something you should've already known about." Gilda told him. Turning over to Sunset, she asked her, "Care to explain it to Mr. Fortune Teller here?"

Nodding Sunset then said, "After it inflicts damage to the opposing player, Blaze Falcon's controller is then permitted to target and destroy any enemy monster on the field. In this case, Vision HERO Adoration was the target of the effect, so it was destroyed."

Grumbling more, Night then said, "That still doesn't matter...! I still have Life Points left!"

"You won't for much longer." Gilda said oh-so-casually. "Now I'll activate ANOTHER Spell Card from my hand: The Quick-Play Spell Rank-Up-Magic Revolution Force!"

"No...! Not another one...!!"said the boy in despair.

Shoving the card into her D-Pad, Gilda then said, "I use this card to Xyz Summon again, using Blaze Falcon as the material!!" Her Xyz Monster then transformed into purple energy and went into another portal, much like the one that it had come from earlier.

(Another Xyz Summon with an Xyz Monster as material...) thought Sunset. (But what is she planning to Summon this time...?)

Stretching out both of her arms, Gilda then recited the Summoning Chant, saying, "Prideful falcon! Spread your wings, dyed in the blood of heroes, and charge through the path of revolution! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!" The portal - much like the one before it, exploded in a brilliant red light as the Summoning was complete. "Appear now! Rank 6! Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon!"

Much like most of her Xyz Monsters, Gilda's newest one was a large bird creature clad in powerful armor. This monster - however, was much, MUCH bigger than the others, almost the size of half the arena itself. The armor was mostly black, with bits of blue, gold, grey, and red in some places. Flying around the creature were two purple orbs as it displayed is massive wingspan (Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon: Rank 6 / ATK 2000 / DEF 3000 / OLU 2).

"No... How could this have happened...?" asked Night Switch, completely at a loss for his impending...loss. He could say nothing more as he stared at the gigantic bird creature that would soon end his days in the tournament.

"Looks like you couldn't see my destiny after all, huh?" asked Gilda. "Because if you could, then you would've seen that there was no way I was gonna let someone like you spoil my fun! I'm here on a mission, and nobody's gonna stop me until I fulfill it!"

Fluttershy smiled a little, knowing what that "mission" of hers was. (Me too, Gilda.) she thought, nodding. (No matter who or what I'll face next...I promise that we'll have our rematch...!)

Thrusting out her hand, Gilda shouted, "Go, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon!! Attack his Grand Jupiter and end this Duel!!" Her monster then flew up higher into the sky, readying its attack. "GO!! Air Raid Revolution!!!" Everyone watched as the bird then opened up parts of its armor, revealing what appeared to be miniature missile silos on its wings. Then, the silo fired several projectiles, covering the field with massive explosions. Even though they knew that it was just an AR projection, several members of the audience ducked for cover anyway out of impulse.

Night Switch did nothing, however; he was still in complete shock at what had happened. "...This...this is impossible..." he uttered. "I was...wrong...??"

(Night Switch: LP 150 - 700 = 0) (WINNER: Gilda)

"The Duel is over!" Sunset announced. "Gilda will move on to the Quarterfinal Rounds!"

"What an AMAZING comeback!!" said Megan as the audience cheered. "Though Night Switch seemed to have everything planned out, Gilda managed to edge out a win and move on in the tournament!"

"You did it, Gilda!" said a happy Martin. "You won!!"

"Yay! Yay!! YAAAAAY!!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "I knew she'd do it! I knew it!!"

"Aw, YEAH!! That was awesome!!" shouted Rainbow Dash, pumping her fist into the air. "Gilda beat him! And he didn't even know what hit him!"

"I must say," Rarity began to tell her friends, "Gilda really has improved a great deal since the Inter-school Duel, hasn't she?"

"Sure looked that way t' me." agreed Applejack. "No doubt about it: Gilda's a whole lot tougher than she was before."

Back on the field, Gilda ran over to Fluttershy and Gabby, sitting on the sidelines. "Did ya guys see that?" she asked them both. "Not too shabby, if I do say so myself."

"That was WAY better than just 'not too shabby'!!" said Gabby, getting giddy and excited. "That was totally AMAZING!! The best I've ever seen!!"

"I agree." Fluttershy replied in a much quieter tone than Gabby. "I can tell that you've changed a lot since we first met...It would be my honor to Duel you again, when the time comes."

"Thanks. Me too." said Gilda. She then looked across the field and noticed something peculiar. "Huh...what happened that weirdo that I was duelin'?" Turning over towards Sunset, she then asked her, "Hey, Sunset! Where'd that Night Switch guy go? Wasn't he just sitting there a few seconds ago?"

"He was..." the red-and-yellow girl replied, "but he left pretty much right after the Duel."

"Yeesh...couldn't even be bothered to trash-talk me after losing?" wondered the Girffonstone teen. "What a sore loser..."

(Still...) pondered Sunset, (what was that weird feeling I got from him...? When he started losing his cool, I could feel some sort of negative energy coming off of him... But what could it mean?) She wasn't sure what to make out of it right now, but ever since she first saw him during the prelims, she had a bad feeling about Night Switch...

Elsewhere, in the tunnels below the arena, Night Switch was facing a large concrete wall. Throwing caution to the wind, he pounded it with his fists, not aware of (or more likely, caring about) the physical damage he could do to himself. "How...?" he said to himself. "How could I have lost...?? Everything was going as I predicted...so how could this have happened...?!" Growling and getting angrier, he then muttered to himself, "They will pay... They will all pay...for defying me of my destiny!!"

At that moment, a blue mark began to glow on the back of his left hand, in the shape of the number 60...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???

RANK 44: Birdie and the Beast:

Author's Note

And now the fourth Duel of the tournament's first round goes underway. This Duel was pretty fun to write, despite that it was tricky in a few spots. In addition, this episode features more on Discord's journey as well, and I have some interesting things in store for that side-story...

EDIT: As of February 26, 2020, this story has achieved a total of 100 likes! Thank you!

RANK 44: Birdie and the Beast:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

So far, in the WCQ Qualifier Tournament, three Duels had taken place: Ember and her Dragon Deck emerged victorious over the Amazoness cards wielded by Indigo Bolt. Later, out-of-towner Duelist Steel Shadows came in with his Six Samurai Deck and managed to defeat another newcomer named Slid Diamond, who used a Dinosaur Deck. In the third Duel that followed, Gilda - a student from Griffonstone High School, went up against another unknown face: His name was Night Switch, and he already seemed to believe that he would win easily.

Gilda's Raidraptors clashed fiercely with Night's Destiny HEROes throughout the entire match. Then, when Night Switch revealed his ace-in-the-hole - The Grand Jupiter (one of the Legendary Planet cards), it seemed that his prediction of the Duel's outcome would come true. But with the support of her new friends, as well as the knowledge she had gained from her past Duels, Gilda managed to not only defend herself from Jupiter's wrath, but was also able to defeat it and secure her spot in the next round of Duels. Strangely enough however, Night Switch vanished shortly after the Duel was over...

Now the fourth Duel of the first round is about to go underway... And as everyone will soon see, the next two Duelists to be selected will be a shocking surprise to all those in attendance...

The air was still filled with excitement after the third Duel of the tournament had finally wrapped up. Gilda had managed to defeat Night Switch - a boy who seemed to think he had the Duel won before it even began. Obviously, his prediction hadn't come true, and Gilda had won the right to compete in the quarterfinals. After the Duel was over, the competitors and spectators were given a five-minute break before the next match.

"You did it, Gilda!!" cheered Gabby in her usual ecstatic tone of voice. "I knew you could do it!"

"Pfft, like I'd let a weirdo like that beat me in a Duel?" Gilda asked rhetorically. "Believe me, it was my pleasure to boot him out of the competition." She then turned to Fluttershy and asked her, "So, tell me: What'd you think of the Duel?"

"I think you did amazing...!" the normally-shy girl replied. "I can see that you've gotten much stronger since our first Duel with each other. I never thought I'd ever say something like this, but...well...I'm really excited to face you again...!"

"Same here." the kindly roughneck told her. "And I'll make sure to give ya the Duel I should've given ya last time!" Fluttershy nodded, looking forward to that moment, if and when it came. Looking up into the stands above them, Gilda also saw her other friend Martin, along with Pinkie Pie. She then said to her other friends, "I'm glad t' see that you guys showed up to watch too...though I didn't see you there when the game started. What took ya so long?"

"Well, um...we ran into a bit of a snag earlier..." Martin told her.

"A snag?" asked Gilda, wondering what that meant.

"It's nothin' to worry about!" Pinkie chimed in. "We managed to take care of it together so that we wouldn't miss the end of the Duel!" Gilda smiled a bit; though she didn't know what had happened to the two of them during her match, she did notice that Martin sounded a bit more confident than he did the last time she talked to him. In any case, she was happy to see her school friend overcoming some of his nervousness.

Glancing around the arena, Gilda noticed something that was off. Turning over to Sunset Shimmer, she asked her, "Say, Sunset...did ya see where that Night Switch guy went? He was here a moment ago, but now he's gone..."

"Hmmm..." the jacket-wearing teen hummed, looking around. "That's a good question... He must have slipped out of the arena after he lost the Duel."

"Yeesh, what a sore loser..." noted Spike, sitting on Twilight Sparkle's lap. "Doesn't even stick around to watch the rest of the tournament...or even congratulate Gilda for her win?"

"He was a bit strange, to put it mildly..." the Princess of Friendship stated. "I can't put my hoof- er, finger on it, but something seemed particularly off about him and the way he acted..."

(...Good, it wasn't just me, then...) thought Sunset after hearing her friend's comment. (I can't say I'm certain about it, but when he started losing the Duel...I could swear I felt some kind of ill feeling coming off of him. I thought it was just some chill I got from his appearance and attitude...but Twilight seemed to feel it as well... That can't be a coincidence.)

Her thoughts on the matter were interrupted when Megan Williams - the tournament MC, flipped on her microphone and spoke into it, saying, "Allllllright, ladies and gentlemen! We're ready to begin the fourth Duel of the first round! Those who have yet to be selected for a Duel, keep a close eye on the big screen: You may be next!"

Figuring that she should worry about the matter involving Night Switch some other time, Sunset put her focus back on her job as Tournament Judge. Watching the monitors, she stated, "Whoever wins this match faces off against Gilda next round..."

"I wonder who it'll be?" asked Martin.

"Well, according to the introduction," said Pinkie Pie, "it'll be a shocking surprise to all of us." This put a confused expression on Martin's face as he wondered what she was talking about.

The reels on the digital slot machine spun quickly, cycling through the remaining ten Duelists. "Yes, folks," Megan said, "the slots are rolling! Soon, we'll know who will be next to face off against one another!" The audience, staff, and especially the remaining competitors were on pins and needles, wondering who would duel next. And when the reels stopped, there was a large collective gasp when the two Duelists were revealed...

"Fluttershy and Gabby!!" announced Megan with excitement. "They will be competing in the next Duel!"

"Oh...oh my...!!" gasped Fluttershy. "I-I-I-I'm next...!"

"M-me too...!" Gabby said, finding it hard to believe that she would be dueling right after Gilda. For once, her facial expression was anything but a chipper one; she now seemed about as nervous as Fluttershy was.

"Heheheh...well, isn't THIS interesting?" chuckled Gilda. "Who would've thought, out of all the remaining Duelists for the first round, you two would be next? And right after my Duel, even?"

"I did!!" shouted Pinkie.

Walking over to them, Gilda then said to them both, "You know what this means, right? Whoever wins this fights me in the second round. I'm lookin' forward to duelin' one of you when that happens."

Fluttershy and Gabby then looked at each other, still in total disbelief that they would have to compete against one another. After all, Gilda was the whole reason they had signed up for the tournament in the first place. Now it was clear that only one of them would get to the chance to battle her...

"Wow...unbelievable..." said Sunset. "Those two are the next ones to Duel... Talk about pressure."

"What do ya mean?" asked Spike. "What pressure?"

"Well, Fluttershy entered this tournament because she wanted to have a rematch with Gilda ever since the Inter-school Duel." the red-and-yellow girl explained to him. "And from what I was told, Gabby was taught how to Duel by Gilda herself, and I'll bet she's been really eager to show off what she's learned in that short amount of time. But with the pairings as they are, only one of them will get to face her next round..."

"In other words," Twilight spoke, "one of those two will get what they wanted during the tournament...but the other won't. That IS a lot of pressure on both of them..."

"While I do agree that it could create a lot of stress on those two, having to Duel each other with the stakes as they are," Sunset continued, "that ALSO means that - because they both want the chance to duel Gilda next round, that could help to bring out their best dueling skills, too. I wouldn't be surprised if this match is just as action-packed as the others have been, maybe even more."

"I guess we'll just have to see what happens for ourselves, then..." said Spike as he and Twilight looked over the arena.

After the usual formalities for the start of the Duel came and went (shuffling each others' Decks and determining turn order), it was decided that Fluttershy would go first. As they stood on opposite ends of the arena, the yellow-and-pink girl - clad in her customized dueling outfit made for her by Rarity, thought to herself, (This is it... My one and only chance to duel Gilda in the next round... I have to admit...this is probably the most nervous I've ever been in my life... But I won't let that fear overtake me...! I made a promise to Gilda, and I don't want to break it! I want to show her just how much I've grown as a Duelist... So I have to win!)

On the other side, Gabby had some thoughts running through her own mind as well. (So this is it... I've got a chance to take on Gilda in the next round.) the young girl pondered. (But in order to do that, I have to win this Duel first! I promised Gilda that once I got strong enough, I wanted to take her on and show her how strong I really am, just like when she dueled her grandpa! I don't know if I can beat Gilda yet or not, but I want the chance to at least try and do it! There's no two ways around it: I have to WIN!!)

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" said Megan with excitement in her voice. "Time to begin the next Duel! Duelists, draw your cards and get ready to brawl!"

"Let's DUEL!!" said Fluttershy and Gabby, drawing their opening hands (Fluttershy: LP 4,000) (Gabby: LP 4,000). No one knew just what kind of Duel these two would produce, and everyone was anxious to see just what they were made of...

Elsewhere - in what seemed to be a vast, empty space, an object could be seen flying in the sky above, coming closer and closer to the ground. As it neared, the object was revealed to be a hot-air balloon. However, the balloon was designed to look just like Discord's head, which sported a toothy grin. Inside of the balloon's basket was Discord himself, who appeared to be driving the balloon using a steering wheel of some sort; he somehow managed to travel between Sunset Shimmer's mind to here inside the bizarre-looking craft.

After the balloon touched down on the pink-colored ground below, Discord stepped out of the basket, reached back inside, and brought out what appeared to be a steering wheel lock. He then locked it over the wheel in the balloon before saying, "Safety first: After all, you can never be too careful these days." The draconequus then reached into his...pocket (where he had previously stored his suitcase) and pulled out another map before saying, "Now let's see...Twilight's Soul Room... Hmmm...this place is pretty big... Might be hard to find my way around here. I could use a guide of some sort..."

Just then, a large pink cloud formed in front of Discord and exploded in a shower of pink fluff. In place of the cloud, there now stood a secretary-like desk, with the pony version of Twilight Sparkle sitting behind it. "May I help you, sir?" she then asked.

"Hm? Twilight, is that you?" inquired the draconequus.

"Twilight?" asked the purple pony. "Well, yes and no. My name IS Twilight, but I'm not THE Twilight whose mind you and I are currently occupying. Rather, I'm merely a visual representation of her complex thought processes; specifically, her detailed attention to organization."

"OHHHH, I see." Discord replied, understanding the situation. "Yeah, I have those sorts of things in my head too. And lemme tell ya, it's a real circus in there! Literally, it's a circus; clowns and everything."

"In any case," said Twilight, "I am willing to help guide you through this area and help you find whatever you are looking for. I only ask that you not disturb anything in her mind; we've only just started sorting out most of her recent thoughts."

"Well actually, as a matter of fact," the draconequus told her, "that's what I wanted to see: Could you show me Twilight's most recent memories? In particular, any strange dreams she might have had in the past few days?"

"Dreams?" asked the other Twilight. "Hmmm...if I remember correctly - which I tend to always do, we should be able to find those stored away in the cortex...or maybe the limbic system. Anyway, I'll take you over there, if you wish; it's actually pretty easy to lose your way around here."

"In other words, I could get...'lost in thought' as one might put it?" Discord joked. He let out a hearty chuckle, finding his comment quite funny.

"Uuugh...!! That was TERRIBLE!" groaned what appeared to be a second Twilight (also in pony form), passing by the two of them by in the opposite direction with a slight scowl on her face.

"...Yeesh, what was that about?" the spirit of Chaos asked the first Twilight.

"Oh, don't mind her." she told him. "She's in charge of the apathetic part of Twilight's personality. She doesn't get much work to do, and gets bored pretty easily."

"Hmm, I can imagine..." hummed the draconequus as they continued on their way. Discord hoped that whatever he could dig up in Twilight's mind could help him figure out more information regarding the dream that he had previously seen in Sunset's mind. Figuring that since the dream was centered on look-a-like versions of both girls, he should find a similar dream in Twilight's mind as well...at least, that's what he assumed. In any case, he continued to follow the Twilight in front of him to where all of the dreams were stored...

Back in reality, the surprise Duel between Fluttershy and Gabby had just started. Both Duelists wanted the same thing: To win this Duel so that they could take on Gilda in the next round. However, only one of them would get that chance. Who it was going to be was anyone's guess.

Looking over her hand, Fluttershy thought to herself, (Okay...this is it... If I win this Duel, I'll finally get to face Gilda again... I just hope that I CAN get through this... Well, here goes...) Taking a card from out of her hand, she said, "I'll start by playing the Spell Card Terraforming. I'll use it to add my Naturia Forest Field Spell from my Deck to my hand." After getting her chosen card out of the Deck, she then immediately played it, transforming the area around them into a dense, yet bright forest.

"Looks like Fluttershy's still using her Naturia Deck, just like during our first Duel..." Gilda noted, watching the Duel closely. "The effects of the Naturias can activate in response to almost anything the opponent might do, so that she always has the element of surprise... Let's see just how Gabby can deal with them..."

After playing her Field Spell, Fluttershy then said, "Next, I'll set a monster in Defense Mode...then two cards face-down... Um, then I end my turn."

Looking at her field, Gabby then thought to herself, (Gilda told me that you were tough, Fluttershy... I'll admit, you don't look like you are, but she wouldn't fib about something like that! Either way, I'm gonna beat you and get my Duel with Gilda!)

"It's my turn! I draw!" said the younger Griffonstone girl as she drew her first card. Looking at it, she then declared, "I'll start by Special Summoning a monster from my hand!"

"A-a Special Summon?" asked Fluttershy with a slight gasp. "Right away?!"

"You've got it!" Gabby said with a giggle. Playing her card, she shouted, "I Summon Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler in Attack Mode!!" Her first monster appeared to be a very young girl with turquoise eyes wearing a jumpsuit of some sort. Only - instead of arms, the suit had a pair of dark yellow wings with blue-tipped feathers. The suit was mostly a tannish-yellow with yellow streaks running around it, as well as a few black bumps on the shoulders, chest area, hips and knees. The legs of the suit were orange and resembled bird legs, and the outfit was topped with a brown helmet and goggles (Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 100).

"She's using a Lyrilusc Deck?" asked Vinyl Scratch, sitting beside her friend Octavia Melody on a bench to the side of the arena.

"I must say, that is a rather interesting Deck choice for this tournament..." said Octavia. "Not what I would have expected to see in a major competition."

"Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler's effect lets me Special Summon her from my hand if I've got no monsters on the field." Gabby explained. "And not only that, but BECAUSE I Special Summoned her from my hand, I get to use her OTHER effect! Now I can Special Summon another Lyrilusc monster from my hand to keep her company! And I choose...this one! Cobalt Sparrow!!" She then excitedly played her second monster to the field right away.

The next Lyrilusc monster - Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow, was another young girl wearing a bird-like jumpsuit. Hers was mostly chocolate-brown in color, with a patch of white across her chest, as well as on both her legs (each of which ended at a yellow bird's foot), and her feathery "hair" on the back of her head. Her cobalt-blue eyes shone like jewels underneath her bird head-shaped helmet (Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 100).

"Another monster..." noted Fluttershy, sizing up the situation. "And they're both Level 1... I guess she might try for an Xyz Summon next..."

"Not bad so far..." Sunset noted. "Gabby Summoned two monsters, and she even still has her Normal Summon left for this turn. She's definitely setting something up..."

"But what IS she gonna do?" asked Spike.

"Not sure," Twilight told him, "but I'm pretty sure we'll see very soon."

Continuing her turn, Gabby then told her opponent, "Now I activate Cobalt Sparrow's effect! After she's Special Summoned, I get to add another Level 1 Winged Beast monster from my Deck to my hand!" She then selected Raidraptor - Last Strix as her choice and added it to her hand. Then - taking another card from her hand, she said, "Now I'll activate the effect of Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow in my hand! Since I've got at least one Winged Beast out on the field, I can Special Summon her, along with ANOTHER Level1 Winged Beast from my hand!"

"A-A-AGAIN?!" exclaimed Fluttershy in shock.

"For cryin' out loud...!" Rainbow Dash asked. "How many monsters is she gonna Summon this turn??"

Taking a second card out of her hand, Gabby then announced, "Now I Special Summon Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow to the field, along with Sonic Chick; BOTH in Attack Mode!" Her first monster - like her previous two, was a young girl in a bird costume, though she seemed slightly older compared to the others. Her outfit was composed mostly of different shades of blue, and it even appeared as if she was wearing a tuxedo. Her dark blue eyes matched her outfit completely, as did the blue bird hat she wore on her head (Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 0). The other monster was a tiny, pink bird with pale-green eyes and tiny wings. It wore a small green collar around its neck and a pair of red boots (Sonic Chick: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 300).

"Hmmm...not a bad start." thought Steel Shadows as he watched from the sidelines like the other competitors. "Summoning four monsters on just her first turn. I'm quite familiar with the Lyrilusc Deck's strategy, so I am pretty certain of what's coming next..."

Fluttershy knew what was coming as well, even though she wasn't as familiar with the Deck like Steel was. She braced herself and said, "No matter what...I have to remain brave... I have to...!"

"Alrighty, Fluttershy! Get ready for this!!" cheered Gabby. "I overlay all four of my monsters to create the Overlay Network!!"

"A-all four of them?!" gasped Sunset as all of Gabby's monsters on the field transformed into beams of light - three green and one orange. The beams were then sucked into a red summoning portal in the center of the field.

"Birds with beautiful wings!" the young Griffonstone student chanted. "Gather together and sing the majestic song of victory! Xyz Summon! Now be heard! Rank 1! Lyrilusc - Recital Starling!!" After her chant was done, the portal shot out a brilliant red light. When it faded, a new monster was now on the field, surrounded by four green orbs that circled her. She was an older woman - probably a young adult, with pink skin and amber-colored eyes. Like the other Lyriluscs, she wore a bird-like costume, but hers was a lot more elaborate: It was mostly dark blue, with some bits of dark green here and there as well as gold trimmings. Her navy blue wings had star patterns on them, and her bird-shaped headwear was dotted with purple gems.

*******************************

Lyrilusc - Recital Starling:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Winged Beast/WIND/Rank 1/ATK 0/DEF 0)

2+ Level 1 monsters
If this card is Xyz Summoned: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field; it gains 300 ATK/DEF for each material attached to this card. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; add 1 Level 1 Winged Beast monster from your Deck to your hand. All battle damage you take from battles involving this Xyz Summoned card is also inflicted to your opponent.

*******************************

"How MARVELOUS...!!" Rarity squealed with glee. "She's absoLUTEly beautiful! I'd love to have one of those, even though I can't use it for my own Deck!"

"But...why'd she use up all four o' her monsters for just that one?" Applejack wondered.

"...Pthbth." responded Fluffle Puff, who was still sitting with them and Rainbow Dash. Of course, no one knew what she said.

Back in the arena, Fluttershy asked her opponent, "So...um, Gabby? What does this monster do...? That is, if you don't mind me asking..."

"I'll tell ya, but there's a few OTHER things I gotta mention first:" Gabby replied. "To start, since I used Cobalt Sparrow to Summon Recital Starling, you can't target her with any card effects! Second, since I used Sapphire Swallow as a material, I can take a Lyrilusc card from my Graveyard and stick it to her as a material!"

"...But, you don't have any in your Graveyard, Gabby." Sunset Shimmer reminded her.

"Huh? I don't?" asked the dark-grey teen. She then tapped her D-Pad and checked her Graveyard. "Oops! You're right! I don't have any! In fact, I don't have ANY cards in the Graveyard yet! My bad!" Most of the people watching let out a slight groan in response.

"Heh...even during a Duel, Gabby's still Gabby..." Gilda said to herself, chuckling a bit.

"Let's see...where was I...?" thought the younger Griffonstone girl. "Oh yeah! Recital Starling's effect! After she's Xyz Summoned, I can target any monster on the field and give it three hundred attack points for every one of her Overlay Units! And of course, I'll have her target herself!" And with that declaration, Gabby's Xyz Monster became more powerful in an instant (Lyrilusc - Recital Starling: ATK 0 + 1200 = 1200 / DEF 0 +1200 = 1200).

(I see now...) thought Utopia from within Twilight's mind. (She used all four of her monsters to Xyz Summon Recital Starling because of that effect.)

(Sure seems like it.) Twilight responded with her thoughts only.

At that moment, Utopia perked his head up. (Hm? What is that...?) he asked.

(What's what?) Twilight inquired him.

(...I think I sense something in your mind, Twilight.) he told her. (I'll look into it. I shall return as soon as I am done.) And with that, the warrior retreated into the depths of his master's mind. Twilight wasn't sure what that was all about, but decided not to worry about it for now so that she could pay attention to the Duel.

"Time for my Battle Phase!!" shouted Gabby. "Recital Starling, attack Fluttershy's face-down monster! Shrieking Melody!" Her monster then let out an ear-piercing scream that immediately caused everyone watching to cover their ears. Unfortunately for Fluttershy's monster, its arms were too short to reach its ears (Naturia Cherries: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 200). Thus, it was destroyed. "Alright! I got 'em!!"

Letting go of her ears, Fluttershy then said to Gabby, "...I activate the effect of Naturia Cherries. After they are destroyed by one of your cards, I can Special Summon up to two more from my Deck in Defense Mode." The pale-yellow girl then took the other copies of Naturia Cherries out of her Deck and placed them face-down on her field.

"Urrgh...so I destroyed one, but two more took its place?" asked Gabby. "That's a little irritating..." Taking a card from under her Xyz Monster, she added, "Then I'll use Recital Starling's effect: I remove one Overlay Unit and add Turquoise Warbler from my Deck to my hand!" After taking her chosen card (Lyrilusc - Recital Starling: OLU 4 - 1 = 3), she said, "Okay, it's your turn." Fluttershy nodded as she prepared to draw a card from her Deck...

Back in the audience stands, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluffle Puff were watching the Duel very closely, wondering what would happen next. "Those two still seem like they're just feelin' each other out..." AJ noted. "No one's damaged each other yet, and both of 'em have made some good openin' plays."

"The good news is that Fluttershy's still holding her own against this Gabby chick..." said Dash. "She's even got two monsters t' help her Summon out somethin' stronger!"

"Let us hope that she can, for her sake." Rarity chimed in. "After all, she needs to win this Duel in order to get her re-match with Gilda."

At that moment, Pinkie Pie finally returned to the area where her friends were sitting after hers and Martin's little adventure earlier on. "Hey girls!!" she said in her usual cheery voice. "Sorry 'bout the wait: It's kind of a long story, but you can pull up the previous episode if ya really wanna know what happened!" Turning over to Fluffle Puff she said to her, "Thanks for keeping my seat warm. And I can see you wasted no time getting into those tacos I promised ya."

The fluffy pink girl nodded her head while munching on a taco that had been in her mouth the whole time.

"It's about time you got back, Pinks." Rainbow Dash told her. "We were beginnin' t' wonder if you'd vanished on us."

"And miss watching Fluttershy's Duel? Notta chance!" said Pinkie, sitting in between both Rainbow and Fluffle Puff. "You'd have a better chance of Victory Dragon getting off the banlist than that! And speaking of victory, I'd better get started cheering for Fluttershy! She'll need our support!" Turning her attention back to the Duel in progress, the party-loving teen shouted, "Go for it, Fluttershy! You can win this one, two, three!!"

"Yeah! Show her what you're made of, Flutters!" Dash cheered as well. The others shouted encouraging words of their own as well to show their support (Fluffle Puff did so with a loud, happy gasp, which dropped the taco she was eating onto her lap).

Feeling her friends' support for her, Fluttershy said to herself, "I'll do it...! I'll do my best and show everyone how much stronger I've become...!" Pulling the top card of her Deck, she shouted, "I draw!" She then looked at the card and placed it into her hand. "For my first move...I'll Flip Summon both of my face-down Naturia Cherries...!" The two monsters then revealed themselves to everyone watching. "Next," she continued, "I'll activate my Trap Card, Naturia Sacred Tree! By releasing my EARTH Plant-Type Naturia Cherries, I can then Special Summon a Level 4 or lower EARTH Insect monster from my Deck."

(I get it...) thought Gabby. (She planned on having me trigger her Cherries' effect so that she could play that Trap Card...)

After disposing of one of her two Naturia Cherries, she then pulled out a new card from her Deck and said, "I Special Summon the Level 4 Naturia Mantis in Attack Mode!" The nature-lover's newest monster was a small, cute-looking praying mantis with baby-blue eyes and leaves in place of the scythes on its arms (Naturia Mantis: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1500).

"Hmmm... I see what you're up to." said Gilda, smirking a little.

"Now I'll tune my Level 1 Naturia Cherries to my Level 4 Naturia Mantis!" Fluttershy shouted. Her cherry monster then began to glow and transformed itself into a small, white light that shot up into the air. It returned as a green ring that surrounded her other monster, transforming it into four more lights (Level 1 + Level 4 = Level 5). "Blessed forest, give me your strength!" the girl chanted. "Call forth the beast as green as the trees to protect the creatures that dwell within it! Synchro Summon! Hear my call! Level 5! Naturia Beast!!"

After her chant was done, the ring and lights were struck by a column of bright light. After it faded away, Fluttershy's green tiger creature was now on the field, ready to battle (Naturia Beast: Level 5 / ATK 2200 / DEF 1700).

"Yeah! Fluttershy brought out one of her Synchro Monsters!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "She's got this one in the bag!"

"It does seem that way," Rarity stated, "but let's not assume that things will go exactly the way we think... After all, we can't say for sure that her opponent doesn't have a countermove ready to go."

"Wha'dya mean?" asked the cyan-skinned girl. "That other chick doesn't have any face-down cards out! Flutters'll be just fine!"

"That don't necessarily mean she's totally defenseless." Applejack told her. "Don't get me wrong; Ah WANT Fluttershy t' win, but she can't get too cocky, even though she's got a powerful monster out." Dash understood the gist of what the others were saying, but still believed that Fluttershy had the advantage right now.

Fluttershy however, was also weighing the potential risks as well as she tapped on her D-Pad's screen. "Now I activate the Trap Card, Horn of the Phantom Beast...! This card equips onto my Beast-Type Naturia Beast and gives it an additional eight hundred attack points!" At that moment, a pair of what appeared to be moose antlers formed onto her Synchro Monster, raising its power (Naturia Beast: ATK 2200 + 800 = 3000).

"Not only is her monster much stronger," Sunset said to herself, "but every time Fluttershy uses it to destroy one of Gabby's monsters, she'll get to draw another card."

"Then, I'll Summon Naturia Butterfly in Attack Mode..." the pale-yellow girl said next, playing the card she had drawn during her turn. Her monster was a small, pink butterfly with pale-ink wings and green legs (Naturia Butterfly: Level 3 / ATK 500 / DEF 1200). With the stage all set, Fluttershy decided to go for it and attack. "Go, Naturia Beast! Attack Recital Starling with Naturia Claw Strike!" The green tiger-beast roared and pounced on Gabby's Xyz Monster, slashing it with its claws and wiping it out.

"Aaaack!!" Gabby shrieked as she took a big hit to her Life Points (Gabby: LP 4,000 - 1,800 = 2,200). She then looked up at her opponent and told her, with a smile, "You got me pretty good there! But now watch THIS!"

"Huh...?" asked Fluttershy, confused. But then when she glanced up, she gasped when she saw a flurry of navy-blue feathers suddenly coming from out of nowhere. "Eeeeeeeee!!" she screamed, taking damage as well when the feathers struck her (Fluttershy: LP 4,000 - 1,800 = 2,200).

"What the-? What just happened?!" asked Rainbow, bewildered. "Why did Fluttershy take damage too?"

"That's Recital Starling's OTHER effect for ya!" the younger Griffonstone girl explained. "If I take any damage in a battle involving her, my opponent ALSO gets hit with the same amount of damage right back! Didn't see THAT one comin', did ya?"

Fluttershy sighed a little; she didn't expect that move at all. "Even so..." she told her opponent, "since Naturia Beast destroyed her in battle, I draw a card with the effect of Horn of the Phantom Beast." She then drew her next card, seeing that it was Naturia Bamboo Shoot.

"Ah thought so... That's why she didn't set any face-down cards last turn." Applejack stated. "She knew Fluttershy wouldn't be able to resist attackin' her monster while it wasn't bein' protected, so she lulled her into a false sense o' security in order t' set off that effect."

"Wow... I guess you two were right about Gabby having a countermove ready, huh?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Indeed, but it isn't all bad for Fluttershy right now..." Rarity pointed out. "While she may have lost some of her Life Points, she still has monsters on the field while her opponent does not. Not only that, but she still can attack with her Butterfly this turn as well!"

"Whew...that's a relief." said Rainbow, relieved to hear that.

Looking over the field in front of her, Fluttershy thought to herself, (Let's see... Gabby has no other cards out, so I can attack her directly right now...) Despite knowing this, the shy girl had a feeling that something wasn't quite right regarding the situation, based on the fact that her opponent didn't seem too worried about being defenseless. (...Still, I have to at least try.) Fluttershy thought before shouting, "Naturia Butterfly, attack Gabby directly!" The small creature then whipped up a gust of wind aimed straight towards the other player.

"Sorry, but I'm not gonna let you get to my Life Points THAT easily!" Gabby shouted cheerfully. Taking a card from her and placing onto her D-Pad's card tray, she then declared, "Come on out, Battle Fader!" Immediately, a small, fiendish-looking creature appeared on Gabby's field in Defense Position, appearing to be a combination of a demon and a clock pendulum (Battle Fader: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0). Right after it appeared, the bell attached to its body let out a low GONG sound, which was strong enough to shield itself and Gabby from Naturia Butterfly's attack.

"Hey, what just happened??" Spike asked Sunset. "Why didn't Fluttershy's attack work?"

"Because of Battle Fader's effect, that's why." the red-and-yellow teen answered him. "When its user is about to get hit directly, it can Summon itself from the player's hand. Afterwards, it automatically ends the Battle Phase. Which means Fluttershy can't attack it right now."

"That's a pretty good tactic, I'll have to admit." Twilight said. "She made herself look completely defenseless...but in reality, she had a plan to defend herself and even cause some damage to Fluttershy as well. This Gabby person is a lot stronger than she's making herself seem..."

"Fluttershy can still beat her, can she?" asked the dragon-turned-puppy.

"As long as she's ready for anything, she still has a chance...I hope." the young Princess replied. The two of them - along with Sunset, continued to watch the Duel as it progressed.

Sighing a bit out of disappointment, Fluttershy told her opponent, "Okay...I guess I will end my turn. So go ahead."

"Alright then! Here I go!" said Gabby, drawing a card. Looking over the field, the grey girl thought, (I may have pulled off that combo just like Gilda taught me, but I still have to deal with that Synchro Monster with three thousand attack points...) Noticing a card in her hand, her eyes lit up as she said, "Hey! This might do it!" Without hesitating even a little, she played the card right away and shouted, "I activate the Spell Card, Quill Pen of Gulldos!!"

*******************************

Quill Pen of Gulldos:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 2 WIND monsters in your GY and 1 card on the field; shuffle both of those first 2 targets into your Deck, and if you do, return the other to the hand.

*******************************

"I'll take Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow and Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow in my Graveyard and shuffle 'em back into my Deck," she stated, "and send your Naturia Beast back into your Extra Deck!"

"That won't work!" Fluttershy responded. "I activate Naturia Beast's effect! By sending the top two cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, I can negate your Spell Card and destroy it!" After paying the cost, her Synchro Monster let out a mighty roar that shattered Gabby's card.

"Aw, no!! I forgot it had that effect!" said the grey girl, a bit distressed.

"Not only that," the nature-lover continued, "but since I negated the activation of your Spell Card, my Naturia Forest lets me add my Naturia Cosmobeet from my Deck to my hand." Gabby groaned a little at the fact that she had just given her opponent more of an advantage.

"Gabby! Ya gotta think out your moves a bit more!" Gilda shouted at her. "You can't just rush in blindly and not pay attention!"

(Hmmm...she's right...) thought Gabby as she sized up the situation. (I can't rush things, or I'll just make another stupid mistake like that... I have to calm down; it's the only way I'll get my Duel with Gilda in the tournament...) Looking at her hand, she then noticed another card that could help her. (Hmmm...her Naturia Beast can only negate Spells; It can't stop Traps, however...) Taking the card out of her hand and putting it into her Duel Pad, she said, "I'll set a card face-down, and then I'll Normal Summon Raidraptor - Last Strix in Attack Mode!"

Gabby's next monster was a small bird wearing massive amounts of armor. It was shown having small, green wings, a red and silver-colored body (complete with the Raidraptors' insignia on its chest), and a yellow head, beak, and talons. Despite its miniscule size, it had a fierce look upon its face (Raidraptor - Last Strix: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 100).

"A...a Raidraptor??" asked Fluttershy. Seeing that monster pop up confirmed her suspicions that Gilda had taught her opponent how to play Duel Monsters, figuring that she had put the card in Gabby's Deck. Snapping out of her shock, she then told her opponent, "By Normal Summoning a monster, I can use the effect of Naturia Cosmobeet and Summon it in Defense Mode!" She then played her monster, which was a small flower bulb with big, blue eyes (Naturia Cosmobeet: Level 2 / ATK 1000 / DEF 700).

"Now Gabby's got another two Level 1 monsters..." noted Applejack. "No doubt about it: She's plannin' another Xyz Summonin'..."

"The only question is: WHAT will she Summon?" Rarity inquired.

They would all get their answer soon, as Gabby put her hand into the air and shouted, "Now I'll overlay my Level 1 Battle Fader and Raidraptor - Last Strix to create an Overlay Network!" Immediately, her two monsters transformed into a pair of purple lights that were drawn into a red portal in the middle of the field. "Disdainful Bird of Paradise, come into this world!" she then chanted. "Show no fear in front of the enemy! Prove that nothing can break past you! Xyz Summon! Come on out, Rank 1! Kikinagashi Fucho!"

Then, from out of the red portal came a small, black-and-yellow bird surrounded by a pair of green orbs. Above its each of its eyes were a pair of wavy red wattles. Due to its size as well as its facial expression - which suggested that it didn't seem to really care about the battle going on around it, Gabby's new monster didn't seem very tough at all (Kikinagashi Fucho: Rank 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0 / OLU 2).

"...Uh...Tavi?" Vinyl asked her friend. "What the heck is that...??"

"A small bird, obviously." Octavia told her. "Really, the question you ought to be asking is, 'Why did that girl Summon it?'"

To most everyone in the audience, Gabby's Xyz Monster didn't seem that strong at all. However, Sunset and Fluttershy were among the few that weren't so sure about that. They had a feeling that Gabby was once again trying to make things look easier than they actually were, and that this new monster was part of that strategy.

"I'll put Kikinagashi Fucho in Defense Mode and end my turn with that." said Gabby with a smile. "It's your turn!" Fluttershy nodded as she proceeded with her turn, extra-cautiously...

Meanwhile, back in the mind of Twilight Sparkle, Discord was following a Twilight look-a-like to where the Princess of Friendship's dreams were stored away. The area they came to appeared to be a room with a beautiful night sky theme to it. The room was circular, with dark-blue walls and a blue-violet carpet on the floor. The ceiling was of a similar color to the walls, but was also decorated with small, white stars surrounding a bright, white moon in the center (incidentally, the stars and moon also appeared to be the room's sources of light as well).

Approaching a desk, Discord and the mind-generated Twilight were met by yet another Twilight clone. This one, however, was wearing a black crown and necklace, the latter of which had a crescent moon emblazoned upon it, making her look like Princess Luna (at least in terms of her outfit). "Hello. Welcome to the Dream Archives." she said to them. "I'm in charge of collecting and sorting out Twilight Sparkle's dreams. May I help you two?"

The other Twilight that was with Discord said to her, "Yes, you can. We wish to take a look at Twilight's most recent dreams, if that is okay with you."

"May I ask why?" inquired the Luna-cosplaying Twilight.

Clearing his throat, Discord stepped forward and told her, "It's for Princesses Celestia and Luna. They sent me to look into matters involving little Twily, and I believe that looking into her dreams might help out with that. So whad'ya say?"

"Hmmmmm...I admit, it is an unusual request..." hummed the dream-managing Twilight. "But I suppose if it's for the Princesses - Luna especially, I suppose I could allow you both to do what you need to. All I ask is that you leave the chamber in the same manner as when you walked in; we can't afford to leave anything out of place."

"We understand perfectly." said the Twilight assisting Discord. "I promise you that nothing will be disturbed." Discord promised too, and signified it by placing his right hand on his chest, raising his left hand, and making an angel's halo appear over his head. Satisfied with that, the dream-managing Twilight escorted them both down a hallway to a door labeled "DREAM STORAGE". After once again reminding them to not make a mess of anything inside, she returned to her work desk.

"Well, now that THAT'S out of the way, let's get to work!" said Discord, rubbing his hands together. He then tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Hm? What's wrong with this thing?" he then asked.

"Hang on; need to unlock it first." said the Twilight that was with him. Using her magic, she pulled out a shiny, purple key with her cutie mark on the handle and used it to unlock the door in front of them. She then nudged the door open and went inside, with Discord following shortly after.

Switching on the lights, the pair found themselves in a vast room full of what appeared to be shelves of film reels. The room seemed to stretch upwards infinitely, as neither of them could see the top of it - if there WAS a top. In the center of the room was a pair of pink recliner chairs and a film projector. On the wall in front of the chairs and projector was a big, white screen - clearly used for watching the films.

"Oh my..." said Discord, looking around in slight astonishment. "This might be a little tougher than I thought..."

"Well, the Dream Archives have every single dream that Twilight has ever had." said the Twilight that was with him. "From fillyhood to marehood, every single dream is stored here for safe-keeping."

"Every single one??" asked the draconequus. "You're kidding! It'll take YEARS to find the dream I need to see!" Pulling out what appeared to be a standard-sized grandfather clock from out of nowhere, Discord looked at the clock face. However, instead of the usual display, the face was split into four sections: "More than enough time", "Just in time", "Not enough time", and "Time to retire". The hand on the clock (there was only one) was jittering in-between "Just in time" and "Not enough time". Discord grumbled, saying, "At this rate, we'll have gone into the events of the series finale LONG before we're done!"

"It is a bit distressing, I know...but there's not much we can do." Twilight told him.

"...Perhaps I may be of help?" asked a male voice from nearby. The two of them looked over in the direction of the voice and saw someone standing at the door. It was none other than Utopia, who had gone into the deep recesses of Twilight's mind after noticing a slight disturbance.

"It...it's you again!" said Discord. "You're that Number card Twilight has...! Utopia, right?"

"Indeed." the warrior told him. "And I can see that the disturbance in Twilight's mind was coming from you; I thought that energy signature felt familiar."

"Hmph, I'm not exactly flattered about being called a 'disturbance'..." mumbled the draconequus, huffing and folding his arms in front of him.

"My apologies." Utopia said to him. "I spoke with someone nearby and learned why you have come here to Twilight's mind this time; you are looking for a dream that she had most recently, am I correct?"

"That's right." Discord confirmed. "I was in Sunset's mind a while ago, trying to find some information about the Astral World for the Princesses. When I got there, I saw a dream that she had that seemed to have some ancient-looking versions of both her and Twilight."

"Ancient versions of them, you say...?" asked Utopia. "Most...interesting..."

"After I saw her dream," the draconequus continued, "I went over to Twily's mind; I figure that there was a slight chance that she had the same dream as well. If that's the case, then there may be more to them than just merely being dreams."

"...I think I understand the situation." Utopia replied. "In that case, I think I might be able to find what you're looking for, if you will just give me a moment." The others nodded to say that they would allow the golden warrior to do what he needed to do. Utopia then took a deep breath, took his right hand - middle and index fingers sticking out, and placed it upon his forehead. As he focused all of his concentration, Utopia began to radiate a faint, yellow glow that grew steadily bigger with each passing second.

Neither Discord nor the Twilight standing next to him knew what to make of this...until the purple pony suddenly noticed something from the corner of her eye. Glancing up towards one of the shelves, she saw that one of the film reels was giving off the same kind of glow as Utopia. "Look! Over there!" she said to the draconequus, pointing up with her left front hoof.

"That reel...! I bet THAT's the one we're looking for!" Discord figured. The Twilight duplicate then elected to go over and retrieve it. She flew up to the high shelf with her wings and used her magic to pull the glowing reel out. Returning back to the ground, Discord took the film reel just as Utopia finished his deep concentration. Presenting the reel, the draconequus then asked the warrior, "Is this it, then?"

"I believe so..." Utopia answered. "It's strange, but...I could feel something very familiar in it... Perhaps - assuming that this IS the dream you are looking for, it might beneficial for me to watch it as well."

"Well, there's only one way we'll know for sure..." said the Twilight copy as she took the reel with her magic and set it into the projector. She then turned off the lights in the room and turned on the projector. She and Discord then both sat down in the pink chairs, while Utopia remained standing behind them. They watched the screen in front of them, hoping that whatever was on this film would help answer some questions...

Back in reality, Fluttershy had just began her next turn. Drawing her card, she looked over at her opponent's field and said to herself, (Okay...Gabby has one face-down card, plus that Xyz Monster in Defense Mode... But I have no idea what she's up to this time...) Sighing, she added, (Oh well...I guess I'll just keep playing in order to find out.) Taking the card she drew this turn, she announced, "I play my Spell Card, Pot of Desires! I banish ten cards off the top of my Deck and draw two more...!"

As the pale-yellow girl resolved her card, Gabby asked herself, "Now what's she up to...?"

After drawing her two cards, she then said, "Now I'll activate the effect of a monster in my Graveyard...! By banishing Rose Lover from my Graveyard, I can use her effect and Summon any Plant monster from my hand...!"

"Huh? Rose Lover?" asked Gabby. "How did you-" But before she could ask how Fluttershy had gotten Rose Lover into the Graveyard, she then realized that it must have been one of the cards that Naturia Beast had sent there for the cost of its effect.

After banishing the card from her Graveyard, the nature-lover then said, "Now I Special Summon my Level 5 Naturia Bamboo Shoot in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was a large, brown, seed-like creature with cute, pinkish-red eyes (Naturia Bamboo Shoot: Level 5 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2000). Looking over at Gabby's field and expecting a big countermove, Fluttershy then quickly made her next decision: "I tune Naturia Cosmobeet, Level 2...to Naturia Bamboo Shoot, Level 5...!"

Everyone watched as Cosmobeet transformed into two lights that flew up into the air before returning as a pair of green rings that surrounded Bamboo Shoot, transforming it into five smaller lights (Level 2 + Level 5 = Level 7). "Hmmm...a Level 7 Synchro Monster, huh...?" Gilda asked herself, knowing what her rival was bringing out next.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings and strike down your enemies at the speed of light!" Fluttershy said, reciting the Summoning chant. "Synchro Summon!" Instantly, the rings and small lights were engulfed by a giant column of light that shot down from above. "Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" the yellow teen said, finishing her chant. From out of the massive light came Fluttershy's ace monster, given to her by Rainbow Dash. It roared as it took its place on the field, immediately making its presence known (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"Alright! It's Clear Wing!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Her best card!" Putting on a smug expression, she then added, "Given to her by ME, of course."

"Yay!! I knew she could do it!!" Pinkie Pie screamed out of excitement.

Applejack and Rarity were also impressed that their friend had managed to Summon the monster that won her the Inter-school Duel. However, they also noticed that - despite staring down such a powerful beast, Gabby didn't seem too worried.

"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon... That's the card she beat Gilda with..." the young Griffonstone girl said to herself. "I had a feeling that it could show up..."

Thinking a little bit about her next move, Fluttershy said to herself, "I don't know what Gabby might be planning next...so I'd better finish this Duel before she can complete her strategy...!" Pointing forward at her opponent, she shouted, "Go, Naturia Beast! Attack now...!" Her Beast-Type monster then lunged forward, intending on making Gabby's bird monster its next meal.

"Not gonna happen! I activate Kikinagashi Fucho's effect!" the grey teen responded. "By removing both of its overlay units, I keep it safe in battle!" The tiny bird then absorbed both of its floating green orbs (Kikinagashi Fucho: OLU 2 - 2 = 0), and then let out a massively loud, "SHRIEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!". The ear-breaking noise caused everyone to shield their ears. The shriek was so loud, it stunned Fluttershy's Naturia Beast and halted its attack.

"Oh no...!" said the animal-lover. "My monster couldn't finish its attack...!"

"That's right!" Gabby told her. "And his protection effect lasts all turn! So that means even your dragon can't destroy him!" Fluttershy gasped a little upon hearing that.

"Once again," Sunset commented, "Gabby made great use of her weaker monsters in order to protect herself..."

"That's been her plan all along." Twilight chimed in. "She's making herself look like her Deck's weak, but is hiding a clever strategy behind it. And that might be what gives her an edge here..."

"I just hope that Fluttershy can find some way of winning this..." said Spike. "Otherwise, she won't get her Duel with Gilda next round!"

A bit frustrated, Fluttershy then spoke up, saying, "I guess, since I can't destroy your monster, I'll just go to Main Phase 2..."

"And when you do, I'll activate my Trap Card!" Gabby then told her with excitement in her voice. "Go, Icarus Attack!"

"Oh no...!!" gasped Fluttershy.

"After I release my Xyz Monster," the grey girl continued, "I can destroy both of your Synchro Monsters and leave you almost defenseless!" Everyone watched as Kikinagashi Fucho transformed into what appeared to be flames. Those flames then soared towards both Naturia Beast and Clear Wing and struck them, wiping them out completely.

"Aw, no!! She blew 'em both up!" said Rainbow, disappointed that Fluttershy was losing her advantage.

"So that's what she was planning..." Rarity spoke. "I'll bet she wanted Fluttershy to Summon another Synchro Monster so that she could destroy them simultaneously! That's why she set up that Xyz Monster as a decoy..."

"Oh man, oh man...what's she gonna do? What's she gonna do?!" asked Pinkie Pie, getting a bit frantic.

"...Pthbth pthbth, pthbththth... Pthbth pthbth pthbth." Fluffle Puff responded.

"Yeah, you're TOTALLY right!" Pinkie replied. "She can still win this as long as we've got faith in her!" Fluffle Puff smiled and nodded back...and then went back to her taco.

Fluttershy still wanted to win the Duel, but she knew she was running out of options, especially now that two of her best monsters had been wiped out already. "Now what do I do...?" she asked herself. "Gabby will surely try to attack me next turn...and if I don't guard against it, I might lose...!" She then recalled something in her mind; something that Gilda had said to Gabby earlier on in the Duel...

"Gabby! Ya gotta think out your moves a bit more!" she had said. "You can't just rush in blindly and not pay attention!"

Gasping slightly, she then said to herself, "She's right... I got scared and tried to rush things by Summoning Clear Wing, and it backfired... I have to try and relax, and think my moves out better..." Looking over her hand again, she then thought, (Now think, Fluttershy...there must be something in your hand that can help you..." She then spotted one of the cards she drew with Pot of Desires earlier. (Maybe...maybe that could help... Although it does seem a bit risky...) Shaking her head, she then told herself, (No! I have to take a chance on this...! After all, it's probably the only chance I have...)

Taking some cards from her hand and placing them into her Duel Pad, Fluttershy then said, "I'll set two cards face-down...and then switch my Naturia Butterfly to Defense Mode. That will end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" shouted Gabby as she drew her next card. Wasting no time, she played it right away and said, "I'll also activate Pot of Desires!" After resolving its effect and drawing an extra pair of cards, She looked over to Fluttershy's side of the field and thought, (Okay...right now, all she has out is that Butterfly... But she also has two face-downs... Might be a good idea to try and get rid of them first.) Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "I'll play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards!"

Fluttershy began to sweat a little, not sure which of her cards would get popped. She hoped with all her might that luck would favor her this turn... If it didn't, this Duel would end very quickly...

"And the card I pick will beeeeeee... The face-down card on your left!" Gabby said, finally deciding on her target. Fluttershy gasped in surprise as the cyclone generated by her opponent's Spell Card shattered her Set card. "Sorry 'bout that, Fluttershy...but it had to be done." the young Griffonstone student told her opponent.

"...You don't really have to apologize, Gabby." the shy girl responded. She then gave out a small smile and told her, "...I was actually hoping you would choose that card."

"H-huh??" asked the grey girl, confused. "Why?" But Gabby would get her answer when Fluttershy took the card that had been destroyed from out of her Spell & Trap slot and revealed it to everyone. Shocked, Gabby then exclaimed, "Aw, NO!!"

"Is...is that what I think it is??" asked Gilda after seeing the card for herself...

*******************************

Waking the Dragon
(Normal Trap Card)

If this Set card in its owner's control has left the field because of an opponent's effect, and is now in the GY or banished: You can Special Summon 1 monster from your Deck or Extra Deck.

*******************************

"Waking the Dragon??" asked Sunset. "I didn't know Fluttershy had that card in her Deck...!" Needless to say, a lot of the other people watching were unaware of that as well.

"...By destroying my Trap Card and sending it to the Graveyard," Fluttershy told her opponent, "I can use its effect to Special Summon another monster...!" Taking a card out from her deck box, she then announced, "From my Extra Deck, I Summon Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree!"

And with that, another Synchro Monster appeared on Fluttershy's side of the field in Attack Position. It was a massive, lion-like creature, with some plant and insect elements added onto it. Its mane was a flower made up of red petals, its body was much like an insect's exoskeleton, it had horns that were similar to the pincers of a stag beetle, and a red poppy flower grew on the end of its tail. This creature seemed to be as powerful as it was beautiful (Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree: Level 10 / ATK 3100 / DEF 1900).

"Th-th-THIRTY-ONE HUNDRED ATTACK POINTS?!?" gasped Gabby after seeing just how powerful this new monster was.

"That's correct..." Fluttershy told her. "In addition, Leo cannot be targeted by any opposing card effects, except during my Main Phase 2. I'm sorry to say this, but you might not be able to defeat it."

Sighing out of relief, Rainbow Dash said, "That sure was lucky... That's just what she needed to get back into the game."

"Let us just hope it will be enough..." Rarity commented.

"Yeah, just about anythin' could happen in this Duel." noted Applejack. "If there's one thing that's for certain, it's that this Gabby chick's always has some kinda plan t' fight back."

"Whatever she's got," Pinkie told them, "Fluttershy can handle it, no problem! Right, Fluffle Puff?"

"...Pthbth." was all that the fluffy-haired girl replied with.

Staring down the powerful beast in front of her, Gabby shook a little bit, but remained as calm as she could. "Okay, I'll admit: I didn't expect you to do that..." she said. "But that doesn't mean I'm out of this yet!" Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "I'll use Turquoise Warbler's effect and Special Summon her, since I don't have any monsters out!" After doing that, Gabby continued, saying, "Then, I'll use Turquoise Warbler's other effect to bring Cobalt Sparrow back from my Graveyard!" After her second monster was revived, and then added, "And then...I'll use my Normal Summon and bring out another Sapphire Swallow!"

Looking at the three, small monsters on Gabby's field, Twilight said to herself, "She's building up her monsters again, just like she did during her first turn..."

"I'll bet she'll try to Xyz Summon again, right?" Spike asked. Twilight nodded yes to confirm his hypothesis.

And just as Spike had predicted, Gabby made her next move, shouting, "I overlay all three of my Level 1 monsters and create an Overlay Network!!" Her three monsters transformed into a trio of green lights that were drawn into another red vortex. "Birds with beautiful wings!" the young girl chanted. "Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale!!"

Everyone watched as a red light shot from out of the vortex in the center of the field. Then, a figure emerged from within the light: Another young adult-aged, human-bird hybrid creature with large, beautiful wings took her place in front of Gabby. Her outfit consisted of a top that exposed most of her stomach region, a long, flowing dress that extended down to her ankles, and a pair of skin-tight shorts that covered the upper legs, leaving the lower legs exposed, revealing them to be bird's legs, complete with sharp talons. Her color scheme consisted of several different colors that complimented each other perfectly, such as pink, aqua-green, dark grey, yellow, and beige. Three green orbs swirled around her as spread her wings for all to see (Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale: Rank 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0 / OLU 3).

"Another Rank 1 Xyz Monster..." noted Flash Sentry. "I wonder what this one does...?"

"Whatever it does," Sweetie Belle chimed in, "I'm pretty sure it's not good news for Fluttershy..."

Moving on with her turn, Gabby then stated, "Now lemme explain what happens next... First things first, Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale gains 200 attack points for each of her overlay units. So since she's got three, that means her attack is at six hundred (Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale: ATK 0 + 600 = 600)! But that's not all! Because I used Cobalt Sparrow to Summon her, you can't target her with any card effect! And not only that, but with Sapphire Swallow stuck to her as an overlay unit, I can take Recital Starling out of my Graveyard and attach it to her as an ADDITIONAL overlay unit!"

"And because of her effect," Gilda said to herself, "that means she'll get another two hundred attack points." As she said that, a fourth green orb appeared on Gabby's monster (Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale: ATK 600 + 200 = 800 / OLU 3 + 1 = 4).

"Even so..." Fluttershy began to point out, "my monster is still far too powerful for her to destroy..."

"You're right; Assembled Nightingale has no way to destroy your Synchro Monster." Gabby admitted. "Luckily for me, she doesn't have to."

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked the pale-yellow teen.

"Assembled Nightingale has another effect:" her opponent told her. "Not only can she attack as many times as she has overlay units, but she can skip past your monster and hit your Life Points directly!" Fluttershy gasped upon hearing what Gabby's Xyz Monster was capable of.

"Oh no...!" said Rarity. "If that is true, then that means that Assembled Nightingale can inflict up to 3,200 points of damage on just this turn!"

"And Fluttershy's only got 2,200 Life Points left!" Applejack pointed. "If that girl can get at least three attacks in, Fluttershy'll lose the Duel!"

"No way! She can't lose now!!" said Rainbow Dash, not believing for a second that their friend was going to be beaten that easily. "Fluttershy gotta win this if she's gonna get her Duel with Gilda next round! She's gotta win it!"

"Yeah, come on Fluttershy! You can still do it!" cheered Pinkie. "Think of the children!"

"Uh, children?" asked Applejack, a little confused.

Indeed, it seemed like Gabby was sure to pass on to the next round of Duels as she extended her arm out and shouted, "Go, Assembled Nightingale!! Attack her directly!!" Gabby's monster then flew in towards Fluttershy, seeking to end the fight right here and now as it slashed the pale-yellow teen with her right leg's claws.

Everyone gasped as they watched Fluttershy take the attack. Her friends, as well as Gilda, leaned forward, anxious to see if Gabby had - in fact, made the winning move. Unbeknownst to everyone watching, the normally-shy girlhad just tapped her D-Pad's screen...

"Yeah!! I did it, I did it, I-!" but Gabby stopped her cheering when she noticed something was off. "Huh? Wait a second... Why didn't it do a lot of damage?" When Gabby looked at her opponent's Life Point counter, she saw that, even though her monster had 800 attack points, it could only deal 400 points of damage (Fluttershy: LP 2,200 - 400 = 1,800). Confused, she then ordered her monster, "Um...go! Attack her directly again!"

Once more, the Xyz Monster attacked Fluttershy, but again, only half the damage got through (Fluttershy: LP 1,800 - 400 = 1,400). Gabby then had her monster attack a third time (Fluttershy: LP 1,400 - 400 = 1,000), and then a fourth (Fluttershy: LP 1,000 - 400 = 600), but the result was the same: Each blow only had half the power that it should have had, and as a result, Fluttershy didn't lose the Duel, surviving with just a small fraction of her starting Life Points.

"She...she survived...!" Spike noted. "She still has some points left!"

"Yeah, but how did she do it?" asked Twilight.

"Wh-what just happened?!" Gabby asked, unsure why her attack had been weakened. "That should've won the Duel for me! How come my attack didn't work?!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Gabby..." Flutterhsy began to explain. She then put on a look of pure determination and told her opponent, "but this Duel isn't over yet! Just after you attacked, I activated my face-down card. It's called Butterspy Protection!"

"Butterspy Protection?" asked Gabby.

"It's a Trap Card that switches one monster that is in Attack Mode to Defense Mode." Sunset explained to her. "After that happens, the Trap Card's owner then only takes half damage for the remainder of the turn. Fluttershy used her Trap to switch her Synchro Monster to Defense Mode and cut all the damage from your direct attacks in half. As a result, she only lost a total of 1,600 Life Points, leaving her with 600 left."

"Oh...I see what happened." Gabby replied, understanding everything now. Smiling a bit, she then told her opponent, "That was a pretty slick move you made; I didn't see it coming."

"Um, thank you..." Fluttershy told her. "Though, I'll be honest: If you had not destroyed my Waking the Dragon card first, I really would've lost. Still...I guess it WAS a very good move, if you don't mind me praising myself a little..."

Gilda thought the move was pretty good too. (Not bad, Fluttershy... 'Course, I didn't expect any less from someone I consider my rival. Now the real question is...what're ya gonna do next?)

Thinking about the situation, Gabby said to herself, (Even though I couldn't beat her this turn, I can still get her next turn! All I have to do is direct attack her again, and I'll win! And if she tries to get rid of my Xyz Monster somehow, I can use Assembled Nightingale's effect: By removing an overlay unit, I can keep her from being destroyed, and even prevent myself from taking any damage!) Looking over towards Fluttershy with a smirk on her face, she added (The moment she tries to destroy my monster, I'll trigger the effect and stop it from happening!) She then told her opponent, "Okay, I end my turn!"

As Fluttershy began her next turn, Spike then asked Twilight, "So...what now? Can Fluttershy still win this?"

"I suppose it is still possible..." the young Princess replied. "How, I'm not so sure; I don't know the contents of her Deck, but I'm sure there's something in there that might get her through this. I suppose the only thing we CAN do is hope for the best." Spike nodded and began wishing for their friend's victory. In the stands, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all wished as best as they could as well.

(...This is it...) thought Fluttershy, looking at her Deck with a slight amount of worry about what card was next. (This is my last chance to turn this match around... I may be scared...REALLY scared, even...but I have to try and prove to everyone that I won't let my fear keep me from being at my best...! But most of all...I have to prove that to myself as well.) Reaching for the top card of her Deck slowly, she continued to think, (It's a bit funny: I never, ever would have imagined myself participating in such a huge tournament like this... The old me wouldn't have even thought about it. But I'm not the old me anymore...! Thanks to my friends, I've become a little stronger day by day...and I want to keep on getting stronger, even if it means stepping out of my comfort zone...!)

Looking around, Fluttershy looked at each and every one of the people that helped her get this far: Sunset, Twilight, and Spike sitting on the sidelines, her friends sitting in the audience cheering her on, and even Gilda, a rival that helped to push her to be at her best.

(That's right...!) Fluttershy thought to herself and smiling. (With my friends behind me...I have absolutely nothing to fear! They were there to support me in the Inter-school Duel... And when I fought Fast Buck, I had the support of Angel and my brother!) Putting on her determined look once again, she told herself, (Win or lose, I'll do it with confidence and courage!)

"It's my turn! I draw!!" the not-at-all-shy girl shouted as she drew her next card. Everyone was on pins and needles, wondering what she pulled. And when Fluttershy got a look at the card she drew, she smiled and said, "I activate the card I drew!! I play Super Synchro Fusion!!"

"Huh? Super Synchro Fusion??" asked Gabby.

"This Quick-Play Spell Card costs me half of my Life Points to activate." Fluttershy explained. "But since I only had 600 Life Points left, half of that isn't too much for me to pay (Fluttershy: LP 600 ÷ 2 = 300). In any case, after I activate it, I can Fusion Summon any monster from my Extra Deck that uses at least one Synchro Monster as a Fusion Material, by returning those materials from my field or Graveyard to my Deck and Extra Deck!"

"Oh no...!!" exclaimed Gabby, getting a little worried.

"She's using her Synchro Monsters for a Fusion Summon?" Gilda asked herself. "I've never seen anything like that before..."

Not sure what Fluttershy planned on doing, Gabby then thought, (I'd better not risk it...! I'll activate Assembled Nightingale's effect to protect her!) But when she tapped her D-Pad to do that, nothing happened. "Huh?" she gasped in fear. "I can't activate her effect?? Why not??"

"Because after Super Synchro Fusion is activated," Fluttershy answered her, "neither of us can respond to it with any card effect. In other words, not even I can stop my card from using its effect..." Putting her hand into the air - which was now covered with swirling red and blue clouds, the pink-haired girl then said, "I now fuse Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree on my field with Naturia Beast in my Graveyard!" Everyone watched as the two monsters flew into the clouds above, merging together as beams of orange light.

Fluttershy then clasped her hands as if she was praying and chanted, "The beast as green as the trees! The protector of the sacred tree! Merge as one and use your might to guard this blessed forest! Fusion Summon!!" At that moment, the swirling clouds above the stadium gave out a brilliant flash of purple light, which shot down to the ground below. "The ultimate forest guardian, Level 10! Naturia Gaiastrio!!"

Her new Fusion Monster appeared to be an upgraded form of Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree. Most of its elements were the same, except that it was far, FAR bigger (in fact, it had to stand BEHIND the stadium because it couldn't fit inside of it), there was a miniature forest growing upon its back, and the flower on its tail was now in full bloom. With one mighty roar, the massive beast showed just how powerful it was.

*******************************

Naturia Gaiastrio
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Rock/EARTH/Level 10/ATK 3200/DEF 2100)

2 EARTH Synchro Monsters
When a card or effect is activated that targets exactly 1 card on the field (and no other cards) (Quick Effect): You can send 1 card from your hand to the GY; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card.

*******************************

"Woah, lookit THAT thing!" exclaimed Applejack as she and the other people around them turned around to look at the massive monster behind them. "It's massive!!"

"It's positively huMONgous!!" Rarity added, in awe of the gigantic creature that Fluttershy had Summoned.

"Whod've ever thought that Fluttershy had somethin' like THAT in her Deck...?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Pthbth."

"You said it, Fluffle Puff..." Pinkie replied, "I'm just glad that thing doesn't see us as food; I'm not in any rush to learn how a cupcake feels after you've eaten it."

Gilda was quite astonished at the powerful monster her friend/rival had just Summoned to the field. "So she even uses Fusions too, huh...?" she asked herself. She then smirked to herself and thought, (Just like when she Summoned Clear Wing during our Duel... That Fluttershy has so much power hidden away inside her... Heh, I can't wait to face that power when she and I have our rematch!)

Gabby was also shocked at the extremely powerful Fusion Monster that her opponent had just bought onto the field...and scared as well. Especially since she still couldn't seem to activate the effect of her Xyz Monster, even though Fluttershy's Spell Card had finished resolving. "Assembled Nightingale..." she began to say, "how come I'm still blocked off from using her effect??"

"That is the other effect of my Super Synchro Fusion." the pale-yellow teen explained. "As long as the monster that was Summoned by it is face-up on my field, you cannot activate any monster effects. Which means that I'm afraid that this Duel will soon be over..."

Gabby just stood there, not believing at first that she was about to lose the Duel, especially after she had done so well up to this point. But she simply sighed to herself, managed to form a small smile and thought, (No wonder Gilda said so many good things about her...she's strong; REALLY strong. I should've known she'd be tough for me to beat.) Putting on a fierce - but happy look, Gabby then shouted to her opponent, "Fluttershy! Come at me! Let's end this with a real BANG!!!"

Nodding, the animal lover then shouted, "Go, Gaiastrio! Attack Assembled Nightingale!! Nature's Force!!" The mighty beast then let out a powerful roar as it lifted up its right front leg and slammed its paw to the ground. This caused an incredible earthquake that caused several massive, jagged pieces of rock to shoot out of the ground. Gabby's monster was struck by one of those spiked rocks, knocking her out of the sky and shattering apart. Gabby just stood there with a satisfied smile on her face, knowing that she had put up a good fight regardless of the result (Gabby: LP 2,200 - 2,400 = 0) (WINNER: Fluttershy).

"The Duel is over!!" Sunset Shimmer announced. "Fluttershy will move on to the quarterfinal round!"

Both the competing Duelists then approached each other and gave a friendly handshake for a Duel well-fought. "Great job out there, Fluttershy!" Gabby told her, still happy even after she lost the Duel. "I can see why Gilda thinks you're so tough!"

"Um, thank you, Gabby...!" her opponent replied. "But um, I have to admit...if I didn't draw that last Spell Card, you probably would have won instead... You're a very good Duelist, too."

"Aw, gee...! Thanks for saying that!" the grey-skinned girl responded, blushing and rubbing the back of her head. "You're the first person besides Gilda or Martin to ever say something like that about me...!"

"Well, it's true." Fluttershy informed her. "Again, I really thought I might lose a couple of times when you started making all those combos with your monsters." She then asked, "So, um...are you sad that you won't be able to face Gilda in the next round...? If you don't mind me asking..."

"A little bit, yeah..." Gabby answered. "But I'll get over it! Especially since I got to fight such a tough Duelist like you in the tournament! And I can't wait until I get a chance to duel you again!"

"D-duel me again...?" asked Fluttershy, a bit taken aback by her opponent's last comment.

Watching from afar, Twilight giggled a bit and said to Spike, "Well, it looks like Gilda's not the only rival Fluttershy has now. I can tell that those two will get even stronger the more they keep dueling each other."

"Seems like it, at least." the dragon-turned-puppy replied.

Noticing something, Twilight then thought to herself, (...I wonder where Utopia went...? He said he was checking something that was in my mind, but he's still gone... I wonder what it was that he sensed? Could it have something to do with that strange dream I had recently...?) The Princess of Friendship was left to mull over her thoughts, not sure if she would ever get an answer to them...

But deep within Twilight's mind, Utopia - along with Discord and a Twilight look-a-like had just witnessed something particularly interesting: They were watching a dream that Twilight had a few nights ago, which seemed to depict her and Sunset Shimmer (thought they didn't call each other by those names, referring to each other as Spakah and Sun'Et, respectively) in some sort of ancient temple. As Discord discovered, it was the exact same dream that he saw in Sunset Shimmer's mind, except this version was from Spakah's perspective instead of Sun'Et's.

"In any case...will you do that for me?" Sun'Et asked Spakah as the recording of the dream was wrapping up. "Will you try to help me stay on the path of light?"

"I will, my friend. I promise I will." said the other figure in the dream before the two embraced each other in a friendly hug.

"...Most peculiar..." said Discord, munching on the last bits of popcorn in the paper bucket that he was currently holding...and then eating the bucket itself.

As the film of the dream finally reached its end, the Twilight look-a-like used her magic to remove it from the projector and put it back where they had originally found it. "It is quite a strange dream..." she said to the others. "The person that we heard speak - but couldn't see...it certainly seems to be Twilight, but she was referred to by a different name."

"Not only that, but Sunnie was in it as well...or at least someone with her face." the Spirit of Chaos told her as they all made their way out of the room. "Just like the dream I watched in her mind; they're perfectly similar!"

"That is not the only thing..." Utopia chimed in. "The necklace and headpiece that were worn by both of the figures in the dream; they looked very much like the symbol on the necklace that Sunset wears around her neck..."

"That thing that looks almost like a key, correct?" asked Discord.

"Indeed." the Twilight duplicate agreed. "I overheard that it was known as the 'Emporer's Key'..."

Sighing, Discord then said, "Just when I thought we had this whole matter figured out, we end up with a ton MORE questions we need to find answers to...! I knew I should've asked the Princesses for some sort of pay for my services."

"If I recall," said the brain-generated Twilight, "aren't you able to just make more money out of thin air? You don't really need to be paid..."

"That's not the point." the draconequus told her. "Well, whatever...we've got work to do if we're ever going to figure this whole mess out, and we don't have a lot of time." After they all left the Dream Archives, Discord then snapped his fingers, making a tandem bicycle appear in front of them. "Well, we'd better get a move on if we're ever gonna solve this mystery!" He then pulled out a pair of helmets out of nowhere and threw one over to the Twilight duplicate.

Strapping the helmet on, Twilight then said, "We could try to look up something in the Temporal Lobe; that's where all of the other memories are stored."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" said the draconequus. He and the Twilight duplicate then got onto the bike together (Utopia elected to levitate using the wings that were built onto his armor). "Hmmm...before we continue," Discord began to say, "since it seems we'll be travelling for a little while, perhaps I should call you by a different name... I'm sure the writer is getting tired of using terms such as 'Twilight duplicate' or 'Twilight look-a-like' to refer to you."

"What did you have in mind...?" she asked.

"Hmmmm...mind... That's it!" he exclaimed. "I'll call you 'Mind-Twi'!"

"Oh...! Um...I guess if it makes things easier for you, it's fine with me." Mind-Twi responded, not sure how she should feel about her new nickname.

"Then if everything is settled," Utopia told them both while floating in the air, "we should move on immediately. As you yourself said, Discord...we don't have a lot of time."

"Then let's roll!" shouted the draconequus as he and Mind-Twi began riding their bike forward, with Utopia following closely behind. They had merely scratched the surface of what was coming to be a vast mystery, and knew that solving it would not be an easy task...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
Fluttershy vs. Gabby [WINNER: Fluttershy]
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???

RANK 45: Atlantean Assault:

Author's Note

FINALLY... Finally uploaded an episode. Thank you so very much for being patient with me through all this. After this epiosode, I will scale back to a more casual update schedule and abandon the monthly update until the pandemic situation is finally over with. Again, I apologize for making you all wait this long.

RANK 45: Atlantean Assault:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The WCQ Qualifier Tournament's first round is halfway done, with the first four Duels over and done with. So far, the Duelists moving on include the following: Ember - daughter of ex-Pro Duelist Torch and wielder of a powerful Deck of Dragon monsters, Steel Shadows - a wandering Duelist who used Six Samurais, Gilda - the strongest Duelist in Griffonstone High School with her Raidraptor Deck, and Fluttershy - a Duelist who appeared timid at first glance, but was skilled at using her Naturia monsters to their fullest. Now the latter half of the first round was ready to begin...

However, three individuals that were already well-known to Canterlot High's students and staff (and not in a good way) have also come to the tournament: They are Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk - collectively known as the Dazzlings. The last time they set foot in CHS, they tried to suck the life energy out of everyone in school through their negative feelings, but were stopped by Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and their friends. Sunset believes that the trio have come back for revenge and are planning to disrupt the tournament. Of course, the Dazzlings deny any form of wrongdoing, and claim that they are only here for the competition.

But if Sunset is right in her assumptions about them, just what is their true agenda...? This question, among others, are floating in the minds of Sunset and her friends, as they wait to hear the next Duel's matchups...

In Canterlot High School's stadium (transformed into a Roman-style coliseum through AR technology), the WCQ Qualifier Tournament had just finished its fourth Duel of the first round. "What an amazing Duel!!" said the MC, Megan Williams, with her usual amount of energy. "Fluttershy has won her battle against Gabby and will be moving on to the next round! This wraps up the first half of Round One!" The audience cheered loudly in response.

Walking over towards Gabby, Gilda told her, "You did pretty well out there, kid. I gotta admit: I'm real impressed with how ya did against Fluttershy."

"Thanks, Gilda." the grey girl replied. "It's a bummer that I won't be able to Duel you next round, though. I guess I'm just not ready to face you yet..."

"Maybe not now, but someday you will." the kindly roughneck told her, giving her a soft pat on the shoulder. "Until then, keep on gettin' stronger so you can come at with everything you've got when we do have our Duel."

"I will! I definitely will!!" Gabby responded cheerfully. It was pretty clear that losing a Duel wasn't even close to enough to bring down her spirits. The younger Griffonstone teen then left the arena to go and find Martin to keep him company.

Looking ahead, Gilda walked over to Fluttershy to speak with her. The shy girl looked over at her rival as she came closer; because they had won both of their respective Duels, they would be facing each other next round. Blushing a little, Fluttershy nervously told her, "So I...I guess it's, um...finally time, right...?"

"You bet it is!" Gilda responded. "We're finally gonna have our rematch. But this time, I'll be the one who's gonna win it!"

"I guess we'll see about that when it happens..." the pale-yellow teen told her. Then, trying to sound as tough as she could, she then said, "But...but I'm not going to let you beat me...! I-I've been getting stronger too, just like you have...! Believe me, I'm not the same as I was back then, either...!"

"Yeah, I'm countin' on that." the Griffonstone student said to her. "In any case - no matter which one of us wins, let's promise each other just one thing, Fluttershy."

"And...and what's that...?"

"...That we only play at our best. No holdin' back!"

The shy girl gasped a little; after hearing Gilda say that, she knew that this would be the toughest battle she fought yet. Normally, something like this would frighten her a great deal. But not this time: She wanted to duel Gilda in the tournament more than anything else, and now she would get her chance. Looking a little more determined, she told her rival, "Of course, Gilda. I promise."

Smirking, Gilda then said to her, "Then you'd better be ready for me, Fluttershy. 'Cause I don't plan on goin' easy on ya like I did before!" She then walked off to the competitors' seating area to watch the next Duel.

"Oh...oh my...!" Fluttershy said, trembling a little. "I...I can't believe it...!"

"You alright, Fluttershy?" Sunset Shimmer asked her. "You're shaking in your boots...literally."

"Oh! I-I'm fine, Sunset..." the pale-yellow teen told her. "I just never thought I could say things like that without stuttering too much...! I mean...I straight-up told Gilda that I wouldn't let her beat me in the next Duel...! How am I not nervous about doing something like this...??"

"It's a natural instinct for a Duelist when they face a worthy opponent." the black jacket-clad girl answered her. "Sometimes, you can get more excited about your upcoming Duel than you are nervous about it."

"And besides that," Twilight Sparkle chimed in, "you become much stronger, not only as a Duelist, but as person in general. Really, you ought to be proud of yourself for getting this far! You've done things that even the bravest of individuals could have a hard time with."

Smiling, Fluttershy then said, "...I guess I have come a long way since before I met you and the others. The old me wouldn't have had the courage to stand up for herself or for others... But I'm not the old me anymore...! I may still have more work to do before I can completely overcome my weaknesses, but I know I can do it! As long as you're all willing to help me, that is..."

"Of course we'll be there for you." said Sunset, smiling warmly. "For now, just do your best when the next round comes. Even though I must remain impartial as the Tournament Judge...I'll secretly be rooting for you as your friend." Twilight and Spike nodded to say that they felt the same way.

"...Thank you." the shy girl replied, happy to hear that from them.

Just then, Megan Williams announced to everyone in attendance, "Alright, our five-minute break is up and it's time to announce the parings for the next Duel!"

The four of them shifted their attention to the big monitor screen above them. "So who's all left?" Twilight then asked Sunset.

"If I recall, the eight remaining Duelists include Octavia, Sweetie Belle, Derpy, Zecora, and Flash Sentry among our friends..." she answered her friend. "Then there's the other two people from out of town: Bright Mind and Sol Burner."

"And then that girl, Sonata..." Spike added in a less-than-enthusiastic tone of voice. This prompted Sunset and Twilight to glance over at the remaining competitors. They spotted Sonata mingling with her fellow Dazzling sisters, Adagio and Aria. They stood off to the side, away from the others. "D'ya still think they're up to something?" the purple puppy then asked Sunset.

"Honestly, I'm hoping they aren't." the red-and-yellow girl told him. "Unfortunately, Big Mac overheard them talking about some sort of 'plan' of theirs, but didn't quite get the full details. As limited as that information is, it gives me enough of a reason to suspect them of something..."

"All we can do for now is hope for the best..." Fluttershy said, "but be prepared for the worst..." The others nodded to say they agreed with her.

Once more, the digital slot machine cycled through the remaining eight Duelists in order to determine who would be competing next. "And the next pair will beeeeee..." said Megan as she awaited the result of the random selection. Finally, the next pair had been chosen: "...Derpy Hooves and Sonata Dusk!!"

Everyone, especially Sunset and her friends, gasped when they heard that Sonata was up next to duel. "So...it finally happened..." Rarity stated.

"Yeah, that Dazzlin' chick's gonna be duelin' next." Applejack spoke in a serious tone.

"Grr...! I hope she gets her butt kicked!" Rainbow Dash said, standing up from her seat. "C'mon on, Derpy!! Mop the floor with her!!"

Derpy was understandably nervous about the fact that she would be fighting Sonata for her first Duel of the tournament, but she was determined to beat her. And it wasn't just because of the fact that Sonata and her fellow Dazzlings - Aria and Adagio, had tried to take control of everyone at school and suck out their life, but she also had her own personal reasons as well...

Less than a year ago...

Backstage, in an outdoor arena, Derpy and two other girls (one with light-blue skin and curly purple hair, and a pink girl with long, dark pink hair) sighed sadly as they exited the main stage. They were competing in the Battle of the Bands competition in CHS, but had lost right on the first round. Turning over to her band mates, Derpy told them, "I'm really sorry that we lost the first round girls...but at least we tried our best out there..." The two other girls nodded to say they agreed with her, though they were all still very down about losing.

Just then, the three of them heard the sounds of haughty laughter from nearby. "THAT was your best?!" said the person who was laughing at them. "If so, then I'm surprised they even bothered to let you into the competition!" Derpy and her friends turned around to see who it was that made that nasty comment: It was Adagio, with Aria and Sonata standing behind her, all dressed in extravagant costumes for the event (complete with the red jewel amulets they used to wear).

"Hey! That's not nice!" Derpy told them. "Just because we didn't win, that doesn't mean you have to make fun of us!"

"Heh...! Listen up, Eyeball." Aria told her in a mocking tone, "We're not doin' it 'cause we have to; ridiculing the losers is just one of the fringe benefits when you're as talented as we are."

"Not that you ever will be that talented, of course..." Adagio told them with a smirk. "I mean, seriously: Did you three REALLY expect to win this whole thing? Playing those...'instruments'?"

At that moment, Sonata walked over and snatched up the light-blue girl's instrument - a cowbell. "H-hey! Give that back!" the bell's owner shouted at her.

"Huh? This clunky old thing?" asked Sonata, looking at the bell. She then glanced over at her sisters, who nodded to her with smirks on their face. Smirking herself, the Dazzling then said, "Yeah, you can have it back... All the way over there!" She then tossed the bell towards the back of the room. It hit the back wall with a KLUNK before falling into a pile of boxes.

Derpy and her friends gasped at what they had just seen. Instinctively, the bell's owner ran over to the box pile to find her instrument. She did find it, but it now had a large crack on it from where it hit the wall. "N-no...!" she said, tearing up. "That was my favorite bell...! And now it's ruined...!" She then fell to her knees and started to cry long, hard sobs.

Derpy and her other band mate went over to comfort her after what had happened. Giving an angry look, Derpy then told the Dazzlings, "That was the meanest thing I've ever seen anyone do!"

"Indeed it was..." said Adagio, not caring in the slightest. "And the only regret I have about it...is the fact that I didn't try to do it myself." As she and her sisters turned their back to them, she then stated, "Now, if we're done wasting our time here, we have a Battle of the Bands to win.." She and her fellow Dazzlings continued to laugh at the cruel act they had just committed, leaving Derpy and her friends behind...

(You hurt my friend's feelings, Sonata...) Derpy thought to herself, (and I don't know what you're trying to do here in this tournament, but I won't let you get away with it!) Sighing, she then said to herself, "Doctor...I know you wanted me to enter the tournament to find anyone that might be using Number cards, and I know that I said that I'm not the kind of person who wants to get revenge on someone..." She then put on a fierce look and said, "But this time, it's different...! This time it's not about me; I'm going to beat Sonata for my friend, and I'll do it on my own!"

Adagio, Aria, and Sonata looked at the screen that displayed the next Duel's pairings. "Derpy...Hooves...?" asked Sonata.

"Don't ya remember?" asked Aria. "That's the girl whose friend's bell ya busted up."

"I THOUGHT she looked familiar..." hummed Adagio, rubbing her chin. Chuckling, she then said, "Well, if she duels about as good as she plays music, she won't be much trouble, even for you, Sonata."

"Yeah, so you'd better not blow it." Aria told her.

"Yeesh, okay! I get it! I know I have to win! I know!" Sonata responded, walking out towards the field.

"Both Duelists to the center of the field." said Sunset, keeping her eyes mostly on Sonata as she and Derpy entered the center of the arena. They then cut and shuffled each other's Decks and returned them to each other. A coin toss then determined that Derpy would get the first move. As Sonata left towards her side of the field, Sunset then whispered to Derpy, "Be careful out there... I don't trust her."

"I know." the grey girl told her before heading for her side of the field.

"Alright! The Duelists have entered the arena and are ready to battle!!" Megan announced. "So let's get this Duel started!!"

Drawing their opening hands, both Derpy and Sonata shouted to each other, "Let's DUEL!!" (Derpy Hooves: LP 4,000) (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000).

Twilight Sparkle and Spike - along with their other friends, watched with intent as the Duel got underway. But deep within the mind of the Princess of Friendship, another adventure was going on: Discord, the wily Spirit of Chaos and Disorder, was on a mission given to him by Princess Celestia to look after Twilight and Sunset from within their minds. However, he was also instructed to find more information concerning the Number cards and the Astral World.

He wasn't alone, though: With him was another version of Twilight that had been generated within the real Twilight's mind to regulate things that went on in her brain (for that reason, Discord decided to call her "Mind-Twi"). Also with them was Utopia, the Number card owned by Twilight that shared residence in her mind. Discord and Mind-Twi were riding on a tandem bicycle while Utopia flew beside them with the wings built onto his body armor.

Searching around, Discord then asked his bike passenger, "So where is this 'Temporal Lobe' thing you were talking about? You said that's where we were going, right?"

"It should only be a bit further from here." Mind-Twi told him.

"Hopefully, this place could give us more information about the Astral World, as well as the significance of those figures we saw in Twilight's dream." said Utopia. "I am not sure, but I could feel some sort of...familiarity when I saw the two of them. I have no doubt they are of some importance to me, but I do not know what for or why yet."

"Well, with any luck," Discord told them, "we'll find whatever we're looking for very soon! I can feel it in my bones..." He then pulled out a small bone and said, "This bone to be exact: It vibrates whenever I'm onto something." Mind-Twi and Utopia just looked at each other, not commenting on the draconequus's weirdness.

Some time later, the trio approached what appeared to be a large and impressive-looking stone building. It appeared to have a gothic-style look to it, complete with large gargoyle statues (which looked a bit like Spike). Carved over the building front entrance were the words, "Memoria Aula".

"Here we are..." said Mind-Twi. "The Hall of Memories..."

"My word..." Discord said, looking up at the building and bending his body over backwards, "Calling it 'big' doesn't even begin to describe it...!"

"Indeed." said Utopia. "No doubt, we should find whatever we are looking for somewhere within this structure." The warrior then walked forward with Discord and Mind-Twi following close behind.

Upon entering the hall, the group saw yet another Twilight working at a desk. She looked just like Twilight in her pony form, except that she was wearing a pair of black-trimmed glasses. Behind her were what appeared to be stacks and stacks of scrolls and parchments, most of them neatly arranged among the many shelves in the room. Noticing the three individuals coming in, she poked her head up and greeted them, saying, "Welcome to the Hall of Memories! I'm in charge of keeping all of Twilight Sparkle's memories intact and well-organized."

"And also the closest thing this story will get to having Sci-Twi appear." Discord whispered to Utopia with a smirk. Of course, Utopia had no clue as to what the draconequus was talking about.

Mind-Twi then walked up towards the desk and said, "We would like to take a look through Twilight's memories; we're trying to find something in particular."

"And what would that be?" asked the glasses-wearing Twilight.

"If I may," Discord said, walking over to the desk as well. "My good dear- um, do you mind if I call you Memory-Twi at all? Just want to make it easier for everyone here..." The glasses-wearing pony shook her head to say that it was okay with her. "Anyway," he then continued, "we're looking for any memories that have some sort of...connection to something called, 'Astral World'. By any chance, do you have anything of the sort floating around?"

"Hmmmm...Astral World... Astral World..." hummed the spectacled pony. "Doesn't exactly ring a bell..." Chuckling weakly, she told them all, "Ironically, I don't remember every single memory that's passed through here. Still, I'm sure we could find whatever it is you're looking for if you'll allow me to help you."

"That would be much appreciated." Utopia told her. "To be more specific, we are seeking information regarding something known as the 'Order of Astral', if that helps."

"Well, I'll do my best to assist you in any way I can," said Memory-Twi, "but I can't promise that we'll succeed in whatever you're trying to accomplish. Still, that doesn't mean we can't at least try!"

"My thoughts exactly!" said Mind-Twi with a great deal of enthusiasm. "Now let's start looking through all of these papers and find that info!" And with that, the pair of Twilight look-a-likes dashed off towards the back of the room.

"They are...quite ecstatic when it comes to seeking knowledge, aren't they?" asked Utopia.

"Yep, just like the real Twilight." stated Discord. He then told the armored man, "I suppose we should follow them and see what we can dig up ourselves." Utopia nodded as they both calmly walked to the other side of the room they were in.

Meanwhile, back in the "real" world, Derpy Hooves was about to begin her Duel against Dazzlings member Sonata Dusk. As they both looked over their opening hands, Sunset, Twilight, and the rest of their friends kept a close eye on Sonata, just in case she tried to do anything that would cause trouble. Snips and Snails were also keeping their eyes on her as well, just as Sunset had asked them to do.

"So..." Rarity asked her friends sitting next to her, "what sort of Deck do you think Sonata is using?"

"Ah ain't sure." Applejack answered. "'Til yesterday, Ah didn't even know she dueled; Duel Monsters requires a lot of plannin' and strategy, and she never struck me as the deep-thinkin' type..."

"Yeah, ya got a point there, AJ." Dash told her. "Maybe this won't be as bad as we think it is... I mean, how much of a threat can Sonata really be?"

Pinkie, on the other hand, wasn't too sure about that. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that things weren't as they seemed. And experience had taught her to trust that sort of gut feeling.

In the arena, Sonata smirked at her opponent and said to her, "Well, so we meet again..." She then asked in a mocking tone, "How's your friend's rusty old bell?"

Annoyed, but not about to let that comment get to her, Derpy replied back, saying, "I was about to ask the same thing about your necklace." This elicited a grumble out of her opponent.

"You can do it, Derpy!!" cheered the voice of one of her friends, Golden Harvest (or "Carrot Top" as Derpy called her by). Sitting with her were Derpy's former band mates from the Battle of the Bands as well. They were all wearing grey t-shirts with their friend's face on them to show their support for her.

Smiling, Derpy was ready to duel as she began her turn. "Alright, you'd better get ready!" she told Sonata as she picked her first card. "You won't beat me!"

"Y-yeah? We'll see about that!" Sonata spat back. "Now go already!"

"I'll start by playing a monster in Defense Mode." Derpy stated, placing the card on the tray face-down. "And then I'll activate a Continuous Spell! Heart of the Underdog!"

*******************************

Heart of the Underdog:
(Continuous Spell Card)

During your Draw Phase, when you draw a Normal Monster(s): You can reveal it; draw 1 more card.

*******************************

(Heart of the Underdog...?) wondered Sunset. (Interesting choice...)

"Now, I'll finish my turn by setting two more cards face-down!" said the grey girl as she did just that.

"Then it's my turn!" said Sonata. "I draw!"

As their sister drew her card, Adagio and Aria were watching from the bench behind her. "She'd better not screw this up for us, Adagio..." Aria told her. "After all, it was your idea to have her duel for us."

"Indeed, and I stand by that decision." Adagio told her. "And I have my reasons."

"...And those are...?"

Chuckling, the puffy-haired siren answered, saying, "To trick the competition, of course. After all, who would ever think that Sonata, of all people, could be any sort of threat to them? They drop their guard down, and she finishes them off: It's so simple."

"Hmmm...I guess I see your point." Aria replied. "But how do you know that Sonata'll actually BE able to 'finish them off'?"

Chuckling again, Adagio told her, "Just watch and see for yourself. I assure you, I know what I'm doing." Aria hummed a bit, but decided to go along with her sister's idea for now.

"Okay..." said Sonata as she looked over the six cards she had in her hand. Though she wasn't exactly the heavy thinker among the Dazzlings, she had watched her sisters use her Deck enough times to know how play it effectively. Taking a card from her hand, she shouted, "I Summon this guy in Attack Mode! Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince!" Her first monster was a human man with flowing, black hair and relatively pale skin. He was wearing a large amount of blue body armor, mostly across his chest, waist, and upper legs. In his hand was a long, golden trident (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: Level 1 / ATK 800 / DEF 0).

"Pfft! THAT'S her best opening move?" asked Rainbow Dash, stifling back a laugh. "He's nothin'!"

"Ah ain't so sure 'bout that, Dash." said Applejack.

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" the cyan teen inquired.

"Applejack is right." Rarity spoke up. "I'm quite familiar with that Neptabyss card, as well as the Deck he is used in. He's merely the stepping stone to what I can only imagine will be an even bigger play later on."

"Wow..." said Pinkie. "How come you know so much about that card, Rare?"

"Um...well..." The violet-haired fashionista blushed a little as she tried to come up with an answer.

Pinkie Pie then gave a little smirk, realizing what was going on. "Ohhhhhh...I seeeee...!"

"Now, don't take that the wrong way...!" Rarity told her, a blush still spread across her face. "I-i-it's not like I think he's attractive...! With his luscious locks... his bright blue eyes..."

"You're still talkin' out-loud, Rare..." AJ reminded her, which caused the fashionista to gasp and cover her mouth in embarrassment.

Back at the Duel, Derpy looked at the trident-carrying man in front of her as she asked her opponent, "So...what does he do?"

"Hmph...you'll just hafta wait a little bit," Sonata told her, "'cause now that I've Summoned him, I can bring out this guy! Go, Shark Stickers!" The siren Duelist's next monster was a long, thin shark-like fish creature with blue-violet scales and a large oval that seemed to have adhesive properties on his head (Shark Stickers: Level 3 / ATK 200 / DEF 1000). "I can Special Summon Shark Stickers from my hand right after I Normal or Special Summon a Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster!" Sonata then explained.

"Her first monster was a Sea Serpent-type..." said Sunset. "So he fit the criteria for Shark Stickers's effect perfectly."

"But...what does she plan on doing with them?" asked Spike.

"That's a good question." Twilight pointed out. "Neither of her monsters are the same Level, so at the very least, she can't Xyz Summon..."

"True, but that doesn't mean Sonata's out of moves yet..." Sunset told them both. Turning her attention back to the Duel, she then thought, (What are you up to...?)

"Now I activate the effect of Neptabyss!" said Sonata. "I send Atlantean Dragoons from my Deck to the Graveyard...and add ANOTHER Atlantean Dragoons from my Deck to my hand!" After she did that, the Dazzling then added, "But that's not all! Since I used Atlantean Dragoons to pay the cost of Neptabyss's effect, I can grab another Sea Serpent monster out of my Deck! And I choose Atlantean Heavy Infantry!"

"What the-?!" gasped Rainbow. "She just searched out two cards out of her Deck for the price of one!"

"That is because Atlantean monsters have effects that activate if they're used to pay the cost of a WATER monster's effect." Rarity informed her. "That's what makes them somewhat tricky to fight. Though I am surprised that Sonata knew how to do all that..."

"Yeah, that was a pretty complex move she just pulled off..." Applejack pointed out. "Maybe she's smarter than we thought she was... If that's the case, this could mean trouble."

"Still, let's not count Derpy out of this yet, girls." Pinkie told her. "She's got a pretty tough Deck, too. I've actually played against it a few times!"

"Wait, you KNOW about her Deck?!" asked Rainbow Dash, surprised (along with her other friends). She then asked, "Why didn't ya tell us?!"

Giggling, the party-lover simply told her, "You never asked, Dashie." Naturally, this elicited a groan out of the others (except for Fluffle Puff, who just gave a raspberry).

Humming a bit, Derpy then asked her opponent, "Is that all you've got this turn?"

"Not even close!" Sonata answered. "Now I play the Field Spell known as Lemuria, the Forgotten City!" After playing her card, the scenery around them all transformed into a large, white temple with a similar style to the coliseum that they were in previously. After it appeared, a large amount of water rushed in and flooded half the temple. For those in the arena, the water reached up to their ankles after it appeared (of course, the water was merely an AR image, as was everything else).

*******************************

Lemuria, the Forgotten City
(Field Spell Card)

(This card's name is always treated as "Umi".)
All WATER monsters on the field gain 200 ATK/DEF. Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can have all WATER monsters you currently control gain Levels equal to the number of WATER monsters you currently control, until the End Phase.

*******************************

"Now thanks to this card, my monsters will get a nice little power boost!" Sonata shouted (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: ATK 800 + 200 = 1,000 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200) (Shark Stickers: ATK 200 + 200 = 400 / DEF 1,000 + 200 = 1,200).

"That's not good..." said Sunset. "That Field card puts her at a dangerous advantage..."

"Now it's time for my Battle Phase!" the blue Dazzling declared. "Neptabyss, attack her face-down monster! Trident Thrust!" The human-like monster then moved forward and stabbed Derpy's Set monster on the field with his weapon. The monster was revealed to be a some sort of a present covered in wrapping paper with large, colorful spots and tied with a red ribbon (Box of Friends: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0). Due to it not having any defense points, it was easily destroyed. "Ha! That was WAY too easy!" Sonata mocked. "NOW what're ya gonna do?"

Giggling a little, Derpy told her, "I'll activate my monster's effect, that's what."

"Wha?? Effect?"

"Yep! When Box of Friends is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Summon two more monsters from my Deck in Defense Mode!" the grey-skinned girl told her. "However, they have to both be Normal Monsters, and each of them has to have an attack power or defense power of zero." Taking out two cards from her Deck, she then added, "So I'll use the effect of Box of Friends to Summon Blazing Inpachi and Megalosmasher X in Defense Mode!"

Derpy's first monster appeared to be some sort of robot-like creature made entirely out of wood. However, it was completely engulfed in flames. Despite the fact that water covered the field, the fires around it kept right on burning (Blazing Inpachi: Level 4 / ATK 1850 / DEF 0). Her second monster was a massive sea creature that looked prehistoric in appearance. Unlike her first monster, this one seemed more suited to the field around them (Megalosmasher X: Level 4 / ATK 2000 + 200 = 2200 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200).

"Woah, not bad..." commented Vinyl. "She lost one monster, but then got two more to take its place!"

"Indeed..." said Octavia. "However, Box of Friends Summoned them both in Defense Mode, and they each have very low defense values. Which means Sonata's other monster can destroy either one of them. And even if she doesn't, both monsters will go to the Graveyard at the end of Derpy's next turn."

Grumbling a little, Sonata then shouted, "Go, Shark Stickers! Attack her Inpachi!" The girl's other monster then moved in to attack Derpy's flaming creature.

"That's not gonna happen!" the grey girl said with a smile. "I activate my Trap Card, Wonder Xyz!"

Gasping, Applejack then said, "So that was her plan all along!"

"She set Box of Friends on her field in the hopes that Sonata would attack it, so that she could Summon two monsters with the same level." Rarity explained in detail. "Then she had that Trap Card so that she could Xyz Summon without having to wait until her next turn, since she knew her monsters could be easily destroyed while in Defense Mode."

"With the effect of Wonder Xyz," Derpy continued, "I overlay my Level 4 Blazing Inpachi and Megalosmasher X to create an Overlay Network!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights (one red and one blue) that flew into a red portal in the center of the field. "She may be small, but she sure packs a punch! Under her rule, boredom is against the law!" the grey-skinned teenager chanted. "Xyz Summon! Warrior of justice and love, Rank 4! Princess Cologne!!"

Out of the red portal came a small figure that looked like a little girl. Her outfit resembled the lolita fashion style, with a bit of goth mixed in as well. The outfit itself consisted of a cute, black-and-white dress with a big, blue bow tied around the waist to secure it. Another blue bow was worn in her long, golden-blonde hair, and she also wore a pair of black-and-blue shoes. Her face was pale-peach in color with some blush on her cheeks, and she had blue eyes that matched her bows. She carried a pinkish-orange balloon with wings, a star pattern, and a funny-looking face, and orbiting her were a pair of yellow orbs (Princess Cologne: Rank 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 2200 / OLU 2).

Immediately, Pinkie's eyes began to sparkle. "Yay! It's Princess Cologne!!" she said excitedly. "I just KNEW she'd Summon it during this Duel! I knew it! I KNEW IT!!"

"But...what kinda monster is THAT supposed to be?" asked Rainbow Dash. "It looks more like some kind of a doll or somethin'..."

"Yeah, Ah wonder what it's supposed t' do..." pondered Applejack.

A little confused, Sonata asked, "THAT'S your big move? Aren't you a little too old to be playing with little dolls?"

"Not when those dolls have the power that my Princess Cologne has!" Derpy told her. "In fact, since she's got 2200 defense points, you can't beat her with either of your monsters!" Derpy's Xyz Monster then smirked before pulling down her eyelid and sticking her tongue out at Sonata.

The siren-turned-human growled a bit, but knew her opponent had a point. Calling off her attack, she simply said, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn..."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Looking at her card, Derpy then showed it to Sonata and said, "And the card I drew is my Galaxy Serpent!"

"And...why are you telling me what card you drew?" her opponent asked her.

"To activate my Spell Card on the field, that's why." Derpy informed her opponent. "Did you already forget about my Heart of the Underdog? If I draw a Normal Monster on my Draw Phase, I can show it to you and draw ANOTHER card!"

"Wait, ANOTHER card?!" asked Spike.

"That's a pretty powerful effect..." Twilight stated.

"It is." Sunset agreed with her. "Especially since she can keep using the effect over and over again if she keeps drawing more Normal Monsters."

Drawing a second card from her Deck, Derpy smiled and said, "I just drew Rabidragon, a Normal Monster! So I draw again with Heart of the Underdog!"

"Aw, c'mon already!!" whined Sonata, getting annoyed.

Derpy then drew yet another card from her Deck. However, she drew a Spell Card, meaning that her Spell on the field was done for the turn. "Well, I guess I'm done using Heart of the Underdog now..." she said.

"Urrrgh...about TIME..." groaned the dueling Dazzling.

"...But that doesn't mean I'm done drawing cards this turn." Playing her card, Derpy then said, "I activate the Spell Card Trade-In! By discarding my Level 8 Rabidragon, I can draw two more cards from my Deck!"

"You've gotta be kidding me!!" yelled Sonata. "Are you just gonna draw cards this turn, or are you gonna play them?!"

Taking her two new cards, Derpy then said to her opponent, "Well, if that's what you want..." Playing one of her cards, she then announced, "I Summon Galaxy Serpent in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was a shimmering dragon that sparkled like starlight, floating high above the arena (Galaxy Serpent: Level 2 / ATK 1000 / DEF 0). "Next," she continued, "I'll activate my Spell Card, Swing of Memories! This card can bring back any Normal Monster from the Graveyard for one turn! And of course, the monster I choose will be...my Rabidragon!"

Her second monster was what appeared to be a rabbit/dragon hybrid creature. It's dragon-like traits included a long neck, a pair of wings, sharp teeth and claws, and a long, powerful tail. Its rabbit-like features consisted of a pair of long ears, a little black nose, paws, and bright white fur (Rabidragon: Level 8 / ATK 2950 / DEF 2900).

"Woah...that's...a pretty weird-looking monster..." said Gilda.

"I know..." said Fluttershy. "It looks almost like my pet bunny Angel...if he transformed into a dragon."

"Finally, before I move onto my Battle Phase," Derpy told her opponent, "I'll switch Princess Cologne to Attack Mode!" Once she was ready, the grey girl then shouted, "Now, Princess Cologne! Attack Shark Stickers!"

Grumbling a little, Sonata then said, "Have it your way, then! It's not like she'll deal a lot of damage to me."

"That's what you think, Sonata!" Derpy told her. "I activate my Trap Card, Inverse Universe! This card switches the attack and defense points of all the Effect Monsters on the field! So Cologne's attack points get even stronger (Princess Cologne: ATK 500 > 2200 / DEF 2200 > 500)! But even better, my Trap also affects your monsters as well!"

"Wh-what?!" gasped the Dazzling as her monster's attack and defense were flipped in reverse (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: ATK 1000 > 200 / DEF 200 > 1000) (Shark Stickers: ATK 400 > 1200 / DEF 1200 > 400).

Sunset was a bit surprised by the move Derpy made. (That was ingenious...!) she thought to herself. (She used that card not only to strengthen her own monster's attack power, but also to weaken Sonata! Even though Shark Stickers gained more attack points because of the Trap Card, Derpy's Xyz Monster will be able to inflict more damage than she would have before!)

Sonata cringed a bit as Cologne swung her balloon like a flail and struck Shark Stickers with it. As it turned out, the balloon wasn't as soft as it appeared to be, as it was able to crush the siren's monster with ease and take out a quarter of her starting Life Points (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000).

"And I'm not done yet!" the grey teen declared. "Now I attack with Galaxy Serpent! Go, Starlight Stream!!" The Dragon monster then fired a ray of light straight towards Neptabyss. He was wiped out instantly, and Sonata took more damage from the battle (Sonata Dusk: 3,000 - 800 = 2,200).

"Since Inverse Universe doesn't affect Normal Monsters," Bright Mind then said, "Both of her other monsters remain at the same attack and defense values. And since Rabidragon hasn't attacked yet, she can wipe out the rest of her opponent's Life Points."

"Woah...a One-Turn-Kill...!" said Sol Burner, impressed by Derpy's move. "Never thought we'd see another one after the Prelims."

Ready to wrap up the Duel, Derpy then said to her last monster, "Okay, Rabidragon! Let's do it! Attack Sonata directly and end this Duel!!" The massive rabbit/dragon monster then prepared to launch the finishing strike.

"This is amazing Duel fans!!" cheered Megan. "If this attack goes through, we'll have witnessed a One-Turn-Kill by Derpy!!" Sunset and her friends watched intently, wondering if what the MC said would actually happen, especially since it would mean that the Dazzlings would be out of the tournament if it did happen.

"Go, Rabidragon!! Attack with Frozen Snow Stream!!" shouted Derpy. Her monster then charged up its attack and fired a icy-blue energy stream straight towards Sonata. It seemed that Derpy was about to win the Duel. But then...

"I activate my Trap Card!!" the siren shouted. "Bubble Bringer!!" After the card was flipped face-up, a huge cloud of bubbles sprayed out of the card image and completely concealed Sonata's half of the field. The attack launched by Derpy's monster ended up striking the bubbles instead of Sonata, nullifying all the damage.

"H-hey! What just happened?!" asked Derpy, unsure why her attack didn't work.

"My Trap Card makes it so that no monster that's Level 4 or above can attack directly." the blue Dazzling told her. "Since your mutant bunny is WAY higher than Level 4, its attack is cancelled! So I'm still in this Duel!" Derpy groaned a little after seeing her chance to win this turn slip away.

"So much for that..." said Spike, a little disappointed. "Derpy almost had it won until Sonata stopped her."

"Maybe so, but Derpy's still has an overwhelming advantage." Twilight pointed out. "Even though her Rabidragon will be destroyed at the end of the turn due to the effect of Swing of Memories, she'll still have two monsters on the field, while Sonata doesn't have any."

"Actually, Derpy will have even more than just two monsters after this turn ends." Sunset told them.

"She will?" asked Spike. "How?" Sunset said nothing, but made a gesture towards the field, essentially telling him and Twilight to watch the Duel and see for themselves.

Though she was a little frustrated by the fact that she couldn't win this turn, Derpy refused to give in to Sonata so easily. "You may have stopped me this time," she told her opponent, "but I have a Plan B ready to go!" Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "I'll move onto Main Phase 2 and activate my Non-Spellcasting Area! With this on the field, all non-Effect monsters are immune to Spell Cards!" Taking another card and putting it into her Duel Pad, she added, "Then I'll set this card and end my turn!"

"Don't forget," Sonata reminded her foe, "your Rabidragon is destroyed and the end of the turn, since you Summoned it with Swing of Memories." And just as she said, the giant rabbit/dragon beast vanished instantly.

"Maybe so," Derpy stated, "but because that happened, I can now activate the effect of Princess Cologne, by removing one of her overlay units!" At that moment, the little doll's balloon then wiggled a bit before the top half of it opened. Afterwards, one of her floating yellow orbs flew in-between the balloon's halves before the top half shut closed (Princess Cologne: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now she can use her power to Special Summon another Normal Monster from my Deck or my Graveyard!"

"What?? Another one?!" gasped Sonata.

"And since you seem to like WATER monsters so much," the grey girl told her, "I'll bring out one of my own! I Summon Spiral Serpent from my Deck in Defense Mode!" Her next monster was another massive creature: It was a large sea-faring beast with a long neck protruding from a bulbous, blue body. It had thick, sharp teeth, and fins on the top of its head, on the sides of its head, and on its main body. A long tail that faded from blue to white extended from the back end of its body, making a wave-like motion in the air (Spiral Serpent: Level 8 / ATK 2900 / DEF 2900).

"Due to Derpy's Spell Card," Applejack pointed out, "her new monster doesn't get the power boost from Sonata's Field Spell."

"Yeah, but that thing's still got 2,900 defense points!" Rainbow Dash reminded her. "There's nothing Sonata can Summon that can take it down!"

"I hope so..." Rarity said, "for Derpy's sake."

Sonata grumbled a bit at the fact that her opponent had three monsters on the field, while she had none. If she didn't do something on her next turn, she would most certainly lose on Derpy's next turn. As she drew her next card, Aria then shouted at her, "Whad'ya think you're doing out there, Sonata?! You're supposed t' be beating her, not GETTING beat by her!"

Turning back to her sisters, the blue Dazzling told Aria, "Well, how was I supposed to know she was gonna pull off a move like that?!"

"LISTEN, Sonata..." Adagio told her in a stern voice, "I allowed you to enter this tournament in our name... DON'T make me regret that decision."

Mumbling to herself, Sonata turned her attention back to the Duel and thought, (I'll show those two...! I'll knock her out of the tournament one way or another...!)

Back in Twilight's mind, Discord, along with Utopia, were following the two Twilight look-a-likes into a large building that housed the young Princess's memories (the draconequus had given them the nicknames Mind-Twi and Memory-Twi in order to tell them apart from each other). They were hoping to discover more about the Astral World; in particular, they were looking for some evidence of any involvement by Twilight and Sunset in regards to that world, based on a dream that they had watched.

The four of them searched through the Alicorn's many memories, going through various rooms in the building they were in. However, they had not yet found anything that could help them figure out the mystery of the Astral World, the Numbers, or the group known as the Order of Astral. Humming a little, the glasses-wearing Memory-Twi said to the others, "I haven't found anything even remotely similar to what you've asked for..."

"I haven't had any luck either..." said Mind-Twi (who looked exactly like Twilight in her pony form, not having any other unique attributes).

"Unfortunately, I haven't found any information about the Astral World either..." Utopia then told them. "As much as it pains me to say it, it doesn't seem like we'll make any progress at this rate..."

"Oh come on, Utopia!" Discord told him. "Of all of us here, YOU shouldn't be the one losing hope! After all, you'd be contradicting your own name if you did." Pacing back and forth, he then said, "Now think, everyone: If this memory exists, it HAS to be somewhere in this place! Where haven't we looked yet?"

"...Hmmmm...I wonder..." Memory-Twi pondered.

"Wh-what? Wonder what?? What are you wondering??" asked the draconequus, picking up the glasses-wearing pony and shaking her frantically. "C'mon! Spit it out!!"

Putting her hoof on Discord's chest to tell him stop shaking her, Memory-Twi then told him, "There DOES happen to be a place that we haven't looked yet... But it could be dangerous; I've never been able to go there."

"And where is that...?" asked Utopia.

"...The Subconscious Section." the spectacled Alicorn answered him. "But we have no way of going there; it's heavily restricted, and none of us have the clearance to enter it."

"Oh, now don't let a minor detail like that get you down!" Discord told her, not very concerned by what she had just told her. "We'll get in without a problem, I promise you!"

"But how?" asked Mind-Twi. "If she says it's restricted, then how will we get in to look around?"

"Ohohoho...how soon we forget..." the draconequus replied with a chuckle. "I'M the spirit of Chaos! There's NOTHING I cannot do, and there's NOWHERE I cannot go! Your co-workers can put up all the red tape they want, but it won't be able to keep me out! You just let me worry about getting us all inside."

"Um...I don't know..." hummed Memory-Twi. "It seems like a violation of code..."

"Well of COURSE it will be!" Discord informed her. "But if we're gonna figure out this whole mess with the Astral World and everything, we'll need to break a few eggs along the way." He then snapped his claws, creating a frying pan full of eggs that flipped upside-down and spilled its contents on the floor to emphasize his point.

Memory-Twi was still unsure about the whole thing, but decided that there was no other alternative. "O-oh okay then; we'll try it your way..." she said. "I just hope you know what you're doing..."

"If you knew me well, then you'd know I do my best work when I DON'T know what I'm doing." the draconequus told her with a smirk across his face. Pointing forward, he then told the group. "Now! To the subconscious, everyone! Forward march!" He then walked on ahead, with the others following close behind.

The next few hallways they entered were much more poorly-lit compared to the rest of the building they were in. In fact, it seemed that with every step forward, the area around them all got darker and darker. The two Twilight clones were beginning to worry about what was coming up ahead. Even Discord was feeling a bit uneasy about the whole thing, though he'd never admit to it.

"I-I'm still not so sure about this whole thing..." said Memory-Twi nervously. "This...doesn't seem like a good idea..."

"I know..." Mind-Twi agreed, looking around them (which proved difficult since the hall had very little light).

"W-well, even if it WASN'T a good idea to do this, it's the only thing that we can do if we're ever gonna make any sort of progress." Discord informed them both. "Besides, if we all just turned around and left, this side-story would be pretty anti-climatic. So let's press on!" He then ran on ahead, trying to act as brave as possible.

Gasping suddenly, Utopia called out to the draconequus, "No, wait! Discord, STOP!!"

"Stop?" The draconequus looked ahead at where he was going...and saw a large pit in front of him. Yelping, he instinctively hit the brakes, sliding to a stop before he could fall to his demise (and making a tire-screeching sound effect as he did so). Luckily for him, he stopped just at the edge of the pit. Gasping for air, Discord looked down and saw that the pit in front of him was lined with large, stone spikes. "Hoo boy...whoever said that last step is a doozy hit it right on the money..." he said to himself.

Finally reaching him, Mind-Twi asked, "Discord, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, just fine." he assured her. Sighing a little, he glanced at Utopia and told him, "Thanks for the warning...but how did you know about that pit?"

"Truth be told, I didn't." the warrior admitted. "However, I assumed that - since we were told that this area was restricted, I figured there would be traps set to protect against intruders. My warning was merely to inform you that rushing off ahead would be a dangerous idea, and this pit confirmed my hypothesis."

"Oh...I-I see." the draconequus said, sweating a little out of minor embarrassment and realizing that Utopia had a point.

"He's right, Mr. Discord." Memory-Twi explained. "Instead of having guards, the Memory Hall has all sorts of booby traps placed throughout the halls leading to the Subconscious Section. So no one has ever been able to enter it. It's for that reason that the area is restricted."

"Interesting..." Utopia remarked. "In other words, the mental defenses surrounding Twilight's subconscious thoughts are so strong, that even Twilight herself is not able to see them."

Looking down at the spike pit, Discord began to chuckle a little...and then a lot. He then went into a riotous laugh soon after, which perplexed everyone around him.

"...I'm sorry; was my statement amusing in some way?" asked Utopia.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Discord told him, "No, I was laughing because I was actually expecting a little better than this! If this is the best trap they have, then they may as well guard the place with a sign that says, 'Please don't come in'!" Rolling up his...sleeves, the mighty Spirit of Chaos grinned mischievously and said, "Now it's time to do that voodoo that I do!" He then snapped his claws, which caused a light to radiate around the spikes in the bottom of the pit. Seconds later, the spikes vanished and were replaced with...

"A...trampoline...??" asked Mind-Twi curiously.

"Not just ANY trampoline," Discord informed her, "the biggest trampoline ever constructed!" Snapping his claws again, the draconequus made several items appear on him: A snorkeling mask, water wings, a pair of swimming trunks, a duck-shaped inner tube, and a pair of flippers. "C'mon, everyone! Last one in is the back end of a Timberwolf!" He then jumped into the transformed pit in a diving pose. Then, he stopped in mid-air and added, "Which, by the way, is mahogany...in case anyone was wondering." After making that comment, he then dropped into the pit.

Utopia and the two Twilight doubles watched with curiosity as the draconequus dove down into the pit. He then flipped upright and landed feet-first onto the giant trampoline. As one would have predicted, he was then launched back up into the air, flying high as he moved forward towards the other end of the pit, bouncing along the trampoline as he did so. Feeling a bit more confident after watching Discord make it safely to the other side, the other three then hopped down as well, hopping across the trampoline and reaching the other end with ease.

As the two Twilight clones gasped for air after the impromptu workout (even the mind-generated clones of Twilight weren't very physically active), Discord then asked the others, "Well, not bad, eh? Quite an ingenious idea, if I do say so myself."

"Perhaps," Utopia told him, "but...wouldn't it have been easier to simply fly over the pit? We all have wings, after all..."

"Well...well where's the fun in that?" asked the draconequus with a bit of a huff. "Besides, it's not my fault the author forgot about that little fact, too." Turning forward, he then added, "Besides, if this really is the best they have to throw at us, the rest of this'll be a cinch!"

"Let's hope so..." said Memory-Twi, finally catching her breath. "But I'm worried that this might only be just the beginning..." The other Twilight copy nodded in agreement. That being said, the group knew that they had to keep pressing forward now that they managed to get this far in. They bravely moved forward, unsure of what they might encounter next...

Back in reality, Sonata was ready to make her next move in her Duel against Derpy. The siren had managed to escape a One-Turn-Kill attempt by her opponent, but was still at a major disadvantage, having no monsters on the field and staring down three of Derpy's monsters.

"Now it's Sonata's move..." Spike said. "Whad'ya think she'll do next, Twilight?"

"I can't say for sure..." the young Princess answered him. "I suppose we'll soon find out if she CAN do something."

Sunset watched the Duel closely as she thought to herself, (I never expected Sonata to be able to pull off the moves she has so far... I mean yeah, she was just as dangerous as her sisters were, but she never came across to me as the big thinker in their group...) Upon thinking of the other Dazzlings, the red-and-yellow girl then looked over to the bench behind Sonata, where Adagio and Aria were sitting. (I wonder...) she then pondered in her mind, (I wonder if THEY have something to do with this whole thing...?)

Starting her next turn, Sonata drew her next card and told her foe, "If you think I'm gonna lose to someone like you, you can forget it! There's no way I'd ever let that happen! Not even for all the tacos in the world!" She then hesitated for a second to contemplate that thought. "Well, actually..." She then shook her head and shouted, "N-no! Not even for that!" Looking at her next card, she then said, "I activate my Moray of Greed Spell Card! It lets me shuffle two of the WATER monsters in my hand back into my Deck, and then I get to draw three more cards!"

(A hand exchange card...) thought Steel Shadows, sitting on one of the benches in the section where the other competitors were gathered together. (I guess she's trying to come up with a new strategy after that last move by her opponent...)

After drawing her three new cards, the blue siren played one of them right away, shouting, "Now I'll activate my Sea Lord's Amulet! This card stays on my field for three turns... And during that time, you can't destroy any of my WATER monsters with card effects!" Derpy hummed a bit out of slight frustration; that move meant that her face-down card - Justi-Break, was now useless.

*******************************

Justi-Break
(Normal Trap Card)

When an opponent's monster targets a face-up Normal Monster you control for an attack: Destroy all monsters on the field, except Attack Position Normal Monsters.

*******************************

"I think her brain's as washed-up as the rest of her band is..." said Rainbow Dash. "She doesn't have any WATER monsters on the field!"

"Maybe not now," Rarity informed her friend, "but I am most certain that she will have one soon enough."

And just as Rarity had said, Sonata played a monster to the field right away. "I'll Normal Summon Atlantean Dragoons in Attack Mode!" The new monster on the field actually consisted of a pair of human-like aquatic beings with armor of gold and silver, each one riding on what appeared to be dragon-like sea horse creatures that each had a pair of arms growing out the front of them (Atlantean Dragoons: ATK 1800 + 200 = 2000 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200). "Now! Attack her Galaxy Serpent!!" the siren commanded. The mounted creatures had little trouble as they rode into battle and slashed Derpy's lowest-ATK monster with their swords, wiping it out.

"Urrrgh...!" the grey teen grunted after taking a hit to her Life Points (Derpy Hooves: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000). But she wasn't going to cry "Uncle" yet: "I activate the effect of Princess Cologne once again!" she shouted. "I use an overlay unit to Special Summon another Normal Monster from my Deck (Princess Cologne: OLU 1 - 1 = 0)! And I choose Gogiga Gagagigo in Defense Mode!"

Derpy's destroyed monster was instantly replaced by a much bigger, more powerful creature: It was a massive humanoid reptile with red-colored skin and metal plating on several parts of its body. The monster appeared to be flowing with power; perhaps more than it could possibly handle (Gogiga Gagagigo: ATK 2950 / DEF 2800).

"Fine then! I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Sonata said back as she did just that.

Understanding what had happened, Flash Sentry then said, "I have a feeling that Derpy had Galaxy Serpent out in the hopes that Sonata would attack it; that way she could use her Xyz Monster's effect again."

"Now Derpy's got three monsters on the field again...!" Sweetie Belle said. "And they're all really powerful! She could still beat her!"

"Hmmmm...will she? We'll see..." Zecora said with a very short rhyme.

"My turn! I draw!" said Derpy as she drew her next card - the Trap Card Birthright. Looking at it, she then said, "First, I'll put this card face-down on the field..." After setting the card she had drawn, the grey-skinned girl continued, saying, "Then, I'll switch both of my defense monsters to Attack Mode!" Immediately, Gogiga Gagagigo and Spiral Serpent were ready to battle, along with Cologne. "Now, Gogiga Gagagigo! Attack her monster!" Derpy ordered. The powerful monster then rushed in with its claws raised.

"Not so fast!!" shouted Sonata. "I activate my Trap Card, Tornado Wall!" After her card was flipped face-up, the water in front of her instantly formed into several raging water spouts, forming a sort of barrier. Although Derpy's monster was successful in destroying Atlantean Dragoons in the battle, nothing else happened: Sonata's Life Points remained as they were.

"Huh? Why didn't you take damage?" Derpy asked her opponent.

"While Umi is on the field," the blue siren explained, "Tornado Wall keeps me from taking any damage during battles when your monsters attack me. That means the damage I would have taken just now doesn't happen, and you can't hurt me even if you attack with your other two monsters!"

"Hang on a sec...!" Vinyl began to say. "The only Field Spell in play is that Lemuria Spell Card that Sonata played on her first turn!"

"Yes, but according to the card text," Octavia informed her friend, "Lemuria is always treated as Umi. Therefore, Tornado Wall will still function."

"Oh, I see..." said the DJ, understanding what she was talking about.

Derpy sighed a bit out of frustration, knowing that her opponent had survived another turn. "In that case, I'll end my turn."

"This isn't good for Derpy..." Sunset said to Twilight and Spike. "Now she can't damage her in battle during her own turn, thanks to both Tornado Wall and Bubble Bringer."

"Sh-she can still win, can't she?" asked Spike, a bit unsure.

"Let's hope so..." Twilight replied, wishing Derpy the best of luck.

Looking at her Deck, Sonata prepared to take her next turn. (Alright...) she thought to herself, (it's about time I show that girl that I'm not gonna just let her beat me...!) Looking at her sisters sitting behind her, she then added, (But more importantly, I'll show Adagio and Aria that I'm not the blundering airhead they think I am...!)

"It's my turn!" the Dazzling Duelist shouted as she drew her next card. Looking at it, she wasted no time in playing it right away. "I activate Foolish Burial from my hand! I'll use it to send Shark Stickers from my Deck to my Graveyard!"

As Sonata disposed of the monster card in question, Applejack said to her friends next to her, "Whatever that gal's sendin' to her Graveyard must be important to her strategy..."

"Yes, but what sort of strategy is she planning?" asked Rarity.

"For the first time in my life..." Pinkie began to say, "I have no idea what's gonna happen next..." Fluffle Puff simply gave out a raspberry in response to the party lover's comment. "Yeah, I'm pretty worried for Derpy, too." Pinkie said to her fluffy friend.

"Next," Sonata continued, "I'll activate my face-down card, Call of the Haunted! I use it to re-Summon Neptabyss from my Graveyard!" A violet portal then appeared on the field, and Sonata's long-haired human-like monster came out of it before it closed up (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: ATK 800 + 200 = 1,000 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200). "And now that he's back, I can activate his effect!" the siren then told her foe. "I'll send my last copy of Atlantean Dragoons from my Deck to the Graveyard to put Atlantean Attack Squad into my hand! And because I used my Dragoons to pay the cost, I'll use their effect to add another Sea Serpent to my hand from my Deck!"

After Sonata took her chosen card from her Deck, Sunset then began to wonder what she was up to now. Unfortunately, she had a slight idea to what it could be. (No...) she thought, (is she trying to do what I THINK she's trying to do?)

"Next, I'll Summon Atlantean Heavy Infantry in Attack Mode!" said the siren as she played her next monster onto the field. The creature was another armored, humanoid-shaped sea creature. In each of its hands was half of a giant shield, which it used to protect itself in the heat of battle (Atlantean Heavy Infantry: ATK 0 + 200 = 200 / DEF 1600 + 200 = 1800). "And then I'll Normal Summon my Atlantean Attack Squad alongside it!" she then announced. Another monster that looked very similar to the previous one then appeared on her field, wielding a sharp blade and a shield that was decorated with a fish-like design (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 1400 + 200 = 1600 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200).

"Huh?! How'd she do that??" asked Rainbow Dash. "How'd she Normal Summon two monsters to her field??"

"The effect of my Atlantean Heavy Infantry allows me to Normal Summon an extra monster each turn, as long as it's a Sea Serpent that isn't higher than Level 4." Sonata explained, sounding a teensy bit smug as she did. "So deal with it." Looking over at her second Normal Summoned monster, she then added, "And speaking of effects, my Atlantean Attack Squad gains another eight hundred attack points, since I have another Sea Serpent on the field with it (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 1600 + 800 = 2400)! That's just enough to take out your little doll monster!"

"Maybe so," Derpy told her, "but not enough to defeat my other two monsters! They're both still too powerful, and next turn, I can use them to destroy your monsters!"

Chuckling a little and still having a smug look on her face, Sonata then told her, "That's if you even HAVE a next turn. And spoiler alert: You're not getting one."

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked the grey girl.

"Just watch..." said the blue siren. "I activate the second effect of my Bubble Bringer Trap Card: By sending it to the Graveyard, it lets me Special Summon 2 Level 3 or lower WATER monsters from the Graveyard that have the same name to the field with their effects negated! So I'll use it to bring back two copies of Shark Stickers, both in Attack Mode!" And with that, she brought back her two shark-like monsters to her side of the board (Shark Stickers (x2): ATK 200 + 200 = 400 / DEF 1000 + 200 = 1200).

"But those guys are so much weaker than all of Derpy's monsters!" said Spike.

"Yeah, just what is Sonata trying to accomplish...?" asked Twilight. "What IS her strategy?"

"...I think I know what it is." Sunset told them. "When she stared Summoning out so many weaker monsters at once, I immediately remembered something: The Atlantean Deck's most powerful card..."

"Most powerful card...?" asked Spike, shaking a little. "Wh-what kind of card is it, Sunset??"

Sighing, the jacket-wearing teen solemnly told him, "I have a bad feeling that I may not have to tell you what it is...because I'm certain Sonata's about to unleash it right now...!" Spike and Twilight looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. Based on what Sunset had told them, they both had the feeling that this Duel may not last for much longer...

Chuckling a little, Sonata then told her opponent, "You didn't have a chance of winning the Battle of the Bands, girl...Just like you didn't have a chance at winning this Duel!" Taking a card from her hand, she then shouted, "I release three of my monsters: Neptabyss, Heavy Infantry, and Shark Stickers!!" Everyone gasped as a large pillar of water swallowed up the three monsters in question.

"She's...releasing them??" asked Sweetie Belle. "But why??"

"...I think I know, and it is as we fear:" Zecora told her. "Sonata's strongest card is about to appear!"

Everyone watched as the massive water spout began to change into a massive, dragon-like creature. "Great and mighty ruler of seas, appear before us!" Sonata chanted. "Unleash your fury and swallow your enemies into the depths below!! Arise, dragon with the name of a sea god! Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon!!"

Everyone watched as the dragon-like figure in the water began to take its true form: A massive, dark-blue sea-beast. It had powerful limbs with sharp claws at the ends of them, and its head consisted of several sharp horns and a mouth filled with equally-sharp teeth. It had an underbelly that was as blue as the water around it, a large, orange fin on its back, and a powerful tail with a steel trident at the end of it. It gave out a vicious roar after it had fully emerged (Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon: ATK 2800 + 200 = 3000 / DEF 1600 + 200 = 1800).

"O-o-oh my...!" Fluttershy gasped out of fear. "L-l-look at the size of that thing...!"

"Woah...!" said Gilda, a bit shocked as well. "Whod've thought she had a card like that ready to go?!"

Sunset growled a bit to herself. (I knew it...) she thought. (Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon... And I'm willing to bet that she had drawn that card into her hand when she used the effect of her Atlantean Dragoons earlier this turn...)

Huffing a bit, Aria grudgingly said to Adagio, "Hmph...I guess Sonata didn't disappoint us after all... At least for now." the leader of the Dazzlings simply nodded in response to Aria's comment, saying nothing else.

Derpy began to sweat bullets after Sonata unleash her powerful monster. "L-l-look at the size of that thing...!" she said, trembling. "How am I supposed to beat THAT?!"

"You won't need to worry about figuring that out, because you won't beat it!" Sonata told her. "And I'll show you why!" Pointing forward, "Poseidra, activate your effect!!"

"Effect?" asked Spike. "What kind of effect?"

"...A dangerous one." Sunset told him. "After Poseidra is Summoned through its effect, it sends every Spell and Trap on the field back to their owners' hands."

"...Well, that doesn't sound too bad, actually..." the little dragon-turned-puppy responded.

"But that isn't all:" the red-and-yellow teen continued. "If Poseidra manages to send at least three cards off the field as a result, then all of Derpy's monsters lose 300 attack points for every one of those cards!" This caused both Spike and Twilight to gasp in shock.

Their friends in the audience knew about that effect too. "So wait, lemme see...:" Rainbow Dash said. "On Sonata's side of the field, there's that Lemuria Field Spell, Tornado Wall, Sea Lord's Amulet, and Call of the Haunted..." She then looked over to Derpy's side of the board and continued, saying, "And Derpy's got Heart of the Underdog, Non-Spellcasting Area...plus two face-downs..."

"That's a total of eight cards!" Rarity spoke up with a slight gasp. "Which means that - if that behemoth sends all of them back to their hands, each of Derpy's monsters will lose a total of 2,400 attack points!"

"Oh no...!" exclaimed Applejack. "That means all'o her monsters'll be vulnerable to attack!"

"I should've known the villain wouldn't go down that quickly..." sighed Pinkie sadly. "Unfortunately, that's just how stories like this often play out..."

Sonata's massively-powerful monster that whipped up a fierce maelstrom that moved wildly around the field, sucking in all of Sonata's and Derpy's Spell and Trap Cards and tossing them out of the field, including Sonata's Field Spell Card (Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon: ATK 3000 - 200 = 2800 / DEF 1800 - 200 = 1600) (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 2400 - 200 = 2200 / DEF 200 - 200 = 0) (Shark Stickers: ATK 400 - 200 = 200 / DEF 1200 - 200 = 1000). But it didn't end there: The cyclone's water and wind then struck all of Derpy's monsters, heavily weakening them (Princess Cologne: ATK 2200 - 2400 = 0) (Gogiga Gagagigo: ATK 2950 - 2400 = 550) (Spiral Serpent: ATK 2900 - 2400 = 500).

"N-n...no...!" the grey girl said. "M-my monsters won't survive this turn...!"

"Heh... with their attack points so low, YOU won't survive the turn either!" Sonata smugly said to her. Snickering a little, she then told her foe, "This Duel is over!!"

Everyone couldn't help but watch as the blue-skinned siren readied her finishing move. Sunset, Twilight, and all their friends looked on, knowing full well that there was nothing Derpy could do to save herself now...

"Alright!! I attack with all of my monsters!! Wipe her out for good!!!" shouted Sonata as her three monsters unleashed their attacks: Atlantean Attack Squad slashed Derpy's Spiral Serpent with its powerful sword, slicing the massive creature in half (Derpy Hooves: LP 3,000 - 1,700 = 1,300), Shark Stickers swam forward and used its tail to strike Princess Cologne, wiping her out and dealing more damage (Derpy Hooves: LP 1,300 - 200 = 1,100), and Poseidra then finished things up by firing a torrent of water at Gogiga Gagagigo, blowing it away completely and depleting the rest of Derpy's Life Points (Derpy Hooves: LP 1,100 - 2,250 = 0) (WINNER: Sonata Dusk).

"No way...! Derpy lost..." said Spike, shocked at what had just happened. Twilight and Sunset were also distressed by it as well, knowing that it meant that Sonata would still be in the tournament, and whatever plan she and the other Dazzlings had in mind could very well come to pass...

Chuckling a little and smirking, Adagio then said, "Well, I say that this is going well so far..."

"I guess so..." Aria stated, still annoyed that she wasn't the one dueling instead. "Let's just hope Sonata doesn't screw this whole thing up...or I'll make sure she never hears the end of it."

"Don't concern yourself, Aria..." the orange-and-yellow siren told her confidently. "With what I have planned, the rest of this tournament won't be any challenge, even for Sonata..." Adagio then smirked again; she was confident that whatever she was plotting would help Sonata win the tournament, no matter what...

Back in the mind of Twilight Sparkle...

"Run away!! Run away!!" screamed Discord as he and Utopia, along with the two mind-generated Twilight clones, were scampering to avoid what appeared to be a massive version of Spike in his baby dragon form: Of course, it wasn't the real Spike; it was another mental defense designed to keep people out of Twilight's subconscious. Also - for whatever reason, Discord was wearing a gold king's crown on his head that looked like it came out of King Arthur...or something like it.

Looking back at the Godzilla-sized dragon behind them, Mind-Twi asked in a panicking tone, "I-i-it's getting closer...!!" Turning towards Discord she asked him in a somewhat scolding tone, "Why didn't you think that dragon might have been another mental trap??"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?!" asked the draconequus. "I thought that Tim the Enchanter guy was just pulling my leg when he told us about it!" Just then, the giant Spike clone breathed a powerful green-colored flame at them. "INCOMING!!!"

Reacting quickly, Utopia flew straight towards the flames, deploying his left wing and transforming it. "Light Wing Shield!" he shouted after his wing expanded, creating a barrier that nullified the fire attack. Looking back at the others, he told them, "I can only hold this attack for so long... We must do something quickly, or it will be the end for us all...!"

"But...how can we stop it...?" asked Memory-Twi. But then, upon looking at the glistening crown on Discord's head, she figured something out. "Of course! Dragons are attracted to valuable items!"

"Aha! That's it!" Discord exclaimed. Knowing what had to be done, the draconequus removed the crown and tossed towards the giant dragon as hard as he could. The massive Spike clone - upon hearing the sound of the crown hitting the stone floor and seeing the golden glow, smiled and chased after it, completely forgetting about the intruders. Chuckling a little, Discord then said, "And you all thought that crown was just to make a passing reference."

"Luckily for us, that mental trap was generated based on Twilight's past memory of Spike giving into his greedy side..." Mind-Twi noted. "Otherwise, we may not have gotten away from it."

"In any case," Utopia began to suggest, "we had better move on before that dragon decides to return for us." The other agreed and swiftly moved onwards.

A few minutes later, the four finally reached a set of extremely tall double doors. On the top were the words, "Praetorium Memoriam Vetitum". Looking up at the doors, Memory-Twi then said, "Well...here we are... This is where all of Twilight Sparkle's subconscious memories are stored."

"Hopefully, our efforts will pay off here, and we can solve the mysteries surrounding the Astral World..." said Utopia.

"Then let's get in there and do what we came here to do!" Discord said with the utmost confidence. He then opened the doors and allowed himself and the rest of the group inside. Much like the rest of the chambers in the building, there were hundreds and hundreds of bookshelves, each one filled with all sorts of different books. However, the chamber was quite dark inside, with only a few lit candles to provide any form of light.

"Wow... There's so much in here...!" said Mind-Twi, very much impressed by the large amount of reference materials. "But...which one are we looking for?"

"We must find some sort of memory that relates to either the Astral World, the Number cards, or this 'Order of Astral' that we heard about after watching that dream..." Utopia told her. "However, with all of the books and papers scattered about, this could take quite some time..."

"...Perhaps I might be able to help you?" said a woman's voice from somewhere in the room.

The four of them were a bit surprised: They did not expect anyone else to be here, as the subconscious was supposedly forbidden to everyone. "Wh-who's there...??" asked Memory-Twi, getting a little worried.

At that moment, a hooded figure came out of the darkness, dressed in a violet cloak that matched Twilight's coat color, walking on all fours. "Do not be afraid," the figure told them, "I mean no harm... After all, it isn't often I have visitors."

"No kidding..." Discord said. "I probably wouldn't have a lot of guests if my home was guarded by a giant pit, a massive version of Spike, and let's not forget about the worst of those traps we faced: The Clown Room..." Shuddering a bit, he then said, "S-so...many...red noses and honking sounds... Pies thrown in every direction... And I thought I was evil back in Season Two..." Snapping out of his uncomfortable feelings, he then asked the cloaked woman, "Anyway, just who are you?"

The figure didn't answer with words; instead she pulled off her hood, revealing her face: It looked sort of like a grey pony head, but it had no visible mouth, its mane was made up of dark grey pieces of yarn, and its eyes were a pair of buttons - one blue and one red (and the red button seemed to be dangling by its string).

The figure's strange face surprised the others in the room. "Wh-wh-WHAT THE-?! It can't be!!" Discord said in shock. "Aren't you that old doll that Twilight used to have? Um...what was your name now...um..."

"Ms. Smarty Pants." Memory-Twi told him.

"Right! Of course!" the draconequus responded, remembering the name. He then asked the figure, "But...why is Twilight's doll in a place like this? Well, Ms. Smarty Pants?"

Humming, the doll-faced (quite literally), told them, "First off, it's DOCTOR Smarty Pants: My former owner awarded me with my doctorate during one of our playtime sessions. Second, if you recall, you are currently IN the mind of my former owner; everything and everyone you see is merely a mind-generated illusion, including myself. Which in turn, explains how I can speak to you despite not possessing a mouth of any sort."

"Oh yeah..." said Discord, remembering that as well.

"Still, that doesn't explain why you are here in Twilight's subconscious..." Utopia reminded their mysterious guest. "Why are you here and not somewhere else? Twilight has told me about you, so you clearly are not a forgotten memory..."

Humming a little, Smarty Pants then answered him, saying, "I am the manifestation of Twilight's love for the real-life doll that I resemble. After Twilight grew too old for me, I decided to find a new purpose for myself... That's when I discovered the Hall of Memories and found out about the supposedly forbidden room where my former owner's subconscious memories were stored."

"But how did you manage to get all the way in here?" asked Memory-Twi. "How did you get past all of the traps?"

"Twilight was still relatively young at the time, so her mental defenses - powerful as they may have been, weren't quite as strong as the ones you had likely faced." Smarty Pants answered. "I was able to make my way here without much trouble. I then spent a good amount of time reading each and every one of her subconscious memories and I was amazed at what I had found...and fearful."

"Fearful?" asked Utopia.

"I knew that my former owner had a dark side as well," the cloaked figure continued on, "and if I could make my way here easily, I knew that evil part of her could do so as well... So I decided to devote myself to guarding this hall and the memories within it, to keep them out of the wrong hooves. I strengthened Twilight's mental defenses to make sure that not just anyone can come in here... Since then, you four are the first ones to ever enter this place; I truly believe that this is not simply a random occurrence that you should appear here..."

"You mean that...you believe that were MEANT to come here?" asked Mind-Twi.

Smarty Pants nodded yes and then asked the group, "Now...I believe you mentioned something about the Astral World, am I correct?"

"Yes." Utopia confirmed. "We are seeking any possible connection that Twilight might have with the Astral World. It is of the utmost importance that we figure that out as soon as possible."

Smarty Pants hummed a little more before she noticed the 39 mark on the warrior's shoulder pad. "I see..." she said. "As unlikely as it may seem, I think there might be ONE book here that could help you do just that..." She then walked over towards a far-off shelf to retrieve a ladder and pulled it with her front hooves. Once she got it where she needed it, Smarty Pants then climbed up the ladder to one of the higher shelves. Discord and the others watched on as the doll-like creature grabbed a book with a golden cover from the shelf and carefully climbed back down.

Handing them the book, Smarty Pants then said to them, "Here...I believe this might aid you in finding what you seek..."

Looking at the book's shimmering cover, the four guests saw that it showed a large symbol on the front of it. But it wasn't just any symbol: It was in the shape of the Emporer's Key, the very symbol of the Astral World. Surrounding the image in a ring were the numerical symbols for 0 all the way up to 9.

"Hey! Those symbols look like the ones on your shoulder!" Mind-Twi said to Utopia.

"Yes, it does appear that way...!" the golden warrior said. He then figured that Smarty Pants knew to get this book from seeing the symbol that he himself possessed. "This book could contain the answers to everything we have been looking for."

"Then I say 'mission accomplished'!" Discord said triumphantly. "Let's get this book out of here so that we can look it over!"

"Wait! We can't do that!" protested Memory-Twi.

"What?! We can't??" asked the draconequus.

"She is right to show concern." said Smarty Pants. "Even though the memory you hold was one that was stored in Twilight's subconscious mind, it is still a part of her. If you remove that memory from her completely, it could have drastic consequences. You could very well run the risk of permanently damaging her mind..."

"Oooooo...that doesn't sound good..." said Discord, getting the message. "Well then, let's try Plan B!" He then snapped his claws and made a large, grey-and-white machine appear before them.

"What is that?" asked Mind-Twi.

"A copy machine." he answered her. "I heard about it from Twilight's trips to and from the human world. It can make an exact copy of anything put into it!"

"I see now..." said Utopia, understanding Discord's plan. "You plan to make an exact copy of this book, so that we can take it with us, but still allow the original to remain here in Twilight's mind."

"Exactly!" the draconequus told him. "That way, we don't cause Twilight to go completely brain-dead!" He then told the warrior, "Okay, I just need you to give me the book so that I can make a copy of it for ourselves."

Utopia nodded and was about to hand the book over, but as he did, a small object suddenly fell out of it. "Hey...what's that?" asked Memory-Twi, pointing down at the small item.

The others looked at it themselves and saw that it appeared to be a Duel Monsters card. "Hmmm...well that's pretty odd..." said Discord. "Where did that come from?"

Putting the book down on a nearby table, Utopia bent down and picked up the card. Once he got a look at it, he gasped and said, "I...I don't believe it...! C-could it be??"

"What is it??" asked Discord. "What's got you all wound up and everything??"

Looking at the card again, Utopia answered the draconequus, telling him, "Of all the places we could have conceived of...even I would have never guessed that this where we would find another Number card!"

Everyone in the room gasped in shock after hearing Utopia say that. But it was true, and Utopia himself proved it by showing them all the card that had fallen out of the book. In the box that showed the card's name, there was the written text of the Astral World: It read, "Number 78: Number Archive"...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
Fluttershy vs. Gabby [WINNER: Fluttershy]
Derpy Hooves vs. Sonata Dusk [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???

RANK 46: Invasion of the Duel Monster Snatchers:

Author's Note

The tournament continues in this chapter, but also re-introduces a character that had been seen earlier on that is about to have a side adventure all their own. I hope you all enjoy this one!

RANK 46: Invasion of the Duel Monster Snatchers:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

With the first half of Round 1 complete, the WCQ Qualification Tournament, which is currently taking place in Canterlot High School's football arena (now turned into a colossal coliseum), was ready to move on to the next set of Duels. The first Duel for the second half of Round 1 pitted Derpy Hooves against Sonata Dusk. Right away, everyone's eyes were on this Duel, especially Sunset Shimmer, who suspected that Sonata, along with her sisters Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze, were up to no good. Derpy however, wanted to beat Sonata for a cruel act that her opponent committed during the Battle of the Bands. Despite putting up an amazing fight, Derpy lost to Sonata's Atlantean Deck.

While this was all going on, Discord and Utopia, along with two mind-generated clones of Twilight Sparkle, were on the hunt for information regarding the real Twilight's apparent connection to the Astral World. This came up after the group had watched one of the young Princess's dreams, where they discovered two people that looked exactly like Twilight and Sunset, who were part of a group known as the "Order of Astral". However, the only information about the Astral World that wasn't already known to Twilight existed in the subconscious part of her mind, which was heavily booby-trapped. Luckily, Discord and the others managed to reach the subconscious and, hopefully, the end of their search...

But just as they thought that they would have all of their questions answered, Utopia finds something that only served to raise more questions...

While a major Duel Monsters tournament was taking place in Sunset Shimmer's world, Discord and Utopia were on a journey in the vast mind of Twilight Sparkle. With the help of a pair of mind-generated clones of Twilight, they searched hard for any clues related to the Princess of Friendship's possible connection to the Order of Astral, an ancient sect of priests and priestesses who vigorously trained themselves so that they could reach the mysterious realm known as the Astral World.

After travelling through Twilight's subconscious; a trap-filled section of her mind that stored her lost thoughts and memories, Discord's party encountered yet another mind-generated being that took on the form of Twilight's beloved childhood toy, Ms. Smarty Pants. But unlike the doll that the figure was based on, it was capable of speech and independent thought. Upon entering the chamber and introducing herself, the figure presented Discord and the others with a strange book that bore the image of the Emperor's Key, which was assumed to be the very symbol of the Astral World itself, and was the same shape of the charm on Sunset's necklace. But after Utopia opened the book, a Duel Monsters card fell out of it, which read as follows:

*******************************

Number 78: Number Archive
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Spellcaster/LIGHT/Rank 1/ATK 0/DEF 0)

2 Level 1 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; your opponent randomly chooses 1 card in your Extra Deck, and if it is a "Number" monster that has a number between "1" and "99" in its name, Special Summon it by using this face-up card you control as material, but banish that monster during the End Phase, also you cannot Special Summon for the rest of this turn, except by Xyz Summon. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.)

*******************************

"Of all of the places we could have conceived of..." said Utopia in shock, "even I would have never guessed that this where we would find another Number card!" He then showed the card to the rest of the group to confirm that he was telling the truth.

"Amazing..." said Discord. "If that's not a surprise twist to this story, I don't know what is!"

"It IS surprising all right..." said one of the two Twilight clones (nicknamed "Mind-Twi" by Discord). "Of all the possible occurrences that could have occurred, this is, by far, the least likely thing to happen!"

"I agree..." the other Twilight copy chimed in (she was called "Memory-Twi", as she worked in the place where Twilight's memories were stored). She re-adjusted her glasses and took a closer look at the card, intrigued by the strange language that was printed upon the card. "I read about the Number cards from Twilight's recent thoughts, but this is the first time that I've ever seen one!"

"I must admit, this is most surprising, even to me." said Smarty Pants. "Especially considering the fact that I have looked over that book multiple times, but never saw a card inside of it until now."

"Hmmmm..." hummed Utopia as he stared at both the book and the new Number card. Finally, he said to the others, "I truly believe that we were meant to come here and find these... I cannot say for sure why or how exactly, but it is a feeling that I have. In any case, we may have found what we were looking for, so we should take our leave for now."

"Hold on a second...!" Discord suddenly told him. "Don't forget: We need to make a copy of this book so that Twilight can see it, since we can't take the original from this room."

"Indeed." said Smarty Pants. "Removing anything from my former owner's mind - even a subconscious thought, could run the risk of permanently damaging her brain as a whole."

"She's right." said Memory-Twi. "If you wish to take that book with you, making a copy of it or its contents is the only option." Mind-Twi nodded to confirm that.

"Very well then." said Utopia, agreeing with the others. "Discord, if you please...?"

"On it!" The draconequus took the gold-covered book and stuck it into the copy machine that he generated with his vast powers. He then pressed the button labeled, "START" and the machine went to work. The rest of the group watched as the machine hummed loudly and glowed with a bluish-white light. Then, from out of a tray on the side, an exact duplicate of the strange tome was ejected out. Discord took it from the tray and shoved it into a pocket on his chest (that seemed too small for the book to fit, but it did anyway). He then said, "Well, that takes care of that, then. I'll present this book to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna once I get back."

"I wish you luck then, Discord." said Smarty Pants as she took back the original book (the copy machine vanished as well, as its purpose had been fulfilled). "I will continue my research on the matter as well and will let you know the next time you come by. And do not worry; I will make sure your trip back here will be much easier the next time." The others nodded before turning around to leave.

As they departed from the room, Discord then asked Utopia, "So...are you going to tell Twily about the book? Or the card that was in it?"

"Yes, but not right now..." the warrior answered. "Twilight is still busy helping her friend manage the Duel Monsters tournament that is currently going on right now; I do not wish to burden her with this information on top of whatever she might currently be engaged in. Once the tournament has ended however, I will inform her of what we have found."

"That's probably a good idea." the draconequus agreed. "The last thing Twilight needs right now is any more additional stress, as several episodes of the series have proven." Stretching his arms, he then told the warrior, "In any case, I've got to get back to Equestria and show the book to the other Princesses. I'm sure Twilight will feel better knowing I'm not running around in her mind at the moment. And besides that, it'll give the author a chance to come up with a new side-story; even I can tell that this one's pretty much tapped out already."

"...Very well, then." Utopia simply replied. "Have a safe trip." The two nodded to each other as they and the two Twilight duplicates exited the chamber they were in. Although they all knew there were many more questions that needed to be answered regarding the whole matter, everyone felt as though they made a giant step forward in solving the Astral World's mysteries...

Back in the "real" world, the tournament Duel between Derpy Hooves and Sonata Dusk had finally ended. Unfortunately for Derpy, she had lost to her opponent. The grey-skinned girl dropped down to her knees in defeat, shocked that she didn't win. "N...n-no..." she muttered quietly. "I lost..."

"No way..." said Twilight Sparkle, shocked at what had happened. "Sonata beat her..."

"Aw man..." Spike added. "And she was so close too...!"

Sunset Shimmer was also surprised and dismayed by Derpy's loss. Still, she had a job to do: She then grudgingly announced, "The winner of this Duel is...Sonata Dusk!" After saying that, the red-and-yellow girl could swear that a sudden bad taste came up in her mouth.

Naturally, after having won the Duel, Sonata felt like boasting about it to her defeated opponent. With a smug expression on her face, she casually strolled up to Derpy and said, "See that, Weird-Eye? I told you that you didn't have a chance from the start! I hope this proves to you and everybody else that I'm not as dumb as everyone thinks I am! Too bad YOU can't say the same for yourself, huh?"

Growling a little, Sunset then told her, "Just because you won the Duel Sonata, that doesn't give you the right to badmouth your opponent!"

"Pfft! Well, you better get used to it, Sunset!" the blue siren told her. "And you'd better get used to seein' me beat everyone else, too! 'Cause the Dazzlings are gonna be the champs of this tournament, and there's nothing you can do about it! And everyone that goes up against us'll end up just like that loser over there!"

Susnet was strating to get angry at Sonata's comments. "You...why you...!"

But before Sunset could say something, Derpy suddenly and quickly stood up on her feet. To everyone's surprise, she had a smile on her face, even though there was also a slight tear in her eye. Turning to the jacket-wearing judge, she said to her, "It's okay, Sunset... I don't care what Sonata says about me. Because I know that none of it's true!"

"...Derpy?" Sunset responded, starting to calm down a little.

Nodding, the grey teen then said, "Believe me, I've heard a LOT worse things than anything she can think of. And I know I did my best out there in that Duel, despite whatever she thinks! I fought hard and I fought well, and I don't have any regrets!"

"Wh-what are ya talking about?!" asked Sonata, completely clueless as to why Derpy wasn't feeling bad at all. "You lost the Duel!!"

"Maybe..." Derpy replied, still smiling. "But I'd rather be a good loser...than a bad winner!" That comment of hers caused the blue siren to grumble a little.

"Yeah!! You tell her!!" shouted Golden Harvest (a.k.a. Carrot Top), one of Derpy's friends in the audience. "You're always a winner in our book!" The rest of Derpy's friends cheered in response, and it was soon followed by the rest of the spectators. The grey girl felt happier, knowing that her friends and classmates were giving her so much support, even though she didn't win the Duel.

Sonata, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on: Between Derpy's comment to her and the audience's cheers, it was correct to assume that she was both annoyed and confused by the current situation. Trying her best to snap back at her, all that she could think saying to her was, "W-w-well I still won!! And you still lost!! So THERE!!!" And with that, she stomped off in a huff.

Back at the bench, both Adagio and Aria were equally as perplexed by what was going on. "Grrr...what's with this school...??" asked the orange-haired siren.

"Yeah, really!" Aria spoke. "Whoever heard of an audience cheering for the LOSER?! Are these people stupid or something??"

But Sunset, having completely calmed down, smiled and thought to herself, (I suppose you three would never understand... They're cheering for her because she played an amazing Duel, not to mention she had a good attitude the whole time. She may not have won the Duel, but that doesn't mean she can't FEEL like a winner anyway. For a True Duelist, that's an important quality to have.)

Walking up to the jacket-wearing girl, Derpy then said to Sunset, "Hi, Sunset... I'm...sorry that I lost..."

"...It doesn't matter, Derpy." she told her, still smiling. "You did amazing out there and you even made Sonata really sweat out there a couple of times. As far as I'm concerned, you're certainly NOT a loser at all."

"Thanks, Sunset." the grey girl told her, feeling even better after hearing that.

"That aside, there's been something I've wanted to ask you ever since you showed up at the Preliminaries..." Sunset began to inquire. "Why DID you join the tournament? I only ask because it feels like there was some reason besides the competition that you were here."

"Well, there is a reason, actually..." Derpy began to tell her. "Truth is, The Doctor sent me to try and find any sings of Number users. He felt it would be too risky for him to show up in person, in case there was more than one Number holder here that could gang up on him, so he asked for me to look out for anyone that could be using one."

"I had a feeling that was the case." the red-and-yellow girl responded. "In fact, that's kind of the reason I'm here as the Judge."

"I thought so."

The red-and-yellow girl then asked her, "So...have you seen anything like that so far?"

Shaking her head, the grey teen answered, "No, not yet... But I guess now that I'm out of the tournament, I'll have more time to try and fulfill The Doctor's request! So...you know; silver lining and all that!"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Sunset replied. At that moment, Sunset began to recall the feeling that she had gotten during one of the previous matches - the one involving Night Switch, the strange boy that seemed obsessed with destiny and fate. Eventually, she decided not to say anything, as she wasn't quite sure about whether that feeling was related to the Numbers or not. Smiling again, she patted Derpy on the shoulder and told her, "Well, good luck with that, then."

"Wait, there's something else..." the grey girl then said, getting Sunset's attention once more. "I talked to The Doctor about that thing we were discussing a while back, when we met up at Sugarcube Corner..." Sunset then immediately recalled that memory of their conversation all the way back then...

"I'd like it if you and The Doctor could work together a little more as well..." Derpy requested. "He asked me to try and meet with you so that he could know more about you...And I think it's because he would really want that as well."

Thinking about her request for a moment, Sunset said to her, "Well...I suppose it would be the most logical option. If he and I DID work more closely with one another, we might be able to locate and collect all of the Numbers much faster." Knowing that it was a good idea, the red-and-yellow girl then said, "I would like that, too. But only if he comes to me and asks me himself. That way, we can both be sure that's what he wants. Nothing personal, I'm just still a little cautious, that's all."

The grey girl responded with a nod and replied, "I understand. I'll see what I can do."

"Oh yeah...I remember that..." said the otherworldly teen. "What about it?"

"Well...for a while, he wasn't sure about it," Derpy explained, "but ever since we got back from our Spring Break vacation, he started thinking about it again... And then - after he asked for me to join the Tournament, he told me to tell you...that he'd be willing to speak to you."

"He really said that...?" asked Sunset, a bit surprised at how quickly he came to his decision. Of course, she was happy to hear that, but she figured it would have taken a lot longer for him to come to his decision. Satisfied to hear that, she then told her, "Well in that case, you can tell him that I'm willing to talk to him whenever he's free to do so."

"Okay! I'll let him know!" the grey girl said happily. And with that, she ran out of the arena to the tunnels below.

Walking up to her, Twilight asked Sunset, "So, what was that? What were you two talking about?"

"...It's nothing. Just praising her for how well she did during the Duel, and then chatting a little after that. Nothing you need to worry about." the red-and-yellow girl answered. Looking at her cell phone clock, she then said, "The next Duel will take place about a minute from now, so I'd better get ready."

"Okay." the purple girl responded. "Do your best out there, Sunset!"

"Yeah, do your best!" Spike repeated.

Giving a thumbs-up Sunset smiled and said to them, "I will. Thanks!"

Down in the tunnels, Derpy was on her cell phone as well, making a call to someone. Once the phone stopped ringing, a voice on the other end asked, "Hello? Derpy?"

"Hi, Doctor!" the grey girl cheerfully said into her phone. "Just calling to let you know some things!"

"What sorts of things?" asked Dr. Hooves. "Have you found anyone using Numbers in the tournament?"

"No...not yet." Derpy responded. "But I did pass that message of yours to Sunset; she said that she's willing to talk to you whenever you have the chance."

"Ah! Good to hear." said The Doctor. "Good job as always, Ms. Derpy; I knew I could count on you."

"Thanks, Doctor." she replied, blushing and giggling a little from his compliment. She then added, "But...I have to ask: What made you finally decide to talk to her now? Even though we know that she's not collecting the Number cards for a bad reason, for a while you still weren't sure if you wanted to join forces with her right away..."

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with for now...I can assure you, I have my reasons." Dr. Hooves replied. "For now, just continue to monitor things and inform me if anything else develops."

"Okay, I will." Derpy then asked her friend, "So...did you watch me Duel?"

"Of course I did, Ms. Derpy." he told her. "I may be a busy man, but I would have never allowed myself to miss watching your match. Despite that you weren't victorious, you still fought very well, and I am very proud of you."

Giggling a little more, the grey girl told him, "Th-thanks, Doctor... That means a whole lot. And I'll make sure to let you know if anything Number-related comes up. I'll talk to you later, then."

"Very well then. Farewell for now, Ms. Derpy." The Doctor said, hanging up his phone. Afterwards, he hummed a little to himself, thinking about something that his faithful assistant had asked him about. He then looked at his right hand where - on his ring finger, was a ring that bore the same symbol as the charm on Sunset's necklace: The Emperor's Key. He stared at the ring for a while, humming to himself as he did so.

Back in the arena, Megan Williams, the MC for the tournament announced to the crowd, "Alllllright, Duelists!! It's time to start our next exciting Duel for the WCQ Qualification Tournament! Right now, he have six Duelists remaining that have yet to participate in the first round. And of those six, two of them will do battle right now! Now let's check the big screen and see who it will be!!"

Everyone in the audience watched as the pictures of the six remaining competitors cycled through randomly. "So uh...who's all left to duel?" Rainbow Dash asked her friends.

"Let's see..." Rarity pondered, trying to remember. "If I am correct...the remaining Duelists include my sister, Flash Sentry, Octavia, Zecora...as well as the other two players coming from out of town. What were their names again...?"

Looking at a program, Pinkie Pie answered her fashionista friend, "It's Sol Burner and Bright Mind."

"Yes, that's right... Thank you, Pinkie dear." Rarity said politely. Looking back at the screen, she added, "Now the only question on my mind is who will be paired up next..."

"Well, we won't be wonderin' it for too much longer, Rare." said Applejack. "The slot machine reels're about t' stop, so we'll know in a sec..."

And just as the farmer girl told them, the slot machine finally stopped, revealing the next pairing. "And our next Duel will feature..." Megan shouted, "...Bright Mind versus Flash Sentry!!"

"Alright! It's my turn!" said Flash, who had been eager for his turn to Duel.

"At last... Time for me to show off my skills as a Duelist." the spectacle-wearing boy said, equally as ecstatic to compete.

"And now, will Bright Mind and Flash Sentry please make their way to the center of the field?" Megan said next. The two Duelists nodded and did as she told them to.

After the two made their way to the center of the arena, Sunset walked up towards them to officially begin their match. "Alright then... Will both Duelists cut and shuffle each other's Decks?" she asked them. Bright and Flash nodded and did just that. After they handed their Decks back to each other, Sunset then got out a coin and said, "Now to determine the turn order; I'll flip the coin and have one of you call it in the air."

"You go ahead and call it." Flash said to his opponent.

"If you insist." Bright replied with a nod. After Sunset flipped the coin into the air, he made his call, shouting, "Tails!"

After the coin came back down, Sunset grabbed it with her right hand and placed it onto the back of her left without looking at it. She then moved her hand, revealing the result. "It's Tails."

"Good call." Flash complimented his opponent. "How'd you do it?"

"It's nothing much:" Bright Mind explained. "I've just been paying attention to all of the other coin flips so far, and figured that the result was likely to be Tails this time. Just a simple matter of calculating probabilities."

"Well, it's pretty impressive either way." the blue-haired teen told him. "So, are you going to go first or should I?"

"Hmmmm...I think it would be best for me if I made the first move, if you don't mind." Bright answered. Flash nodded to say he was okay with it and the two Duelists then walked off to their respective sides of the field.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!!" Megan then announced. "Without any further ado, it's time to begin the Duel! Duelists, draw your cards and get ready to battle!"

Bright and Flash drew their first five cards to form their opening hands, with the spectators watching with great interest. Once they were ready, the two competitors shouted to each other, "Let's DUEL!!" (Bright Mind: LP 4,000) (Flash Sentry: LP 4,000).

Elsewhere, far away from not only Canterlot, but quite possibly the world that Sunset and her friends called home, there sat a small, humble house with a pink roof in a large field. It wasn't much in terms of size, but it was enough for one person to live in without any problem. A heavy snoring sound was coming from the house's bedroom; more specifically, it was coming from a large lump of pink sheets clumped together on top of a comfy, white mattress on a small, wooden bed. It was very clear that someone was asleep under those sheets.

As the light from the morning sun peeked its way into the room, the figure continued to snore, unaware of the bright light coming in (or more than likely, trying to ignore it). At that moment, however, a small alarm clock sitting on a nightstand beside the bed (the clock in question was styled after the well-known Duel Monsters card, the Time Wizard) began to go off after the digital display read 7:00 a.m. The sound that came out was a voice that repeatedly said, "TIME...MAGIC! TIME...MAGIC!"

There was a stir under the sheets as the clock filled the room with its noise. "Urrrgh..." groaned the person that was in the bed; it was obvious that they weren't asleep anymore. Just then, an arm reached out from under the sheet, the hand slapping around the nightstand, trying to reach for the clock as it continued to blare loudly. Finally, the hand managed to hit a red button on the top of the clock, which finally caused it to stop its noise.

With the room now quiet, the figure underneath the pink bed sheets rose and sat up in the bed. The figure was revealed to be a young girl in her teens (based on her appearance) with emerald-green eyes and long, blond hair that was currently experiencing a dire case of bed-head. Her current attire consisted of a large-sized T-shirt that was mostly black in color, but also bore the image of a small, pinkish-colored crystal rising up from a magical circle.

Yawning loudly, the girl then said to herself, in a very tired-sounding voice, "Alright, Mana... Time to make yourself look presentable..." She then rolled out of bed and shuffled her bare feet to the bathroom nearby.

After a quick shower, the girl named Mana - the same Mana that had dueled Sunset Shimmer during Duel Monsters Spirit Day (and known better to other Duelists as the Dark Magician Girl), walked back into her bedroom wearing a comfortable, pink bathrobe. The quick wash did help her feel a lot less tired compared to right after she had gotten up. Sitting in front of her vanity and looking at the mirror, Mana applied some of her makeup, giving herself some pink-colored blush under her eyes, as well as fixing her long hair with a small brush (which had a handle designed after her the handle of her magic staff).

Once she was all cleaned up, Mana walked over to a large closet nearby her vanity and opened it up. She was looking for the right outfit to wear today and took a few seconds to figure out what to go with. "Hmmmm..." she pondered, looking through everything, "I think I wore that one just yesterday... That one has a slight tear in it that I need to fix... That one's more of a 'formal' look..." Then, gasping happily, she reached out and grabbed one of the outfits, saying, "Here we go! This one's perfect!" The outfit she chose was actually her iconic blue and pink-colored costume with the short pink skirt, but minus the hat and boots, which were elsewhere (as a matter of fact, ALL the other outfits in the closet were exactly the same as the one she picked out).

Once she dressed herself (which also included a pair of white, no-show socks), Mana made herself a small, simple breakfast consisting of two waffles covered in syrup and a topped with a pair of strawberries. Set to the side was glass of orange juice for her drink. Before she could start her breakfast, Mana heard a THUMP at her front door. Knowing what it was, she smiled and walked over to the door and opened it. Looking down, she saw a rolled-up newspaper in an orange plastic bag, which she promptly picked up. She then waved happily to the person who delivered it: A young boy on a bicycle wearing a black-and-red mailman uniform and carrying a green mailbag. She then walked back inside her home to eat her food before it cooled completely.

Once she had finished her meal, Mana walked back to her front door and reached for her favorite conical hat, which was perched on the top of a wooden coatrack. She put it on, along with her boots that were sitting beside the coatrack, before grabbing her trusty magic staff and slipping it into a sheath that she wore on her back. Taking a deep breath, Mana left her home and walked down the dirt path ahead.

As she walked down the path, Mana suddenly heard another girl's voice calling out from behind her. "Mana!! Hey, Mana!!" the voice shouted. She then looked behind her and saw that the voice was coming from a slightly younger girl with short, dark-blue hair that wore a costume that was similar to her own. The only differences were that this girl's outfit was mostly red with gold trims, and it sported other features such as a pair of feathery wings on the back, red gauntlet-like gloves, an exposed midriff, and garters that connected to her boots.

"Oh! Hi, Apple! Good morning!" Mana greeted her in a friendly tone.

Rushing up to her, the girl in red - named Apple, greeted her friend back, saying, "Good morning to you too! It's such a nice day out isn't it?"

"Sure is." Mana told her. "I wish I could just spend the day having fun with you and our other friends here in the Duel Spirit World..." She then sighed a bit and continued, saying, "But I've got work to do today."

"You mean over at that castle?" asked Apple. "The one with that big shrine and everything?"

"Yep, the shine dedicated to the Legendary Dragons, located in the Dominion of the beasts." the blond-haired girl replied. "Gotta make sure those crystallized dragons don't wander off anywhere."

Apple giggled a bit at her friend's joke before asking, "I probably know the answer to this...but would it really kill you to just take a day off?"

"I can't, Apple..." Mana replied sadly. "If I do, my master will make sure I never hear the end of it. But don't worry; I'll try to make some time for you and the others after I'm done."

"I guess that's fair." the red-wearing girl replied. "Besides, I don't wanna be the reason behind you getting a scolding, especially from him." Putting on her cheerful smile once more, Apple then said to her friend, "Well, I guess I'll see ya later, Mana. Have a good day today!"

"I will! Bye, Apple!" Mana said to her friend as she ran off elsewhere. Sighing a bit, she then said to herself, "Well, guess I'd better get a move on... I don't wanna be late." She then followed the path for a while until she came across what appeared to be a large, circular platform engraved with several cryptic runes. She then stood on top of the platform and pulled out her magic staff. Speaking in a clear voice, she then said, "Shine of the Legendary Dragons." After she said that, Mana was surrounded by a bright green light that completely covered her body. When the light faded, she had vanished completely...

Back in CHS's stadium, Flash Sentry was paired up against one of the other Duelists from out-of-town: A young teenage boy named Bright Mind. Flash was excited to finally get his chance to Duel and was itching to begin. Bright remained calm and collected as he adjusted his glasses, but also seemed eager to begin the match.

"Alright, kid..." Flash began to say, "you ready to get this started?"

"...I am." Bright simply replied. "I just needed a moment to figure out my strategy; can't afford to rush things, you know." Humming a little, the boy figured out what he would do and took a card from out of his hand. "I'll begin with this monster in Attack Position: The cunning Alien Hypno."

Bright Mind's first monster was a small, grotesque creature of unknown origins. Its body was grey, and its head and hands was massively disproportionate to the rest of its body, which seemed to be torso-deep in a tank with a vile-looking green liquid. The creature hissed a little as its orange eyes stared straight at Flash, making him feel a little uneasy (Alien Hypno: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 700).

"Oh my GOODNESS...!! That thing is so repulsive...!!" said a horrified Rarity.

"Yeah, that thing - whatever the heck it is, ain't winnin' any beauty contests, that's f'sure." Applejack noted.

(Hmmm...an Alien Deck...?) thought Sunset. (I've heard about the Deck, but I never met anyone that ever used one... This could be pretty interesting.)

"Next, from my hand," Bright Mind continued, "I'll activate a Continuous Spell Card: Code A Ancient Ruins." After playing the card, a large stone temple appeared behind the speculated boy. A deep blue glow came out from the back end of the temple, and the walls appeared to ooze a strange purple slime. "But for now, this card cannot do anything," Bright continued, "so I'll end my turn by setting two cards face-down."

"Then I guess it's my turn." Flash said. "I draw!" Looking at the card he got, he looked over the field and thought, (I'd better be careful... I'm not too sure what he's planning. After all, I've never seen any of the cards that he's played before... Still, I should try and get an early lead while I have the chance.) Taking a card from his hand, he shouted, "I'll start by Summoning Heroic Challenger - Thousand Blades in Attack Mode!"

Flash Sentry's first monster was a man in mostly silver armor, with some bits of black here and there. In his hands was a bladed weapon that combined the elements of a sword and a spear. However, it was not the only weapon he had; far from it. This warrior seemed to have countless MORE swords and other bladed armaments attached to his back; there appeared to be a thousand of them. (Heroic Challenger - Thousand Blades: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1100).

(So Flash is sticking to his Heroic Deck...) thought Sunset. (I've played against it a couple times and it's a pretty tough Deck. Now I guess we'll see if it's tough enough to help him through this round...)

"I activate the effect of Thousand Blades!" Flash then declared. "I discard my Heroic Challenger - Double Lance in order to bring out another Heroic monster from my Deck! And I'll choose Heroic Challenger - Extra Sword!" His second monster was another man in steel armor that was colored silvery-white, gold, and dark green. In each of his hands was a standard-size sword (Heroic Challenger - Extra Sword: Level 4 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000). After he did that, the effect of Thousand Blades switched it to Defense Position.

"Now he's got two Level 4 monsters on the field!" Spike pointed out.

"Which can mean only one thing..." Twilight said to him, knowing what Flash was about to do...

"I overlay my Level 4 Thousand Blades and Extra Sword to build an Overlay Network!" shouted the blue-haired boy as both his monsters transformed into a pair of orange-colored lights that flew into a red portal in the center of the field. "Come forth, sheathed in light! Shining lord who slashes through the dark!" he then chanted. "Gain your power from the mighty hand of justice! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Heroic Champion - Excalibur!"

The red vortex then exploded as a large figure came out of it, surrounded by two yellow-colored orbs. It was yet another man in heavy body armor, this time colored in red, black, dark-grey, and a few bits of yellow. He had massive shoulder pads and a long, golden horn on his helmet. His weapon of choice was a large sword with a decorative golden handle and a shining, silver blade (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2000).

"Now THAT'S more like it!" said Rarity, blushing deeply after seeing the powerful man in armor appear on the field. "That is how a Duel Monster OUGHT to look!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash let out a small groan in response, Pinkie giggled a little, and Fluffle Puff...just gave out another raspberry.

"Hmmm...quite a strong first move." Bright Mind complimented. "I can see that you're serious about this."

"You bet I am!" Flash said with confidence in his voice. "After all, I'm in a major tournament, so I gotta play for real! That's why I made sure to bring out Extra Sword with Thousand Blades's effect! If Extra Sword is used as an Xyz Material, the monster it helped to Summon gets another thousand attack points!" At that moment, a second sword appeared in his hands to signify the power boost (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: ATK 2000 + 1000 = 3000).

"Just as I thought." Sunset stated. "This is usually his most common opening move - to put out a monster with three thousand attack points right on the first turn."

"But there's more! I also have Excalibur's own effect!" he continued to say. "By removing both of his Overlay Units, I can pump his attack power to double his original attack power!" (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: OLU 2 - 2 = 0)

"S-so it'll be six thousand?!" asked Rainbow Dash in shock.

"No." Applejack told her. "Excalibur's ORIGINAL attack is two thousand, so his power only goes up to four thousand (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: ATK 3000 > 4000). That bein' said, it's still pretty high, and it'll stay that way until the end of his opponent's next turn."

"And even after it loses that power boost," Rarity noted, "he'll still have the extra one thousand attack points granted by Extra Sword."

"Aw man...all this math is makin' my head hurt..." Dash groaned. At that moment, Fluffle Puff pulled out what appeared to be an ice pack from out of her purse and handed it over to the cyan-skinned girl. "Oh, thanks." she said, accepting the gift. Fluffle Puff just smiled and nodded, remaining silent.

Entering his Battle Phase, Flash shouted, "Go, Excalibur!! Attack his Alien Hypno with your Double Shock Sword Slash!" The powerful armored man rushed forward, both swords ready to slice the enemy apart.

"Not so fast!" shouted Bright Mind. "I anticipated such a move and am well-prepared to defend against it! I play my Trap Card: Defense Draw!"

*******************************

Defense Draw:
(Normal Trap Card)

During your opponent's turn, at damage calculation: Make the battle damage you take from this battle 0, and if you do, draw 1 card.

*******************************

Flash gasped as his monster succeeded in destroying Bright's, but was unable to inflict any damage. "Aw man...!" he groaned after seeing his opponent survive the attack and even draw an extra card out of it.

"Don't get too down, Flash." the glasses-wearing boy told him. "You still managed to destroy my monster... Of course, that might not be a good thing for you either."

"How come?" the blue-haired teen inquired.

"Because due to my Code A Ancient Ruins card," Bright explained, "every time one of my Alien monsters is destroyed, it gets something called an 'A-Counter'. In other words, this card makes the loss of my monsters turn into an advantage for me. So you had best be careful about destroying my cards." As he said that, a creepy, slimy, light-purple blob suddenly crawled out of nowhere and could be seen in the back of the temple behind the speculated teen (Code A Ancient Ruins: A-Counters 0 + 1 = 1).

(...Darn... I should've known he'd be able to defend himself.) thought Flash. (I should've waited to use Excalibur's effect and just attacked with him while he had 3,000 attack points. I guess I got a little too hasty...) Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he then told himself, "I gotta calm down and not rush things, just like my opponent said... I'll only have a chance to win this Duel as long as I think out my moves better." Facing his opponent once more, he then told him, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"And now that you've ended your turn, I'll activate my second face-down card." Bright told him.

"Now what...?" wondered Sunset.

She didn't have to wonder long - nor would anyone else, because the other card in Bright's back row flipped itself face-up and revealed itself. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, "A" Cell Recombination Device!" he shouted. "By sending any Alien monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, I can place A-Counters on a monster you have on the field equal to the Level of the monster I dispose of."

"That'll give him quite a dangerous advantage..." Sunset said. "Not only can he place more of those counters on the field, but he'll also be able to send a potentially powerful monster straight to the Graveyard that he could possibly use later..."

Taking his chosen card from out of his Deck, Bright Mind revealed it and said, "I send Alien Mother - a Level 6 monster, from my Deck to the Graveyard! And that means I can place six A-Counters on your Excalibur!"

Flash watched as six more of those ugly-looking blobs stuck themselves to his only monster on the field. The blue-haired boy felt a bit sick as he watched them crawl all over his monster's armor, leaving a slimy trail as they did so (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: A-Counters 0 + 6 = 6). "Urrgh...that sight's gonna be haunting my nightmares for a while..." he said to himself. He then turned to his opponent and told him, "Okay, go ahead with your turn, then."

"Very well... I draw." said Bright as he picked up his next card. He then placed it into his hand an played a different one onto the field. "I activate another Continuous Spell! "A" Cell Incubator!" After he played it, a strange machine appeared in front of him, consisting of several small-sized tanks with tubes attached to them. One could only wonder what it was for...

"And now I'll activate the second effect of my Code A Ancient Ruins!" the green-haired boy in glasses then declared. "Now, by removing 2 A-Counters on the field, I can bring back an Alien monster from my Graveyard!"

"But...his card only has one of those counters!" Spike argued. "How can he remove two counters if he's only got one??"

Chuckling a little and adjusting his glasses, Bright Mind then said, "In case you were wondering...my Ancient Ruins doesn't say that they have to be A-Counters that it has acquired. And not only that, it ALSO doesn't say that the counters even have to be on my side of the field!"

Gasping, Flash then told his opponent, "So THAT'S why you stuck those counters on my monster!"

"Indeed, Flash." Bright replied. "And I'll relieve your Xyz Monster of two A-Counters to use the effect of my Ancient Ruins!" Everyone watched as two of the purple blobs on Excalibur dematerialized, turning into similarly-colored balls of light that flew into the back of the temple (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: A-Counters 6 - 2 = 4).

"What do you think he's gonna bring back?" asked Pinkie Pie, munching on a candied apple that she had obtained from Granny Smith's food stand.

"Perhaps he might revive that monster that he sent to the Graveyard at the end of Flash's turn..." Rarity figured.

But Bright Mind surprised everyone when he said, "I use my Code A Ancient Ruins to bring back Alien Hypno in Attack Position!" And right away, the monster that he had Summoned on his first turn came back to the field.

"Huh?" asked Flash, expecting to see Alien Mother come back from the Graveyard. "I don't get it: Why'd you bring that one back?" he then asked. "It's not strong enough to beat my Excalibur..."

"Before we get to that, there's one other matter to attend to: My "A" Cell Incubator." the green-haired boy informed his opponent.

*******************************

"A" Cell Incubator
(Continuous Spell Card)

Each time an A-Counter(s) is removed by a card effect, or to pay the cost of a card effect, place 1 A-Counter on this card. When this card is destroyed: Place A-Counters on face-up monster(s) on the field, equal to the number of A-Counters this card had when it was destroyed.

*******************************

"Since I removed two of the A-Counters that were on the field to use my Ancient Ruins' effect," Bright continued to explain, "I can return one of those counters to this card." After he said that, another small blob suddenly formed itself inside one of the small tanks in the machine in front of him ("A" Cell Incubator: A-Counters 0 + 1 = 1). "And now that that's settled," he then said, "I'll now explain why I chose to bring back my Alien Hypno..."

"Okay then, tell me." said Flash, both eager to hear the answer...and also not eager to hear it, worried that it could mean trouble for him.

"The reason is because my Alien Hypno has a very powerful effect hidden away inside him..." Bright Mind told him. "And now I can unlock that power! I now Gemini Summon Alien Hypno and make it into an Effect Monster!" After he did so, his monster then began to radiate a faint, yellow light.

"Gemini-what??" said Spike, confused. Turning over to Twilight, he asked her, "What's he talking about??"

"No idea." Twilight admitted. She then asked her red-and-yellow friend, "Sunset, what just happened?"

"I'll tell you: Gemini Summoning is a method used only on monsters known as Gemini Monsters." Sunset explained to them. "Gemini Monsters start out as Normal Monsters without an effect, but by giving up your Normal Summon for the turn, you can give them their effects, and most of them are very powerful."

Back at the Duel, Bright Mind then said to Flash, "Now that Alien Hypno has obtained his effect, I'll now activate it! It allows me to take control of any of your monsters on the field! That is, as long as they have at least one A-Counter on them."

Flash gasped both out of shock and horror as Alien Hypno's eyes began to glow brightly. This caused the blobs that were stuck to Excalibur to move quickly. One of them attached itself to his head, and after it did, Excalibur's eyes began to glow as well. Then, it very slowly walked away from Flash's side of the field to Bright's.

"Th-that's nuts!!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Flash's monster just turned traitor on him!"

"I-i-it's like an alien abduction!" Pinkie pointed out.

"So that's the REAL reason that boy put those A-Counters on Flash's monster..." said Rarity. "He was planning to take it from him from the very beginning...!"

"It gets worse:" Applejack told her. "Due to his effect, Excalibur's still at four thousand attack points, and Flash doesn't have any other monsters out t' protect him! Which means if Bright succeeds in attackin' Flash with Excalibur, the Duel's over!"

"Th-that's not good!" Pinkie chimed in. "Well, for Flash it isn't... For Bright, it's the best thing ever... Wait - what were we talking about? I lost track."

Flash began to sweat as his favorite monster was now in the enemy's territory. "Seems as though I'll be moving on to the next round..." stated Bright Mind. "Unless you can somehow stop my attack from working, this Duel will end in my victory right now!" Pointing forward, he then shouted, "Go, Excalibur! Attack him directly!!" The brainwashed warrior then ran towards his former owner, ready to eliminate him for good. Everyone watched to see if this would be the end of the match...

Elsewhere, in the place that was known as the Duel Spirit World, a circular stone podium sitting in front of the doors to a large, impressive white castle with golden yellow rooftops began to glow a bright green. Then all of a sudden, a column of white light erupted from the podium for about a second or two. When it faded, a young girl was now standing there: It was Mana (a.k.a. the Dark Magician Girl), who had used a similar podium to initiate a teleportation spell in order to arrive at the castle.

"Ooooo..." the girl groaned, trying to stay on her feet. "I don't get it... I've been using that warp for over three thousand years now, and I still feel queasy afterwards..." She then opened a bottle of water that she had carried with her and took a small sip from it to help settle her stomach; apparently even Duel Spirits could have upset stomachs. Sighing contently, she said, "That's better..." Turning to face the front doors of the nearby castle, Mana nodded and entered the massive structure.

Walking down the marble-stone hallways inside, Mana was on her way to a large room ahead. Upon entering it, she gazed silently at three large, crystal statues on a large circular platform in the center. The statues were designed to look just like powerful dragons, and like any statue, they simply stood there, not making any move, not making any sound.

Mana just stood there, staring at the three dragons in the room. "Good morning, Mana." said a male voice from behind her.

Flinching and letting out a slight "EEP!", Mana turned around to see who it was that had spoken to her. But she calmed down when she recognized him. "Oh! Master Mahad!" she said in surprise. "D-don't scare me like that!"

The person standing in front of Mana was a tall, adult man with peach-colored skin (the same color as Mana's), aqua-blue eyes, and dark purple hair. His outfit was very elaborate, consisting of violet robes and a matching hat, with light-pink rims and patterns swirling around all over it. In his right hand was a long, green staff with an olive-green jewel inside of it. Although Mana called him by the name of "Mahad", Duel Monsters fans knew him by another name: The Dark Magician.

Smiling warmly, the man said to Mana, "Forgive me; it wasn't my intention to startle you." Looking out at the Sun's position from one of the open windows of the castle, Mahad then said to her, "You're here early this time, Mana; I have to say, I am impressed by your punctuality this time around... After all, you do often come here a few minutes later than usual."

"Well, you said that I have to try to come here on time more often," Mana replied, "so...here I am!" This was followed by a bit of awkward chuckling by the girl.

Humming a bit, the purple-clad magician then asked her, "...Is there something bothering you, Mana? You can tell me."

Sighing, she then told him, "Yeah...I should've known that I can't hide anything from you, Master." She then told him, "It's just...well, I...I'm not sure what to make of everything right now..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...I've been coming here to watch over the Legendary Dragons every day for about three thousand years," she explained to him, "And well...is that all there is for me here? Don't get wrong; I'm not ungrateful for having this job; it's an honor to look after and protect the dragons... It's just...I kinda wish there was more to my life here in the Spirit World, you know...?"

Humming again, Mahad then told her, "I understand how you must feel, Mana. I suppose everyone has that feeling in them at one point in their lives...or afterlife in our case." He then turned to his pupil and continued, saying, "But as one who has fought alongside Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos themselves, you ought to know that what you do here is very important, even if it doesn't seem like much."

"...I guess so."

"And while you may not see it as very glamorous or even interesting," Mahad continued, "your job here plays a very vital role in the greater benefit for all of us here in the Spirit World. You are in charge of the care and well-being of these three great beings, and we truly appreciate what you do here."

Mana looked around the room as several smaller creatures gathered around both her and her master. Some of them included a small, pink, spherical creature with wings, a tiny fairy wearing a blue cloak and holding a key, a lavender-haired woman holding a clay jar, and a blue-skinned fairy with orange hair and wings, among others. Seeing the appreciative smiles on their faces helped Mana feel a little better about her duties in the castle. Turning back to Mahad, she told him, "I guess you're right. Like it or not, this is my job, and it's an important one; I should just be happy for that at least." Looking over at the other friendly faces in the room, she then told them, "And thank you all for helping me feel better..."

At that moment, one of the other creatures in the room - a tiny little pixie with long, pink hair, large red eyes, and a small outfit consisting mostly of yellow and orange, suddenly noticed something peculiar and quickly flew over in front of both Mahad and Mana. "Hm?" said Mahad as they watched the little sprite fluttered around and made noise to try and get their attention. "What is this?" he then asked.

"I...think she's trying to tell us something..." Mana figured. "But I'm not sure what she's saying; she always sounds like that lab assistant character in that show with the puppets..." She then leaned forward so as to get closer to the pixie before asking, "What is it, Sunny? Is there something we need to know about?" The tiny pixie nodded and began frantically and repeatedly pointing at one of the dragon statues in the room. "Is there something wrong with the statue or something?" she then asked the sprite, who replied by nodding yes.

"The statue she was pointing at..." Mahad began to say, "it is the one of Timaeus..." Upon saying that, both he and Mana became a little concerned; after all, they had a very close bond to that particular dragon. The two magicians then walked over to Timaeus's statue, with the rest of the creatures in the room following them.

Upon looking at the giant, crystal dragon in question, both Mahad and Mana gasped a little. "Wh-what's going on...?" she asked her master. "Why is Timaeus's eye glowing like that?"

"I...I do not know, Mana..." he admitted. "But what I do know is this: The last time that Timaeus reacted in such a way was when-"

Mana then gasped suddenly, interrupting his statement; she knew what he was going to say. "...Was when the Great Leviathan attacked...!" the girl said, finishing his statement. "But...but the Leviathan was destroyed long ago...! So why is Timaeus doing this?"

"Again, I am not certain..." Mahad told his student, "but I have a feeling that he is reacting this way because he may be sensing a new threat; one we have yet to witness for ourselves... And he may feel as though his services are needed once more..."

(A new threat...?) thought Mana. (Could it be the one that Kisara told me about a while ago...?) She then asked her master, "But why only Timaeus? Why aren't the other dragons reacting in the same way?"

"...It is clear that - whatever is going on," the magician then told his pupil, "we will not know it by staying here... We have to find out what this is all about, but even my vast knowledge cannot say for sure just what it is that is causing Timaeus worry... But there may be one person that knows the answer..."

Gasping, Mana then asked her master, "You mean...him...?"

Back in the "real" world, Bright Mind had taken control of his Duel against Flash Sentry by taking control of one of his opponent's best cards. Now he had just initiated an attack on Flash's Life Points with a fully-powered Heroic Champion - Excalibur at four thousand attack points. "Excalibur, direct attack!!" Bright shouted as the monster rushed forward with its swords.

"Flash...!! Do something!!" Twilight suddenly shouted out of concern.

Luckily, he DID have something he could do. "I activate my Trap Card!!" he shouted. "I play Half or Nothing!!" After his card was flipped face-up, Excalibur stopped its attack short.

"Half or Nothing?" asked Bright Mind.

"That's right..." the blue-haired boy told him. "After I activate it, you have to pick one of two choices: Either you cut the attack power of all of your monsters in half, or you let the Battle Phase end right now."

"That means Flash will get to survive for another turn, no matter which choice his opponent makes..." Rarity noted.

"Hmmm...well the choice is obvious, then:" Bright replied. "In order for me to still cause damage to you this round, I'll choose the first option and halve my monsters' attack points for this turn." And with that choice, both of the monsters on his side of the field were weakened (Alien Hypno: ATK 1600 ÷ 2 = 800) (Heroic Champion - Excaliber: ATK 4000 ÷ 2 = 2000). "And that means that my attack with Excalibur can still be carried out!"

Flash braced himself as his own monster knocked of half of his Life Points away, slashing with both his swords (Flash Sentry: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). "Urrgh...that wasn't pleasant," he said, "but at least I didn't lose."

"Perhaps, but I still have Alien Hypno's attack this turn." the green-haired boy informed him. His second monster then let out a damaging energy wave that struck Flash directly as well (Flash Sentry: LP 2,000 - 800 = 1,200). "Not a bad recovery move, Flash." Bright complimented. "You managed to buy yourself another turn. Of course, now that the Battle Phase is over, my monsters' attack powers are restored back to what they were before." (Alien Hypno: ATK 800 > 1600) (Heroic Champion - Excaliber: ATK 2000 > 4000)

"Man...that sure was a close one..." said Applejack.

"Yeah, but now Flash is down t' just 1,200 Life Points!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "And he doesn't have any other cards on the field! If he's gonna make a comeback durin' this Duel, he's gotta do it next turn!"

Taking two cards out of his hand, Bright Mind then said, "I'll end my turn by setting these two cards face-down. Then, during my End Phase, I have to remove one of the A-Counters on Excalibur in order to keep him on my side of the field, due to Alien Hypno's effect." And after he said that, one of the pink blobs attached to the Xyz Monster vanished completely (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: A-Counters 4 - 1 = 3). "Of course, that does mean that my Cell Incubator generates an A-Counter of its own to replace it." ("A" Cell Incubator: A-Counters 1 + 1 = 2)

"Don't forget this, either:" Flash reminded his opponent, "Since it's now the end of your turn, Excalibur's effect to double its original attack power expires, too." (Heroic Champion - Excalibur: ATK 4000 > 3000)

"Indeed it does..." Bright responded. "But his attack power is still quite high, thanks to the effect of your Extra Sword. For now, I'll end my turn... So go ahead and make your next move."

"You bet I will... I draw!" Flash then drew his next card and looked at it. He wasted no time in playing, saying, "I activate Pot of Desires! I banish the top ten cards of my Deck to draw two more cards from it!"

"I see." Bright acknowledged.

After having drawn his next two cards, he played one of them right away, saying, "Now I'll activate my Reinforcement of the Army! This card lets me search my Deck for a Level 4 or below Warrior monster and add it to my hand! And I'll choose the Duelists' best friend: Doggy Diver!" Placing the card he picked out in his hand for now, he took out a different card and said, "Next, I'll Normal Summon my Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd in Attack Mode!" Flash Sentry's next monster was yet another man in armor - this time colored mostly purple, wielding a powerful axe-sword combo weapon that appeared to actually be a part of the armor itself (Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 200).

"Hmmm...that's strange..." thought Sunset.

"What's strange?" asked Spike.

"Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd has an effect that lets Flash Special Summon it from his hand if his opponent is the only one to have a monster on the board." the jacket-wearing teen explained. "But Flash chose to Normal Summon it instead..."

"I wonder why he did that..." Twilight pondered, though she seemed to think that he must have had a good reason to do so.

Bright Mind wondered that as well and decided to ask Flash, "So...why didn't you Special Summon your monster?"

"It's pretty simple, actually." Flash told him. "I didn't have any other monsters in my hand to Normal Summon."

"...I see." the glasses-wearing boy responded, understanding. "That makes sense."

"However, the conditions ARE right for me to bring this guy out!" the blue-haired teen then told him, taking out the card that he had gotten with Reinforcement of the Army earlier. "I Special Summon Doggy Diver in Attack Mode!" His second monster was a small dog with black fur wearing a scuba-diving outfit and oxygen mask (Doggy Diver: Level 4 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000).

"Awwwww!! He's got a little scuba outfit!!" Gabby squealed after seeing the monster appear. "Eeeeee!! That's so CUTE!!!"

"Doggy Diver can be Special Summoned from my hand while you have at least one monster out, and all of the ones that I control are Level 4 monsters." Flash explained. "Since Assault Halberd is Level 4, that's all I needed." Taking out another card from his hand, he played it and said, "Then I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Thousand Blades from the Graveyard!" And in an instant, his armed-to-the-teeth warrior revived itself and was back on Flash's field. "And then, thanks to the effect of Thousand Blades, I'll discard my Heroic Retribution Sword to bring out an extra...um, Extra Sword from out of my Deck!" And with that, another copy of his two sword-carrying warrior emerged, and then Thousand Blades went into Defense Position.

"He just Summoned four Level 4 monsters in a single turn..." noted Steel Shadows, watching from the sidelines. "It seems he might be able to make a comeback on this turn after all..."

"And now, I overlay my Thousand Blades, Doggy Diver, and Extra Sword - all Level 4 and create an Overlay Network!!" shouted Flash. His monsters then transformed into three colored lights - two orange and one purple, before they were drawn into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Come forth, with the force of the earth itself!" the blue-haired boy chanted. "Brave samurai who towers over all who oppose you! Unsheathe your sword and let loose the fires of justice! Xyz Summon!" The vortex exploded at that moment as a figure rose from out of it. "Rank 4! Heroic Champion - Kusanagi!"

The monster that emerged from the vortex was a samurai-like warrior with armor that was colored mostly brown and orange, with a silver face mask on the front and green-colored armor plates on his lower legs. His weapon of choice was what appeared to be a red-orange katana made up of pure energy, which he proudly displayed. Surrounding the warrior were three orange-colored orbs (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2400 / OLU 3).

"Woah...not bad at all, Flash..." Sunset uttered, impressed by her ex-boyfriend's strong move.

"But...he only has 2,500 attack points..." Sweetie Belle stated. "And that other guy's monster has three thousand..."

"Not quite." Ember told her. "Remember, he used Extra Sword to Xyz Summon Kusanagi, so he gains another thousand attack points." (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: ATK 2500 + 1000 = 3500)

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" said Rarity's younger sister with a smile. "That means he has a chance after all!"

Knowing what he had to do, Flash shouted, "Now, Kusanagi! Attack Excalibur!!" His samurai then raced towards the brainwashed warrior on Bright Mind's field, intending to destroy it.

"Hold it! I activate my Quick-Play Spell, "A" Cell Scatter Burst!" Bright shouted, flipping his card face-up. "This card destroys my Alien Hypno, but in exchange, it ALSO places A-Counters equal to its Level on all of your monsters! And since Alien Hypno is Level 4, I place two counters on each of your monsters!" Immediately after that, Bright's Alien monster self-destructed, and four more blob creatures flew out and stuck themselves to Flash' monsters (Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd: A-Counters 0 + 2 = 2) (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: A-Counters 0 + 2 = 2). In addition, Bright's Code A Ancient Ruins gained another counter as well (Code A Ancient Ruins: A-Counters 1 + 1 = 2).

"But...I don't understand..." Rarity wondered. "That didn't affect Flash's monster's strength or its attack... So what was the point of that move?"

Flash Sentry wondered that too...until Bright announced, "And now I activate my other face-down card...the Trap Card, Cell Explosion Virus!! Now because you attacked with a monster that has at least one A-Counter on it, my Trap can destroy all the monsters you have in Attack Position!"

"So that's what he was doing!" said Twilight. "He used the Spell Card to put counters on Flash's monsters, so that he could destroy them with that!"

"Th-that doesn't sound good...!" said Spike, worried for Flash as was everyone else watching the match... But a few people weren't as concerned as the most of the others were: Sunset, Ember, and Steel Shadows seemed to know something the audience didn't...

"Not bad, kid..." Flash complimented. "But it's not good enough!" Pointing forward, he shouted, "I chain Kusanagi's effect! By removing one of his overlay units, I can negate your Trap Card and destroy it!" Bright Mind gasped as Flash's monster absorbed one of his floating orbs into his sword, powering it up (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: OLU 3 - 1 = 2). Then, Kusanagi fired a red beam at the activated Trap Card, eliminating it and its effect.

"Oh no...! How could I have miscalculated that...?!" the glasses-wearing boy asked himself in shock.

"But that's not all:" Flash continued. "Every time he uses that effect, Kusanagi gains an extra five hundred attack points!" (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: ATK 3500 + 500 = 4000) Throwing a forward punch, the blue-haired boy shouted, "Now, Kusanagi! Continue your attack!!" The warrior then slashed his beam sword across Excalibur's chest, destroying him and sending him to the Graveyard.

"Urrgh!!" grunted Bright as his Life Points decreased from the battle (Bright Mind: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000).

"And my Battle Phase isn't over yet!" said Flash. "Assault Halberd, attack him directly!" His second monster then landed a blow on the opposing player as well, knocking his Life Points down even lower (Bright Mind: LP 3,000 - 1,800 = 1,200).

"Woah...! That was awesome!" praised Rainbow Dash. "Flash was way behind when this started, but now their scores are even!"

"Yeah! This great!!" cheered Pinkie. "He can still win this!" Fluffle Puff just smiled and let out a gasp in response.

Flash smiled a bit and then told Bright Mind, "Now for Assault Halberd's effect: Since he damaged you in battle, I can take any Heroic card out of my Deck. And I'll pick out another copy of Double Lance." Moving on with his turn, he then added, "Next, I'll wrap things up by using Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards. And since your Ruins has two of those counters on it, I'll destroy it so that you can't bring any of your monsters back!" And with that, a powerful cyclone shattered the ruins behind Bright Mind. "That's all for now." Flash said, ending his turn.

(Hmmmm...this isn't good; I never saw that Kusanagi card before, so I wasn't aware of what it could do...) thought Bright. (Now I'll have to come up with a different strategy in order to defeat it...) Humming to himself and remaining calm, he then thought, (Well...I'd be nothing if I didn't know how to think on my feet every now and again; as far as things are concerned, this Duel is just another pop quiz... And I intend to pass that quiz!)

"It's my turn...I draw!" the green-haired boy said, pulling the top card of his Deck. Looking at it, he then thought, (Good... This will definitely help me right now...) Playing the card he just drew, he said, "I activate a Spell! Card of Demise! This card allows me to draw from my Deck until I hold three cards!"

"That means he gets t' draw three cards, since his hand's currently empty..." Applejack pointed. "Ah've got a funny feelin' this Duel's not quite over yet..."

"At the very least," Rarity started, "due to the effect of Card of Demise, Flash is guaranteed not to take any damage this turn. And not only that, but his opponent can't Special Summon this turn, and any cards left in his hand are sent to the Graveyard during his End Phase."

After drawing his next three cards, Bright Mind looked at them with an expert eye, trying to come up with a strategy with them. After figuring out what his best move would be, the boy then said, "I'll set all three of the cards I drew face-down... and then I'll activate the second effect of my "A" Cell Recombination Device: By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can add any Alien monster from my Deck to my hand. I'll choose my Alien Psychic and Summon it to the field right away."

Bright Mind's new monster was a smaller reptile-like creature with frills on its small head, and two thin tentacles coming out of its small body. A long, thin, segmented tail came out from its back end as well. Although the monster was Summoned to the field in Attack Position, its effect caused to switch to Defense Position (Alien Psychic: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 100).

"Why'd you play that card?" asked Flash Sentry. "He's not even close to either of my monsters in terms of strength..."

"That is true..." said Bright, adjusting his glasses, "However, due to his special ability, Alien Psychic prevents all monsters with an A-Counter from attacking." To emphasize his point, Alien Psychic's tentacle arms began to glow, causing a reaction in the blobs that were still stuck to both of Flash's monsters. A similarly-colored glow then surrounded them and both monsters were lifted into the air.

"Look at that...!" said Spike. "That weird thing's levitating them in the air!"

"You're right...!" said Twilight. "And if they can't move, they can't attack either!"

"I now end my turn." Bright stated. "And that means I have to discard the rest of my hand due to the effect of Card of Demise... But as you can plainly see, I don't HAVE anything in my hand, therefore, I have nothing I can discard."

"Clever move..." Sunset said to herself. "That's one way of getting around that card's negative side effect."

Flash then began his turn, drawing a card from his Deck. (This could be a little tricky...) he thought. (Thanks to that new monster he played, neither of my monsters can attack him... The only way out of this is to Summon a new monster and use it to destroy Alien Psychic. Once it's gone, I can attack with my other monsters and win the Duel...) The blue-haired boy then glanced down and saw the three cards his opponent had in his back row. (Those face-downs might be trouble,) he continued to ponder, (but Kusanagi's effect can still possibly stop them, even if he can't attack right away. I just hope that'll be enough...)

Beginning his first Main Phase, Flash then announced, "I'll Summon Heroic Challenger - Double Lance in Attack Mode!" His next warrior was one clad in white and silver armor. He wore an elegant-looking knight's helmet and - true to his name, carried a pair of lances as his weapons (Heroic Challenger - Double Lance: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 900). 'And when he's Normal Summoned," Flash continued, "his effect lets me Summon a second Double Lance from my Graveyard!" And just as he said, another warrior just like the first one appeared on the field.

"During his first turn, when he used the effect of Thousand Blades," Sunset recalled, "he discarded one of his Double Lance cards to pay the cost. It was all so that he could make this move..."

"And now I overlay both of my Level Double Lances and create an Overlay Network!" Flash shouted as his two monsters transformed into a pair of orange lights before being sucked into another red portal. He then chanted, "Come forth, with the force of the earth itself! Noblewoman clad in mighty armor! Ready your bow against evil and fire the arrow of justice! Xyz Summon!" The portal then shot out a column of red light after that part of the summoning chant. "Rank 4! Heroic Champion - Gandiva!"

Flash Sentry's next Xyz Monster was another armored warrior; this time on horseback. The suit of armor - colored mostly in black, gold, and orange, was shaped much differently compared to the rest of Flash's monsters. It appeared to be more feminine in appearance, suggesting that the person underneath the armor was a woman. After appearing on the field with two orange orbs orbiting her, Gandiva readied a bow that was built into her armor and loaded it with an arrow (Heroic Champion - Gandiva: Rank 4 / ATK 2100 / DEF 1800 / OLU 2).

"No way...he brought out yet another Xyz Monster...!" stated Vinyl, sitting next to her friend Octavia.

"And because she was just Summoned," the cello-playing Duelist pointed out, "she has no A-Counters, so Alien Psychic's effect doesn't affect her. That means that, if Flash's attack is successful, he can win the Duel this turn."

Taking the card he had drawn this turn, Flash then said, "Next, I'll equip my Magnum Shield to Kusanagi. This Equip Spell raises Kusnagi's attack points by the number of his original defense points while he's in Attack Mode." A burgundy-colored shield with gold trims then attached itself to Kusanagi's left arm, giving him more power (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: ATK 4000 + 2400 = 6400).

"Man, that's a lot of attack power..." Spike noted. He then looked up at Twilight and asked her, "D'ya think Flash will win the Duel now?"

"I guess we'll see..." the young Princess told him, hoping that Flash would win the Duel.

"Alright, this is it!!" Flash Sentry shouted. "Gandiva, attack Alien Psychic now!!" Hearing her controller's command, she took aim at Bright Mind's only monster and fired her arrow straight towards it.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you win that easily!" the speculated Duelist told his opponent. "I activate my Trap Card!"

(I knew it...) thought Flash. (I had a feeling he'd have something to block my attack. Too bad for him; I still have Kusanagi to stop that Trap from working.) But when he saw the card that flipped face-up, he gasped in shock. "Aw, NO!!"

"I play my Counter Trap Card, Negate Attack!!" Bright Mind announced, revealing one of the cards he had set last turn. "Not only does this card absorb your attack via an inter-dimensional vortex, it also skips the rest of your Battle Phase as well!" And just as he had said, Gandiva's arrow was sucked into a portal, leaving Alien Psychic unharmed.

"Hey, hold up..." Rainbow began to ask, "why didn't Flash's monster negate that card? Isn't he supposed to negate Trap Cards?"

"It's because Negate Attack is a Counter Trap, Rainbow dear." Rarity informed her. "Counter Traps are classified as a type of card known as Spell Speed 3. According to the rules, only ANOTHER Spell Speed 3 card - i.e. another Counter Trap, can chain to it. But Kusanagi's effect is only Spell Speed 2, so it couldn't activate in response to Negate Attack."

"Oh yeah, I get it now...I think." said Dash.

Flash grumbled a little. (Aw man...I wasn't expecting a Counter Trap... And now my Battle Phase is already over...) Knowing that he had few options right now, the blue-haired boy then stated, "I guess I'll end things by switching Kusanagi to Defense Mode. And because I did, my Magnum Shield changes its effect to boost his defense points by the amount of his original attack points." (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: ATK 6400 - 2400 = 4000 / DEF 2400 + 2500 = 4900). Looking at his opponent, he then told him, "It's your turn."

Drawing his next card, Bright Mind then said to Flash, "I must admit; had I not drawn Negate Attack with Card of Demise in my previous turn, I would have lost to you... But since I was able to survive, I now have everything I need to turn this game around."

"Y-you're joking, right...?" asked Flash, sweating a little.

"Yes, I suppose it would sound unbelievable to me as well if our current positions were switched," Bright told him, "but I can assure you, I am not joking. But if you still don't believe me, I'll prove it with my cards." Revealing the card he had drawn, the boy said, "I'll begin by Summoning my Alien Warrior in Attack Position!"

Bright's next monster was much, MUCH more muscular than his previous monsters were. While it still retained the overall general appearance of the other Aliens, this silvery-purple creature looked stronger, tougher, and meaner. It had a powerful body complimented by a pair of large clawed arms and a pair of well-developed legs (Alien Warrior: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000).

"Next, I'll activate my Trap Card, Detonator Circle "A"..." the green-haired boy then added. "It allows me to destroy any monster on the field with at least one A-Counter, and then we both take one thousand points of damage. Naturally, I choose to destroy your Kusanagi!"

"But...but that won't work, right?" asked Spike. "Flash's monster can stop Trap Cards from working!"

"Yeah that's true," Twilight replied, "but I'm pretty sure his opponent is aware of that by now..." Sunset nodded in agreement, figuring that there was more to this than it appeared to be...

"I activate Kusanagi's effect again!" Flash shouted. "I remove an overlay unit to negate your Trap Card!" And just like he did before, Flash's monster used his sword's power to wipe out Bright's Trap Card before it could resolve (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), and then gained more attack power as a result of it (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: ATK 4000 + 500 = 4500). "Sorry, kid...but I wasn't gonna let that happen." the blue-haired boy said to him.

"Oh, don't worry... You have no need to apologize." Bright responded. "Not only did I know you would stop my Trap Card just now, I had planned that you would."

"You mean...you LET me negate it??" asked Flash. "Why?"

"It's actually very simple:" Bright explained, adjusting his glasses once more. "Now that Kusanagi has negated my Trap Card, he is no longer permitted to do so again for the remainder of the turn... And unfortunately for you, I still have one more Trap to activate now. I activate my last Trap Card, Interdimensional Warp!!"

*******************************

Interdimensional Warp:
(Normal Trap Card)

Target 1 face-up monster you control and 1 face-up monster with an A-Counter(s) your opponent controls; switch control of those targets.

*******************************

Flash gasped in shock, as did everyone else when Bright Mind activated his second Trap Card. "I knew it..." said Sunset. "Bright Mind let Flash negate his first Trap Card so that he COULDN'T negate the second one! He was planning to take Flash's monster from the very beginning of the turn!"

"Now," the speculated Duelist began to say, "I use the effect of Interdimensional Warp to exchange my Alien Psychic with your Kusanagi!" At that moment, both monsters were each sucked into a distorted portal on each side of the field, only to then reappear from out of the OTHER portal. As a result, Bright had now taken control of another of Flash's own monsters.

"Aw man...this can't be..." said Flash in disbelief.

(Alien Decks tend to be a bit on the weaker side in terms of their competitiveness...) thought Sunset. (However, they are very good at one thing: Using the enemy's power against them. With cards such as Alien Hypno and Interdimensional Warp to support them, they can cause the opponent to become their own worst enemy. And that's not good for Flash right now...)

After he switched Flash's Kusanagi to Attack Position (Heroic Champion - Kusanagi: ATK 4500 + 2400 = 6900 / DEF 4900 - 2500 = 2400), Bright Mind was ready for the finishing blow. "I now move to my Battle Phase and attack with my Alien Warrior!" His remaining Alien monster leapt forward, slashing Alien Psychic and destroying it. "And now that Alien Psychic is gone, I am now free to attack you with Kusanagi." he then pointed out. "Now! Destroy Gandiva and the rest of his Life Points!" The newly-brainwashed warrior raced forward and used his bean katana to attack his former ally, wiping her out completely.

"Rrrgh...no..." Flash groaned, falling to his knees. "I lost..." (Flash Sentry: LP 1,200 - 4,800 = 0) (WINNER: Bright Mind)

"And that all, folks!!" said Megan Williams. "With an impressive come-from behind win, Bright Mind moves on to the quarterfinal round!"

"Guess that means I'm done..." Flash said with a sigh. But then he smiled and thought, (Oh well...at least I fought my hardest out there.) Getting back up onto his feet, he walked over to his opponent and told him, "That last move was pretty good, there... I don't feel that bad at all losing to someone as skilled as you were."

"And you were quite a strong opponent yourself, Flash Sentry." Bright told him with a smile. "It was a great honor to battle a strong Duelist such as yourself."

"Same here." Flash replied, smiling as well. Shaking his opponent's hand, he then told him, "Good luck in the next round, especially since you'll be going up against that girl Sonata. Be ready for anything." Bright nodded to say that he would do his best.

"Aw man...what a bummer..." said Rainbow Dash. "I can't believe Flash lost that one..."

"Perhaps, but at least he is a good sport about it." Rarity stated.

"Yeah, Ah guess as long as y'all enjoy the Duel and fight yer hardest out there," Applejack said to her friends, "winnin' or losin' doesn't really matter that much."

"Yep, having fun's the most important part!" Pinkie agreed with her. She then said to (seemingly) no one, "Did you guys out there get all that?" She and everyone else watching, including Sunset and Twilight, gave a round of applause for a Duel well-fought.

Of course, the only ones not clapping were the Dazzlings. Adagio, Aria, and Sonata were watching the Duel from inside of the tunnel leading into the arena, far away from the others. "So...looks like Sonata's next opponent will be that kid in the glasses..." Adagio noted. Smirking, she then said, "He may have brains on his side...but with what I have planned, no amount of knowledge will do him any good..."

Back in the Duel Spirit World, Mana had returned to her home to get her things together for what one would assume would be a long trip. With her was her friend, named Apple. She wasn't the only companion with Mana at the time: Four other girls dressed similarly to the two of them were in the house as well. They included a tan-skinned girl with silver-blonde hair wearing a yellow costume, a smaller girl with red hair wearing a light-pink and light-blue costume and having a pacifier in her mouth (she was holding onto the tan girl's hand), a teal-haired girl with a dark-blue outfit that exposed her navel, and a purple-haired girl with a black and aqua-colored costume that covered her entire body who seemed to be older than everyone else in the room.

"So you're really gonna go through with this?" the girl in the dark-blue costume asked Mana.

"I have to, Chocolate." Mana answered as she checked over her things. "This mission is really important; it could very well mean the difference between life and death!"

"Life and death?" asked the tan girl. "A-are you really sure?"

"If Mahad told her this, Lemon..." the eldest girl in the room spoke with a stern voice, "then we have to assume his words are the truth. Mahad is one of the most skilled Spellcasters here in the Spirit World, and his knowledge is incredibly vast. So if he says that something is true, we should not doubt his words."

"Okay...! I get it, Kiwi..." Lemon responded. "It's just...well, it just sounds really big and everything, you know?"

"What do you mean?" Apple then asked.

"I get what she's saying;" Mana then spoke up as she finished zipping up a backpack full of supplies. "This mission that Master Mahad sent me on...it's a pretty major one, and I might be gone for a long time."

"Y-yeah, exactly..." Lemon then said. "I was trying to say that...we'll kinda miss you. After all, we've been friends for a long time, and well...it just won't be the same without you around..."

"I know that, Lemon. And I feel really bad about leaving you all behind." Mana said to them. "But if my master asks me to do something, I must honor his wishes..." Mana then recalled the previous hour to her friends, where she and her master had witnessed a strange event in shrine of the Legendary Dragons...

"Torunka...?" Mana asked her master as stood before the statue of Timaeus, whose eye was glowing brightly all of a sudden. "The legendary Dark Sage?"

"Yes..." Mahad told her. "Torunka is one of the oldest living residents of the Spirit World, so his knowledge of this world and everything in it has no equal. He could tell us what exactly is causing Timaeus to react in such a way..."

"But...why can't we ask Timeaus ourselves?" asked the magician girl.

"I'm afraid he has not the power to do so..." Mahad told his pupil. "After the battle against the Great Leviathan, he - along with Critias and Hermos, returned to their dragon forms once more, having expended all their power. And we do not posses the magic to return them to their true forms once again. Therefore, we cannot obtain any information from them directly..."

"I see..."

Turning over to Mana, Mahad then told her, "Right now, Torunka is the only one who can solve this puzzle and you must locate him."

"Then let's got going right now...!" she responded, ready and raring to go.

But Mahad gave a small smile and told her, "Mana...I believe that I said YOU must locate him."

"What...?" asked the young Spellcaster. It took her a second, but she figured out what her master meant by that. "W-wait...are you saying...?"

"I am." the male Spellcaster replied with a nod. "I have decided that you should seek Torunka out yourself, without my help."

"A-a-all by MYSELF?!" Mana exclaimed, stuttering out of shock. "A-are you sure??"

"I have never been more sure about anything in my life." Mahad said with confidence in his voice. "You can believe me; I would not ask this of you if I did not think you could do it. You have grown into a great and powerful Spellcaster, even after I passed on to the next life. You took on the role of a Millennium Priestess to aid the next Pharaoh... You even showed your respect for me by merging your soul with your Ka at the time of your passing. You are the greatest student I have even taught, in more ways than one...and I am proud to have been your master."

Hearing him say all that and hearing how much he respected her caused tears to well up in Mana's eyes. Sniffling a little, she asked him, "Do...do you really mean all of that...?" Mahad nodded to say that meant every single word. Smiling (but still crying) Mana gave him a hug and said, "Thank you...! Thank you! I couldn't have found a better master for myself if I tried...! I'm so happy right now...!" Pulling herself away from him and wiping her eyes, she then told him, "If that's how you really feel, then I accept this duty! I'll find Torunka and solve this mystery!"

"...I know you will, Mana." Mahad told her. "I wish you the best of luck."

Thinking about that moment again caused another small tear to appear in Mana's eye. Wiping the tear away and turning back over to her friends, she told them, "I promised my master that I would take on this mission for him, and he believes that I can do it. So backing out of this is not an option."

Sniffling a little after hearing the story, Chocolate then said, "That was the most beautiful thing I ever heard..."

"Y-yeah...it was..." said Lemon, wiping away some tears of her own.

"...Although we may not enjoy the fact that Mana has to leave for a while," Kiwi then told the others, "she has an important job to do, and we should not interfere. All that we can do is support her and make sure that she knows that we have faith in her to succeed."

"I feel the same way, Kiwi." Apple responded. The others in the room nodded to say that they agreed as well. Walking over to Mana, Apple gave her a friendly hug and told her, "Good luck out there... I promise, we'll be with you in spirit."

"But...aren't we already spirits?" asked Mana.

"...Oh, you know what I meant." Apple said back to her. The two of them shared a small giggle with each other after that remark. She then told her friend, "Anyway, have a safe trip, Mana." Mana nodded to say that she would.

"Please come back soon, Mana..." said the voice of the young girl with the pacifier.

Kneeling down to eye-level, Mana said to her, "Don't worry, Berry... I promise I'll be back as soon as possible. And we'll all have fun with each other, just like before." The little girl was satisfied with that answer and gave Mana a hug as thanks for making that promise. After saying her goodbyes to all of her friends, Mana put her back pack on and walked down the dirt path leading away from her home, waving goodbye to the others one last time before she was no longer in sight.

Humming a bit with worry, Chocolate spoke up, saying, "Do...you think she'll be okay out there? I mean, none of us have ever left this village... Who knows what's out there?"

"Yeah...I'm trembling just thinking about it..." Lemon said, shivering a little. Berry didn't say anything, but also felt a little scared about the whole thing.

"Whatever's out there," Apple said to them, "Mana can handle it, no problem! After all, she was taught by the best Spellcaster around, right?"

"Indeed." Kiwi chimed in. "No matter what, we must not lose faith in her... As I had said earlier, we must do our best to show our support for Mana, for this is the time she will need it the most..." The other magician girls nodded to say that they felt the same way as they wished and hoped that their friend would come home safely...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
Fluttershy vs. Gabby [WINNER: Fluttershy]
Derpy Hooves vs. Sonata Dusk [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
Bright Mind vs. Flash Sentry [WINNER: Bright Mind]
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???

RANK 47: A Little Song and Dance:

Author's Note

FINALLY finished this and got this up. Sorry for the long wait. :fluttershyouch:

Normally, I upload these episodes on the last full week of the month, but since I'm sure many of you were waiting quite patiently for long enough, I figured I would just post this episode as soon as I could. Again, very sorry for the long wait. Hopefully, things will return to normal and I can get back to my regular uploading schedule. Until then, just bear with me.

Enjoy the episode!

RANK 47: A Little Song and Dance:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The tournament at CHS is getting more exciting by the minute, with the next Duel pitting Flash Sentry and his Heroic Deck against Bright Mind, who was armed with a Deck of Aliens. This Duel would determine who would face off against Sonata Dusk in the Quarterfinal Rounds. Flash's army of Warrior-types proved formidable, but in the end, they succumbed to Bright's Aliens and their sinister mind-control tactics. Bright Mind moved on to the Quarterfinals, leaving only two more Duels left in the first round.

But in the Duel Spirit World, another story was beginning. A young Spellcaster named Mana (known better to Duel Monsters fans as the Dark Magician Girl) began her daily duty of looking after the Shrine of the Legendary Dragons - a hallowed place that was the resting place of the dragons Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos. But today, Mana and her former teacher Mahad (a.k.a. the Dark Magician) noticed something peculiar about the statue of Timaeus, as its eyes were glowing brightly. Sensing it as an omen, Mahad sent Mana on a solo mission to seek advice from Torunka - said to be the Sprit World's oldest resident, on what was causing this reaction.

As Mana sets out on what could possibly be a perilous quest, back at CHS, the next round of the Tournament is ready to begin...

At Canterlot High School, the audience was still cheering in response to the hard-fought Duel between Flash Sentry and newcomer Bright Mind. Though Flash held his own for a while, he fell to Bright's Alien Deck and was ejected from the tournament. Luckily, there were no hard feelings between the two boys, and after a friendly handshake, they both parted ways, with Flash going over to see his friends, which included his ex-girlfriend and tournament Judge, Sunset Shimmer.

"Uh...hey Flash." said the red-and-yellow girl. "Sorry that you lost that last Duel. I-I think you did pretty well."

"Eh, it's okay. I'll get over it." the blue-haired boy told her. "That Bright guy's a tough Duelist; I don't feel bad losing to someone like him. I'm not bitter about it one bit."

"W-well, we still think you did great out there anyway." Twilight told him from the nearby bench she was sitting on.

"Thanks, Twilight. And you too, Sunset." Flash replied, smiling. Stretching his arms, he then told the two of them, "Well, now that I'm out, I'll be up in the stands to watch the rest of the competition. Keep up the good work as Judge, Sunset."

"Uh, thanks." the jacket-clad teen said to him. "I'll, uh... I'll do my best!"

Flash then left with a smile, heading into the tunnels on the stadium's ground floor. As he left, Sunset could only stare as he eventually faded from her sight. She then sighed sadly to her herself a little.

"Something the matter, Sunset?" asked Spike, noticing her expression.

"Not really."

"You sure?" asked the dragon-turned puppy. "You're kinda getting that look that I get whenever I pass by Ra- er, I mean-! I mean when I pass by a...uh, gem that I can't pry loose!"

Humming a little, Sunset then told him, "Well...I was just thinking about some stuff, that's all."

"What kind of stuff?" asked Twilight. "Do you mean about Flash?"

"Well...it's just that... It's just that I still feel kinda bad using him to boost my popularity when I was...well, you know." Sunset told them. "Even after all that, he's still talking to me so nicely as if nothing had happened." Giggling a bit, she then added, "Ah, there I go again, acting like a broken record. And next you'll tell me something along the lines of, 'You're a different person now, Sunset.' Or, 'It's just not like Flash to have ill feelings about anyone'."

"That's only 'cause it's all true." Spike told her. "You're nothin' like you used to be, so now you and Flash can get know each other better, now that you both have a clean slate."

Chuckling a little, Sunset smiled and patted the dragon-turned-puppy on his head and said to him, "I'll be sure to keep that all in mind."

Changing the subject, Twilight then asked her friend, "So...there's only two Duels left in this round, right?"

"That's right." Sunset confirmed. "And that means that the next roulette will determine not only who fights in the next Duel, but also the Duel after that." She, Spike, and Twilight then glanced over to the four remaining Duelists that had yet to get in on the action: Sweetie Belle, Octavia Melody, and Zecora, as well as the remaining out-of-towner Duelist Sol Burner.

At that moment, Megan Williams - the tournament's M.C., announced, "Alllllright Dueling fans! We're ready to begin the selection for the next Duel! With only two matches left, we will soon know the identities of our quarterfinal contestants! So let's give the roulette another spin!!"

Everyone watching waited on pins and needles, wondering who would be next to fight each other, especially the Duelists that were left to compete. Eventually, the mug shots of the remaining Duelists began to slow down. When they stopped, the next two Duelists were revealed to be...

"Sol Burner and Octavia Melody!!" Megan said with lots of energy. "You're up next!!"

"Hmmm...it's finally my turn to Duel." Octavia said to herself.

"YEAHHH!!! Go for it Tavi!!" shouted the voice of Vinyl Scratch, who was sitting on a bench on the playing field. "Show 'im what you're made of!!" The cello enthusiast blushed a little, happy to hear her friend supporting her.

"So Octavia and that other guy are going next..." noted Sweetie Belle. "That means after they're finished, I'll be dueling Zecora." The girl was a bit nervous, as she had no idea how strong the mysterious woman's dueling skills actually were.

But Zecora comforted her, saying, "Ease yourself, Sweetie Belle. Do not despair. Just stay calm and remember to fight fair. There is no need to stress; just duel at your best."

Hearing that rhyme helped Sweetie feel a little better. "Thanks, Zecora... I guess I'm just a bit nervous about dueling in front of a big crowd, instead of just in front of a few of my friends." Rarity's younger sister smiled and added, "I promise that I'll do my best out there and not worry about a thing!" Zecora smiled and nodded in response, happy to know that Sweetie would try not to get too worked up about the whole thing.

At that time, Octavia and her opponent walked out onto the center of the field. The sepia-skinned girl looked over at her opponent; his skin was ash-grey, with a pair of bright orange eyes and somewhat messy blue hair with a few orange highlights. His attire consisted of a white shirt with a blue flame design on the front of it (likely in reference to his name), a red checkered shirt over top of it, blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers with that same blue flame design on them.

"Are both Duelists ready to begin?" Sunset asked after stepping out onto the center of the field to meet the two.

"We're ready!" responded both Octavia and Sol Burner in unison.

"Then it's time to decide the order of play." the red-and-yellow girl told them. "How do you want to decide?"

"If it's okay with you," Sol Burner spoke up, "I'm most comfortable with rock-paper-scissors."

"I'll agree to that as well." Octavia chimed in with a nod.

"Very well, then." said Sunset. After all was said and done, the two Duelists then made their choice in the rock-paper-scissors game. Octavia chose Paper, while Sol Burner went with Scissors. As a result, Sol Burner was permitted to go first if he wished to, which he did. Afterwards, the two of them walked off to the opposite ends of the field to begin their Duel.

"Now that the order of play has been decided, " Sunset began to announce, "let the seventh Duel of the first round begin!"

"Let's DUEL!!" shouted both the competing Duelists as the audience cheered them on (Sol Burner: LP 4,000) (Octavia Melody: LP 4,000).

As the two Duelists drew their opening hands and thought about what moves to make, Applejack - who was sitting in the stands with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, asked them all, "So... we know that Octy's got that Melodius Deck that used on Sunset a long while back, but what about this other guy?"

"I can't even be remotely sure, to be honest." Rarity stated.

"Well, with how tough he looks," Dash began to say, "I'll bet he's got some super-tough, manly-lookin' warriors or somethin' in his Deck."

"Now Dashie," Pinkie began to say, "don't ya know not to judge a book by its cover? Y'know, unless it's called something like Quantum Mechanics for Airheads; then you pretty much know what you're getting into."

Back down on the field, Sol Burner was ready to make his first move in the game. But before he did, he turned to face Octavia and performed a courteous bow. "Hm? What are you bowing for?" asked the sepia-skinned girl.

"It's something we do in my martial arts class." Sol answered her. "Before we do battle, we show each other respect with a simple bow to each other."

"Oh, I see." Octavia replied, understanding. "In that case, I suppose it is only fair that I do the same." She then gave her opponent a bow as well to show her respect. Once the formalities were over with, she then said to her opponent, "Now, shall we begin?"

Sol nodded and took a card out of his hand, saying, "I'll begin with Lunalight Emerald Bird in Attack Mode!" His first monster was a teal-skinned woman wearing an orange-colored bodysuit with blue frills on the shoulder and hip areas. She also had on a green cape that - when fastened to her hands, made it look like she had wings. On her head was a green, dome-like hat with a beak-like decoration on the front, and on her feet were a pair of blue boots (Lunalight Emerald Bird: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000).

"Hmmm... Lunalights, I see..." hummed Octavia. "Very intriguing choice."

"Huh... didn't see that comin'." said Rainbow Dash, sitting in the audience with Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Fluffle Puff had left some time ago after having spent some time with them, and now Flash Sentry decided to join them, sitting in the empty seat that Fluffle Puff had previously occupied.

"Yeah, with a name like Sol Burner, I would have thought that he'd have something with FIRE monsters... Maybe creatures with cyber-armor and a bunch of Graveyard effects." Pinkie Pie spoke up. "Then again, that might infuriate players going up against it..."

"For a martial arts enthusiast, I certainly didn't expect him to use that Deck." Rarity commented. "That being said, I'll certainly take graceful dancers over overly-muscular fighters any day."

"Well, I know the Lunalight Deck fairly well," Flash spoke up, "and they're far from just being graceful dancers. Just watch."

"Now I activate Lunalight Emerald Bird's effect!" Sol Burner said, continuing his move. "I'll send my Lunalight Yellow Marten from my hand to the Graveyard, which allows me to draw another card." After he did so, he then added, "And now that my Yellow Marten is in the Graveyard, I can use her effect! This lets me add any Spell or Trap Card related to Lunalights from my Deck to my hand. I'll select Lunalight Serenade Dance."

"Is that all you are going to do for this turn?" asked Octavia.

"Not even close." Sol said with a friendly smirk. "Next, I'll discard my Lunalight Black Sheep to use her effect. Now I can take a specific Spell Card from my Deck and add it to my hand." After he took the card, he then showed it to Octavia and everyone else watching.

"Is that Polymerization?" the cello-playing Duelist asked.

"It is, but it won't be in my hand long." he informed her. "That's because I'm activating it!" After playing the card, he then said, "I'll fuse Lunalight Emerald Bird on my field with Lunalight Kaleido Chick in my hand to perform a Fusion Summon!" After that, the monster that was in his hand (who wore a costume that looked almost like a baby chick), along with the monster that was on the field were drawn into a large red-and-blue portal in the sky. "Graceful dancer who flies the skies! Youthful dancer that charms the audience! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power!" the boy chanted, clasping his hands together with a clapping sound. "Fusion Summon! Come to me! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Lunalight Cat Dancer!"

After finishing his chant, the portal exploded in a flash of purple light. When the light faded, a light purple-skinned woman gently floated down onto the battlefield. She had an extravagant dress made up of frills, sashes, leggings, and a skirt so beautiful, Rarity's eyes sparkled in delight upon seeing it. The outfit's colors consisted mostly of teal, navy blue, and fuchsia, with a few shiny gold coin-like decorations, bringing to one's mind the image of a traditional belly dancer. Her hat/mask combo was the same fuchsia color as the top part of the dress and was shaped like a cat, had a purple-and-black headdress on the back of it, and a moon-shaped mask over the eyes (Lunalight Cat Dancer: Level 7 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000).

"Woah... a Fusion Summon right away." noted Sunset.

"Something tells me that this guy's not in any mood to mess around, huh?" Spike asked, astounded by the move as much as Sunset was. Twilight nodded in response to her assistant's question.

"An impressive first move." stated Octavia. "But is that all you will be doing for your turn?"

"Not quite yet..." said Sol Burner. "Since my Kaleido Chick got sent to the Graveyard by the effect of a card, I can take the Polymerization I just used and return it to my hand." And he did just that.

"Amazing..." stated Flash Sentry up in the audience. "Since Fusions Summons often require a great amount of resources, it was a smart idea of him to have a card that can get some of them right back."

"Yeesh... this could be a tough one for Octy." Rainbow Dash stated.

Taking two cards out of his hand, Sol finished his turn, saying, "I'll end with two face-down cards in my back row. It's your move."

"Very well. I'll draw for my turn." said the cello player as she drew a card from her Deck. After placing it in her hand, she then said, "First, since you are the only one between us to have a monster on the field, I can Special Summon my Solo the Melodious Songstress in Attack Position." Her first monster was a young, pink-skinned girl wearing a short-skirt dress that was mostly red in color, with some blue frills along the bottom lined with gold diamond-shaped decorations fastened to it. The top of the dress was complimented with puffy, balloon sleeves, a burgundy and gold-colored breastplate, and a hat with wing-like protrusions coming out of it (Solo the Melodious Songstress: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1000).

"Hmmm. A Melodious Deck, I see." said Sol. "That's interesting how it compliments my Lunalight Deck so well."

"Yes, I must say the coincidence is quite remarkable." said Octavia with a chuckle. "It's as if the two Decks had a link to each other, or something to that effect." Taking another card from her hand, she then said, "Next, I shall Special Summon my Sonata the Melodious Diva in Attack Mode; I can do so simply by controlling any Melodious monster on my field." And just like that, her yellow-skinned, blue dress-wearing girl stood on the field right alongside Solo (Sonata the Melodious Diva: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000). "Since Sonata was Special Summoned," the sepia-skinned girl continued, "her effect grants all my Fairy monsters an additional 500 attack and defense points." (Solo the Melodious Songstress: ATK 1600 + 500 = 2100 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500) (Sonata the Melodious Diva: ATK 1200 + 500 = 1700 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500).

"Not bad, but your monsters' attack power is still lower than my Cat Dancer's." her blue-haired opponent reminded her.

"Which is why I am not planning to attack with either of them." the cello player told him. "Instead, I shall release both of them to Summon a stronger monster." After both of her monsters vanished from the field, Octavia then chanted, "Serene melody that permeates the air. Bring forth your soothing sound. Come forth! Level 7! Shopina the Melodious Maestra!"

Octavia's next monster then appeared in front of her; a pink-skinned woman with aqua-green hair sporting a dark-purple dress with red bead fasteners on the front and bits of a pinkish white in some parts. A pair of green wings with golden trims were on her back, and in front of her was a transparent piano keyboard (Shopina the Melodious Maestra: Level 7 / ATK 2300 / DEF 1700).

"But that monster isn't tough enough either..." Spike pointed out. "So why'd she play that?"

"You'll see." Sunset told him, already knowing what Octavia's strategy was.

"I now activate the effect of Shopina the Melodious Maestra:" the sepia-toned teen told her opponent. "Once per turn, I am permitted to retrieve any LIGHT Fairy monster from my Graveyard, as long as do not activate any effects from a non-LIGHT monster on the same turn." Taking a card from her Graveyard, she then added, "I will take Sonata back into my hand, then re-Summon her with her effect." After doing just that, her revived monster's effect came into play once more, powering up her monsters (Shopina the Melodious Maestra: ATK 2300 + 500 = 2800 / DEF 1700 + 500 = 2200) (Sonata the Melodious Diva: ATK 1200 + 500 = 1700 / DEF 1000 + 500 = 1500).

"Alright!" cheered Applejack. "Now her monster's strong enough t' beat Cat Dancer!"

"Yeah!! Go get 'im Tavi!!" Vinyl cheered loudly.

"Now go, Shopina! Attack Cat Dancer!!" Octavia shouted. "Harmonious Octave!" The woman then played the keys in front of her, letting out a powerful wave of sound that struck Cat Dancer. Sol's monster dropped down to one knee, but otherwise seemed unharmed. "What?!" the girl exclaimed. "Your monster survived?!"

"That's right." her opponent told her. "Cat Dancer cannot be destroyed in battle, even though your monster had higher attack."

"I see..." noted Octavia. "But it still seems as though the damage got through." (Sol Burner: LP 4,000 - 400 = 3,600). Thinking to herself, she then pondered, (I must be careful... I left a powerful card out on his field for him to use on me next turn...) Taking some cards from her hand, she then said, "I'll set two cards face-down before ending my turn." Everyone watched the field closely, wondering just what would happen next in this Duel between dancers and music makers...

Meanwhile - far, FAR away from Canterlot City, a lone figure was walking down a long dirt path. The figure was a girl in her mid-to-late teens whose name was Mana (better known as the Dark Magician Girl). She was one of the many occupants of the Spirit World: a place where many other people and creatures often seen on Duel Monsters cards lived amongst each other.

Mana was on a mission that had been given to her by her former magic teacher, Mahad (who was better known as the Dark Magician). She was to seek out the legendary Dark Sage - named Torunka, in regards to a strange phenomenon involving Timaeus, one of the three legendary dragons that both Mana and Mahad watched over. Mahad had decided to send his former student to seek out Torunga on her own, having determined that she had more than proven herself to be a capable Spellcaster.

Even though she was happy to know that her former master had so much faith in her, Mana still seemed a bit nervous about the whole thing...especially since she was in unfamiliar territory. Looking all around her, she thought to herself, "Oh my...I-I've never been this far from home before... I don't know much about the area outside of Endymion. I have to be honest to myself; I'm a bit scared..." Suddenly she shook her head and said to herself, "No! I can't be afraid! Master Mahad said that I can do this, and I'm gonna do it! At least...I have to try my best!" Sighing, she then added, "Master Mahad...and my friends back home...I promise to make you proud! I'll find this Torunka guy and come back safe and sound!"

After walking for a little while longer, Mana suddenly stopped at a peculiar sight: There, just a short distance away from her was a large graveyard, with tombstones and mausoleums scattered everywhere. As if it weren't creepy enough, a thick fog lurked close to the ground, and several large crows (that seemed to be wearing some sort of cybernetics) cawed before flying away.

"A...graveyard?" Mana asked herself. "But...this is the Spirit World. How can there be a graveyard in a place that's pretty much like the afterlife? Then again...this place does have its fair share of other weird stuff, so I guess it isn't all THAT put of place..."

As she mulled over those thoughts, a soft BOOM sound - followed by a slight tremor, interrupted her. Perking her head up in surprise, she looked around and asked, "Wh-what was that??" She couldn't see what it was that caused the sound and tremor...and yet, she still noticed both...and they were getting louder.

Trembling, Mana pulled out her magical staff from the sheath attached to her back and held it out in front of her to protect herself. "Wh-wh-who's there??" she asked nervously. "Wh-whoever's there, y-you'd better show yourself...or else I'll...I'll...I'll do something! I'm warning you!"

But the boom sounds and shaking only got stronger and stronger...as well as more rapid. Then, they were followed by what sounded like an elephant making a trumpeting noise, which spooked Mana even more. But it was what she saw next that caused her to panic: Barging through the graveyard was a massive mammoth skeleton with gold-colored bones!

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!" Mana screamed, diving out of the way of the massive creature's charge. But no sooner did she get out of its way, the skeletal scourge quickly halted itself, turned around and came after her again!

Mana ran as fast as her feet could carry her, doing whatever she could to not get trampled by the crazed monster. Turning her head back towards the creature chasing her, she shouted at it, saying, "St-stop doing this!! I didn't do anything to you!" But the creature either didn't hear her or ignored her shouting completely, because it didn't stop coming after her. All Mana could do was to try and stay ahead of it for as long as she could.

But the magician girl was so concerned with keeping her distance from the giant, ghostly mammoth, that she didn't see the small rock in her path...until she tripped her foot on it and fell over. "Eeeek!!" she screamed as she fell over, landing face-first on the ground. By the time she rolled over and sat up, Mana saw the creature now just feet away from trampling her. Fearing for her safety, the girl raised her magical staff in front of her, ready to defend herself if it came to it...even though she knew that the odds weren't in her favor. "I can't... I can't give up...!" she said to herself. "I don't know how I'll get out of this...but I have to try! I can't let my master down...!" Things looked bad for Mana...

...But then, out of nowhere, a small, electrical sphere zipped through the air and struck the mammoth creature. It let out a pained cry as static bolts enveloped it from head to foot. The intensity of the blast caused to hunch down on one knee as it tried to recover from the sudden attack.

"Huh?" asked Mana, astounded (but relieved) to see the troublesome titan in its stunned state. "What just happened??"

"Hurry, Miss!" shouted a man's voice. "Strike it while it's down!"

"Huh? Who was that?" the girl asked. "Where are you??"

"No time to explain!" the voice instructed. "Hurry up and destroy that creature before the shot wears off!"

Realizing that now wasn't the time for questions, Mana nodded and charged up energy into her staff. She then leapt into the air, staff in front of her, shouting, "Dark Burning ATTACK!!!" And with that shout, she unleashed her magic power on the beast that had previously been terrorizing her. The mammoth cried out in anguish as Mana's spell wiped it out completely.

Landing safely on her feet, Mana let out a tired breath and said to herself, "I...I did it... Safe...at last..." Then, after letting out that last word, the magician girl fainted on her back, possibly out of relief that the creature was gone now.

Minutes later...

"...Hey...! Hey, miss! Miss, are you alright?"

"Urrgh..." Mana groaned after hearing the concerned voice speaking to her. "Urrr...wha...what happened...?" she spoke in a groggy tone as she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes after having collapsed earlier. Her hat had even fallen off her head upon hitting the ground and was laying off to the side.

"Oh, good! You're awake. I was worried that you were...well, never mind what I thought. The point is you're okay." the voice spoke again to her. Now that Mana was awake and alert, she recognized the voice as the same one that had told her to attack the mammoth creature that had been chasing her earlier.

The voice had come from a person that was sitting next to her: An adult man, by the look of his build. However, he was wearing an outfit that covered every inch of himself, including his face. His outfit consisted of full body armor, colored dark blue and gold, decorated with several orange orbs, and a pair of wing-like blades on his back. His face was covered by a large helmet that was of the same color as his armor, with a blue semi-transparent visor covering the front of it, and a pair of thin antennae-like protrusions coming out from the back.

"You..." Mana spoke, still a little dazed from her sudden fainting. "You're the one who helped me when that mammoth creature attacked..." Smiling and turning around to face him, she told the man, "Thank you so much...! I don't know how I could ever repay you!"

"There's no need for it, miss. I was just doing my job, that's all." he told her. "Your safety is all the payment I need."

"How chivalrous of you." the magician spoke with a slight giggle. "At least tell me your name; I'd like to know who it was that helped me."

"Fair enough." said the man. "You can call me Sparkman."

"Hm? Sparkman?" asked Mana, a little surprised. "I've heard that name before..." Gasping, she then exclaimed, "Wait! I know you! You're a member of that superhero group: The Elemental HEROES!"

"I see you've heard of us. That's good to hear." Sparkman replied. "Nice to know that news of us travels quite a distance." He then asked her, "And your name?"

"My name?" asked the girl. "It's Mana. I'm from the city of Endymion."

"Hmmm... Endymion, you say? That's quite a long distance from here. Why are you travelling so far away from home, especially in a gloomy place like this?" the superhero inquired further.

"Well, the thing is... I'm on an important mission of my own." Mana told him. "I was sent by my Master Mahas to-"

"Mahad??" asked Sparkman, interrupting her. "The legendary Dark Magician? He asked you to travel out this way?"

"You've...heard of him?"

"Just a few things, from the E-HERO database back home." Sparkman answered. "Like how he's one of the most powerful and well-respected Spellcasters in Endymion." He then asked her, "So what does he want you to do all the way out here?"

"It's...a little complicated," she responded, "but part of it involves searching for Torunka, the Dark Sage. We need his advice to resolve a small issue back home."

"Hmmm... I see." the hero hummed to himself, understanding everything. "I've heard of this Dark Sage, and just how secretive he is."

"Tell me about it..." Mana sighed. "I don't even know where to begin looking for him..."

Pondering the situation for a while, Sparkman came to a decision. Picking up Mana's hat from off the ground, he handed it to her, saying, "This journey of yours sounds like a difficult one for just one person alone, especially since you never know what could be lurking around the corner."

Mana took her hat and continued to listen to what he had to tell her.

"So with that in mind," he continued, "I think it might be best if I came along to help you out."

"H-help me?" she asked, as she put her hat back on. "Are you sure? I don't want to distract you from your duties, whatever they might be..."

"It's no problem, miss." he assured her. "Helping others that need help ARE my duties. And besides, things have been pretty quiet back home anyway; I was actually doing a bit of travelling myself just to keep from getting bored. So I insist: I want to come along and help you with your mission! What do you say?"

Mana thought about it for a while, wondering if she should take his offer. She then remembered that Mahad had always told her that - while she should be independent to a point, that should always accept help from anyone offering it. She then smiled and said, "Okay, you've convinced me: I'll be happy to have you along with me!"

"That's good to hear." said Sparkman, pleased with her answer. "And we'll start by getting out of this graveyard and onto somewhere a bit more cheerful-looking."

"Yeah, I agree." the magician girl said, happy to leave the gravesite for good as they walked away together.

Back in the "real" world, the Duel between Sol Burner and Octavia Melody was just getting started. Everyone watching was anxious to see what would happen as Sol began his next turn. "It's my turn now." he said, drawing his card for the turn. (That'll do just fine...) he said after looking at it. Placing his new card in his hand for the moment, he took a different card and played it, saying, "I activate Polymerization!"

"Polymerization?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "AGAIN?!?"

"I thought as much." Rarity spoke. "Lunalights use a fusion-based strategy to call up their most powerful cards. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he would play that card once more."

Taking a card from his hand, he then stated, "I'll fuse Cat Dancer on my field with the Lunalight Crimson Fox that I just drew for my turn!" After explaining that, his Fusion Monster on the field joined with a fox-like female monster that was mostly red, black, and pink as they leapt into a red-and-blue vortex up in the sky. "The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight! Vixen who prances under the blood-red moon! Swarm in the vortex of the moon’s gravity and become a new power!" Sol chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come forth! Elegant beast dancing in the moonlit wilderness! Lunalight Panther Dancer!"

At that moment, a pillar of purple light shot from out of the portal down to the ground below. After it finally faded, a new monster stood where it used to be. Like all of Sol's monsters so far, it had the appearance of a female dancer. She had brown skin and short green hair that covered her eyes, giving her a mysterious look. She wore a strapless dress that consisted of a dark-blue top fastened with drawstrings, and a long, flowing pink skirt on the bottom. She wore gloves and footwear that were designed to look like cat paws, with a pair of large rings that seemed to hover around her wrists. A pair of golden blades rested on the sleeves of each glove, connected to the rings by a darker-pink ribbon, and she had a long black tail connected to the back of her outfit (Lunalight Panther Dancer: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2500).

"Impressive..." said Octavia. "Of course, your new monster is equal in attack power to my own..."

"Perhaps," Sol responded, "but before I even think about attacking you, I'll play this Trap Card first. I activate Lunalight Serenade Dance!"

*******************************

Lunalight Serenade Dance:
(Continuous Trap Card)

When a Fusion Monster(s) is Fusion Summoned to your field (except during the Damage Step): You can target 1 of those monsters; apply these effects in sequence.
*Special Summon 1 "Lunalight Token" (Beast-Warrior/DARK/Level 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000) to your opponent's field.
*That target gains 500 ATK for each monster your opponent controls (even if this card leaves the field).
During your Main Phase: You can banish this card from your GY; send 1 card from your hand to the GY, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Lunalight" monster from your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Lunalight Serenade Dance" once per turn.

*******************************

"Since I just Fusion Summoned my Panther Dancer," he explained further, "I can use my Trap Card to Summon a Lunalight Token to your side of the field in Attack Position. Just call it a little gift from me to you."

Octavia watched as a shadowy figure (female, based on its appearance, if shadows had genders) manifested itself onto her side of the field (Lunalight Token: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2000). "And...why, exactly are you being so generous?" asked the cello-playing Duelist.

"Because by doing so, my Panther Dancer gains an extra 500 attack points for every monster you currently control." Sol explained. "And I count three monsters on your field; therefore, she gains 1,500 more points!" (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 2800 + 1500 = 4300).

"Oh dear...!" Octavia gasped.

"But that's not all:" her opponent continued. "Since I sent my Crimson Fox to the Graveyard through a card effect, I can use her effect to drain away all of your Shopina's attack points!" And just as he said, Shopina dropped down to one knee, sapped of almost all her power (Shopina the Melodious Maestra: ATK 2800 > 0). "Then I'll use my Panther Dancer's effect as well!" he then finished.

"What does she do?" asked Spike. "What's her effect?"

"Not good for Octavia, that's what." said Sunset. "It allows Panther Dancer to keep from destroying Octavia's monsters by battle once each, but in exchange, Panther Dancer gets to attack each of her monsters twice this turn."

"But...if that's the case," Twilight began to speak, "that means if his attacks get through, Octavia loses the Duel!"

"Now, go Panther Dancer! Attack Shopina!" he ordered his monster. "Full Moon Multiple Slash!!" Panther Dancer then leapt forward, claws out and ready to tear her victim apart.

"Octy! Watch out!!" shouted Vinyl from the audience stands.

But the sepia-toned girl was ready for it. "I activate my Trap Card, Melodious Rhythm Change!"

"What's that do?" asked Sol.

"It permits me to return any of my Melodious monsters on the field to my hand." Octavia explained. "Then, I am able to Summon another one from my hand." Taking a card off of her D-Pad, she then told him, "Obviously, I'll choose to remove my Shopina from the field... And then I'll re-Summon her in Defense Mode!" She then did just that, replaying her card as quickly as she removed it (Shopina the Melodious Maestra: ATK 2300 + 500 = 2800 / DEF 1700 + 500 = 2200).

"So...what was the point of that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It's simple:" Applejack told her. "By takin' that card off the field, it was no longer affected by that Crimson Fox's effect that zeroed out her attack. And by Summonin' it in Defense, she'll keep from takin' any damage!"

Sol Burner smirked a bit. "I have to say, that was quick thinking on your part." he complimented. "But I'm still gonna attack her with my Panther Dancer!" His monster's attack then continued, with Panther Dancer slashing with her claws once on Octavia's monster, and then again in order to destroy it.

"Now that I have one less monster out," Octavia pointed out, "your Panther loses attack points!" (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 4300 - 500 = 3800).

"Unfortunately for you," he then said, "my Panther Dancer gets an extra 200 attack points for every monster she takes down, making her strikes even more powerful!" (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3800 + 200 = 4000). Pointing forward, he then shouted, "Now attack her Sonata!"

Panther Dancer then performed another double attack on Octavia's other Melodious monster, taking it out (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 4000 - 500 = 3500). Luckily, it was also in Defense Mode, so Octaiva escaped the damage. But then Sol Burner had his monster gain more attack points for its last attack (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3500 + 200 = 3700). "Now, attack the Lunalight Token!!" he then ordered his monster.

"I activate my other Trap Card, Half Shield!" Octavia shouted, flipping her second face-down card. "I target your Panther Dancer and make it so that it only inflicts half damage to me as long as it remains on the field!"

"In that case, I chain the second effect of Crimson Fox!" Sol Burner responded. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, I negate your Trap Card's effect, as well increase both of our Life Point totals by 1,000!" After he said that, a red cloud surrounded itself around the girl's Trap Card, blocking out its effect (Sol Burner: LP 3,600 + 1,000 = 4,600) (Octavia Melody: LP 4,000 + 1,000 = 5,000).

"That effect may have caused Octavia to gain more Life Points," Rarity began to tell her friends, "but it ensured that her opponent's monster could deal as much damage as possible."

"Not only that," Flash added, "but Sol also managed to undo all the damage Octavia caused him during the previous turn. Clever play..."

Octavia braced herself as Panther Dancer performed yet another double attack. The first attack only damaged the classic music lover's Life Points (Octavia Melody: LP 5,000 - 1,700 = 3,300), but the second strike did that and destroyed the token, leaving Octavia without any monsters on the field (Octavia Melody: LP 3,300 - 1,700 = 1,600) (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3700 - 500 = 3200). "Urrgh..." she groaned.

"Tavi...are you okay??" asked Vinyl out of concern.

"I'll... I'll be fine, Vinyl." she assured her friend. "Don't worry about me."

"That was pretty rough for Octy there..." Spike commented.

"Maybe," Twilight said to him, "but thanks to that earlier Trap Card she played, she's still in the Duel."

"Yeah, but she's gonna need to pull a massive comeback, starting next turn if she still hopes to win this." Sunset chimed in.

Smiling a little, Sol then said to his opponent, "Well, after that battle, my monster gets another 200 attack points (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3200 + 200 = 3400), but since my Battle Phase is over this turn, she'll revert back to her original attack power now." (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3400 - 600 = 2800) Nodding, he then said, "I have to say, nice defensive play there with that Rhythm Change card."

"I appreciate the compliment, Mr. Burner." Octavia told him. "However, I do not plan on remaining on the defense for very long."

"Then let's see what you can do with your next turn." he then said.

"I draw!" the sepia-skinned girl declared, pulling off the top card of her Deck and looking at it. (Hmmm...this could help.) she thought as she put it in play. "I activate my Pot of Desires! I banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw another two!"

"Wow, that sure was lucky of her to pull that card at a time like this!" Pinkie Pie stated.

"Let's just hope for her sake that she gets somethin' good with it..." Applejack added.

Looking at her two new cards, Octavia nodded to herself, having come up with a plan. "I activate my 1st Movement Solo Spell Card! Since I currently have no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon any Level 4 or below Melodious monster from my Deck! And I select my Soprano the Melodious Songstress!" Her new monster was a green-skinned woman with a dress that seemed to incorporate blue-and-orange colored armor in most places, such as on the upper body, the sides of the hips, the shoulders and even on her lower arms. The shirt portion was white, with that same orange color decorating it on the bottom. She had long, red hair, but her eye color was unknown, as she was wearing a yellow blindfold (Soprano the Melodious Songstress: Level 4 / ATK 1400 / DEF 1400).

"By Summoning that monster," Sol Burned informed her, "you've allowed my Panther Dancer to gain more attack points (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 2800 + 500 = 3300). I hope for your sake it was worth the risk."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about me if I were you." Octavia said with a slight smirk of her own. "After all, by Special Summoning Soprano, I can retrieve any Melodious monster from my Graveyard and put it back into my hand. And I shall use that effect to reclaim my Solo the Melodious Songstress, which I will Normal Summon." After her monster was brought back onto the field, Sol's Fusion Monster grew even stronger thanks to his Trap Card (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3300 + 500 = 3800).

"But why's she doin' that??" asked Spike. "She knows that'll just make that Panther Dancer lady even tougher!"

"Trust me, Spike." Sunset told him. "I'm sure she knows what she's doing." She then thought to herself, (After all, I certainly know what she's doing...)

Sol wasn't sure what Octaiva's plan was, however. "So...what are you going to do with them?" he asked his opponent. "They're not powerful enough to defeat my Panther Dancer..."

"Perhaps they aren't." the sepia-skinned girl replied. "But you are not the only Duelist here that can perform a Fusion Summon." Pointing to the first monster she had Summoned during her turn, she then declared, "I now activate the effect of my Soprano! Once per turn, I can Fusion Summon a Melodious Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, using Soprano and any other Melodious monsters on my field, WITHOUT needing Polymerization!"

"What?!" Burner exclaimed. "Your monster has its own Fusion effect?!"

"Indeed she does." Octavia said, taking her two cards off of the D-Pad's tray. "I fuse together Soprano and Solo on my field!" Immediately after saying that, her two monsters were drawn into another red-and-blue portal in the sky "Angel's song! Noble resonance!" she chanted. "With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here onto the stage! Schuberta the Melodious Maestra!"

After the chant was said, a purple ray of light shone down onto Octavia's side of the board. When it faded away, a new monster stood in its place: It was a woman wearing a gorgeous, highly-decorated outfit that was mostly red, orange, and black, with some parts designed to look like a musical score. It was further embellished with a metallic-yellow decoration on the hip area, with a white veil flowing from the back of it. Similar metal decorations were attached to the shoulder areas as well. The woman herself had sky-blue skin and long, fiery orange hair, and was holding a conductor's baton in her left hand (Schuberta the Melodious Maestra: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000).

"Woah...now that was some move she pulled there." said Rainbow Dash. "I'm impressed."

"I'M impressed by that intricate outfit that her monster is wearing...!" said Rarity, eyes sparkling. "I must say, this is the MOST attractive and beautiful Duel that I have ever SEEN!!"

"Hmmm..." Sol hummed to himself, looking at the new monster on Octavia's field. "I'll admit; I didn't see that coming."

"But now that she has come," his opponent began to say, "that means your monster's loses 500 attack points, since there is now only but a single monster on my field." (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3800 - 500 = 3300).

"Maybe," the grey-skinned boy replied back, "but Panther Dancer still has higher attack power. Your Melodious monster doesn't even come close."

"Which is why I'm glad to know that Schuberta has a special effect as well." the cello-player rebutted. "By banishing any three cards in our Graveyards, I can increase her attack power by 200 for each of them."

"She can what...?!" Burner gasped.

"And of course, I'll choose to banish three cards from YOUR Graveyard!" Octavia told him. "More specifically, your Emerald Bird, Cat Dancer, and your Polymerization card! Go, Chorus Break!!" After having done just that, Octavia's Fusion Monster then gained power from each card that Sol lost (Schuberta the Melodious Maestra: ATK 2400 + 600 = 3000). "Now, attack his Panther Dancer, Schuberta!!" she then ordered.

This move shocked everyone watching. "What?!?" Twilight exclaimed. "But her monster's still weaker than his!"

"Yeah! What's she thinking?!" wondered Spike. Sunset said nothing; apparently, she had some idea of what was going on, even though no one else did. However, neither she - nor did anyone else, notice that Octavia had taken a card from her hand and sent it into the Graveyard slot of her D-Pad.

"Panther Dancer, counterattack!" Sol ordered his monster. But just as she was about to pounce, his monster suddenly froze up and fell down onto one knee, seemingly struggling to get up. "Huh? What's wrong??" he then asked. Just then, everyone could hear a faint, but constant melody in the air. "What's that...?"

"That," Octavia answered him, "is the effect of my Score the Melodious Diva, which I activated by sending her from my hand to the Graveyard..." She then took out the card and showed to everyone watching.

*******************************

Score the Melodious Diva:
(Effect Monster/Fairy/LIGHT/Level 2/ATK 200/DEF200)

During damage calculation, if a "Melodious" monster you control battles an opponent's monster (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand to the GY; change that opponent's monster's ATK/DEF to 0, until the end of this turn.

*******************************

"I thought so..." Sunset said to herself. "She had a hand trap ready to go."

"A...what trap?" asked Spike.

"Hand trap. It's a term that Duelists use to refer to any card that activates its effect from their hand." the red-and-yellow teen explained. "In most cases, the player must discard the card in order to use its effect. And becuase most of these effects are Quick Effects - effects that can be used during either player's turn, they have a surprise factor, just like a Trap Card. The major difference is that since the cards are in the player's hand, their opponents are not likely to see it coming until it's too late."

"That sure sounds pretty powerful." Twilight noted.

"They sure are." Sunset responded. "Mostly because they're very tricky to play around."

Back at the Duel, Octavia said to her opponent, "Thanks to Score's effect, I have weakened your monster's attack and defense power, dropping it all the way down to zero (Lunalight Panther Dancer: ATK 3300 > 0 / DEF 2500 > 0), which means it cannot stand up to my Schuberta's full attack strength!" She then shouted to her Fusion Monster, "Now, continue your attack, Schuberta! Wave of the Great!!" Her monster then swayed her conductor's baton, letting out a wave of light energy that struck Pantehr Dancer and destroyed it.

"URRGH!! Sol grunted as he took an extremely heavy hit from Octavia's attack (Sol Burner: LP 4,600 - 3,000 = 1,600).

"Yeah!!" shouted Vinyl with lots of energy. "Ya got him on the ropes now, Tavi! Keep it up!!"

"Now it seems we're both even in Life Points totals." the sepia-skinned girl informed him. "Looks as though this Duel is not quite over yet."

"Oh, you're right about that." the boy replied. "I activate my Trap Card, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance! With Panther Dancer destroyed, I can use this card to take two more of my Lunalight monsters in the Deck! I select Crimson Fox and Blue Cat!"

(So...he had a backup card ready to go.) thought Octavia. (He must be hoping to try another Fusion Summon on his next turn. I had better be careful.) Taking a card from her hand, she played it into her D-Pad and said, "I'll conclude my turn with one more card face-down. Best of luck to you."

Looking at his Deck, Sol Burner thought to himself, (This is it... If I don't draw something good now, this'll be the end for me in this tournament... But I'm not ready to give up just yet! I'll fight 'til I can't fight anymore!) He then drew the top card of his Deck and looked at it, hoping that it would be something that would get him out of the sticky situation that he was in. "Hm? This card..." he said, sounding a little pleased by what he drew.

Octavia, curious, asked her opponent, "So...what is that you have drawn?"

Looking up at her, Sol answered the question, telling her, "Just the card I needed to regain control of this fight!"

Back in the Duel Spirit World, Mana and her new traveling companion Sparkman had finally left the graveyard where they met up. The skies above were still a bit dark and cloudy, but it wasn't as spooky as their previous location. "Well, at least it looks a little less gloomy than before..." said the magician girl. "But something tells me that we're still in for some trouble ahead..."

"I think so, too." Sparkman told her. "Guess that's how it goes sometimes for people like us; you just get that feeling that things'll just get tougher ahead, like that big, gold mammoth zombie we fought against earlier."

"Speaking of that," Mana began to inquire, "how did you manage to stun it? That beast looked like it was unstoppable, but one blast from you and it fell to its knees!"

The superhero then reached down to a holster on his right hip and pulled out a gun-like weapon from out of it. "Spark Blaster." he said. "Never leave home without it."

"You mean that little thing was what stopped that mammoth?"

"Hey, this 'little thing' has pulled me and my teammates' rumps out of the fire more than once!" Sparkman argued.

"I-I'm sorry...! I-I didn't mean to offend you or it..." Mana quickly apologized "If anything I was more impressed BECAUSE it was smaller than I imagined it to be! How does it work?"

"It can store enough energy to fire off three shots before it needs a recharge, and is designed to hinder enemies rather than destroy them outright." he explained to her. "Back home, we're more accustomed to taking in our foes in one piece, but in your case, I doubt we'd be able to negotiate with a zombie mammoth."

"You can say that again." the girl responded.

Putting his weapon away for the moment, Sparkman then asked her, "So...what is it that you need to ask this Dark Sage when you find him?"

Mana answered him by saying, "Well, it has to do with this here..." She then reached into a pocket in the bag she was carrying and pulled out a Duel Monsters card, which she showed to her new friend.

"A card with a green dragon on it?" asked Sparkman, curious as to where this was going.

"It's not just any dragon, Sparkman." Mana explained to him. "This is the Legendary Dragon Timaeus, one of the three that protected both the Spirit World and the human world many years ago."

"Sounds pretty big." the superhero replied. "So what does this dragon have to do with locating the Dark Sage?"

"Well, Master Mahad and I noticed that Timaeus was begin to act strangely," she answered, "and that we think it's because of something that might happen in the near future... So he asked me to go and locate the Dark Sage so that we could possibly get some answers."

"Well, if this is as important as you're making it sound," said Sparkman, "then I'll make it my duty to help you and keep you safe through the whole thing."

"Are you sure you want to?" asked Mana. "I don't want to keep you away from any important business you have..."

"Protecting and helping others IS my business, ma'am." he informed her. "And besides, things have been pretty slow back at Hero City, so I've got nothing more important to do anyway."

Happy to know that she had a reliable friend on her side, Mana smiled and said, "Well in that case, thank you very much for your help. Together, I know we'll be able to find the Dark Sage and figure out what's going on!" As she turned to look ahead, she then asked, "Oh my... What's that up in the sky?"

Looking up, Sparkman noticed the thick, black cloud in the sky ahead of them. "Looks like a cloud of smoke." he said.

"Oh, I see..." the magician girl said. "That's not something I see too often; Endymion is usually a pretty clean city."

"Let's stay together, miss." the superhero told her. "No telling what we'll see over there, but I'm certain it won't be anything - or anyONE, friendly." Mana nodded as they both headed forward towards the smoky skies ahead.

Back in the "real" world, Sol Burner had just started his turn. Based on the fact that he said that the card he had just drawn for his turn was something that would help him get control of the Duel back, Octavia braced herself for whatever he might try.

"So...what card do you think that Burner guy just drew?" asked Rainbow Dash in the audience stands.

"Apparently, somethin' real good..." Applejack answered. "Otherwise, he wouldnt've made a bold statement like that."

"I smell another boss monster coming this way..." said Pinkie Pie.

Beginning his turn, Sol Burner stated, "Before I get to my new card, I'll activate my Luna Light Perfume Spell Card. With it, I can bring back any Lunalight monster from my Graveyard. And I'll choose my Lunalight Black Sheep!" The monster he Summoned from his Graveyard was one that he had previously discarded for its effect, so this was the first time she actually appeared on the field. She wore a black and grey tuxedo-like outfit with blue bows and aqua-colored buttons. The collar and part of the back was made of a fluffy white substance, and long, gold, horn-like protrusions were also growing out from the back. The new monster had light green skin and bleached blonde hair with a gold decoration worn on the front of her face. On her feet were a pair of black boots with the same white fluff on the top of each one (Lunalight Black Sheep: Level 2 / ATK 100 / DEF 600).

"Next," he continued, "I'll Normal Summon the Lunalight Crimson Fox that I got from my Trap Card earlier." He then played his next monster, which was the fox-like woman of which another copy was used for one of his Fusion Monsters on his last turn (Lunalight Crimson Fox: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 600). "Then," added Sol, "I'll activate the effect of the Yellow Marten in my Graveyard: This effect lets her come back to the field, and in exchange, I have to return my Lunalight Serenade Dance card back to my hand.

(Yellow Marten...?) thought Octavia. (I recall that he sent that card to the Graveyard during his first turn, in order to use the effect of one of his other Lunalight monsters It's clear he placed that card there to set it up for its second effect when he needed it. But what is it that he's trying to do?)

Sol Burner then took his Yellow Marten and placed it on the field in Defense Position. Like many of his other monsters, this one was of a female human with some animal-like features, such as small rounded ears on her blonde-haired head, and a long bushy tail coming out from her back. She wore a red-and-white leotard with pink frills on the hip and shoulder areas, as well as on the chest, and wore brown gloves and boots. On her chest was a gold moon-like piece of decorative jewelry, and her face was partially covered by another piece of gold jewelry with green jewels (Lunalight Yellow Marten: Level 4 / ATK 800 / DEF 2000).

"I'll bet he's setting up for another Fusion Summon..." thought Twilight as she sat with Spike in her arms.

"I agree." Sunset stated. "I'll bet you 10 Bits that the card he drew for his turn was a Fusion Summoning card."

And her guess was confirmed to be correct, as Sol played that very card and said, "I activate the Spell Card, Fusion Substitute and fuse together Yellow Marten, Black Sheep, and Crimson Fox on my field to Summon a Fusion Monster!"

"What?! A Fusion with THREE monsters?!?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"It seems so, Rainbow dear..." Rarity responded. "Which means that this next monster will be very powerful...!"

"The shy dancer in shimmering gold! The beast lurking in the jet-black dress! And the vixen who prances under the blood-red moon!" the grey-skinned boy began chanting. "Display your beauty and your power underneath the moonlit night! Fusion Summon!! The blade that dances under the radiant moon! Lunalight Sabre Dancer!!"

All three of the monster that Sol had Summoned onto his field were all drawn into a red-and blue portal in the sky. This was once more followed by a ray of purple light that shot down onto the field in front of him. Everyone watched as a silhouetted figure formed from with in the light, appearing as a large, female human-like creature. When the light finally faded away, the figure was revealed as a purple woman with a very elaborate costume that was colored pink, gold, and black. In each of her gloved hands was a sharp sword (hence her name), and on her head was a very large headdress. Her feet were the only part of her that showed that she wasn't completely human: they appeared to be similar to that of a panther, due to the shape and the claws that extended out from it.

*******************************

Lunalight Sabre Dancer:
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Beast-Warrior/DARK/Level 9/ATK 3000/DEF2600)

3 "Lunalight" monsters
Must be Fusion Summoned. Gains 200 ATK for each Beast-Warrior monster that is banished or in the GYs. Your opponent cannot target this card with card effects. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 Fusion Monster you control; it gains 3000 ATK until the end of this turn. You can only use this effect of "Lunalight Sabre Dancer" once per turn.

*******************************

"Oh dear..." said an astonished Octavia upon seeing Sol's new Fusion Monster.

"Woah...that looks pretty powerful..." spoke Vinyl Scratch, becoming a little worried for her best friend.

"If you think that my Sabre Dancer LOOKS powerful," the ash-grey duelist responded, "then her effect will really impress you. She gains an extra 200 attack points for each of my Beast-Warrior monsters that are in my Graveyard and banished pile!"

"For EACH of them?!" exclaimed Octavia.

"So...how many monsters did he get rid of so far...?" asked Rarity.

"If my math and memory are right," Flash began to answer, "I think the number is eight. Which means that his new monster gains 1,600 attack points!" (Lunalight Sabre Dancer: ATK 3000 + 1600 = 4600).

"That'd mean that - if he attacks Octavia now," Applejack began to say, "She'll lose the Duel!"

Looking at Octavia's side of the field, Sol Burner then said to her, "My monster has 1,600 more attack points than yours does, and that is the exact amount of Life Points you have left... If I attack, I'll drop you down to zero and I'll win." Spotting the face-down card his opponent had placed, he then added, "But there's that Set card... There's a possibility that it might increase your monster's power, which would decrease the damage, or even make your monster stronger than mine. So rather then take that chance, I'll use the effect of the Crimson Fox I used for the Fusion Summon!"

"Oh no...!" gasped Octavia.

"That's not good for Octavia..." Sunset told Twilight and Spike. "Just like he did to her Shopina card earlier on, that effect will drain away all of her monster's attack points!"

"Oh no!!" exclaimed Spike. "That means that she'll take all the damage!"

"And if she does," Twilight spoke up, "the Duel's over!"

Octavia put on a stressed expression as her Fusion Monster lost every one of her attack points (Schuberta the Melodious Maestra: ATK 3000 > 0), forcing the monster down to her knees. "You put up a very good fight, Ms. Octavia." Sol Burner said to her. "One of the toughest Duels I've ever had. But it ends now!" Pointing forward, he then ordered his monster, "Sabre Dancer, attack Schuberta with your Graceful Swords Dance!" The monster then held out her swords, positioning them in front of her as she pounced forward, ready to strike Octavia's weakened monster.

"TAVI!! Do something!!" Vinyl pleaded to her friend, not wanting to see her lose the Duel.

But just as Sabre Dancer slashed her swords, a strange, green energy blanketed Schuberta, causing her to rise back onto her feet. "Huh? What's this??" asked Sol, not sure what was happening.

"Hey, what's up with Octy's monster?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm not sure..." Flash Sentry replied, "but she seems to be using whatever power she has left to protect Octavia...!"

Indeed, what Flash said was true: Schuberta stood up, despite her weakened state and stretched her arms out wide, guarding her master with her very life, all while she kept glowing in that intense green energy. Sabre Dancer then slashed her swords multiple times, destroying Schuberta with ease. However, everyone was shocked to see that Octavia did NOT take a single point of damage from the attack (Octavia Melody: LP 1,600).

"She...survived??" asked Spike.

"It seems she did...!" Twilight confirmed.

"But...but how did that happen??" asked Sol Burner, shocked that his attack did not deplete his opponent's Life Points. "You monster was destroyed, but you're still in the Duel?"

"...I am." Octavia responded. "Before your attack connected with my monster, I activated my face-down Trap Card. It is known Impenetrable Attack. After it is played, I am given one of two options: Either I prevent a monster on my field from being destroyed during the Battle Phase this turn, OR I can nullify any battle damage that I take during the Battle Phase. And I'm sure that you can guess which of the two effect I chose to use."

"Urrrgh...I see. So you had that face-down card ready just in case I made a comeback?" her opponent inquired. Smiling a little, he then told her, "Nice move. I thought I had you, but you managed to keep yourself alive for another turn.

"Phew... What a relief..." said Vinyl Scratch, happy to see that her friend was still in the game.

"She may have survived that turn," Sunset pointed out, "but unless she can turn things around next turn, she still isn't safe. She has no monsters or cards in her back row. Her next turn will decide the Duel, one way or the other..." Twilight and Spike watched on, wondering what the outcome would be.

Sol Burner huffed a little, frustrated despite being impressed by his opponent's move. "You may have foiled my attack this turn, but you haven't beaten me yet! On my Main Phase 2, I banish Fusion Substitute from my Graveyard to activate its effect! After I return the Lunalight Panther Dancer in my Graveyard to my Extra Deck, I can draw one more card!" After he did so, he was pleased by what he got. (Perfect! This card will clinch this Duel for me!) he thought, looking at his new card...

*******************************

Bottomless Trap Hole:
(Normal Trap Card)

When your opponent Summons a monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK: Destroy that monster(s) with 1500 or more ATK, and if you do, banish it.

*******************************

(If Octavia plans on eliminating my Sabre Dancer,) he continued to tell himself, (she'll need to Summon a very powerful monster... But when she does, I can use this card to destroy it as soon as it enters the field!) Placing the card in his D-Pad, he said to his opponent, "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Well, I suppose it all comes down to this moment..." Rarity said to her friends sitting beside her. "If Octavia still plans on winning this Duel, she'll need to draw a trump card on her next turn." The others - including Sunset, Twilight, and Spike, watched with anticipation to see whether or not the cello-playing Duelist could turn the game around.

Staring at her Deck, Octavia thought to herself, (This is it... my one and only chance to come from behind and win this Duel... If I don't draw the card I need now, it is all over...)

"You can do it, Tavi!!" shouted Vinyl, standing up from the bench she was sitting on. "Don't even think of givin' up yet!! You've still got a chance to win this whole thing, and I know you can pull it off! So draw that next card and use it to go all the way!!"

After hearing those inspirational words, there was no way Octavia could give up now. Smiling and nodding, she said to her supportive friend, "You are absolutely right, Vinyl! And you can rest easy knowing that I plan to see this game to the very end!" She then placed her fingers on her next card, closed her eyes and drew it. As everyone sat on the edges of their seats, wondering if she had managed to get the card she needed, the sepia-skinned girl knew in her heart that she had done just that. "From my hand... I activate the Spell Card Ostinato!"

"Ostinato??" asked Sol, not sure what that card was. "What does that do?"

"This Spell Card permits me to Fusion Summon any Melodious Monster in my Extra Deck, while I control no monsters on my field." the sepia-skinned girl explained to him. "Not only that, but the monsters that I designate as the Fusion Material can come from either my hand OR my Deck!" This caused her opponent to gasp out of surprise.

"Incredible..." said Twilight. "That was the one card that could save her, and she managed to pull it right when she needed it!"

"Yeah, talk about getting lucky..." Spike added.

"Maybe it was luck," Sunset chimed in, "but sometimes, for us Duelists, these things just tend to happen. Now we'll have to see if her move works out for her..."

Taking two cards out from her Deck, Octavia then stated, "I fuse together Mozarta the Melodious Maestra and Elegy the Melodious Diva from my Deck!" The two monsters then appeared on the field for a brief moment before jumping into the red-and-blue portal above them. "Supreme genius! Somber lamentation! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power!" she began chanting.

(Here it comes...) thought Sol Burner. (As I thought, she's Summoning a monster to try and defeat my Sabre Dancer! I was a bit surprised to see her do it soon... but whatever she brings out, my Bottomless Trap Hole card will eliminate it right away!)

Meanwhile Octavia was wrapping up her Summoning chant as she placed her new monster's card onto her Duel Pad's tray. "Fusion Summon! Now come here onto the stage and sing the song of victory!" she shouted in a triumphant tone. "Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!"

The monster that appeared on the field looked like a younger girl with pale skin and swirly slate-blue hair. Her blue dress was about as pale-colored as her face, though it got darker towards the hem. Two long, pink ribbons flowed from the back of her outfit as she stood on a flower-like platform that hovered slightly above the ground. Surrounding the girl was a faint, golden-yellow light that radiated off of her (Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir: Level 6 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000).

Sol gasped again, saying to himself, "Huh?? She only has 1,000 attack points? But my Trap Card can only destroy monsters with at least 1,500 points!" He then wondered what his opponent was trying to do.

"What's up with that?" asked Rainbow Dash. "She went to all that trouble to Summon her?? It's not even close to that other guy's monster's attack power at all!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Rainbow dear." Rarity told her. "Just watch..."

Octavia then decided to explain to her opponent and everyone else just why she Summoned a monster with low attack power to the field, despite what she was up against. "To the untrained eye, my move may not make much sense," she stated, "but trust me when I say that Bloom Diva is my Deck's most powerful card!"

"And why is that?" asked Sol.

"Well, to be honest, I got the idea to include this card from a friend of mine that I had dueled some time ago." the cello player told him. "She taught me a very valuable tactic: Sometimes, when your power alone isn't strong enough, it sometimes helps to use your opponent's power against them!"

(Use your opponent's power...?) Sunset asked in her mind. (Is she referring to when I dueled her when this whole Number thing started?) During that Duel, Sunset had used such a tactic to defeat Octavia, with the help of her Chronomaly Machu Mech's special ability.

"Now as for Bloom Diva's special power," the sepia-skinned Duelist continued, "if she battles, she cannot be destroyed by battle, nor do I take any battle damage from said battle. But there's more: After she does battle with a Special Summoned monster, she then inflicts damage equal to the difference between the original attack points of both her and her attack target straight to your Life Points!"

"D-damage to me?!" said Sol Burner, shocked to hear that.

"Did I just hear her right?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "That Fusion Monster can send all of the damage back to him?!"

"It would seem so..." Flash responded. "Since her other monsters weren't strong enough to beat that Sabre Dancer with brute force, Octavia Summoned a monster that could use her enemy's strength against them."

"Just what I thought she would do." Rarity chimed in.

"Now, Bloom Diva! Attack Sabre Dancer!!" Octavia shouted to her monster. "Reflect Shout!!" And with that, the cello-player's Fusion Monster let out a loud - but pleasant-sounding, shout that sent yellow shockwaves towards Sol's monster. Sabre Dancer did her best to block the waves, sending them back towards Bloom Diva with a swipe of her claws. But when the reflected waves struck Bloom Diva, instead of destroying her, they strengthened the radiating aura around her. After building up enough power, Bloom Diva let out another shout, causing the built-up energy to cover every inch of the stadium.

The power that had been released was more than Sabre Dancer could handle: She was destroyed by the re-reflected attack, and the excess energy struck her controller. "AAAAGGHHHH!!!" shouted Sol as the impact from the blast drained away the remainder of his Life Points (Sol Burner: LP 1,600 - 2,000 = 0) (WINNER: Octavia Melody).

A bit shocked at how quickly Octavia turned the Duel around, Sunset stood there with her mouth hanging open. But, knowing she still had a job to do, snapped out of her current state and announced, "The Duel is over! Octavia Melody is the winner!"

The crowd went wild, cheering Octavia for her victory. Of course, no one was more excited to see her win than Vinyl Scratch. "YEAH!! Alright, Tavi!! You won!! I knew you could do it!!" she screamed in delight, happy for her friend. She even raced out onto the field and gave Octavia a congratulatory hug.

Chuckling and blushing a little from her friend's gesture, the sepia-skinned girl said to her, "Thank you, Vinyl. I truly appreciate your support. Had it not been for you, I may not have had the courage to see this Duel through."

"Congratulations, Ms. Octavia." said Sol's voice as he walked towards his opponent. "That was truly a well-earned victory."

"Thank you, Sol Burner." the cello player responded. "Though to be honest, had I not been lucky to pull that Spell Card right at the end, you would have most certainly won."

"Perhaps," Sol replied, "but as the saying goes: 'Luck favors the prepared'. You clearly had built your Deck with great care to handle almost any situation. Even with the overwhelming power that my monsters had, your cards allowed you to hold your own against them, and even use my monster's power to your own advantage. I feel as though I learned a lot from Dueling you and I plan to apply it to all of my future battles, in and out of the ring."

"I am glad to hear you say that." Octavia told him. "Knowing that I helped you to better yourself in the future is perhaps just as great a reward as the Duel victory itself. And I hope to have another Duel with you very soon." Sol nodded and the two shook hands before parting ways.

"Well, Ah'm sure glad that Duel worked out fer Octy like it did." said Applejack.

"Yeah, and that Sol guy wasn't too bad either." Rainbow commented. "Those two sure knew how to put on a show." She then glanced over at Pinkie Pie, who seemed to be in deep thought about something. "Uh... what's up with you, Pinkie?" she then asked her.

"Oh! Uh, nothing, really..." the party lover replied. "It's just that... You ever get this weird feeling that, while this Duel was going on, something else was happening?"

"Like what?" asked Flash Sentry.

"I dunno... I just have that feeling that something really super-important might have been happening while we were watching the Duel." Pinkie told him. "Probably somewhere that's WAAAAAAAAAAAY far away from here. Or it could be just my tummy digesting the snacks I got; one of the two."

Chuckling, Rarity told her pink friend, "Oh, Pinkie darling, you truly are a unique individual aren't you?"

"I do my best." the silly girl simply responded.

Of course, there WAS something else important going on, all the way in the Duel Monsters Spirit World. Mana and her new traveling companion Sparkman were searching for the legendary Dark Sage, and their travels brought them to a place that had a rather... unique aroma, to say the least.

"Peeyew...!" said Mana, holding her nose as best she could. "This place STINKS! Remind me WHY you decided that the best way to get where we're going was straight through a grimy junkyard?"

"Because...well...uh...because the factories and smoke give the place a sort of...'industrial' charm?" Sparkman responded weakly. Sighing, he then told her, "Alright, already I admit: Going through here might not have been the best idea... Avian's always been better at directions than anyone I know."

"So great: We're not only lost, but now we're lost in this smoky, dingy junkyard..." Mana complained. "I just hope that this smoke smell doesn't stick to my clothes..."

"Well, we've walked pretty far into this place, so we might as well just keep on going." the superhero told her. "This place can't be that much bigger." Just then, Sparkman heard a faint sound similar to an explosion far away. "Uh... Mana, did you hear that?" he asked her.

"Hear what?" she responded. Just then, she heard the noise too. "Wait, I just heard it!"

"Yeah, and this time it was a little louder..." Sparkman informed her. "Whatever it is...it's coming this way..."

"It's...c-coming here??" asked Mana, sweating a little from fear. Nevertheless, she pulled out her staff to arm herself for whatever was on its way. Sparkman did the same with his Spark Blaster weapon.

For a while, there was nothing happening: No sounds, no movements... There was yet no sign of what had attracted Sparkman's attention. But the silence only fueled their uneasiness; they knew it was just the calm before the storm. Then, just when it seemed that the silence would simply continue on...

CRASH!!!

The sound of large amounts of junk being hurled into the air and landing on the grimy ground below got the attention of both Mana and Sparkman. Just as they expected, whatever was coming towards them had finally shown its face. What they DIDN'T expect was what it was that had shown up: The two bore witness to the frightening shape of a massive dragon that appeared to be made up of the very garbage that covered almost every square inch of the area. Its glowing red eyes, along with the roar that bellowed out of its maw, gave off the impression that it wasn't here for friendly reasons.

"I-i-is that a dragon?!?" exclaimed a terrified Mana, clutching onto her magic staff tightly.

"Sure looks like one..." answered Sparkman a bit nervously. "But it's made of scrap?? How? And why?"

"I don't know," the magician girl told him, "but if we don't do something soon, that thing's gonna turn US into scrap!"

The massive trash creature then opened its mouth again: This time to let loose a powerful flame straight towards the pair. Luckily, they avoided it just in time. UNluckily, the dragon had more than enough firepower left in itself as it fired out several more streams of fire. One blast struck a pile of metal by accident, and it melted within seconds.

"Yikes!" Sparkman exclaimed. "The fire's hotter than Burstinatrix when she's in a bad mood! ...On that note, don't tell her I said that."

"If that fire hits us, I don't think we'll need to worry about it either way..." Mana commented. "Quick, try your blaster again!" she then suggested. "Maybe it'll stall that thing long enough for me to get it!"

"I'll try my best...!" said the superhero as he raised his weapon and fired an electric bullet at the dragon. Luckily, despite its massive power, the bullet put the monster into a temporary state of paralysis. "Now, attack it while it's down!" Mana nodded and shot a blast of magic straight at the creature, creating a purple-colored explosion.

"Yes! Direct hit!" cheered Mana. But their cheers were short-lived when, after the smoke cleared, the dragon was still alive. If anything, the magic blast helped shake it of its paralyzed state. It then let out an angry roar to show that it was not amused by their actions. "No...! That just made it even angrier!" the girl said in despair.

"Now what do we do??" asked Sparkman.

But the dragon made its move before they could. Whipping its wings, it created a gust of wind that was strong enough to send several pieces of trash flying towards them. The pair avoided the debris as best as they could, but just before Mana could breathe a sigh of relief, Sparkman cried out, "Mana!! Look out!!"

"Huh??" was all that she could say before a large piece of scrap metal came into contact with her. She was struck on the head and knocked unconscious.

"NO!!!" shouted the superhero as he ran to her aid. Mana was still alive, but in no shape to get up, let alone fight. And a bad thing, too: The dragon was charging up another stream of fire, planning to end them both in one attack. All seemed lost...

But at that moment, from behind Mana and Sparkman, a part of the ground opened up. Out from the hole came a pair of arms - one orange and one greenish grey. The orange arm grabbed Sparkman on his left shoulder and pulled him into the hole, while the other arm got a hold of Mana's leg and pulled her in too, moments before the creature's attack was unleashed. The dragon then saw that its prey had vanished, but had no idea where they disappeared to. The dragon let out a frustrated roar, having no choice but to fly away.

Meanwhile, deep below the ground, Sparkman and the still-unconscious Mana were now in a large, dark chamber of some sort; whatever or whoever had pulled the pair into the hole had had finally let go of them. Standing up and taking a defensive stance, the spark-shooting superhero shouted, "What's going on?? Where are we?!" Looking around, but finding nothing, he growled a little and added, "Alright, whoever it is that literally dragged us down here, you'd better show yourselves!"

At that moment, as Sparkman's vision fully adjusted to the dark, he could see a pair of shadowy figures - one tall and one short, walking towards him and Mana. The hero wasn't sure what to make of this; right now, all he really hoped was that these figures were friendly...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
Fluttershy vs. Gabby [WINNER: Fluttershy]
Derpy Hooves vs. Sonata Dusk [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
Bright Mind vs. Flash Sentry [WINNER: Bright Mind]
Sol Burner vs. Octavia Melody [WINNER: Octavia Melody]
Sweetie Belle vs. Zecora [WINNER: ???]

RANK 48: Crystal-Clear Crafting:

Author's Note

FINALLY got this episode up after working on it for so long. With how the restrictions are easing up now, I'm hoping to get more episodes up at a faster rate. Hopefully, the next one won't take so long this time.

Anyway, enjoy!

RANK 48: Crystal-Clear Crafting:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

As the tournament in Canterlot City is winding down its first round Duels, the cello-playing duelist Octavia Melody was paired up against a new face in the city: a young man named Sol Burner - a part-time Duelist and part-time MMA fighter. Octavia's opponent proved himself to be a tough customer, using his Lunalight Deck of anthropomorphic dancers to combat her Melodious Deck of talented singers. But in the end, it was Octavia who managed to defeat Sol with the help of her unlikely ace monster, Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir. After the Duel the two parted on friendly terms, hoping to meet up for a Duel once more.

And while this is all going on, Mana (a.k.a. the Dark Magician Girl) was on a quest to locate Torunka, the Dark Sage. Unfortunately, her travels weren't exactly easy, especially since she didn't know where to go, and what was waiting around each corner. Thankfully, she met a friend in the form of Elemental HERO Sparkman, who agreed to accompany her on her journey. But now the pair have come to a junkyard that is terrorized by a massive dragon made out of trash. Mana was knocked unconscious, and now the pair have been pulled into a hole underground by a pair of mysterious people...

"...na... M...na... Hey...! Mana...!"

A soft, yet worried voice rang in the ears of the young Spellcaster Mana, even though she couldn't see anything at the moment. The voice was loud enough for her to hear and stir a little.

"...Mana...! Hey, Mana...!"

"...Urrr..." the young girl groaned as rolled over in her daze. She then finally managed to open her eyes, hoping to see who it was that was talking to her. "Who...who's there...?" she said in a quiet and still tired-sounding voice.

"Oh, good! You're finally awake!" said the owner of the voice: Sparkman, a member of the Elemental HEROs and her current travelling companion.

"S...Sparkman?" asked Mana, sitting up from a bed that she had been lying on. "Is that you...?" Before her question could be answered, the Spellcaster suddenly winced in pain as she put her hand to her head (which currently lacked her hat, now sitting on a table beside her). "Ow...! What happened?? Why does my head hurt?" she then inquired.

"Hey, take it easy there, Mana... You got a bit of a nasty bruise there on your head." the superhero informed her. "I did a bit of first aid, bandaging it and putting some ice on it, but it's probably still gonna sting a little for a while."

"I see..." Mana replied. "I remember now... That dragon we saw in the junkyard... We were fighting it, and then everything went black all of a sudden." Turning over to her companion, she then said to him, "In any case, thanks for pulling me to safety and addressing my wound."

"Oh, well...uh, I may have patched you up, but I wasn't the one who brought us here." admitted Sparkman.

"You weren't? Then who was it?"

"Um...th-that would be us...um, m-ma'am..." squeaked a timid-sounding voice from nearby. Mana looked around, trying to figure out who it was that had just spoken to her. Eventually, she saw a pair of figures step into the room that she had been resting in.

One of them was a short, human-like being that appeared to be mechanical in nature. It wore orange-colored armor - which included a helmet that seemed to originally be a dented cooking pot, a pair of large- round glasses over its eyes, and had what appeared to be an engine of some sort strapped to its back. The short creature's companion was much taller by comparison and also human-like, sporting silver armor that covered the head, shoulders, forearms, chest and legs. Its helmet was crescent-shaped, with a gas mask-like apparatus built onto it. The feet parts of its armor seemed to have wheels built into them, like a pair of roller skates.

"Wh-who are you two?" Mana asked them both.

The short one spoke to her, saying, "Y-you may call me Junky. And my friend goes by 'Speedy'. An-and we'd like to welcome you both to our humble little underground home."

"Underground?" asked the magician girl.

"Yep. These two pulled us to safety through a secret hatch above ground." Sparkman explained. "After that, the three of us quickly got to work, helping you recover."

"Really? Thank you so much, all of you!" Mana responded, grateful for their help.

"Aww...i-it was nothing, really...!" said Junky, rubbing the back of his head. Speedy made no response, simply nodding as a way of saying that he appreciated the thanks.

Looking around the room she was in, she then asked her new friends, "So...did you two say that you live here?"

"Technically, I said it was..." Junky answered. "Speedy doesn't talk a whole lot. H-he's kind of the 'actions-speak-louder-than-words' guy." Clearing his throat, he then added, "But yes, this where we live... All of us."

"All?" asked Sparkman. "Who else lives here??"

He got his answer when a trio of smaller creatures walked into the room. One of them was a small, pink bird with green eyes and a belled collar that matched that green, along with a pair of large, red boots. The second was a brown, hedgehog-like creature with bolts sticking out of its back instead of quills. The third and last creature was a large (for its size) ladybug-like insect with blue eyes and a red exoskeleton with a star decoration on its back.

"Awwww...!" Mana squealed in delight. "They're adorable!!"

"But...what are they?" Sparkman inquired further.

"I-in a way, they're just like the two of us: Individuals that had nowhere else to go." Junky told him. "You see, Speedy and I came to this place a long time ago because, well...w-we didn't exactly 'fit in' with everyone else. I was the typical wimpy nerd that got picked on pretty much on a daily basis, and my short size didn't exactly help. And as for Speedy, he used to be quite the talkative guy, but no one ever cared or listened to whatever he had to say, so he just stopped talking altogether."

"Wow...that sounds so sad..." Mana responded. "It's a shame that no one else understood you; you two seem like nice people. You have to be if you helped me out the way that you did." She then asked, "But...why did you two choose to live in a junkyard of all places?"

"...We were tossed out of our own society, s-so it seemed like the perfect place for us." Junky responded. "It wasn't all that bad, though; there's so many things lying around that I was able to make use of. We even managed to build a home for ourselves... But now, it seems even this junkyard doesn't want us around..."

"You're talking about that dragon, right?" asked Sparkman. "What his deal? Why did it attack us like that? Where did it come from?"

"I-I wish I could answer those questions, Mr. Sparkman..." the glasses-wearing creature told him. "All we know is that it showed up about four months ago. We think it might have come from the nearby factory, but w-we aren't 100% sure about it. As for why it attacked us and you, we don't either. Th-the only thing that is clear is that this...thing wants us and everyone that comes by here gone: One way or another..."

"That's awful..." Mana said, taking pity on Junky and his friends. Growling a bit under her breath, she stood up and spoke loudly, saying, "This can't keep going on! That dragon has no right to bully everyone like that! He has to be stopped!" Just then, she winced a little from her recent injury and sat back down with her hand on the bruised spot.

"Hey, take it easy there, Mana..." Sparkman told her. "You're still not fully recovered yet. Just rest and relax. And don't worry: We'll find a way to put a stop to that trash-covered dragon before we're done here."

Junky then walked over to Mana and handed her something. "H-here, take this ice pack. It might help that bruise."

"Oh, thanks..." the girl replied taking to item. She then looked at the words that were on it: It read, "Trishula Ice Patches: Banish the Pain Away!" Mana giggled a little and placed the pack on the sore spot on her head. She hoped she could recover quickly; she wanted to help Junky and his friends and get back on the road as soon as possible.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!!" announced Megan Williams, who was the MC of the tournament currently being held in CHS's stadium. "We have now reached the final Duel of the first round! And by process of elimination, we have our two super-tough competitors ready and raring to throw down!" Gesturing her right hand off to one side, she continued, "First, to my right: We have one of the youngest Duelists participating in this tournament! So give it up for your fellow CHS classmate, Sweetie Belle!!"

Everyone cheered for the young girl, especially her older sister Rarity, as well as her friends Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed. Sweetie waved to her supporters a bit sheepishly; she seemed a tad bit nervous about the upcoming match.

"And over to my left is Sweetie's opponent!" Megan then declared. "The mysterious owner of Canterlot City's local curio shop and expert on all things ancient...! Give a round of applause to...Zecora!!" The audience cheered for the zebra-striped woman as well. Zecora, still garbed in her tribal-style outfit.

"So now it's Sweetie verses Zecora, huh?" said Spike.

"Yep..." Sunset responded. "Up until this tournament started, I never even knew that Zecora was a Duelist. I wonder how strong she is...? She must have some good skills if she managed to get through the preliminary round, of course."

"I just hope Sweetie Belle won't be too nervous about the whole thing." Twilight chimed in. "After all, this will be her first major Duel in an official tournament."

"She's got nothin' to worry about, Twilight!" Spike told her. "She's just gotta stay cool and calm, and she'll be just fine!"

"Cool and calm, huh?" the purple-skinned girl asked with a slight smirk. "About as cool and calm as you were during the Equestria Games?"

"Hey, I got over that issue, didn't I?" the puppy said with a slight pout, even though he knew Twilight was just playfully teasing him and not being mean.

(...Oh boy... Oh geez...) thought Sweetie Belle as she nervously looked around at all of the fans in the seating area. (I-I didn't know there would be so many p-people here... I-I don't know if I can really do this...) Just then, she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder from behind, which made her shriek. "YEEEEEK!!!" But she calmed down a little when she saw who it was behind her. "Oh, it's you, Zecora... Sorry about that little scram... I guess I'm still a little on edge, dueling in front of such a big audience..."

The zebra-striped woman simply chuckled and said to her, "You have nothing to fear from the crowds, Sweetie Belle. Just relax and stay calm, and I know you'll do well."

"You...you really think so?"

Zecora nodded. "I know so. So let's go!"

Feeling at least a little bit better, the young girl smiled and said, "Okay, I'll try my best. But once we get this Duel started, you might wish that you hadn't given me that advice..." The tribal-dressed woman chuckled warmly again as the two of them made their way to their respective spots on the Dueling Field.

"So...Zecora's a Duelist too, huh?" said Rainbow Dash, who was munching on a small bag of tortilla chips. "Never would've thought she'd be into Duel Monsters too."

"Dashie, this is a Yu-Gi-Oh! story." Pinkie told her. "Each character in it is a Duelist nine times out of ten." Of course, no one had any clue what she was talking about.

"I'm certainly quite interested to see just what skills Zecora possesses as a Duelist..." Rarity spoke up. "To make it this far, she must have considerable talent."

"Personally, Ah'm just curious if Zecora can keep up with all'o that rhymin' she does while she's duelin'." Applejack chimed in.

"Yeah," Pinkie responded, "that's gonna be quiiiiite a challenge for the author of this series."

Yeah, tell me about it Pink-... Er, I mean... Once both Sweetie Belle and Zecora got into their proper positions on the field, the Duel was ready to begin. "This is it, ladies and gentlemen!" announced Megan. "This Duel will end the first round and determine who will continue on to the Quarterfinals!"

Sunset Shimmer stepped out onto the field and asked both the competitors, "Are both Duelists ready?"

"Ready!" said Sweetie Belle, doing her best to stay confident in herself in front of the crowd. Zecora simply nodded to say that she was ready as well.

"In that case," Sunset then said, "begin the Duel!!" And with that announcement, the game had started (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000) (Zecora: LP 4,000).

"I'll make the first move!" Sweetie said as she looked over her hand and taking a card from out of it. "And I'll begin with my Field Spell Card, Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!" After playing the card, the entire arena transformed into a Greco-Roman style arena with a rainbow forming overhead.

"She opened the Duel with her Field Card this time around..." noted Rarity, recalling the last time she had seen her sister Duel.

Taking another card from her hand, Sweetie Belle then declared, "Next, I'll Summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus in Attack Mode!" In an instant, her winged equine monster appeared on the field in all its glory (Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200).

"Good move, opening with Sapphire Pegasus." Sunset said to herself.

"But uh...since it has a horn, doesn't that make it an Alicorn instead?" asked Spike.

"Maybe that term doesn't exist in this world or something." Twilight guessed.

Continuing with her move, Sweetie Belle then said, "Now I'll use Sapphire Pegasus's effect! After he's Summoned, I can put Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle from my Deck in my back row as a Continuous Spell Card!" After saying that, a large, red jewel then appeared on the field behind her monster. "The last thing I'll do is set a card face-down. It's your move."

(Not a bad opening move.) thought Sunset. (Playing her Field Spell and then using Sapphire Pegasus's effect to put another Crystal Beast in her back row... Because of that, her Field Spell is now safe from being destroyed. Now we'll see if Zecora can come up with a counter-strategy...)

Drawing her card for the turn, the tribal-dressed woman said to Sweetie Belle, "Even from your first move, you are dueling quite hard. But now we'll see if you can best MY first card!" Taking a card from her hand, she then added, "My first move will cause quite a sensation, for I shall activate Witchcrafter Creation!"

"What's that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Witchcrafter Creation." Rarity answered. "It's the key searching card in a Witchcrafter Deck. With it, Zecora can move any Witchcrafter monster from her Deck to her hand."

"Sounds good t' me, but Ah've never heard of Witchcrafters before." Applejack spoke up. "What kinda strategy do they use?"

"Their effects mostly revolve around their archetypical Spell Cards," the violet-haired girl explained to them, "using them as fuel for greater overall effects. And their Spells can also be retrieved from the Graveyard during the player's End Phase, but only if their other effect had not been activated in the same turn."

"Yeeeeeeesh... Sounds pretty tricky to me..." stated Pinkie Pie.

"I know... I only know the gist of their playing style at best." Rarity told her. "I just pray that my sister can overcome such a complicated Deck on her own..." The others hoped that Sweetie Belle would be able to pull through as well.

Zecora used her card's effect to add Witchcrafter Genni to her hand before saying, "Now that Spell's effect is out of the way, here comes the first of the monsters I'll play! Now watch and see: I Summon Witchcrafter Pittore!" The zebra-striped woman's first monster was of a pale-pink haired girl with an oversized ponytail (on which the end of it resembled a paintbrush, based on the fact that it looked like it was dipped in orange paint). she had emerald-green eyes, a pea-green, apron-like outfit, and carried a curved staff that also resembled a paintbrush (Witchcrafter Pittore: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1500).

"But don't be too attached to the beauty of my Witchcrafter," Zecora started again, "for I now Tribute her for what I'm REALLY after!" And with that, her monster immediately vanished from the field as quickly as it appeared.

"Huh? Why'd she do that??" asked Spike.

"Because Witchcrafter Pittore has a special effect." Sunset replied. "By releasing it, and then discarding a Spell from her hand, Zecora is now free to Summon any other Witchcrafter monster she wants from her Deck."

"A-any monster?!" the dragon-turned-puppy exclaimed. "But that means she can bring out a really powerful one like it was nothing!"

After paying the necessary cost, the zebra-striped woman then took a card from her Deck and played it immediately. "Monsters that are a match for it, there are quite few..." she spoke in rhyme. "Now prepare to face the power of Witchcrafter Golem Aruru!!" Her next, more powerful monster to take the field looked like a female human in appearance, but it also seemed to have been created by someone (or perhaps several someones). It had a witch-like appearance, complete with light purple hat, and a cloak that was similar in color with bits of white in some places. In its hands were a pair of wand-like items in its left hand and a mallet-like weapon in her right, along with a large pair of scissors attached to her hip (Witchcrafter Golem Aruru: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 0).

"You've gotta be kidding me!!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "It's only the second turn and she's already brought out a Level 8 monster?!?"

"Dat's nuts!" said Babs Seed, sitting with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in the audience. "Dis Zecora chick's not messin' around if she's already bustin' out a card that tough."

"Yeah, well Sweetie Belle can beat it!" said a high-spirited Scootaloo. "I know she can!"

"Yeah, same here!" Apple Bloom chimed in.

Everyone else watched as Zecora continued her move saying, "Now that I'm on a roll, I shall play Witchcrafter Scroll." Her card then appeared on the field after she inserted it into her D-Pad.

*******************************

Witchcrafter Scroll:
(Continuous Spell Card)

Once per turn, when your Spellcaster monster destroys a monster by battle: You can draw 1 card. You can only use 1 of the following effects of "Witchcrafter Scroll" per turn, and only once that turn.
* If a "Witchcrafter" monster you control would discard to activate an effect, you can send this card from your field to the GY instead.
* During your End Phase, if you control a "Witchcrafter" monster, while this card is in your GY: You can place this card face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone.

*******************************

"I play to win, and that is a fact," the zebra-striped woman said to her opponent, "So prepare yourself as I unleash my attack!" She then directed her powerful monster to attack Sweetie Belle's Sapphire Pegasus. Golem Aruru's mallet began to glow as it struck the horse-like creature and eliminated it.

"Urrrgh...!" Sweetie grunted after taking the attack (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000). "I use Sapphire Pegasus's effect! When he's destroyed, I place him in my back row as a Spell Card!" she then said as a large, blue jewel appeared in front of her.

"I see... I can tell you will not be easy to fell." said Zecora. "But now I can draw a new card, thanks to my Scroll Spell."

"But before you do that, I'll play my Trap Card, Crystal Conclave!" said the younger girl. "This Trap Card activates whenever one of my Crystal Beasts is destroyed! Now I get to Summon a new one straight from my Deck! And I'll pick my Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!" Her next monster was a large, slate-blue mammoth with an orange jewel on its forehead and two sets of long tusks (Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1600).

Zecora then drew a card from her Deck with her Continuous Spell's effect and said, "I'll Set two cards and proceed to my End Phase. But my turn isn't done; I still have a few plays."

"What kind of plays?" asked Sweetie.

"When I used Pittore's effect, I disposed of a Spell Card." the tribal-dressed woman explained. "But now I can get it back, and it's not even that hard." She then took out a Spell Card from her Graveyard and showed it to everyone before placing it in her hand.

"Huh? Can she really do that, Sunset?" asked Sweetie.

"Yeah, she can." said the red-and-yellow teen. "The card she returned to her hand was Witchcrafter Collaboration. She discarded it for Pittore's cost earlier in her turn, so its effect allows her to retrieve it during the End Phase, since she didn't use its other effect."

"Great... More to worry about..." Rarity's younger sister grumbled to herself. At the moment, it seemed that Sweetie Belle's first experience at a major tournament would be short lived. But the girl wasn't ready to give up yet. And speaking of girls not ready to give up...

Back in the Duel Spirit World, in a cavern underneath a massive junkyard, Mana had just about fully recovered from her earlier injury and was pretty much back to her old self. She was busy sipping from a glass of ice-cold water, still taking it easy at the request of her friend Sparkman, as well as the two junkyard residents that nursed her back to health: Junky and Speedy. She set the glass down on a makeshift table next to her, which was also where her hat was sitting.

Sighing a little, she said to herself, "I'm glad that Sparkman and those other two guys helped me out... If it weren't for them, I don't know what would have happened with me and that huge dragon... I let my guard down for a only a second, and that's all it took for me get hit on the head." Sighing sadly again, she then added, "Am I really the right person for this job...? How can I find this Torunka guy if I can't even avoid getting attacked by that...that thing? Did my master make a mistake sending me to do this...?"

But as soon as she said that, she shook her head and shouted, "No! That's not right! Master Mahad would never send me to do this if he didn't think I could! So what if I had a minor setback? I'm not gonna let some trashy dragon keep me from carrying out my master's wishes!"

"Good to hear..." said Sparkman's voice from the neighboring room. "I was afraid at first that this little mishap might've hurt your confidence, but I can see that's not the case."

"Oh, Sparkman..." said Mana after noticing him walking into the room she was in. "I guess Junky finished things up with your Spark Blaster."

"Yep, he recharged it back to full power." he replied, showing her the weapon. "The little guy's got quite a big brain on him."

Chuckling a little the magician girl then asked him, "I guess you were listening to me talking to myself, huh?"

"Pretty much." Sparkman answered, putting his blaster away for the moment. Sitting down next to her, he then told her, "You still want to carry out this mission of yours, right?"

"I do."

"And you still wanna help these guys get their home back from that dragon creature, right?"

"Of course!" Mana exclaimed. "I don't know how, though... That thing's enormously powerful. But I don't want to leave them here to fend for themselves. I just hope I don't completely fail the second time we go up against that thing..."

"Fail? What're you talking about, Mana?" the superhero asked her. "So you got conked on the head a little. That doesn't mean you lost for good."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that now that you've seen that dragon and how it attacks," he explained to her, "you know what he's capable of and how strong he is. Which means that now we can come up with a strategy to fight it instead of going in totally blind. After all, if you're able to get yourself back in the fight, then never really failed to begin with, you see what I'm saying?"

Mana thought about what he said for a little while and realized that he had a good point. "You're right, Sparkman." she told him. "Instead of getting bummed out about the whole thing, I should be using what I learned so that I can succeed the next time. My master would've probably told me the same thing."

"Now that's more like it!" the superhero replied. "Now let's go and meet up with Junky and Speedy so that we can come up with a plan, what do you say?" Mana nodded yes, stood up from her bed, and followed Sparkman into the adjacent room.

In that room, Junky was tinkering with a device that he had laid out on a desk in front of him: It was the engine that he had been carrying around. Speedy stood next to him, helping out however and whenever he could. After finishing with the tool he was using, Junky turned to his friend and said, "Okay...now I need my spanner wrench. Could you get that for me." Speedy nodded yes and handed him the tool in question.

Mana and Sparkman walked in just as Junky started working on the engine again. Noticing that he was busy, the girl then asked, "Oh...i-is that is a bad time, Junky?"

"N-no, it's okay. You two can come in if y-you want." he told them as he used his spanner to tighten a nut on the device he was working on. "I-I'm just trying to see if I can get this engine working."

Curious, Sparkman looked over Junky's shoulder and got a better look at the engine that he was talking about. "Hmmm... I recognize some of these parts... Aren't they from a DFMR-Class Morphtronic Engine?"

"Y-yes they are." the short mechanic confirmed. "I-I must say, it's quite impressive that you managed to recognize it from just a glance."

"Part of being a superhero is knowing all your tools...and other tools while you're at it." the blue-clad man told him.

Continuing his work, Junky then said to his guests, "I found these parts some time after Speedy and I came here. I-I've been trying to modify the engine to make it more powerful..." After working with the wrench he was using, he put it down and took a step back to get a better look at his device. "Hmmm...i-it looks good so far, and the new parts I've added seem to be synching well with engine... I-I just wish I had a chance to test the new modifications..."

"What are you hoping to do with it?" asked Mana, interested in the machine.

"Well, i-if I can get it working," Junky answered her, "this could produce a-a lot of power: Power that might even be able to help us stand a chance against that dragon. U-unfortunately, I haven't gotten it to work yet...and I've been working on it almost since the day w-we came here..." Sighing, he then added, "I'm beginning to wonder if it's all just a waste of time..."

"What are you talking about?" the magician girl then asked. "Of course it's not a waste of time! Don't go giving up just because you haven't succeeded yet! I'm positive you can get this working just fine!"

"H-how do you know?" asked the pint-sized mechanic.

"Well, um... There's nothing to it, really..." Mana then said to him. "I just have faith in you that's all."

"I don't see how you can be so confident..." Junky responded, still not too sure about it all. "I haven't gotten it to work at all during the first few test runs..."

"Maybe so..." the girl told him, "but it's like what Sparkman was just talking to me about earlier concerning that dragon outside: Just because you haven't gotten it to work yet doesn't mean you'll never be able to. You shouldn't look at those first tests as failures; think of them more as stepping stones to your eventual success. After seeing how things DIDN'T work out, you can use that knowledge and fix it so that it WON'T go wrong the next time."

"Yeah, it's all just a matter of trial and error, y'know?" Sparkman added. "Just keep at it, and sooner or later, you'll figure it out."

"Hmmmm... I guess that makes sense." Junky admitted. "You both r-really think I could do it?"

"We know you can!" Mana said in an uplifting tone. "And while you're working on that, we can also work on a plan to fight Scrap Dragon!"

"Huh? 'Scrap Dragon'?" asked Junky.

"Well, we have to call it by something other than 'that dragon' all the time, right?" she responded. "Now come on! If we all put our heads together, we might be able to come with something!"

Looking over at his still-unfinished engine, then at his guests, and then over to his friend Speedy, who was nodding yes to assure him that everything would work out, Junky regained his confidence and said, "Yes...I-I think that's very much possible. If we work together and synchronize our efforts, w-we can most certainly overcome that dragon!"

"Now that's more like it!" said Sparkman. "So what're we waiting for? Let's give that Scrap Dragon more than he can handle!" And with that declaration, the four of them began work on their plan to hopefully defeat Scrap Dragon. All the while, the three other residents of the underground home were fast asleep in a nearby corner, though the pink bird lifted its head up, overhearing the conversation...

Back at the stadium, Sweetie Belle was sweating a little staring down Zecora's powerful Witchcrafter monster during their Duel in the Qualifier Tournament. (Oh geez... What am I gonna do...?) she thought to herself, not sure what her next move was going to be.

"Jus' stay calm, Sweetie Belle!" shouted Babs Seed in the audience. "Yous haven't lost this game yet!"

Sweetie was still a bit nervous, but knew that Babs was right. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she slowly reached for her Deck and said, "I-it's my turn! I draw!"

But soon after she drew her card, Zecora then declared, "But after your draw, I'm afraid I must interrupt; for now I flip my face-down card face-up!" And after she said that, her Set card on the field did just that.

Reading the name of the card, Sweetie then asked, "Witchcrafter Masterpiece? What does that do?"

"After I activate it, I choose one Spell in the Graveyard." the tribal-dressed woman explained in rhyme. "And then from my Deck, I can add a similar-named card!" Looking through her own Graveyard pile, she then said, "I think I shall choose another Witchcrafter Creation: So that way, on my next turn, I can choose to play it again."

(Great... Now she can search her Deck for another Witchcrafter card...) thought Sweetie Belle.

After taking her card, Zecora then said to her opponent, "Do not yet frown, Sweetie; you are in good luck. For my Golem Aruru can no longer run amok." Before Rarity's sister could ask her what that meant, she and everyone else saw the mysterious woman's powerful monster vanish from the field completely.

"Huh?? It's gone??" asked Sweetie Belle. "What happened?"

"Uhhhh... how did that happen?" asked Spike, confused by what just occurred.

"Golem Aruru's effect only allows her to stay on the field until the opponent's next turn." explained Sunset. "After that, she returns to the player's hand."

"Well that's good." Twilight noted. "Now Sweetie has a chance to strike back and regain control of the Duel!"

"It does seem that way..." Sunset responded, though she had a feeling that Zecora wasn't as defenseless as she was making herself seem.

Sweetie Belle overheard what Sunset had said about Golem Aruru and breathed a sigh of relief. (Thank goodness...) she said to herself. (I didn't have anything in my hand to fight it with... Now I just have to end this Duel before she can use it again!) Looking over her hand, she took a card from it and said, "First, I'll Summon Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in Attack Mode!" Her new monster was a large, bluish-green tortoise with a dark blue shell with several green crystals jutting out from the back (Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise: Level 3 / ATK 600 / DEF 2000).

"Next," she continued, "I'll play my Rare Value Spell Card. Now you have to pick one of the Crystal Beasts in my back row and send it to the Graveyard. After that, I draw two more cards. So which one do you choose?"

"Hmmmm..." Zecora pondered, thinking of which card to choose. "Between Carbuncle and Pegasus, if I had to take a pick... I'll remove Carbuncle to stop its Special Summoning trick."

Sweetie Belle then sent Ruby Carbuncle to her Graveyard and drew two more cards from her Deck. Taking one of the cards she drew, she played and said, "Now I activate Crystal Blessing! This card lets me take Ruby Carbuncle from my Graveyard and return it to the field as a Continuous Spell!" She then put back the monster that Zecora had previously disposed of before playing her next card. "And now that I have two Crystal Beasts in my back row again, I can now play Crystal Beacon! This lets me Summon another Crystal Beast monster straight from my Deck! And I'll choose another Sapphire Pegasus!" And with that, a second winged horse appeared on Sweetie's field.

"Alright!" cheered Rarity. "Now she can search her Deck for another Crystal Beast!"

But before Sweetie had the chance to resolve her new monster's effect, Zecora suddenly told her, "I do apologize; it's not personal, I vow... But your Pegasus's effect is something I cannot allow!" She then sent a card from her hand to her Graveyard at that moment.

Sweetie Belle was confused as to what her opponent was doing now, but her mind was quickly taken off of that thought when she saw a white light radiating from her monster, causing it to whinny in distress. "Huh?! What's going on??" she asked.

"By sending my Effect Veiler from the hand to the Graveyard," the zebra-striped woman explained, "I can negate the effects of any Effect Monster card!" Sweetie gasped upon hearing that.

"That's not good for Sweetie Belle..." Sunset said to herself. "Now she can't get Sapphire Pegasus's search effect."

Rarity also seemed a bit dismayed by her sister's move getting stopped so easily. "Oh dear...that's quite distressing..." she said to herself.

"Don't you fret none, Rare." Applejack told her. "Your sis still has the upper hand in this Duel. She can still attack Zecora this turn n' do a ton'a damage to her."

"Yeah, it'll be just fine, Rarity!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "Your sister's got this one in the bag!"

(Oh, I do hope so...) thought the fashionista, still a bit worried about Sweetie Belle.

As for her sister, she groaned a little at that fact that Zecora managed to stop her Sapphire Pegasus from using its effect. But she took another deep breath and told herself, (Okay, Sweetie Belle... Just calm down. This was only a minor setback. Besides, with the monsters I have right now, I can still win this Duel if I have them all attack Zecora at once! You can do it!) With renewed vigor, she then shouted, "Attack, Sapphire Pegasus!! Hit her Life Points directly!" Her horse-like monster neighed loudly as it galloped towards her opponent.

"Sorry, Sweetie..." Zecora began to say, "but I must protect me. So I activate the Trap Card, Changing Destiny!" After her card flipped face-up, A pair of doors appeared in front of Sweetie Belle; one red and one blue.

*******************************

Changing Destiny:
(Normal Trap Card)

When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, and if you do, change it to Defense Position and it cannot change its battle position while it is face-up on the field. Then, your opponent chooses 1 of these effects.
* You (the opponent of this card's activator) gain LP equal to half the target's ATK.
* Your opponent (the activator of this card) takes damage equal to half the target's ATK.

*******************************

"Now what's going on...?" asked Spike. "What are those creepy doors all about?"

"Well, after Changing Destiny stops Sweetie Belle's attack," Sunset explained, "she now has to make a choice: She can either gain Life Points equal to half of Sapphire Pegasus's attack, or she can burn Zecora for damage equal to the same amount."

"I wonder what she's gonna pick..." thought the dragon-turned-dog.

"Guess we'll see..." said Twilight.

Zecora smiled a little and then asked her opponent, "Now Sweetie Belle, which choice shall you make? Restore yourself, or will my points you take?"

(No matter what I choose, she'll get to stick around for another turn...) thought Sweetie. (So I think my best bet should be to make sure I'm ready for whatever she might do next.) Pointing to the blue door, she made her decision, saying, "I'll choose to restore my Life Points!" (Sweetie Belle: LP 3,000 + 900 = 3,900)

(Smart move...) thought Sunset, knowing Sweetie made the right call on that decision.

Sweetie Belle wasn't happy that she couldn't finish Zecora off this turn, but she wasn't giving up yet. "Alright, Amber Mammoth and Emerald Tortoise! You guys attack her instead!" The two beasts obeyed and attacked the tribal-dressed woman together, with Amber Mammoth attacking with a charge, and Emerald Tortoise firing off shards of the crystal on its back.

"Urrrrgh!!" grunted Zecora as she weathered the two attacks, first from the mammoth (Zecora: LP 4,000 - 1,700 = 2,300), and then from the tortoise (Zecora: 2,300 - 600 = 1,700). Making a quick recovery, she then asked, "Sweetie Belle, If I may inquire you, is there anything else you plan to do?"

"I guess the only other thing that I'll do is use the effect of Emerald Tortoise and switch my Amber Mammoth to Defense Mode." the young girl answered her. "And I'll end my turn with that."

"Aw man..." said Flash Sentry. "If it weren't for that Trap Card, Sweetie would've won the Duel right there."

"Yeah...now Zecora's got a chance to turn the Duel around." Applejack commented. Rarity stayed silent, hoping that whatever happened next would not be something too difficult for Sweetie to overcome.

"Yep, and if this story's like any other Yu-Gi-Oh! story I've seen," Pinkie Pie chimed in, "she's probably gonna draw some super-strong card right on her next turn just to keep us in suspense."

Confused, Flash then asked Rainbow Dash, "Do...you have any idea what she's talking about?"

"Look, with Pinkie sometimes the best you can do is just smile and nod." the cyan-skinned girl told him.

Zecora then slowly drew the top card of her Deck and looked at it. "Well," she began to say, "this Duel is about to become more interesting... Now watch carefully as I - as you people put it, 'do my thing'!" She then immediately played her newly-drawn card, which appeared as a hologram on the field.

"Aw no... Pot of Desires..." Sweetie groaned, knowing that Zecora was about to draw even more cards from her Deck.

"Now Zecora gets to draw two more cards after banishing ten from the top of her Deck." Sunset explained.

"I kinda got that after the last few times that card's been played..." Spike pointed out. "Do we always have to keep explaining what it does every time someone plays it?"

"Pretty much." the red-and-yellow teen answered him. "Don't even get me started on how times people have had to explain what Pot of Greed did."

After drawing her new cards, the zebra-striped woman then said, "And now I shall Summon Witchcrafter Genni to the field; the book she carries is the only weapon she'll wield." She then played her next monster, which was a blonde-haired human woman with glasses overtop a pair of emerald-green eyes. Her outfit was mostly green as well, with some beige towards the chest area. In her hands was a long, dark green staff with a triangle-shaped symbol and long, green crystals on the top (Witchcrafter Genni: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 500).

(Now what's she up to...?) thought Twilight.

Discarding her Witchcrafter Collaboration Spell Card, Zecora continued her turn, saying, "Now, just as I did with Pittore before, I shall release Genni and gain something more." After that, the monster that she had Summoned vanished from the field without a trace.

"What does she mean by that?" asked Scootaloo.

"Witchcrafter Genni has the same effect that her Pittore did:" Babs Seed explained to her. "By releasin' her and discardin' a Spell from her hand, Zecora can Summon any othah Witchcrafter monster from outta her Deck."

"Aw no... Not again...!" said Apple Bloom, knowing that her friend's opponent was about to Summon another powerful monster from her Deck.

Sweetie Belle could only watch as a large ray of light burst from out of the spot that Genni had been standing. Then, once the light faded away, a small, young girl appeared before her. She had shimmering pale skin, long, light-blue hair with some pink streaks running down in some places, and wore a cute, white dress with lots of frills and a pink bow-like fastener on the front. Draped over her both of her arms was a long, ice-blue cloth that seemed to serve as little more than a decorative purpose, and in her right hand was a long staff with a blue glass ball on the top of it. She wore a pair of long, clearish-white stocking, as well as a pair of small, light-blue shoes on her feet.

"To properly lead the Witchcrafters, she takes great care..." Zecora began to say, "So allow me to introduce...Witchcrafter Madame Verre!"

"She's the leader of the Witchcrafters??" asked Sweetie Belle, concerned because being the leader usually meant that they were the most powerful of the group. Zecora's new monster simply folded her arms in front of her and gave a slightly smug facial expression, as if to say, "You'd better believe I am!" (Witchcrafter Madame Verre: Level 8 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2800)

"Hmmm...that's odd..." hummed Rarity, rubbing her chin in deep thought.

"What's up, Rare?" asked Applejack.

"That Madame Verre monster..." the fashionista began to answer, "her defense points are higher than her attack points, but Zecora played her in Attack Position..."

"Aw cool! She must've put it on the D-Pad wrong, then!" Rainbow commented.

"I don't think that's what she meant when she said that..." Flash chimed in. "I'll bet that new monster has some sort of special effect that works when she's in Attack Mode; otherwise, she wouldn't have done that..." The group in the audience watched on, wondering what was going to happen next. Not one of them was sure what Zecora's new card was capable of; right now, all Sweetie Belle cared about was if it was something that she could overcome...

Back in Spirit World's massive factory and junkyard, Mana and Sparkman were as ready as they could be to face off against the menacing trash-built dragon monster that ruled over the scrapyard with an iron fist (and iron wings, an iron head; probably iron everything). Joining with them were residents of the scrapyard Junky and Speedy, the former of which was carrying the engine that he had been working on for several months. He brought it with him after making a few adjustments, hoping that it might be able to help in some way.

"So..." said Sparkman to Mana, "you ready to face this thing again?"

"I sure hope so..." the magician girl replied, carrying a large book in her hands with thick, leather covers and a keyhole on the front. "I'm still not sure how or even if we can defeat that thing, but at least we know what it's capable of going in... Hopefully that can give us an advantage."

"Let's hope so..." the superhero responded. He then turned over to Junky and Speedy and said to them. "In the meantime, I want you guys to find a safe vantage point and keep an eye on things for us. The communicators I gave to you and Mana will let you keep in touch with us, so keep watch and warn us if that dragon tries anything sneaky."

"G-got it, Mr. Sparkman!" Junky replied with a salute. "Let's go, Speedy!" His companion nodded, grabbed Junky's hand and sped off to find a safe place for them.

"You sure they'll be okay?" Mana asked Sparkman.

"I'm pretty sure they will." he answered her. "If that dragon appears, it will likely come after us - since we're the bigger threat, and ignore those two in favor of us."

"That's good... At least they'll be safe then." Mana replied. "That just leaves the dragon to us... So where is it?" The pair looked around, but there was no sign of the massive dragon anywhere. But they all knew it was somewhere nearby, and it would appear in due time...

A bit further away, on a large pile of junk and scrap, Junky and Speedy were able to build a makeshift guard post (it was pretty easy to do, between Junky's architectural knowledge and Speedy's...speed). From there, they could keep an close but careful eye on the upcoming battle against the menacing monster of scrap that was sure to show up soon. Junky would watch over the battle with his binoculars, and with the communicators that he and his buddy had gotten from Sparkman, they could relay valuable information to both him and Mana (or really, Junky would since Speedy was a mute).

"I-I-I sure hope this goes well..." said Junky, still not too confident about the whole plan. "At this point, just surviving the fight would be an accomplishment..." Turning over to his friend, he then added, "I-if only I were stronger, I could help them... Not that I'm really in a rush to p-put myself in danger like that..."

Speedy said nothing in response (naturally). He then glanced over at the engine that Junky had strapped onto his back and tapped it a few times with his hand.

"Yes... that engine seems like it could be a big help..." Junky told him, "At least...you and our guests thought so... I-I'm still not exactly sure what its true function is, much less how to get it running... Anyway, that's not important right now: Right now, we have to do our part and help both Ms. Mana and Mr. Sparkman s-so they can fight the Scrap Dragon."

And, as if on cue, a roar could be heard from far away, which got the attention of not only Junky and Speedy, but also Mana and Sparkman. "Wh-what was that?!" asked the magician girl.

"Trouble, I'd wager..." Sparkman answered her. "It's just a hunch, but I think our 'guest of dishonor' is heading our way right now..." Once again, they both heard a second roar from nearby; it was louder this time, suggesting that the owner of that voice was getting closer.

"But...but from where??" Mana asked, looking around nervously. "That cry could have come from anywhere!"

Tapping his helmet, Sparkman spoke into the communicator built into it, asking, "Junky, Sparky... You guys hear that roar?"

"Y-yeah, we heard it alright...!" said Junky's voice.

"Well, can you tell us where it's comin' from?" the superhero then asked him. "We don't want this thing ambushing us!"

Junky took a few seconds to look through his binoculars, hoping to catch sight of the vicious creature that was terrorizing the junkyard. It didn't take long for him to spot something huge off in the distance. Though it was too far away to tell what it was, the size of the thing he saw led him to believe that it was the Scrap Dragon. Figuring this, Junky then said through the comm link, "I think I see something coming towards you at 10 o'clock from your current position. I-I believe that it may be the dragon, but I'm not completely sure yet."

Mana, who had also been given a communicator from Sparkman, said to Junky, "In that case, we'll make sure we're ready for it, whatever it is!" After she said that, she then opened the book that she had with her, which contained pages filled with a seemingly indecipherable writing. "Now let's see here... I'll start with the Magicians' Defense spell; that ought to protect us, at least for a little while."

"You think it'll be strong enough?" asked Sparkman.

"It should be; I've been working on it for quite a while with my friend Apple back home." Mana told him. "Before, I needed her help to get the magic to work, but now I can do it just as well by myself."

"Well, let's hope so..." the superhero responded, "because I can see that dragon coming this way!" He then pointed ahead, confirming that Junky was right about what he had seen earlier.

The magician girl glanced in the direction Sparkman was pointing in and saw the massive dragon made of scrap flying towards them. Just like before, it didn't take long for it to know that there were intruders in the junkyard, and it was ready to incinerate them. However, Mana and Sparkman were determined to make sure that they would win their battle against it this time.

The Scrap Dragon then opened its maw, charging up an intense flame. "It's l-launching an attack!!" Junky warned his new friends. "H-hurry and do something, quick!!"

"On it!" said Mana as she raised her staff and began chanting in an unknown language, reciting the words from the magic tome that she had with her. Then, just as Scrap Dragon launched its fire attack, Mana's staff glowed a bright blue and created a barrier made up of pure magical energy which absorbed the attack. The massive dragon continued its attack, hoping to breach the newly-formed shield.

Junky, watching from far away, nervously said, "I-I hope that shield holds up long enough..." His friend Speedy, in the meantime, was observing the engine that the little orange man had brought with him.

With Mana holding up the barrier, Sparkman charged up electricity in his hands and said, "Alright, let's just see how tough this guy REALLY is! Static Shockwave!!" He then thrusted his hands out, firing a powerful bolt of electricity at the Scrap Dragon, scoring a direct hit.

"Yes! You got him!" cheered the magician girl. But her hopes were dashed when she saw that the attack did little more than leave a small scorched spot on the dragon's metal body. "What?! That's all it did??" she asked in despair.

"Well, I wanted to know how tough it was," said Sparkman, rubbing the back of his head, "and I got my answer: He's REALLY tough."

"Not the best time to make jokes, Sparkman..." Mana told him. At that moment, the dragon fired another stream of flames at Mana's barrier, finally doing enough damage to dispel it. "And great: That thing finally got rid of my defense spell...!"

"So what do we do now?"

Paging through her spellbook, Mana then said to her companion, "Well, fortunately, THIS magician has another trick or two up her sleeves...even though this costume doesn't have any sleeves."

As the girl looked for a spell that would help them out, Sparkman saw that the dragon was preparing another attack, gathering a massive flame in its mouth. "Uhhh...you think you could try coming up with one of those tricks real fast? 'Cause this guy's not giving us a whole lot of time...!"

"Ah! Maybe this one!" said Mana pointing to her book. She then swiftly raised her staff and began chanting again, just as the Scrap Dragon fired another shot at them. But just before the attack landed, a large top hat with a question mark on it concealed both Mana and Sparkman. The flames still ended up striking the hat, burning it to cinders, but when the smoke cleared, there was no trace of Mana or Sparkman anywhere where the hat was. Not only that, there were three more top hats just like the first one in front of the dragon. The creature stopped its assault for a moment, confused and trying to piece together what had just happened.

Unbeknownst to him, Mana and Sparkman were NOT in the hat that Scrap Dragon had just incinerated; the magician girl's spell manifested the large top hats, one of which they were hiding under while the other three were mere decoys. "Man, that was a pretty slick move you pulled there." Sparkman complimented.

"Thanks." Mana responded. "It's one of my favorites. Now I have some time before he attacks again to prepare a counterattack."

"But how?" asked the superhero. "It's pretty clear that neither one of us is strong enough to fight that thing directly..."

"...Which is why we're not going to try to." the girl said, paging through her book again. "I have an idea of how we might be able to beat that thing; I just hope it goes better than the last time I tried it..."

"Well, you'd better work fast, Mana..." Sparkman told her, "'cause I think that dragon might've found where we were." Sure enough, the two could see that the Scrap Dragon was preparing to attack the hat that they were hiding under; Mana's spell allowed them to see through the top hat like a one-way mirror. The magic-user got the message and quickly looked up the spell she was trying to find.

From far away, Junky and Speedy were still observing the battle from a safe distance. Neither of them were sure what was happening; all they could do was hope that whatever Mana and Sparkman had planned, it would work and allow them to escape the battle in one piece. Junky continued to watch through his binoculars while Speedy continued to look over the unfinished engine that they had brought along.

After gathering up enough fire in its mouth, Scrap Dragon then unleashed its attack, aiming right for the hat that Mana and Sparkman were hiding under. It then let out a mighty roar as it fired its flames towards the hat, evaporating it in seconds. It seemed that the beast had finally wiped out the two of them for good...

But at that moment, a bright light shot out of the smoke that had billowed out from the fire attack, striking the creature. Bolts of electricity covered the dragon from its head, to its wings, and to its feet, causing it to drop down onto the ground below. Then, all of a sudden, a large circle of light surrounded the creature and latched onto it. The circle consisted of a ring adorned with strange, indecipherable writing and a six-pointed star crisscrossing along the inside of the ring. The moment the circle appeared the creature seemed to be unable to move even the slightest, as if the circle was holding it in place. Not only that, the fire stream that the dragon launched was still there, seemingly drawn towards a certain point...

"Hm? Wh-what's happening now??" asked Junky, unsure of what had just happened.

Once the smoke had finally cleared, it revealed that - although the dragon had managed to strike the hat that Mana and Sparkman were hiding under, neither one of them had suffered even a slight singe. Instead, the fire attack was currently being sucked up into a cannon-like object that was colored pink with a speckled design, had gold rims lining each end of it, a stripe with a diamond pattern lining it just under the rims, along with a series of question marks in-between those stripes. Right beside the cannon that was sucking up the attack was a similar-looking cannon with the exact same décor on it. In between the cannons was a confident-looking Mana with her trusty magical staff raised towards the sooty sky.

"Uh...Mana?" asked Sparkman. "What exactly is going on?"

"It's my Magic Cylinder Spell." Mana told him. "I had it ready so that, when the dragon finally attacked the hat we were hiding under, I could use this spell to draw in its attack and store it into one of the cylinders. And once it's fully absorbed the attack, it'll launch it right back!"

"So is that why you wanted me to fire my Spark Blaster?" he then asked her. "So that it wouldn't be able to dodge the redirected attack?"

"Exactly." she confirmed with a nod. "And it's also the reason I trapped it with the Spellbinding Circle curse. Now it's trapped while the cylinder absorbs the flame attack it launched."

"I see...but are you sure it'll work?"

"Hopefully." Mana answered. "But that circle curse is strong, and I don't see any skull-faced blue slime monsters around here to get in the way this time!" Sparkman decided to trust that his friend had it under control, even though he wasn't sure what she meant by the slime monster comment. Junky and Speedy watched the scene from afar, hoping that this tactic by Mana would end the dragon's reign of terror once and for all.

Finally, the remainder of the Scrap Dragon's fire attack was sucked into the first cylinder. This caused the one beside it to begin glowing with a white aura. "Alright!" the magician girl cheered. "Now let's send those flames back to where they'll do the most good! FIRE!!" And with that, the second cylinder shot out the dragon's flames right back towards it, hitting it dead-on.

"Yes!! We got it!" Sparkman said, pumping his fist into the air.

"Th-they did it! They defeated the dragon!!" cheered Junky, hopping for joy. It seemed like the battle had finally been won...

But when the smoke cleared, Mana gasped in shock when she saw that the flames didn't destroy the creature. Instead, they seemed to be strengthening it as they completely covered the massively powerful dragon. "What's going on?!" she asked. "The attack didn't work!"

"No joke..." Sparkman commented. "That just seemed to make it madder... It's like those flames spurred it into a rage of some sort!"

Thrashing about in fury, the dragon let out an angry roar as it finally managed to shake off the magic circle that it had been trapped in. It then began shooting its flames haphazardly, not caring about anyone's safety, including even its own. Mana and Sparkman barely avoided one of the stray fire attacks as the dragon continued its rampage as it continued to tear up the junkyard.

"Now what do we do?" Sparkman then asked Mana.

"I-I don't know...!" said Mana, a bit fearful. "Even if I had a spell that I can use, I doubt that thing will give me enough time to perform the incantations... It's attacking randomly, and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop until everything's destroyed!"

"Or everyONE... Look!" the superhero said as he pointed towards the area where Junky and Speedy were. "That dragon's heading towards the others! We've gotta go save 'em!" Mana nodded to say that she agreed. Although they still had no idea how to stop the Scrap Dragon, they knew that they had to at least make sure it wouldn't kill anyone in its fury. The pair ran off, hoping that they would make it in time to save their new friends...

Meanwhile, a small figure peeked out from behind a large trash pile nearby...

Back in Canterlot High, another major battle was seemingly heading towards the homestretch: The tournament Duel between Zecora and Sweetie Belle was still going on, with the curious curio shop owner having Summoned another very powerful monster from her Deck: Witchcrafter Madame Verre, the leader of the Witchcrafters.

"So...what d'ya think that new monster's gonna do?" Spike asked Twilight.

"Don't ask me... I've never seen it before." the young Princess responded.

Looking over the cards she was holding, Zecora smiled and took one of them, saying, "For one as young as yourself, you have played incredibly well... So I won't take any chances: I'll activate this Continuous Spell!" She then played the card that she had selected from her hand immediately Once it appeared on the field, she then added, "Let's see if you're a fan of my Magician's Left Hand!"

"Um...Sunset?" Sweetie began to ask. "What does that card do?"

"That Spell Card makes it so that the first Trap Card or effect that you activate each turn ends up negated." the jacket-wearing Judge explained to her. "In addition, it then destroys the negated card."

"Aw no...!" Sweetie then said. "That means if I activate my Crystal Conclave Trap, it'll just get blown up!"

"As for my next move," Zecora then said, "the decision won't be hard. I'll now activate Witchcrafter Genni's effect from the Graveyard! By banishing her - plus another Spell Card from play, I can then use that Spell Card's power right away!" After deciding which Spell to take out of the game, she then revealed cards and added, "I'll cause quite a sensation by banishing Witchcrafter Collaboration!"

"Oh dear... That isn't good..." said a worried Rarity.

"What's wrong?" asked Applejack.

"Witchcrafter Collaboration allows Zecora to select one of her Witchcrafter monsters, and give it the power to attack twice this turn." the fashionista explained to her friend. "As if that weren't enough, that Spell Card also blocks Sweetie from activating any Spell or Trap Cards in response to either of her attacks."

"Ooooo...yeah, that definitely doesn't sound good at all..." Rainbow Dash commented.

"Aw, she'll be just fine!" said Pinkie Pie, not losing hope. "She's was in a WAAAAAAAY worse situation when she fought that meanie-mean-pants Diamondbright! She can get through this, no problemo!" She then hummed a bit and added, "Now that I think about it, I think Diamondbright was wearing a skirt, not pants... So would that make her a meanie-mean-skirt instead...?"

"Okay, so that witch girl can attack two times this turn..." Spike pointed out. "But it shouldn't matter, right? Her attack points aren't high enough to get past Sweetie Belle's monster."

"Maybe right now..." Twilight told him, "but I'll bet my status as a Princess that Zecora's monster might have a way of overcoming that issue."

Sweetie Belle had the same feeling herself as her opponent began her Battle Phase. "Now my Madame Verre shall attack your Amber Mammoth!" Zecora declared. "Which will leave you defenseless, if I'm correct with my math." Her monster then raised her long, glass staff, charging up energy into it. "And now you shall see my Witchcrafter's ability!" the tribal woman then said to her opponent. "For every Spell in my hand that I show, my Madame Verre's attack and defense points grow!" Zecora then revealed two Spell Cards - Witchcrafter Creation and Dwimmered Path, causing her monster to gain more power (Witchcrafter Madame Verre: ATK 1000 + 2000 = 3000 / DEF 2800 + 2000 = 4800).

"Th-three thousand attack points?!" Sweetie exclaimed. "Just like that?!" But it was true, as Zecora's monster used her strengthened power and sent a bolt of white energy that wiped out her Amber Mammoth. Due to its effect, Sweetie's monster transformed into its jewel form and went to her back row, leaving only her Emerald Tortoise to defend her Life Points.

"Now that Zecora destroyed Sweetie's monster," Sunset noted, "she'll get to draw another card with her Witchcrafter Scroll Card. I wonder how Sweetie will respond to it...?"

"I activate the effect of my Crystal Conclave Trap!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "I'll use it to Summon another Crystal Beast from my Deck!"

"No!! Don't do it, Sweetie!!" shouted Apple Bloom from the audience.

But it was too late to take back her move, as Zecora said, "You seem to have forgotten; your move has been wasted. For my Left Hand card will see your Trap negated!" At that moment, a hand launched out of her Continuous Spell Card and slashed away Sweetie Belle's Trap Card, destroying it and ending its effect.

"Why did she go and do that??" asked Spike, surprised by the younger Duelist's apparent misplay.

"Yeah, she should have known that her Trap Card wouldn't work," Twilight added. "so why did she try to use it anyway??"

Everyone watching the Duel wondered the same thing that Twilight and Spike did...except Sunset. She had a smirk on her face, suggesting that she knew what was really going on. (Hmmm...I see what you're up to Sweetie.) she thought to herself.

If Sweetie Belle did have a strategy, no one - including Zecora, was aware of it. The exotic Duelist then continued her turn, drawing a card with her Witchcrafter Scroll and saying, "I'm not sure why you made that play; it seemed to be a bad call. And with my Madame Verre's second attack, your tortoise shall be next to fall!" Her Spellcaster monster then fired another bolt of energy at Sweetie's remaining monster, wiping it out.

"Urrgh...! I use the second effect of Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!" Sweetie said, trying her best to hold her ground. "So I only take half the damage (Sweetie Belle: LP 3,900 - 1,200 = 2,700)! Then, I move Emerald Tortoise to my back row!" And just like that, her monster reverted to its jewel form, moving to the back of Sweetie's field along with the other three that were already there.

"That you can do as I go to Main Phase 2." said Zecora. "From my hand to the field, I shall now play this: Magician's Right Hand... Can you guess what its effect is?"

With a slight groan, Sweetie answered, saying, "Well since your Left Hand card stops Trap Cards, that must mean the Right Had stops Spells, right?"

The zebra-striped woman nodded yes to confirm that. "My turn is over, so try your best. Or else this next turn will be your last." she then told her opponent.

"Good thing your li'l sis had that half-damage effect ready to go..." Applejack said to Rarity. "But if she doesn't do somethin' on her next turn, she's a goner!"

"Yeah, don't take this the wrong way Rarity, but I don't know how she's gonna get outta this mess." said Rainbow Dash.

"Honestly, I don't know either..." Rarity began to say. But then she suddenly stood up with a determined look on her face before saying, "But that doesn't mean I am giving up on her yet! There hasn't been a single member of my family that's given up on accomplishing anything, and I won't allow it to start now! I KNOW Sweetie Belle will come out triumphant, and I plan to stay by her the whole way through!" Pinkie Pie applauded to show her appreciation for her violet-haired friend's speech, and the others smiled, knowing that Rarity was right.

Overhearing what Rarity had said, Apple Bloom looked over to both Scootaloo and Babs Seed, telling them, "She's right! We may not know how she's gonna win this, but that don't mean she can't win it!"

"Yeah, that's right!" said Scootaloo. "We just gotta believe that she can do it!"

"And more importantly," Babs added, "we gots t' make sure that SHE knows that we believe she can do it! So whadd're ya guys waitin' for? Let's cheer her on 'til we're outta breath!"

"YEAH!!" said both Bloom and Scoot in unison.

Sweetie managed to hear what her friends and Rarity had said about her and smiled. If she was still even slightly nervous about her Duel, she wasn't anymore, knowing that she had a lot of support out there. Even Zecora seemed pleased to hear the cheers for her opponent. She then spoke to Sweetie, saying, "So, I ask you: What shall you do?"

Putting on a confident smile, the young Duelist answered, saying, "What do you think? I'm gonna win this Duel, that's what!" She then looked at her Deck as she reached for her next card, thinking, (This is it: I need to draw a good card now, or I'm out of the tournament... But I'm not worried one bit! With all the advice Sunset gave me, and the support I have right now, I know I've got this Duel won!) She then placed her fingers on the top card and swiftly pulled it off of the Deck. She then looked at it and thought, (Hmmm... Rainbow Bridge... This card lets me add a Spell Card or a Trap Card to my hand... With this, I might be able to get just what I need to win the Duel!)

Sweetie Belle then looked over at Zecora's side of the field and continued her thoughts. (The problem is, if I try to play it, that Magician's Right Hand card will just negate it...) But after a closer look at the card image on the field, she noticed something about it that she didn't see before. (Wait a sec...) she pondered. (What does that text say...?) Sweetie Belle then tapped the card image on her D-Pad's touch screen, which allowed her to get a much clearer look at the card, allowing her to read the card's effect text. (According to this,) she thought, (that card negates the first Spell Card played by the opponent... Is that all it does?) Then Sweetie let out a slight gasp. (Wait! That's it! Maybe that IS all it can do!) Looking at the card she drew this turn, she then said to herself, "I think I have a way out of this... I just hope it works..."

The audience watched on, wondering what Sweetie Belle could possibly do to get out of her precarious situation. Sunset, however, seemed to have an idea of what the young girl was planning to do.

"Okay! Here goes!" Sweetie declared. "I'll start by activating the fourth effect of Rainbow Ruins! Since I have four Crystal Beasts in my back row, I can draw a card from my Deck!"

"...Again, you have forgotten: My Right Hand card is in play." Zecora reminded her. "And I use its power to take your Field Spell away!" And just like that, the tribal-dressed Duelist used her card's effect to dispel her opponent's Field Spell and stopped its effect.

"What?? Why did she do that?!" Spike asked. "She just lost her Field Spell! Didn't she remember what happened last turn??"

"Maybe...or maybe not..." Twilight told him. "Take a look at Sweetie Belle's face, Spike."

The dragon-turned-puppy then glance over at the young girl. He was surprised to see that - despite the fact that her Field Spell had been negated... Sweetie Belle's confident smirk was still there. "She's...she's still smiling...?" he asked. "But why? It's almost like she's glad to see her card get destroyed."

"It's something like that, Spike." Sunset told him. "Now her REAL plan can take effect."

"Real plan?" asked Twilight. "So you knew that Sweetie Belle would do that?"

"It still doesn't make any sense..." Spike added. "Sweetie still lost one of her best cards; as long as Zecora has those two Spell Cards out, she can negate every Spell or Trap that she plays!"

"That's only partially true, Spike." the jacket-wearing judge informed him. "As powerful as those Left Hand and Right Hand cards are, they have a serious flaw." She then looked over at Twilight and told her, "Boot up the Duel on your D-Pad, Twi, and then take a look at both of Zecora's Spell Cards closely."

The young Princess nodded and booted up her Duel Pad so that she could observe Zecora's and Sweetie Belle's Duel. Once the field was displayed, she then tapped the images of both of Zecora's Continuous Spells to get a closer look at them. After reading the text on both cards, she gasped in surprise. "Of course...!" she exclaimed. "Now I see what she's trying to do!"

"What? What's she doing?" asked Spike, not sure what Twilight and Sunset were talking about. But the red-and-yellow teen simple motioned to the little puppy to keep watching the Duel to find out for himself.

Taking another card from her hand, Sweetie then declared, "Now I Summon my Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat in Attack Mode!" Her new monster was a pink-furred feline creature with radiant purple eyes, and jewel on its chest area with the same color as its eyes (Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 400). "Her special ability allows her to cut her attack points in half in order to hit your Life Points directly!" she then told her opponent.

"It's not quite enough to eliminate me from this Duel," the tribal Duelist spoke, "but I know you have something planned; I am no mere fool." Sending her Witchcrafter Creation card in her hand to the Graveyard, she then added, "With this discard, Madame Verre's effect shall now negate: Every monster you control, leaving you to face your fate." Her monster then raised her staff and sent out a ring of green energy that covered the field. Sweetie monster then hunched down lower, its special power negated for the turn.

But that move didn't even faze Sweetie Belle, who confidently told her opponent, "You're right, Zecora: I do have something planned... But I don't think you'll be able to stop me from completing it!"

"Hm...?" Zecora wasn't sure what Sweetie meant by that, but had a feeling that she had a big play ready to go.

"From my hand I activate...the Spell Card Rainbow Bridge!" Sweetie Belle declared as she played the card onto the field. "This card lets me get any Spell or Trap Card from my Deck that has Crystal in its name!" Zecora gasped a little in response, realizing what her opponent was trying to do.

"Wait a second...I don't get it..." said Spike. "How come THAT Spell Card worked? I thought Zecora's card could negate its effect, just like it did before."

"It's quite simple." Twilight told him. "Zecora's Left Hand and Right Hand Spell cards can only negate the FIRST Spell and Trap played during a turn. Once I saw that, I realized what Sweetie's real plan was."

"Sweetie Belle only activated the effect of her Field Spell previously in order to purposely trigger the effect of Right Hand." Sunset Shimmer added. "That way, it couldn't use its effect for the remainder of the turn. Not only that, she also let her Trap Card be destroyed last turn so that she would have an open space in her Spell & Trap Zone this turn."

"Ohhhhh, now I get it!" Spike exclaimed, finally understanding Sweetie Belle's unusual strategy. "But how did she know to do all of that ahead of time?"

"When I was training Sweetie Belle and the rest of her club, I had taught her that one the most important things when using a Crystal Beast Deck," the jacket-clad teen answered him, "is to maintain a good balance in the back row, and to try to leave at least a few open spaces to play Spells and Traps. Keep that in mind, and you can play the Deck very effectively, just like Sweetie did."

"Now it's just a matter of whether or not that card she just played will be one that can help her get out of her situation..." Twilight chimed in. Sunset however, was fairly certain that Sweetie Belle could figure out what she needed to do.

Sweetie looked at her D-Pad, which currently displayed all of the cards in her Deck that her Rainbow Bridge Spell Card could retrieve. (Alright...now all I have to do is pick a Spell Card that can turn this whole Duel around...maybe even let me win it all...) she thought to herself. (The trouble is...what should I choose...?) Then, as she continued to glance over all of the possible choices, one card caught her eye. (Huh...? What's this Spell Card...?) she said to herself. Curious, she tapped on it in order to get a better look at its effect text. Upon reading it, she gasped a little and said, "Wait... I remember this card now...! It's one of the cards Sunset gave me when she was training me and my friends!" She then recalled the first time she had seen the card for herself...

"What's this card, Sunset?" Sweetie Belle asked Sunset as the two were currently occupying the tree house that her friends used for their meetings. Sweetie was holding the card in question in front of her, looking at it with curious eyes.

"It's a very powerful Spell Card, Sweetie Belle." Sunset answered her, sitting in a chair beside her. "One of the strongest cards in the entire Crystal Beast Deck. That card has led to more victories with the Deck than you could imagine."

"Really? No kidding??" asked Sweetie, surprised to hear that.

"No kidding." Sunset told her with a nod. "If you play that at just the right moment, you can win the whole Duel, even if you're in the worst position possible."

"Wow... I never thought something like this could be that strong..." the younger girl responded. "And you're just letting me have it? For free?"

"You bet." the jacket-wearing teen confirmed. "That card is just what your Deck needs to help it compete with even some of the strongest Decks out there. And I know you'll use it well."

Sweetie Belle was happy with how much Sunset had helped her out with her Deck and her dueling. Looking at the card with a big smile on her face, she then said, "Th-thank you so much, Sunset! I promise I'll take extra-special care of this card! I promise!" Sunset simply smiled and nodded, pleased to hear her say that.

Looking at the card on her D-Pad's touch screen, Sweetie Belle thought to herself, (This is what Sunset was talking about: I'm pretty sure this is the kind of situation she meant when she said to play this card at the right moment...) Deciding to pin all of her hopes on that one card, she tapped its image on the screen, and the D-Pad auto-shuffled the rest of her cards, leaving the card she chose sticking out.

"So what is it? What card did you choose?" Zecora began to ask. "What sort of strategy do you plan to use?"

Smiling, Sweetie answered, "The kind of strategy that lets me win, of course!" Taking the card from her Deck, she immediately played it and proudly shouted, "I activate my last Spell Card... Crystal Abundance!!" The audience gasped in shock and surprise; they didn't expect Sweetie Belle to play that card. And based on Zecora's equally-surprised expression, neither did she.

"Crystal Abundance...?!" gasped Rarity. "Oh dear... I had completely forgotten about that card...!"

"What...what does it do?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well...if I remember correctly," Flash Sentry began to say, "Crystal Abundance is a Spell Card that can only be activated if the user has at least four Crystal Beast cards in their back row...which happens to be exactly how many Sweetie Belle has."

"Then what?" asked Pinkie.

As Flash continued to explain the card's effect to the others, Sweetie was doing the same thing with her opponent. "Now," she began to say, "by sending all four Crystal Beast cards in my back row to the Graveyard, I can send every single card on the field to the Graveyard too!" Zecora gasped in shock as all four of her own cards - Madame Verre, and the three Continuous Spells in her back row instantly vanished in a flash of light.

"WOAH!!" exclaimed a shocked Spike. "She just wiped out all of Zecora's cards at once!"

"And that's not the end of it." Sunset told him. "After Sweetie Belle removes all of Zecora's cards, she then gets to Summon a Crystal Beast from her own Graveyard for each of the cards her opponent lost."

"Each one?!" the purple puppy asked.

"That means...since Zecora lost four cards total," Twilight calculated, "that means Sweetie Belle gets to Summon FOUR monsters at once!"

And that's just what the young girl did. "Now from my Graveyard, I Summon four Crystal Beasts!" Sweetie declared. "I bring out Amber Mammoth, Amethyst Cat, and two copies of Sapphire Pegasus!" The four monsters then appeared on the field at the same time, giving Sweetie plenty of monsters to unleash her final attack with.

"No...!" gasped Zecora. "Sweetie Belle has wiped my field completely bare...! And with nothing left, I am now worse for the wear!" Even so, she had to concede that her opponent made an impressive play, and for that, she gave a warm smile.

"Would ya look at that! Sweetie just turned things around completely!" Scootaloo said with great joy in her voice.

"Ah knew she'd make a comeback!" cheered Apple Bloom.

"I gotta say, dat was a pretty neat trick she pulled there with dat Crystal Abundance card." said Babs Seed. "Now there ain't nothin' that can stop her from winnin' this now!"

Pointing forward, Sweetie then ordered her monsters, "Alright, guys! It's time to win this Duel! Attack her Life Points directly!" And with that command, all of Sweetie Belle's creatures rushed forward and unleashed their full power. Zecora stood there, satisfied with having fought a worthy opponent, not saddened in the slightest, despite that she had lost the game...

(Zecora: LP 1,700 - 1,700 = 0)

Meanwhile, back in the Duel Spirit's world, the situation involving Mana and Sparkman's battle against Scrap Dragon seemed to be only getting worse. The trash-built behemoth was now going into a blind rage, blasting everything that its eyes could see. And now it was heading straight for the heroes' new friends, Junky and Speedy.

"O-o-oh no!! The dragon's coming for us now!" Junky exclaimed out of fear. "Wh-what are we gonna do?! Where will go?! Is this it?!" Speedy was getting worried as well; he knew he was more than fast enough to get away, but not if he had to carry his friend with. He didn't know what to do.

Mana and Sparkman were running as fast their legs could carry them, but the dragon seemed to be staying ahead of them. "No...!" said the magician girl in despair, "at this rate, that thing will get to the others first! And if it does..."

"Don't think about what MIGHT happen, just keep running so we can try and KEEP it from happening!" Sparkman told her, trying his best to motivate her into keeping up the chase.

Just then, the raging Scrap Dragon let out a anger-filled roar, just as it spotted the helpless Junky and Speedy. Seeing them as an enemy, the beast charged up another flame attack, ready to do the unthinkable. "No! No, don't!! Please!!" Junky shouted, fearful that it was about to be all over for both him and Speedy.

"No! It got to them before we could!!" shouted Mana. "And now it's gonna blast them!" Sparkman could only just grumble, frustrated that they couldn't reach them in time. It seemed like it was all over for Junky and Speedy...

...But then, just as the dragon unleashed its flames, a pink streak shot past both Mana and Sparkman at sonic speed, seemingly heading towards the spot where the creature's attack would impact. "What was that?!" asked the electrical superhero.

"I don't know...but it's going straight in between that dragon and our friends!" Mana pointed out.

Indeed it was, and when it finally stopped, it took the full force of the dragon's mighty attack, creating a massive explosion. As big as it was, thanks to the intervention of their mysterious Good Samaritan, the impact of the blast didn't even touch Junky or Speedy. "Wh-what happened...?" asked the short-sized builder, seeing that he hadn't been seriously hurt or worse. When he looked up, he gasped in shock at who was there. "What?! You??"

The figure that had blocked Scrap Dragon's attack was a small pink bird; the same one that had been living safely underground with Junky and Speedy in order to escape from the dragon that was terrorizing them. It flew in the way of the attack to prevent it from harming it friends. Not only that, despite it having taken the full brunt of the flame attack, the little bird looked completely uninjured. Not only that, it seemed to be surrounded by a faint, glowing, green sphere of light. The dragon seemed to have some problems though: after unleashing its full fury, it actually tired itself out and needed a moment to rest.

"Hey...it's that little bird we saw...!" Mana pointed out. "It saved Junky and Speedy from getting hit by that attack!"

"And it isn't even slightly singed afterwards... Amazing..." said Sparkman. "Who knew that little guy had that kind of power?"

Confused, but grateful, Junky approached the little pink bird and asked it, "You...you came to help us??" The bird chirped happily to say yes. It then glanced over to the side, revealing that the bolt-covered hedgehog and the ladybug with a star on its back had also accompanied it, having come out of a small hole close by. "You...ALL came to help us?" Junky then asked.

"Of course they did." said Mana as both she and Sparkman finally made it to where they were. "You and Speedy kept them all safe for so long, they wanted to return the favor. They didn't want you leave you guys to face that dragon all by yourself."

"That's right." Sparkman chimed in. "After all you've done for them, they knew that they needed to help you guys out, even if it wasn't much. They came here now so that they could stand united with you - with all of us, so that they could live peacefully and not have to worry about thugs like that dragon."

Giving the little bird a pat on the head, Mana then said to them, "The way your friend just rushed in to protect you without even a second thought just shows how well you all get along with each other. Whether you know it or not, your spirits are in perfect synch with each other!"

"Perfect...synch...?" said Junky, pondering for a moment. Just then, he gasped in surprise and exclaimed, "That's it!! I know what the problem is now!"

"Uhhh...what problem?" asked Sparkman.

"Why my engine wasn't running correctly!" Junky said in an excited tone of voice as he opened up his experimental engine. "The power cables weren't synchronized with each other! The energy they supplied to the main battery was either too little or too much! But if I adjust them like so, equalizing their energy flow..." He then (very quickly) made the adjustments he was talking about. After what seemed like only a few seconds, Junky picked up the engine, holding it as if it were a trophy. "Yes! It's perfect now!"

"So...what exactly is it supposed to be used for?" asked Mana, still not sure what Junky was talking about.

"I don't know what it does exactly, but I know for sure that it'll give us the energy we need to finish this battle once and for all!" the tiny tinkerer answered. Strapping the engine onto his back he reached for the pull cord that would start it up. But then he stopped, turned over to his friend and asked him, "Speedy... it's thanks to you that I was able to get all of the parts and tools I needed to finish this engine. And now that it's ready to go, I want you to have the honor of pulling this cord with me and starting it up. What do you say?"

Speedy stared at the engine for a moment, and then back at his friend. Though his helmet completely covered his face, he seemed to be very touched by what his friend had told him. With a smile (assumedly), Speedy nodded to say that he would help him activate the engine.

"...Thanks, Speedy." Junky responded. "You're the best friend I've ever had." He then gave his longtime companion a hug, which brought a happy tear to Mana's eye. Junky then grabbed onto one side of the engine's pull cord, while Speedy held fast onto the other end. 'You ready? Let's do this!" the short-sized inventor said to his friend, who gave a nod to say that he was ready as well. Then, the two of them pulled the cord as hard and as fast as they could.

The engine began to rumble, letting out a loud sound as it sparked to life. The humming of the device began to get faster and louder, generating more and more energy with each second. At first, that's all it seemed to do...until Junky began to glow with a bright white light. "Wh-what's happening to you??" Mana asked the little guy.

"I-I'm not sure..." Junky responded, "but I feel like I can... I can touch the sky...!" Then, all of a sudden, the white light that surrounded him transformed Junky into pure energy, which split into three, glowing spheres that shot into the air. No one was sure what was going on or why, but before anyone could speak up, three green rings then came back down from the area where the spheres flew into. The rings surrounded Speedy, causing him to hover slightly into the air.

"Uh...what's going on?" asked Sparkman. "What did that little guy do?"

That's when Mana let out a gasp. "Wait! I've seen this before!!" she exclaimed. "I saw something like this back when I was alive on Earth, when I served Pharaoh Seto! I think he called it...a 'Synchro Summon'."

"Synchro-what?" asked the superhero. "I don't know what that really is, but I like it! That is of course, if it'll give us the edge we need to take that dragon down..."

"Well, let's hope so..." the magician girl responded.

Everyone watched as Speedy continued to float in the air while surrounded by the large, green rings. Then, just like his friend did, he split into small light spheres as well - two this time. After that, the rings and spheres were suddenly engulfed by a tower of light from above, striking the ground with incredible force and causing Mana and Sparkman to close their eyes, along with the three smaller creatures that were with them. This continued for a while until the light finally faded away. When Mana and Sparkman opened their eyes again, the gasped at what - or rather WHO, they saw in front of them.

The figure that was standing before them all was a very tall, humanoid-like being. He wore purple-colored armor on most of his body and a pair of red circular shades over his eyes. On the sides of each of his oversized shoulder pads was a beige, wing-like protrusion. Around his neck was a white scarf and on his left first were what appeared to be some sort of brass knuckles. He then threw a mighty air punch with his left arm, displaying an incredible amount of power as he did so.

Mana and Sparkman were at a loss for words before the newcomer. Eventually, the girl then meekly asked, "Wh-who are you...?"

Turning to face her, the purple-armored figure asked her, in a deep voice, "You don't recognize me, Mana?"

Hearing that, Mana then took a guess as to who they were, asking them, "Is that you, Junky...? Or is it Speedy?"

"A good question." the figure answered her. "I am Junky. And I am Speedy as well. And I am also neither."

"Uh...could you say that again?" asked Sparkman, not getting what he meant. "And can you say it a little less cryptic-y?"

"Forgive me; I suppose I should." the armored man replied. "When the engine was activated, it transferred an incredible amount of power into myself...er, into Junky. This power allowed his spirit to combine and synchronize with that of Speedy's... And I am the result of the combination. Therefore, I am both of them, but also a new being altogether. As such, you may now refer to me as... Junk Warrior!"

"Junk...Warrior... I like it!" Mana complimented. "And you look so much more powerful now!"

"Indeed." the figure - now known as Junk Warrior, said to her. "I am now more than the sum of my parts. And with this power..." He paused momentarily to face the massive Scrap Dragon, who had nearly recovered from the last attack it had unleashed before finishing. "...I intend to defeat that monster and bring peace back to this scrapyard!"

"You think you can?" asked Sparkman. "'Cause right now, we're really pinning our hopes on you at this point..."

"...I know I can." Junk Warrior told him with a nod. "Because I have your support... ALL of your support." He then glanced down at the bird, hedgehog, and ladybug creatures that had been staying in the junkyard for some time and told them, "I know we can defeat that dragon once and for all, but I can only do so if all of you can lend me your support. Can you do that for me?"

The other, smaller creatures nodded to say that they would.

"Thank you, my friends..." said the armored man as he bravely stepped forward towards Scrap Dragon, who had now fully recovered and was back in the air again. Pointing at the massive bully, Junk Warrior shouted at it, saying, "Your reign of terror is over now! Today, right here and now, I WILL defeat you! I WILL bring peace back to this scrapyard! And I WILL make sure you never terrorize anyone ever again!" The dragon let out a roar in an attempt to frighten the newly-formed warrior, but Junk Warrior didn't even budge from his spot, refusing to let the dragon scare him. "If you are so powerful," he told it, "then hit me with everything you have! Hit me with all of your rage, if you think that's enough to stop us!"

"Woah...that guy is nothin' like Junky was." said Sparkman. "He's way more confident. I just hope he knows what he's doing."

"...I believe in him, Sparkman." Mana told him. "I know he'll be okay." Sparkman nodded, saying that he agreed with her.

The Scrap Dragon then began charging up its next massive flame attack, intending to wipe out his new adversary and turn him to ashes. But Junk Warrior stayed still, not moving an inch. The three small creatures stayed behind him, hoping and praying that he would prevail. As they did, a faint, blue-green light surrounded them; Junk Warrior, too had a similar light surrounding him.

Then Scrap Dragon let out its massive fire attack once more, aiming it straight towards Junk Warrior. The others were scared for him, but they continued to believe that he would be okay, in spite of the impending doom coming his way. Then, before the attack connected with him, Junk Warrior raised his left arm and used his hand to strike directly at the stream of intense flames. To everyone's shock, he managed to deflect the attack, sending into the sky, where it burned out safely.

"WOAH!! Did you see that?!" said Sparkman, who was very much surprised at what had happened. "He just swatted that attack away like it was a housefly!"

"I knew he could do it...!" said Mana, happy that their friend was okay.

Junk Warrior - who was still surrounded by that blue-green light, remained stoic as he watched the once-powerful dragon let out another roar. This roar, however, seemed to be out of exhaustion and not intimidation, and for good reason: The creature had now expended most of its energy and was much weaker now; it didn't even have the strength to fly anymore.

"It seems your power is all but gone." said Junk Warrior. "As I said: You will never terrorize anyone ever again!" He then went into a fighting stance and sped towards the now-weakened dragon, preparing to give the final blow. Upon reaching the creature, Junk Warrior leapt into the air and, upon reaching the full height of his jump, dove straight towards Scrap Dragon with his left fist in front of him. "Time to end this! SCRAP FIST!!!" he shouted as he dove faster and faster towards his target.

The punch connected with the once-powerful creature, creating an impact so powerful, it shook the ground around them. A split second later, the creature roared in pain moments before a powerful explosion of energy was released, covering them and the area around them with an incredibly powerful light.

The others were doing their best to either not go blind from the light, or get swept away by the shockwaves of the impact. Mana, Sparkman, and the three smaller creatures huddled next to each other with their eyes closed as they rode out the aftermath of Junk Warrior's mighty attack. Then, as quickly as it had occurred, the mini-tremors stopped and the bright light had finally died down.

"So...did we win...?" asked Sparkman.

"I just care if Junky...er, Junk Warrior is okay." said Mana. "Please...please be okay..."

For a moment, all that could be seen was a pile of scorched metal that once made up the body of Scrap Dragon, and not a sound could be heard. But just then, a CLANG was heard, getting the attention of the others. As they looked over towards the pile of scrap, they could see a piece of it jiggling a little before getting thrown off to the side. Then, out from under the piece of scrap metal, Junk Warrior stood up. Although his armor was singed and scratched up a little, he was otherwise perfectly okay.

Junk Warrior looked over towards his friends and gave a nod to them, saying, "This scrapyard is safe once more... Thank you, all of you."

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
Fluttershy vs. Gabby [WINNER: Fluttershy]
Derpy Hooves vs. Sonata Dusk [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
Bright Mind vs. Flash Sentry [WINNER: Bright Mind]
Sol Burner vs. Octavia Melody [WINNER: Octavia Melody]
Sweetie Belle vs. Zecora [WINNER: Sweetie Belle]

RANK 49: The Quarterfinals Begin!:

Author's Note

Yes, FINALLY this episode is finished! We're now moving on to the next round of Duels, where I have a lot of ideas I wish to try out. Also, at the request of some people, I'm going to have some different "side stories" running along with the main plot, which even include more Duels with other characters.

Anyway, enjoy the latest episode!

EDIT: I want to thank Aerodragon2 for pointing out a small, but noticeable error in the Duel. I believe that I managed to fix it without any further issues.

RANK 49: The Quarterfinals Begin!:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The Duel Monsters tournament taking place on Canterlot High's campus has just now reached the climax of its first round, with Sweetie Belle - a Duelist in-training, having managed to overcome Zecora's Witchcrafter Deck with the help of her Crystal Beasts. Now she moves onto the Quarterfinal Round, along with seven other Duelists. They include Ember (daughter of former Pro Duelist Torch), Steel Shadows (a nomadic Duelist), Gilda (the strongest Duelist at Griffonstone High and granddaughter of a former Pro), Fluttershy (a friend of Sunset Shimmer who had faced Gilda in the Interschool Duel), Sonata Dusk (one of the Dazzlings, whom Sunset suspects is up to no good), Bright Mind (a Duelist that was an expert strategist), and Octavia Melody (a skilled cellist and friend of Vinyl Scratch). Who among them will get to move onto the Semifinal Round?

Meanwhile, in the Duel Monsters Spirit World, Mana (a.k.a. the Dark Magician Girl) was on a mission to locate the mysterious Dark Sage, Torunka. Along the way, she met a travelling companion in the form of Sparkman, one of the Elemental HEROes. The two made their way to a massive junkyard and met two more friends: Junky and Speedy. The pair explained that a massive dragon made of trash had been terrorizing the junkyard with no one to oppose it. Despite the odds against them, Mana and Sparkman elected to help them fight the creature. At first, it seemed like things wouldn't go well for them, but after Junky managed to repair and activate a mysterious engine, he ended up merging with Speedy to become the Junk Warrior, who managed to slay the once-powerful dragon.

What does fate have in store for our heroes this time? Read on and find out...

The dingy, smoke-filled scrapyard had been the setting of a great battle, pitting Mana and Sparkman against a massive creature known as the Scrap Dragon. The dragon had once been the scourge of the junkyard, attacking and frightening everyone and everything that it could see. But now its reign of terror had ended: Two residents of the junkyard, Junky and Speedy, used the power of a mysterious engine-like device and ended up combining their energies together. The result of the union was a powerful fighter named Junk Warrior, who used his new power to defeat Scrap Dragon with a single punch...and lived to tell the tale.

"J-Junky!! I-I-I mean Junk Warrior! You're okay!!" cheered Mana, happy to see that he was alright.

"That's good to see..." said Sparkman, sighing out of relief. "For a second there, I thought...well, who cares? You're alright, and that's what matters." As he and the magician girl walked over to meet him, the superhero then said, "That was a pretty sweet move you pulled there, knocking that guy down with just one punch. How'd you do it?"

Looking at the hand that delivered the mighty blow, Junk Warrior then answered, saying, "My powers are still relatively new, so I can't say for sure how I did it... All I can say is that, as I was readying my attack, I could...'feel' the spirits of my friends..." He glanced over at three other creatures - a pink bird, a hedgehog with bolts instead of quills, and a small ladybug with a star on its back, and continued to say, "I could feel their hopes, their dreams... That feeling seemed to become a strength all in its own. It defies all scientific thought, but...I know this to be true..."

"Hmmm...I think I get it." Mana spoke up. "You somehow managed to turn those feelings that you mentioned into power, and that's what allowed you to overcome that dragon and defeat it."

"You sure about that?" asked Sparkman.

"Pretty sure, at least." she answered him. "Trust me: I know a thing or two about how powerful friendship can truly be." She then turned to Junk Warrior and said to him, "In any case, thank you for everything. Now this junkyard doesn't have to worry about that monster coming back ever again."

"It is I who must thank you, Mana." Junk Warrior told her. "It was because of you and Sparkman that I - or rather Junky and Speedy, gained the courage to help you. I would not be who I am now had it not been for the two of you - quite literally in fact, and for that, I owe you a great debt."

"Hey, no problem." Sparkman replied casually. "Helpin' people is what we do best."

Junk Warrior then asked, "I almost forgot to ask, considering the situation we were in earlier... Why have the two of you come here? What brought you to our junkyard in the first place?"

"Hmmmm... Oh! I remember!" Mana exclaimed. "Sparkman and I were on a journey to find the legendary Dark Sage."

"The Dark Sage, you say?" asked the spectacled warrior.

"You've heard of him?" asked Sparkman.

"I've heard some things," Junk Warrior answered, "such as how he is known as one of the oldest residents of the Spirit World, and has extensive knowledge of our world as well. Tell me: Why are you seeking him?"

"I have a question that only he could possibly know the answer to." Mana explained. "My master sent me to look for him some time ago."

"And I tagged along to help keep her safe during the trip." Sparkman chimed in.

"I see..." said Junk Warrior, thinking. "In that case, perhaps I may be able to help. We can all return to my home and rest ourselves. Afterwards, I can check my computer database for information regarding the Dark Sage. I - and by that I mean Junky, have compiled large amounts of information regarding all sorts of things. Perhaps something pertaining to the goal of your journey might be among that information."

"You really think so?" asked Mana. "That's great! If this works out, we might have a better idea of where to look for the Dark Sage!"

"That would be a big help." said Sparkman. "That is, assuming that he does have the info we're lookin' for."

"We will see soon enough." Junk Warrior responded. "For now, we could all use a rest. Follow me back to my home, and I will do my best to help in any way I can." The others nodded and followed the warrior back to his underground dwelling.

Meanwhile, back in the "real" world, the final Duel of the Qualifier Tournament had just concluded: Sweetie Belle, Rarity's younger sister, managed to come from behind and win her Duel against Zecora, another formidable player. After Sweetie called out her final attack, she managed to drop Zecora's Life Points to zero, claiming victory. "This Duel is over!" declared Sunset Shimmer, the official Judge of the tournament. "Sweetie Belle is the winner! She will move on to the Quarterfinals!" This announcement was followed by a massive amount of cheers from the audience.

"You heard it here, everybody!" announced Meghan Williams, the tournament MC. "Sweetie Belle, one of our youngest competitors, is moving on to the next round thanks to her impressive finishing move! She'll now join our other seven winners in the Quarterfinal Round!"

"Yeah!! Way to go, Sweetie Belle!!" cheered Rainbow Dash from the stands.

"Did you see that?!" Rarity asked a nearby audience member sitting behind her. "That's MY little sister down there! Isn't she just the best Duelist EVER?!" The other person just smiled and nodded in response, a bit startled at having been asked such a question out of the blue.

Sweetie Belle just simply stood there, eyes wide and mouth open; it seemed even SHE didn't believe that she managed to win the Duel. "I...I won..." she squeaked out. "I...actually won..." Once the realization came to her, her eyes sparkled with delight as she began jumping up and down repeatedly, shouting, "I won! I won!! I actually won!! I can't believe it! I won!!"

"Yes, indeed you have done very well." said the voice of Zecora as she walked up to her opponent. Putting her hand out to offer a friendly handshake, she then added, "Congratulations, Sweetie Belle."

"Uh...thanks!" the younger girl responded, accepting the handshake. "You were really, really good too! I almost thought you had me a few times."

Chuckling, the tribal woman spoke to her, saying, "Ahead of you, there is still a long road. But if you believe in yourself, you can overcome any foe." And with a friendly smile, Zecora left the stadium, happy to have faced such a strong opponent.

Sunset, Twilight, and Spike then approached Sweetie Belle to congratulate her as well. "Great job out there, Sweetie." Sunset told her. "That was an impressive victory."

"I'll say it was!" Spike commented. "The way you cleared out Zecora's entire half of the field was amazing!"

Giggling and giving the dragon-turned-puppy a pat on the head, Sweetie then said, "Thanks! I just hope that I can keep that up in the next round, too!"

"I'm sure you'll do just fine." Twilight assured her. "Just stay confident in yourself and remember that we're all right here rooting for you." Sweetie Belle nodded to say she understood.

At that moment, Meghan then made another announcement, saying, "We will now have a fifteen-minute intermission before the Quarterfinals begin. Duelists and spectators, use that time to refresh and prepare yourselves!"

As most of the audience left their seats to take care of matters (such as getting food, going to use the bathroom, or just simply stretching their legs out), Sunset then told Sweetie Belle. "Okay, you heard the MC: Take this time to figure out what your strategy will be for the next Duel. Did you remember to stack your Side Deck with plenty of helpful cards?"

"I sure did!" the young Duelist responded. "And I'll make sure to pick the right ones for my next Duel!" She then ran off to find a nice, quiet spot to work out her strategy for the next round.

"Side Deck?" asked Spike. "What's that?"

"It's a set of cards that are initially placed separate from the Main Deck and Extra Deck." Sunset explained to him. "During a best-two-out-of-three Match, or during a tournament, Duelists are allowed to swap out cards from their Main Deck and/or Extra Deck with whatever cards they have in the Side Deck."

"Hold on," the purple puppy began to point out, "I thought you told us that players couldn't change their Decks during the tournament."

"You're almost right, Spike." the red-and-yellow teen told him. "That rule only forbids people from swapping in cards outside of their Main Deck, Extra Deck, or Side Deck; THAT is illegal. But swapping out with Side Deck cards is perfectly fine."

"Oh, I see." Spike replied. "So why would someone want to change cards in their Deck?"

"Because unlike the first round matches, the Duelists are not randomly paired." Sunset answered him. "Therefore, everyone knows who their opponent is before they have to fight them. Because of that, they may want to swap for cards in their Side Decks so that their next match might be easier."

"I get it." Twilight spoke up. "Because they know who they'll be facing, a player may decide to alter their strategy according to whoever their opponent is. For instance, they may be able to include cards that might work specifically against the opponent they're fighting against."

"Exactly, Twilight." Sunset confirmed. "Often times, a tournament Duel or even a standard Match can be won or lost depending on what a Duelist includes in their Side Deck. And that's what may even decide the outcomes of these next few Duels: Everyone knows who they'll be fighting; they just have to figure out HOW to fight them."

Shortly after explaining all of that, two boys ran up to where Sunset and the others were; they were Snips and Snails, Sunset's former henchmen from back when she terrorized the school. This time, however, the two boys were helping Sunset and her friends gather information on three other individuals that were involved in the tournament: Adagio, Aria, and Sonata (the latter of which actually participating in the competition), collectively known as the Dazzlings. "Sunset! Sunset!" Snips called out to the jacket-wearing teen.

Recognizing the voice, Sunset turned to face them and said to them, "Oh, it's you two! Have you found out anything yet?"

"Well...uh... Lemme see..." pondered Snails, trying to recall what he and his buddy had learned so far. Suffice it to say, he was having some...trouble remembering it all.

"Ugh...! Don't you remember?!" Snails asked his friend. "We were tailing those Dazzling chicks and trying to figure out what they're up to!"

"And...? What did you find out?" Sunset inquired a second time.

Snips then spoke up, telling them all, "Well for a while, we kept an eye on them without them seeing us, but they didn't act weird or anything... But sometime after Sonata finished her Duel and after she left the arena, we couldn't find her."

"She just vanished?" asked Twilight. "But why?"

"We don't know." the short, chubby boy answered. "But we DID see the other two talking to each other while watching the rest of the Duels. But again, Sonata wasn't anywhere near them."

"That does seem kinda weird..." thought Spike. "I thought they were always in a group together..."

"Indeed..." hummed Sunset. "And there's also the fact that Sonata may not have been watching the rest of the first round Duels, either. There is the possibility that she was watching the tournament from somewhere else, but why would she leave Adagio and Aria just to do the same thing that they were? Why was she even away from them in the first place...?" She then asked the boys, "Did Adagio or Aria do anything else while you were watching them?"

"Nope." said Snails. "They just sat there, watching the screen..."

"Yeah, what he said." Snips confirmed. "If anything, they seemed to be watching each of the Duels really closely... But I didn't find that unusual, really..."

Sunset hummed for a while, thinking about everything that Snips and Snails had told her. After pondering for a while, she then smiled and told them, "Thanks for your help. I'm sure what you've found out will be a big help to me. Why don't you two head up into the audience and watch the rest of the tournament? I'll take care of things from here."

"Okay! Good luck, Sunset!" Snips replied.

"Yeah! Good luck!" Snails repeated. The two boys then ran off to join the rest of the audience.

"So?" Spike began to ask. "Did you figure out what the Dazzlings are up to?"

"No, nothing yet." the jacket-clad teen answered him. "But what Snips and Snails told me so far is enough for me to figure that they ARE up to something... I just need to find out what that is. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we'll have any answers to that question just yet."

"Don't worry, Sunset." Twilight reassured her, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm certain that, if the Dazzlings are trying to do something bad, you'll figure it out and stop them. You're one of the smartest people I know in this world, so I know you'll make sure that whatever they do won't ruin the tournament."

"Twilight's right!" Spike chimed in. "We've battled so many bad guys by this point, we know it's only a matter of time before they slip up and make a mistake."

"You're both right." Sunset replied. "I should be satisfied just knowing that they are up to something; there's no need to rush to try and find out what that 'something' is. I'll just keep a close eye on them and hope that, sooner or later, they'll tip their hand and reveal their true motives. They don't know about the information that Snips and Snails told us just now, so they aren't aware that we know that they are indeed up to something. So for now, we'll just play like we're completely clueless to their agenda, whatever it is."

"Got it." said Twilight and Spike with a nod.

Looking at her watch, Sunset saw what time it was and exclaimed, "Oops! Only two minutes before the Quarterfinals start! I'd better get ready!"

"Do your best out there, Sunset!" said Twilight. "We'll be right here if you need us."

"Yeah, go for it!" cheered Spike as he offered his support as well.

"Thanks, both of you." said Sunset, shaking Twilight's hand and Spike's paw before they parted ways; Sunset returned to the arena's center, while Twilight and Spike sat back down on the bench that they had been using during the first few Duels.

During the next two minutes, all of the audience members, as well as the remaining Duelists in the tournament, returned to the main arena to begin the next series of Duels. Once everyone was accounted for, Meghan switched on her microphone and spoke into it, saying, "Alllllright, Duelists and spectators! Are you all ready to see some more dueling action?!"

The audience cheered loudly in response, getting pumped up for the next round.

"That's great to hear!" said Sunset, speaking into her own microphone. "Because now we're ready to begin the Quarterfinal Round of the Canterlot City WCQ Qualification Tournament!" Then, for a second, she covered her mic and said to herself, (Wow...that was certainly a mouthful...) Clearing her throat, she then said, "Unlike in the first round, matchups will not be randomly determined! Therefore, everyone participating in this round will know who they will duel against! During the intermission, they all had time to prepare their Decks, using whatever was available in their Side Deck in hopes of standing a better chance against their next opponent!"

Continuing the announcement, Meghan then said, "Our first Duel will pit Ember - daughter of former Pro Duelist Torch, against the wandering Duelist Steel Shadows!" The two Duelists in question looked over at each other with fierce, battle-ready eyes; no doubt, the first Duel of this round would be an intense one with competitors such as them.

"The second match will be between Gilda of Griffonstone High and Fluttershy of Canterlot High!" Meghan continued. "This Duel will be quite interesting, as both of them had previously fought each other right here at this school during an inter-school competition!"

"O-o-o-oh my...!" squeaked Fluttershy. "Our Duel will be coming up soon..."

"Hey, don't get so worried, Flutters." Gilda said, trying to calm her down. "If you get too nervous, then we won't be able to give this audience the best Duel we can give 'em! Trust me: You've got what it takes to get this far, and I want you coming at me with everything you've got!"

Happy to know that Gilda thought so highly of her, Fluttershy calmed down a bit, saying, "You're right... I can do this...!"

"For our third Duel," Meghan said next, "Dazzling member Sonata Dusk will face off against the intelligent and shrewd strategist, Bright Mind!"

Upon hearing Sonata's name, Sunset glanced over to where the eight quarterfinalists were standing, spotting the blue-skinned, ponytail-wearing Dazzling immediately. (Looks like Sonata's still here, and she's with the other two as well...) the red-and-yellow teen thought to herself. (Just what are you three up to...?)

"And for the final match of this round," Meghan said, wrapping up her announcements, "the musical Duelist, Octavia Melody will do battle against the young - but strong, Sweetie Belle!!" Octavia and Sweetie looked over at each other, saying nothing as they both smiled and shook hands, as a way of saying good luck to each other.

"And now, Duelists and spectators..." Sunset began to say, "let the Quarterfinals begin!!" The audience cheered loudly once more, itching to see the next round of Duels with great enthusiasm.

"And on that note," Meghan began to say, "will our first two finalists enter the main arena now?"

On cue, both Ember and Steel Shadows left the group consisting of the other competing Duelists and walked towards the field in the center of the stadium. All the while, the crowds cheered loudly, eager to see what these two competitors would be capable of. They weren't the only ones...

(So...I'm fighting that Steel guy and his Six Samurais, huh?) thought Ember as she looked at her opponent. (According to his last opponent, Slid Diamond, this guy won the big Duel Monsters tournament in Baltimare. There were supposedly a lot of strong players there, too...and he managed to defeat them all. No doubt he's a strong Duelist with credentials like that...) Looking at her Deck and D-Pad with a look of determination and confidence, she then said to herself, (Still, that doesn't mean I can't win this! I entered this tournament in order to take my first step to becoming a Pro Duelist, just like my dad! And so that I can give Sunset Shimmer the Duel I should have given her when we first met! So sorry, Steel...but I'm NOT losing to you!)

Steel Shadows was also looking over at his competition, thinking to himself about what he was going to face once he and Ember would begin their Duel. (Ember...) he pondered, (daughter of former Pro Duelist Torch... I've seen how powerful he used to be, and it's safe to assume he trained you well. After all, you managed to defeat the one Duelist who scored a One-Turn-Kill during the Preliminary Round. I joined this tournament to face worthy opponents, and I am certain that you are one of them. As such, I will not hold anything back!)

"Are both Duelists ready?" asked Sunset Shimmer. When both of the contestants gave a confirming nod, she then shouted, "In that case, let the first Quarterfinal Duel begin!"

"LET"S DUEL!!" shouted both Ember and Steel as they drew their opening hands (Steel Shadows: LP 4,000) (Ember: LP 4,000).

Elsewhere, in the Spirit World, Mana, Sparkman, and their new friend Junk Warrior were taking a short rest in the underground chambers following their climactic battle against the Scrap Dragon, who had once terrorized the place. Now that the dragon was no more, everyone could finally rest easy. While Junk Warrior went to his makeshift lab to look up some information, Mana and Sparkman were enjoying a hearty victory meal. The three smaller creatures that were with them - the pink bird, the bolt-covered hedgehog, and the large ladybug, were sleeping soundly in a corner of the room.

"BUUUURRRRRRP!" belted a sound from the dining table, were all sorts of good food could be found. The belch came from Sparkman, who most certainly enjoyed his meal.

Mana, blushing a little out of embarrassment, said to him in a sort of "disappointed mother" tone of voice, "Really...? Did we ALL have to hear you when you did that?"

"Aheheh... sorry 'bout that, Mana." the superhero apologized. "I just can't remember the last time I had food this good!"

"Well, if you keep burping like that, it's gonna be hard to forget about it anytime soon!" she responded. Taking a small bite of a slice of ice cream cake in front of her, she then commented, "I do agree though: This IS pretty good...considering the fact that Junky made it using what was once a broken-down old stove."

"What did ya expect?" Sparkman asked rhetorically. "The dude's a genius. I mean, after fixing that weird engine and turning into that big warrior, cooking a big dinner is probably as easy to him as walking is to us." Glancing over at the neighboring room, he then asked, "Speaking of that guy, it looks like he's still holed up in that lab of his... What's taking him so long?"

"Well, he IS trying to look up information regarding the Dark Sage," Mana answered him, "a person that almost nobody knows where he is. So it doesn't surprise me that it's taking long for even someone like him to find anything about the sage's location, or even anything about him."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sparkman admitted. "I guess we really shouldn't expect even a smart guy like him to come across something just like that." He then snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

Just then, Junk Warrior rushed out of his lab and into the room where Mana and Sparkman were. Though his face showed no visible expression, his voice and actions spoke loud enough. "I've done it!! I've come across something!!"

A bit surprised, Sparkman then commented, "Or...maybe we SHOULD have expected it."

Mana was also surprised that Junk Warrior had found something so soon. "Is it true? Have you found out anything about the Dark Sage?!"

"Well, no...but also yes." the purple-armored warrior answered.

"Uh, it's either one or the other, buddy." Sparkman told him, not sure what he meant by that.

"Allow me to explain:" Junk Warrior began. "While I wasn't able to find any direct information regarding the Dark Sage or his whereabouts, I do believe I have found a place that may carry the info that we need to locate him."

"And where is that?" asked the magician girl.

"Come with me, and I'll show you." Junky Warrior told them, motioning his hand to the pair to follow him into the lab. Curious, Mana and Sparkman did as they were told. After they walked inside, Junk Warrior seated himself in front of a large computer screen (which, like most of the things in the home, was built out of various pieces of scrap) while his two guests watched from behind his chair. Pulling up a window onscreen, Junk Warrior showed the two of them a picture of a vast area dominated by series of large, interconnected buildings.

"What...is that...??" asked an awe-stricken Mana.

"Is it...some kind of a city?" asked Sparkman.

"It certainly has that sort of appearance, doesn't it?" Junk asked them. "What you are looking at is the prestigious Gagaga Academy."

"Gagaga Academy??" asked Mana. "THAT'S Gagaga Academy?!"

"You've heard of the place?" Sparkman then asked her.

"There's not a magic-user in the entire Spirit World that doesn't know about it!" the magician girl answered him. "It's one of the biggest schools known, catering to Spellcasters and Warriors alike! There, they learn all sorts of skills to use in battle, not to mention developing their individual skills. If I could compare it to something, it's sort of like schools back in Endymion..."

"It also sounds a lot like our training centers back in Hero City." noted Sparkman. "From what you're saying, it could be both of those things... But why are you showing this to us, Junk Warrior?"

"Because Gagaga Academy is known for more than just its schooling system:" the purple warrior told him. "It's also known for collecting and preserving all of the known information throughout not only the Spirit World, but in other worlds as well. To put it in simpler terms: If they don't have information about the Dark Sage, no one will."

"So you're saying we need to visit Gagaga Academy to find out what we need." Mana figured. "I guess it's best move we can make. But how long will it take us to get there?"

"I will admit, it will be a long journey." Junk informed them. "But seeing as how I have been unable to find any information on the Dark Sage myself, we may not have much of a choice in the matter."

"Then I guess that settles it." Sparkman spoke up. "If Gagaga Academy is were we need to go, then we're going there."

"I agree." Junk Warrior said with a nod. "But for now, I think it would be best for us to rest ourselves before we head for the academy. After all, that battle with Scrap Dragon tired us all out."

"Wait, 'we'?" asked Mana. "Are you saying that...you want to come with us?"

"I do." Junk confirmed. "You helped save my home from that dragon. The least that I can do is offer my services and help you both on your journey."

"Are you sure?" asked Mana. "I mean, I not saying that I would refuse your offer, but what about your little friends? Are they going to be okay while you're away with us?"

Junk Warrior nodded, saying, "If you recall, the main threat to them and everyone else had been from Scrap Dragon. But now that it is no longer around here, they should be safe, especially if they stayed down here. I have made sure that they will be able to live comfortably during my absence: They will have all the food and other necessary items they need. Trust me when I say that they will be just fine, Mana."

Mana was still a bit iffy on the idea of leaving the three smaller creatures to take care of themselves, but Junk's words were enough to sway her to believe that they would be fine. "Well in that case...we'll be happy to accept your help on our journey." she told him.

"Same here." agreed Sparkman.

"Thank you...both of you." Junk Warrior told them. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you see to the end of your mission successfully. But for now, let's rest for a while: We can begin our travels tomorrow." Mana and Sparkman nodded in agreement before leaving the lab, heading back to their meal. They would make sure they well well-rested and ready for whatever tomorrow might bring...

Back in the "real" world, the next Duel of the tournament was already underway. Both Ember and Steel had drawn their opening hands and were looking over them, each trying to come up with the best strategy that they could. "So..." the Bloodstone Duelist started, "you ready to start this thing, or what?"

"Quite ready, Ember." Steel responded, Taking a card out of his hand and playing it. "I will begin by activating the Continuous Spell, Six Samurai United."

(That's one the cards he used in his last Duel...) noted Ember. (It lets him draw more cards if he gets counters placed on it... Looks like he's still using the Six Samurai strategy.)

"Next, I will play Temple of the Six; a Field Spell Card." her opponent continued, transforming his half of the board into a massive Japanese-style castle. "And just like my previous Spell Card, it too, gains a Bushido Counter every time a Six Samurai monster enters the field. And for every counter it has, your monsters lose 100 attack points."

"So you plan on weakening my monsters as the Duel goes on, huh?" asked Ember.

"That's part of my plan, yes." Steel answered. Taking out two more cards from his hand, he placed them face-down on his field, saying, "To finish my turn, I will Set a monster in Defense Position, and place a card in my back row. It's your move."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Ember then drew the top card of her Deck and looked at it. She then took a card out of her hand and placed both it and the card she drew for her turn into her D-Pad. "I'll set two of my cards face-down on the field!" she declared. "Then I'll Summon Alexandrite Dragon in Attack Mode!" In an instant, a massive, jewel-encrusted Dragon entered the field, ready to fight (Alexandrite Dragon: Level 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 100).

"So...a high-attack monster right away, I see. You plan to overwhlem my monsters with sheer attack force, am I correct?" asked Steel Shadows.

"...That's part of my plan, yes." Ember said, repeating words that he had said to her earlier. Taking another card from her hand and playing it, she then said, "And now I'll play my own Field Spell Card: Dragon Ravine!" Her half of the field then turned into a gigantic canyon with a beautiful setting sun.

"Dragon Ravine... I should have expected as much, seeing as how you're a Dragon user." Steel told her.

"Then you can probably guess what I'm gonna do next." the blue-skinned girl said with a smirk. "I'll discard this card from my hand in order to activate one of its effects!" She then sent a card from her hand to the Graveyard, which showed a picture of small-sized dragon with red eyes and silvery-white armor-like scales. "Now I'll send Arkbrave Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard!" And that's what she did.

"I'll bet she's planning to Summon whatever Dragon she just sent out of her Deck at some point in the Duel..." Twilight figured.

"I just hope it's as cool and awesome as those other Dragons she used in her last Duel!" Spike excitedly responded.

Still smirking, Ember then said, "Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, I'll go into my Battle Phase and attack with Alexandrite Dragon! Attack with your Radiant Burst!" The powerful and beautiful-looking Dragon then took aim at Steel's face-down monster and fired a sparkling-white stream of energy at it, revealing it to be a ninja-like warrior with a purple-blue outfit and a tattered red scarf (Secret Six Samurai - Fuma: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 1800). A second later, it was destroyed and sent to Steel's Graveyard. "Take that!" shouted the Bloodstone Duelist.

"I will take it...and then you will take this!" he responded. "After Secret Six Samurai - Fuma is destroyed, his effect allows me to Special Summon any Six Samurai monster from my Deck to take his place, and I choose to Summon my Secret Six Samurai - Genba in Defense Position!" His next monster was of another ninja-styled warrior that was packing some explosive weaponry: a large supply of cylindrical bombs draped over the front and back of his body (Secret Six Samurai - Genba: Level 2 / ATK 500 / DEF 2100).

"I see...so you wanted me to attack, correct?" asked Ember.

Nodding yes, Steel then told her, "And with Genba's Summon, I place a Bushido Counter on both of my active Spell Cards (Temple of the Six: Bushido Counters: 1) (Six Samurai United: Bushido Counters: 1). This in turn, means that my Field Spell now weakens your monster's attack strength." (Alexandrite Dragon: ATK 2000 - 100 = 1900).

"Yeah, well that's just my opening play, buddy. So don't get too high and mighty yet." Ember warned him. "So go and make your move, then."

"Very well. I draw." After he drew his top card, he placed it into his hand and took out another. "I Summon Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki in Attack Mode." And with that, his lightning-spitting warrior leapt out onto the field, ready to show his power (Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki: Level 3 / ATK 200 + 1500 = 1700 / DEF 2000). "As a result," he then added, "my Spell Cards each gain a counter, so your monster now grows weaker." (Temple of the Six: Bushido Counters: 2) (Six Samurai United: Bushido Counters: 2).

Ember could only grumble a little out of annoyance as her monster lost even more attack points (Alexandrite Dragon: ATK 1900 - 100 = 1800).

"Now I use the effect of Kageki, the monster I Summoned." Steel continued on. "After he is Normal Summoned, I can play any Level 4 or lower Six Samurai monster to the field alongside of him. And I choose my Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan." His next monster was one clad in black armor with gold trims. "And since I control two other Six Samurai, Kizan gains and additional 300 points for attack and defense." (Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan: Level 4 / ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100 / DEF 500 + 300 = 800).

"Yeah, and your Field Spell gets another counter that powers down my monster." Ember then said to him in a less-than-thrilled tone of voice (Temple of the Six: Bushido Counters: 3) (Alexandrite Dragon: ATK 1800 - 100 = 1700).

"That's right. And speaking of counters, I can now use the effect of Six Samurai United since it now carries two Bushido Counters." he then told his opponent. "Now I send it to the Graveyard and draw two more cards from my Deck." After he did that, he then said, "Now I tune Genba - a Level 2 Tuner Monster, to my Level 3 Kageki!" After he said that, his explosive-carrying warrior got out a pair of bombs that exploded in his hands. But instead of injuring him, the resulting explosion coated him with a bright light that caused him to split into to smaller light that flew up into the air, returning as a pair of green rings that surrounded Kageki (Level 2 + Level 3 = Level 5).

(A Level 5 Synchro Summon...) thought Ember. (And I'll bet I know which one it is, too...)

"Great warrior spoken of only in legend," Steel Shadows chanted, "manifest yourself before me and bring with you the fires of doom! Synchro Summon!" At that moment, Kageki transformed into three smaller lights before they, as well as the green rings, were engulfed in massive column of light. "The Legendary Six Samurai, Level 5... Shi En!" After his chant was finished, his powerful Synchro Monster, clad in red, gold, and dark-purple armor entered the field with his mighty sword raised into the air (Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En: Level 5 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1400) (Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan: ATK 2100 - 300 = 1800 / DEF 800 - 300 = 500).

"Figured you'd go for your Synchro Monster after seeing that Tuner show up..." said Ember.

"Naturally." Steel replied. "And with his Summon, I add a fourth Bushido Counter to my Field Spell, weakening your monster even further." (Temple of the Six: Bushido Counters: 4) (Alexandrite Dragon: ATK 1700 - 100 = 1600) After saying that, he then took another card from his hand and declared, "And now I shall Summon my Grandmaster of the Six Samurai, in Attack Mode!" His next monster was an older man in armor with silver-white hair (which included a short beard), an eye patch over his right eye, and a single sheathed katana in his hands. The stern, stoic look on his face suggested that he had seen many battles in his long life.

*******************************

Grandmaster of the Six Samurai:
(Effect Monster/Warrior/EARTH/Level 5/ATK 2100/DEF 800)

You can only control 1 "Grandmaster of the Six Samurai". If you control a "Six Samurai" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card in your possession is destroyed by an opponent's card effect: Target 1 "Six Samurai" monster in your GY; add that target to your hand.

*******************************

"Now that my Grandmaster is on the field, I place yet another counter on my Field Spell." Steel then informed his opponent (Temple of the Six: Bushido Counters: 5) (Alexandrite Dragon: ATK 1600 - 100 = 1500). "In addition," he then told her, "I now once again have two other Six Samurais on my field, which means that my Kizan gains 300 attack and defense points." (Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan: ATK 1800 + 300 = 2100 / DEF 500 + 300 = 800)

"Woah...that Steel guy's got two monsters with 2100 attack points, and one with 2500...!" stated Flash Sentry.

"Not only that," Rarity chimed in, "but his Synchro Monster has the power to negate any of Ember's Spell or Trap Cards each turn! If there's a way out of a situation such as this, I'm not sure what it is..."

"No kidding..." said Rainbow Dash. "If he attacks her now with all of his guys, this game's over!"

"Hmmmm...is it?" asked Pinkie Pie, suggesting that something different might happen instead...

Thrusting his left hand out, palm open, Steel then said, "I enter the Battle Phase! My Shi En will attack your Paladin! Death Flame Katana!!" His Synchro Monster then unleashed his thin, but powerful blade, which was cloaked in a dark-purple fire. The warrior then flew towards Ember's monster using the wings on his armor and slashed his sword at him. After having been so heavily weakened by Steel's Field Spell, Ember's monster wasn't able to take it and was destroyed.

"Urrgh!!" grunted the girl as she took a big hit to her Life Points (Ember: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000). Even so, the Bloodstone Duelist refused to give up now. "I Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard!"

"Your Graveyard...?" asked Steel, unsure what was happening.

"Since you destroyed one of my monsters," Ember began to explain, "I can activate the effect of this card and Summon it to the field! I play Omni Dragon Brotaur in Defense Mode!" After saying that, Ember then brought forth a small dragon with silver scales, blue wings, blue eyes, and a blue jewel-like decoration on its chest (Omni Dragon Brotaur: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"When Ember used the effect of her Dragon Ravine Spell Card," Sunset started to say, "she had to discard a card from her hand; I'm certain that monster she just Summoned was the card she discarded."

"So that's how she got it into the Graveyard!" said Spike.

"Yep." Twilight replied. "She was setting up for this defensive move, while also searching out an important card in her Deck. Very skillful play there, I must admit."

"Hmmm...so I see you had a defense ready for my attack, is that right?" asked Steel Shadows.

"Yeah, you could say that." Ember told him. "But I ain't through yet! Because I happen to have another monster in my hand that can be Special Summoned when any of my monsters are destroyed and sent to the Graveyard! So here comes my next monster! Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon in Attack Mode!!" Her next monster was of a deep-purple dragon with blood-red eyes, and fiery blue "mane", and was covered in spines.

"What a move!!" said a surprised Meghan Williams. "Ember looked like she was in deep trouble, but now she's managed to bring out two monster to defend herself: Omni Dragon Brotaur, and...um...Interpurple-...um, Igneous- no, that's not it... Um... Impydimpy...Something-or-Other...! UUUUGH!!! What's with that ridiculous name?!?"

"Yeah, Ah agree..." said Applejack. "That monster's name is certainly a mouth-ful, ain't it?"

"If furr ifz!!" said the muffled voice of Pinkie Pie, who had a mouthful of her own: A mouthful of popcorn.

"Pinkie, darling...don't talk with food in your mouth." Rarity reminded her. "It's rather uncouth."

The silly pink girl nodded to say she understood and (somehow) managed to swallow the massive amount of popcorn down in one gulp. "Better?" she then asked.

"...It's...um...not worse, I suppose." the violet-haired teen replied with slightly narrowed eyes.

Looking over at both of the monsters that Ember had Summoned on him, Steel Shadows then said to himself, "Why did she put her second monster in Attack Position? She should know that my Field Spell weakens it, just as it did to her Paladin..." (Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon: Level 5 / ATK 2200 - 500 = 1700 / DEF 1100). He was slightly suspicious of what his opponent had planned for him, but knew he had to try and attack while he had the chance. "I continue my Battle Phase and have my Grandmaster attack your...*ahem* Interplanetary-purply-thorny Dragon." he then declared, saying the name of her monster slowly so as not to trip over his words. And with that order, his next monster rushed in to attack.

"Not so fast!" shouted Ember. "I activate the Trap Card, Dragon's Rebirth! Now by banishing any Dragon that I have on the field, I can bring out a new Dragon from either my hand or my Graveyard! And I target Omni Dragon Brotaur on my field to be banished!"

"You should know that won't work." Steel told her. "My Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En's effect permits me to negate any Spell or Trap activated by my opponent. An effect that I activate right now!" At that moment, his monster began to radiate a deep purple aura around himself.

"Aw man...! Why didn't she know that?!" asked Spike. "Now her Trap's gonna be destroyed!"

"She DID know about Shi En's effect, Spike." Sunset told him with a smile on her face. "I know Ember too well to believe that she'd make such a bad misplay like that."

"You mean...she was planning on it to happen?" asked Twilight.

"Exactly." the red-and-yellow teen answered her. "Just watch and you'll see what I mean."

And as if on cue, Ember then shouted, "I chain THIS Trap Card to Shi En's effect! I activate Breakthrough Skill!!"

"No...!" said Steel Shadows, not happy to see that card played on him right now.

"I use the effect of Breakthrough Skill to negate Shi En's effect!" Ember declared. A powerful yellow light then surged out of the card and surrounded Steel's Synchro Monster, suppressing its abilities. As it did, the artwork on the card's hologram turned to greyscale, signifying that its effect had been negated. "So I'm afraid that means his effect DOESN'T negate my first Trap Card, so my Dragon's Rebirth card can now resolve its effect! I banish Omni Dragon Brotaur and call up a Dragon from my Graveyard! I Summon Arkbrave Dragon!!"

Everyone watched in amazement as a bright white-and-gold dragon flew out of a large column of light that emerged from the spot where Omni Dragon Brotaur previously stood. The dragon appeared to have not one, but TWO pairs of wings, with crystal-like spines and claws all over its body, along with braid-like appendages coming out from the back of its head. Its mighty roar told everyone that it was as powerful as it was beautiful (Arkbrave Dragon: Level 7: ATK 2400 - 500 = 1900 / DEF 2000).

"Woah..." said a very-impressed Spike. "That's one bright-looking dragon she just played..."

"You said it..." agreed Twilight. Sunset simply smiled, seemingly knowing what her rival from Bloodstone had in mind for her opponent.

Staring in awe at the powerful creature Ember Summoned to the field, Steel said to himself, (Just as I thought: Another powerful Dragon, just like in her Duel during the first round... But just what is this one capable of...?)

"If you recall from my last match," Ember began to tell him, "my best Dragons become more powerful AFTER they're brought back from the Graveyard! And my Arkbrave Dragon is no different! After it's revived, its effect allows me to banish every face-up Spell or Trap you have on the field, and then Arkbrave gains 200 attack and defense points for each card it wipes out! So kiss your Field Spell goodbye!"

Steel looked over at the large holographic image of his Temple of the Six Field Spell...just a moment before it vanished without a trace. (No...!) he thought. (Without my Temple of the Six, Ember's monsters are now back to their full power!) He then turned back to see both of Ember's mighty Dragons, no longer hindered by his Field Spell (Arkbrave Dragon: ATK 1900 + 500 = 2400) (Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon: ATK 1700 + 500 = 2200). Not only that, but Arkbrave's effect made it even more powerful than it was before (Arkbrave Dragon: ATK 2400 + 200 = 2600 / DEF 2000 + 200 = 2200).

"Now, Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon! Counterattack his Grandmaster!!" The Dragon with the very long name roared and fired a bluish-purple flame at the monster that had tried to attack it. Steel's monster was wiped out immediately, his attack now falling just short of Ember's Dragon.

"Urrrgh..." Steel grunted as a small amount of the flames hit him, reducing his Life Points a little (Steel Shadows: LP 4,000 - 100 = 3,900). Furthermore, with one less Six Samurai on the field, his Kizan lost some of his power as well (Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan: ATK 2100 - 300 = 1800 / DEF 800 - 300 = 500). "Incredible..." he said to himself. "She seemed to read my move perfectly... She knew I would try to use my Synchro Monster to halt her Spell and Trap use, and set up the perfect countermeasure to stop it." Looking at his Synchro Monster on the field he then said, "At the end of this turn, Shi En will regain his effect, but with her new Dragon at 2,600 attack points, it won't survive the next turn..." Sighing a bit, he then nodded to his opponent and said, "It's your turn."

"Sounds pretty good to me." said Ember, drawing her next card. She then looked at it and thought, (That'll do just fine...) She then immediately played the card she drew and said, "I Summon Herald of Creation in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was of an adult woman with blond hair wearing beautiful robes and a helmet with a veil covering her face. She wore nothing on her feet and carried a long, golden staff with a large ring on the top of it (Herald of Creation: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 600).

Sitting on the sidelines, Gilda said to Fluttershy, "Now that his Field Spell's gone, this is that Ember chick's chance to get rid of the rest of his monsters." Fluttershy simply nodded to say that she understood.

And attacking was exactly what Ember did next. "Now for my Battle Phase! I attack Kizan with Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon!" Her purple Dragon then fired another stream of flames, eliminating Steel's monster and damaging his Life Points (Steel Shadows: LP 3,900 - 400 = 3,500). "And now... Arkbrave Dragon attacks Shi En!" Ember shouted next. Her second Dragon then fired a bright beam of light at his Synchro Monster and wiped it out as well while damaging Steel further (Steel Shadows: LP 3,500 - 100 = 3,400). "And last but not least, my Herald of Creation attacks you directly!" Her final monster then raised her staff, gathering light energy into it before unleashing a powerful blast that reduced her opponent's remaining Life Points even more (Steel Shadows: LP 3,400 - 1,800 = 1,600).

"...Yes...!" said Ember under her breath, happy that she managed to get control of the Duel this turn. (Just a little bit more to go...and then, once I win this, I'll be able to have my rematch with you, Sunset!)

Sunset Shimmer watched on, happy to see her friendly rival managing to get ahead of her opponent. However, she mentally urged her, (Don't get too complacent, Ember... There's still a lot of Duel left to go, and I have a feeling we haven't seen any of Steel's best moves yet...)

Outside of the stadium, in the parking lot where several people who had come to see the tournament gathered together, a sounds of revving engines could be heard off in the distance. The people in the lot looked over towards where the sound was coming from and saw what appeared to be a pair of motorcycles; one with a fiery design - driven by a woman, and the other with a white and navy blue pegasus motif - driven by a man. Their riders were in full racing gear, including helmets which obscured their identities.

The two riders drove their motorized bikes into the parking lot, looking for somewhere to park their vehicles. Pointing ahead towards a large mobile home, the male rider said to the other, "Over there. I think that's his." Nodding the female rider drove ahead with the male following her, stopping their bikes nearby where the mobile home was.

Getting off of her bike, the female rider said to her companion, "You DO know that he's probably not in there, right? After all, he is a competitor in the tournament that's going on here." Her tone of voice suggested that she was a bit of a tomboy at heart.

"Yeah, I know." said the male. "But it'll be easier to take care of...other matters once we find him and come back here. Trust me, I know what I'm doin'."

"If you say so." the female replied. "Let's just go and find that Steel guy, wherever he is."

The male had just retrieved what appeared to be a navy-blue Duel Pad from his motorcycle and turned it on. Tapping on it a few times, he then said to his partner, "Well finding him's gonna be real easy; he's in a Duel right now. I pulled up the live stream of the tournament and found out from there."

"That's cool. So we don't have to waste a whole lotta time lookin' for him." said the female. "Of course, we'll have to wait 'til he's done with his Duel before we can do anything with him."

"Eh, not a problem." the male told her. "At least we'll get to see if he's as good as the rumors say he is first-hand. If anything, it's a good thing that he's in the middle of a game right now. Anyway, we've wasted enough time out here; let's go inside." The female rider nodded and they both entered the stadium together to find Steel Shadows for reasons known only to them...

Back in the stadium arena, Steel had just survived an attack by three of Ember's most powerful cards, though now he was down to just 1,600 of his Life Points and had no monsters out to guard him. "Amazing!!" said Meghan Williams. "Ember completely turned things around! Now she has a lead on Steel Shadows in both monsters and Life Points! But will Steel be able to recover from this?"

(I most certainly will.) Steel thought to himself. He then said to Ember, "As I expected...you are a very formidable Duelist. To have pushed my back against the wall this much... I must say, I'm very impressed."

"Heh, thanks." Ember said with a smirk. "And there's more where that came from."

"...But this Duel is not yet over, Ember." he then told her. "And I can assure you; I don't plan on giving you a chance to show me any more of what your Deck is capable of. Now watch, as I draw this card..." After taking the top card of his Deck, he then looked at it before revealing it to everyone watching. "I drew my Pot of Desires. I banish ten card from the top of my Deck face-down and draw two more."

Ember watched as her opponent did just as he said he would, wondering to herself, (Now what's this guy up to...? I've got a feeling that he's still got something left up his sleeve... But what?)

After drawing the two cards his Spell allowed him, he gave a slight smirk. "...Perfect." Playing one of the cards he drew, he declared, "I play my Mind Control Spell Card. It permits me control of any one of your monster for the duration of the turn. I select your most powerful monster: Arkbrave Dragon."

Ember gasped in shock as her mighty Dragon suddenly flew over to her opponent's side of the field. "You do know that you can't attack with my Dragon or release it, right?" asked Ember, though her facial expression suggested that she knew that he knew that already.

"Attacking with your monster was not my intention." Steel told her. "Nor was releasing it. But it will leave the field this turn." Playing another card from his hand, he then said, "I activate Shien's Smoke Signal, which lets me add any Level 3 or lower Six Samurai from my Deck to my hand. I choose the Level 1 Tuner Monster, Secret Six Samurai - Fuma, and then Summon him to the field." His next monster was - like most of his Secret Six Samurai, dressed more like a ninja than a samurai, especially since it carried a pair of large shuriken (a.k.a. throwing stars) as his primary weapon of choice (Secret Six Samurai - Fuma: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 1800).

"No...a Tuner...!" said Ember in distress. "Now I see what he's planning..."

"He's going to Synchro Summon again..." Sunset told both Twilight and Spike, "using her monster as one of the materials."

"Uh oh... This doesn't look good for Ember..." said the concerned Spike. Twilight kept on watching, waiting to see what Steel had planned for his opponent this time, and if it was enough for him to claim victory.

Ember knew that her opponent was going to use her monster in order to bring out one of his own, but unfortunately she had no way of stopping it now. Taking a card from out of his Extra Deck Pile, Steel Shadows then said to her, "It has been a long time since I have used this card in a Duel: The first card I ever owned. It has been beside me throughout my entire dueling journey. And now I shall call upon its power to win this battle as well...!" Thrusting out his right arm, he then said, "I tune Fuma, Level 1...to your Arkbrave Dragon, Level 7!" Fuma then clasped his hands together, assuming a fighter's stance as it transformed into a single ball of light that flew up into the air, returning as a green ring that surrounded Ember's Dragon, transforming it into seven smaller lights (Level 1 + Level 7 = Level 8).

"Giant fighter from a distant future, appear in our era and crush your foes with your tremendous strength! Let nothing escape your mighty fist!" Steel chanted as the skies above grew dark with storm clouds (not real ones, of course) "Synchro Summon!!" At that moment, a powerful bolt of lightning then shot down onto the green ring and seven small lights, energizing them with even more power. The lightning bolt then formed into a large sphere of bright light that radiated all over the stadium, forcing some people, including Ember, to shield their eyes.

"Oh my goodness!!" exclaimed Rarity. "What enormous strength!"

"Just what in th' hay is that guy bringin' out?!" asked Applejack.

"Somethin' tells me we're about to find out...!!" Rainbow Dash answered.

Just then, as the light began to fade, a pair of massive arms covered in pearl-white armor. This was soon followed by a pair of equally-massive legs, also bearing the same kind of armor. Then, the rest of the being's body emerged from out of the light, revealing itself as a gigantic human man whose size practically dwarfed the height of even his controller. Several green and blue jewels adorned the pearl-white armor he wore, and over his eyes was a green visor, giving the giant an overall futuristic appearance. "Come unstoppable force, Level 8! Colossal Fighter!!" shouted Steel, finishing his summoning chant.

*******************************

Colossal Fighter:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Warrior/DARK/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 1000)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
Gains 100 ATK for every Warrior monster in any GY. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can target 1 Warrior monster in either GY; Special Summon that target.

*******************************

"Incredible..." said Gilda, awestruck by Steel's last move. "Colossal Fighter...one of the first Synchro Monsters ever created. That card is beyond rare nowadays... Who'dve thought that guy would have one in his Deck?"

"Oh my... I-it certainly looks very strong..." said Fluttershy, trembling a little. It certainly seemed that everyone watching was astounded and surprised by Steel's last move.

All except for Ember; her facial expression suggested that she knew he would go for that monster, though nobody knew just how she could have figured that. "I had a feeling you would have THAT card." she told her opponent. "I gotta say, I respect you for really going all out on me here."

"And you have my respect as well, Ember..." Steel told her. "After all, you are among the very few that have actually forced me to use my Deck's most powerful monster. Unfortunately, that ALSO means that your chance of victory has now passed. With my Colossal Fighter, I will win this Duel and move forward in my future as a Duelist!"

On the sidelines, Twilight and Spike were still in shock at seeing such a powerful monster Summoned to Steel's side. "I-i-incredible!!" said Spike. "Th-that guy looks almost as big as Ember's Dragons! Maybe even BIGGER!!"

"It certainly does, Spike..." Twilight responded, feeling nervous seeing it, even though she wasn't even fighting it. Turning to Sunset, she asked her friend, "Just...how powerful IS that Colossal Fighter thing?"

"Quite powerful, actually." the red-and-yellow girl answered her. "Colossal Fighter starts with a base attack of 2,800... However, he gains an additional 100 attack points for every Warrior in the Graveyard... And that even counts any Warriors in Ember's Graveyard as well."

"You're kidding me...!" said Spike. He then asked, "So...how many of those kinds of monsters are in the Graveyard right now?"

"If my math is correct," Sunset began to say, "seven Warrior monsters are in the Graveyard right now; all from Steel's Deck. That gives Colossal Fighter 700 more attack points." (Colossal Fighter: Level 8 / ATK 2800 + 700 = 3500)

"That's amazing..." said Twilight. "But...I have a feeling that can't be ALL it does."

"You're right, Twilight." her Judge friend confirmed. "Colossal Fighter can also revive any Warrior from the Graveyard if it gets destroyed in battle. It can even bring itself back with its own effect. That's what makes that card truly powerful."

"Aw man...how's Ember gonna beat that?" asked Spike. "There's just no way!"

"I guess we'll see if she CAN beat it, Spike..." Twilight told him. Sunset looked on, wondering if her rival from Bloodstone could defeat such a powerful monster.

"It's time, Colossal Fighter!" shouted Steel Shadows. "Attack her Herald of Creation now with Megaton Impact Punch!!" Steel's monster then pulled his fist back, summoning up the energy needed to make such a powerful-sounding attack. Then, with a mighty battle cry, the massive monster then threw a mighty punch aimed straight towards Ember's Spellcaster monster. The Spellcaster did her best to block it, but there was no blocking such a powerful attack, and she was wiped out instantly the mighty blow even caused shards of stone to fly out and hit Ember directly, causing her considerable damage (Ember: LP 3,000 - 1,700 = 1,300).

"Aw man..." said Vinyl Scratch. "she barely survived that..."

"Yes... One more blow like that, and she will lose this Duel." stated Octavia. "She'll need to turn this around next turn, and the odds are certainly not in her favor..."

Grunting a little, Ember stared down her opponent and told him, "I'm still standing, buddy... This Duel isn't over yet, got it?"

"Perhaps it's not, but with this card I'm about to play, your chance of victory will escape you for certain." Steel informed her. "You said earlier that your monsters become more powerful when they return to the field from the Graveyard, such as in your last Duel, as well as in this one when you used the power of your Arkbrave Dragon... But I cannot allow you a chance to use that sort of power again. So I activate the Spell Card Soul Release!"

"Aw, crud..." groaned Ember, not happy to see that card pop up.

"This card allows me to banish up to five card from my and/or your Graveyard." he explained to her. "And I choose to banish all three of your monsters in the Graveyard, plus the Breakthrough Skill and Dragon's Rebirth Trap Cards you used against me earlier." Ember just growled a little under her breath as she removed the five selected cards from her D-Pad's Graveyard slot. "Since I had seen your strategy earlier," Steel continued, "I made sure to move this card from out of my Side Deck before our Duel."

"Clever move..." said Sunset. "Now Ember doesn't have any monsters in the Graveyard to Summon back even to defend herself. She can't even use Breakthrough Skill's Graveyard effect to help her either."

"That doesn't sound good for Ember..." Twilight stated.

"How is she supposed to fight back now?" asked Spike.

"Not sure," Sunset answered, "but if there is a way, I'm sure Ember could figure it out."

Far off in the sidelines, the two motorcycle riders that were apparently looking for Steel Shadows stayed out of the crowds to observe the wandering Duelist's game. "Quite an impressive comeback, huh?" asked the male rider.

"Sure was." replied the female. "After seeing that, I'm not annoyed anymore about coming out all this way just so you could find this guy." She then asked, "So what's the verdict? Is this guy as good as you thought he was?"

The male simply hummed a bit to himself in response, not yet giving an answer to his friend's question...

Ember wasn't very happy with her current situation, as she was now facing an incredibly powerful monster, and all she had out was her long-named Dragon monster (Man...I hate to admit it, but this guy is real strong...! Maybe even tougher than my Dad was...!) she thought. (He plays each and every one of his cards so precisely and barely leaves any openings for me to exploit... Now he's got me backed into a corner, with almost nothing to fight back with...ALMOST...)

Ember then looked at her Deck and continued to think to herself, (Even though my chances of making it out of this mess are pretty close to zero as they'll ever be... As long as there's even a slight chance, I'm not giving up! I made it my mission to win this tournament, start my career as a Pro Duelist, and above all, get my rematch with Sunset and give her the Duel I didn't give her when we first met! For those reasons, I'm not giving up this Duel!)

Seeing the fierce determination in her eyes, Steel smiled a little, saying, "Even against overwhelming odds...you have not lost your will to battle on. You truly are a worthy opponent, Ember... I look forward to seeing how you can overcome me, if you can."

"Oh I can, buddy." said Ember with a smirk. "So keep an eye on me and don't blink: Or you might miss it when I turn the tables on ya! I draw!" She then swiftly drew her next card as the audience watched, wondering if there was any way for her to get out of her predicament.

Looking at the card she drew, she kept that smirk on her face and said, "Well, look at this: It's the same card you drew on your turn."

"The same card as me...?" asked Steel. "You drew Pot of Desires?"

"You've got it!" she confirmed, playing the Spell Card right away. "So just like you did, I'll banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw two more." Once she removed the first ten cards, she then pulled the next twi and looked at them closely. (Hmmm...Lord of D. and The Melody of Awakening Dragon...) Thinking about it for a while, she then glanced over at the only other card she had in play besides her monster: Dragon Ravine. (Wait a sec...) she then pondered in her mind, (if I do that...get that...and then do that...) Gasping, she then said to herself, "Yes...! I think it might work!" Taking one of the cards she drew, Ember then announced, "I activate The Melody of Awakening Dragon! After I ditch a card from my hand, I can add any two Dragons from my Deck with an attack power of 3,000 or more, and a defense power of 2,500 or less!" After discarding her Lord of D. card, she then made her choices and put them into her hand.

"Hmmmm..." hummed Steel, wondering what she was up to.

"Next, I think I'll use the effect of Dragon Ravine." Ember continued. "I'll discard Soul Drain Dragon - one of the cards I got from my previous Spell Card, in order to send Darkstorm Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard." And she did just that.

"Now she's got monsters in her Graveyard again..." said Fluttershy. Turning over to Gilda, she then asked her, "Do you think she'll try to use another card to bring them onto the field...?"

"That does seem like that's what she's tryin' to do..." the roughneck Duelist answered. "But Darkstorm Dragon's not powerful enough to beat Colossal Fighter, and Soul Drain Dragon has a Special Summoning condition, so she can't bring it back from the Graveyard."

"So...are you saying that she ISN'T going to try and bring them back?" asked Fluttershy. "If so, then...what IS her strategy...?"

"Beats me..." Gilda replied. In fact, no one seemed to know what Ember's plan was besides Ember...

Before continuing with her turn, Ember then told her opponent, "I don't say this to just anybody, but I will say it to you: You're one of the toughest Duelists I've fought, and it was a real big honor to duel you here in the tournament."

"...Likewise." said Steel. "The Duels I fought in this competition were truly invigorating, and I'm happy to have been a part of it."

"Same here." the Bloodstone girl responded. "And that's the reason I'm not giving up on this Duel!"

"Hm...?!" hummed Steel, not expecting to hear her say something like that.

"I came to this tournament to prove to myself and everyone else that I have what it takes to compete with the best of them!" she then continued. "And that dream's not going to die here!" Taking three cards out of her Graveyard, she then said, "I banish these three monsters from my Graveyard: Lord of D., Soul Drain Dragon, and Darkstorm Dragon!"

"She's banishing them?!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "But why??"

"Yeah, what's she tryin' t' do??" asked Rainbow Dash.

Down on the field, Twilight and Spike were equally shocked by this play. "After all that trouble to put those cards in the Graveyard, she's just gonna ditch 'em?!" asked the dragon-turned-puppy.

"I...I can only guess that it must be a cost for a big play," Twilight figured, "but what kind of play?"

(...Wait!) thought Flash Sentry in the stands. (Could she have...THAT rare card?)

Sunset thought the exact same thing as Flash. (There's only one card that I can think of that has such a steep cost... Does Ember really have it in her Deck?)

Taking a card out of her hand and placing it onto her D-Pad's tray, she then said, "From between the worlds of light and darkness comes a new, unknown power! Appear in this world and unleash your chaotic fury!" At that moment, a violent storm appeared overhead, made up of white and black clouds. Every now and again, a neon-green bolt of lightning would strike the field in a random spot, causing those nearby to instinctively flinch. Ember then finished her chant, saying, "Lend me your power now!! Chaos Dragon Levianeer!!"

After she finished speaking, a massive bolt of lightning struck the ground behind Ember and remained there for a while. After some time, a pair silver wings came out of the bolt, with parts of it glowing in the same neon-green color as the lightning bolt. Next, a pair of silvery clawed feet came out, followed a massive dragon head with a neon-green horn on its head. Finally, the rest of its silver-and-green body emerged, and the creature let out a massive roar as a show of its power (Chaos Dragon Levianeer: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 0).

"I-I-INCREDIBLE!!" exclaimed Bright Mind. "It's Chaos Dragon Levianeer!! One of the most sought-after Dragons in the game! And she Summoned it to the field!!"

"Wowee... I'm glad I don't have to fight that thing right now..." said Sweetie Belle, who - like most of the people watching, was a bit intimidated by this all-powerful creature.

"Rrrgh..." growled Adagio. "This could be...a bit problematic." Aria and Sonata were also not too happy to see this powerful monster either. Whatever they were trying to do during the tournament, they knew this monster would be a major road block in their plans.

"Chaos Dragon Levianeer..." said Sunset. "I should have figured that Ember would have such a powerful card in reserve."

"Woah...that thing's humongous!!" Spike commented. "So THAT'S what Ember was setting up for!"

"Yeah... And if she was willing to banish all those other monsters just to Summon it, it has to have extraordinary powers..." Twilight added.

Even Steel Shadows was shocked to see such a rare and powerful monster Summoned in front of him. "A-amazing...!" he said. "I...had no idea you had such a card in your Deck...!"

"I managed to get this card just before the tournament was announced." Ember explained. "Cost me quite a bit as you can imagine... But soon, that investment will be worth it if it carries me all the way to victory in this tournament!" Thrusting her hand into the air, she then shouted, "Now, Chaos Dragon Levianeer! Activate your effect!!"

Everyone watched as the dragon roared once more, glowing even brighter as it did so. Then, everyone watched as three beams of light - one yellow and two purple shot out of the ground and into Ember's new monster. "Now what in the hay's goin' on??" asked Applejack. "What're those beams all about?"

"To explain things," Ember started, "Chaos Dragon Levianeer has three different effects; which one it uses depends on what monster Attributes I used to Summon it. Since I used both DARK and LIGHT-Attribute monsters for the Summoning cost, I can use Levianeer's third effect, which allows me to destroy any two cards on the field!"

"What?!" exclaimed Steel.

"So she'll use the effect to destroy both of the cards that her opponent has on the field, including that Colossal Fighter." Twilight correctly assumed. "So THAT was her plan..."

"And even though Chaos Dragon Levianeer can't attack when it uses its effect," Sunset then explained, "she can still attack with her other monster and win the Duel."

"You mean the really long-named one, right?" asked Spike. Sunset nodded yes in response.

Pointing towards her opponent's side of the field, Ember then commanded, "Go, Levianeer! Destroy both of his cards!" The massive Dragon monster then shot out rays of blue-green light from the glowing portions of its body striking both Steel Shadows' Colossal Fighter and his face-down card. In no time at all, his field was completely empty.

(No...my monster...) thought Steel. (It was destroyed... And because it was destroyed by a card effect, I cannot bring it back with its own effect. And my face-down Musakani Magatama only works if I have a Six Samurai monster on the field...) Knowing that defeat was unavoidable at this point, Steel simply smiled a little and said to his fellow competitor, "A well-played Duel, Ember..."

Nodding with a smile of her own, Ember then shouted to her other monster, "Interplanetarypurplythorny Dragon, attack him directly and wrap this up!" Her dark-purple monster then fired off a stream of blue-violet flames at Steel reducing his Life Points completely. Steel simply stood there, not flinching even a little bit as he took the full brunt of the attack (Steel Shadows: LP 1,600 - 2,200 = 0).

"This Duel is over!" shouted Sunset after making her way back to the center of the field. "Ember is the winner!"

"And that's it, Duel fans!" announced Meghan with her usual pep. "It was a hard-fought Duel, and there was no telling who would come out on top! But in the end, Ember of the town of Bloodstone has won the Duel and will move on to the Semifinals!" The crowds cheered loudly in response to her announcement.

On the field, both Ember and Steel approached each other and shook hands with each other. "Congratulations, Ember." he said to her. "You fought well and earned a magnificent victory. I have no doubt you will win this tournament and get your chance to compete in the WCQ's."

"Thanks, buddy." Ember replied. "But I'll admit: You sure didn't make it easy for me. When you got that Colossal Fighter of yours on the field, I actually thought I might've lost that one... Only for about a second, but still." Chuckling a little, she then added, 'But seriously, you're a really good Duelist, and I'm sure you'll make it big someday."

"...Or perhaps he'll make it big TODAY." said a male voice from nearby.

Everyone heard the voice, but no one knew where it came from. "Who said that??" asked Ember. Turning to Sunset, she then asked her, "I...know this might be a bit of a stupid question, but...did you say that just now?"

"Not me." the jacket-clad Judge answered.

"I didn't say anything either." Meghan stated.

"Don't rack your brains about it, everyone." the voice spoke once more. "We'll come out so you can see who we are." At that moment, two individuals - the man and woman that had earlier arrived at the stadium on motorcycle (and still in their riding gear) walked out onto the field. Of course, it was still unclear who they actually were, since they still had their helmets on.

"Um...who are you two?" asked Meghan. "I wasn't informed of anyone other than us or the competing Duelists making an appearance in the tournament."

"That's cause we're not here for the tournament." said the woman. "But we do have a very good reason for being here." She then motioned to her companion, who then walked over to Steel Shadows.

"Your name..." the mysterious man began to ask him, "It's Steel Shadows, correct?"

"Um...yes it is." Steel answered. "May I ask why you wish to know...?"

The man paused for a moment and then said to the young Duelist, "There's something that we need to discuss..."

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 2):

Ember vs. Steel Shadows [WINNER: Ember]
Gilda vs. Fluttershy [WINNER: ???]
Sonata Dusk vs. Bright Mind [WINNER: ???]
Octavia Melody vs. Sweetie Belle [WINNER: ???]

RANK 50: Revving it Back to the Past:

Author's Note

And here is the episode to close out the year, with an appropriate 5D's theme, considering that this is Rank 50 (actually, it was a coincidence that it ended up this way, but whatever :rainbowwild: ).

In addition, I'm also planning to start up another new series alongside this one just to keep things fresh. I won't say too much, but I hope this new series will be a brilliant idea and a shining example of what's to come from me in the future.

For now, enjoy the episode!

RANK 50: Revving it Back to the Past:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The Duel Monsters tournament taking place at Canterlot High's stadium has now entered its Quarterfinal rounds, where the eight Duelists that won the first series of Duels - Ember, Steel Shadows, Gilda, Fluttershy, Sonata Dusk, Bright Mind, Octavia Melody, and Sweetie Belle, were ready to face off against one another in more white-hot matches. First to compete were Ember - a Dragon Deck specialist from Bloodstone, and Steel Shadows - a nomadic Duelist that mastered a Six Samurai Deck..

As expected, a Duel involving the daughter of an ex-Pro Duelist verses a recognized champ of many tournaments across the country proved to be quite the matchup. The two combatants went back and forth, Summoning their best monsters and utilizing their most effective strategies. Eventually, Steel saw fit to unleash his secret weapon: Colossal Fighter, one of the first cards he had ever received during his life as a Duelist. Though the powerful monster had Ember backed into a corner, she came swinging back with an ace card of her own: the mighty Chaos Dragon Levianeer, whose effect allowed her to snatch an almost-impossible victory.

As the two incredible Duelists shook hands and bid each other good luck, they were suddenly approached by a mysterious pair of motorcycle riders... And they have their sights set on Steel for some reason...

In Canterlot High's Stadium, the Duel between Ember and Steel Shadows had just concluded with Ember's victory. But even before the pair could leave the field, a strange pair of individuals - one male and one female each decked out in motorcycle riding gear, suddenly approached the two of them. No one seemed to know who they were or why they were here...

"Um...who are you two?" asked Meghan Williams, the MC for the tournament. "I wasn't informed of anyone other than us or the competing Duelists making an appearance in the tournament."

"That's cause we're not here for the tournament." said the unknown woman. "But we do have a very good reason for being here." She then used her finger to make a gesture towards the person that was with her, and they both walked over to Steel Shadows.

"Your name... It's Steel Shadows, correct?" asked the man.

"Um...yes it is." Steel replied. "May I ask why you wish to know...?"

The male didn't say anything at first, but then responded, saying, "There's something that we need to discuss... And it's very important."

"Well, whatever it is, I think we all should know who you two are." Sunset informed them. "I'm sorry, but as the official Judge for the event, I should inform you that I can't allow just ANYONE to walk out onto the field without permission."

"Huh? Are you saying you don't recognize me??" asked the man, seemingly a little shocked by Sunset's comment. He then put his hand to his head and felt the bike helmet that he was wearing. "Huh? Oh! I see..." he then said. "I guess wearing this silly thing WOULD make it hard to know who I am. Sorry 'bout that." He then pulled on his helmet to take it off, and after managing to do so, he revealed his face to everyone watching.

Gasping in shock, Sunset then said, "Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?! I-is that-?!?" She was so surprised by the man's face reveal, she couldn't help but to stutter.

"Oh my GOODNESS!!" exclaimed Rarity, sitting in the stands with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Flash Sentry. "Could it possibly be HIM?!"

"Ah... Ah think it is!" Applejack replied.

"Yeah it is!!" shouted an excited Rainbow Dash. "It's SOARIN!!"

"What?! You mean Soarin from the Wonderbolts Turbo Duel team?!" asked Flash, surprised. "That's him?!"

"There's no mistaking it!" Dash told him. "I'd recognize that sky-blue face and that awesome dark-blue hair ANYWHERE!"

"And those LOVELY emerald-green eyes of his...!" said Rarity, gushing a little bit. "Just absoLUTEly stunning!!" Her comment was heard by Spike, who simply huffed a little in response.

"But wait... If Soarin's here," Applejack started to say, "Then that means the other one's-"

But before Applejack could finish her comment, the woman that was accompanying Soarin had now removed her helmet as well, revealing her face to be bright yellow. Like Soarin, her hair was cut short, and was colored in various shades of orange, making it look like a flame. Her eyes were a nice golden-brown in color, and had a fierce, yet mellow look to them. "Yeah, that's much better..." she then commented. "Too hot to be wearin' these things anyway." Turning to her companion, she said to him, "I TOLD you we should've taken our helmets off before going into the stadium, Soarin."

"Uh, yeah... Sorry, Spitfire." her friend replied. "I was in such a hurry, I guess I didn't think about it..." The other woman simply chuckled a little at her friend's reply, indicating that she really wasn't too miffed by his forgetfulness.

"So it's really true..." said Sunset, astounded by the revel of the other strange individual. "It's really Soarin, one of the top members of the Wonderbolts... And not only that, there's Spitfire, the team's leader...!"

"Si-simply AMAZING!!" cheered Meghan. "To think: The Wonderbolts - the top Turbo Duel team in the country, here at the Duel Monsters tournament that I'M MC-ing for!! This is like a dream come true!!"

"But, WHY are they here right now?" asked Ember. Turning over to Steel Shadows, she asked him, "They seemed like they wanted to talk to you, Steel...did you invite them or something?"

"I didn't." he answered. "Believe me, I am just as curious about this as you are." Deciding to figure out what was going on, Steel then asked Soarin, "Um...if I may speak for a moment... Why are you here? And what is it that you want from me?"

"Hm? Oh! Yes, of course!" the blue-haired Wonderbolt replied. "I guess we should explain why we came all the way out here." Clearing his throat a little and getting serious, Soarin then told Steel, "You see, the reason that Spitfire and I came here was to speak to you, specifically."

"Speak to me?" asked Steel.

"Yeah." Soarin continued. "Truth is, we've been watching you performing in the tournament as we came out here. Not only that, but before this competition she and I have been looking at a lot of your records in other tournaments that you've competed in, and I must say: We're both very impressed."

"Um, thank you." Steel simply replied. Now even more curious as to the whole nature of the conversation, he then inquired, "But...why have you been taking an interest in my dueling records?"

"Well, after we heard of just how well you've done in past competitions," Soarin told him, "we knew that we wanted to meet up with you."

"Problem is, everywhere that we went, we couldn't find you." Spitfire chimed in. "We looked around, asked around, but you were gone without a trace. Eventually, we had nearly given up hope of getting to meet with you. And that's when Soarin here turned on the live stream of this tournament and found out that you were one of the Duelists competing."

"Once we knew you would be sticking around for a while," Soarin continued to explain, "we wasted no time getting on our Duel Runners and hightailin' it over here. We managed to get here just as you brought out that Colossal Fighter guy. I gotta say, it was real awesome seein' him Summoned to the field like that; they just don't make cards as cool as that these days..."

"I see... So what is it that you wanted to say to me?" asked Steel. "What is so important that you went to all of this trouble just to find me?"

"Heh... I would tell you to sit down for this, as it's gonna really blow your mind once you hear it..." Soarin told him. "But since there's nowhere TO sit, you'll just have to stand for it instead."

"I...don't understand..." Steel replied, not sure what that meant exactly.

Chuckling a little, Spitfire then said, "I'll just get right to the point: Steel Shadows...we would like it if you could join us on our team!"

That sudden request caused a collective gasp to fall over the entire stadium. "Y-y-y-you're kidding me!!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Did she just say that she wanted that guy to join the Wonderbolts?!"

"What a twist!!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. She then held up an ice-cream cone that she was licking and added, "How did they get the chocolate and the vanilla so perfectly twisted?! It's amazing!" Apparently her comment was about her snack, not what Spitfire had just said.

Everyone was shocked by what they had just heard Spitfire say, most of all Steel Shadows. "You...you want me to join your team...??" he asked in disbelief. "You...can't be serious, can you?"

"Oh, we're serious, buddy." Soarin told him. "Like we told you; Spitfire and I've been watching all of your past duels and were pretty impressed with how you did. If we weren't serious about having you join the team, we wouldn'tve gone to all the trouble of driving out here just to talk to you."

Steel saw the logic in Soarin's words and realized that it wasn't all a joke when they asked him to join them. Still, he felt a bit confused and asked them, "But...are you sure that I would be good enough? Don't get me wrong; I am confident in my abilities, but how do you know if I can support the Wonderbolts effectively enough?"

"...I understand what you're saying." Soarin spoke to him. "I guess anybody - even someone as skilled as yourself, may not think they have what it takes to perform on the level of the Wonderbolts. I know that feeling myself: I had it when I first tried out for the team."

"Wait, seriously?" asked Sunset. "You're one of the team strongest members, and even YOU were nervous when you first got on?"

"Of course I was." Soarin answered. "Everybody gets that shaky feeling when they join a team, no matter what kind of team it is. They get so worried about how well they'd stack up compared to the others, and often try too hard to get up to their level. I had that same worry myself, especially when I came face-to-face with one of the Wonderbolts' best: Crimson Inferno."

"Wait! Did you say 'Crimson Inferno'?" asked a grungy-sounding British accent from the audience. The voice belonged to a student named Crimson Napalm, recognizable by his red mohawk and punk-rock attire. "That's the name of me older cousin!"

Turning to face Napalm, Soarin looked him over and said, "Oh yeah... yeah, I can see the family resemblance, especially with that accent of yours; sounds just like the guy." Getting back on-topic, he then told everyone, "But yeah, as I was sayin': Crimson Inferno was one of the strongest members of the entire team, right up there with Spitfire. And I met the guy back when I first started trying out for the Wonderbolts... I remember it like it was yesterday..."

Before I had even considered being a part of the team, I was their number-one fan: I knew anything and everything about the team, and any Wonderbolts-related product you could think of, I had at least five of it. Watching them in action spurred me into wanting to be as strong a Duelist as they were. I practiced my dueling skills nearly every day and got my Duel Runner license so that I could perfect my riding skills as well. For a while, that was pretty much my day-to-day hobby.

Then, sometime after I graduated from school, I was arbitrarily doing some browsing on the web - looking up new cards and strategies for my Deck, when I saw the most amazing thing ever; the announcement that would change my life forever...

"CALLING ALL TURBO DUELISTS!" it said. "This is the moment that you have all been waiting for: The Wonderbolts - top Turbo Dueling team in the nation, are now seeking potential new members to join up! If you think you can rev it up and really kick your game into overdrive, then don't hesitate to make your way here and see if you've got what it takes! Don't blink, or this opportunity will whiz past you faster than Speed Warrior!"

Under all of that, there was a location for the tryouts, as well as a date and time to arrive. Doing just what the ad said, I didn't hesitate. I grabbed my gear, my Deck, and my Runner and was ready to zip my way to the tryouts...only to realize that there was a whole week between now and the posted date. So I spent that time perfecting my skills at riding and dueling non-stop for the next few days, making sure that I would be at my best when I showed up.

Between all my training and the fact that I was so excited to get to the tryouts, I nearly overslept when that day finally came. I rushed to get there as fast as possible, making sure to take the fastest route to reach my destination. And then, I finally made it: The famous Cloudsdale Stadium, the premier arena of all of Canterlot City. This was where I had hoped to make a name for myself and become a member of one of the best Turbo Duel teams in the world.

Going through a special tunnel reserved for those taking part in vehicle-related sporting events (including, but not limited to, Turbo Duels) I drove into the stadium, where I saw several other hopeful people all seeking the same goal as I did. I'm willing to admit; I was a little nervous seeing just how many people were there 'cause I knew the competition would be stiff.

We waited there for a while, all of us parked in front of a large stage set up in the middle of the arena with the Wonderbolts logo printed on the front until about 10:00 a.m. - the listed time on the advertisement that brought me here. Soon after, the arena lights all blacked out at once.

"Whuh?! What happened to all the lights??" asked one guy.

"Yeah, what's goin' on?!" asked another.

I wasn't sure either, but then our eyes turned to the stage before us, where some cleverly-placed fog machines began blowing smoke everywhere around it. Several lights on the stage lit up in several different colors, and some triumphant-sounding music began to play in the background.

Yeah, those who know the Wonderbolts pretty well know that we have quite a flair for major theatrics.

As we all stared at the fog-covered stage, a person began walking up onto it. It was there that we all met in person, for the first time ever, the leader of the Wondebolts, Spitfire. That fire-colored hair matched her fierce and powerful look perfectly as she walked up to the front of the stage, decked out in a really sick-looking outfit that looked kinda like an airplane pilot's uniform, only a tad more extreme-looking.

Taking the nearby microphone from the stand it was attached to, Spitfire announced, "I welcome each every one of you to Cloudsdale Stadium for what may be the most incredible thing to happen to you! For once this event is over, one or more of you may become the newest members of the Wonderbolts!!"

Everyone cheered in response, myself included. I was excited to show what I had to offer the team.

"As you all should hopefully know, my name is Spitfire, leader and founder of the Wonderbolts!" she then said to us all. "And my dream is to take this team all the way to the top and become known as the greatest Turbo Duel team in the world! And in order to do that, we are constantly on the lookout for potential new talent that can help us to achieve that goal. So I want to see each and every one of you do your best out there and show what you've got!" And all of us cheered once more to say that we would do just that.

"Now," Spitfire started, "I'll explain just how these tryouts will work: All of you will be judged on your Duel Runner riding ability, as well as your skills in Dueling. Each of your scores and statistics in both categories will combine to create your final scores. Those of you who score the highest will get what they have come here for: a spot on the Wonderbolts!"

(And I'm gonna make sure that's me!) I thought to myself, clenching my fist and putting on a determined smile.

"Wow...so back before now, you were just another hopeful Duelist like of us..." Ember commented to Soarin after she and others heard the story.

"I'll have to admit, it's kinda weird to think that you were just another regular guy at any point in time." Sunset then said to him.

"Aheheh, I guess so..." Soarin replied. "But you should all know: Each and every person out there that's an expert on Dueling or anything else started out as a novice. No one's born knowing all the skills they need to succeed."

"And yet," Spitfire chimed in, "there was someone on the team that seemed to feel that way about himself... Someone who thought he was the best and that he was all the Wonderbolts needed to be the greatest..."

"...Are you, perhaps, referring to this Crimson Inferno person that you mentioned earlier?" asked Steel Shadows.

"You've got it, buddy." she confirmed, nodding. "The guy was as conceited as he was skilled at dueling, maybe even more. He's toned down considerably nowadays, but back then he had so much pride, it might as well've been oozing out his ears."

"Eww...that's an image I didn't need in my head..." Spike said as he and Twilight decided to walk over and hear the conversation for themselves.

"Just...how conceited was he, Spitfire?" asked Twilight.

"I'll tell ya by picking up from where Soarin left off." Spitfire told her. "That is, if you don't mind?" she then asked her friend.

"Go for it." Soarin replied, giving her permission to continue the story. Spitfire then cleared her throat and began to tell everyone what happened next...

After finishing my announcement, I informed Soarin and the others that they would have fifteen minutes to do some last-minute preparations before we kicked things off. I had taken a large gulp from my water bottle (since all that loud speaking gets my throat pretty scratchy), when who should show up but Crimson, atop his crimson-red Duel Runner. I knew it was him because his look is pretty much universally recognizable: His greyish-blue skin, his piercing golden-yellow eyes, short, red hair that looked like a raging flame, and his imposing outfit that made him look as powerful as he did fearsome. He usually went with a dark-purple overcoat with a black shirt underneath that bore his mean-looking skull emblem. Add the black pants and dark-grey boots, and you've got a Duelist who looks like he doesn't mess around.

When I saw him show up, I chuckled a bit and said to him, "Well, I didn't think you'd show up, Crimson. After all, you made it pretty clear that coming to the Wonderbolt Tryouts was a complete waste of time to you."

"The only reason that I'm here is because there's only one other thing that was more of a waste of time for me; and that's having these tryouts in the first place." he said back. "What's the point of allowing these greenhorns to have even the slightest illusion that they're good enough to be part of this team?"

"Because last I checked," I told him, "I believe the old phrase goes, 'There's no "I" in "team".' You're not the only skilled player in the Wonderbolts, Crimson, and I'd like it if you stopped acting like it. If we're going to grow as a team, we always need to be on the lookout for new talent. These tryouts are going to go on as scheduled, whether you like it or not."

Crimson didn't say anything at first, but it was clear that nothing I said was going to change his attitude towards the day's events. He then huffed and said to me, "Fine, do as you wish. It won't matter much to me either way. After all, you know deep down that I'm the whole reason our team is number one in the country, and I would like it if you would wake up and realize that." And with that he hopped off his Duel Runner and walked away, probably to go brooding off somewhere or something. I didn't know; I had more important things to do anyway.

So, ignoring Crimson and his comments, I went back to supervise the tryouts. I returned to the microphone set up on the podium and announced, "Alright, everyone! Let the Wonderbolt Tryouts officially begin!" As you might've guessed, everyone in the group cheered loudly, as they were ready to show off their skills, especially Soarin.

The first part of the tryouts was on expert Duel Runner handling. For the most part, it was simply a race between all of the contenders. But it wasn't quite THAT simple: It wasn't a mere, "get from Point A to Point B the fastest"; those in the race were also judged by their handling, acceleration, and technique. A lot of the participants tried going too fast and...well, wiped out pretty quick. Don't worry, we had a full team of medics on-site to handle any emergencies. But despite the difficult nature of this test, there were a few that managed to drive well, as well as drive fast, and ended up scoring pretty high.

After that came the dueling tests, where we pitted all of the possible new recruits against each other in a round-robin tournament. Each of them were tested on how well they dueled; not just winning their Duels, but also how effectively they used their Decks and strategies. By the time the tournament was over, we had put together the scores, singling out those with the highest scores in both the riding and dueling tests.

I then walked up to the person that had the highest scores overall and said to them, "Well, I gotta admit it; I'm really impressed with how well ya handled yourself out there. I think you might just have what it takes to become one of us. Your expert Duel Runner technique, your dueling... No doubt about it, you've got everything we're looking for." Since the list I had only showed everyone by an assigned number and not their names, I had to ask them, "What's your name?"

"Uh... S-Soarin. It's Soarin, ma'am." he replied.

"Hmmm, Soarin, eh?" I then looked at his score on my list again before saying, "Well, as I said, I think you've got the best chance out of everyone here in becoming part of the team."

"Uh, r-really? Thanks!" he then said. "That means a whole lot coming from you!"

"Don't get too high and mighty, kid." said a voice that made me groan in my mind. "Being the best out of a group of total amateurs is nothing to be proud of." As you probably guessed, it was Crimson Inferno who made that not-at-all-flattering comment.

Turning to face him, I then said with a bit of a smirk, "Heh, you actually bothered to come all the way out here just give us your two cents regarding this guy here? And you accuse ME of wasting MY time..."

Crimson just huffed at my comment and responded, saying, "I just wanted to let this 'guy' know what's in store for him should he even make it onto the team. This isn't some little kiddie skate park to have fun in; this is a place where the strong keep moving forward while leaving the weak ones behind!" Walking right up to Soarin, he then said to him, "Spitfire may find your so-called 'skills' acceptable, but I don't."

"Riiiiiiight, because compared to you, EVERYBODY'S inferior..." I said sarcastically. I then thought to myself, (I just wish Crimson dueled others just as well as he taunts them, then I wouldn't have had to hold these tryouts in the first-) But at that moment, I stopped my thoughts short; I had an idea, and quite a clever one, if I do say so myself. I then faced Crimson once more and told him, "Well, if THAT'S what you really think, then perhaps you'd be willing to put your money where your mouth is, and assist me in...well, one more test."

"Test?" asked Crimson. "What test...?"

"A test to once and for all determine whether or not Soarin here has the necessary skills needed to support the Wonderbolts." I answered. "And once it's over with, we'll know for sure if he truly belongs here."

"Wh-what kinda test are we talking about, Ms. Spitfire?" Soarin asked me.

I smirked and pointed right at Soarin. "You..." I said to him before moving my pointer finger towards Crimson. "And you...will have a Turbo Duel!"

As you probably assumed, both Soarin and Crimson were startled when I proposed that they duel each other. "Wh-WHAT?! Me against him?!" asked Soarin in shock.

"You can't possibly be serious!!" Crimson shouted angrily at me.

"VERY serious." I responded calmly. "As Duelists, the best way to settle disputes such as this are in a Duel. If Soarin loses, I'll send him on his way. But if he wins, he joins the team without any further complaints."

"That's ridiculous!!" Crimson yelled. "I will not waste my time and talents on this pathetic Duelist when it's abundantly clear that he's not even close to my level!"

"Why do you sound so offended, Crimson?" I asked with another smirk. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to show this 'total amateur' his place... You've been against the idea of holding these tryouts since Day One, and when I finally give you a chance to prove that your opinion about it was right, you don't wanna take it... So what's wrong? Are you scared he'll beat you and make you look like a fool?"

That comment did it. Crimson couldn't handle the thought of anybody thinking that he was afraid of losing to anyone. He grumbled, but knew he had no choice. "Fine, have it your way, Spitfire." he said back. "I suppose I've gotten a bit bored just sitting around doing nothing; I might be able to take some pleasure in showing this wannabe his place." Huffing, he turned away and said, "I'll meet you on the track... That is, if you're not too scared at the thought of facing me."

To be honest, I did feel a little bad about pitting Soarin - a rookie at the time, against one of the strongest members of the team. I looked over to him and said, "Sorry about putting you on the spot like that... After all, Crimson does have quite a reputation..."

"That's okay, Ms. Spitfire. I'm okay with it." he replied. "I'll admit, I was surprised at first when you suddenly told us to duel each other, but I'll go along with it. To be honest, I'm kinda looking forward to showing that guy that I'm not a total loser!"

"So...does that mean that you're gonna go through with it?" I asked him.

"I sure am!" said Soarin with a look of determination that I hadn't seen on anyone else in a long time. "He may be really tough, but he's not the only guy with skills to show off! And I'm not about to let him call me a pathetic Duelist and get away with it! So I'm going out there, and win or lose, I know I'll make a big name for myself!"

I was both shocked and pleased by what I heard him say. He showed a great amount of confidence, but without any arrogance in his voice. If he had any fear going into that Duel, he wasn't showing it. It's qualities like those that are what I'm looking for the most in the members of the Wonderbolts. With a smile and a nod, I said to him, "Get out there and do your best!" Soarin smiled and head off towards his Duel Runner so that we could begin the Turbo Duel.

Back in the stadium, as Spitfire was telling her part of the story, a girl sitting next Crimson Napalm in the stands said to him, "Yeesh...that Inferno guy really loves to hear himself talk. And he's got such a bad attitude, too... Is he really your cousin?"

"Sure is..." Napalm answered. "And yeah, he's always been a bit on the mean side... He used to pick on me a lot when we were li'l kids; luckily, he an' his folks didn't visit much, especially after he got caught teasing me one day." Groaning a bit, he then added, "Since then, the only thing I had heard about 'im was that he joined the Wonderbolts, and he didn't keep that a secret from anybody; he bragged about it for about a week..."

"So you really decided to go up against that guy?" Sunset then asked Soarin. "I mean, I probably would've done the same thing if he talked like that to me, but still... You didn't even hesitate?"

"It's all true." the male Wonderbolt answered her. "I can't lie, though; I was pretty nervous at the idea of fighting one of the best members of the Wonderbolts, but I was more determined to show him that I wasn't the third-rate Duelist he thought I was."

"With a fourth-rate Deck?" asked Pinkie from the audience. Then, seemingly to herself, she then added, "C'mon; you KNEW we had to use that quote at some point."

"So what happened next?" Twilight then asked Spitfire. "How did the Duel go?"

"I think I'll turn things back over to Soarin at this point:" the Wonderbolt leader responded. "He could tell you about it better than I could." She then turned towards Soarin and nodded to him, saying that he could continue the story.

"Well, after everything was prepared for the Turbo Duel to begin," he then told everyone, "Crimson Inferno and I drove our Duel Runners onto the racetrack..."

...Spitfire went up to the podium and began to explain the rules to each of us. "Alright," she started, "we will now begin a special Turbo Duel involving veteran Wonderbolt member Crimson Inferno and possible new recruit, Soarin."

"Hmph...'possible'?" Crimson scoffed. "More like 'impossible'." I wasn't happy hearing that, but I kept my composure and ignored him for the moment.

"As you know, the additional rules for a Turbo Duel are as follows:" Spitfire continued. "If a player is in the lead in the race during their turn, they are permitted an extra Normal Summon or Set, but ONLY if they were in the lead before their turn started. When the Turbo Duel begins..." She then pointed outward, directing everyone's sight onto a bright red line stretching across the track a short distance away from the starting line. "...whichever Duelist crosses that line first is given the option of going first or second." She then added, "Finally, only the standard rules of winning a Duel will be in place: You must either reduce your opponent to zero Life Points, run their Deck out of cards, or activate a win condition effect."

"Ready to be put in your place, punk?" asked Crimson with a sneer.

But I simply said back, "Yeah, I am ready to be put in my place: FIRST place, that is."

"Hmph! We'll see how confident you are when I get through with you." Inferno huffed as he revved his engine.

Taking out a remote control of some sort, Spitfire then stated, "The Duel will begin on the green light. Duelists, start your engines!" On that instruction, we started up our Duel Runners and activated the Duel Mode function. We were both ready to rev it up, as the starting lights began to flash, first red...then a series of yellow lights...and then finally, the green light switched on.

"Duel!!" shouted both Crimson and me as we raced forward, trying to reach the red line first. Spitfire was watching our Duel very carefully, as were all of the other people that had shown up to the recruiting event.

At first, it seemed as though Crimson was able to back up all of his bragging, as he was ahead of me, nearing the red line and planning to cross it first. But, just as he was about to cross it, Crimson suddenly and without warning, slowed down at the last second... Enough for me to cross the red line before he did. "Huh?" I was confused, because I knew full well that Crimson's Runner was more advanced than mine was, so he should've been able to keep ahead of me. I then looked back and asked him, "I knew you did that on purpose, bud... What gives?"

"First off, I'm not your 'bud'." he replied. "And second, I let you have the first move simply out of boredom. It wouldn't be any fun for me if I went and trashed you right on the first turn..."

Even now, he didn't take me seriously; to him, I was just a minor inconvenience. But I wouldn't let him get to me; I was going to show him and everyone watching that I belonged in the Wonderbolts. And if I had to beat him in a Duel to do it, I would. "Have it your way then; I'll go first!" (Soarin: LP 4,000) (Crimson Inferno: LP 4,000) (Current Leader: Soarin)

I was too focused on the Duel to notice, but Spitfire had told me that she was paying attention to every little detail of our Duel, and wasn't about to miss even a second of it. She was watching me carefully...as well as Crimson.

Looking over my hand, I made my first move pretty quick. Since I was in the lead, I could start with more than one monster out on the field, so I took some cards from my hand and shouted, "I'll start with two monsters in Defense Mode, plus a card face-down. Your move!"

"Hmph...all the defenses in the world won't let you escape defeat at my hands!" Crimson taunted. "I draw!" Placing his card in his hand, he played another, saying, "I'll begin with Resonator Call! This allows me to add any Resonator monster from my Deck to my hand!" Making his choice, he then added, "I'll select Red Resonator!"

I knew the Resonator monsters were all Tuner Monsters, so I figured he was going for a Synchro Monster as soon as possible. I just hoped at that point that what I had on my field could weather his attack.

"Next," he continued, "I'll activate the Spell Card, Resonator Command! Now by discarding the Red Resonator that I just retrieved, I can take a Level 4 or below Fiend from my Deck!"

As he discarded for the cost of his card, I then asked myself, (Why'd he do that? Did he just use his first Spell Card to get the monster needed to pay the cost of the second one...?) I then immediately assumed that this was not so, and that he may have been setting up something bigger for later.

After making his choice Crimson then said to me, "I select Archfiend Heiress with my Spell Card's effect and Summon her in Attack Mode!" The card he Summoned to his field appeared to be a very young demon-girl of some sort with purple skin, wearing a skull helmet that covered her face that had several phantom-like tentacles coming out the back of it. She also had on a black and purple short-skirt dress with sinister metallic trims, small boots, and a red cape that looked like wings. In her hands was a short staff or wand of some sort with a skull on the end of it (Archfiend Heiress: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 0).

"And to power her up further," Crimson continued, "I'll activate a Field Spell! Archfiend Palabyrinth!!" In an instant, the entire field turned as dark as night, with massive black and purple clouds covering the sky above, shooting lighting at regular intervals. In the distance, I could see a massive city of some sort that looked even more imposing than the storm that had gathered around us.

*******************************

Archfiend Palabyrinth:
(Field Spell Card)

All Fiend monsters you control gain 500 ATK. You can target 1 "Archfiend" monster you control; banish 1 other Fiend monster you control, and if you do, Special Summon from your hand, Deck, or GY, 1 "Archfiend" monster with same Level as the targeted monster. You can only use this effect of "Archfiend Palabyrinth" once per turn.

*******************************

With that Field Spell active, his Archfiend monster gained more attack power as she charged up a light-blue energy sphere in her left hand (Archfiend Heiress: ATK 1000 + 500 = 1500). "That's not good..." I said to myself. "As if he needed to have another advantage over me..."

"If you think that's bad, then this move will be thoroughly devastating..." Crimson then said to me as he took another card out of his hand. "I activate the Spell Card Night Beam! This card can destroy any face-down Spell or Trap Card you have out! And you can't activate the card I target in response!"

I gasped as a bright, yellow beam shot from out of nowhere and blasted away my face-down Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. I sweat a little, as I was hoping to use that card to keep him from damaging me or my monsters while I got my strategy going, but now there was nothing in way between him and me...except my two Defense Mode monsters.

"Now that that's settled, it's time for to start picking away at your pathetic monsters, one by one!" Crimson announced. "Archfiend Heiress, attack his rightmost monster!" The demon-girl grinned as she launched the energy sphere in her hands at struck her target: my Rush Warrior (Rush Warrior: Level 2 / ATK 300 / DEF 1200). Thanks to his Field Spell, she had enough attack points to wipe it out, leaving me with just one monster on my field. His attack also slowed me down enough so that Crimson got ahead of me.

"Still standing, I see... Luckily for you, that's all I can do this turn." said Crimson as he set a card face-down. "But don't expect any more mercy from me in the upcoming turns to follow!"

Right away, I could see why he was so confident, as he managed to get ahead of me pretty quickly. But I wasn't about to let him leave me in the dust. "Not bad," I said to him as I drew my next card, "but I'm only getting started, Crimson!" Playing the card I drew, I shouted, "I activate Tuning from my hand! This card allows me to search my Deck for any Tuner monster that has 'Synchron' in its name. After that, I have to mill the top card of my Deck." Taking my chosen card, I then added, "I'll add my favorite Tuner, Junk Synchron, to my hand!" Afterwards, I shuffled my Deck and sent the top card to the Graveyard.

"Not bad, I guess..." said Crimson in his usual condescending tone. "You just better hope that you didn't lose one of the few valuable cards you had in that Deck."

I chuckled as his comment and told him, "Actually, the card that got sent there was something I WANTED in there. Check this out!" At that moment, the card that I lost suddenly appeared on the field.

"What?! Where did that come from??" asked my opponent.

"I activate the effect of the card that went to the Graveyard: Limiter Overload!" I said in response. "After it gets sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Speed Warrior to the field!" And that's exactly what happened as my super-fast monster in greyish-green armor raced onto the field in Attack Mode from out of my Deck (Speed Warrior: Level 2 / ATK 900 / DEF 400).

"Hmph! A lucky move; that's all it is...!" huffed Crimson.

"If you say so, buddy..." I replied, placing the card I got from Tuning into play. "Now I'll Normal Summon Junk Synchron in Attack Mode!" My orange-colored Tuner monster then appeared on the field, ready to do his thing (Junk Synchron: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 500). "And now it's time for his effect! When Normal Summoned, Junk Synchron brings back any Level 2 or below monster back from my Graveyard in Defense Mode with its effects negated! And I'll choose my Rush Warrior!" After that, the monster that Crimson took out earlier was back on the field. "And then, I'll Flip Summon Tuningware!" My face-down monster then revealed itself as a small little robot wearing a handheld pot as a hat (Tuningware: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 300).

"So...I see that you're a Synchro user, too...?" muttered my opponent. Looking over my field, he then said, "You have a Level 3 Tuner... a Level 1 non-Tuner, and two Level 2 non-Tuners; a total Level of eight. I suppose you'll be playing your ace card immediately? Or at least what YOU think constitutes as an ace card?"

And I responded, saying, "Not quite yet, Crimson. I have a different idea in mind." Raising my hand in the air (and keeping the other one on steering controls, of course) I shouted, "I tune Junk Synchron, Level 3, to Tuningware, Level 2!" At that moment, my Junk Synchron pulled the cord on its armor, transformed into three lights that flew into the sky, and came back as three green rings that surrounded Tuningware.

"Level TWO?!" exclaimed Crimson in surprise. "Don't you know how to count?! It's only Level 1!!"

"You're ALMOST right." I explained. "But when Tuningware is used for a Synchro Summon, I can make its Level become 2 instead!" And to confirm this, Tuningware then transformed into a pair of small lights within the green rings, which were then swallowed up by a large pillar of light (Level 3 + Level 2 = Level 5).

"So he's only going to Summon a Level 5 Synchro Monster...?" Crimson asked himself. "But why?"

"Gathering stars will call upon a new force!" I began to chant. "Emerge and prove you're more than the sum of your parts! Become the path its light shines upon!! Synchro Summon!! Show yourself, Level 5! Junk Warrior!!" After the chant was completed, the light vanished and revealed my powerful, purple armored Synchro Monster in all his glory (Junk Warrior: Level 5 / ATK 2300 / DEF 1300).

"Hmph...so what?" asked Crimson, unimpressed by my move. "I have more than enough monsters in my Deck that can chew up your warrior and spit him out!"

"We'll see about that after I use Junk Warrior's effect!" I told him. "After he's Synchro Summoned, he absorbs the attack points of all of the Level 2 or lower monster I've got out!"

"He does WHAT?!?" the so-called expert shouted in surprise. He could only watch as my Junk Warrior gained the strength of both my Speed Warrior and Rush Warrior and became more powerful (Junk Warrior: ATK 2300 + 900 + 300 = 3500).

"As if that wasn't enough," I continued, "thanks to Tuningware's second effect, I get to draw another card!" And I did just that. "Now it's time for me to take back control of this Duel! Junk Warrior, attack his Archfiend Heiress with your Scrap Fist!" And with that order, my Synchro Monster delivered a mighty punch to Crimson's only monster, destroying her and taking out exactly half of his Life Points in the process (Crimson Inferno: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). My attack also knocked him far behind me in the race, letting me take the lead. "So, still think I'm a total amateur?" I asked him with a smirk.

"I do..." he grumbled. "By destroying Archfiend Heiress in combat, I can trigger her effect! I use it to take another Archfiend card from my Deck! And I select Archfiend Cavalry!" After taking his card, he said to me, "I was prepared to let you destroy my weaker monster so that I could use her effect!"

"I suppose that's true." I replied. "But I know for a fact that you weren't expecting to take this much damage so soon. And speaking of damage... Speed Warrior, attack him directly!" And with that order, my other monster that was in Attack Mode raced back towards Crimson and delivered a powerful kick that chipped away more of his score (Crimson Inferno: LP 2,000 - 900 = 1,100). I then decided to wrap up my turn and said to my opponent, "I'll end things by setting this card face-down in my back row."

As you probably guessed, Crimson wasn't too happy that I managed to wipe out so much of his Life Points in one turn. In fact, he was as angry as you would expect him to be. "No one...and I mean, NO ONE, damages MY Life Points this much and gets away with it! Especially not some scrub like you!" he yelled. "I promise you this: I won't just simply defeat you... I'll make sure you never forget your loss to me as long as you live!"

I'll have to admit, I was a bit worried... With him that angry, I was expecting him to do almost anything to get revenge on me for the last turn.

"It's my turn! I draw!!" Crimson shouted as he drew his next card. "And I activate Allure of Darkness! I now draw two cards, then banish a DARK monster from my hand!" He then did that, choosing to get rid of the Archfiend Cavalry he got from his Heiress card earlier. Snickering wickedly, he then asked to me, "Did you honestly think that you could damage me this much that easily? To tell you the truth, I LET you reduce my Life Points to this low to lull you into a false sense of security! I could have easily won the Duel much sooner, but I have a penchant for letting weaker fools think they've gotten ahead, so it would be that much more crushing when I trash them!"

"That comment of Crimson's was a total load of bologna." Spitfire suddenly interrupted. "The guy was sweating after he got hit so hard, but he wasn't about to admit it in front of us."

"Really?" asked Spike. "How could you tell?"

"Just by being around the guy for so long, I've gotten good at reading his non-verbal thoughts." the Wonderbolt leader answered. "He wouldn't say it, but before he drew those cards with Allure of Darkness, he was silently panicking." Turning back to Soarin, she then said to him, "Uh, sorry 'bout that. Go ahead and continue." Soarin nodded and continued telling the story...

Crimson then continued his move by flipping over the face-down card in his back row, saying, "Now I activate Archfiend's Roar! At the mere cost of 500 of my Life Points (Crimson Inferno: LP 1,100 - 500 = 600), this card allows me to bring back an Archfiend from the Graveyard! And I will revive my Archfiend Heiress!" And instantly, the little monster that I took out during the last turn came back, giggling wickedly as she did so (Archfiend Heiress: ATK 1000 + 500 = 1500).

"Now you're just down to 600 points, buddy..." I informed the guy. "And not only that, your monster will only stay on the field until the End Phase; after that, she'll be destroyed."

"First off," Crimson began to tell me, "to repeat what I told you before: I am NOT your 'bud', 'buddy', 'friend', or 'amigo'... And second, my Archfiend Heiress won't be around by the time the End Phase comes, because she is merely a stepping stone to call forth an even greater creature!" Holding up a card from his hand, he then added, "If you think you're the only one in this Duel that can Synchro Summon, think again! I Summon the Tuner Monster, Dark Resonator!"

The monster he brought out next was some sort of imp-like creature carrying a large tuning fork and mallet. A pair of glowing red eyes and mischievous grin peered out of a silvery-gray helmet with red frills, overtop a tattered, dark-blue cloak, with a flap of orange cloth on the front of it. On his back were five cymbals, each one a different size (Dark Resonator: Level 3 / ATK 1300 + 500 = 1800 / DEF 300).

(So now he's gonna Synchro Summon...) I thought to myself.

"And now it's time for you to repay the damage you gave me, with interest!" shouted my opponent as he made his next big move. "I tune Dark Resonator, Level 3...to Archfiend Heiress, also Level 3!" His Tuner Monster used its mallet to tap its tuning fork, becoming cloaked in a violet energy as it did so. That energy split the little guy into three small orbs that flew into the sky, coming back down as three rings that surrounded his other monster, transforming her into a trio lights as well (Level 3 + Level 3 = Level 6).

"The star of doom comes to judge all living things!" he chanted. "My crimson dragon shines upon the infernal path! Synchro Summon! Fly, Level 6! Red Rising Dragon!!" After he was finished, the rings were engulfed by a pillar of light that quickly transformed into a blazing tower of fire. The flames spread around as they morphed into the shape of a massive dragon with massive devil-like horns, massive wings, and long limbs that ended in razor-sharp claws (Red Rising Dragon: Level 6 / ATK 2100 / DEF 1600).

"Woah...that's big..." I said to myself. But I wasn't worried at first; after all, that monster was weaker than Junk Warrior, even without his effect to increase his attack points. Of course, I had a feeling that Crimson wasn't quite done with his turn.

"Before you even say it, yes: My Synchro Monster's attack power pales in comparison to yours..." he said, making sure I knew that he was aware of the power gap. "However, even this dragon is merely but ANOTHER step towards reaching my ultimate goal! I activate Red Rising Dragon's effect! After it is Synchro Summoned, I can bring back a Resonator monster from my Graveyard! And I'll choose my Red Resonator!"

The card that he had discarded on his first turn was now on the field in Attack Mode. This guy looked identical to the first one, except that his mallet was red on the end, he had wing-like protrusions on his back instead of cymbals, the cloth flap on the front of him was purple instead of orange, and oh yeah; he looked like was on fire (Red Resonator: Level 2 / ATK 600 + 500 = 1,100 / DEF 200)!

"I see... That's why you discarded that monster earlier." I stated, figuring out what his plan was.

"Exactly. I discarded Red Resonator on my first turn so that I could prepare to use it on this turn!" Crimson confirmed. Chuckling, he then added, "Oh, but it gets better... When Red Resonator is Special Summoned, I can select any monster on the field, and absorb its attack points in the form of Life Points!"

"You can WHAT?!?" I exclaimed in surprise.

"And of course, I choose to absorb the attack points of your Junk Warrior! So thanks for pumping its attack power up for me!" he laughed as his monster did its dirty work, healing my opponent (Crimson Inferno: LP 600 + 3,500 = 4,100). "Now I've effectively undid all of the damage you caused me last turn! I hope this teaches you that any effort you make against me is a total waste of time!" I grumbled a little at his comment, and from what Spitfire told me, she hummed a little in concern after Crimson made that move.

"Still, for a greenhorn Duelist, you didn't do TOO bad..." he then stated, though his "compliment" sounded very condescending in tone, "so I think you should have the honor of being wiped out by my Deck's ULTIMATE monster..." Putting his hand into the air, he shouted, "I now tune Red Resonator, Level 2...to Red Rising Dragon, Level 6!" His Tuner Monster then struck his tuning fork, became engulfed in flames and transforming into a pair of small lights. Like before, they flew into the air and came back down as rings that surrounded Crimson's other monster, turning it into six smaller lights (Level 2 + Level 6 = Level 8). However, the rings weren't green like they usually were; instead they were red. All I knew was that I might have been in major trouble...

"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here!" Crimson began chanting. "Mountains will crumble as the land is engulfed in flames! Take witness to its creation-shaking power!" As he made the chant, a pillar of red light shot down from above, drawing the rings and the light orbs within them into the sky, where a large, snake-like dragon shape began to form. Suddenly, a portal formed within the image, and everyone watching saw something emerging from it as Crimson completed the chant. "Synchro Summon! My very soul, Level 8! Red Dragon Archfiend!"

The monster that emerged from the portal was another dragon: One that was much bigger, much stronger, much nastier-looking than the previous dragon. That thing looked like it came right out of Tartarus itself. Its black and red scales, muscular limbs, viciously-sharp claws, massive wings, and its piercing red eyes gave it the imposing and intimidating appearance you'd expect a monster with its name to have. Once it entered the battlefield, the dragon let out a mighty roar to show its dominance.

*******************************

Red Dragon Archfiend:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon/DARK/Level 8/ATK 3000/DEF 2000)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
After damage calculation, if this card attacks a Defense Position monster your opponent controls: Destroy all Defense Position monsters your opponent controls. During your End Phase: Destroy all other monsters you control that did not declare an attack this turn. This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect.

*******************************

His move didn't surprise me too much, other than the fact that he managed to get it out so fast. I had studied the Wonderbolts' Duels for a while and knew that he had this rare and powerful Synchro Monster as his ace. "I had a feeling you'd play that card..." I said, not sure what I would do next...or if I could do anything at all.

"Then I suppose you know what's going to happen next:" Crimson then told me. "You're going to fall down in disgrace before my all-powerful dragon! And I plan to make your defeat slow and agonizing..." Pointing forward, he then shouted, "Go, Red Dragon Archfiend! Exterminate his puny Speed Warrior first! Crimson Fire!!" The mighty dragon then readied its attack against me, building up a flame in its mouth. At the same time, Crimson and his Duel Runner were charged up with energy as well: Sense energy. He and his runner were now bathed in a bright red light as he accelerated faster, managing to catch up with me. "Get ready to be incinerated by my all-powerful Sense Inferno!!"

Then the guy LITERALLY blazes past me, just as his big, bad dragon blasts my Speed Warrior with a massive stream of flames. Needless to say, he didn't survive it, and I barely did. The blast to knocked off a huge portion of my Life Points (Soarin: LP 4,000 - 2,100 = 1,900), and not only that, I could even see some small scorched marks on my riding suit. Luckily, I wasn't physically harmed, but now I was getting a little concerned. At this point, it would be an accomplishment just surviving the rest of the Duel, much less winning it.

"I see you're still going, punk..." Crimson scoffed at me. "But now I've knocked you back so far, you'll NEVER catch up to me! Not that that's your biggest concern at the moment. If you're smart, you'll forfeit now and spare yourself more pain and humiliation."

"Rrrgh...! That's not gonna happen...!" I told him back. "Last I checked, this Duel didn't end, and I'm going to keep playing 'til it's over!"

"Hmph...I suppose that IS what you'll be doing. But if you think you have any chance at winning this, you're even more of an imbecile than I thought." he said insultingly. "I'll set a face-down card and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" I said as I drew my next card. I knew I had to wrap this Duel up fast before I took any more damage - both to my Life Points AND for real. In fact, I was so concerned about what might happen if this Duel dragged on, that I guess I might've rushed things. Wasting no time with my turn, I shouted, "I'll set a card face-down, and attack your Red Dragon with Junk Warrior!" And instantly, my Synchro Monster leapt forward, ready to battle his.

"A trash monster like that dares to even touch my Red Dragon Archfiend?!" he asked. "That is something I will NOT allow!! I activate Red Cocoon!"

"Oh no...!" I gasped, realizing my mistake. "I attacked before checking his field...!"

"And that's the blunder that will end your career as a Wonderbolt before it even starts!" he said haughtily to me. "That's the difference between you and me: I NEVER make blunders!" According to what Spitfire told me later on, she groaned a little after she heard that comment of Crimson's.

"Now...as for my Red Cocoon's effect," Crimson continued, "I can only activate it by equipping to any Dragon Synchro Monster on the field. Now, whenever it battles your monster - regardless of whomever initiates the battle, this card will negate the effects of all the monsters you have on the field!"

I gulped, knowing what that meant: It meant that, since Junk Warrior's effect gave it all those extra attack points, it would lose them as it lost its effect, reverting his attack power to what it started out with (Junk Warrior: ATK 3,500 > 2,300).

"Now, Red Dragon!! Counterattack with your Crimson Fire!!" my opponent then shouted. His Dragon then did just that, blasting my Junk Warrior away and adding it to its list of victims (Soarin: LP 1,900 - 700 = 1,200). "Peh...! I knew you'd make some foolish mistakes during this Duel, but that was probably the worst one I've ever seen yet! Just give it up: You don't belong in the big leagues, kid!"

(He's right about one thing...) I said to myself, (I did make a mistake...but I'm not going to let it get in the way of my dream... I need to find a way to recover from this before it's too late... I just hope what I have out right now will be enough to recover from...) That's when I glanced at one my set cards, and after checking what it was again, I came up with what I hoped would be a plan to bounce back. I then set one of the monsters in my hand in Defense Mode to protect me before saying, "Go and do your worst, Crimson!"

"...If that's what you want, so be it." he replied. "I'll be more than happy to send you down the hard way! I draw!" Looking at it and smirking wickedly, he then said, "And this is where the Duel ends... I Summon Archfiend Cavalry in Attack Mode!!" His new monster was another demon-like creature wearing red armor and carrying a sharp lance in his left hand. He rode atop a jet-black armored horse that looked as nasty as its rider (Archfiend Cavalry: Level 4 / ATK 1900 + 500 = 2400 / DEF 0). "Now, as much as I would dearly enjoy allowing my Red Dragon to deal the finishing blow," he said to me, "that won't be so. But I'm certain he'll appreciate the opportunity to annihilate the last of your pathetic defenses!"

"What do you mean by that??" I asked.

"You're about to see..." Crimson replied. Turning to his all-powerful monster, he commanded, "Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Rush Warrior!!' Once more, his Dragon fired a powerful flame from its mouth, destroying Rush Warrior. Then, he said to it, "Now! Activate your effect and wipe his other monster! Absolute Powerforce!!"

I gasped when his monster seemed to attack me again, this time slashing its claws on my face-down monster, Junk Servant. Just like before, it was wiped out as well.

"Surprised?" asked Crimson in a smug tone. "When my Red Dragon destroys a monster in Defense Mode, its effect allows it to destroy all of the other defensive monsters you've got on the field as well! Of course, I'm certain you had no idea; otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered playing another defense monster." I grumbled a bit, but kept my cool despite my current situation. "And now that they ARE gone," my opponent continued, "Your Life Points are now open to a direct attack! Archfiend Cavalry, attack him directly and end this Duel!" His second monster then rode his horse towards me, ready to deliver the finishing blow...

...And it was time for ME to start smirking. "I had a feeling that you'd do that, buddy." I said to him.

"What?? What are you talking about?" Crimson asked, bewildered a bit by my sudden comment.

"I'm saying, that I knew your monster could defeat both of my defense monsters without a problem, and that you couldn't resist the temptation and destroy them like that." I answered. "But just like I did last turn, you got so caught up in ending this Duel quickly, that you forgot about my face-down cards."

"What about them?" Crimson asked further, still not feeling threatened.

"They're ABOUT to save my skin this turn!" I replied. "I activate Reject Reborn!"

*******************************

Reject Reborn:
(Normal Trap Card)

When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: End the Battle Phase, then you can Special Summon 1 Tuner and 1 Synchro Monster from your GY, but they have their effects negated.

*******************************

"Oh no...!" gasped Crimson, completely taken by surprise.

"Now your Battle Phase ends, which means my Life Points are safe!" I informed him, "And not only that, I can now bring back both Junk Synchron AND Junk Warrior to my field in Defense Mode!" And just as I had told him, both my monsters were back on the field.

"Which means that next turn, he has the opportunity to Synchro Summon using both of them..." Crimson muttered. Grumbling a little, he then told me, "Go ahead and make your move! It won't matter to me at all!"

I then drew my next card and played it right away. "I activate Pot of Desires! I banish ten cards from the top of my Deck and draw two more!" After ditching a quarter of my Deck, I then drew my next cards, and I was pleased with what I managed to get. But before worrying about that, I had one other pressing matter to attend to. I then said to my opponent, "Y'know Crimson...I've seen a lot of Duelists in my past that were just like you..."

"Like me?" asked Crimson. "Impossible! No one's as powerful as I am, or even remotely close!"

"That's not what I meant by that." I corrected him. "I meant that I faced a lot of Duelists that were cocky, arrogant, and overall just plain rude. They thought they were better than everyone else, and they thought that didn't have a single flaw. I should warn you, Crimson: I've dueled against many overconfident people like that, and I've beaten every single one of them."

"Hmph...and you honestly think that I'll fall like all of the others?" he asked me.

"Maybe." I answered. "Either way, if you keep acting the way you're acting, it's gonna bite you in the butt sooner or later. I got to where I am because, even though I and everyone else thought that I was powerful, I didn't let it go to my head. I always knew that even the most skilled of Duelists aren't perfect; everyone can learn something new about dueling - or even something about themselves, that they didn't know before. But if you close yourself off from doing that, then you might end getting left in the dust one day. I'm telling you this as a warning, Crimson: Unless you get rid of that overconfident attitude of yours, it's only going to do you harm."

"Oh really?" he asked me. "Well you can take your 'warning' and tell it to someone who cares! No one can beat me, and especially not you!"

I sighed sadly, even though I expected him not to listen to me. "Have it your way, buddy." I said to him. "If you won't listen to my words, then I'll have my cards talk for me: If saving you from yourself means I have to beat you, then so be it!" Thrusting my hand into the air, I shouted, "I tune Junk Synchron, Level 3...to Junk Warrior, Level 5!" Instantly, my monster pulled it cord and transformed into a trio of small lights that flew into the sky. Now I was ready to reveal my Deck's secret weapon: One that I hoped would really catch Crimson Inferno off-guard.

Crimson wasn't perturbed at first...until he saw that, when the lights came back down as a trio of rings surrounding Junk Warrior, he noticed something different about them. "Hold on...those rings are...red?" he asked himself. He then gasped and said, "No... No it can't be...! He couldn't possibly have...!!"

As Crimson began to realize what was about to happen, I began my summoning chant. "Gathering stars will become a new shining star!" I said proudly. "Behold the wings guided by the great winds! Become the path its light shines upon! Let's rev it up!! Synchro Summon!!"

Junk Warrior then transformed into five small energy spheres that were soon engulfed by a pillar of red light that drew them up into the sky. Once more, the snake-like dragon shape appeared in the sky and created a portal in its center. Everyone (including the once arrogant Crimson Inferno) gasped when another dragon flew out of the portal. This dragon - the ace of my Deck, was covered in brilliant silvery-white scales, massive sparkling wings, and a head that was shaped like a starship. Despite its imposing appearance, it seemed to also display an aura of benevolence as well as one of great power.

"Take flight, Level 8! Stardust Dragon!"

*******************************

Stardust Dragon:
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Dragon/WIND/Level 8/ATK 2500/DEF 2000)

1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
When a card or effect is activated that would destroy a card(s) on the field (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. During the End Phase, if this effect was activated this turn (and was not negated): You can Special Summon this card from your GY.

*******************************

Everyone was amazed and astounded by the fact that another of the legendary Signer Dragons had now appeared on the field...especially Crimson, who did not expect to see me use that card at all. "This...this can't be...!" he said, trying to deny the obvious. "You couldn't possibly have a Signer Dragon like I do! There's just no way!!"

"Well, given the fact that I just played one, I'd say it's very much possible!" I was quick to respond. And I would never forget the day that I got my Stardust Dragon: Back when I was still in grade school, I had entered a Dragon Duel League tournament hosted by Industrial Illusions and managed to win the whole thing. And as one my prizes for winning, I had received a special alternate art version of Stardust Dragon; the first one of its kind that was ever printed. And ever since, I treasured it and treated it with the utmost respect. And now I was pinning my hopes on it to help me get into the Wonderbolts.

"You might think you're hot stuff, Crimson," I then said to him, "but you're not the only one here that's got skills! I got my Stardust Dragon because I dedicated all my free time to practicing my gameplay, fine-tuning my Deck, and doing everything else needed to be a True Duelist! And whether you like it or not, I'm gonna win this and make my dreams come true!"

Scoffing again, Crimson simply replied, "Are you done with your turn or not?"

I wasn't done, of course. I then took another card out of my hand and said, "Now I activate Twin Twisters! I'll discard a card from my hand, and then destroy both your Red Cocoon and Archfiend Palabyrinth!" And after I ditched one of my cards, I sent a pair of massive tornadoes aimed right at both of those cards, blowing them sky high. This also caused the field around us to revert back to the way it was when the Duel began. "Now that your Field Spell's gone, your Fiend monsters don't get a power boost any more!" I immediately informed Crimson (Archfiend Cavalry: ATK 2400 - 500 = 1900).

"Ask me if I care!" he replied with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Well you ought to," I replied, "because since the card I sent to the Graveyard was my Scrap-Iron Statue, I get to use its Graveyard effect! Now I can bring back any Junk monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode! And I choose Junk Warrior!" And just like that, my first Synchro Monster appeared out of a violet portal and took a defensive stance. "And now it's time for me to take out some of your Life Points!" I then shouted. "Stardust Dragon, attack his Archfiend Cavalry with Cosmic Flare!!" My dragon then fired a steam of brilliant and shining energy straight at his horse-riding Fiend, evaporating it into a puff of smoke.

The remaining energy from the attack then hit Crimson, damaging him (Crimson Inferno: LP 4,100 - 600 = 3,500) and causing him to slow down a little. Unfortunately, he still managed to stay ahead of me. He then turned back and asked angrily, "You DARE to damage me again, you scrub?! You'll pay for that insult with your defeat!"

"Just try it, buddy." I replied, not intimidated in the slightest. "I end this turn by placing a face-down card on the field."

Just from the tone of his voice, I could tell that Crimson was beginning to get desperate. He wasn't expecting me to be of any challenge to him, and that assumption was starting to bite him back. Still, I knew that he wasn't planning to allow the Duel to drag on any longer; one way or another, this game was about to end.

"It's my turn! I draw!!" Crimson shouted as he pulled his next card. And after he looked at it, he began to chuckle menacingly towards me. "I must admit; I never expected you to have Stardust Dragon in your Deck... But just because you have that card doesn't mean you're even close to equal terms with me! I know a way to get around your little pet and end this Duel right here and now!" Playing the card he had drawn this turn, he shouted, "I activate the Spell Card...Raigeki!!"

I gasped when I saw him play that card. Right away, I knew what he trying to do.

"Say goodbye to BOTH of your monsters!!" yelled Crimson as a pair of massive lightning bolts shot down from above.

"I chain the effect of Stardust Dragon!" I quickly responded. "I release it to negate Raigeki and destroy it!" And just like that, my Stardust Dragon became bathed in a bright light that filled the whole stadium, causing most of the people watching (expect Spitfire, because she's Spitfire) to shield their eyes. "Go!! Victim Sanctuary!!" And with that, my dragon vanished from sight, using all of its energy to form a light barrier around Junk Warrior that repulsed the lightning bolts right back onto the card that brought them out.

"Hmph, just as I thought you would do..." Crimson stated. "I knew you would counter with Stardust Dragon's effect to protect your other monster, even though your Junk Warrior is too weak to be of any use. And since you decided to protect that useless card, you no longer have your Dragon for the rest of this turn! I hope this blunder you made teaches you that the weak deserve to be left behind and that only the strong should remain!" I wasn't fond of that selfish comment of his, but I decided it wasn't worth responding to.

"Not going to speak, eh?" asked Crimson. "Fine! This Duel's almost done anyway! I'll Summon Red Familiar to the field in Attack Mode!" His next monster was a human-like being made out of fire, decked out in king-like clothing, including a crown (Red Familiar: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 0). "Now, it's time for me to end this farce!! Red Dragon Archfiend, destroy his Junk Warrior!!"

Just as it had done several times before, his Dragon monster wiped out mine with a stream of flames. I then asked Crimson, "Hey, buddy... why'd you attack with that monster first? What happened to the whole, 'Red Dragon to deal the finishing blow' thing you were going on about earlier?"

"Well, I've come to a decision:" he began to say. "And that decision was that I don't think even you deserve the honor of having my Dragon end your so-called dreams! Even my weaker monster is more than a loser like you deserves for having me waste my time today! But since I want this to be over and done with, I suppose I'll attack you with it anyway, so I hope you appreciate it!" Pointing towards me, he then ordered, "Go, Red Familiar!! Wipe him out for good!!" His monster then began creating a large fireball in its hands, ready to attack me...

"...So...you went and did exactly what I hoped you'd do." I suddenly told Crimson.

"Wh-what...??" he then asked. "What are you talking about...?"

"Knowing just how pompous and overly prideful you were, I figured you wouldn't use your Dragon to finish me off for whatever reason." I explained to him. Smirking, I then added, "You are right about one thing: I DO appreciate the fact that you decided to attack with your other monster last...because now I have a chance to win this Duel!"

"You're lying!!" exclaimed Crimson in surprise.

"Just take a look at this card and see if I'm telling the truth or not!" I said, activating one of my set cards. "I activate Call of the Haunted to bring Junk Warrior back in Attack Mode!" And just like that, my little Synchro Monster that could returned to the field, standing between me and his Red Familiar.

"No!!" shouted Crimson. "That can't be!!"

"It is, Crimson!" I told him right back. "And because I brought him back in the middle of your Red Familiar's attack, that triggers a Replay. So...do you want to attack me now? Even though my Junk Warrior is way stronger than your other monster?"

Crimson growled, but knew that he couldn't use his second monster to attack my more-powerful Junk Warrior. Grumbling, he said in a low voice, "I...cancel Red Familiar's attack." And with that order, his monster dispelled the fireball in its hands. Glaring at me with those murderous eyes of his, he then said to me, "So you bought yourself another turn, so what?! It won't matter in the slightest!!"

"That's where you're wrong, buddy." I informed him. "Because one turn is all I need to end this Duel!"

"That's impossible!" shouted my opponent. "You have nothing that can get through me at this point!"

"I've got plenty!" I shouted back. "Before your turn ends, I activate Stardust Wish! This card allows me to bring back any Stardust monster in my Graveyard that Tributed itself to use its own effect! And you can't chain an effect in response to this card!"

"What?! Does that mean-"

"You've got it, Crimson!" I said, confirming his suspicions. "Stardust Dragon, return to the field!" And just like that, my beloved Synchro Monster was back in action. "Of course, Stardust's effect would have brought it back at the end of the turn, but since I used Stardust Wish to revive it, it's immune to destruction in battle as long as it's in Attack Mode!"

"Fine then," scoffed Crimson. "I'll just chip away at your Life Points by having Red Dragon attack it each turn!"

I then drew my next card and told him with a chuckle, "Sorry, but you won't get the chance to do that." Taking a card from my Duel Runner's Graveyard slot, I announced, "I now use Rush Warrior's effect from the Graveyard! By banishing it, I can take any Synchron monster in the Graveyard and put it back in my hand. And I'll pick Junk Synchron!"

"Junk Synchron?!" asked Crimson. "Does this mean that you're going for another Synchro Summon?!"

"Now you're getting it." I answered. "I'll Summon Junk Synchron and use its effect to bring back Tuningware!" And just like that, both monsters had returned to the field. "But they won't stay out for long: I'll Tune Junk Synchron - Level 3, to Tuningware, Level 1!" Junk Synchron then pulled its cord once again, transforming into three lights that flew up into the air and returned as three rings surrounding Tuningware, transforming it into a single, small light.

"Gathering stars, become the weapon that forms true bonds between comrades!" I began to chant. "Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!! Level 4, Armory Arm!!" And after the chant and light show was complete, a small arm-like device with red claw-like fingers and a black sleeve appeared on my field (Armory Arm: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200).

"Oh no...! Not Armory Arm!!" said Crimson, finally starting to sweat in fear.

"Based on that panicked response, I guess even you know what's coming next!" I said to him, drawing a card from my Deck using Tuningware's effect as I spoke. "I now activate Armory Arm's effect and equip onto Stardust Dragon!" My dragon then put out its right arm, allowing my new Synchro Monster to equip itself to it. "And now that Stardust has Armory Arm equipped, he gains another 1,000 attack points!" (Stardust Dragon: ATK 2500 + 1000 = 3500)

"No...!! That's more than my Red Dragon!!" said Crimson, knowing that he was about to take a big hit.

"That's right, Crimson!" I said to him. "And I hope this next move teaches YOU this: Even though my cards don't start out as strong as yours at the beginning, they can still pool together and create something much more powerful! As corny as it might sound, that's how teamwork makes a team WORK!!" And yeah, Spitfire did tell me that my comment WAS a little corny, even if it was totally true.

"Go Stardust Dragon!" I then ordered. "Attack Red Dragon Archfiend!! Cosmic Gear Fist!!" My Dragon then used its power to cloak the arm that Armory Arm was equipped with a cosmic energy in order to increase the impact of its next attack. Crimson could only watch as my beast flew towards his and delivered a mighty punch with its new weapon. Red Dragon Archfiend roared in pain before it exploded in a flash of light.

"This...this can't be happening!!" protested Crimson. "My Red Dragon was defeated?!?" (Crimson Inferno: LP 3,500 - 500 = 3,000)

"And you're going down with it!" I then told him. "Thanks to Armory Arm's effect, you now take damage equal to the attack power of Red Dragon in the Graveyard! Which means this Duel is over!"

Crimson Inferno looked towards me, and saw a massive meteor shower trailing behind me. Thanks to the impact of the last attack, I managed to not only catch up to the guy, but I was even able to pass right by him...which meant that all those Sense-generated meteors crossed his path and struck him, knocking off his last few Life Points and knocking HIM off of his Duel Runner. "AHHHHHH!!!!" And with that blow, it was all over (Crimson Inferno: LP 3,000 - 3,000 = 0) (WINNER: Soarin).

"Aw, YEAH!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "That's so awesome! So THAT'S how Soarin got into the Wonderbolts!"

"Remarkable, I must say..." Rarity spoke up. "To be able to defeat one of their strongest team members on his first attempt is most certainly incredible!"

Many of the others thought the same as well, including Steel Shadows, who had remained mostly silent up until now to hear Soarin's story. "I have to admit it:" he started to say to Soarin. "That's very impressive. To have played such a fantastic Duel as that... And all before joining the team, even."

"Yeah, totally." agreed Ember. "I read about Crimson Inferno's dueling history, and I knew that he was a particularly strong Pro Duelist. To think that you managed to beat him like that is almost unbelievable."

"Well, to be honest," said Soarin, rubbing the back of his head, "it really could've just as easily gone the other way. If Crimson had been playing at his best, he might've trashed me pretty quickly."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sunset.

"I'd be happy to answer that for ya." Spitfire suddenly spoke up. "If you don't mind, Soarin."

"Nah, go ahead, Spitfire. You can tell 'em." the male Wonderbolt replied. With his permission, Spitfire began to tell everyone the ending to Soarin's story...

After the Duel ended, everyone watching was cheering super-loud for Soarin, excited and happy that he had won. I was happy that he had won, too. And figuring that I had seen all I needed to see, I began walking over to the track, to where he and Crimson were; I had a few things to say to both of them that needed to be said...

Crimson was on his hands and knees, his face showing total disbelief at what had happened. "I...I lost...??" he stuttered. "Th-this can't be...! I...I've never lost before! What could have gone wrong?!"

Soarin, bein' the thoughtful guy that I have come to know later on, stopped his Duel Runner and ran over to Crimson, offering his help despite knowing how the guy treated him like trash earlier. "Here...lemme help you up." he said to him.

Of course, as you probably guessed, Crimson wasn't in the mood to accept Soarin's assistance. "...I can get myself up." he grumbled. "I don't need your pity..."

"Yeesh...calm down, buddy..." Soarin responded. "I was just tryin' to help you; you took a nasty spill."

"Yeah, well unlike YOU, I don't need help from anyone!" Crimson snapped back. "Especially not you!"

"I think you need his help a lot more than you think, Crimson." I spoke up, making my way over to where they were.

"Hmph...and what, dare I say, do you mean by that?" Crimson asked me.

"Enough with the 'tough-guy' attitude, Crimson; it's getting old." I said, chastising him a bit. "For once, could you try to make an effort to listen to what I have to say without being a grouch about it? You may not realize it, but this is something you need to hear." Crimson wasn't happy to hear me say that, but in the state he was currently in, he didn't have anything better to do. He simply nodded, allowing me to tell him what I needed to say.

"To be honest, Crimson�I'm disappointed in you." I began to tell him. "You've lost your way as a Duelist."

"Lost my way??" he asked me. "What is that supposed to mean??"

I replied, asking him, "...Do you understand why you lost that Duel? It's because of this attitude you've picked up: Ever since you got onto the Wonderbolts, you've gotten cocky and overconfident. And while you may not have noticed it, it's been affecting your game. In fact, we actually almost lost it all during our last tournament before today because you made a misplay that nearly cost you the Duel! Of course, you never even noticed it with your head so far up in the clouds..."

"Even if that were true..." Crimson began to tell me, "we still won that match, didn't we?!"

"Barely." I answered. "Crimson, you have to realize that, when you're part of a team, it's not all about you out there. Even if you're the strongest member, that doesn't mean that there won't be anyone out there that might be even stronger. Just look what happened today with Soarin here."

"He only won that Duel because of a fluke..." he said, trying to deny his loss.

"A fluke that you allowed to happen." I told him. "You had a chance to win that Duel, but you let it slip by because you underestimated your opponent right from the beginning. A true Wonderbolt needs to be confident, but not arrogant. They must help one another, and they must always respect their opponents in or out of a Duel. And that means respecting whatever their strength is as well. You can't always assume that your opponents will always be easy to beat, or you might start making mistakes that will cost you a victory at the end." I then finished, saying, "Crimson, if you had played that Duel the same way you did back when you joined the team, you probably could've won. And I know deep down, you know it yourself. So do yourself a favor and swallow away all of that pride you have. It's like Soarin said: Even the best Duelists can always try to improve themselves."

"...Improve myself?" Crimson then asked, sounding a bit softer this time.

"You're nowhere near a perfect Duelist, Crimson." I said, which might've sounded harsh, if I didn't follow it up properly. I smiled and added, "But that only means that you CAN get better and better... And like it or not, we're all here to help you do just that. After all, we're a team aren't we? That's what teammates do."

Crimson said nothing at first, thinking about everything I said to him. Yeah, I wasn't sugar-coating most of what I told him, but it was my way of showing that I cared; a little "tough love" you could call it. In any case, I could see that my words had an effect on him, especially when he admitted to us, "...Perhaps I have been a bit lax in my Dueling lately..." Turning over to Soarin, he then told him, "And perhaps I was a bit hasty in dismissing your talents as well."

"So...are we cool, then?" Soarin asked, unsure how Crimson would respond.

Sighing, Crimson said to him, "I suppose we are." Putting out his hand and - with a small smile, told him, "You played well, Soarin, and I truly consider you to be a worthy opponent."

Shaking his hand, Soarin said to him, "Thanks, Crimson. You too."

"But know this:" Crimson then began to say. "While there are no more hard feelings between us, I won't take this defeat lightly. I'll continue to improve my skills and train harder than ever... And once I feel that I'm ready, I want to face you on the track once more."

Soarin nodded and said, "I'll be there." And with that, Crimson got his Duel Runner back up and wheeled it out of the stadium to do some minor repairs.

Satisfied, I then told Soarin, "Well, after all that, there's no doubt in my mind: You have proven yourself to be quite the strong Duelist, and you played with honor, integrity, and all that other jazz. So I, Spitfire - Captain of the Wonderbolts, accept you as our newest member!"

"R-really...?!" he exclaimed, almost not believing his ears. "Th-thank you! Thank you so much! This is a dream come true!!"

"Hey, you earned it." I told him. "I know you'll help the Wonderbolts become even better than before! With all of us working together so closely, we'll achieve our dream of becoming number one in the world!" And as Soarin pumped his fist into the air in triumph, everyone watching congratulated him with a round of a applause... Even Crimson clapped for him a little as well, though if you asked him, he'd deny it.

"And that's pretty much the whole story." Soarin said after Spitfire had wrapped things up. "I joined the Wonderbolts and with both Spitfire and Crimson, we won tournament after tournament across the country. And yes, Crimson and I still spar with each other to this day, but only to improve each other's game; no more grudge matches for either of us."

"Wow...that's so incredible!" said Spike, impressed by the story.

"I think so too." Twilight added. "To have started so humbly and risen to the top in what seemed like such a short time is positively inspiring!"

Soarin smiled and turned to Steel Shadows, telling him, "At first, I thought that I wasn't Wonderbolts material myself, especially going up against Crimson Inferno. But even so, I saw my challenge through to the end and made my dream come true. I dueled with not just strength and intelligence, but also with great respect towards my opponent, even when they didn't respect me back. And I know you have that same kind of quality in you as well."

"You think so...?" asked Steel.

"I know it." Soarin replied. "From watching you in all those tournaments, I saw that you always remained calm, even when the odds were against you. You never disrespected or underestimated your opponents, and I'm sure that's how you were able to overcome so many of them. And I'm sure that, in the times you've lost, you were never salty about it; instead I'll bet you instead worked on improving to overcome your weaknesses and come out stronger than before, am I right?"

Steel Shadows nodded to say that was true.

"That's why I feel that you're more than qualified to join the team." he continued to tell him. "Sure yes, we're looking for the strongest Duelists to join the team, but most of all, we're looking for Duelists that play with as much with their heart as they do with their strength..." Putting his hand out, Soarin then said, "So, I'll ask you again: Steel Shadows, would you like to join the Wonderbolts?"

Steel thought about everything for a short while, still unsure at first. He then looked at everyone around him. Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Ember were all nodding, telling him that he should accept their offer. And the rest of the audience seemed to feel the same way. After deliberating over the matter for a short while, Steel reached out and shook Soarin's hand, saying, "...I accept."

Immediately afterwards, the audience roared with excitement, having witnessed such a rare event. "Most unexpected, ladies and gentlemen!!" shouted Meghan Williams. "Steel Shadows has just been accepted into the top Turbo Dueling team in the country, the Wonderbolts!! Isn't this amazing, everyone!!"

Ending their handshake, Soarin smiled and told the team's newest member, "Welcome to the family, Steel Shadows. I can safely say that you won't regret this decision."

Steel smiled a bit and nodded, saying, "Thank you for giving me such an opportunity. I will do my best to assist you and the rest of the team." He then asked, "What about Crimson Inferno? Is he okay with this?"

"Surprisingly enough, he is." Spitfire assured him. "Though I think it's because he sees new recruits as sparring partners just as much as he sees them as teammates. You'd better be ready for him when we get back."

"I-I see..." Steel replied, unsure how to feel about that.

"Congrats, dude." said Ember, shaking Steel's hand. "Great job on making into the Wonderbolts. A part of me wishes I was the one they asked for instead." Sighing, she then added, "But...I've got my own dreams to follow and make come true, just like you and Soarin. I'm going to be a Pro Duelist, just like my dad. And when I do, we'll Duel each other again!"

Nodding, Steel told her, "I'm looking forward to it, Ember. For now, I wish you luck in the rest of the tournament."

"Thanks." she said. "Just get ready to watch me win it all!"

"That's what we're planning on doing, actually." Soarin chimed in. "Spitfire n' me are hanging around for a little while so we can watch the rest of competition in person, if that's okay with everyone here."

"I think Mr. Dunstan wouldn't mind letting you come and watch the tournament." Sunset Shimmer told him. "Besides, I'm sure everyone here would love to meet with you and Spitfire."

"I figured that." Spitfire replied. "Don't worry, we won't charge for autographs." Turning to Soarin and Steel, she told them, "Alright, we'd better go and find us some seats. I'm not missin' another minute of this!" The others nodded and followed their Captain into the stands.

"And now," Meghan started again, "let's continue the WCQ Qualification Tournament! Ember will now be moving onto the Semifinals, after her victory over the newly-appointed Wonderbolt, Steel Shadows. But who will be her opponent? That's what we're gonna find out next! For our next Quarterfinal Duel will answer that question! And competing in this Duel are none other than...Gilda and Fluttershy!!"

"Oh...oh my...!" said Fluttershy, trembling a little. Some of it from fear, but also some of it from excitement.

"Alright...you ready to do this, Fluttershy?" Gilda asked her. "You know this is what we've been waitin' for."

Summoning up her courage, knowing that she wanted this Duel just as much as Gilda did, she replied, saying, "I am. Let's go...!" And with that, the pair walked out into the arena, ready to have their long-awaited rematch at last...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 51: Fluttershy vs. Gilda: The Long-Awaited Battle:

Author's Note

And here it is, at long last: The rematch between Fluttershy and Gilda!

I spent a good amount of time making sure that this Duel would flow perfectly, so hopefully I got everything correct. In any case, I truly hope you enjoy it.

RANK 51: Fluttershy vs. Gilda: The Long-Awaited Battle:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

As the WCQ Qualification tournament continues, all sorts of unexpected surprises were right around the corner for those in attendance: One such surprise was the sudden arrival of Spitfire and Soarin, members of the famed Turbo Duel team, the Wonderbolts. They had arrived looking for Steel Shadows, who had just finished his Duel with Ember in the tournament. Steel was surprised to see them, and even more surprised when they gave him an unbelievable offer: To join the Wonderbolts!

At first, Steel wasn't sure if he was the kind of Duelist they were looking for. But Soarin assured him that he would be perfect on the team, and even recounted a story from the day that he joined the Wonderbolts. There, he crossed paths with Crimson Inferno, a high-level member of the Wonderbolts team, as well as the most arrogant member. Inferno did not consider Soarin to be worthy of being on the same team as himself, calling the up-and-comer an amateur. This would lead to a Duel between the two of them, where Soarin managed to surprise everyone - especially Crimson Inferno, by beating the overly-prideful Duelist and finally getting his respect, not to mention a spot on the team. The inspiring story was enough to convince Steel to accept their offer.

With that matter out of the way, the Qualification Tournament was able to continue, and the next match was one that everyone had been waiting to see: The rematch between Fluttershy and Gilda...

After the sudden unexpected arrival of Wonderbolts Soarin and Spitfire - along with the even-more-unexpected event of Steel Shadows joining the team, The WCQ Qualification Tournament was able to resume where it had left off. Ember had won the first Quarterfinal match, and the second one was ready to begin. This Duel would pit none other than dueling rivals (friendly rivals, mind you) Fluttershy and Gilda.

"Aw man...! This is gonna be so awesome!!" Rainbow Dash said, barely on the edge of her seat in anticipation. "Fluttershy and Gilda's rematch is comin' up next! I can't wait to see it!!"

"Said every person reading this series." Pinkie commented seemingly to herself, winking a little.

"I gotta admit, Ah'm excited t' see this match too." said Applejack. "Accordin' to them, both Fluttershy n' Gilda had been trainin' a whole lot just for this kinda moment. They've both been waitin' for their rematch fer a long time ever since that day after the Interschool Duel."

"It sure seems so." Rarity chimed in. "In fact, I could have sworn that - for the first time in a while, at least, I overheard Fluttershy actually saying that she couldn't wait to duel Gilda again, and she didn't even stutter once out of nervousness!"

"Yeah, this oughtta be a good match for sure." said Flash Sentry. "We'd better make sure not to miss a second of it!"

Back down in the arena, Gilda was talking with her school friends as she prepped herself for her long-awaited rematch, doing a few stretches to help loosen herself up a little. "Eeeee!! This is so cool! You're finally gonna have your rematch with Fluttershy, just like you always wanted!!" cheered the always-cheerful Gabby. "I'm so excited, I'm not even sad that I'm not the once dueling you right now instead!"

"Yeah, I can't wait t' get started either!" Gilda replied. "Now I can show everybody - especially Fluttershy, how much better I've gotten. No way am I repeating that sloppy game I had with her the first time we squared off, that's for sure!" She then asked her friend Martin, "So, did ya tell my old man?"

"Indeed I did!" the boy replied. "I called him just like you asked, and he's watching the live stream as we speak! Of course, I had to explain to him how to open the video, but everything's all good!"

"Cool. Glad t' hear it." Gilda responded. "Guess I'll head over to the field now. Wish me luck out there."

"Go for it, Gilda!" Gabby shouted. "Win this one for Griffonstone!" Gilda nodded and made her way to the center of the arena.

At that same time, Sunset, Twilight, and Spike were giving their friend Fluttershy some last-minute advice and supportive words before her Duel. "Well, Fluttershy... This is it: Your rematch with Gilda is finally happening." said Sunset. "How do you feel?"

"W-well... I am sh-shaking a little..." the shy girl admitted.

"You mean you're nervous?" asked Spike. "Well, I guess I don't blame ya for it..."

"Actually...that's not quite it." Fluttershy told him. "It's...it's not because I'm scared... No, it's...it's something else... Something I've never felt before..."

"I think I know what it is." Twilight told her. "You're excited, that's all. I've gotten the same feeling whenever I turned in a report or friendship lesson to Princess Celestia. You've been wanting to face Gilda again for a long time, and that anticipation to duel her is overcoming any nervous feelings you might have had about the match itself."

"You...you really think so...?" asked Fluttershy.

"I thought the same thing myself." Sunset spoke up. "That's just your instinct as a Duelist; to be excited and pumped-up when facing an tough opponent. More often than not, Duelists seek to face stronger opponents in order to become stronger themselves. And I have a feeling that - no matter which of you wins this, you'll both grow as Duelists as a result. So just go out there, do your best, and above all, enjoy yourself."

Managing a small smile, Fluttershy told Sunset, "I will. Thank you...both of you. I'll...I'll make you proud of me, I promise!" Invigorated a little, the normally-shy girl hurried to the center of the field to start her Duel with Gilda.

"Well, I'd better go and do my thing, then..." Sunset told Twilight. "I'll talk to you after the match is done."

"Okay. Do your best out there, too." Twilight told her friend before she returned to the bench with Spike as Sunset made her way to the center of the field, where Fluttershy, Gilda, and Megan Williams the MC were waiting.

"All right, dueling fans!!" Megan announced. "It's time to begin the second round of the Quarterfinals! And this will be a most interesting match-up indeed! For the two Duelists competing are none other than... Fluttershy of Canterlot High...and Gilda of Griffonstone High!! According to records, these two had previously faced off against each other right here on this VERY campus! At the end of that Duel, it was Fluttershy who managed to come out on top! Will she make a repeat performance? Or will Gilda even the score between them? The answers to those questions will only be answered after this match is through!!"

Gilda glanced over at her friend/rival and saw that she was trembling a little. "Nervous?" she asked her. "Well, I can't blame ya; I'll admit, now that we're finally getting our rematch...it's a bit overwhelming, actually."

"Well...to be honest," the shy girl started, "for once, I'm actually not trembling because I'm nervous..."

"Oh?"

"...I...I never thought I'd ever say something like this," Fluttershy continued to tell her, "but I'm... I'm actually excited to start our match...! When I heard that you wanted us to join up in the tournament together, I was hoping that we would get paired up at some point... And then, we were! We got through our first Duels and we can finally face each other again...! I never thought that I could feel this way about something like this; the old me would have never even attempted to enter a tournament before."

Chuckling a little, Gilda told her, "So actually, you're not trembling out of fear, but rather out of anticipation? Heh...I guess some of my toughness rubbed off on ya, seeing as how you want to have our Duel so badly." Humming a bit, she then said, "I guess I know the feeling myself; what with how some of your personality rubbed off onto me..."

"Really?" asked Fluttershy.

"All my life, I thought that being nice to others and stuff was something only wimps did... But I guess by being the jerk that I was, I was the wimp instead, thinking that I had to make others afraid of me to get their respect." the roughneck went on. "But thanks to you, I don't think that way anymore: Now I'm using my power to help others instead of hurting them, and it's also had a positive effect on my dueling skills as well." Smirking, Gilda then told her rival, "Fluttershy, once we start our match, you won't even recognize me! You're about to see the new and improved Gilda, who Duels with everything she's got! So don't expect an easy win this time!"

Fluttershy (who, for once, was not acting shy in the slightest) smiled and told her, "I won't make it easy for you either, Gilda...! I'm going to play my best out there as well! And I plan to win!" Satisfied with that answer, Gilda nodded and escorted Fluttershy to where Sunset was waiting for them.

"Okay, it's time to begin this Duel!" the red-and-yellow teen declared. "And to do that, we'll determine the turn order." She then presented a large coin. "Who wants to call it?" she then asked the competing Duelists.

"You can go ahead, Gilda." Fluttershy politely offered.

The Griffonstone student nodded and watched Sunset toss the coin into the air, catch it in her hand and place it on the back of her other hand, all without seeing the result. "Your call, Gilda." Sunset told her.

"I'll...go with heads." the kind roughneck responded. She and Gilda watched as Sunset removed her hand and revealed the coin result as...

"It's tails..." Fluttershy spoke. "I guess that means I'll go first...if that's okay with everyone."

"Fine with me." Gilda said, agreeing to the decision.

"Then it's decided: Fluttershy will take the first turn." Sunset stated to make it official. "Cut and shuffle your opponent's Decks, and then head to your respective sides of the field." The two Duelists did just that, mixing each other's cards and taking their spots in the arena.

"And now, without further ado..." announced Megan, "let the second Quarterfinal match begin!!"

"Let's DUEL!!" shouted both Fluttershy and Gilda as they drew their opening hands (Fluttershy: LP 4,000) (Gilda: LP 4,000).

At the house that Fluttershy called her home, her parents were anxious to see their daughter compete in the Qualifier Tournament. Cueing up the tournament live stream onto their TV, the pair sat down on their extra-comfortable sofa to watch the Duel. "Oh my...!" spoke Mrs. Shy in her usual soft tone of voice. "Our little girl is up next... I'm so excited to see her...!"

"I know..." her husband said quietly to her. "As bold as our daughter is, even I never would have thought she would enter such a huge tournament...! I know I never could have worked up the courage to try and do something like that..."

"Ohhhh...should we, dear?" asked Mrs. Shy.

"...You mean...do 'that'?"

"Yes, let's cheer our hearts out for our brave little girl in the hopes that she hears us, even from all the way back home...!"

Nodding, Mr. Shy told her, "I think that's a great idea...! As long as you think it is, of course." The two of them took a long, deep breath, psyched themselves up, and then cheered in unison: "...Yay."

Angel Bunny, who was sitting beside the couch with a bowl full of his favorite brand of carrot slices, simply rolled his eyes at his owner's parents' less-than-audible cheer. Even so, even he was eager to see how well Fluttershy would do in her next tournament match.

Elsewhere, in a what appeared to be a school dormitory far away from town, Fluttershy's younger brother Zephyr Breeze was busy finishing up some work from his hair-styling class (that he had, admittedly, put off almost to the last minute). "Urrgh...FINALLY..." he groaned. "That's the last of it. I swear, they print this homework out faster than I can finish it...!" Glancing over to a family photo that he had sitting on his desk, he noticed a sticky note attached to it that read, "FLUTTERSHY DUEL TODAY".

"Aw man...! And look at that: All those assignments almost made me miss seein' my sister in that tournament back home!" Zephyr then complained, quickly grabbing his phone and pulling up the live footage so that he could watch it in his dorm room.

In the suburbs nearby where Girffonstone High was located, Mr. Gruff - Griffonstone High's principal and Gilda's grandfather - had just settled into watch his granddaughter's next match with a warm cup of tea. "Good luck out there, Gilda." he said, watching the live stream (that Martin helped him get onto). "Show 'em all what you've learned up to now!"

Back in the CHS stadium, as both Gilda and Fluttershy looked over their hands, Sunset glanced around the arena, seemingly looking for something...or rather, someone. (No sign of Sonata or her sisters anywhere nearby again...) she thought to herself. (They could be watching the match on a video screen somewhere in the stadium halls...or more than likely, they're up to something else... I'll find out what they're doing sooner or later, but right now, I'd better just pay attention to the match right now.)

Sunset brought her focus back on the Duel in progress as Fluttershy began her first turn. Glancing at the five cards she had, she focused on one of them and thought to herself, (This card again: Naturia Cherries... It helped me a lot when I first dueled Gilda, so maybe it will help me out here, too...) Taking the card from her hand, she placed it horizontally on her D-Pad and said, 'I'll place a monster face-down in Defense Mode... Also, I'll set three cards in my back row and end my turn."

(Just like before...) thought Gilda, (she's playing cautiously and not taking any risks...) She then smirked and a said to herself, "Well, I can do that too...AND take some initiative as well." Reaching for her Deck, Gilda drew a card, looked at it, and placed it into her hand before pulling out a different one. "I'll Summon Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius in Attack Mode!" Immediately, her silver-armored, dragon-like bird appeared on her side of the field (Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius: Level 4 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000).

"Not a bad start for Gilda..." said Martin. "With its ability, Gilda can deal a small amount of damage to Fluttershy right away and give herself a slight lead immediately."

"Alright! That's awesome!!" cheered Gabby. "Go for it, Gilda!! You can do it!!"

The kindly roughneck glanced over at her friends in the audience and smiled, (So...this is what's it's like to have friends cheering you on... I have t' admit, it feels pretty good.) Keeping her smile and mixing in a fierce look in her eyes, she then shouted, "Go, Napalm Dragonius! Activate your effect!! Fire Bomb!!"

Fluttershy gasped when she saw Gilda's first monster unleash a barrage of fireballs straight down towards her, dealing some quick and early damage. "Eeeeeeek!" she screamed as she took the hit (Fluttershy: LP 4,000 - 600 = 3,400).

"Well...once again, it seems that Gilda still favors a brute force strategy." Rarity commented.

"Maybe..." Rainbow Dash responded, "but I'm gettin' a different kind of vibe from Gilda right now: I can't explain it, but I think she's got more than brute force on her side this time around."

Continuing her turn, Gilda then said, "Now since I've got Napalm Dragonius - a DARK monster - on my side of the field, I can now Special Summon Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius in Attack Mode straight from my hand!" After saying this, Gilda brought out another armored bird creature to help her battle her rival (Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1100). "And while we're at it, let's get Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius in on the action as well!" she then said, bring out her third monster - clad in blue and violet armor - in Defense Mode (Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 1500).

"In just one turn..." Twilight commented, "Gilda summoned three Level 4 monsters!"

"Is...is that bad for Fluttershy?" asked Spike.

"I guess we'll have to see..." Twilight answered, keeping her eyes glued to the Duel.

Looking over Gilda's field, Fluttershy thought to herself, (She must be planning to Xyz Summon... The only Rank 4 Xyz Monster that I know she has is Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon...but it would not be beneficial for her to summon it now, so she might be planning to summon something else altogether.)

"I now overlay both Napalm Dragonius and Fuzzy Lanius, each of them Level 4, and build an Overlay Network!" shouted Gilda as the two monster transformed into rays of purple light that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Avian hunter of the afterlife," she then chanted, "seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! Xyz Summon! Take flight! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Force Strix!" Immediately afterward, she summoned her owl-like brid monster from her Extra Deck, placing it in Attack Mode.

"Force Strix?" asked Fluttershy. "I've never seen that Raidraptor before."

"He's not as powerful as my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon," Gilda told her, "but he's pretty reliable: For one thing, he gets 500 extra attack and defense points for every other Winged Beast on the field (Raidraptor - Force Strix: Rank 4 / ATK 100 + 500 = 600 / DEF 2000 + 500 = 2500 / OLU 2)! But not only that, I can remove an overlay unit from him to search my Deck for any Level 4 DARK Winged Beast monster and add it to my hand!" She then detached one of her Xyz Monster's materials (Raidraptor - Force Strix: OLU 2 - 1 = 1) and chose to take Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius into her hand. "And since I detached Fuzzy Lanius to use the effect, I can pull another copy of it out of my Deck too! Then finally, I'll Special Summon Raidraptor - Singing Lanius from my hand in Defense Mode since I have an Xyz Monster out!" After that, a small, stout bird with gold and purple armor appeared beside Force Strix (Raidraptor - Singing Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 100 / DEF 100). The prescence of the new Winged Beast monster allowed Force Strix to get even stronger (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 600 + 500 = 1100 / DEF 2500 + 500 = 3000).

"Once again...Gilda's got three monsters out..." Applejack pointed out. "Hopefully, Fluttershy's defense monster can weather all'o those potential attacks."

She and everyone else were about to find that out as Gilda proceeded to the Battle Phase. "Go, Strangle Lanius! Attack Fluttershy's monster!" Her monster dove down from the sky and approached its target, which revealed itself as Naturia Cherries (Naturia Cherries: Level 1 / ATK 200 / DEF 200). "Rrrgh...it's that monster again...!" she then said to herself, recognizing it from her first Duel with Fluttershy.

Naturia Cherries was immediately destroyed, but Fluttershy didn't even flinch (again, a first for her). "I activate the effect of Naturia Cherries! When you send it to the Graveyard, I can summon the other two copies of Cherries in Defense Mode!" And she did just that, placing them on the field face-down.

"I remember that effect pretty well, Fluttershy." Gilda told her. "But just like the last time, I still have two other monsters that can attack you, starting with my Force Strix! Take out one of her face-down Cherries!"

But before the owl-like bird monster could start its attack, Fluttershy responded, "Not so fast! I activate my Trap Card, Naturia Sacred Tree!" After the card flipped face-up, she then told her rival, "Now by Tributing an EARTH monster that is either Insect or Plant-Type, I can summon a monster of the other type from my Deck! So I'll Tribute the Naturia Cherries that is under attack...and replace it with my Naturia Butterfly in Defense Mode!" After that, Gilda's attack target was gone, replaced by a cutesy-looking pink butterfly (Naturia Butterfly: Level 3 / ATK 500 / DEF 1200).

"Hm, not bad." Gilda complimented. "But now that you took away my initial attack target, I can have Force Strix instead go after your OTHER Cherries! Attack her face-down monster!" The owl then dove down towards Fluttershy's other Naturia Cherries.

"No he won't! I activate Naturia Butterfly's effect!" Fluttershy quickly said. "I send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard and negate your attack!" After doing so, the butterfly flew in front of the attacking bird monster and flapped its wings hard and fast, creating a wall of wind that repelled its attack and blew it back to the other side of the field.

(Just like before...) thought Gilda, (it's taking everything I've got just to get even a LITTLE damage on her...! Only now, she's gotten even better at protecting herself!) Smirking, she then said to herself, "Just as I expected of her, I guess. But I planned on this possibly happening, and I've got a backup plan for it." Taking two cards from her hand, she placed them onto the field and said, "I'll set two facedowns and end my turn."

(Gilda has gotten even more aggressive in her dueling...) Fluttershy noted, (but I can see that she's a lot more methodical in her play style, and she's gotten better at managing her resources... There's no doubt about it: She HAS gotten stronger. And I'll need to pick up my game to keep up with her...!)

"It's my turn...! I draw!" the yellow girl said as she started her turn. Looking at the card she got, she thought to herself, (This could be useful later...) Putting the card in her hand for now, she then said, "I'll begin by Flip Summoning my last Naturia Cherries." After revealing her monster, she then told her opponent, "Then, I'll Tribute it with the effect of Sacred Tree, and summon Naturia Dragonfly in Attack Mode!" She then brought out her next monster: A somewhat large, red-and-blue dragonfly (Naturia Dragonfly: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 400).

"Heh...I remember that guy from our last Duel, too." Gilda commented. "And I remember that it's supposed to get stronger from all of the Naturia monsters in your Graveyard. You tryin' to take me down Memory Lane, Fluttershy?"

Giggling a bit, the pink-haired Duelist answered, "I suppose that's one way to look at it... And yes, my Dragonfly gains 600 more attack points: 200 for each Naturia in my Graveyard, of which there are three." (Naturia Dragonfly: Level 4 / ATK 1200 + 600 = 1800).

"Not only that," Flash Sentry pointed out, "but because the Naturia Butterfly is a Tuner Monster, she can go for a Level 7 Synchro Monster!"

"Yay! That means she can bring out the big dragon that helped her beat Gilda the first time!!" cheered Pinkie.

Gilda knew that as well, but she had a feeling that her opponent wasn't going to bring it out just yet. (If I were Fluttershy, the smartest thing to do is clear out some monsters first, and THEN go for the Synchro Summon...) she pondered. (So I'd better not take any chances...) Tapping her D-Pad's screen, she shouted, "I activate my Trap Card, Raidraptor - Readiness! For this turn, my Raidraptors can't be beaten in battle!"

"Then I'll chain Exterio's Fang!" shouted Fluttershy. "I negate and destroy your Trap Card, then I send Naturia Cliff from my hand afterwards!" In an instant, Gilda's Trap had been stopped before it could resolve.

(So she was ready for it...I thought so.) Gilda pondered to herself. (But I have a backup plan FOR my backup plan!)

Looking over the field, Fluttershy thought, (First things first...I have to get rid of as many of Gilda's monsters as I can before I try playing a bigger monster; I need to cut her off of any more Xyz Summons to have a chance here.) Repositioning one of her cards, she said, "I switch Naturia Butterfly to Attack Mode and move onto my Battle Phase! Naturia Dragonfly, attack Force Strix!!" Her monster then flapped its wings very hard, creating a deafening sound wave that shattered Gilda's Xyz Monster.

"Heh...nice to see ya taking the initiative, Fluttershy." the kind roughneck complimented (Gilda: LP 4,000 - 900 = 3,100). "You've gotten better at playing offensively... But now watch me show off how much better my defense is! I activate Raidraptor - Return!"

"Another Trap?!" Fluttershy gasped.

"Thanks to this card here," Gilda told her rival, "I can get a Raidraptor in my Graveyard back into my hand AFTER one of my Raidraptors on the field is taken out! So I'll get my Napalm Dragonius back. Thanks, Flutters."

"Oh dear..." said the shy Duelist. She was shy, but she was determined to win this Duel and show how much stronger she had gotten. So she didn't miss a beat when she shouted her next move. "Naturia Butterfly, attack Singing Lanius!" Her second monster then whipped up another whirlwind, this time to attack and destroy one of Gilda's other monsters.

"Now Fluttershy's in the lead." Spike commented. "That's good."

"It's not much of a lead, though..." Twilight pointed out, "and with how little damage each of them has taken, there's still plenty of time for one of them to take control of the Duel. I wouldn't be surprised if the advantage in this game changes hooves more than once before it's done, given the high level that they're playing at."

Fluttershy was now in control of the Duel...barely, and she wanted to make sure of it. "For my next move before I end my turn, I'll tune my Level 3 Naturia Butterfly to my Level 4 Naturia Dragonfly!" The pink butterfly began glowing an even brighter pink before transforming into three small lights that flew into the air. The lights transformed into three green rings that surrounded the dragonfly monster, turning it into four more small lights (Level 3 + Level 4 = Level 7). "Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon!!" Fluttershy said, mustering up the energy to say it louder and more confidently than she even had before. "Appear now! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" And with that, her ace card, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, appeared in all its glory, giving off a mighty roar that seemed to shake the very stadium (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"Clear Wing...at last you show up!" said Gilda, remembering very well the monster that had defeated her during her first Duel with Fluttershy. Smirking, she added, "But don't think you'll get me so easily this time around! I'll use every last bit of my power to beat it!"

Giving a smirk of her own, Fluttershy told her, "And I'll use every bit of MY power to prevent that!"

"Oh my...just look at the two of them...!" gasped Rarity. "They seem to be invigorating each other quite a bit! Never have I seen such a display of confidence and determination in those two before!"

"Awwwwww YEAH!!! That's what I'm talkin' about!!" shouted a pumped-up Rainbow Dash, standing up in her chair. "This is what duelin's all about!!" Calling out to her two friends, "Go for it, both of you!! Give this audience a Duel they'll NEVER forget!!"

Hearing their friend's words from up in the stands, Fluttershy and Gilda were determined to do just that. "So," the Griffonstone Duelist asked her opponent, "any other moves this turn?"

Nodding yes, she then played the card she drew this turn. "I'll play Pot of Avarice from my hand. By returning five monsters in my Graveyard back to my Deck, I can draw an additional two cards. I'll put back all three of my Naturia Cherries, Naturia Dragonfly, and the Naturia Cliff that discarded with Exterio's Fang earlier, and then draw." After getting her two new cards, she placed one in her D-Pad, saying, "I'll finish with one card face-down. It's your turn now, Gilda."

(Okay...Fluttershy's got her boss monster onto the field already, so I gotta keep calm and play carefully until I can get a chance to even the odds against her.) Gilda thought as she drew her next card. She looked at it and thought, (Raidraptor - Nest...this might help me.) Putting the card in her hand for now, she then said, "This move oughtta look familiar to you: Normal Summoning Napalm Dragonius in Attack Mode!" Once the massive creature showed up again, she then added, "Get ready for another 600 points of damage!"

"That won't happen this time!" shouted Fluttershy. "I reveal my Book of Moon Spell Card! I can use it to change any of your monsters to Defense Mode and turn it face-down! And I choose Napalm Dragonius!" Immediately, the monster vanished and was replaced by the image of a face-down card.

(Clever move...) thought Sunset. (Now she doesn't take any damage from that monster's effect, and Gilda can't use a face-down monster to Xyz Summon.)

"Hmmmm...guess I shoulda expected that." Gilda admitted. "No prob; got lots of other things to use on you instead. And I'll start with the effect of Fuzzy Lanius in my hand! Since Strangle Lanius is still on my field, I can Special Summon Fuzzy Lanius to the field!' After her monster appeared on the field in Defense Position, Gilda continued, saying, "Now I'll activate the Continuous Spell Raidraptor - Nest! As long as I've got two Raidraptors face-up on the field, I can search my Deck for another Raidraptor to add to my hand!" Thinking for a while, she made her decision and said, "I'll pick this one: Raidraptor - Booster Strix."

*******************************

Raidraptor - Booster Strix:
(Effect Monster/Winged Beast/DARK/Level 4/ATK 100/DEF 1700)

When a "Raidraptor" monster you control is targeted for an attack by an opponent's monster: You can banish this card from your hand; destroy the attacking monster.

*******************************

"Hmmm...Booster Strix, eh?" Martin said to himself, knowing what his former bully was trying to do. "I see... Not bad, Gilda."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Gabby, not sure about the whole thing.

Looking at the card she got, Gilda thought to herself, (Raidraptor - Booster Strix might help me take that dragon down... From what I remember the last time I fought against it, Clear Wing can negate any effect from a Level 5 or above monster...OR any effect that TARGETS a Level 5 or above monster. But that's where Booster Strix comes in: By banishing it from my hand, I can use its effect to destroy her monster when it attacks... Since Booster Strix is a Level 4 monster, and its effect doesn't actually target the attacker, Clear Wing shouldn't be able to stop it. So my plan will be to leave Strangle Lanius in Attack Mode and lure Fluttershy into attacking with her dragon...I just hope that'll be enough.) After she was done thinking her plan over, she told her opponent, "Your move, Fluttershy."

"Um, oh! Okay." said the normally-shy girl. "I'll draw my card this turn, then..." After she did so, she looked over at Gilda's side of the field and pondered something peculiar. (Gilda's Strangle Lanius...she didn't switch it to Defense Mode, but why? If I attack it, she'll take more damage this turn... And knowing just how strong she is, she would never make such a mistake like that...) Looking over her opponent's field - specifically her back row, she then thought, (She didn't place any face-down cards on her field, so...I should be able to to attack...) She then looked over at Gilda and saw that she didn't seem to be very concerned about the state of the field.

(...She has to be up to something... I just know it.) Fluttershy theorized. (So I had better play this carefully...) Taking the card she drew this turn and placing it on her D-Pad, she said, "I Summon Naturia Cliff in Attack Mode!" Afterwards, a giant stone slab with "hair" made of red-colored grass and a pair of small eyes on the front rose up from the ground to do battle (Naturia Cliff: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

(Here it comes...!) thought Gilda, knowing that Fluttershy was about to go on the offense.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy glanced at the cards she had out, looked up at her Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, nodded and shouted, "Go, Clear Wing! Attack Gilda's Strangle Lanius with Whirlwind Dive Slasher!!" Her dragon then whipped up a massive twister that it then flew into, increasing the power and impact of its attack as it zoomed straight towards Gilda's only Attack Position monster.

"Not so fast, Fluttershy!" Gilda announced. "Before your attack lands, I activate the effect of a monster in my hand!"

"I-in your hand?!" gasped the yellow girl.

Showing her rival the card she was about to activate, Gilda explained, "I now banish Raidraptor - Booster Strix from my hand to use its effect! Now I can negate your dragon's attack and destroy it!!" At that moment, a large bird monster in shiny blue armor raced out from Gilda's side of the field and headed straight for Fluttershy's dragon in an attempt at a kamikaze attack.

"Aw, no!! said Rainbow Dash. "Clear Wing's gonna get destroyed!!"

"But...but how?" asked Sweetie Belle, sitting on a seat on the arena sidelines. "Doesn't Clear Wing stop effects like that??"

"Not this one." explained Ember, who was sitting nearby. "Booster Strix doesn't technically target, so the dragon's effect can't stop it from working."

Gilda smirked a little, saying, "Too bad, Fluttershy...but it looks like I'll have finally beaten your dragon!"

"...Not this turn, you won't!" the not-so-shy-girl responded.

"S-say what??" gasped the roughneck.

Tapping her D-Pad's screen, Fluttershy said, "I activate the Trap Card, Follow Wing!! This card allows me to protect any Synchro Monster on my side of the field from being destroyed in battle or by card effects as long as it remains face-up! And of course, I choose to protect Clear Wing with its effect!" After that, a circular shield made up of fierce winds surrounded Clear Wing, causing Booster Strix to hit the shield instead of the dragon, taking out only itself.

"Rrrgh...I see." Gilda said, a little annoyed that her plan didn't work. "That Trap exists to protect your dragon from the effects it can't stop, right?"

"Exactly." said Fluttershy. "And now I continue my attack on Strangle Lanius!" Her dragon then re-initiated its attack, going for Gilda's Attack Mode monster once again.

"I may not destroy your dragon this turn," said the Griffonstone Duelist, "but I can at least stop the damage! I banish Raidraptor - Readiness from the Graveyard to use its effect! Now I can't take any damage this turn!" After removing her card, a bright barrier surrounded her, protecting her from the explosion caused by Clear Wing destroying her monster.

Fluttershy was impressed by Gilda's quick response. (Last time we dueled, she couldn't use the Graveyard effect of Raidraptor - Readiness because she had banished all of the Raidraptors in her Graveyard at a later point in the game... But now she had it ready, just in case something went wrong, and now she still has all the Life Points she had when the turn started... That was a very good move, Gilda...) Fluttershy then continued her turn, saying, "Now I attack your face-down Napalm Dragonius with Naturia Cliff!" Her Rock monster then slammed its entire body down, crushing Napalm Dragonius into a bird-shaped pancake.

Gilda, having regained her composure, asked her rival, "Anything else ya got for me, Fluttershy?"

Shaking her head, the yellow teen said, "No. I end my turn."

Gilda nodded and drew her next card as she tried to think of what she could do. (I can't deny it: That use of her Trap Card was pretty slick...) the roughneck thought. (Thanks to that card, her dragon's nearly invincible...) She then looked at the card she drew for this turn and said, "But maybe with this card... I can get something to even the odds." Playing the card, she then told her opponent, "I use Pot of Desires and banish the top ten cards of my Deck to draw another two!" After she did that, she looked at the cards she got and smirked. (That'll do just nicely...) She then played one of the cards she picked up, saying, "Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy that Follow Wing card!"

"Oh no...!" gasped Fluttershy, knowing that her dragon was now a bit more vulnerable without that Trap Card to guard it.

(Now Gilda has an open window to destroy Clear Wing...) thought Sunset. (But will she be able to do it?) She watched on in order to see the answer to her question herself.

"And next," Gilda stated as she took the other card she drew with Pot of Desires, "I'll bring out my Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius in Attack Mode!" The next monster she brought out was her bird creature clad in green, blue, and silver armor (Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1600). "And with his effect, I'll Special Summon Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius from my hand in Attack Mode to provide him with some needed back-up!" A second bird-like creature then appeared, this one clad in mostly blue armor with some bits of gold and silver on it (Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 400).

(She's building up her monsters again...) thought Fluttershy, a small bead of sweat running down her cheek. (Is she going to try to Xyz Summon this turn...?)

"Now, I'll use my Raidraptor - Nest and pull Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius from my Deck since I control at least 2 Raidraptors!" the Griffonstone student then told her opponent. "And then, I'll use Tribute Lanius's effect to send any Raidraptor card from my Deck to the Graveyard! I'll choose to send to send my Raidraptor - Readiness Trap Card to the Graveyard, just for some added insurance." After dumping the card out of her Deck, she then finished her series of moves by saying, "And then, I'll Special Summon Strangle Lanius with its effect once again, since I've got a DARK monster out!" And with that, she brought out her third monster for the turn; which, together with the Fuzzy Lanius she had out on the field, brought her to a total of four.

"Hmmmm...quite the predicament your classmate is in..." Bright Mind mentioned to the nearby Octavia. "Her opponent has her outnumbered four to two, and there is no doubt in my mind that those monsters are merely the steps to call out an even greater creature."

"It does appear so..." the sepia-skinned teen replied. "Hopefully, it won't be too much for Fluttershy to handle..."

"Aw, you guys're worried over nothin'!" said Vinyl, casually sitting on the bench with her friend. "Fluttershy beat her once already, and she'll do it again! No sweat."

But Fluttershy was at least a little worried, as she knew that Gilda was preparing to bring out a more powerful monster...and she had a feeling she knew which one it was going to be. (If I know Gilda,) she thought, (she would definitely want to fight my Clear Wing with...with THAT monster next...) She may have been a little scared, but she was prepared to face this creature, whatever it was.

Looking at her deck box (which held her Extra Deck), Gilda then said, "Alright big guy...I think it's time you came out and really showed off what you can do. And this time, I'll make sure to be more careful with ya... After all, you're the most-prized Monster Card in our family; it wouldn't do ya justice to get whipped so easily like the last time." Taking a card out of her Extra Deck, she then faced her friend/rival and said, "You ready, Fluttershy? 'Cause I'm about t' bring out a monster I think you're real familiar with!"

(Here it comes...) thought the normally-shy Duelist.

"One she's familiar with...?" asked Flash. "Does she mean-"

"Ah think it is." Applejack interrupted, nodding. "Ah had a feelin' we'd see THAT card again."

Raising the card she took from her Extra Deck into the air, Gilda shouted, "I overlay Vanishing Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius - both Level 4 - and build the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of purple rays of energy that flew into a red vortex in the center of the arena. The portal then exploded into a geyser of dark energy that shot into the air, crating black storm clouds.

"Urrgh...!" grunted Sunset as she shielded herself from the strong wind that picked up as a result of the geyser's eruption. Everyone else in the arena did the same as well. But Fluttershy did her best to stand her ground and not show any fear, which was not an easy task for her to do.

Gilda was then ready to recite the summoning chant for the monster she was about to bring to the field. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon!!" At that moment, the dark energy shooting out of the ground began to form into a different shape: The shape of a massive dragon and one that wasn't unknown to those watching the Duel, as this wasn't the first time - or even the second time, that Gilda had summoned this monster on CHS's campus. "Appear now! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!!" The massive dragon belted a mighty roar, ready to show off its full power in front of everyone in attendance (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2).

"Oh my...! She finally summoned it...!" said Fluttershy. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon...!"

"I had a feeling that Gilda would want to use that card in this Duel..." Sunset said to herself. "Last time, Dark Rebellion lost easily to Clear Wing because Gilda didn't know what Fluttershy's dragon was capable of... I have to admit, I'm curious to see what Gilda plans to do this time."

"YEAH!!!! This so AWESOME!!!" Gabby cheered as loud as she could. "Gilda summoned Dark Rebellion!! She's got this Duel in the bag now!"

"Try to calm down a little, Gabby." Martin informed her. "Gilda may have her best monster on the field, but that doesn't mean she can rest on her laurels just yet. There's still a good amount of the Duel left, and now she needs to play even more carefully than before... After all, if Dark Rebellion falls, she may not have enough time to recover from it. But if she plays smart AND strong, she can still win this." Gabby nodded, understanding what her friend meant.

Gilda knew that perfectly well too, and wasn't about to make a repeat of last time. (I lost my first Duel to Fluttershy because I didn't think she was a threat; and because of that, I made a bone-headed mistake that lost me everything.) she thought to herself. Dark Rebellion then seemed to glance over at her, as if it could sense her thoughts. Gilda looked back at her treasured card and said, "Don't worry D.R.; we'll win it this time, and we'll show everybody how much we've grown! We've come a long way from the Inter-school Duel, and there's no way I'll allow us to lose twice in a row!" Her dragon then nodded and let out a quite grunt, as if it understood its controller and was ready to truly fight alongside her.

Everyone in the audience and on the side lines were eager to see just how this battle between Fluttershy's Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Gilda's Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon would turn out. The only thing they knew was that this battle was going to be an epic one.

"Alright, Fluttershy: Here I come!" shouted the Griffonstone Duelist. "I activate the effect of Dark Rebellion! By removing both of its Overlay Units, I can cut the attack power of any of your monsters in half, then add those points to Dark Rebellion's attack power!" Her dragon then absorbed both of the purple orbs that orbited it, fueling its special ability (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OLU 2 - 2 = 0). "But I've learned from last time:" Gilda informed her rival. "I WON'T be targeting your dragon with this effect. But I WILL target your Naturia Cliff instead!"

Fluttershy gasped as she watched her monster lose its strength after it was subjected to the black lightning bolts that Dark Rebellion unleashed upon it. The grass and plants on its head darkened slightly and began to wither away (Naturia Cliff: ATK 1500 ÷ 2 = 750). The siphoned energy then flowed into Gilda's Xyz Monster, increasing its strength (Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 2500 + 750 = 3250).

"Now Gilda's monster is strong enough to take out Clear Wing...!!" gasped Rarity.

"Aw man... I can't watch...!" said Rainbow Dash, shielding her eyes from what she and the others presumed would be the destruction of Fluttershy's Synchro Monster.

Smirking, Gilda then said to her monster, "Alright, Dark Rebellion! Attack Clear Wing and get yourself some much-needed payback! Revolt of the Lightning!!" And with that, her dragon then fired off more lightning bolts, striking Fluttershy's Synchro Monster hard and wiping it out in an instant, much to the shock of everyone watching.

"Oh no..." the usually-shy girl said in despair. "She actually did it...! She defeated Clear Wing..." (Fluttershy: LP 3,400 - 750 = 2,650).

"Woah...that's gotta be tough on her, losing such a cool and powerful dragon just like that..." said Spike, feeling sorry for her.

"Maybe..." said Twilight. "But I wouldn't count Fluttershy out of this yet."

"Really? What makes you think that?" To answer Spike's question, Twilight pointed towards their friend Fluttershy. The dragon-turned-puppy looked over and was surprised to see the normally-shy girl...smiling at her opponent. "She's...she's not scared??" asked Spike. "She's actually smiling?? What's going on, Twilight? Does she have some kinda plan up her sleeve or something that she's smiling like that?"

"She might..." the young Princess answered. "But I think her smiling is more about the fact that she's impressed with how well her opponent played her last move. In other words, Fluttershy seems to recognize Gilda as a worthy opponent, and she's happy to see how much she's improved." Spike still didn't really understand it, but he was at least happy to see that Fluttershy wasn't sad about taking such a heavy loss.

"...Gilda, that was a great move." the not-shy-at-all Fluttershy told her opponent. "You managed to defeat my Clear Wing."

"Uhhh...thanks?" asked the student from Griffonstone. "Sorry; not really used to havin' my opponent praise me for wiping out their best card like that."

"I would imagine." the pink-haired girl replied. "But you deserve the praise, Gilda. Your game strategy has most certainly improved since the first time we dueled, and now you've taken the lead in this Duel. You were right with what you said at the beginning of the Duel: The person you are now is so much more different than the person you were when we first met, that it's practically night and day. Not just your dueling, but your attitude as well. You so much kinder than you used to be, and it's obvious that it's had such a positive effect on you since then."

"Aw man...that's nice of ya to say that, Flutters." Gilda replied, fighting back the urge to blush from the compliment she received (after all, kind or not, she had a reputation to maintain). "But you know," she then added, "I'm not the only one who's improved themselves since that first Duel we had; you've changed for the better, too."

"I-I have...?"

"Y'mean ya didn't notice?" asked Gilda. "Just look at you right now: You're competing in a huge tournament in front of thousands of excited fans, and you haven't even flinched! Would that have been something you would have done before today?"

"...No, I guess not." Fluttershy admitted. "To be honest, I was so eager for my possible rematch with you, that I completely forgot that people were watching me."

"Y'see what I mean?" the kindly roughneck further inquired her rival. "You've gotten stronger too; both in your personality and in your dueling. That proves you've always had the instincts of a True Duelist, and that means always getting excited to face a tough foe, no matter what the circumstances are! Not to toot my own horn about it, but I'd like to think that - just as how some of your kindness rubbed off on me, that you applied some of my toughness into yourself. Makes sense, right?"

"I...I guess it does make sense...!" Fluttershy responded. "Even though I'm standing here, in front of so many people, facing you in such a big tournament...I...I don't feel scared at all...! I...actually feel excited about the whole thing!" Smiling and facing her opponent, she then told her, "You'd better watch out, Gilda...! I don't plan on losing this Duel! I'm going to play my absolute best right here!"

Nodding, Gilda said to her, "And that's just what I want you to do: That's the only way we can both walk out of here satisfied, regardless of who wins or loses. But don't get me wrong: I don't plan on losing to you twice in a row, Flutters, so YOU'D better be watching out for me!"

"Bring it on!" the animal-loving Duelist said with a giggle.

"...Wow, that was some exchange they had with each other there." said Applejack.

"Yeah...I've never seen Fluttershy this pumped-up before about...well, anything!" stated Rainbow Dash.

"It does seem that Gilda is quite possibly the reason for Fluttershy's excitement right now:" Rarity figured. "She seems to be coaching Fluttershy along so that she can get the best out of her; after all, they have both wanted this rematch for quite some time, and they want to make sure that it will be a Duel for them to remember for a very long time."

"That sure sounds like what's going on down there..." noted Flash Sentry.

"All that matters to me is that they're having the best Duel of their life right now!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "That's the most important thing for them: To have fun playing a really great Duel!" The others nodded to say that they agreed with their pink friend.

Sunset, Twilight, and Spike also heard the conversation that Gilda and Fluttershy were having and were happy to see just how far both of them had come since their first Duel. (Fluttershy...Gilda...) thought the red and yellow-haired teen, (you both have grown a lot since you first met, and have proven that you belong here in this big tournament, dueling each other they way you always wanted to, holding nothing back. I'm real proud of you both, and feel honored to be the Judge for your Duel...)

"...Gilda," Fluttershy began to say, "it's still your turn... I believe that you were in your Battle Phase before we started talking. So go ahead and finish your turn."

Nodding, the Griffonstone Duelist shouted, "Attack, Tribute Lanius! Destroy Naturia Cliff!" Her second monster unleashed its attack next, reducing the weakened Naturia Cliff to a pile of rubble.

"Urrgh..." Fluttershy groaned a little as her Life Points took another hit (Fluttershy: 2650 - 1050 = 1,600)... But she was prepared to withstand it in order to get back her advantage. "I activate Naturia Cliff's effect! When it's sent from the field to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Naturia monster in its place! And I select Naturia Mantis!" In an instant, her next monster appeared on the field: A cutesy-eyed praying mantis with leaves in place of its scythes, and antennae with small pink flowers on the tips (Naturia Mantis: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1500).

"Heh, well I guess the one thing that hasn't changed with you is that ya still like the cutesy cards." Gilda commented. "In any case, I knew destroying your Cliff would set its effect off, but it had to be done... Now, on my Main Phase 2, I can use the effect of my Tribute Lanius! Since it destroyed one of your monsters in battle this turn, I can add a 'Rank-Up-Magic' Spell Card from my hand to my Deck. She then made her choice, and looked at it for a while. (I hope you're watchin', Old Man...) she thought to herself with a smirk, ('cause this next move's for you!) She then put the card she chose in her D-Pad and said, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn!"

Fluttershy looked over the field and thought to herself, (Now that Gilda's gotten her best monster onto the field, I have to be careful: One false move and Dark Rebellion can wipe out the rest of my Life Points at any time...!) Looking at her Deck, she then added, (There's one card in my Deck that can save me right now... Only one monster that can fight Dark Rebellion... But in order for me to summon that monster, I have to draw the card right card, right now...! Please...please let me draw the card I need...please!)

Fluttershy then closed her eyes and pulled the top card from her Deck. For a moment, she made no other movement after drawing the card, other than a slight nervous tremble. But, once she had the courage to look at what card she drew, she slowly cracked an eye open...and saw that she had drawn hey copy of Pot of Desires. Still not sure what was going to happen next, she played the card and said, "I activate Pot of Desires to banish the top ten cards of my Deck, then draw two more..." After she did so, she slowly and carefully looked at the two cards she drew...and gasped in shock. "I-I-I-I don't believe it! I actually drew what I needed!!" she cheered.

"You did, huh...?" asked Gilda, curious to see what her opponent had in store now. "Then why don't you go and show us all what you managed to draw, then?"

"...Okay!" said the not-so-quiet girl. "First, I'll use the effect of Naturia Sacred Tree to tribute my Naturia Mantis in order to summon Naturia Rosewhip!" Immediately, her Insect monster vanished, replaced by a grinning rose plant with short, thorny whip-like vines (Naturia Rosewhip: Level 3 / ATK 400 / DEF 1700). "As long as this card is on the field, Gilda...you cannot activate more than one Spell or Trap on each of our turns!"

"Interesting..." thought Gilda. "That means I have to be careful with whatever Spells or Traps I use, 'cause I'll only get one use of 'em each turn. Still, that shouldn't affect me too much...right?"

"I'm afraid that I'm just getting started, Gilda...!" said Fluttershy, taking a card from her hand. "Now I'll bring Clear Wing back to the field using Monster Reborn!" And with that, her mighty Synchro Monster emerged from out of a dark purple portal and returned to Fluttershy's field.

"Alright! She brought back her dragon!" cheered Spike.

"Maybe so," Twilight pointed out, "but its attack power isn't high enough to beat Gilda's Dragon, so there must be more to her plan than just bringing it back..."

And that was proven true when Fluttershy declared, "And now, I'll summon the Tuner Monster, Naturia Cherries!" And with that, her cherry monster reappeared one the field as well.

"A Tuner?" asked Gilda. "Does this mean that-?"

"It is." Fluttershy interrupted. "Now I can finally show you just how strong I'VE really become! I tune Naturia Cherries, Level 1 to Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Level 7!!" Naturia Cherries then transformed into a small light that then expanded itself into a bright, glowing ring - different from the regular green rings that usually resulted when a Synchro Summoning was performed. The bright ring then surrounded Clear Wing and transformed it into seven smaller lights, prompting a massive column of light to come down and engulf the ring and the lights completely.

Clasping her hands in a prayer-like gesture, Fluttershy spoke, "Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! Appear now and create an even greater world! Synchro Summon!" At that moment, a pair of wings made out of light energy emerged from out of the column, which then revealed themselves to be attached to an even greater creature: The true ace of Fluttershy's Deck. "Come forth! Level 8! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" The massive beast belted out a powerful roar that shook the very ground it hovered above (Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2500).

"C-C-CRYSTAL Wing Synchro Dragon?!" exclaimed Gilda, not expecting Fluttershy to pull out a monster even more powerful than her first Dragon monster. (Rrgh...I guess I should've expected this...) she then thought.

"Say..." Applejack began to say, "ain't that the card that she-"

"Pulled from that pack back at the Duel Museum?" Rainbow interrupted, finishing AJ's statement. "Yeah, it sure is! And now we'll get t' see it in action!"

"I still can't believe she managed to get that card so easily like that..." said Flash Sentry. "How does someone get that lucky?"

"Anime protagonist powers." Pinkie said, offering yet another nonsensical answer.

Looking at her even-more-powerful Synchro Monster, Fluttershy began to think to herself, (Crystal Wing has 3,000 attack points...which is just shy of Dark Rebellion's 3,250... So first, I'll need to weaken that dragon so that it can't destroy mine...) She then declared, I now activate the effect of Breakthrough Skill in my Graveyard!"

"Wait, Breakthrough Skill??" asked Gilda. "When did that get sent to the Graveyard? I never saw you play it!"

"That's because I didn't." her opponent informed her. "Remember when I used Naturia Butterfly's effect earlier on? In order to use its effect to negate attacks, I had to send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard as cost. And luckily, the card I sent was Breakthrough Skill, which set me up to use its effect later."

"Oh...I see." the Griffonstone Duelist replied, understanding what happened.

"Now, by banishing Breakthrough Skill in my Graveyard," Fluttershy continued, "I can use its effect to negate the effects of any one monster on your side of the field. And I choose your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

"I see...by negating its effect, Dark Rebellion will lose the attack points that it gained, making it vulnerable to Fluttershy's attack." Twilight figured.

"Not a bad move, Flutters..." said Gilda with a smirk. "But, really; did you think that was going to be enough to bring my dragon down?"

"Huh?" asked Fluttershy.

"...Thinking back to our past Duel, I remember your playing style very well." the Griffonstone student explained. "You keep up a strong defense, protecting yourself and your monsters for as long as you can to outlast your opponent. Then, once you see an opening, you make your big moves towards the end to secure a lasting advantage that ultimately ensures your victory. That's how you won the first time." Putting on that smirk again, she then added, "Too bad for you; I've been doing the same thing as well!"

"Y-you have?"

"While it appeared that I've just been using brute force just like before, I was also preparing my strongest move for a moment like this, when I knew you were about to make your big play!" Gilda told her. "As for what that move is...well let's just say you aren't the ONLY person who can evolve their dragon into a more powerful form!"

"What's she talking about?" asked Sunset, curious as to where Gilda was going with this. Everyone else just watched on to see what was going to happen next.

Suddenly, Gabby gasped a little and asked Martin, "Hey...wait! Is she-?"

"Mhmm." Martin nodded. "Gilda's about to bring out her TRUE trump card, Gabby. And I expect that it will bring this Duel closer to its finale."

"Here I go, Fluttershy! Get ready!!" Gilda shouted as she tapped her D-Pad. "I activate this card to chain to your Breakthrough Skill effect! Go, The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch!!"

Fluttershy gasped in shock at seeing Gilda's newest card, courtesy of her grandfather. "That must have been the card she chose with Tribute Lanius's effect...!" she said. "Is she planning to use it to make Dark Rebellion more powerful?!"

"That's exactly what's happening, Flutters!" Gilda told her. "I can use The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch during a Main Phase, on any DARK Xyz Monster with no Overlay Units!"

(...Oh dear...!) thought the animal-loving girl. (Is that the REAL reason she used Dark Rebellion's effect earlier? To set up for this move?)

"I target my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with Rank-Up-Magic Launch, and use him as an Overlay Unit to Xyz Summon a DARK monster that's one Rank higher!" shouted Gilda as her ace monster transformed into a massive black cloud that radiated massive bolts of blue lightning that fired off randomly. Even though it was merely an AR image, people instinctively moved out of the way of the bolts that flew in their direction.

"Eeeeep!!" shrieked Sweetie Belle as a bolt flew towards her, narrowly missing her.

"Calm down." Ember told her. "They're not real, remember?"

"I can't help it." Sweetie replied. "I see a lightning bolt, I'm gonna dodge it!"

"If it were a real lightning bolt, it would have struck you before you even knew it was there." the girl from Bloodstone explained to her. Sweetie just huffed a little, not feeling very reassured by that fact.

Everyone continued to watch as Gilda's prized monster drew in power from all around it, feeding into the black cloud and making it larger and more intense. "From the depths of Purgatory," Gilda chanted. "sing the song of rebellion dedicated to the unsinking souls! Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!!" At that moment, a massive, bright purple light began to leak out of the cloud before exploding with incredible force, sending shock wave throughout the stadium. "Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!!" Gilda finished as her monster completed its transformation, displaying wings that looked like stained glass windows (Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon: Rank 5 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2500 / OLU 1).

"Oh my goodness...!!" gasped Octavia. "Look at the size of that beast!"

"Aw man...! And I thought her dragon was wicked-scary in its original form!" Vinyl commented.

Fluttershy's friends up in the stands were also at a loss for words when Gilda summoned her new ace card right in front of them all. They thought that with the Summoning of Crystal Wing, their shy friend's victory was assured. But now they weren't so sure. Sunset, Twilight, and Spike were also unsure as to how this Duel would turn out, now that both combatants had summoned their strongest cards to the field.

"Surprised, Flutters?" Gilda asked her. "I told you I've gotten stronger, and this big guy's proof of it! I got Dark Requiem from my grandpa; a former Pro Duelist, for showing him just how far I've come along! I proved to him that I became a better Duelist AND a better person... And with this card and him fighting by my side, losing isn't an option for me!"

Fluttershy was happy to hear her friendly rival say those words, knowing that she was fighting this Duel not just for herself, but for all the people that helped her along the way. "You have become a better person, Gilda..." she told her. "And I'm pleased to know that you take me seriously enough to not hold back... I guess that's the best compliment you can give to a Duelist..."

"I feel the same way." Gilda replied. "I mean after all, if you're gonna fight your hardest, then I should do the same. After all, it's no fun winning a Duel if it's too easy, right?" After finishing her comment, she then said, "Now, after my Spell Card summons Dark Requiem, I can then attach it to the summoned monster as an additional overlay unit." (Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon: OLU 1 + 1 = 2) After attaching the Spell to her monster, Gilda then added, "And since Dark Rebellion is technically not the field anymore, your Breakthrough Skill's effect fizzles out."

(Maybe, but at least her new monster is not stronger than mine is...) Fluttershy noted. (I might still have a chance... At least, I hope so...). Since she knew her monster would only destroy itself if she attacked Gilda's dragon, she changed her plan. "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon! Attack Tribute Lanius with Crystal Gale Edge!!" Her monster then unleashed its attack, wiping out Gilda's other monster and damaging her Life Points even further (Gilda: LP 3,100 - 1,200 = 1,900).

"Fluttershy managed to deplete a lot of Gilda's Life Points..." Sunset noted to herself. "But now we'll have to see if she can land the finishing blow...or if Gilda's new monster comes out as the victor..."

Fluttershy looked over the field, thinking to herself, (If that new monster is an evolution of Dark Rebellion - like how my Crystal Wing is an evolution of Clear Wing, then its powers must be similar to her previous monster's but more powerful...) Glancing up at her monster, she continued to ponder, (Crystal Wing's special ability allows it to negate any monster effect that activates and destroy it... But I'm sure Gilda's aware of that, too... I need to assume that she might have a way to counter it, so I need to try and protect Crystal Wing as best as I can...) Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "I move on to Main Phase 2 and activate the Continuous Spell, Insect Neglect!"

*******************************

Insect Neglect:
(Continuous Spell Card)

When your opponent's monster declares an attack: You can banish 1 Insect monster from your GY; negate the attack.

*******************************

(At the very least, I can use this card to keep her from attacking me...) thought the no-longer-shy girl. (At least, I hope I will...) Taking a deep breath, she then told Gilda, "My turn is over now."

"I guess it is." the roughneck replied rather calmly. "And I'm pretty sure you know - with both of us having our best monsters out, and having so few Life Points left... This Duel might end pretty soon."

"...I know." the animal lover replied. "A part of me wishes this could have gone a little bit longer... But I do know that I've enjoyed every minute of our Duel together."

"Same here." Gilda replied. "It was worth the long wait to finally get to this point. And I know that both of us will walk away satisfied, no matter which of us wins. You agree with me?"

Fluttershy smiled and nodded to say she did agree with her rival/friend. (I do agree with you Gilda...) she thought. (Because of this Duel...because of you, I feel like I've gotten much stronger inside... You were right; a long time ago, I never would have had the courage to enter a big tournament such as this one... But thanks to my friends - including you, I've become a lot braver inside... I still have a long ways to go, but now I feel that I can stand on my own two feet and face whatever life throws at me...! I promise to all of you...I will be braver! And I WILL stand tall, no matter how scary the world can be!)

Gilda also had some time to think to herself as she looked towards her opponent. (Before I met you Fluttershy, I thought that being tougher than anyone else was all that mattered. I only cared 'bout myself, and no one else's feelings even registered in my mind; I didn't even care about the concerns of my old friend Rainbow Dash, and I almost lost her as a friend forever...) She then smiled to herself and thought, (But that all changed after that Duel we had with each other; you showed me that you can be kind AND tough, by usin' your strength to help people and not hurt them... I've been doing that ever since then, and for the first time in a long time - maybe for the first time ever, I felt happy...I felt good about myself... And just like you, I now have great friends of my own that support me... And you're one of those friends, Fluttershy; I'll never forget how much you've helped me. I may still have a long way to go, but I promise that I'll continue to better myself: Both as a Duelist and as a person!)

Preparing to draw her next card, Gilda then said to Fluttershy, "Alright, what do ya say? Should we finish up our Duel with a real bang?"

The yellow girl nodded and - without flinching - told her, "Bring it on!"

"I draw!" The Griffonstone girl then drew her next card and looked at it before immediately playing it. "I activate the card I drew: Pot of Extravagance!!"

"Amazing!!" exclaimed Martin. "She actually drew that card just when she needed it most!"

"Now we just have to hope that she can draw something good with that Spell Card..." said Gabby, getting excited again. "Good luck, Gilda!!"

After choosing to banish six random cards from her Extra Deck, Gilda took a deep breath...and drew her top two cards. Finally, after she got a good look at them, she gasped a little. (Th-these cards...) she thought. (These might just do the trick...!) Taking one of the cards she drew, Gilda then said, "I Summon Battlestorm in Attack Mode!!" And with that, a human-like bird creature with black wings flew into the arena, standing tall on Gilda's side of the field (Battlestorm: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). "And in case you forgot," she then told her opponent, he gains an extra 100 attack points for every Winged Beast I have out. So with both him and Strangle Lanius on the field, he gets a 200-point boost!" (Battlestorm: ATK 1700 + 200 = 1900)

"Are...you planning to summon more monsters to power him up further...?" asked Fluttershy.

"That's right." Gilda replied. "Now I'll activate the effect of Strangle Lanius! Since I've got an Xyz Monster that has a DARK monster for one of its overlay units, I can bring back any Level 4 or lower Raidraptor in the Graveyard with its effects negated! So I'll bring back Tribute Lanius in Attack Mode!" In an instant, the monster reappeared onto the field, ready to fight. "And of course," she continued, "bringing him out boosts Battlestorm by another 100 points!" (Battlestorm: ATK 1900 +100 = 2000)

(She must be building up her monsters, preparing for one last attack...) thought Fluttershy. (But with my Spell Card out, I can hopefully hold her off until I can strike back...)

But Gilda surprised her by saying, "I know you're planning to try and keep me from attacking you by using that Spell Card." This elicited a gasp out of Fluttershy, especially when her rival told her, "But I'm afraid I won't let you stop me that easily! I activate Battlestorm's effect! Since I now have a total of THREE Winged Beast monsters on the field, I can destroy any Spell or Trap Card you've got! So I'll destroy Insect Neglect!"

Fluttershy watched as Gilda's monster whipped its wings, sending a fierce wind straight towards her Spell Card. (I could use Crystal Wing to negate the effect...) thought Fluttershy, (but I can only use the effect once each turn... I need to save it just in case Gilda uses an even more powerful effect...!) After her Spell Card was blown away, she then shouted, "I activate the effect of Naturia Sacred Tree! I Tribute my Rosewhip and Special Summon Naturia Stinkbug from the Deck in Defense Mode!" In a flash, her Plant monster vanished, replaced by the tiny, green Insect monster (Naturia Stinkbug: Level 3 / ATK 200 / DEF 500).

"I see..." Gilda responded, remembering the Stinkbug from their last Duel. "Since I destroyed your Spell Card, you're falling back on using that monster to block my attacks instead... But now that you've gotten rid of your Rosewhip monster, I can now play all the Spells and Traps I want this turn!" Taking another card from her hand, she played it, saying, "I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Import!"

"Huh?? What does that do??" asked Fluttershy.

"Xyz Import lets me target any Xyz Monster I've got, plus one monster you've got that has less attack points than it." the Griffonstone Duelist explained. "I'll choose my Dark Requiem of course, along with the Stinkbug you just summoned; since it only has 200 attack points compared to my Dragon's 3,000, it's more than good enough as a target."

"So...um...what happens now...?"

"I'll tell ya, Flutters: Now your monster gets attached onto my Dark Requiem as an additional overlay unit!" Gilda answered, causing her opponent to gasp again.

"That ain't good..." said Applejack. "By doin' that, Fluttershy lost her only other way to stop Gilda's attacks this turn..."

"So...does that mean Gilda might win this...?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I guess we will just have to wait and see..." Rarity replied.

Fluttershy could only watch as her last line of defense against an attack was absorbed into Gilda's monster, transforming into a third purple orb that orbited the creature (Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon: OLU 2 + 1 = 3). (With all of my cards that could have stopped her from attacking gone,) she then thought, (it's all up to Crystal Wing now...!)

Knowing what she had to do, Gilda then declared her next move: "I now activate Dark Requiem's effect!" she shouted. "By removing one of its overlay units, I can drop the attack points of one of your monsters to zero, and then transfer those attack points to himself!" The dragon then absorbed one of its floating orbs into its chest (Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon: OLU 3 - 1 = 2), powering itself up to use its ability. "Dark Requiem, target Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!!" Gilda then shouted, sending her monster after Fluttershy's.

"But...how's that going to work?!" asked Flash Sentry. "Crystal Wing can just negate the effect before it can work!"

"Something tells me that might not end the way we think it will..." Pinkie commented.

Fluttershy wasn't sure what Gilda was trying to do, but knew she had no choice but to try and stop her. "I counter with Crystal Wing's effect!!" she shouted. "When you activate the effect of a monster, I can negate the effect and destroy it!" Her monster then began to glow, preparing to activate its effect to counter Dark Requiem.

"Sorry, Fluttershy...but that's not gonna stop me this time!" said Gilda, "I now activate Dark Requiem's SECOND effect!!"

"S-S-SECOND EFFECT?!?" exclaimed the animal-loving Duelist.

"By spending another overlay unit," the roughneck told her rival, "I can negate YOUR monster's effect and destroy it instead!!" And just as she said, her monster then absorbed a second orb into himself (Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), causing its shimmering stained-glass wings to shine even bright, overpowering the light emanating from Crystal Wing and unleashing a mighty blow on it. The blast was more than even the powerful Synchro Monster could handle, and it was destroyed in an instant.

"Oh no...!" gasped Fluttershy.

"Th-that was INSANE!!" exclaimed Spike. "Gilda took out Fluttershy's monster like it was nothing!!"

Both Twilight and Sunset were shocked by the result, as was everyone else. But it was true: Fluttershy's best monster had been defeated by Gilda's and it appeared that the Duelist from Griffonstone High would be the victor of this Duel.

"Aw no..." said Applejack. "Fluttershy lost her dragon...just like that..."

"Yes..." Rarity commented. "And now that she has, I'm afraid that this Duel will end in her loss. Poor Fluttershy..."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be so worried about Fluttershy, guys..." Rainbow told them both. "Just get a look at her face; it doesn't look like she's too bummed out about it." The others - including Pinkie and Flash - took a closer look at their friend in the arena. Sure enough, like Rainbow had said, Fluttershy didn't seem sad at all. She still had a warm smile on her face, even though her defeat was inevitable at this point.

"She's...still smiling?" asked Flash. "She's...happy about losing?"

"Nahhhh!" Pinkie corrected him. "She's happy 'cause she played the best Duel ever! That's what! And I'm happy for her, too!" The others understood what their pink friend was talking about and smiled as well, knowing that Fluttershy was pleased with the outcome, even though she wasn't going to win.

"...Gilda..." the shy girl spoke at last. "Congratulations...you were amazing in this Duel, and you deserve to win it for all your hard work... Now please, if you could...make your last move."

Gilda felt a little bad about the fact that she was about to beat the person who had helped turn her life around so much...but she knew she had to make the last move, out of respect for herself and for her rival, Fluttershy. With a bit of a heavy heart, Gilda shouted, "Go! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon! Attack Fluttershy and end this Duel!! Disobeying Requiem Disaster!!"

Everyone watched as Dark Requiem's chin-spike began glowing a deep purple as it flew high up into the air, preparing its mighty attack. Fluttershy looked up - still smiling - as the dragon went into a super-fast dive bomb straight towards her. The animal lover instinctively put up her left arm to block the attack, even though it wouldn't make any difference. Dark Requiem slammed chin-first into the ground, unleashing a mighty blow that signaled the end of the Duel...

(Fluttershy: LP 1,600 - 3,000 = 0) (WINNER: Gilda)

"...This Duel is now over! Gilda is the victor and will move on to the Semifinal Round against Ember!" Sunset shouted, making the official announcement.

Everyone at CHS was shocked and saddened to see their classmate lose her rematch against Gilda. But at that moment, Rarity stood up and - with a smile on her face - began to clap. She was soon joined by Applejack and Rainbow Dash, followed by Pinkie Pie and Flash Sentry. Soon after, the rest of the audience gave a round of applause, congratulating the both of them for playing such an incredible game.

Gilda took a deep breath, feeling good about her victory and feeling like she truly earned it. Then, when she looked over towards Fluttershy and saw her fall down to her knees, she then snapped back to reality and rushed over to her opponent to see if she was alright. "Fluttershy!" she called to her. "Are you gonna be okay...?" She then heard what sounded like a sniffle and realized that the yellow-skinned girl may have been crying. "F-Fluttershy...don't do that..." she tried to tell her. "It's just a game... Nothing to cry over..."

But before Gilda could say anything, Fluttershy quickly stood up and...hugged her opponent. "Gilda..." she said in-between soft sobs. "...Thank you... Thank you so much...!"

"You're...thanking me?" asked the kindly roughneck. "And you don't sound sad at all... What's up?"

Finally looking up at her rival/friend, Fluttershy showed her that - while she did have tears in her eyes - she still had that smile on her face. "Gilda..." she began to tell her, "I'm not crying because I'm sad... Far from it: I just felt so happy that...that you treated me like a serious opponent. I'm happy that you didn't hold anything back... Not to sound boastful, but I found it very flattering that you thought I was that strong a Duelist."

"Is that it?" asked Gilda. "That shouldnt've been such a surprise to ya. I treated you like a strong Duelist 'cause you ARE a strong Duelist, Fluttershy; one of the toughest I've ever met. Besides my old man, you're the only person to have ever beaten me in a Duel, so I got treat you like a serious opponent, you know?"

"I guess that makes sense..."

"Of course it does." the Griffonstone student told her. "In fact, even though I won the Duel this time around, it still was a real close game; it could've easily ended with you winning again. I don't throw this around a whole lot, but I think I can safely say that you n' I pretty evenly matched at this point."

Fluttershy was very happy to hear that Gilda thought so highly of her, especially compared to what she thought of her during their first meeting. The shy girl then said to her, "Then I guess...until our next Duel, then?"

"Sure. I'm lookin' forward to it." Gilda told her with a smirk. "Just make sure you get even better next time, 'cause I'll be doin' the same!"

"I will. I promise..." Then, just after saying that, Fluttershy let out a tired sigh and suddenly fell down in between Gilda's arms, prompting the Griffonstone girl to catch her so that she wouldn't fall onto the dusty ground.

"Woah! Fluttershy?! What's the matter?!" asked Gilda, panicking a little. "Are you alright?? Speak to me!!"

"Relax, Gilda... I think she just fainted." Sunset reassured her.

"Fainted?"

"Yeah" the red-and-yellow teen answered Gilda. "I think - now that she's out of the tournament, the realization that she had dueled openly in front of so many people finally caught up to her. To be honest, I'm a little surprised she managed to hold back her nervousness this long...not to sound rude or anything." Helping the woozy girl to her shaky feet, Sunset asked her, "You gonna be okay there, Fluttershy?"

"I...think so..." she managed to say. "I could...just use a...a little rest, that's all... If it's not too much trouble..."

"Nah, it's fine." Sunset replied. "After everything you've been through, I think you've earned it." Turning over to Twilight and Spike, she asked them, "Can you get Fluttershy over to Nurse Redheart? She 's in the stadium's infirmary."

"Of course! We'd be happy to." Twilight said as she ran over and allowed Sunset to help Fluttershy onto the young Princess's back so that she and Spike could help get her some much-needed R&R.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen!!" announced Megan. "Gilda had emerged victoriuos in one of the most exciting matches we've had here yet! Gilda will move on to face Ember in the first Semifinal Duel!" Ember, who was standing beside the back wall and observing the last Duel, glanced over at Gilda, knowing that she would be dueling her next, and was already mentally preparing herself for the upcoming game.

"But for now, we will soon begin our THIRD Quartfinal Duel!" the MC continued. "Sonata Dusk will face off against Bright Mind! We will have a short 15-minute intermission so that the Duelists - AND the audience - can prepare themselves for another white-hot match!"

At the mentioning of Sonata's name, Sunset then looked around and wondered, (So...where have the Dazzlings been all this time...? I just hope that whatever they're up to, it won't ruin this tournament...! Or they'll have to answer to me and my friends!)

Elsewhere, in a secluded room under the stadium, the three girls in question - Adagio, Aria, and Sonata - were busy with matters of their own. "Hmph..." huffed Aria as she put down her cell phone. "Looks like the wimpy chick in the Rainbooms is out of the tournament."

"Perhaps..." said Adagio, "but I have to admit...for as shy as I remember her being, she put a good fight against that scruffy tomboy that was her opponent. That...could be a slight concern."

"You don't seriously think she's an actual threat do you?" asked Aria.

"No...but if she has gotten so much stronger since our last encounter, there may be a chance that the rest of her little circle of friends may hvae as well." the Dazzlings' leader informed her sister. "But that's the reason why I've come up with this little plan of ours: To cover any and all possible outcomes and ensure that - this time, we get what we want." Turning over to Sonata, she then told her, "I believe it's time for your next match, Sonata..."

"Yeah, against that brainy know-it-all kid, whoever he is..." the blue-skinned Dazzling responded. "Are...you sure I'll be able to beat him, Dagi? He seems like he really, REALLY knows what he's doing out there... I mean, you saw his last Duel."

"I did see his last Duel, indeed." Adagio told her sister. "And because of that, I can assure you: The one thing that 'know-it-all' won't know about it...is what hit him..." She then let out a quiet, sinister-sounded chuckle; whatever she had planned, she was sure that it would bring them closer to whatever their goal in the tournament was...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 2):

Ember vs. Steel Shadows [WINNER: Ember]
Gilda vs. Fluttershy [WINNER: Gilda]
Sonata Dusk vs. Bright Mind [WINNER: ???]
Octavia Melody vs. Sweetie Belle [WINNER: ???]

RANK 52: An Abducted Victory:

Author's Note

In memory of Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. For without whom we would not all be here. :fluttershysad:

He didn't just create Yu-Gi-Oh!, he created an awesome generation to live in. And for that, we thank him.

RANK 52: An Abducted Victory:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The second Duel of the Quarterfinal Round had begun, featuring a long-awaited Duel by not only the spectators, but also the combatants: Fluttershy and Gilda were finally about to have their rematch against each other, and both sides promised to give it everything they got, to show off everything that they had learned since their first Duel against each other during the Inter-school Duel so many months ago.

Both Gilda and Fluttershy played their absolute best moves against each other, showing the other that they had gained a significant amount of skill since the last time they met. Both Duelists were quite evenly matched and it wasn't quite clear who would come out on top. The end of the Duel featured appearances by the two new ace monsters of the two Duelists' Decks: Fluttershy would call up her Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon - which she had obtained from a booster pack that Rainbow Dash had bought for her, while Gilda would Summon her Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon - which she received from her grandpa after she finally managed to defeat him in a Duel.

Though both had fought well, in the end it was Gilda who managed to come out on top and be allowed to move on. Fluttershy, however, had no regrets or bitterness due to the result, knowing that she had given it her all and was proud of herself for doing so. Now the next Duel of the Quarterfinals was about to go underway, in which one of the competing Duelists had attracted the suspicions of Sunset Shimmer...

Deep in the interiors of CHS's stadium, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were in the building's infirmary room with Fluttershy - who, after fighting an intense Duel with her friend/rival Gilda, had fainted a little afterwards, both out of exhaustion as well as from all of the stress that she held back while in the tournament. The pale-yellow girl was sitting on a bed with her two friends, who waited with her to make sure things would be alright before they returned to the stadium field.

"You feeling okay, Fluttershy?" asked Sunset. "You were a bit unsteady on your feet on the way over here."

"I'll be fine." Fluttershy told her. "I just need a little rest after that Duel..."

"No kidding..." said Spike, who was sitting on Twilight's lap. "If I fought such an big Duel like you did just now, I'd probably need a little breather, too. Personally, I'm kinda glad I wasn't the one out there; I've got enough on my table to worry about already without adding super-intense card games to it."

"And what exactly would those be?" asked Twilight amusingly.

"Uhh...well, I'll, uh...I'll get back to you on that one." the dragon-turned-puppy responded. His friend simply giggled a bit at what he said.

Just then, the door to the room opened and in stepped Gilda, Martin, and Gabby. "Knock knock." Gilda said. "Just comin' in to see how Flutters is doin'."

"She'll be okay." Sunset told her. "A little rest and she'll be back to her usual self again."

"That's good." said Martin. "I was worried that it might have been something more serious." He then said to both Fluttershy and Gilda, "In any case, you two were phenomenal out there. Easily one of the best Duels I've seen so far!"

"Yeah! You two were super-awesome!!" Gabby chimed in excitedly. "EEEEE!!! I'm so glad that I got to see it all before my eyes!!"

"Thanks, guys." Gilda told them. "That means a whole lot." She then turned to Fluttershy and said to her, "And I agree with 'em: That was the best Duel I've ever had. Thanks for takin' me on, Flutters."

Nodding, the shy girl said, "It was my pleasure, Gilda... And thank you for treating me like a serious opponent out there."

"Hey, no prob." the kindly roughneck replied. "It's easy to treat you like a real opponent when you already are one. And I'm lookin' forward to the next time we rematch each other. And just so ya know: I'm plannin' to win it and pull ahead of you!"

"...I'll Duel you anytime, anywhere." Fluttershy responded. "To be honest, I'm looking forward to it too."

Happy to hear that, Gilda then turned to Sunset and Twilight and told them both, "We'll stay here and keep an eye on Fluttershy for a bit longer. Meanwhile, you've gotta get up there to judge the next Duel."

"Yeah, we don't want to miss that." Sunset said. She then thought to herself, (Especially since the next Duel will feature Sonata... I'm still not sure what she and her sisters are trying to accomplish during this tournament, but if they try to cause any trouble, I have to try and put a stop to it! For now, all I can do is wait and see what happens next...) Turning over to Twilight she told her, "Twilight, Spike...we'd better do as Gilda says and get back up there for the next match."

"Right. I'll do my best to lend you a hoof-er, hand!" the young Princess told her. The three of them then left the infirmary, heading towards the outdoor field.

Elsewhere, far away from all the action, Sonata and her fellow sirens Adagio and Aria were going over a few last minute details before the next Duel. Handing the blue pony-tailed girl her Deck, the Dazzlings' leader told her, "Here...everything is all set to go, Sonata."

"So...are you sure this is gonna work, Dagi?" Sonata asked her.

"Of course it will." Adagio answered. "Aria and I have done all of the more difficult thinking for you already. So now it's up to you follow through and play this Duel exactly as we rehearsed."

"Yeah, so don't screw it up." Aria rudely added, still not confident that Sonata was the best choice for entering the tournament.

Huffing, Sonata snatched the Deck rather quickly and said, "I'm not! I'll beat that dork and show you, Aria! Just watch me!" Sliding the Deck into her D-Pad and adjusting her Duel Gazer, the blue siren headed for the arena. Aria just sighed a little and followed her.

Adagio headed for the arena as well, thinking to herself, (Everything's going according to plan: No one - not even Shimmer and her little friends - will suspect a thing... Not only are we going to take this tournament...) She then pulled a card out of her skirt pocket as continued her soliloquy. (...but afterwards, we plan on taking even more...)

Up in the stands, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Flash Sentry were still sitting together, discussing the tournament so far. "Sooooo...uh, guys...?" Rainbow began to ask, "What are results of the tournament so far?"

"You forgot already?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Jeez... we only had a Duel just a few minutes ago. It's not like it's been months between the last Duel and right now!"

"Look, I'm not the best when it comes t' rememberin' everything, alright?" Dash whined a little. "Give me a break, already..."

Tapping on her D-Pad, Rarity pulled up the tournament bracket to aid in answering her athletic friend's question. "Well, according to this, the standings are as follows:" she began. "So far, Ember and Gilda have both made it into the Semifinal Round, and will Duel each other when that time comes. The four remaining Duelists in the Quarterfinals are Sonata, Bright Mind, Octavia, and my sister Sweetie Belle."

"And if Ah'm correct," Applejack chimed in, "the next Duel is Sonata and Bright Mind."

"So, who's Bright Mind again...?" asked Rainbow.

"He was the guy I dueled in the first round." Flash told her. "The guy with the Alien Deck. And man, was he a tough one; he really knew how to work his Deck perfectly."

"Oh yeah..." the cyan-skinned teen replied, remembering that match. She then asked him, "Just t' be clear: You're not bitter about that guy beating you at all are you? I mean, I'm pretty sure you're not since you're usually pretty calm, but I was just wondering..."

Chuckling a little, he answered her, saying, "Nope. I'm not mad at the guy at all. He was a great Duelist, and I'm just happy that I got to fight him in the first place. To be honest, that's the real reason I wanted to enter the tournament: To duel against people that I've never met before. And since that's exactly what happened in the first round, I'm pretty satisfied with that. Sure, I'd like to try and beat him the next time I duel him, but just for the fun of it...that's all."

"Well, I think that's a very good way to feel about it." Rarity told him. "No one should feel bitter or even hate their opponents after a Duel, or after any sort of competition, really. I feel that both players should have a good feeling about it all afterwards, regardless of the result." Putting on a serious look, she then said, "That being said, I do hope Bright Mind can defeat Sonata in this Duel... And that's only because I - like Sunset - am suspicious of her actions."

"You ain't the only one, Rares." AJ told her. "Don't forget, mah Brother heard her talkin' to the other two Dazzlings about some kinda plan they've got goin'. And let's not forget how Sonata was makin' fun of Derpy after she beat her in the first round. There's no doubt about it: Those gals are nothin' but a heap o' trouble!"

"And speak of the devil," Dash then said, "there's Sonata walking into the arena now..." Just as she had said, the light-blue, pony-tailed siren was walking into the arena at that moment, with Adagio and Aria preferring to keep to themselves near the arena entrance they came out of. Naturally, the two of them had smug looks on their faces, as if they figured they had this Duel won before it even started. Sonata, however, had a more determined look on her face, as she was still a bit annoyed by Aria's previous comment towards her.

"And there's Bright Mind..." said Flash, seeing the intelligent young boy walking onto the field, ready to duel. He, along with the other people he was sitting with (and likely everyone in the audience) was hoping that he would win the Duel in the hopes that it may put an end to whatever scheme the Dazzlings might have had planned.

Soon after, the two two competing Duelists were joined by Sunset, Twilight, and Spike, as well as the MC, Megan Williams. With everyone and everything ready to go, it was time to get things started. "Alllllllllright, dueling fans!!" Megan announced with her usual pep. "It's time for our third Quarterfinal Match! This Duel will be between Sonata Dusk, an Atlantean Deck user...versus Bright Mind, an Alien Deck user! And the winner will continue on to the Semifinals!"

Smirking, Sonata then asked her opponent, "So...ready to get beat?"

"Hmmmm...no, I am not." Bright replied, switching on his Duel Gazer. "I intend to win this tournament, Ms. Dusk. And I have no plans on allowing a troublesome hindrance such as yourself to impede my progress forward."

Huffing, the siren then said back, "Okay, now you're just using big words to make fun of me, aren't you? Think you're so smart... Well, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!" She then activated her Gazer as well, ready to fight.

Sitting down on one of the benches on the outskirts of the main arena, Twilight kept her eyes focused on what was about to take place in front of her. "Man...I hope that Bright guy can win this one..." said Spike. "I'd hate to see what might happen if those sirens actually win this whole thing..."

(I agree...) thought Twilight, (especially since we don't yet know WHAT they're planning... It's safe to assume that, whatever the sirens' plan is, it hinges on them winning the tournament, so there's no doubt that they're liable to try anything they can to stay in the competition...)

Bright Mind looked at his Deck, took a deep breath to calm himself, and thought, (After witnessing her previous Duel, I made a few slight alterations to my Deck with the cards I have in my Side Deck... It should be satisfactory; it all depends on what Ms. Dusk decided to swap out in HER Side Deck...)

Noticing that Bright Mind was in deep thought, Adagio smirked and thought to herself, (I can see you're wracking your brain to try and come up with a strategy to defeat my sister... Too bad for you; nothing you can think of will prepare you for what we've come up with for her. This will be one problem that even someone as smart as you won't be able to solve...)

Sunset took a slight glance over towards Adagio and Aria, knowing that they were up to something, but didn't know what yet. For now, she had a job to do. Clearing her throat, she then said, "Are both Duelists ready?" After seeing them both nod yes, the judge then shouted, "Then let the Duel begin!"

"Let's DUEL!!" shouted both Sonata and Bright (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000) (Bright Mind: LP 4,000). And with the drawing of their respective opening hands, their game was ready to begin...

Up in the audience stands, Flash Sentry was paying close attention to the Duel, hoping that Bright Mind would come out the victor. But it was not simply for the fact that he wanted Sonata out of the tournament, but also because he openly stated that he respected Bright's strength as a Duelist after his match against him. (You can do it, Bright...) he mentally urged him. (Don't let her overcome you...)

After a coin flip, it was determined that the first move would go to Sonata. She looked over the cards in her opening hand...and spotted one that drew her attention right away. (Alright...just gotta do this how Dagi told me...) Taking the card, she put it into her D-Pad and said, "I'll set this card face-down!" Then, taking another card out of her hand, she added, "Then I'll Summon Atlantean Dragoons in Attack Mode!" After playing the card, a pair of blue, armor-wearing fish people riding on giant armored sea horses (one in gold armor and one in silver) appeared on the field, wielding weapons that were a combination of a sword and lance (Atlantean Dragoons: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 0). "And that's all I've got this turn!" she said, finishing her move.

"Very well, then." said Bright Mind, drawing a card from his Deck and looking at it. (Hmmm...) he thought. (Offering to the Snake Deity... That could come in handy later...) He spent a few moments looking over the cards in his hand in order to come with the best possible strategy.

Sunset continued to watch the Duel closely, with most of her attention on Sonata due to her suspicions of her and her sisters. (So far, Sonata hasn't acted too much out of the ordinary...) the red-and-yellow girl thought to herself. (Sure, there was her unsportsmanlike conduct after her Duel with Derpy...but honestly, I expected her to do something like that. Hopefully, this Duel can help me figure out if those three really are up to something sinister or not...that is, assuming Bright doesn't beat Sonata right here of course.) With that thought in her mind, Sunset kept her eyes on the match, making sure to pay attention to everything that went down.

"Alright," said Bright Mind after having thought of his opening move, taking a card from his hand, "I believe I'll attempt this endeavor."

"Alright! We get it!!" shouted Sonata. "You're a walking thesaurus! Just make your move already!!"

Bright hummed a bit in displeasure, but chose to ignore Sonata's rudeness. "I'll Summon my Alien Warrior in Attack Position." he said, playing the card from his hand. The monster was an extremely buff-looking alien with massive clawed hands, sharp teeth, and muscular limbs on a mostly grey-and-white body (Alien Warrior: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000). "And of course," he then added, "no one - not even an alien invader - could be without man's best friend. So I'll also Summon Alien Dog to the field in Attack Position to accompany my Warrior." The second card he played was another alien-like being, but in the body shape of a canine, with a blue-and-white-body and green eyes (Alien Dog: Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"Huh?? How'd you do that??" asked Sonata, confused. "How'd you get to play two monsters at once?"

"Hmmm...it's quite simple, really." Bright explained to his opponent. "By Normal Summoning any Alien monster, Alien Dog's effect permits me the right to Special Summon it from my hand, which gives me a notable advantage in monsters." He then told her, "But that isn't the only power my little cosmic canine possesses: By Special Summoning Alien Dog via its effect, I can now place a total of 2 A-Counters on any of the monsters you control. Of course, as you currently control just a single monster, that makes such an easy decision all the easier."

Sonata growled a bit under her breath as a pair of grotesque, purple, blob-like creatures slithered onto the field and attached themselves onto Atlantean Dragoons, leaving a slimy trail in their wake (Atlantean Dragoons: A-Counters 0 + 2 = 2). "Grrr...think you're SO smart, huh?" Sonata asked rhetorically.

"As much as I want Bright to win this Duel..." Rarity began to say to her friends, "I do wish he would stop using those ugly little things during his Duels. It's hard for me to even look at those creatures..."

"Well, seeing as how those A-Counters are part of Bright's main strategy, I don't think he's going to take them out of his Deck just because you don't like the way they look." Flash told her.

"I suppose that's true..." the fashionista responded.

"Still, what's he planning to do with those things now that he stuck 'em on Sonata's monster?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Continuing his turn, Bright then took two more cards from his hand and said, "Next, I shall place these cards face-down, and then I will continue on to my Battle Phase! I will send my Alien Warrior to attack your Dragoons!"

"Huh?" asked Twilight. "Why is he doing that? His monster's attack points are the same as Sonata's monster, so they'll both be destroyed!"

"Not quite." Sunset told her friend. "Just watch..."

"And now for the effect of my Alien Warrior!" Bright Mind declared. "When an Alien does battle with a monster that has A-Counters, that monster loses 300 attack and defense points for each of the counters placed upon it!" And after he said that, the two globs on Atlantean Dragoons began to glow in a bright purple aura, which then surrounded Sonata's monster and weakened it significantly (Atlantean Dragoons: ATK 1800 - 600 = 1200).

"Oh, now I get it!" said Spike. "THAT'S why he put those counters on her monster!"

"Exactly." Sunset told the little purple puppy. "He Special Summoned Alien Dog both to weaken Sonata's monster, and also to attack with it once Dragoons was gone. That move will give Bright a considerable lead very early in the Duel."

"Go! Alien Warrior!!" shouted the grey-skinned boy. "Cosmic Claw Strike!!" His monster snarled as it leapt forward towards Sonata's monster, raising its claws in order to strike it with a powerful swipe.

"Not so fast, you Smart Alec!" Sonata suddenly shouted back, tapping her D-Pad's touch screen. "I activate a Continuous Trap! Gozen Match!!"

*******************************

Gozen Match:
(Continuous Trap Card)

Each player can only control 1 Attribute of monster. Send all other face-up monsters they control to the GY.

*******************************

"Rrrgh! No, not that card!" said Bright, having been taken by surprise.

"That ain't good..." Babs Seed told her Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in the stands. "'Cause of that card, the two of 'em are now only allowed to control one monster Attribute on each'a their sides of the field!"

"Uhh, meaning...?" asked Scootaloo.

"Well, Sonata's got a WATER-Attribute monster out," Babs explained, "so that means she can only control WATER-Attribute monsters as long as it's on the field. But Bright's got two different monster Attributes on his side'a the field: EARTH for Alien Warrior, n' LIGHT for Alien Dog. Which means he's gotta pick one'a those two Attributes, n' send the monster of the other Attribute to the Graveyard."

"I...still don't quite get it, but it doesn't sound good." Scootaloo replied.

But Bright Mind certainly understood what was going to happen, and was left with the decision of which of his two monsters to keep, and which one to let go. After coming to that decision, he then said, "I'll send Alien Dog to my Graveyard and keep Alien Warrior on the field." And with that, the otherworldly pooch vanished from the field. "Now, Alien Warrior, finish your attack!!" And with that, his monster slashed Sonata's creature, destroying it and damaging her a bit (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000 - 600 = 3,400).

"Well, so much for that strategy he came up with..." said Twilight. "It was a good one, but Sonata had the best counter for it." Sunset thought the same thing, which seemed to make her a bit more focused on the Duel in front of them all...

"Well, I must admit, that Trap Card took me by surprise..." the intelligent young boy said to his opponent. "Now I have no choice but to finish my turn."

"Hmph...not so smart now, are ya?" Sonata rudely replied, drawing a card from her Deck. "I may not be real book-smart or anything like that, but I don't need t' be as smart as you in order to give you a real beating!" She then looked at the card she drew and smirked, thinking, (Especially now that I managed to draw this little "secret weapon"... If he thinks he's in trouble now, just wait 'til he sees this card...!)

"So...the first battle of the Duel ended," stated Ember while standing on the sidelines, "and although she took some damage, that Sonata chick managed to keep herself safe for the most part... Now I guess we'll see if she can mount a counterattack."

Placing the card that she had just drawn for her turn in her hand, Sonata then took out a different card and said, "Now for my next move, I Summon my Abyss Soldier in Attack Mode!" Her new monster appeared to be some sort of human/whale hybrid creature that was mostly dark blue and white in color and carrying a golden trident as its weapon of choice (Abyss Soldier: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1300). "This guy's got a really cool special effect:" the blue-skinned girl began to explain. "Once on each of my turns, I can ditch any WATER monster I'm holding to have him send any card that's the field back to the hand!" Showing the card in her that she planned to discard for the cost, Sonata placed the card in the Graveyard slot and added, "I'll get rid of this card...and have Abyss Soldier bounce one of your face-down cards away! And I'll pick the one on my right!"

"Huh? She's not going after his monster?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I guess not..." said Pinkie. "Sonata must be REALLY worried about what Bright's got face-down if she's doing that!"

"Or there's more to her plan than just getting rid of one of his cards on the field..." noted Flash. Everyone watched closely as Sonata's monster whipped up a large wave of water aimed straight for the face-down card that Sonata had targeted with Abyss Soldier's effect.

"Hmmmm...I'm a bit sorry to say this," the boy began to tell her, "but it seems as though you chose the wrong card as the target for your monster's effect."

"What's that mean?!" asked Sonata in surprise.

"Because I'm going to activate the card you targeted before your monster's effect can resolve!" he told her. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, 'A' Cell Recombination Device!"

"Wait a moment..." began Rarity. "Flash dear...didn't Bright use that card on you during your Duel with him?"

"Yep." the bright-orange boy answered her. "That was a pretty slick play, activating that card before Sonata could get rid of it. And now that she can't use Abyss Soldier's effect for the rest of the turn, even though it didn't work. And not only that, but now Bright can send any Alien monster from his Deck to the Graveyard and put more of those A-Counters on Sonata's monster equal to the Level of whatever monster he sends from the Deck!"

"Oh...more A-Counters..." said Rarity, not too thrilled to see more of those purple creatures. "How...how nice for him, I guess..."

Looking through his Deck, Bright Mind thought for a while, trying to decide what monster would be the best choice to send to the Graveyard. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he made his decision and said, "I will transport the Level 4 Alien Stealthbuster from my Deck to the Graveyard... And that means 4 A-Counters will be placed on your Abyss Soldier!" And as he said that, more of those strange, repugnant blobs clung themselves onto Sonata's only monster (Abyss Soldier: A-Counters: 0 + 4 = 4).

"Good move." Sunset said. "Now Sonata can't attack with Abyss Soldier. Because if she does, her monster will lose a total of 1,200 attack points if she sends it to attack his Alien Warrior."

"Ohhhh, I get it!" said Spike, realizing that fact. "That WAS a really good move! That means that Bright guy's safe for this turn!"

"...I'm not so sure..." said Twilight, pointing to Sonata, who didn't seem even remotely irritated by Bright's counter-play. "She doesn't seem too worried about this situation at all..."

"...Yeah, you're right." replied Sunset. "Just what is she up to...?"

"Pffft...! You really think that's gonna stop me, nerd?" Sonata said to her opponent. "I couldn't care less if Abyss Soldier's effect worked or not!"

"You...don't?" asked Bright Mind. "And what, may I ask, do you mean by that?"

"While I may not be able to bounce of your cards away," she then told him in a rather condescending tone of voice, "I still get to use the effect of the monster I discarded from my hand!"

"From her hand??" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Rrrgh...of course! I see what her plan was..." stated Octavia. "Sonata is using an Atlantean Deck, and their main gimmick involves activating their effects AFTER they have been used to activate the effect of other WATER-Attribute monsters. And it doesn't matter if the activated effects work or not; as long as they are used to pay the cost of the effect, they'll still grant her some sort of advantage afterwards."

"Uhhhhh...yeah, I didn't follow any of that, Tavi." said Vinyl.

Sighing a little, the cello player then told her DJ friend, "To put it in simpler terms: By discarding an Atlantean for an effect, she can then also use the effect of whatever monster she discards."

And that's just what Sonata planned to do. "I activate the effect of Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince, which I discarded for Abyss Soldier's effect! This lets me bring back any of my Atlantean monsters from the Graveyard other than himself! And I'll choose Atlantean Dragoons!" And in an instant, her seahorse-riding monster returned to the field in Attack Mode, ready to strike.

"I see...so you were prepared to reclaim your lost resources afterwards." stated Bright Mind. "However, I still have placed several A-Counters on your Abyss Soldier, which will aid in weakening him should I plan to attack you next turn. I highly doubt you have something that can overcome that."

"Yyyyyyeah, about that..." said the siren as she pulled out the card that she had drawn during her turn. "I'm a bit sorry to say this... Well actually, I'm not! You're totally, one hundred-percent wrong! I DO have a card that completely wrecks you!"

"What?" asked the boy. "What do you mean??"

"I activate the Spell Card...Counter Cleaner!!" she shouted, playing the card that she was holding. After doing so, a strange, jar-shaped vacuum cleaner appeared on her side of the field. Bright Mind gasped in shock upon seeing the device appearing on his opponent's field.

"Counter Cleaner...?" asked Applejack. "Ah've never heard of that card... What's it do?"

"Don't look at me, AJ..." Dash told her. "I've never seen it before either. Looks pretty ugly, though." She turned over to Flash and asked him, "You ever heard of that card, Flash?"

"...I actually have." he told her. "By paying 500 of her Life Points, Sonata can use her Spell Card to get rid of every single counter that's currently on the field. Which means that the A-Counters that he stuck on her Abyss Soldier will get cleared up right away."

"They will?!" asked Rainbow in surprise.

"But...but if you said that Bright's Deck is focused on placing those A-Counters on the monsters on the field," Rarity began to say to Flash, "Then that card is practically the perfect counter against his strategy!"

"Yeah...it is..." said Flash Sentry, now growing a bit more suspicious of Sonata.

He wasn't the only one, of course: Sunset, who was already suspecting that Sonata and her sisters were up to no good, now suspected them even more. (To think that Sonata would have the perfect card to use against Bright Mind like that... Was she really that prepared for him, or...?)

Giving off an overconfident smirk, Sonata casually told her foe, "Now I'll just go and drop five hundred of my Life Points to switch on this little device and completely ruin your strategy!" (Sonata Dusk: LP 3,400 - 500 = 2,900) And with that, the machine spurred to life and began drawing in a massive amount of air that sucked up anything and everything too weak to resist the suction. Unfortunately for Bright Mind, that included the four A-Counters that he had placed on Abyss Soldier. The blobs tried to stay attached, but they couldn't hold on, and were drawn into the vacuum, never to be seen again (Abyss Soldier: A-Counters 4 - 4 = 0). "So, how does it feel?" asked Sonata smugly. "Y'know, to have your Deck's best strategy get stopped by just ONE card?"

Bright Mind wasn't happy to see her manage to counter his main tactic, but wasn't about to let her see him sweat. "Need I remind you that this Duel hasn't ended yet?" he asked her. "And I don't intend on just simply handing you a victory. Despite whatever stratagem you use against me, I will not surrender!"

"Hmph. Have it your way, then." Sonata replied, not caring in the slightest. "If you won't give up, then I'll knock you down!" Moving onto her Battle Phase, she then shouted, "Abyss Soldier, attack that Alien Warrior with Piercing Trident!" Her monster then moved forward with its trident staff to strike Bright's only monster, who raised its claws to strike it right back. Both monsters struck each other, causing both of them to be destroyed. "Now that he's gone, I'll send Dragoons to attack you directly!!"

Bright Mind braced himself as he took the attack of both the seahorse-riding warriors. "Urrrrgh!!!" he grunted upon receiving the heavy blow (Bright Mind: LP 4,000 - 1,800 = 2,200). Still not willing to give in to her, the boy asked, "Are you quite finished...?"

"I guess I'll hafta to end my turn for now." Sonata answered him. "But on my next turn, I'll send your not-so-smarty-pants back to grade school! Heh heh heh!"

Watching the Duel intently, Twilight then asked Sunset, "So...what now? How is Bright going to get out of this one?"

"Hmmmm...it won't be easy," her jacket-wearing friend told her, "but there's still a chance if he - literally - plays his cards right. Even though Sonata surprised him with that Counter Cleaner card, he still has a good chance to recover from it."

"Well, let's hope so..." said Spike. "I'd hate to see what might happen if Sonata ends up winning the whole tournament. You just know they're gonna rub it in our faces later..."

(Maybe...but that's not what I'm worried about.) Sunset thought to herself. (Those three want to win this tournament for some reason, and I'm sure it isn't just for bragging rights. I just hope that whatever that reason is, we can stop them from achieving it...) She then looked up in the audience stands where her friends were sitting, and saw he ex-boyfriend Flash Sentry with a serious look on his face. She could tell from that look in his eye that he wanted Bright Mind to win, too.

(Urrgh...how could I have allowed this to happen...?) Bright asked himself. (To think that she had a card that perfectly countered my A-Counter tactic... Now I'm out of monsters, and my hand is getting very low as well...) Fortunately, the boy was as brave as he was smart; he put on a determined look and said to himself, "Even so, there is no way I'm going to give up this Duel! Quitters never win, and I don't intend to quit anytime soon! I'll use everything I know and overcome this hindrance!" Looking at his Deck, he took a deep breath to calm himself and slowly drew his next card. "Hmmm...another Alien Warrior..." he said, looking at the card he had drawn for the turn. "Unfortunately, this monster ties in attack points with Atlantean Dragoons, so they'll both be destroyed and I'll be wide open to a yet another direct attack... However, there may be another way to use my Alien Warrior to overcome her monster on the field..."

"C'mon already!" whined Sonata. "Are you gonna take your turn SOMETIME this year, or do I have to call 'Slow Play'?"

Ignoring his opponent's rude remark, he thought to himself, (I traveled quite a long ways away from home to test myself; to see just how far I've come as a Duelist...and as a person. This Duel is just another challenge that I must overcome, and I intend to see it through to the end!) With that thought in his mind, he then played the card he drew. "I Summon another Alien Warrior in Attack Position!" he said, playing his second copy of the buffed-out interstellar monster. "And in addition, I'll place a card face-down to complete my move."

"Pffft, so THAT'S what I had to wait for you to do this turn?" asked Sonata. "With how long you took to make up your mind, I was expecting a lot more than just two cards!" Drawing a card from her Deck, she then looked at it and seemed a little confused. (Huh? What's this card for?) she asked herself. (This isn't gonna help me right now...) She just stared at the card with a puzzled look on her face for reasons only she knew...

"Huh? Now what's up with her?" Spike then asked. "Why's Sonata looking at her card as if she'd never seen it before?"

"That's a good question..." said Twilight. "Why would she be confused about the cards in her own Deck? I mean, even if she and the other Dazzlings built that Deck together, she should know every card in it at least subconsciously..."

"...Hmmmm..." hummed Sunset, also wondering what sort of card she drew that would make Sonata seem so confused.

For about a minute or so, Sonata didn't seem to know what to do next as she just continued to stare at the card she had drawn for the turn with a perplexed and perturbed look on her face. Sighing, Bright then told her, "For someone who was complaining about taking too long on my move, you certainly seem to be taking a long time figuring out your own."

Annoyed a little by that remark, Sonata then snapped back, "Sh-shut up!" She then placed the card away in her hand for now and thought, (I don't know what's up with this card I drew, but who cares? I don't need it anyway! I've got this Duel in the bag!) Taking a different card from her hand, she played it on her D-Pad and shouted, "I'm Summoning Atlantean Marksman in Attack Mode!!"

Sonata's next monster was yet another fish-man creature, but this one held a rather different kind of weapon: The contraption seemed to be a combination of a trident (which was common among Sonata's Atlantean monsters) and a crossbow. It even had an aiming scope on the back end, which suggested that this monster was a sniper of sorts (Atlantean Marksman: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / DEF 0).

"Pfft, big deal." said Rainbow Dash in a casual tone of voice. "That thing's not so tough..."

"Maybe not on its own," said Flash, "but with that Atlantean Dragoons still on the field, it'll allow Sonata to hit Bright's Life Points directly when she attacks with that Marksman."

"Sh-she can attack him directly?!?" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "That's not good!"

Bright, of course, knew about that too, and he asked his opponent, "So...I suppose you'll be striking me directly, is that it?"

"That's exactly what I plan on doing!" said Sonata. "Why should I attack you monster and have them both be destroyed when I can just chip away at you with this guy? So let's see ya try and think your way outta this one, Smart Alec! Go, Marksman! Attack that guy directly!!"

Obeying her order, Sonata's monster aimed its trident crossbow straight at Bright Mind, preparing to knock 1,400 of his Life points in one shot. Everyone in attendance watched with anticipation, hoping that the boy would be able to save himself from the attack.

"Ready...aim...and FIRE!!!" shouted the dueling Dazzling. And in an instant, her monster fired its weapon, sending the three-pronged projectile soaring straight towards Bright Mind.

"Watch out!!" Spike shouted involuntary, prompting Twilight to "Shhh!" him so that no one else would know that he was able to speak.

Luckily, Bright Mind was too focused on making his next move to hear the dragon-turned-puppy anyway. "I counter your attack by activating my face-down Trap Card!" he shouted, flipping the card face-up for all to see.

"Huh?? What's that card?" asked Sonata, clueless as to what it was that he foe was playing.

"It is known as Offering to the Snake Deity." the sweater vest-wearing boy explained to her. "This Trap Card has the power to destroy 3 cards on the field: To be more specific, it destroys a single Reptile-Type monster that I have on the field, and 2 cards that YOU have on the field!"

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed Sonata. "Does that mean-?!"

"That is correct:" Bright told her, already knowing what she was going to ask him. "I designate my Alien Warrior, along with your two Atlantean monsters, as targets for my Trap Card's effect. So all three of them will be destroyed right now!" Everyone watched as Alien Warrior began to glow in an intense yellow light and subsequently grew bigger...and bigger...and even bigger than that until it completely transformed into a massive, two-headed snake creature made of pure energy that seemed to take on fiery-like properties. The shot that Atlantean Marksman fired from his weapon ended up striking the massive energy creature and immediately burst into flames before it could hit Bright Mind directly.

"Woah...get a load of that...!" said Flash, legitimately impressed by Bright's move.

"I'll say!" Rainbow added. "Sonata's not gonna know what hit her after this!" The others had little to say as they watched the power of Bright Mind's Trap Card for themselves.

"Now, go!" the book-smart Duelist shouted. "Eliminate both Dragoons and Marksman!!" The massive energy snake creature hissed and lunged forward with both of its heads, striking both of Sonata's monsters like lightning bolts. Needless to say, it didn't take a genius to know that neither monster was going to survive the devastating blow. After the energy creature had used up all its power, there was no trace of Sonata's monsters left, aside from a pair of scorched marks on the ground where they had once stood.

"Rrrrrgh...! That's not fair!!" protested Sonata. "How was I supposed to play around that?! You just got lucky, having that Trap Card to play just now!"

"Maybe, but as they say, 'Luck favors the prepared'." Bright told her. "I never go into any unknown situation without readying myself for whatever I might think I'll encounter. With everything that I have experienced in my life, I know for a fact that going into something blindly is a fool's errand."

"Grrrrr...We'll see who the fool is after this over...!" said Sonata, now getting more annoyed than before.

"That's enough, Sonata." Sunset told her sternly. "Just because he's gotten ahead of you this turn doesn't mean you have the right to badmouth him. So cool it, or you're out of here." The siren grumbled, but knew she had no choice but to play nice...for now. Sighing, the Judge then said to Bright, "Sorry you had to hear her say all of that."

"No need to concern yourself, Ms. Shimmer." the boy replied. "Trust me when I say that I have heard far worse than that." Looking at his Deck, he then said in his mind, (I remember those days...as much as I would prefer to forget them... At school, I was always at the top of my class: I aced every test, perfectly completed many projects; nothing was too difficult for me...except making friends... As smart as I was or am right now, trying to associate with others had always proven difficult. Whether it was jealousy of my intelligence, or maybe because I was seen as an "easy target", whatever the case, the only interaction I had with others was negative; I was picked on and bullied by my classmates, and felt...alienated one might say.

(That's probably what led me to choosing an Alien Deck and coming out all this way for the tournament...) he continued to ponder. (I thought of this tournament as a way to truly test my abilities in both dueling as well as to try and see for myself just far I've come; to prove to others and myself that I have the power to stand up on my own two feet and be able to handle myself, no matter who or what I face out there...) He then looked around at all of the other people that came for the tournament: Either as a spectator, a competitor, or as an official. (Most of all...) he then thought, (I came to this city because I wanted to find something here that I couldn't find back home... Here, I'm not just some estranged individual to be ignored or scoffed at... Here, I'm just like everyone else: I'm just another person that loves Duel Monsters, and nothing more than that. And because of that very reason, maybe...just maybe, I might find the one thing I've always wanted back home: A friend...a friend that I can relate to, even if it's just a shared interest in dueling... That's the reason I'm here, and that's why I'm not going to give up, no matter how difficult the challenge is! I don't plan on staying an outcast any longer! I'll use everything I know and achieve my goals, and shall not cease until I have done just that!)

Seeing the intense and determined look that Bright Mind was displaying while deep in thought, Sunset could tell that he had some self-driven goals of his own while competing in the tournament, even though she did not know exactly what it was that was pushing him. It was for that reason that she secretly hoped that he would win - even more than the initial reason of just wanting to make sure that Sonata and her sisters wouldn't succeed in what ever plot they were up to. Nodding to him, Sunset told the boy, "It's your turn now, Bright Mind."

"...Yes, it is." the boy said calmly. He then placed his fingers on his Deck and drew his next card. "Hmmm...what do we have now...?" he asked himself, closely examining his new card. ("A" Cell Breeding Device... Unfortunately, that won't help me in my current situation...) He then looked over what he had in his hand to see if he was holding any other cards that would be more helpful. (The only other card that I have left is my Alien Telepath... And while its attack power of 1600 is solid, it would be a danger to play it this late in the Duel, as my opponent is very likely to draw a card that could exceed it. And even if it were to survive the next turn, due to her Gozen Match Trap Card, I would be restricted to only playing other FIRE-Attirbute monsters like my Telepath; the only other FIRE monster in my Deck is Alien Mars, and assuming that I would even be fortunate to draw it, it lacks sufficient power to hold its own for a long period...)

"If I thought you were gonna take THIS long to make a move," complained Sonata, "I would've brought a music player and listened to some tunes right now instead of just standing here...!"

Just then, Bright gasped and realized something. (Wait..."tunes"? That's it!! I know what I can do!) Smiling, he then said to Sonata, "Alright then...I'll hasten my turn a little for you... Though, if you knew what plan that I've concocted just now, you wouldn't have such an ambitious attitude right now..." Tapping his screen a few times, he then caused a card to eject out of the D-Pad's Graveyard slot, which he then picked out. "I activate the Graveyard effect of 'A' Cell Recombination Device! By banishing it from the Duel, I am then permitted to search through my Deck, select an Alien monster from within it, and place it into my hand!" He then did just that, placing the banished Spell Card in his Deck Box and allowing the D-Pad's auto-shuffle function to give him the card he chose.

"So...what do you believe Bright Mind chose to add to his hand just now...?" asked Rarity.

"At this point," Applejack answered her, "he'll need to pull a real winner outta his Deck. Right now, he's got a chance to get a very powerful monster on the field and end this Duel quickly, so he needs to make the most of that chance!"

Bright Mind then revealed the monster he added to his hand by playing it on the field. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Alien Ammonite in Attack Position!" The newly-summoned creature on Bright's side of the field appeared to be some sort of mutated shelled animal. Its yellow eyes pierced through its water-blue skin and shell, and its mouth contained several fangs that jutted out in all directions, not to mention several tentacles with claws on the end of each of them (Alien Ammonite: Level 1 / ATK 500 / DEF 200).

"A Tuner monster...?" Sunset asked herself. "Does that mean he has...?"

Snickering a bit, Sonata then mocked her opponent, telling him, "Way to go summoning a Tuner Monster all by itself, smart guy! Without any other monsters out, you can't use it to Synchro Summon anything! And that wimpy attack power of 500 ain't gonna stand up to nothing!"

"...First off, the correct term is, 'ISN'T going to stand up to ANYTHING, Ms. Sonata." Bright corrected her. "And second, my Alien Ammonite won't be all by itself for very much longer. After it is Normal Summoned, my Tuner Monster allows me to Special Summon any Alien monster from my Graveyard that is no higher than Level 4. However, the monster it summons self-destructs during my End Phase...not that it really matters, though, because I plan to use the monster I resurrect along with my Ammonite to Summon a Synchro Monster!"

(A Synchro Monster...?) thought Sonata. Hearing him say that made her take a quick glance at the last card she had in her hand; the one she drew last turn that caused her a bit of confusion. Looking back up, she then told her foe, "Well good luck tryin' to do that! You forget about my Trap Card, Gozen Match? Because of it, you can't have monsters with different Attributes on the field at the same time! Your Alien Ammonite is a LIGHT monster, so that means you can only bring out other LIGHT monsters! Which means your EARTH-Attribute Alien Warriors can't come out of your Graveyard! So much for your big-brain plan, huh?!"

But Bright Mind chuckled a little and told her, "I must admit, that was quite observant of you to recall all of that information." He then smiled and added, "However, there is one part of the equation that you failed to recognize."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?!"

Brigth then answered Sonata's question, saying, "If you recall, I used my 'A' Cell Recombination Device's effect in the Graveyard to add Alien Ammonite to my hand. However, before that, I had used my Spell Card's effect to place another monster in the Graveyard. I suppose I can't blame you for forgetting about that, since the monster that 'A' Cell Recombination Device sent to the Graveyard was from my Deck; therefore, you never actually saw it for yourself."

"H-huh??" asked Sonata, confused.

"What's he talking about, Sunset?" Spike asked her.

"It's quite simple:" the young Judge told him. " Earlier, Bright had used the effect of 'A' Cell Recombination Device to place those A-Counters on Sonata's monsters. But in order to do so, he first had to send a monster from his Deck to the Graveyard. And now, thanks to the effect of his Alien Ammonite, he can Summon it back to the field."

Bright Mind then took the card in question out of his D-Pad and revealed it. "The monster I sent to the Graveyard with my Spell is my Alien Stealthbuster; which just so happens to be a LIGHT monster."

"WHAT?!?" shouted Sonata as her opponent played the card onto his side of the field. The creature was a buffed-out extraterrestrial, much like Alien Warrior was, but with some noticeable differences: It was mostly black and dark purple, as opposed to the usual white colors that the Alien monsters sported. Its eyes were the same yellow colors as the orbs growing on its body, and each of hands wielded long, razor-sharp claws that looked like they could cut anything (Alien Stealthbuster: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1500). "There's no way!!" she then protested. "How could you have known to do that ahead of time?!"

"Well, given the fact that you had already activated Gozen Match by the time I used my Spell Card, the decision was actually quite easy. for me to make." Bright answered her. "Not to mention that I've had Gozen Match used on me enough times to make this tactic of mine second-nature."

"That's incredible!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "That Bright guy had this all planned out from the start!! That was so super-smart of him!!"

"Yeah, and the best part? Sonata didn't see it comin' from a mile away!" Rainbow commented. "Until today, I never thought she'd look even more clueless than she already does!"

(I never would've expected anything less out of Bright.) Flash thought, happy to see his First Round opponent managing to get back control of the Duel.

Sonata grumbled, annoyed by Bright's earlier move. "And before you ask," Bright then told her, "yes; I am fully aware that - due to your Trap Card - the monster that I Synchro Summon using these two monsters must also be LIGHT-Attribute. And I have every intention of doing just that!" Thrusting his right arm forward towards his two monsters, he shouted, "I tune Alien Ammonite, Level 1...to my Alien Stealthbuster, Level 4!!" His Tuner monster then transformed into pure energy, shrinking down into a small white light that flew into the air, returning as a single green ring that surrounded Alien Stealthbuster, transforming it into four more lights (Level 1 + Level 4 = Level 5).

Sonata could only watch as Bright continued the Synchro Summoning, sweating a little at whatever he could bring out to fight her. Adagio and Aria also watched, and neither of them had very pleased looks on their faces.

"Stronghold from the furthest reaches of the galaxy!" Bright Mind chanted. "Descend to Earth and begin the invasion! Let nothing infiltrate your insurmountable defenses! Synchro Summon!! Interstellar might, Level 5! Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar!!" After the chant was completed, a massive pillar of light engulfed the ring and smaller lights, and then the light pillar continued to expand and shape itself into a massive being. The new monster that Bright summoned to the field appeared to be a fortress, but it also seemed to be alive, with various grey-blue tentacles coming off of its sides, as well as a similarly-colored face and head on the top of it. Large pink tendrils grew upon the front of it, and the creature/building had several dirty green spines on its "back" as well, further giving the Synchro Monster a very intimidating appearance.

*******************************

Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar
(Synchro-Effect Monster/Reptile/LIGHT/Level 5/ATK 2600/DEF 1800)

"Alien Ammonite" + 1+ non-Tuner "Alien" monsters
Once per turn: You can target any number of face-up Spell/Trap Cards on the field; return them to the hand, and if you do, place a number of A-Counters on monsters on the field, equal to the number of cards returned to the hand by this effect. Once per turn; you can remove 2 A-Counters from anywhere on the field, then target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy it.

*******************************

"My word...!!" said Rarity with a gasp. "What IS that thing?!"

"If y'all ask me," Applejack answered her, "Ah'd say it's big ol' alien castle or somethin' like that, based on all'a the cannons n' other weapons it's got on it."

"Well, it's about time that Bright Guy got a big monster on the field." Rainbow commented. "And look at Sonata; she's shakin' in her boots just lookin' at Bright's monster!"

Flash said nothing, but thought to himself, (I'm glad Bright managed to stick a powerful card on his side of the field and take control of the Duel...) He then glanced down at Sonata, and then to her sisters on the sidelines. (...But I can't help but believe that those Dazzlings might have one last trick up their sleeves... Whatever it is, I hope he can overcome it...)

Glancing up at his newly-summoned Synchro Monster, Bright Mind thought to himself, (My Gol'gar only has 2600 attack points, which isn't quite enough to defeat my opponent... However, she only has one card in her hand, so the odds of her overcoming my monster and striking back at me are exceedingly low... If I can survive the next turn, I should be able to achieve victory, with whatever she draws next turn being the only unknown variable.) Knowing what he had to do next, Bright then shouted, "Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar! Ready your cannons and prepare to fire!!" The fort responded immediately, adjusting all of its ballistic weaponry and pointing them all towards Sonata.

"Uhh...um...c-can't we resolve this...p-peacefully...??" Sonata meekly asked, trembling at the hundreds of cannon aimed right at her.

Bright answered her question...by pointing forward and shouted, "Now FIRE!!!" And with that command, the fortress fired every last one of its mighty cannons, blasting the area around Sonata with heavy explosives. The assault continued for some time before the fortress had used up all its ammunition. "With that onslaught," the boy told his opponent as he pushed up his glasses, "your Life Points are now down to a mere portion of what they once were. Unless you get a lucky draw next turn, I'm afraid this Duel will be concluded very shortly."

Sonata didn't have much to say as she stood there on the smoky, charred ground, her hair frazzled a bit from the earlier attack (Sonata Dusk: LP 2,900 - 2,600 = 300). "Why...why you..." she uttered in a soft - but annoyed - tone of voice. It was clear that she didn't find Bright Mind's last move to be pleasant at all.

"Now Sonata's got only 300 Life Points left!!" cheered Spike. "One more blow like that, and she's outta here!"

"It sure seems like it..." said Twilight, "but we can't assume anything just yet: Sonata still has her turn coming up, and there's a chance she could turn it all around..."

"I agree..." said Sunset. "As much as I would hate to see the Dazzlings win another Duel, I can't help but feel like they have something else planned... We just have to hope that Sonata doesn't draw anything helpful next turn..."

On the other side of the arena, Aria was grumbling a bit after seeing Sonata take such a big hit to her Life Points. "Grrr...what is she DOING?" she asked Adagio angrily. "The only way we can get our job done is if she wins this Duel, but she let that dork get way ahead of her!!"

"Aria, settle down." Adagio told her. "This game isn't over quite yet, and Sonata knows better than to disappoint us... At least, she had better know that." Folding her arms in front of her and smirking, she then added, "In any case, I can assure you that Sonata isn't out of this just yet... After all, we've stacked the deck against that know-it-all on the other side...so to speak."

"Pfft...whatever. I'm just sayin' that Sonata had better not screw this up." the other Dazzling replied back. "Otherwise, I'm not gonna be the one who's gotta tell our client that we couldn't get anything done."

"And none of us will, Aria." said Adagio. And with that last sentence, the two of them returned their attention to the Duel in front of them.

Looking at the Duel in front of him, as well as the stats on his D-Pad's screen, Bright Mind thought to himself, (Okay...only 300 Life Points left to go, and I should have everything all prepared in case any possible setback: Even if she manages to destroy or remove Gol'gar on my field, as long as she doesn't Summon any monsters with an attack power higher than 1300, I can still play my Alien Telepath and finish off the remainder of her Life Points... And if she manages to summon a monster that can stand up to Gol'gar's attack power in some manner, I can use his effect to accumulate A-Counters and destroy whatever monster she plays, allowing me to attack her directly and win that way... And just to make sure that can happen...) He then took the card he drew this turn and played it, saying, "I now activate 'A' Cell Breeding Device!" After playing his Spell Card, a small containment tank filled with a strange, yellow liquid appeared on his side of the field. Also inside the tank was a small, purple creature similar to the A-Counter creatures that seemed to be growing inside of it.

"Thanks to that card," Sunset began to explain, "Bright can place an A-Counter on one monster on the field during each of his Standby Phases."

"And then what?" asked Spike.

"Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar's effect allows it to 2 A-Counters from the field to destroy any card controlled by the opponent." Sunset told him. "In addition, it can also send any number of Spell or Trap Cards on the field back to the players' hands to generate more A-Counters; 1 for each card bounced back."

"Oh, I see!" Twilight remarked. "He's planning to set up enough counters next turn to ensure that he'll beat whatever monster Sonata might bring out!"

"Exactly." the red-and-yellow teen confirmed. "We just have to hope that either she doesn't summon a monster, or summons one that he can defeat easily."

Satisfied that he had done everything he could, Bright Mind then told his opponent, "Alright, it's your turn. And unless you draw something adequate now, I'm afraid it will be your last."

"Oh yeah?! We'll see about that, Mr. Thinks-He's-So-Smart-and-Knows-Everything!!" the blue girl snapped back. Growling a little, she then thought, (Alright, Sonata...time to prove to everyone - ESPECIALLY Aria - that I'm not some dunderhead who only has tacos on the brain!!) Then, at the mere mention of her favorite snack, she smiled and began to salivate. (Oh yeah...with extra cheese...and juicy onions...and maybe a little avocado, and...) Then, realizing she was distracting herself, shook her head and shouted in her mind, (No! NO!! Revenge now, tacos later!)

"It's my turn...! I draw!!" said the blue-skinned siren as she drew her top card. Everyone waited with anticipation, wondering what she drew...with most of those watching secretly hoping that the card she got wouldn't help her in her current predicament.

(Don't you dare disappoint me, Sonata...) thought Adagio

Watching the Duel closely, Sunset thought to herself, (Now what are you planning to do, Sonata...?)

Looking at the card she had drawn for the turn, Sonata immediately played it, saying, "I play Pot of Desires! I banish ten cards off the top of my Deck and draw two MORE cards!" And she did just that.

"You're kidding me!" said Rainbow Dash. "She managed to top-deck Pot of Desires NOW of all times?! Why can't she just lose??"

"This is distressing, I will admit..." said Rarity. "There's no telling just what Sonata might end up drawing from her Deck now..."

"Hopefully nothing that'll win her the Duel..." stated Applejack.

"I dunno..." Pinkie chimed in. "I've got this funny feeling that things might not turn out the way we hope... And by 'funny', I don't mean 'ha ha' funny; DEFINITELY not 'ha ha' funny."

After drawing her two new cards and seeing what they were, she then thought to herself, (Hm...? Foolish Burial? What do I do with-) She then glanced at the other card she drew and read it very closely. (Waaaaaait a second...) she then pondered, trying to recall something about the card she had drawn. Then after a few more seconds had passed, Sonata finally remembered what she was supposed to do with these two cards. Gasping, and then smirking wickedly a little, she went ahead with her plan and played the first card she drew with her Spell Card. "I activate Foolish Burial from my hand!! With it, I can send any monster from my Deck straight to the Graveyard!"

"Hm? Foolish Burial?" asked Bright Mind. "This late in the Duel?" The boy was curious as to what his opponent was trying to do this time.

He wasn't the only one: Sunset, Twilight, and Spike were also wondering what Sonata was up to. "If she's sending a monster straight from her Deck to the Graveyard," the red-and-yellow girl told her friends, "it must be an important card; it all depends on whatever else Sonata has left in her hand to play..." Twilight and Spike looked at each other, still unsure of what was going to happen next before turning their attention back to the Duel in progress.

After selecting which monster she wanted to send to the Graveyard, Sonata took it out of her Deck and placed it into the appropriate slot on her D-Pad. "And now, for my next move..." she began to say as she revealed the other card in her hand, "I'll Summon Right-Hand Shark in Attack Mode!" The next monster she played on her field was a medium-sized shark with what looked liked bits of armor near the head area. Razor-sharp teeth could be seen on its face, and it had five protruding fins, giving it the appearance of a human hand (Right-Hand Shark: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1300).

"Right-Hand Shark...?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ah've never seen a card like that before..."

"Yeah, what's it do?" asked Scootaloo.

"I know what it does." Babs Seed answered, not sounding too happy from her tone of voice. "An' lemme tell ya, it ain't gonna be good for dat Bright guy, dat's f' sure."

Smirking, Sonata then said to her foe, "Now I'm gonna activate Right-Hand's effect: Right after I Normal Summon it, its effect will Special Summon Left-Hand Shark, which I sent to the Graveyard just a few seconds ago with Foolish Burial!" Taking the card back out of her Graveyard, she then shouted, "Now, come out! Left-Hand Shark!!" Her second monster was almost identical to the first: A shark creature that was shaped like a human hand. The only differences were that it was a lighter color than the first one, and also the positioning of its five fins were the opposite of the other (Left-Hand Shark: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1500). "Now that I've got both of these guys on the field," Sonata began to say, "I'm gonna bring out one of my Deck's most powerful Xyz Monsters!"

"An Xyz Monster??" asked Bright Mind.

"But...but HOW??" asked Twilight. "Both of her monsters are different Levels! They shouldn't be able to combine into an Xyz Monster!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Spike added. "Looks like Sonata screwed up big time!"

"I don't think so..." said a worried Sunset Shimmer. "For once, it doesn't look like Sonata made a mistake."

"I know what you're thinking:" Sonata began to say to Bright. "You're wondering how I can Xyz Summon using a Level 4 and a Level 3, aren't you?"

"It crossed my mind, yes..." said the book-smart boy, wondering where his opponent was going with this.

"Well, here's how:" she then told him. "If Left-Hand is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, its Level increases by one, making it a Level 4 monster!" And after she said that, Left-Hand Shark began to glow a light blue as its power increased a little bit (Left-Hand Shark: Level 3 > 4).

"Oh no...!" gasped Bright Mind, not feeling good about what was coming next.

"I thought so..." said Sunset, also not happy about the situation. "Sonata was well aware of her monsters' different Levels, so she had one of them adjust its Level to match the other. Now she had two Level 4 monsters on the field, meaning she CAN Xyz Summon now!"

"That's...that's not good, is it?" asked Spike.

"Not if it helps Sonata win the Duel..." Twilight told him.

Bright sweated a little as he watched Sonata make her big play. "Get ready to REALLY get schooled, Mr. Not-So-Smarty-Pants!!" She taunted him. "I Overlay Right-Hand and Left-Hand - both Level 4, and create an Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of blue beams of light that flew into a red summoning portal. "Howl, unknown roar!" she then began chanting. "Rise from the darkness of the abyss!! Tear my foes to pieces with your razor-sharp fangs!! Xyz Summon!! Emerge from the depths, Rank 4! Bahamut Shark!!"

After the chant was complete, a massive torrent of seawater shot out from the portal like a geyser As everyone in attendance watched, they saw a figure emerging from out of the geyser. The figure was a humanoid-shaped shark creature displaying a white-and-aqua blue color scheme with bits of purple here and there. Its arms and legs each ended with several razor-sharp black talons, and several wing-like fins could be seeing coming out of its back. Several more fins could be seen on its head, and they appeared as sharp as its talons. Orbiting the new monster were a pair of blue light orbs as it belted out a massive roar that shook the arena.

*******************************

Bahamut Shark:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Sea Serpent/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 2600/DEF 2100)

2 Level 4 WATER monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; Special Summon 1 Rank 3 or lower WATER Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck. This card cannot attack for the rest of this turn.

*******************************

"Oh no... Bahamut Shark...!" said Bright Mind. "I did not expect her to have that rare and powerful monster at her disposal..." Taking another look at her monster, he then thought to himself, (That being said, her monster's attack points are equal to Gol'gar's, so if she attacks, they'll just destroy each other...)

But Sonata, always quick to shred away any hope her opponents might have had, told him, "If you think that you'll be okay just 'cause your monster is as strong as mine is, think again! Thanks to both of the monsters I used to summon him, Bahamut Shark can't be destroyed either in battle OR with card effects!!" This caused Bright Mind to gasp in total surprise.

"That means if she attacks him," Sunset told Twilight and Spike, "only HIS monster will be destroyed."

"Yeah, that's DEFINITELY not good at all..." the purple puppy responded.

Bright wasn't happy to hear that, but he was ready point something else out. "Even if you do attack my monster, you cannot damage me in that battle, so I'll still have a chance to turn the situation back in my favor!"

"Yeeeaaahhh, ABOUT that...no; you're not doin' that." Sonata quickly responded. "That's 'cause even IF my monster didn't have that little protection effect, you still wouldn't survive this turn, thanks to this card! I activate...De-Synchro!!"

"Wh-WHAT?!?" exclaimed Bright, not expecting that move at all.

"This card lets me target any Synchro Monster on the field and send right back into the Extra Deck!" the blue siren told him. "Annnnnnnd - since that ugly fort of yours is the only Synchro out, even YOU can figure out which monster's getting booted off the field!" And in an instant, Bright's Gol'gar was taken off the field, leaving him completely defenseless.

"That's insane!!" exclaimed Twilight. "She had the perfect counter for him! Again!!"

"How does she keep doin' that?!" asked Spike.

Sunset said nothing, but having kept such a close eye on the Duel so far, she noticed something that no one else seemed to notice during all of the confusion. (That card she just played... De-Synchro...) she thought to herself, (that was the same card that she had drawn on her last turn; the one that she seemed confused about, like she didn't know what she would use it for...) Mulling over everything, Sunset then asked herself, (Could...could it be that-?)

Back on the field, it seemed that - somehow - Sonata managed to out-think Bright Mind, despite what everyone expected. Bright Mind himself was especially shocked, unsure just how it could have happened. "This...this can't be...!" he said to himself. "I thought I calculated every possible outcome that could have occurred... How could she have had every possible counter to my strategy??"

"Simple:" Sonata told him smugly. "Either I'm not as dumb as everybody thinks I am... Or YOU'RE not as smart as you thought you were. Either way, you're gonna get trashed!" Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Now, Bahamut Shark!! Rip him to pieces!! Direct attack!!"

Everyone could only watch as the blue-skinned siren's powerful Xyz Monster moved itself into an offensive stance and began glowing a faint, blue aura. At this point, it seemed that Bright's time in this tournament was about to come to an end.

"Go!!! Divine Voice!!!" Sonata ordered to her monster. The massive beast let out a powerful scream that could shatter glass (so it was a good thing that there wasn't a single glass window in the stadium. The massive sound waves generated by the scream struck Bright hard, wiping out his Life Points and ending the Duel (Bright Mind: LP 2,200 - 2,600 = 0) (WINNER: Sonata Dusk)...

The result of the Duel shocked everyone in the audience, as they were hoping that Bright would beat Sonata. But it was Sonata who beat him instead. Sighing, Sunset reluctantly announced the official result, saying, "The winner of this Duel...is Sonata Dusk!" Not surprisingly, there was some considerable booing from the audience, not that Sonata cared what they thought in the slightest.

"Hmph...she managed to pull it off after all." said Aria. "Guess that means she isn't totally useless."

"With how things were, I'm honestly surprised you had any doubt, Aria." Adagio told her. "I told you, with what I had planned, anyone - even Sonata - would have been able to beat him."

Bright Mind just sat there for a moment, still shocked and shook up from the fact that he lost despite having put up a strong fight. "This is unbelievable... I had everything planned out... or at least I thought I did..." he said to himself. "But somehow victory was taken from me... I don't understand..."

"Heh, so much for the so-called 'brainiac'!" Sonata teased him. "Guess you're not as 'bright' as your name suggests! Why don't you back to your little lab or whatever and leave the dueling to people that actually CAN duel?"

"Why that little-!" snarled Spike. "It's one thing to beat him, but what she's doing now is WAY over the line!" Twilight nodded in agreement, angry at Sonata's taunting. Sunset was about to say something to Sonata about her cruel words, but...

"Hey! Cut that out!!" shouted a loud voice from the stands, one that also sounded like they had enough of what the Dazzling was saying.

The sudden outburst from the audience got the attention of Sunset, Twilight, and Spike, not to mention everyone else. They all looked over in the direction that the voice came from and saw from whom the voice had come from. "F...Flash?" Sunset asked, a bit surprised to hear her ex getting involved in this.

Flash quickly ran down the steps in the seating area and made a grace leap into the arena, running over to where Bright Mind was. Bright looked up at the Duelist that was his first round opponent and seemed surprised by Flash's sudden entrance. (What is this...?) the book-smart boy wondered.

"Huh??" said Sonata, a bit startled. "What do YOU want??"

Flash gave the blue siren a fierce glare - one that told her he wasn't in the mood to mess around. "What I WANT is for you to stop saying those things to Bright!" he then told her. "Just because you beat him, it doesn't give you the right to bad-mouth him like you tried to do to Derpy earlier!"

"What?!" Sonata shouted. "What's it to you what I say or don't say to him?! Not only that, why're you sticking up for some guy that beat YOU in a Duel?!" After that comment, Sunset - who was watching them closely during the whole thing - suddenly gasped a little to herself, as if she noticed something no one else did...

"Why am I sticking up for him...?" Flash asked back. "I'll tell you why: Because no true Duelist lets something like losing a Duel to someone keep them from respecting or even making friends with that person." Giving Sonata another intimidating glare, he then added, "And also because no true Duelist makes fun of someone for losing a Duel either!" Turning back to Bright, he then wrapped up his speech, saying, "Yeah, Bright here did beat me in a Duel; so what? That doesn't mean he's a bad guy or that I don't respect him. In fact, it's because he was able to win against me that I respect him a whole lot. He was doing just what everyone else in this tournament was doing, and that was playing his best game and not giving up, no matter what. And there's nothing wrong with that!"

Flash's speech, and the fact that he was sticking up for Bright Mind was enough to clam down everyone watching, including Sunset. The young Judge smiled and thought, (That's just like Flash... Always sticking up for others, no matter what. I doubt I could have said all that better myself.)

Flash then helped Bright get back on his feet, saying to him, "You okay there, buddy?"

"Um...I am." the book-smart boy replied. "But...why did you stick up for me like that...? No one's ever done that for me before..."

"We take care of each other at CHS." Flash told him. "You may be from out-of-town, but as long as you're at our school, you're one of us. And like I said, I respect you, both as a Duelist and as a person."

"Um, thank you very much..." Bright replied, feeling a little better even after everything that had happened.

"C'mon, Bright: Why don't we go and grab some drinks from the food court?" the blue-haired boy offered. "My treat."

"Sure... I suppose that I could use a refreshment after all of this." Bright answered, accepting the proposition. "You're sure that you don't mind?"

"I insist, buddy." Flash responded. "Like I said: We help each other out here, and I wanna make good on that promise. Call it a Canterlot City Official Welcoming Gesture!" Sunset and Twilight watched as the two boys left the stadium, seeming to have just forged a friendship with each other as the audience cheered for them; both for Bright putting up a great fight, and Flash for his heartfelt speech. The two girls were quite happy to see that something good came out of what started as an upsetting situation.

And speaking of "upset", that's exactly what Sonata and her sisters were after what just happened. "Y-you've gotta be kidding me...!!" Sonata whined. "What kinda stupid, mixed-up school IS this?!?"

"Yeah, seriously!!" Aria scowled. "What kinda school cheers for the LOSER?!?"

Hearing this, Sunset smirked a bit and told her, "That's just it: Our school DOESN'T cheer for the loser... Which is why no one is cheering for the three of you."

"WHAT?!?" Aria shouted, knowing an insult when she heard it. But she didn't have anything else to say about it other than a low growl.

Adagio was also unamused by Sunset's comment and thought to herself, (Is that so, Shimmer...? We'll show YOU who the "loser" is...!) Huffing, she then told her sisters, "Let's go. We have work to do." The other Dazzlings, still miffed by what just happened, followed their leader out of the arena.

After the troublesome trio had left, Sunset put a serious look on her face and said to Twilight, "We should go too."

"Go?" asked the Princess of Friendship. "Go where?"

"...To see Flash and Bright Mind." the red-and-yellow girl answered. "There's something I need to talk with them about, and I want you and Spike to be there with me."

"Uh, sure. Whatever you say, Sunset." Spike replied.

Sunset nodded to them and then turned to Megan Williams, telling her, "Announce to everyone that there will be a 15-minute intermission; I have something I need to take care of before the next Duel." Megan nodded, understanding. And with that, the Sunset, Twilight, and Spike headed for the stadium food court.

In the stadium's interiors, several spectators were hanging out and talking with each other, mostly about the tournament. Many had gathered in the food court either to have a quick snack, or even to show off their card collections and trade cards with one another. At one of the tables sat Flash Sentry and Bright Mind, each enjoying their favorite soft drinks.

"So, you said you don't have a lot of friends back where you come from?" asked Flash. "That's surprising; I would have thought otherwise."

"Sad, but it is true..." Bright responded. "It's the typical case of the book-smart boy being alienated by his peers and classmates... I suppose the whole 'alienated' part of that is what might have led me to run an Alien Deck; perhaps I felt a connection to them... After all, they would be considered outcasts on our planet just as most people in my school made me feel..."

"Wow...I'm sorry to hear that, dude..." Flash responded, feeling sorry for him. "Do you get teased a lot at your school?"

"I had been for a while, but I never used to let it get to me." Bright told him. "But what Sonata was saying to me... That was the first time I felt hurt by someone's words in a long time..."

"I see..." Flash then told him, "Well, don't let the things she said get to you either! Sonata doesn't know what she's talking about; you're a great Duelist, and an even better person; you're ten times better than she and the rest of the Dazzlings will ever be. Honestly, I think the people at your school are really missing out not having you as a friend."

"That is quite kind of you to say, Flash." Bright said. "I do wish my hometown was as caring to others as yours is."

"Hey, you can always transfer." the blue-haired boy told him. "We'd be more than happy to have you as a fellow classmate."

"Hmmm...I may consider it..." Bright then reached into a backpack that he had with him and told Flash, "Anyway, I feel I should thank you properly for what you have done for me..." He then pulled out what appeared to be a binder from out of his bag.

"Thank me properly?" asked Flash.

Opening the binder, revealing it to be full of Duel Monsters cards, Bright paged through it for a bit before finding what he was looking for. Taking out a card from the page, he then told Flash, "Here, I'd like you to have this as a token of our new friendship. I insist."

"You're giving me a card?" asked the blue-haired boy. He then took the card and looked at it, gasping a little. "WOAH! Is this Heroic Champion - Claivesolish from the new set?! I've been looking for it ever since it was announced!" He then looked Bright and asked him, "Are...you sure I can just have it?"

"I'm quite sure, Flash." the smart boy answered. "I was happy to hear you consider me a friend, and besides that, you'll have much better use of this card than I will anyway. Call it a...Bright Mind Official Welcoming Gesture."

"Well, if you're sure of it, then I'll accept it! Thanks!" Flash responded, putting the new card away in his deck box.

"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better after what happened." said a girl's voice from nearby. The two boys looked over to see that it was Sunset that had spoken to them. Right beside her were Twilight and Spike.

"Oh, hey Sunset." Flash greeted her. "What's up?"

"Not much; just checking up on things." the red-and-yellow girl replied. She then spoke to Bright directly, saying, "Sorry that you lost that Duel, not to mention having to hear Sonata's insults. Unfortunately, she and her sisters are always like that..."

"It is alright, Ms. Shimmer." the green-haired, glasses-wearing boy replied. He took a sip from his drink and told her, "As I had stated to Flash before you arrived, I'm no stranger to enduring mockery of some sort. Believe me, I've heard worse than that."

"Wow, I gotta say...you're tougher than you look to just take those insults without even a flinch." Spike suddenly said.

Eyes widening a little, Bright then asked Twilight, "Um...did your puppy just speak??"

"Urk...! Spike!" the young Princess.

"Uh...oops!" the dragon-turned-puppy gasped, realizing that he had just spoke within earshot of someone who didn't know his real identity.

"Hmmmm...I see what it is..." the book-smart boy hummed. "...A mechanical canine companion!"

"A what??" asked Twilight and Spike.

"And a well-built one at that as well." Bright said, inspecting Spike closely. "Self-aware, positively life-like in every way... I'm actually quite jealous. To have your own pet robot puppy. I must know how you came across one such as this."

"A robot..." the purple teen repeated. Realizing that Bright didn't know what Spike really was, she decided to play along and told him, "Yes! That's right! He's...he's a robot! Designed him myself! Can't tell you how, though; super-top secret."

"Oh...I see." Bright said with some disappointment. "Very well. It's a shame, but I can understand."

"Really...?" asked Spike in a low-volume voice while giving his friend an unimpressed look. "A robot dog? Me?"

"YOU want to try to explain that we're from an alternate universe...?" whispered Twilight. "I don't think he'd go for that."

Quickly changing the subject, Sunset then said to Bright Mind, "Anyway, Twilight's, um...'robot' aside, there IS something I want to speak with you about... It concerns your Duel earlier." She then asked him, "During your match, did you...notice anything peculiar going on? Like, anything that didn't seem right?"

"Peculiar, you say?" asked Bright. Humming for a little bit, the boy thought about every move made during his Duel with Sonata. Then, he told her, "Well, now that you mention it, there did seem to be something particularly unusual about that Duel... The thing that bothers me the most is the fact that my opponent seemed to be perfectly prepared to fight me, as if her whole Deck was built just to beat my own..."

Sighing sadly, Sunset then said, "Yeah, I was afraid you'd say that... I had the same feeling myself, and I don't think it's a coincidence."

"What are you saying, Sunset?" asked Flash.

Taking a deep breath, the young Judge figured she should just come out and say what she thought. "Bright..." she began to say, "I hate to say this, but..." Taking a pause to collect herself, she finished her remark, saying, "...But I think Sonata was cheating."

"CHEATING?!?" exclaimed everyone listening.

"Shhh!! Keep it down...!" Sunset quickly told them, doing her best to not let them unintentionally cause a scene. Luckily, no one else heard the outburst. Calmed down, the jacket-clad teen told them, "Yes...I think Sonata had cheated during that Duel, and that's the only reason you lost."

"But...what would make you think that?" asked Flash.

"I know what some of you are thinking:" Sunset began. "And no, I'm not saying this because of my personal displeasure towards the Dazzlings. I'm saying this as an Official Tournament Judge with a keen eye for even the faintest of clues."

"What kinds of clues?" asked Spike.

"Well, first was that Gozen Match Trap Card she played." Sunset started explaining. "That was the card that blocked both players from having more than one Attribute of monster on their respective fields simultaneously. It took advantage of the fact that all of the Alien monsters have different Attributes, thus severely limiting Bright's options for summoning monsters." She then told them, "Of course, that alone wasn't enough to think that she was breaking the rules, since Gozen Match is a pretty commonly-seen floodgate."

"So what then?" asked Twilight. "What DID make you think Sonata cheated?"

"Well, for that, we must move onto the next suspect card she played: Counter Cleaner." the red-and-yellow girl stated. "Since Bright's Deck is heavily dependent on using counters, that card was probably the absolute worst thing for him to face. But that's where it gets suspicious: Counter Cleaner is a perfect counter to Aliens...almost TOO perfect. Counter-based Decks don't show up often enough in major tournaments, so it would be a waste of space in your Side Deck. And that would still be the case even if there WERE counter-based Decks that were popular in the current format. Do you see what I'm saying here?"

"...I do." Bright Mind deducted. "What you've concluded is that Sonata placed that card in her Deck before her Duel with me, but the card was not in her Side Deck when the tournament began."

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Spike.

"It IS against the tournament rules, Spike." Sunset answered the purple puppy. "They clearly state that after your Deck is registered for the tournament, it is illegal to include any outside cards: That means cards that were NOT originally in your Main Deck, Side Deck, or Extra Deck. Swapping with cards in your Side Deck between rounds is fine, but those cards had to have been registered upon entering the competition."

"That sure sounds like that could've happened..." said Flash. "But even if the odds against it are low, it still TECHNICALLY could be possible that those cards were in her Side Deck originally. What made you think otherwise?"

"...Do you recall the moment during the Duel where Sonata drew a card from her Deck but seemed confused after looking at it?" Sunset asked them all. "Like she had never seen it before or knew what to do with it?"

"Yeah, I did notice that..." said Twilight. "What about it?"

"I was paying attention to that card ever since that moment, wondering why drawing that card got her so confused." the Judge stated. "And then when she played it, it all came together for me: If she had that card in her Deck legitimately, why would seeing it startle her? Why wouldn't she know about it? It's my understanding that she DIDN'T know it was in her Deck, that it was put in there without even HER knowing. That's why I think Sonata had cards added to her Deck illegally, so that she would be practically guaranteed to win against Bright."

"But...what card was it that she played?" asked Flash.

Before Sunset could answer, Bright did it for her. "...It was De-Synchro; the card she used to defeat my Cosmic Fortress Gol'gar." he spoke up, causing everyone except Sunset to gasp.

Sunset nodded to say that he was correct. "He's right." she said. "And not only that, it also worked as a perfect counter to his best monster; a monster that he didn't even play during his first tournament Duel, and is, in fact, a hard card to come by. So how did she even know he had one? Put it together with what Snips, Snails, and Big Mac told us so far, and I smell a rat... Three of 'em!"

"So it's true..." said Twilight. "The Dazzlings ARE planning something again!"

"Guess they didn't get the hint the first time, huh?" asked Spike. "Let's go and teach 'em all a lesson!"

"We can't do that just yet, Spike..." Sunset told him. "Before we can confront them for breaking the rules, we need to be absolutely sure that they did. Otherwise, we run the risk of falsely accusing someone of wrongdoing, or getting into a argument that we can't truly win."

"So how are you gonna prove that they cheated?" asked Flash.

"I've got it all figured out." the jacket-wearing girl answered. She then turned to Twilight and told her, "And that's why I wanted you to be here: I need you to dig up the necessary information that will help prove their wrongdoing. That way, we can send a strong message to both them and anyone else who would knowingly break the rules in order to win a tournament!"

"But...wh-what can I do?" asked the young Princess.

"You will go into the stadium main office and speak to Mr. Dunstan about the Tournament Entrant Data Files." Sunset instructed her. "Those files contain every last bit of information about everyone registered for the tournament. If I'm right about knowing how Sonata cheated during that Duel, those files will provide more than enough proof of her poor sportsmanship. I'll let Mr. Dunstan know ahead of time to let you inside, so all you need to worry about is making sure you get the info we need. The future of this tournament, and possibly the image of the city is in your hands...not to add too much pressure or anything; just reminding you of how important this is."

Nodding, Twilight replied, "I understand. And believe me, with everything I've been through, I'm kinda used to working under pressure."

"I should go with you." Bright said to the young Princess. "My Duel Pad was equipped with a specially-made function that records every Duel I have played. I normally use it to review my past matches in order to improve myself, but I feel it'll find a much greater function right now."

"Sounds good to me." said Sunset. "Then I'll leave everything to the two of you, then?" Twilight and Bright nodded to say that they were ready to help in any possible way. Sunset then turned to Flash Sentry and asked him, "While Twilight's away, you mind filling in for her as my assistant during the remaining Duels?"

"Uh, sure! No problem, Sunset." her ex-boyfriend replied, always happy to help.

Looking at her phone's clock, Sunset told everyone, "Okay...Flash and I have to get back into the arena for the next Duel... Meanwhile, Twilight and Bright have to dig up any evidence that can prove Sonata cheated during the last Duel. Everyone...good luck." The others nodded and split into their respective groups. In Sunset's mind she then told herself, (I'm not gonna the Dazzlings ruin this tournament for everyone...! But more importantly...I need to make sure that they don't plan anything worse... After all, if that...thing I saw on Sonata's hand was what I think it was, more than this tournament could be at risk...!)

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 2):

Ember vs. Steel Shadows [WINNER: Ember]
Gilda vs. Fluttershy [WINNER: Gilda]
Sonata Dusk vs. Bright Mind [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
Octavia Melody vs. Sweetie Belle [WINNER: ???]

RANK 53: Concerto-Crystal Clash:

Author's Note

Although a slight cold delayed this episode by about a week, I still managed to get it up today.

This episode features the last Quarterfinal Duel, and even reintroduces Duelists Sol Burner and Slid Diamond for another time, along with another character that I hope to bring into a future installment. For now, I hope you enjoy this one!

RANK 53: Concerto-Crystal Clash:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

A dramatic turn of events unfolded during the next Duel of the Qualification Tournament's second round. This Duel pitted Bright Mind - an out-of-town Duelist with an astounding intellect and a powerful Alien Deck - against Sonata Dusk - a member of a trio of ex-singers known as the Dazzlings that had once tried to take over Canterlot City. As the Duel commenced, several strange things began to occur; more specifically, Sonata's cards seemed unusual, as they appeared to perfectly counter any possible move that Bright Mind could muster, all the way up to the end of the game. Despite fighting very hard, Bright lost to Sonata and his time in the tournament ended.

After receiving some comforting pep-talk from his first round opponent Flash Sentry, Bright began to feel a little better about the whole thing and found a new friend in Flash that day. Bright then became suspicious of Sonata's actions during their Duel - suspicions that were shared by the Tournament Judge, Sunset Shimmer. Based on what they had witnessed, Sunset believes that Sonata had cheated during her Duel, and has also determined that Sonata's sisters, Adagio and Aria, are also in on the whole scheme. She has asked her friend and assistant, Twilight Sparkle, to investigate the matter, with additional assistance from Bright Mind.

In the meantime, there is one more Quarterfinal Duel left to go, and Sunset has to be there to oversee it, especially since the Duel is between two Duelists that she has had first-hand experience with in the past: Octavia Melody - the first Duelist to be possessed by a Number Card that Sunset battled, and Sweetie Belle - a young Duelist that Sunset had personally trained.

Now it's time to see how they fare in a Duel against each other...

At CHS Stadium, the WCQ Qualification Tournament was ready to enter its last Quarterfinal match, which would determine which Duelists would enter the Semifinal Round. So far, the Semifinal entrants were Ember - a Duelist from Bloodstone that was the daughter of ex-Pro Duelist Torch, Gilda - from Griffonstone High School and granddaughter of Gruff, who was also a former Pro, and Sonata Dusk - who was a member of a former singing group that had once caused trouble at CHS.

At the moment, however, there was a short intermission before the next Duel, which allowed the next two competing Duelists to prepare themselves and their Decks. Most of those that were already out of the tournament congregated at the stadium food court to talk, have a snack, trade cards or even have practice Duels with each other. This was the particular case for two former contestants...

"Hmmmm..." hummed a young man with grey skin and blue-and-orange hair with a bit of a muscular physique. He was none other than Sol Burner, one of the Duelists that made it into the main tournament, but lost to Octavia in the first round. He was looking over a binder that mostly consisted of rare Duel Monsters cards, seemingly trying to find something that appealed to him. "Alright, how about this:" he then said to the person in front of him, "I'll trade you this...in exchange for a play set of Horn of the Phantom Beast."

The person Sol was talking to (as well as the owner of the binder that he was paging through) was Slid Diamond, a light-brown boy with short black hair that was another of the sixteen Duelists that had entered the tournament. He had dueled against Steel Shadows in his First Round match, but had lost to him. "Hmmm..." Slid thought about the offer for a while, then he took another look at the cards he selected from Sol's collection, humming some more. "Hmmmm...Yeah, I think that'll be fine." he finally decided, accepting the trade. "Honestly, for that Double Evolution Pill, I can part with those no problem." The two shook hands and the trade was made.

After putting their newly-obtained cards away, Sol then said, "Shame what happened to that Bright guy in the last match."

"Yeah, honestly, I thought he had that one won..." Slid replied. "He had a pretty good Deck and strategy, but that girl had the prefect counter against them somehow... I guess that's just how it goes sometimes." As he made that comment, a young girl with white skin and red-orange hair overheard the conversation and kept listening to it, sipping from her soda cup as she did so...

"Well, it looks like all of us out-of-towners are out of the tournament." Sol Burner told him next. "After all, that Steel guy you fought in the first round lost in the Quarterfinals. It's cool that he got to join the Wonderbolts, though; that's more than good enough as a consolation prize."

"Yeah, I'm happy for him; he deserved to get that chance." Slid replied, glad that his opponent was moving on to better things. "But there's still a few people left in the game that aren't from here: In fact, everyone that's made it to the Semifinals so far are from out of town."

"Oh yeah..." the grey-skinned male replied. "I guess they kinda look like they'd be from this area, that I forgot about that." Just then, Sol glanced off to the side and saw two people walking swiftly past the food court area. The only reason he noticed them was because of who they were. "Hey, Slid..." he began to ask, "those people walking by... Aren't they that Bright guy and the girl that's assisting the Judge?"

Slid Diamond turned around and saw that the two individuals were indeed Bright Mind and Twilight Sparkle (along with Spike, who was currently being held in Twilight's arms). The boys watched as the two of them left the food court area. Neither of them knew it, but Twilight and Bright were on their way to the CHS Stadium's main office to speak to Mr. Dunstan - who was the official from Industrial Illusions that was commissioned to oversee the tournament. Sunset Shimmer - the tournament Judge - suspected that Sonata had cheated to win her Duel against Bright Mind, and had asked him and Twilight to dig up any evidence to support her suspicions.

"Huh... I wonder what they're in a hurry for?" asked Slid.

"Who knows?" asked Sol. "But it seemed like they were up to something important... Maybe we ought to see what's going on."

"Huh? A-are you sure?" asked the light-brown boy. "I don't think we should disturb them."

"I get what you're saying," Sol replied, "but...well, let's just say I have this feeling that they might need help. I can't explain it, but that's just how I feel." And without another word, the Fighter/Duelist packed up his things and headed off in the same direction as Twilight and Bright. Slid wasn't sure about it, but decided to follow Sol Burner anyway.

As they left, the white-skinned girl that was sitting nearby had just finished her drink, Getting up from the table she was sitting at, she tossed the empty cup into the trash and began to follow both Sol and Slid...

Back in the main stadium, the field was being prepared for the last Quarterfinal Duel, as there were only only three minutes to go before it started. Megan Williams was sitting on a nearby bench, taking a large sip from her water bottle (after all, she had done a lot of talking up to this point, and her throat needed the refreshment). Else where, Sunset Shimmer was checking her phone clock, taking a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself to do her duty as Tournament Judge. It wasn't easy, considering what had happened during the events of the previous Duel.

"You gonna be alright, Sunset?" asked a male voice from the nearby bench. The voice was Flash Sentry's; while Twilight and Bright were investigating the matter involving Sonata, he agreed to take Twilight's place as Sunset's assistant in the meantime.

"Yeah..." the red-and-yellow teen answered. "Just worried a little about Twilight. I hope she'll be okay while getting that information from the office."

"Yeah, I hope she'll be fine, too..." Flash responded. "Same goes for Bright. If what you said is true, and considering what those Dazzlings are capable of, I'm pretty sure they aren't about to let them just walk right into the main office and get what they're looking for."

"...We'll just have to trust that they can handle themselves." Sunset told him. "Or at the very least, hope that someone around can lend them a hand if things go wrong. Our school's filled with students that look out for one another, so I guess we shouldn't worry ourselves too much, but still..." Sighing a little, she then said, "Well, anyway...I have a job to do, so for now I'll just have to concentrate on that." Adjusting her jacket, Sunset walked out to the middle of the field, ready to get to work.

Once the intermission was over, Megan returned to the arena's center and announced, "Allllllright, everyone!! Thank you so much for your patience! And now it's time to begin our next - and final - Duel of the Quarterfinal Round! So give a HUGE round of applause for our next competing Duelists: Octavia Melody and Sweetie Belle!!"

The crowds cheered as both Octavia and Sweetie entered the stadium. "Go for it, Tavi!!" cheered Vinyl from the bench. "You've got this in the bag!!" The sepia-skinned girl smiled and waved in response.

"Let's go, Sweetie Belle!!" shouted the voices of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed from the audience, with Sooctaloo waving a large banner that said, "Sweetie Belle is Number One!" on it. Sweetie smiled and waved back, albeit a bit nervously.

"Well, here are: Sweetie Belle's next match..." said Rarity with a bit of anxiousness and nervousness in her voice. "Oh my..."

"What're you so worried about, Rare?" asked Rainbow Dash. "You're not the one dueling down there."

"Oh, just the typical worries we older sisters have for our younger siblings." the fashionista explained. "You know how it is."

"Uhhhh...I don't know, Rarity. I don't have any brothers or sisters." Dash reminded her.

"Oh dear, you're right. I sometimes forget that you're the only one of us besides Sunset to not have any siblings." Rarity replied, realizing her error.

"Soooo...whad'ya think Sweetie's chances are against Octavia?" Applejack then asked.

"I dunno..." Pinkie responded. "Octavia may not look it, but we know just how tough she is as a Duelist! Of COURSE, you could say the exact same thing about Sweetie Belle."

"Yeah, Ah agree: It's a tough call who'll win this Duel..." AJ replied. "Octy's got more experience playin' Duel Monsters, but Sweetie was trained by Sunset herself. Ah suppose the only way we'll know how the Duel will go is if we just watch it fer ourselves."

"It seems so..." Rarity chimed in, hoping with all her heart that her little sister would do well.

(Hoo boy...here we go again...) thought Sweetie Belle, sweating a little as she made her way into the main field to meet with her opponent. (Why does this part always have to be so scary...?) Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she then said to herself, "I gotta keep cool; Sunset said that if I'm too nervous before the Duel, I won't play well. I just gotta stay calm and do my best out there!"

As Octavia walked towards the center of the field, she was also pondering a bit to herself. (Hmmm...my next opponent is Sweetie Belle...) she thought. (At first, I never thought much of her... But after what I've seen from her first round Duel, I can see that she has improved significantly. After all, Sunset had said that she had trained Sweetie herself, so I suppose I should not be all that surprised of how much stronger she's become... I must say, this could be quite interesting.)

After the two competing Duelists greeted each other with a handshake, both Octavia and Sweetie cut and shuffled each other's Decks. After that was through, Sunset got out a large coin and asked them both, "We'll flip to see who goes first; who wants to call it?"

"I will! I will!" Sweetie Belle anxiously requested. "I'll say heads!"

Sunset then tossed the coin and caught it on the back of her hand. Looking at the result, she then told them, "Tails."

"Darn..." Sweetie groaned, not too keen on losing the coin flip.

"In that case, I shall make the first move." Octavia then told them. Everyone agreed, and the Duel was ready to begin. Sunset returned to the bench, sitting next to Flash while observing the Duel closely, Megan remained in the center of the field, while Octavia and Sweetie Belle took their respective positions.

"Alright! Everything's ready to go, so let the Duel begin!!" announced Megan with her usual excitement.

"Let's Duel!!" shouted both Octavia and Sweetie (Octavia Melody: LP 4,000) (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000). The two of them drew their opening hands and took some time to look over the cards they drew and formulate a strategy. Everyone in audience waited to see what Octavia would start off things with...

"For my opening move," the cello-playing Duelist started to say, "I shall play the Spell Card, 1st Movement Solo. Since I currently do not have any monsters on my side of the field, I can Special Summon any Melodious monster from my hand or my Deck that is Level 4 or below. And I will choose to Summon Solo the Melodious Songstress from my Deck in Attack Position." In a flash, her pink-skinned, red dress-wearing Melodious monster appeared on the field as gracefully as she could (Solo the Melodious Songstress: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1000).

"That's a pretty good opening move for Octavia..." said Flash.

"I know; she used it on me when I dueled her last." Sunset told him. "It's almost always the first move she makes, considering the conditions for activating it. And while that Spell Card prevents her from Special Summoning anything that isn't a Melodious monster for the remainder of the turn, that restriction rarely has any impact on her game."

And Octavia proved Sunset's words right with her next move. "Now I shall Normal Summon Freya, Spirit of Victory from my hand in Attack Position." Her next card was another that Sunset remembered from her Duel against her: a cheerleader-like angel girl with a blue dress and red pom-poms (Freya, Spirit of Victory: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 100). "And though she may be lacking in physical strength," Octavia continued, "her effects make up for it: As long as she remains face-up on my field, all of the Fairy monsters that I possess gain 400 more attack and defense points." (Freya, Spirit of Victory: ATK 100 + 400 = 500 / DEF 100 + 400 = 500) (Solo the Melodious Songstress: ATK 1600 + 400 = 2000 / DEF 1000 + 400 = 1400).

"What?! They got stronger?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

"Indeed, they have." the sepia-skinned teenager told her. "Furthermore, her other effect prevents her from being attacked as long as there is another Fairy monster alongside her. Which essentially means that you will have to defeat my other monsters first before you can even think of disposing of her." Taking another card out of her hand, she then added, "But I will not allow you the chance to do anything of the sort. So I play the Continuous Spell Card, Fortissimo!"

"What does that do?" asked Sweetie.

"Once per turn, I can select any one of the Melodious monsters I have on my field." Octavia explained, "Then, said monster gains another 800 attack points until my next Standby Phase." This elicited a gasp out of Sweetie Belle, realizing that her opponent's monsters were about to become even harder to destroy. "Since Solo is currently my only Melodious monster, I grant the additional points to her!" Afterwards, a loud (but lovely) song could be heard from Octavia's Spell Card, and seemed to further strengthen Solo, making her even more powerful (Solo the Melodious Songstress: ATK 2000 + 800 = 2800).

"That's insane!!" commented Rainbow Dash. "The Duel just started, and Octavia's already got a monster with 2,800 attack points! How's Sweetie gonna get past that?"

"I don't know, to be honest..." Rarity admitted. But then she put on a tough face and added, "But if anyone can defeat that monster, my little sister can! Don't forget: Sunset personally coached her and even gave her some strong cards to use in her Deck, so I'm certain she'll have something that can help her!"

Back on the field, Octavia then told her opponent, "Fortunately for you, I don't get a Battle Phase this turn, so my Solo will not be attacking you just yet. So you had best deal with it before my next turn comes."

(Easy for her to say; SHE'S not the one fighting it!) Sweetie Belle said in her mind. Looking over her hand, she then thought, (I only have one monster in my hand, and it's too weak to defeat that monster even WITHOUT the boost it got from that Spell Card!) But after looking at the rest of her cards, she then saw something that could help after all. (Wait! Maybe I can use this card...!)

Putting on a brave face, Sweetie Belle said, "My turn! I draw!" After putting the card she drew away, she then played the card she had spotted earlier, saying, "And since you started with a Spell Card first, so will I!"

"Hm?" hummed Octavia. "What do you mean by that?"

"I activate Crystal Bond from my hand!" the light-grey girl said, playing her first card of the Duel. "I can use this card to take a Crystal Beast out of my Deck and put it in my hand! And I'll pick my favorite one: Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus!" After taking the card out of her Deck, she then added, "Not only that, but my Spell Card ALSO lets me put a Crystal Beast in my back row as a Continuous Spell! So I'll go and put Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat back there!" After doing so, a large, purple jewel appeared on Sweetie's field.

"Ah've heard of that Spell Card; it's actually pretty hard t' find, if Ah recall." Applejack commented.

"Perhaps," said Rarity, "but money is no object when it comes to my sweet, little sister. I was more than happy to order a play set of them to add to her Deck."

"Woah..." said Rainbow Dash. "I'd say that I wish I was your sister, but if I was, then I'd probably have t' try on a bunch of frilly dresses all the time."

"Indeed, you would." the fashionista chuckled.

Of course, Sweetie wasn't done yet: She then played the card she added to her hand next. "Now I'll Summon Sapphire Pegasus in Attack Mode!" In an instant, her sapphire-wearing Pegasus monster (that's technically an Alicorn) entered the field (Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200). "Then, I'll use his effect and place a Crystal Beast from my Deck in my back row as a Spell Card!" Sweetie finished.

"And which one will you choose?" asked Octavia.

"Just wait 'till you get a load of this!" the young girl told her. "I'm choosing my Rainbow Dragon!"

"Rainbow Dragon?!?" exclaimed several of the people watching.

"B-but how??" asked Flash. "Sure, Rainbow Dragon is the Deck's boss monster, but I thought it wasn't actually a Crystal Beast!"

"It's not." said Sunset. "But there is a card like it that is..."

Taking a card from her Deck with her Sapphire Pegasus's effect, she then placed it onto the field, causing a very large, white gem to appear on her field. Octavia looked at the jewel, which appeared to shine in seven different colors. (What is that...?) she asked herself. (More importantly, what is Sweetie Belle planning to do with it?)

"And now that I've done that, I'm going to play another Spell Card: Crystal Promise!" Rarity's sister then declared. "With this, I can Special Summon any Crystal Beast that I've got sitting in my back row to my front row! And I'll bring out the Crystal Beast that I just put there!" Sweetie Belle then took out the card that she had placed in her Spell & Trap Zone last and put it on the card tray alongside Sapphire Pegasus. "Come on out, Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon!"

Everyone watched in shock as the white gem began to crack and shatter in a brilliant light. In its place was a massive dragon that bared a similar appearance to Sweetie Belle's Rainbow Dragon monster, but was a bit smaller and had less jewel adornments on its body. However, it was still quite large, and its roar was just as loud as the original (Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 0).

"Incredible!!" said Rarity. "Another version of Rainbow Dragon?! I never knew that there was one like this!"

"Wow...it's so pretty!" Pinkie Pie commented, eyes sparkling. "It's like if angels and sugar had a baby, and this was that baby!" Octavia was equally as shocked, not expecting her opponent to have such a powerful card in her Deck, as were everyone watching...except for Sunset, and for good reason: It was one of the cards she had given to Sweetie Belle while training her.

Entering her Battle Phase, Sweetie Belle pointed forward and shouted, "Alright, Rainbow Dragon! Attack her Songstress! Crystal Refraction!!" Her monster then charged up a powerful blast in its mouth and unleashed it on Octavia's monster, destroying her easily.

"Urrgh...!" grunted Octavia, taking a small hit to her Life Points (Octavia Melody: LP 4,000 - 200 = 3,800). "Impressive, Sweetie Belle. But as you will find out, I am not taking this match of ours too lightly. I now activate the effect of Solo the Melodious Songstress! After she is destroyed in battle, I can Summon a new Melodious monster to take her place. So from my Deck, I Special Summon my Opera the Melodious Diva in Attack Position!" Her new monster was a very young girl with short, pink hair, wearing a blue and lavender-colored dress with cyan-colored musical notes on the bottom as decoration, and small wing-like protrusions from the back (Opera the Melodious Diva: Level 4 / ATK 2300 / DEF 1000).

"What?!? A Level 4 monster with 2,300 attack points?!" asked Sweetie in shock.

"More like 2,700..." the cello player corrected her. "You forget: My Freya is still on the field, and her effect will increase her power even further." (Opera the Melodious Diva: ATK 2300 + 400 = 2700 / DEF 1000 + 400 = 1400). Sweetie Belle wasn't too happy to hear that.

"Darn...just when we thought Sweetie Belle had a monster that could help keep her in the fight, Octavia manages to Summon one that's even more powerful!" stated Flash.

"And it gets worse:" Sunset told him. "Octavia still has that Fortissimo Spell out, so she can use it on her next turn and make Opera even stronger. Sweetie will need to stay cool and play her cards right if she's planning to win this..." Rarity felt the same way, hoping that her sister could overcome this new challenge.

Nervously taking the card she drew this turn, she placed it in her D-Pad and said, "I...I set a card face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn; I draw." said Octavia as she pulled the top card from her Deck. The Duel had only gotten started, but it seemed that Octavia was planning to stay in control of the game as long as possible...

Back down in the lower sections of the stadium, a loud BANG could be heard from a dark corner. The loud noise came from Aria Blaze, who had just kicked an unlucky trash can over in frustration. Growling, she yelled, "Why that little-! That stupid Rainboom jerk! She calls US losers?!? Just gimme five seconds with her, and I'd chew out all her hair like it really WAS bacon!!"

"Yeah, that goes double for me!!" said an equally irritated Sonata Dusk.

"Calm down, both of you!" scolded Adagio Dazzle, the leader of the trio. "Don't you two realize that you're letting Shimmer get in your head already?! Trust me, she'll get what's coming to her soon enough! Right now, we need to focus on getting our job here done; THEN we can crush Sunset and her little friends like the bugs they are..."

"Yeah, SPLAT!" snicked Sonata, just thinking of the idea of literally doing such a thing. Then, putting on a slightly more clueless look, she then asked, "So...remind me again what our job was...?"

"You can't be serious, Sonata..." Aria grumbled. "We're supposed to win this tournament however we can! Why do you think we went to all that trouble making sure you were good and ready for the Bright dork?"

"You forget, Aria:" Adagio informed her. "We're also supposed to keep an eye out for any particularly strong Duelists that are here in the stadium; that's what our client told us to do. Though I will admit: I'm not sure why they asked us to do that, but as long as she's paying us well to do it, I could care less..."

"Yeah! And not only that," Sonata chimed in, "but she even gave us some really super-secret weapons to use, just in case something goes wrong. And no one even knows we've got something like that ready to go!"

"No duh, genius." Aria told her. "That's what makes it 'super-secret', so quit babbling about it before someone hears you."

Just then, Adagio caught something out of the corner of her eye. "Hmm? What's that?" She then glanced over in the other direction and saw two people walking swiftly down the corridor. "Hold on...that's that Bright Mind kid..." the Dazzlings' leader informed them. "And he's with...Twilight??"

"Wait, what?" asked Aria, unsure why Twilight and Bright were here and what they were doing. But Adagio hushed her so that they could secretly listen in on what the two of them were discussing.

"The main office isn't much further from here." Twilight said to Bright Mind. "Once we get there, we'll be able to figure out what exactly happened during your Duel with Sonata."

"I just hope that Mr. Dunstan will allow us inside." said Bright. "If my opponent did, in fact, break the rules, we must make sure that she does not get away with it."

"Sunset said that she let him know of our arrival, so we shouldn't have to worry about that." Twilight told him. "Which is good, because we have a lot of work to do as it is. Hopefully, we'll get this all figured out and put a stop to whatever the Dazzlings are trying to do."

As the pair finally left out of earshot of Adagio and her sisters, Aria spoke up and asked, "That's impossible...! How are they already onto us??"

"I guess Shimmer must have told them about it;" Adagio figured. "I'll give her one thing: She's quite brilliant to have already suspected us so quickly..."

"S-so what're we gonna do?" asked Sonata nervously. "If they figure it all out, we're sunk!"

"....While I'll admit, I hadn't planned for Shimmer to figure us out so quickly, I'm not completely unprepared for this sort of situation." the Dazzlings' leader told her. "Since I figured we might be found out at some point, I decided to recruit some...additional help to ensure that by the time we're found out, it'll be far too late... Twilight and Bright won't make it to their destination fast enough, I promise you..." Adagio and her sisters smirked, figuring that they had everything under control as they spied on Twilight and Bright Mind from afar.

Little did they know, however, someone else was spying on them as well; or rather, THREE someones...

Back in the main arena, the Duel between Octavia and Sweetie Belle had just begun. Sweetie had managed to get a small 200-point lead over Octavia, but the classical music-loving Duelist was far from finished. In fact, one could say she was just getting started. Looking at the card she had drawn this turn, Octavia thought to herself, (Excellent. With this card, I should be able to maintain control of the game indefinitely.) Placing the card in her hand for the moment, she then announced, "But first, I shall activate the effect of my Fortissimo Spell Card on the field. It allows me to grant 800 extra attack points to any Melodious monster I currently have on my field. And naturally, I will grant those additional points to Opera the Melodious Diva!"

The Spell Card on Octavia's side of the field began to glow and let out its loud melody once more, granting Octavia's monster additional power (Opera the Melodious Diva: ATK 2700 + 800 = 3500). "You've gotta be kidding!" said Sweetie Belle. "Isn't that monster strong enough already?!"

"It is, now that it can overcome your Dragon." Octavia answered. "But that's not all I shall do this turn. Next, I play Polymerization to fuse Elegy the Melodious Diva and Shopina the Melodious Maestra in my hand to perform a Fusion Summon!"

"Aw no!" said the little light-grey girl, knowing that she was in trouble now.

Placing the two monsters in her hand into the Graveyard, Octavia began to say, "The Material Recipe calls for a Melodious Maestra monster, along with any other Melodious monster!" On the field, her two monsters in her hand were drawn into a red and blue-colored vortex. "Romantic virtuoso! Somber lamentation! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power!" she then chanted. "Fusion Summon! Now come here onto the stage and sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!"

For the second time during the tournament, Octavia Summoned her small - but powerful - Fusion Monster to the field. The young girl with slate-blue hair and a lovely blue dress made her encore appearance, immediately gaining additional power thanks to Octavia's Freya, Spirit of Victory (Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir: Level 6 / ATK 1000 + 400 = 1400 / DEF 2000 + 400 = 2400).

"What was that all about?" asked Apple Bloom, confused. "Why'd she go t' all'o that trouble just t' Summon that?"

"Yeah, that thing hardly has any attack points, even AFTER the boost it just got..." said Scootaloo.

"Dat ain't the problem." noted Babs Seed. "In case ya forgot, that's the same monster Octy used t' beat her first opponent in dis tournament. Whenevah Bloom Diva attacks a Special Summoned monster, not only does Octy not lose any Life Points, but the OPPONENT'S monster is the one that gets destroyed, and Sweetie'll take the attack point difference as damage instead!"

"Ulp...that doesn't sound good..." said Scootaloo, getting worried for their friend.

Those cheering for Sweetie Belle right now were hoping she had some way of defending herself, especially since Octavia wasted no time in going to her turn's Battle Phase. "Now Bloom Diva," she began to command, "attack Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon! Reflect Shout!!" Bloom Diva then let out a powerfully loud song, causing those in attendance - including even Vinyl Scratch - to cover their ears to buffer out the noise. Just as Babs had said, Sweetie's monster was destroyed instead of Bloom Diva, and the damage was sent to her instead (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000 - 1,600 = 2,400). "So much for your new Crystal Beast card." the cello player said.

"He's not completely gone yet, Octy!" Sweetie Belle told her opponent. "Just like the original Crystal Beasts, this one also goes to my back row after it's destroyed!" At that moment, Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon returned to the field in its sealed gem form. "And I'll also activate my Trap Card! Crystal Conclave! After one of my Crystal Beasts is destroyed, this card lets me replace it with a new one from my Deck! And I'll choose my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise!" And just like that, her reptilian Crystal Beast emerged on the field in Defense Position (Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise: Level 3 / ATK 600 / DEF 2000).

"Do as you wish, Ms. Belle," said Octavia. "but my Battle Phase has not yet concluded! I now attack your Sapphire Pegasus with Opera!" Her other monster then prepared to attack as well...

"Not so fast!" said Sweetie. "I'll use the second effect of Crystal Conclave! By sending it to the Graveyard, I can bounce one of my Crystal Beasts off of the field and back to my hand, along with any other card on the field!"

"I see..." said the sepia-skinned girl. "I assume that means you're returning my Opera to my hand, then?"

"...I was going to do that, but I don't think I want your Fusion Monster to stay out, so I'll send Bloom Diva back to your Extra Deck. And I'll also send Sapphire Pegasus back to my hand, too!" the younger Duelist told her. And just like that, both monsters left the field.

"That's weird... Why'd she bounce Bloom Diva and not the one that's attacking her??" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Considering that Fusion Monster was what won Octavia her Duel in the first round," Rarity began to explain, "Sweetie felt that leaving it on the field was too risky. Besides, she still escaped damage this turn by removing Sapphire Pegasus, so now Opera can only attack her defensive monster."

"That's some pretty skillful playin' she did there." Applejack complimented. "Maybe this means she's got a good fightin' chance after all."

(Hmmm...that isn't good...) thought Octavia. (By sending my Fusion Monster back to my Extra Deck, I cannot defeat her more powerful monsters nearly as easily as I could have... Not only that, but I used up all the cards in my hand to Summon her, and now I'm forced into a top-decking situation...) Still, Octavia wasn't ready to give up yet and said to her monster on the field, "Opera, redirect your attack to Emerald Tortoise! Soprano Serenade!" Her monster then sang a high-pitched note that shattered Sweetie's last monster, sending it to her Spell & Trap Zone in the form of a large, green jewel.

(Whew...that was a close one...) thought Sweetie Belle, sweating a little after all that had happened in the past minute.

"Well, I suppose that is all I can do for this turn." Octavia stated. "So I will turn things over to you."

"Alright then! I draw!" After drawing her card this turn, Sweetie Belle then thought, (Okay...I may have gotten out of that one, but I still have to get over her monsters...and one of them's got 3,500 attack points! And I don't have anything in my hand that can get over that!) Looking at another card that she was holding, the young, light-grey girl then decided, (I guess I'll have to try and bet it on this card...) Playing the card from her hand, she then said, "I activate Rare Value! Since I have at least two Crystal Beasts in my back row, I'll have you send one of them to the Graveyard so that I can draw two cards from my Deck! So which of my three Crystal Beasts are you gonna have me get rid of?"

"Hmmm...so my choices are Amethyst Cat, Rainbow Dragon, and Emerald Tortoise, I see..." pondered Octavia. "Well then the choice is obvious: I cannot afford to allow you easy access to Rainbow Dragon, so that is the one I shall have you dispose of."

Sending her powerful Dragon Crystal Beast to the Graveyard and drawing two more cards from her Deck, Sweetie looked at them, took one of the newly-drawn cards, and said, "Alright, now I'll play another copy of Crystal Bond!"

"Another one?" asked the cello player.

"Now I'll use it to get Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger from my Deck to hand," the young girl told Octavia, "and then put Cobalt Eagle from my Deck into the back row!" A large, lighter-blue gem then appeared on Sweetie's field, giving her three Crystal Beasts in her Spell & Trap Zone once more. "Now I'll re-Summon Sapphire Pegasus in Attack Mode, and use his effect to put Ruby Carbuncle in my Deck to my back row as well!" And like that, her Sapphire Pegasus returned to the field, and was joined by a red-colored gem behind it. "Last of all, I'll activate my Field Spell, Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!"

Everyone gasped as Sweetie played the other card she had drawn with Rare Value, changing the arena around them into a Roman-style coliseum. "Yes, yes!! That's my little sister down there! Playing like a true expert!" Rarity proudly said.

"...Uh, thanks sis." Sweetie replied, a little embarrassed from her sister saying that in front of everybody. "A-anyway, I'm gonna use Rainbow Ruins' fourth effect and draw an extra card from my Deck, since I have at least four Crystal Beasts in my back row!" After drawing her card, she looked at it and thought, (Crystal Release... That could come in handy later. Anyway, that's all I can get done this turn.) Looking towards her opponent, she told her, "Your move, Octavia!"

"Very well, I draw." said the sepia-skinned girl, drawing a card to put into her previously empty hand. "And since it is now my Standby Phase, the effect of Fortissimo on my Opera has now expired (Opera the Melodious Diva: ATK 3500 - 800 = 2700). Not that it matters, of course, since on my Main Phase, I will simply reactivate the effect and increase Opera's attack once again!" Her Spell Card once again started to glow, ready to transfer its power to Octavia's monster.

"Not this time!" shouted Sweetie Belle with a smirk. "I activate Rainbow Ruins' third effect! By sending Sapphire Pegasus to the Graveyard, I can negate your Spell and destroy it!" Octavia gasped, but was helpless to do anything as her Spell Card's image went to grayscale before shattering to pieces.

"Aw no!" said Vinyl. "Now her monsters can't get tougher anymore!"

"Hmm...a nice move, Ms. Belle, but you overlooked one error on your part:" the classic music-loving Duelist told her opponent. "Sapphire Pegasus was your only monster to defend your Life Points, and Opera still has 2,700 attack points even without Fortissimo to empower her. And with only a mere 2,400 Life Points remaining, the moment Opera's attack lands, the Duel will be over." Not hesitating for a second, Octavia then shouted, "Now, Opera! Attack Sweetie directly and end this Duel!"

Everyone watched anxiously, wondering if Sweetie would survive the attack somehow, or if this would be her last moments in the tournament. Opera began her high-pitched song once more, sending powerful sound waves straight towards Sweetie...

Around that same time, Twilight and Bright Mind were quickly making their way to the stadium's main office to hopefully dig up any evidence to use against Sonata Dusk and expose her cheating during her Quarterfinal Duel. "Are we there yet, Twilight?" asked Spike, clutching onto his purple friend's arms tightly.

"Sunset said it's just down this way." the Princess of Friendship told him. "We should get there very soon."

"And with any luck, Mr. Dunstan will be able to help us figure out what's going on concerning Sonata..." Bright Mind chimed in. Looking ahead, he then spotted something in their path. "Hm? What is that?" he asked.

Bright's question prompted Twilight and Spike to look ahead themselves. They gasped as all three of them screeched to a halt before colliding with what was ahead of them. There, standing in the passageway were three large men wearing black suits, each on wearing a tie along with it; one red, one green, and one blue. On each of the faces, a pair of shades rested on the bridges of their noses, giving them a rather intimidating appearance.

"Wh-who are these guys??" asked Spike, trembling a little upon seeing these men.

One of the men - the one with the red tie, spoke first, asking them in a low, scary voice, "State your business. Why are you here?"

"...They appear to be security guards..." whispered Bright Mind, "But...something about them seems...off..."

"I'll figure this out; don't worry..." Twilight whispered back. Gathering the nerve to respond, she then approached them and said, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, assistant to Judge Sunset Shimmer. We need to speak to Mr. Dunstan immediately."

"Mr. Dunstan, eh?" asked the green-tie wearing guard. "Yeah, I'll bet you wanna see 'im... But we're under strict orders not t' let anybody through here. Besides, how do we know you are who you say are?"

Sighing, Twilight reached into front pocket of her suit, pulling out a card. Since Twilight was working as Sunset's assistant during the tournament, she was given a laminated I.D. card from Mr. Dunstan for situations such as this. "Here," she told the guards, handing the I.D. card over to them, "This should prove who I am to you."

The blue tie-wearing guard took the card and inspected it, humming as he did so. About a second or two later, he literally tossed the card back and told them, "Yeah, this ain't provin' nothin'. You probably made this thing yourself!"

"But...but there's no way you could tell that!" argued Bright Mind. "You barely looked at it!"

"I saw enough, and it's not gettin' you past us." the red-tie wearing guard snapped back. "Now get lost before we have t' MAKE you get lost!"

"Twilight, what's going on...?" asked Spike. "Why are these guys getting in our way? They're treating us like we're wanted crooks or something!"

"I don't know, Spike..." the young Princess answered. "Bright mentioned that something was off about them, and...well I'm starting to think so too... Sunset said that she called ahead to Mr. Dunstan, so he should be expecting us to arrive... And yet, these three don't seem to be aware of that... Or are they...? Something tells me they're just trying to impede our progress."

(I agree, Twilight.) said the voice of Utopia in her mind. (I am certain that these "security guards" are not who they say they are, based on their actions. There is a strong possibility that they were sent here to make sure that you would not reach Mr. Dunstan's office.)

(I thought so...) Twilight mentally responded. (The Dazzlings must have hired them to keep us from exposing their secret. But now that we know that, what do we do now...?)

"Weren't you brats listening?!" shouted the red tie-wearing guard. "I said beat it, unless you wanna try and fight your way past us?"

"But that's not fair!" protested Bright Mind. "Besides the fact that we're not as physically strong, we're outnumbered three-to-two!"

"Yeah, it isn't fair." said the green tie-wearing guard. "That's the point of it!"

"Why don't ya whine about it t' someone who cares, ya geek?" mocked the guard in the blue tie.

"That's fine by me, because I DO care." said another male voice from out of nowhere.

"Huh?? Who was that?" asked the blue tie guard.

Twilight, Spike, and Bright Mind were also unsure of who made that remark, though they all had a feeling that they heard it before. They all got their answer when Sol Burner suddenly stepped forward from behind Twilight's group and approached the guards. "That would be me." said Sol, answering the guard's question. "And if I might say, ganging up and outnumbering someone who couldn't hope to fight back is a cowardly act."

"C-Cowardly?!?" shouted the blue tie guard in anger. "I'll show YOU who's the coward!!" The man then rushed forward towards Sol Burner, his fist raised to attack.

"W-watch out!" shouted Spike.

"...Yeah, he SHOULD watch out, shouldn't he?" Sol responded, not afraid at all. It what seemed like a split-second, Sol ducked under the guard's fist, and landed a powerful blow to his midsection. The guard grunted in discomfort, and before he could respond back, Sol grabbed the guard's arm that formed the attacking fist and threw him off to the side, right into a trash can that spilled its contents all over the brute.

Needless to say, everyone - especially the other two security guards - were shocked to see Sol knocking the bully out so easily. "Wh-wh-WHAT?!? How'd he do that??" asked the green tie-wearing guard, not believing what he had just witnessed.

"My goodness...that was incredible!" Bright Mind complimented. "He was twice your size, but you managed to overcome him with so little effort!"

"Thanks, Bright." Sol replied. "As you can see, being a trained MMA fighter does have its advantages every now and then."

"I'll say it did..." commented Spike. "That jerk didn't know what him!" Twilight smiled a bit; though she wasn't one to condone violence, she was at least happy to see someone using their fighting skills to help someone in need, especially since she and the rest of their group were the ones that needed help just now.

"Okay, so you know how t' fight, huh? So what?!" shouted the guard in the red tie. "Even you can't take us both on at once!" On cue, both he and the guard in the green tie rushed forward to attack...

...Only for the green guard to get smacked in the face by a large, red ball - the same kind often used for playing Dodgeball. He got knocked down and fell backwards, and before the other guard could say or do anything, he got clobbered by a second dodgeball to his stomach that brought him down to his knees. "Urk...!" he grunted as he rubbed the sore spot on his stomach area and coughing a little. "What was that...?"

"That means you're both out of the game; don't you know how to play Dodgeball?" said the voice of Slid Diamond, who was holding a third red ball in his left hand, revealing himself as the one responsible for tossing the other two. "Not that it'd help you much; I've been practicing and playing sports since I was a kid, so tossing a few balls like that is hardly much of an effort."

"Hold on... Now I know who you two are!" said Twilight. "You we're both in the tournament, right? Sol Burner and Slid Diamond, right?"

"That's right." Slid confirmed. "And you're Twilight, the Judge's assistant, correct?" Twilight nodded to say that this was so.

"But...what are you two doing here?" Bright Mind then asked the two boys.

"We got word from somebody that you two had something important to do." Sol Burner informed her. "And all of us figured that someone else might try to get in your way. So Slid and I followed you in secret, just in case you needed an assist..."

"That is, AFTER we made a pit stop at the gym supply closet for these dodgeballs." Slid Diamond added.

"You got word from somebody about what we're doing here?" asked Bright Mind. "Who?"

"We'll fill you in later." Sol told him. "Right now, you've got a job to finish. So hurry and get to that office while these guys are still dazed."

"He's right; we'd better hurry." Twilight told Bright. "We have to get to Mr. Dunstan so that we can figure out once and for all whether or not Sonata cheated in her last Duel."

"Yeah, so let's get moving before those guards do!" Spike suggested. Bright Mind nodded in agreement and took the opportunity to make a beeline past the security guards and continue to Mr. Dunstan's office.

Not long after Twilight and the others were out of sight, the three guards finally came to. "Wh-what hit me...?" groaned the blue tie-wearing guard, still covered in garbage from the can he was sent flying into.

"Beats me..." moaned the guard in the green tie. "Those three chicks didn't say anything like this would happen when they paid us to stand here..."

The guard in the red tie got back onto his feet first and looked around. He panicked when he saw that Twilight, Spike, and Bright Mind were no longer in the area. "No!! They got away!!" Growling in anger, he forgot about Twilight for the moment and turned his rage towards Sol and Slid. "You... YOU...!! You two don't know who you're messing with!"

"Three." Sol simply said back.

"Th-three?? Three what?" asked the guard in confusion.

"What he means is that there's actually three of us." said another voice from nearby, this one sounding mostly feminine, but had a bit of a "tough"-sounding nature to it, much like Rainbow Dash. "After all, someone had to inform both Sol and Slid here about what's going on around here." Then, walking out from behind both Sol and Slid, came a teenage girl with porcelain-white skin, medium-length, fiery red-and-orange hair, and eyes that were the same red color as her hair. Her outfit was simple, consisting of a purple jacket over top a sleeveless black shirt, a pair of shorts that were the same black color as the shirt, and a pair of yellow-orange sneakers. Stepping in front of Sol and Slid, she smirked as she eyed the three troublesome security guards.

"And who are you supposed to be??" asked the guard in the red tie, who was starting get more annoyed by the situation.

"The name's Flare Flutter, bub." the teen girl answered. "And as for why I'm here, I'm giving the Judge's assistant a hand in getting done what she needs done. I watched her passing by the food court a coupla minutes ago, and after these two decided to follow her and see what's going on, I tagged along as well. They were a bit confused at first when they finally saw me, but after I explained that I wanted to lend a hand, they were cool with it."

"We all continued to follow Twilight at a safe distance," Sol Burner then began to explain, "when we happened to see that Sonata girl that's still in the tournament, along with her coaches. We heard some stuff about them 'looking for strong Duelists' and having 'super-secret weapons' ready to use... But besides that, we heard them panicking about Twilight and the Judge about something, as well as them having 'additional help'."

"So tell us: Was whatever those girls gave you worth all the humiliation you just got?" asked Slid Diamond. "Somehow, I doubt it."

"Look:" Flare then began to explain to the three brutes, "You've already seen for yourself that you can't beat us in a fistfight, but since the three of us are feeling a bit generous, why don't we all settle this matter in a different way?"

"What're you talking about...?" asked the guard in the red tie.

The spunky young teen girl then presented a Duel Monsters Deck before the three guards and answered him, saying, "Why duel us, of course. You three win, we'll let you go scot-free. And don't even try to say that you don't duel; I can clearly see the Duel Pads on your arms."

"But if we win," Sol Burner continued, "then I'm afraid to say that your troubles will only be just beginning."

"So what do you three say? You in or out?" asked Slid Diamond. "Not that we're giving you too much of a choice here, since this is pretty much the only way you'll be able to get out of this situation."

The three guards grumbled to each other, not too pleased with how they were no longer in control of what was going on. Still the three felt they had no other choice. "Fine...we'll play along for now." said the red tie-wearing guard. "But after this is over, we'll pay you ALL back for picking a fight with us!"

As Slid, Sol, and Flare activated their D-Pads and Gazers, they each gave a confirming nod to one another for reasons only they knew. Once they were ready, they all shouted, "Let's DUEL!!"

A massive BOOM rattled the arena as Octavia's Opera the Melodious Diva launched her attack at Sweetie Belle directly. With Sweetie's Life Points at only 2,400 compared to the 2,700 attack points of Opera, it seemed like the Duel was over. Everyone was anxious to see if the Duel had truly ended right then and there.

"This...this can't be it..." said Rarity, worried for her little sister. "It just can't be..."

Down on the field, Octavia breathed a sigh, saying, "There...this Duel is finally over."

"Yeah!! Way to go, Tavi!!" cheered Vinyl from the sidelines. "You won!! You're moving onto the next-...Huh??" Her cheers were cut short when she noticed a small silhouette appearing in the dust clouds caused by the powerful attack. Octavia noticed it too, along with the rest of the audience.

"C-could it be...?" asked Flash Sentry. Sunset, however, was smiling a little, knowing something that no one else did...

To everyone's surprise, the silhouette was Sweetie Belle, who managed to stay standing even after the powerful attack launched her way. Panting a little, she shook her head to fully regain her senses, putting on a determined look that said that she wasn't out of this yet.

"You're...still standing...??" asked Octavia in disbelief. "But how? Opera's attack power should have been enough to deplete all of your Life Points!"

"It would've been...if it weren't for my Rainbow Ruins Field Spell, that is!" the young girl told her opponent. "Thanks to its second effect, I can cut any battle damage I take this turn in half, since I have at least two Crystal Beasts sitting in my back row!"

"Which means my attack only did 1,350 points of damage..." the cello-player calculated in her head (Sweetie Belle: LP 2,400 - 1,350 = 1,050). "I admit: I didn't plan for that to happen..."

"Aw man...I thought she had this won..." said Vinyl, sad that her friend's move couldn't finish the Duel.

"Oh dear, thank goodness she's okay..." said Rarity, relieved that her sister was okay. "For goodness sake, Sweetie Belle, stop scaring me like that; I don't have my favorite couch nearby to faint on."

"Ah had a feelin' that Sweetie'd come out o' that okay." Applejack said. "After all, she's way, WAY stronger than she used t' be! Ah wouldn't be surprised if she still had a few more tricks left to use in this here Duel."

Humming a little to herself, Octavia then said, "I'll proceed to my second Main Phase and switch Freya, Spirit of Victory to Defense Position. In addition, I will also place another monster face-down in Defense Position before concluding my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" said Sweetie Belle. "I'll draw a card and activate the fourth effect of Rainbow Ruins! So I draw another card from my Deck!" After looking at her new card, she then cheerfully added, "And it's the card I was hoping to get! Crystal Promise!"

"Oh no...!" gasped Octavia.

"I'll use Crystal Promise to Special Summon my Ruby Carbuncle from my back row in Defense Mode!" the small girl said. The red gem on her field then shattered, reveal the small, blue cat-like creature inside (Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle: Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 300).

"Ruby Carbuncle, huh?" asked Flash. "I see what she's doing."

"Me too." Sunset added. "Thanks to that monster's effect, Sweetie Belle can now Special Summon every one of the other Crystal Beasts she has in her back row too, giving her quite the monster advantage."

Octavia gasped again as the three remaining gemstones on Sweetie's field broke apart as well, revealing the other three Crystal Beasts Sweetie had ready to go: Emerald Tortoise, which she played in Defense Position, as well as Amethyst Cat and Cobalt Eagle, both in Attack Position (Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 400) (Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle: Level 4 / ATK 1400 / DEF 800). Though she knew she was slightly outnumbered, the sepia-skinned teen told her opponent, "Impressive, but none of your monsters are strong enough to defeat Opera."

"They aren't, but this one is!" said Sweetie Belle. "I Summon Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in Attack Mode!" She then played yet another monster from her hand, which was a massive white tiger with a massive spike on its head (Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1000). "And before you say he's not strong enough either," she continued, "I'll play this card to make him even stronger! Go, Crystal Release!" Sweetie Belle then played the Equip Spell from her hand onto her Topaz Tiger before telling her opponent, "Thanks to this, my Crystal Beast gets another 800 attack points!" (Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger: ATK 1600 + 800 = 2400)

"But that's still not high enough to beat your monster, Tavi..." noted Vinyl.

"Perhaps not now, but I am afraid that will not be the case very soon..." said Octavia, already knowing that she had trouble coming her way.

"Alright, Topaz Tiger! Use your special ability and attack Opera the Melodious Diva!" Sweetie ordered her new monster. The powerful Crystal Beast rushed in, aiming its head spike at Octavia's monster. Thanks to its effect, Topaz Tiger gained some additional attack points during the battle (Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger: ATK 2400 + 400 = 2800), making it just powerful enough to defeat Opera and send her to the Graveyard.

"Urrgh...!" grunted Octavia, taking a small amount of damage (Octavia Melody: LP 3,800 - 100 = 3,700).

"Yeah! I did it!" cheered Sweetie Belle, happy that she was able to come up with a sound strategy to defeat Octavia's seemingly powerful monster. "And now that she's gone," the young girl continued, "that means Freya's the only face-up Fairy monster you have left, so she can't stop me from attacking her now! Cobalt Eagle, attack Freya with Cobalt Wing!" The massive bird-like monster obeyed the order and managed to take down the cheerleading Fairy on Octavia's field. "And last but not least," Sweetie said, wrapping things up, "I'll send Amethyst Cat to attack you directly with her effect! Go, Amethyst Nail!"

Octavia looked up as Sweetie's remaining Attack Position monster leapt over the face-down monster on her field and struck the cello player with mighty sharp claws. "AAACK!! Octavia screeched after taking the hit, which was only half damage due to Amethyst Cat's effect (Octavia Melody: LP 3,700 = 600 = 3,100).

"That's amazin'!" said Apple Bloom. "Not only did Sweetie Summon five monsters in one turn, but she took out two of Octavia's to boot!"

"Man...that's incredible." Scootaloo said. "Back when we were still just duelin' each other, I always used to beat her... Now, I ain't too sure if I can anymore."

"Yeah, I know whatcha mean..." Babs said to her. "Crystal Beasts might not be the most competitive Deck out there, but with th' way Sweetie's usin' hers, it might as well be. I might have t' take her on myself after dis tournament's over..."

Finishing up her turn, Sweetie Belle then said, "Now that that's overwith, I'll go to Main Phase 2. I'll use Emerald Tortoise's effect to switch Amethyst Cat to Defense Mode. Then, I'll activate Cobalt Eagle's effect: Once per turn, I can use it to send any Crystal Beast card on my field back to the top of my Deck. And I'll have Cobalt Eagle use the effect on himself!" And just like that, the bird monster vanished, and Sweetie placed the card back in her Deck.

"Not a bad move." noted Flash. "Now Octavia can't attack her lower-attack monsters to deal damage to Sweetie's Life Points, since one switched to Defense and the other's no longer on the field."

"With her Life Points as low as they are," Sunset commented, "Sweetie can't afford to take unnecessary risks. But right now, she's in a good position: She has a strong board set up, while Octavia has only a single monster on the field and no cards in her hand. Unless Octavia draws something really good next turn, Sweetie might be able to take the win."

"C'mon, Octy...you can still win this!" cheered Vinyl. "I know you can!"

(...As much as I appreciate the optimism, Vinyl,) thought the cello-playing Duelist, (the current situation says otherwise... I don't have much in the way of options, while Sweetie Belle's options are almost endless.) Looking back at her friend, and then at her Deck, she then said to herself, "But still...I refuse to just simply give up this Duel... Sunset had faith in herself when she saved both myself and Vinyl when we were possessed by the Number Cards, and I intend to have that same bit of faith as well. My chances may be close to hopeless, but I will fight my hardest nonetheless!"

Taking a deep breath, Octavia drew her top card and looked at it. (...It all comes down to this.) she thought. Playing the card immediately, she then said, "I activate my Pot of Desires. I banish the top ten cards of my Deck to draw two additional cards."

(Wow...Pot of Desires?) thought Sweetie Belle. (Talk about lucky. Now I gotta worry about what two cards she might end up getting...)

Everyone watched as Octavia removed the top ten cards of her Deck and then drew the next two. Upon seeing them, she let out a tiny gasp...and then smiled. She then looked towards Sweetie Belle and told her, "Ms. Sweetie Belle, I must say; you've proven that you belong with us here in the main tournament. Before this day, whenever I saw you Duel, you were still very much a novice. But now, you have shown yourself to be a formidable opponent..."

"Uh, thanks?" replied Sweetie Belle, a bit confused. "But...why are you saying all of that?"

"...Because it means that I have no more reason to hold back." the sepia-skinned girl answered. "So, in order to show a Duelist of your caliber respect, I plan on defeating you with my ULTIMATE monster..."

"U-u-ultimate...?" asked Sweetie, getting a tad nervous.

"That...don't sound good fer Sweetie at all..." noted Applejack.

"Gee, thanks for the info, Ms. Obvious." Rainbow replied sarcastically.

"Huh? Obvious?" asked Pinkie. "Since when did you change your name, Applejack?? Do you really think the fans would want that if they didn't like Twilight doing the whole Alicorn thing?" Naturally, no one had any clue what she was talking about.

"Say, Sunset..." Flash began to ask, "what's this 'ultimate monster' that Octy's talking about?"

"Beats me..." the red-and-yellow girl replied. "I thought her best card was that Fusion Monster, or perhaps one of the Melodious Maestras... But something's telling me that she's got something even more powerful then any of them..."

Flipping her face-down monster face-up, Octavia explained, "The monster I have out currently is my Serenade the Melodious Diva. And she has a very powerful effect: If I were to Tribute Summon a Fairy-Type monster from my hand, I can have Serenade count as TWO monsters for the Tribute Summon."

"Wait, TWO MONSTERS?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "So you only need to get rid of her to bring a high-Level monster out?"

"That is correct." Octavia then sent her monster to the Graveyard, causing the monster's image to ascend into a massive light that appeared in the sky. Octavia then began to chant, "Great Goddess of love and beauty! Sister to the Earth! Descend from the heavenly planes above and grace us all with your divine form! Come forth! The Splendid Venus!!"

Everyone in attendance watched in awe as a shining figure began to slowly descend from the bright light coming from the sky. As it got closer, the figure revealed itself as a female humanoid angel covered in brilliant, gold armor and possessing two pairs of wings. In her hand was a long staff that had a jewel within ring on the top end. Truly, this monster looked as powerful as she was beautiful, and her large size gave her a commanding presence.

*******************************

Splendid Venus:
(Effect Monster/Fairy/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2400)

All non-Fairy monsters lose 500 ATK/DEF. The activation and effects of Spell/Trap Cards activated on your field cannot be negated.

*******************************

"No way..." gasped Sunset. "Octavia has a Legendary Planet card, too?"

"You didn't know?" asked Flash. "Not that I did either, but she didn't use it on you when you dueled her?"

"No, she didn't." the red-and-yellow teen answered him. "But after what she told Sweetie about not holding back, I had a feeling she had something powerful left in reserve for something like this... Now, I'm wondering if Sweetie Belle can handle something that powerful..."

Sweetie Belle, however, wasn't sure of that herself as she stared at Octavia's trump card. "I don't believe it... Just when I thought I got control of the Duel, Octavia pulls out this thing!" she said to herself. "NOW what am I gonna do??"

"Unfortunately for you, there's not much you CAN do." Octavia informed her. "Splendid Venus is the rarest and most powerful card that my Main Deck has to offer. There are barely a handful of monsters that can overcome her easily."

"Woah...way to go Tavi...!" said Vinyl, pleased and shocked that her friend managed to summon such a powerful monster to her field.

"Now, since this seems to be your first encounter with Venus," the cello-playing Duelist began to explain, "allow me to explain her special powers: First off, as long as Venus remains on the field, all the monsters on the field that are NOT Fairy-Types lose 500 attack and defense points."

"What?! She weakens my monsters just by sitting there?!" asked Sweetie in panic, as all but one of her monsters became slightly weaker in their stats (Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger: ATK 2400 - 500 = 1900 / DEF 1000 - 500 = 500) (Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat: ATK 1200 - 500 = 700 / DEF 400 - 500 = 0) (Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise: ATK 600 - 500 = 100 / DEF 2000 - 500 = 1500).

"Indeed," Octavia confirmed, "but that is not her only function. As for her other effect, well... If you were planning on using that effect of your Field Spell to negate my Spell and Trap Cards - like you did with my Fortissimo card, I must urge you not to waste the effort: Venus's effect prevents my Spell and Trap Cards' effects from being negated as long as she remains out."

"No way! So not only is she really strong, but I can't stop your Spells and Traps anymore?!" Sweetie the exclaimed, wondering how she was going to get out of this mess.

"Correct." the sepia-skinned girl responded. "To put it simply, she is near-insurmountable." Taking the other card she drew with Pot of Desires, Octavia then announced, "I now play Cosmic Cyclone from my hand! After I pay 1,000 of my Life Points, this card can instantly banish a single Spell or Trap Card on the field!"

"That's not good...!" said Babs. "If Octy uses that card to get rid of Sweetie's Crystal Release Equip Spell, then she can attack Topaz Tiger and end the Duel right now!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo got worried upon hearing that, as did Sweetie Belle herself.

(Hmmm...) Octavia then thought to herself, (If I eliminate that Equip Spell, Topaz Tiger will be weak enough for me to destroy it AND reduce Sweetie Belle's Life Points to zero... But, there's still a possibility - albeit a small one, that she might have something that could defeat her if I just rush in without thinking...) She then noticed Sweetie Belle's back row cards and Field Spell and pondered, (With as few resources as I have right now, I cannot afford to lose Venus too soon... I know what I must do...)

"Alright, I have made my decision:" the cello player said. "I shall use my Cosmic Cyclone to banish...your Set card!" And with that declaration (Octavia Melody: LP 3,100 - 1,000 = 2,100), a massive whirlwind that looked almost galaxy-like struck Sweetie Belle's face-down card and wiped it out of existence.

(She went after my Trap Card...? Not Crystal Release?) Sweetie asked herself, confused but relieved. The card that was banished - Rainbow Gravity - was ejected out of her D-Pad, allowing Sweetie to put it away in her deck box.

"Well, that was fortunate..." said Rarity. "At least Sweetie will survive the turn... Of course, she still has to contend with that impressive monster that Octavia has on her field."

"Well, let's not count Sweetie outta this just yet." Applejack told her. "Ah'm sure Sunset's training taught her t' keep cool in situation's such as this. Long as she keeps calm, she'll be just fine; she might even still have a chance t' win this!"

"...You're right. I just need to believe that my sister can do this. I just need to believe in her." Rarity looked towards her younger sibling, mentally urging her, (You can do this, Sweetie Belle... Believe in yourself as much we believe in you up here...)

With the way cleared for her, Octavia then shouted, "It's time, Splendid Venus! Attack the Topaz Tiger!! Holy Feather Shower!!" Her monster obeyed, raising her staff into the air and spreading all four of her wings. After that, several feathers - each surrounded by a glowing light - flew out of those wings, striking Topaz Tiger and destroying it instantly.

"Urgh...!" Sweetie Belle grunted as she took the hit (Sweetie Belle: LP 1,050 - 900 = 150). "Now what I am gonna do...?!" At the moment, it seemed hopeless for the youngest Duelist in the tournament...

Meanwhile, another series of Duels were taking place deep in the halls of the stadium: Slid Diamond, Sol Burner, and a feisty young lass named Flare Flutter were busy dueling a trio of thuggish security guards who had earlier - for some reason, tried to use force to prevent Twilight Sparkle and Bright Mind from seeing Mr. Jay Dunstan in the office he was occupying during his time in Canterlot. Thanks to Slid, Sol, and Flare, the guards were kept out of commission long enough for Twilight and Bright to escape and continue with their mission. Now they were dueling the rogue guards to make sure that they wouldn't try to go after the two of them again...

"It's my turn! I draw!" said Slid as he drew his card for his turn (Slid Diamond: LP 1,800). He was dueling the thug in the green tie, who earlier on had a face-full of dodgeball courtesy of Slid and was eager for revenge (Guard: LP 2,000). Two monsters were currently on the guard's field: A ridiculously-massive pink furred beast with a purple back mane, horns, and razor-sharp teeth (Behemoth the King of All Animals: Level 7 / ATK 2700 / DEF 1500), and a red ape-like creature wearing brown, organic-looking body armor and carrying a club (Ancient Crimson Ape: Level 7 / ATK 2600 / DEF 1800). Slid currently had no monsters on his field, but he didn't seem too worried about it...

The guard, however, thought he had everything already in the bag as he taunted him, saying, "Heheheh! Looks like this Duel's gonna end pretty quickly now, huh?"

"Yeah, for you it will." Slid said with a smirk, not even slightly intimidated by his opponent or his monsters.

"Huh? You've gotta be kidding me! Take a look at the field!!" argued the brute. "I've got two Level 7 monsters with really high attack points, and you ain't got nothing on yours!! And you actually THINK you've got a chance?! How?!?"

"Because it's not what's on the field you should be worried about; it's what's in my hand!" And to emphasize that point, Slid played the card he drew this turn. "I activate Double Evolution Pill from my hand!" he then announced. Coincidentally, it was the same copy of the card that Sol Burner traded to him earlier; indicated by the fact that it was a different rarity from the one Slid already owned.

"Uh oh..." the guard then said, now figuring out too late why Slid was so confident.

Taking two cards from his D-Pad's Graveyard slot, the light-brown Duelist then said to his opponent, "With Double Evolution Pill, I can banish two monsters: One Dinosaur and one monster of a different Type to Special Summon another Dinosaur monster from my Deck! I'll banish both Beatraptor and Rescue Rabbit from my Graveyard...and summon my best monster! Say hello to my Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!!"

The guard watched with a bit of fear as the massive red-and-black Dinosaur monster with its purple glowing orbs rose from the ground below, belting a powerful roar that felt like it shook the very Earth itself (Ultimate Conductor Tyranno: Level 10 / ATK 3500 / DEF 3200). "Th-that's insane!!" the no-longer-confident guard said, looking up at the massive prehistoric creature before him. Then, realizing something, the thug then told his foe, "W-well so what? You can't take out my all of my Life Points this turn! So I can still mop the floor with you next turn!"

"That's...where you're wrong, bub." Slid casually replied. "First, I'll activate the effect of Ultimate Conductor: By destroying the Megalosmasher X that I have in my hand, I can switch both of your monsters to Defense Mode!"

"You WHAT!?" But the guard could only watch as Slid sent his chosen card to the Graveyard as his ace card got to work. With one mighty STOMP, the giant Dinosaur shook the ground, causing both of the opposing monsters to fall onto their backs. Afterwards, they reverted to card form, as Ultimate Conductor's ability also flipped them face-down.

"And that's not all, I'm afraid." the boy continued to tell him. "Thanks to his second effect, Ultimate Conductor can attack each of your monsters during my Battle Phase! So you'll be the one left with no monsters instead of me!"

"Th-that doesn't mean a thing!" the blockhead fired back. "Now that they're in Defense Mode, I can't take any damage!"

"Again, completely wrong." Slid calmly stated. "You see, whenever Ultimate Conductor attacks a monster in Defense Mode, you'll automatically lose your monster, along with a thousand of your Life Points!"

"HUH?!? B-but that means-!!"

"It means this Duel is indeed over, just like you said it would..." Slid said with a smirk. "Now, Ultimate Conductor! Send both of that jerk's monsters sixty feet under! Thunderous Fissure!!"

The Dinosaur roared loudly as it charged itself with powerful bolts of electricity before stomping the ground. The stomp generated two powerful lightning bolts that literally tore up the ground as they raced towards the guard's side of the field. The lightning traveled so quickly, neither of the brute's monsters could react quickly enough and fell into the fissures the bolts created. Then, a massive explosion came out of one of the fissures, striking the guard directly (Guard: LP 2,000 - 1,000 = 1,000). He barely had time to look up as a second electrical blast hit him, knocking him down for the count. "AAAAACK!!!" the thug screamed, losing the Duel and his balance as he toppled onto his back (Guard: LP 1,000 - 1,000 = 0) (WINNER: Slid Diamond).

"Whew..." said Slid, sighing a bit out of relief. "He put up quite a fight, but not enough of one." He then glanced over to his right, curious to see how the others were doing.

Sol Burner was also nearing the end of his Duel against the guard in the blue tie; the same one that he had knocked down with a single blow to his midsection. The guard had quite a powerful Insect monster on his side of the field: a gigantic centipede with black on the top and red on its underbelly (Doom Dozer: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2600). It wasn't the only one, though, as he also had a spider-like creature next to it with mostly dark-blue and dark-red for its color scheme, and a humanoid-like upper half as well (Underground Arachnid: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1200). He also had a face-down card in his back row, and his Life Points were also quite high as well (Guard: LP 3,700).

Sol Burner, however, wasn't exactly in the best of situations: His only monster on the field was one of his Lunalight monsters in Defense Position, who was mostly green and had wings as a part of her costume (Lunalight Emerald Bird: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1000), along with a face-down card in his back row. He had three other monsters out with her, but two were destroyed in battle with the guard's two powerful Insect monsters, and the third was stuck to Underground Arachnid as a result of her effect. It wasn't clear which one it was, as it was fully wrapped in a spider silk cocoon and seemed to be acting as a shield. Despite this, and the fact that his Life Points were low (Sol Burner: LP 2,000), he remained calm.

"Heh, you acted SO tough when you got me with that lucky gut punch..." the bully taunted him, "but it seems you ain't so tough after all! Just lookit your Deck! Real men don't use those froo-froo girly cards like you've got!"

Drawing his card for the turn, Sol then said back, "You wanna know something else real men don't do? Pick on or try to hurt completely innocent people." That comment got a low growl out of the guard, but before he could snap back at him, the grey-skinned Duelist added, "And as you're about to see, just because my Deck isn't stuffed with big, brutish monsters that - admittedly - aren't as ugly as you are, that doesn't make it any less powerful. That's an important rule in a fight: Don't underestimate your opponent."

"Just get on with your turn!" shouted the guard. "I'd like this stupid Duel to end sometime today!"

"Oh, don't worry about that; I'm ending it right now!" Sol said, playing a card from his hand. "I activate the Spell Card Lunalight Fusion! This card allows me to Fusion Summon a Lunalight monster from my Deck! Normally, I can only use monsters in my hand or on my field for the required Fusion Materials... However..." He then pointed to Underground Arachnid and continued, saying, "since you have a monster that was Summoned from your Extra Deck - like that Synchro Monster for example, I can also use a monster from my Deck OR Extra Deck for the Fusion Summon!"

"You can WHAT?!?" shouted the thug in surprise.

"So first," Sol began, "I'll fuse Lunalight Panther Dancer in my Extra Deck...and then combine the Emerald Bird on my field with the Yellow Marten that I drew this turn!" All three monsters then entered the red-and-blue vortex in the air above them as Sol began the Summon Chant. "Elegant beast dancing on the moonlit wilderness! Graceful dancer who flies the skies! And the shy dancer in shimmering gold!" he said. "Swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The king of beasts dancing atop the summit of the moonlit wilderness! Lunalight Leo Dancer!!"

The vortex then exploded with a brilliant light as the Fusion Summon was completed. The result was a human-like woman with violet skin and large, bluish-white hair that eventually ended in a black-colored ponytail-like style with large, gold rings surrounding it. Her outfit consisted of a small, maroon bathing-suit like garment with a dress-like adornment attached to her hips. Parts of her body were darker in color, imitating boots and gloves, and in her right hand was a massive sword that was almost as long as she was tall.

*******************************

Lunalight Leo Dancer:
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Beast-Warrior/DARK/Level 10/ATK 3500/DEF 3000)

"Lunalight Panther Dancer" + 2 "Lunalight" monsters
Must be Fusion Summoned with the above Fusion Materials. Your opponent cannot target this card with card effects, also it cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects. This card can make a second attack during each Battle Phase. Once per turn, at the end of the Damage Step, if this card attacked a monster: You can destroy all Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls.

*******************************

"Wh-wh-wh-huh...??" was all that the bully could stutter after witnessing the powerful monster summoned before him.

"So...still think my Lunalight Deck is too 'froo-froo'? Whatever that's supposed to mean." asked Sol Burner with a smile. "Actually, don't answer that just yet; wait until AFTER she attacks you! Leo Dancer! Attack Doom Dozer!" His monster then raced forward, her sword ready to strike.

"I'm not gonna get beat up by that girly-lookin' thing!!" the guard shouted. "I activate my Rush Recklessly card! This'll give my Doom Dozer another 700 attack points (Doom Dozer: ATK 2800 + 700 = 3500)! So they'll BOTH get destroyed! Then I can attack you with my Arachnid and wipe that smirk off your face!"

"Yeeeeeah, no. That won't happen." Sol Burner simply replied. "I'll activate MY face-down card: Horn of the Phantom Beast! Thanks to this, my monster gets another 800 attack points, meaning that she'll survive the battle, while yours won't!" His monster, now powered-up with the Trap Card's effect (Lunalight Leo Dancer: ATK 3500 + 800 = 4300), easily defeated Doom Dozer, slashing it in half. Then, the defeated Insect monster began to glow bright white and exploded.

"Urrrgh!!" grunted the guard, not sure what was happening (Guard: LP 3,700 - 800 = 2,900). But after the dust settled, he was shocked to see that not only was Doom Dozer gone, but so was his Underground Arachnid. "What the-?!? Where'd my other monster go?!?" he asked in a panic.

"That's Leo Dancer's effect:" Sol explained, drawing another card from his Deck with the effect of his Trap Card. "After she attacks a monster, she can destroy all of the other Special Summoned monsters you have out. And since Underground Arachnid's effect only protects it from battle, it wasn't able to withstand the effect. And that's not good for you, since Leo Dancer's other effect lets her attack you again."

"WHAT?!?" screamed the brute, no longer sounding as tough as he did earlier.

"Let me clue you in on something, buddy:" the grey-skinned boy told his opponent. "My Lunalights don't like being called 'girly'." And Leo Dancer showed this by letting out a powerful roar-like battle cry as she slashed her sword again, striking the guard and defeating him completely.

"Urrrgh...not...fair..." the thug moaned, defeated and humiliated as he literally fell (Guard: LP 2,900 - 4,300 = 0) (WINNER: Sol Burner).

"Well, so much for that guy." Sol simply said as he wiped his slightly perspiring forehead. Looking over to his left, he saw Slid Diamond, giving his new buddy a thumbs-up for a Duel well fought. Giving a thumbs-up back, Sol then thought, (Looks like Slid was able to win his Duel, too...) He then glanced over to his right and pondered, (That just leaves her...)

As for the girl named Flare Flutter, her Duel with the guard in the red tie - the leader of his trio - had only just begun (Flare Flutter: LP 4,000) (Guard: LP 4,000) Each of them had drawn their opening hands and were ready to fight. "Alright, bub..." Flare started, "I'll go first." Looking over her hand, she smirked a little, having already come up with a plan that she felt would help her through the Duel. "I'll start with three face-down cards...and I'll also Summon this guy in Attack Mode: Meet my Mecha Phantom Beast Raiten!"

Flare's first monster was a medium-large, golden-yellow plane with a propeller fan on its nose cone. The overall appearance of the plane was that of a marten, which lent to the monster's name (Mecha Phantom Beast Raiten: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1500).

"Think you can get past this guy?" asked Flare with a slight taunt as she ended her turn.

"Past THAT little toy plane? That's too easy!" the thug replied as he drew his card for the turn. Putting it in his hand, he took out a different card and said, "I Summon Biofalcon in Attack Mode!" The monster that appeared was a mechanical bird with silver-blue armor and a big jet fan on its back (Biofalcon: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1200). "Then," he continued, "I activate the Spell Card Tribute Doll!"

*******************************

Tribute Doll:
(Normal Spell Card)

Tribute 1 monster; Special Summon 1 Level 7 monster from your hand that can be Normal Summoned/Set. It cannot attack this turn.

*******************************

"I'll now sacrifice my Bio Falcon..." the guard said as the monster he had just summoned to his field vanished immediately, "and Summon my Powered Crawler in Attack Mode!" His new monster was a massive tank that was yellowish-gold in color and had long, sharp spikes on its treads. A pair of large cannons were mounted onto the front of it, giving it an even more imposing appearance (Powered Crawler: Level 7 / ATK 2700 / DEF 2000).

"So you're sending a tank to fight a plane, I see?" asked Flare Flutter. "I guess that MIGHT make this Duel a bit more interesting..."

"Oh, it'll get interesting, alright..." the brute responded. "Now I'm gonna use Powered Crawler's effect! After it's Normal or Special Summoned, I can destroy any monster you've got with less attack points! So your Raiten's gonna be makin' a crash landing!" His monster then adjusted its cannons and fired a missile that quickly brought Flare's only monster down in flames. "And now that he's out of the way, I can hit you directly! No brat's gonna make a fool out of me!"

"That's true." said Flare, not losing her smirk. "I don't need to make a fool out of you when you do such a good job of that on your own."

"Urk...! You mouthy little...!" Looking at his hand, he had another monster, a Trap Card, and the Spell Card Limiter Removal. (If I play that Spell Card...) the thug thought to himself, (I can double Crawler's attack and wipe her out right now! But...she has three face-down cards out...) Looking back at his opponent and seeing her smiling so confidently was all that was needed to make him rethink his decision. (I...I don't need to risk anything right now...! I've got her good and beat anyway!) he thought, sweating a bit. Pointing forward, he shouted, "Go, Powered Crawler! Attack her directly with your Buster Cannon!!" The Machine monster then aimed both of its cannons straight towards Flare and fired, scoring a direct hit.

Grunting a little - but still smiling, Flare then asked, "Is that all you've got?" (Flare: LP 4,000 - 2,700 = 1,300)

(She didn't activate her face-down cards...?) the guard asked in his mind. (Rrrrgh...that means I COULD have hit her with Limiter Removal!) Calming down a little, he then said to himself, "Whatever, I'm still ahead of her... I'll beat her and shut her up for good!" Taking the Trap Card he had in his hand, he placed it and his Limiter Removal Spell in his D-Pad and announced, "I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"About time you finished." said Flare. "Now it's my turn!"

As his foe drew her card for the turn, the guard then thought, (I've set Limiter Removal face-down, so I can activate it during her turn if I need to... And just in case she decides to go for a bigger monster, I've got my Trap Hole of Spikes! I'll just wait for her to bring out a more powerful monster, and then blow it up right away!)

Looking at the new card she drew, Flare then said, in a rather nonchalant tone, "Well, time for me win this Duel, then."

"Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?!?" exclaimed the guard in shock. "YOU?! WIN?!?" Even Sol and Slid were a bit surprised by what Flare had said.

"Yeah, you heard me right." she responded. "And I'll start with Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf in Attack Mode!" Her second monster in this Duel was a large, black-and-white helicopter that had the appearance of a wolf (Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1200). "Then, thanks to the effect of Tetherwolf," she continued, "I can Summon something that's known as a Mecha Phantom Beast Token to my field." After she said that, a rainbow-colored light projected out of her monster, creating a hologram of a jet plane that looked somewhat like a bird (Mecha Phantom Beast Token: Level 3 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"So what's so great about a monster with no attack or defense points??" asked the guard.

"We'll get to that a bit later." Flare told him. "For now, though, I'll activate one of my face-down cards, Call of the Haunted: Which I'll use to bring back my Raiten!" After her first monster reappeared on the field, she then explained, "Now, as for that Token I Summoned to the field earlier, while it's on the field, it allows both Raiten and Tetherwolf to increase in Level: Their Levels go up equal to the combined Levels of all of my Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens!"

"What?!" exclaimed the guard in surprise, not expecting that.

"That means both of her non-Token monsters go up in Level by three." said Slid (Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf: Level 4 + 3 = 7) (Mecha Phantom Beast Raiten: Level 4 + 3 = 7).

"And now she has two Level 7 monsters out, which means she can try and Xyz Summon a very powerful monster." Sol then said. "And based on the Deck she's using, I think I know what she's Summoning, and why she seems so confident in herself..."

Putting her pointer finger in the air, Flare shouted, "I now Overlay my Tetherwolf and Raiten, both now Level 7 and create an Overlay Network!!" Her two monster then transformed into a pair of green rays of light that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Deploy now! The powerful aircraft with the name of a dragon! Nothing and no one can stop its hi-speed flight!" she chanted. "Xyz Summon!! Launch now, Rank 7! Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack!!"

Flare's opponent could only watch in shock as the portal exploded into a massive pillar of light. When the light faded, a much, MUCH bigger aircraft was now floating over her side of the field. It was a white jet plane with a dragon-shaped head and a long "tail" of sorts. It even had a pair of clawed arms and legs, giving it even more of a draconian look. Orbiting the monster were a pair of green light orbs (Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack: Rank 7 / ATK 2600 / DEF 2200 / OLU 2).

"Y-y-you Summoned a Rank 7 Xyz Monster that fast?!" exclaimed the guard, now a bit more scared.

"That's right I did." Flare told him. "And I'm afraid that it's only gonna get worse: I'll activate Dracossack's effect by removing one of his overlay units." After her monster absorbed one of its green orbs (Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), she then told her opponent, "Now I can Summon two more Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens to my field!" After that, her Xyz Monsters projected two more holograms: One was a hawk-like fighter jet, and the other was a jet plane with a few similarities to her Dracossack. All three of her Token monsters were in Attack Mode, despite not having any attack points.

Regaining his composure, the guard then reminded his foe, "You might have more monsters, but NONE of 'em are stronger than my Powered Crawler!"

"Well, one of them's about to be." Flare simply responded. "I activate Limiter Removal and double Dracossack's attack power this turn (Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack: ATK 2600 x 2 = 5200)! And last but not least, I'll activate my THIRD face-down card! Token Stampede!"

"Now I see..." Sol Burned stated. "With that Trap Card, all of Flare's Tokens will gain 1,000 attack points, so now she can defeat his monster and damage him severely." (Mecha Phantom Beast Token [x3]: ATK 0 + 1000 = 1000).

"RRGH!!" grunted the guard. Growling a bit more, he then thought, (Whatever... I'll just use MY Limiter Removal the moment she attacks! And because of Powered Crawler's effect, she HAS to attack it this turn with all of her monsters!)

"Now I'll start my Battle Phase!" said Flare. "But before I attack you..."

"Hm?" said the guard.

"...Just in case you were plannin' something with those two face-down cards in order to prevent yourself from losing in the most humiliating way possible," she continued, "I'll take the liberty of wiping them out! And I'll do it with my...Anti-Magic Arrows!" She then played the Quick-Play Spell she had drawn for the turn, causing several arrows to strike and pin down BOTH of the brute's face-down cards before he could respond with anything.

"What!?!? What happened?!" asked the guard frantically.

"Thanks to that Spell Card, neither of us are allowed to activate any Spells or Traps for the rest of the turn." Flare explained. "Which is why I played all of mine BEFORE the Battle Phase even began. Now you can't stop my monsters from attacking you!"

"No!!! That's not fair!!!"

"Yeah, well neither was picking on someone weaker than you." Flare rebutted. "Now go Dracossack!! Destroy his Crawler! Phantom Bombing Run!!" Her Xyz monster then flew higher into the air and peppered the guard's entire side of the field with massive explosives, reducing his only monster to scrap metal and damaging him in the process (Guard: LP 4,000 - 2,500 = 1,500). "And now that he's out of the way, I"ll move in with all of my Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens!" she then announced, sending the holographic planes to strike next, sending several not-so-holographic blasts in the thug's direction, knocking him out immediately (Guard: LP 1,500 - 1,000 - 1,000 - 1,000 = 0) (WINNER: Flare Flutter).

"Di-did you see that?!" asked Slid with an amazed look on his face.

"She just OTK'd that guy!" commented Sol, who was equally amazed. "I was sure she would win, but even I didn't expect her to win that Duel in just one turn...!"

Flare, however, sighed a bit to calm herself before turning to her new friends, asking them, "Well, we sure showed them, didn't we?"

"Uh...yeah, I suppose we did..." Sol responded, still a bit in shock. "I have to admit; you have some serious skills. I'm surprised you're not in the tournament right now."

"Yeah, I heard about the tournament prelims some time ago, but I wasn't able to make it." Flare admitted. "I had to participate in a laser tag competition with some friends and I didn't wanna bail out on them. A good thing I didn't skip that match, though; we totally trashed the other team easy."

"What's going on over here?" asked a woman's voice from nearby. The three of them looked over to see Vice Principal Luna coming towards them from the left. With her was Ember's father Torch. "We heard a commotion coming from over here." Looking over at the three defeated (and still dazed) security guards, Luna then asked them, "Who are these three people?"

"Well, they claimed to be security for the tournament," Slid Diamond began to explain, "but for some reason they were causing a problem for the Judge's assistant and one of the other contestants."

"The Judge's assistant??" asked Luna. "You mean Twilight?"

"Hmmm..." Torch glanced over at the three guards with that intimidating look that he always had. He strolled over to the thugs and saw a small white card sticking out of the pocket of the guard in the red tie. He pulled it out and inspected it closely. He didn't have to look at it for more than five seconds before saying, "Whatever their reason was for giving Ms. Twilight trouble, it might have something to do with the fact that this security I.D. isn't legitimate; it seems as though it was photo-copied just recently."

"Personally, I do not care what their reason for harassing Twilight was." Luna told him. "No one threatens my students on MY school grounds while I am present." Turning to Flare, Sol, and Slid, she told them, "The three of you should leave for now; we'll keep an eye on these three and try to find out what their story is."

"You really think you can get them to spill the beans on what they were trying to do?" asked Flare.

"We'll get that information out of them..." said Torch. "One way...or another." He then pounded his right fist into his left palm, suggesting that the three thugs were not going to have a pleasant time when they came out of their dazed states. That comment drew a bead of sweat out of Flare, Sol, and Slid, and they decided it was best to leave the matter in the hands of Luna and Torch as they left the area...

Back in the main stadium, Sweetie Belle was still trying her best to remain in the Duel after her opponent, Octavia, managed to summon her Deck's strongest card, Splendid Venus. Sweetie was now down to just a mere 150 Life Points, which meant that one wrong move would cost her the game. Sweetie had just transferred her Topaz Tiger - which had been destroyed in battle with Venus earlier - to her Spell & Trap Zone, leaving her with only three monsters on her field: Ruby Carbuncle, Emerald Tortoise, and Amethyst Cat, all in Defense Position.

"Oooo...that was pretty rough..." commented Applejack. "Ah could feel that blow from all the way up here..."

"Yeah, Sweetie Belle barely survived that attack..." said Rainbow Dash. "She's still in this, but she's hardly got any points left..."

"Oh dear..." said Rarity, very worried for her younger sister. "I don't know how much more of this I can handle... Poor Sweetie..."

"...I wouldn't be THAT worried for her juuuuuuuust yet, Rarity." Pinkie Pie told her friend.

"Hm?" spoke the young fashionista. Pinkie then pointed towards the field, prompting everyone sitting near her to look in that direction. They were surprised to see that Sweetie Belle still managed to show a brave face, despite her initial shock at seeing Splendid Venus earlier. "Oh my...!"

"Told ya." Pinkie then told them. "Sweetie doesn't seem like she's ready to give up yet! Which is good, because if she did, that would be really anti-climactic and weird for the episode to end on."

Rarity didn't know what the last part of her friend's comment meant, but understood the first part of it just fine. The violet-haired teen then resumed her cheering and shouted to her younger sibling, "You can do it, Sweetie Belle! I know you will be just fine!" Sweetie was happy to hear that from her sister, and continued to keep her brave face, despite the odds against her.

"I must say," Octavia began to tell her opponent, "I am surprised to see you of all people remaining calm even while confronting my most powerful card. But I must tell you: It takes more than simple bravery to win a Duel."

"Maybe...but it's a step in the right direction!" Sweetie responded.

"...Indeed." Octavia replied back.

Taking a card from her Spell & Trap slot, Sweetie then told her, "And speaking of taking steps in the right direction, I'll use the effect of my Crystal Release Equip Spell and place Cobalt Eagle from my Deck in my back row as a Spell!"

"I see..." the cello player noted. "In any case, my turn will end here, so go ahead and draw your next card."

Sweetie did just that, drawing another Ruby Carbuncle on her Draw Phase. (I wish it were as simple as that... If I'm gonna beat her, I have to get rid of that Splendid Venus card she has on her field! And I don't have anything in my hand that can do that...) Looking at the Rare Value card in her hand, as well as the field around her, she then decided, (I guess the best I can do right now is to keep digging through my Deck until I find something that'll get me out of this.) Taking a card from her hand, she said, "I'll start my turn by activating Crystal Blessing from my hand! This lets me take any two Crystal Beast monsters in my Graveyard and put them in my back row as Spells!" And that's what she did, choosing to place Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon and Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus on her field, which both appeared as large gemstones.

"She's filling up her back row again..." Octavia noted to herself. "No doubt trying to access more effects from her Field Spell and other cards... I must try and defeat her before she can create a counter-strategy."

"Alright," Sweetie continued, "now that I've got FOUR Crystal Beasts in my back row again, I'll use the fourth effect of Rainbow Ruins to draw another card!" Sweetie Belle then did that, and was a bit disappointed that she only got another copy of Amethyst Cat. "Hmmm..." she hummed to herself before taking another card out of her hand, playing it right away. "Now I'll play another Rare Value." she stated in a less-than enthusiastic tone.

"Hmmm...another one, I see?" asked Octavia. Seeing that Sweetie Belle had just played her Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon back on the field, the cello player thought, (She must be trying to draw Crystal Promise to Summon that card... I must keep her from doing that.) She then told Sweetie Belle, "Send your Rainbow Dragon to the Graveyard, if you please."

(Urrgh... I knew she'd get rid of that one...) thought Sweetie Belle. (Now even if I draw Crystal Promise, it won't do me any good...! What do I do now?) Then after drawing her two cards with Rare Value, she seemed a bit surprised at one of them. (Huh? This card...?) she thought. (Where did-... Oh, yeah! I remember now! I got this card just yesterday! I can't believe I forgot about it!) She then recalled that moment in her mind...

Sweetie Belle - like many other people that day, was waiting in a crowd so that she could enter the Canterlot Community Center for the tournament preliminary rounds. The Community Center hadn't yet opened to allow them inside, so most of the people there were either talking, having practice Duels, or trading cards with each other.

"Heya, Sweetie!" said a boy's voice from nearby.

Sweetie looked up, trying to find the source of the voice. She then spotted her friend Button Mash running over towards her, carrying a backpack. "Oh! Hi, Button!" she greeted him. "Glad to see you here!"

"Yeah, same here." Button told her, stopping and sitting next to her. "Though, I've gotta admit: I'm a little surprised to see you entering the tournament... N-Not that I don't think you're good enough for it, of course! I think you're a sure-win, really!"

"I know what you meant, don't worry." the girl told him. Sweetie then sighed a bit and added, "To be honest, I'M surprised a little myself... It wasn't that long ago, that me and the rest of my friends were still only dueling each other because everyone else was too strong for us..."

"Yeah, but then you told me that Sunset's been helping you and the others out a whole lot!" Button reminded her. "And you also said that you finally won against somebody else during Spring Break, right? That proves that you've been getting a lot better! That's why I'm sure you'll ace the prelims- no, better than that: You'll win the whole tournament!"

"You...really think so?" asked Sweetie Belle. "You're not just saying that because you're my friend?"

"I know you can do it, Sweetie! I'm sure of it!" Button told her. He then placed his pack down, pulled out a card binder, and added, "In fact, I've got something here that might help ya do that!"

"What is it...?" asked Sweetie, curious.

Paging though the binder for a bit, Button eventually got to the section he was looking for and pulled out three cards from one of the pages. "Here, Sweetie. Try these in your Deck. That is, if you're still using the Crystal Beast Deck."

Sweetie Belle took the cards and looked at them. "Huh? I've never heard of these cards before...! When did they come out?!"

"A while ago, but they're a little hard to come by." Button told her. "I lucked out and got all three of these, but they don't fit my E-HERO Deck. I figured you could use them much better than I can."

"You're...letting me have them?" asked the young girl. "You're serious?!" Button nodded yes to answer her question. "Oh, wow! Thanks a lot!" Sweetie then replied, overjoyed at the kind gesture. She then said a bit sadly, "Hold on...I can't just take these without giving something back."

"I-it's alright, Sweetie, you don't have to-"

"No, I insist." Sweetie Belle told him. "If there's one thing that my sister and I take seriously, it's being generous, especially when someone is generous to you. At least, that's what Rarity always tells me." Since she had some of her extra cards with her as well, Sweetie got one out of her bag and looked through it for a while before stopping on one of the pages; it was full of violet-colored cards, indicating that the section was devoted to displaying Fusion Monsters. Spotting a card on the page she was looking at, she took it out and showed it to Button, asking him, "Do you have this card?"

Gasping, he responded, saying, "That's Elemental HERO Sunrise!! I've been looking for another good Fusion for my Deck!"

"Then it's yours, Button." Sweetie told him, handing the card to him. "As my sister always tells me: 'If you do good, others will do good right back'."

"Aw, thanks a lot, Sweetie Belle! I'll take great care of it!" Button promised, giving his friend a hug.

"Oop! Aheheh...you're welcome, Button." Sweetie said, blushing a bit from the unannounced gesture of kindness.

"...Well, if this card he gave me gets me out of this mess," Sweetie said to herself, returning to reality, "I'll have to make extra sure I thank him for it even more." Wrapping up her turn, she then said, "I'll set a monster in Defense Mode, and place another card face-down to end my turn."

(Hmmm...NOW what is she up to?) asked Octavia, remaining cautious despite the fact that she was currently in control of the game. Drawing her card and playing it right away, she announced, "I'll activate Pot of Avarice from my hand. I'll send all five of the monsters in my Graveyard back into my Deck and draw two more cards." She then did that, shuffling all of the monsters that were in her Graveyard and drawing again. Looking at what she had gotten, she smiled a bit. (Perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything better: I drew Honest, along with the Fiendish Chain that I moved out of my Side Deck for this Duel... With Honest, I can make Splendid Venus even stronger in case Sweetie Belle manages to bring out a more powerful card... And just in case, I can use Fiendish Chain to paralyze one of her monsters and negate its effects... With these, I should be able to win this Duel soon enough.)

"...What do you suppose Octavia drew from her Deck?" asked Flash.

"Not sure," Sunset replied. "But from the look on her face, it must've been something good. I just hope for Sweetie Belle's sake that she can overcome it somehow, whatever it might be..."

Looking over Sweetie Belle's side of the field, Octavia thought, (Now...Sweetie currently has four monsters on the field, so it will take a while to eliminate them all with just Venus alone... Still, I should try to attack one of them this turn to keep up the pressure.) Looking at what her opponent currently had out, she then decided, (Her face-up monsters aren't much worry right now; I can defeat them easily anytime I want... So I'll start with the monster she set last turn.) Pointing at Sweetie's face-down monster, the cello player shouted, "Splendid Venus, attack that monster!"

Octavia's powerful boss monster fired a shower of white feathers towards Sweetie Belle's monster, flipping it face-up and revealing it to be her Amber Mammoth (Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth: Level 4 / ATK 1700 - 500 = 1200 / DEF 1600 - 500 = 1100). Needless to say, it couldn't stand up to Venus's attack and was destroyed easily.

"There..." said Octavia, "that should keep you on the defensive."

"On the contrary:" Sweetie said with a smirk as she put her Amber Mammoth in her back row. "Now I can actually fight back!"

"I-I beg your pardon...??" asked the sepia-skinned teen.

As she prepared to tap the screen of her D-Pad, Sweetie silently said to herself, (Thanks, Button...). Tapping the set card on her screen, the young girl shouted, "I activate my Trap Card! Go, Ultimate Crystal Magic!!"

"What is THAT?!?" exclaimed Octavia, never having seen the card before.

"Ultimate Crystal Magic is a very, VERY special Trap Card that works whenever any of my Crystal Beasts are destroyed in battle!" Sweetie explained to her. "Now all I gotta do is send seven different Crystal Beasts from my hand, Deck, or field to the Graveyard, and when I do... I can bring out an Ultimate Crystal Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck!!"

"A-a-a-a Fusion Monster?!?" gasped Octavia.

"Wait...since when did Crystal Beasts have Extra Deck monsters?!" asked Rainbow Dash. Turning to Rarity, she then inquired, "Rare, did ya know she had a card like that before?"

"No, I didn't...!" the violet-haired girl admitted. "She must have gotten that card just recently; normally, she tells me about any new cards she picked up, so it's odd that she never mentioned it before now..."

"Ah'll bet she wanted t' keep it a secret fer th' tournament." Applejack figured. "That's why."

Taking all of the Crystal Beasts that she had on her field, Sweetie Belle showed them to Octavia and said, "I'll send every single one of my Crystal Beasts on the field to the Graveyard and Fusion Summon MY best monster!" Afterwards, the seven Crystal Beasts (including the ones that were in gem form that transformed back into monster form) flew into a red-and-blue portal in the sky, creating a rainbow-colored aura that blanketed the field.

"Wow...that sure is pretty-lookin', isn't it?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I guess it is." said Scootaloo, looking around her.

"Meh, a bit too cutesy for my likin', if I gotta be honest." Babs chimed in.

Clasping her hands together in a praying gesture, Sweetie then began her summoning chant. "When the seven Crystal Beasts combine their powers together," she spoke, "the light of the world becomes a new, greater power and Earth's greatest savior! Behold! The ultimate blessing of the Crystal Beasts! Manifest here! Fusion Summon!" After that, the rainbow-colored lights then started to coalesce into a single spot, forming a massive, dragon-like shape: Bigger than Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon, and even bigger than the actual Rainbow Dragon, it was truly a sight to behold.

"The Ultimate Crystal - Rainbow Overdragon!!" Sweetie shouted triumphantly, finishing her chant at last.

*******************************

Rainbow Overdragon:
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Dragon/LIGHT/Level 12/ATK 4000/DEF 0)

7 "Crystal Beast" monsters
(This card is always treated as an "Ultimate Crystal" card.)
Must be either Fusion Summoned, or Special Summoned by Tributing 1 Level 10 "Ultimate Crystal" monster. Once per turn: You can banish 1 "Crystal Beast" monster from your GY; this card gains ATK equal to the banished monster's, until the end of this turn. (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this Fusion Summoned card; shuffle all cards on the field into the Deck.

*******************************

"In...incredible...!" said an astounded Octavia Melody. "A Fusion Monster variant of the Rainbow Dragon...!"

"Oh man..." said an equally-astounded Vinyl, her shades drooping down and revealing her red eyes. "Where in the heck did THAT come from??"

"I take back the 'cutesy' thing;" Babs then said with a smile. "That monster is REALLY cool-lookin', fer sure."

Smiling that she managed to Summon her new strongest monster, Sweetie then said to Octavia, "Alright, Octy; let's see if you can get past THIS guy!"

(Easier said than done...) thought the classic music lover. (I never expected Sweetie Belle to have such a mighty monster in reserve... Even though Splendid Venus's effect weakens that monster (Rainbow Overdragon: ATK 4000 - 500 = 3500 / DEF 0), it's still powerful enough to destroy her in one attack. And since I already attacked this turn, I cannot switch Venus to Defense Position...) Looking at the Trap Card in her hand, Octavia then said to herself, "Fiendish Chain is my only hope now... I have to set it this turn and try to spring it before Sweetie Belle's next Main Phase... And even if she overcomes it, I still have Honest in my hand to counter her next attack... I just pray that it's enough..." Setting the Trap Card in her hand, the cello player declared, "I set one card and finish my turn!"

"So...do y'all think Sweetie's gonna win this now that she's got that big Dragon on the field?" asked Applejack.

"Octavia could still try something to stop her..." thought Rarity. Then, putting on a determined face, she then added, "But my little sister can handle it, no matter what it is!"

Feeling her older sister's support, Sweetie Belle smiled, knowing that she could still win this Duel. "It's my turn! I draw!" she said, pulling the top card from her Deck.

"Hold it!" shouted Octavia, making her move before Sweetie even got a chance to see what she drew for her turn. "I may not be familiar with your monster's powers, but I shan't allow you to use them! I activate my Trap Card, Fiendish Chain!!" Sweetie gasped a little as several black chains erupted from the ground below them. "With this, I can prevent your monster from attacking me or using its abilities! So I guess we'll never learn what your Fusion Monster could have been capable of..."

"That's too bad, alright..." said Sweetie Belle, "...because if you DID know what it could do, then you wouldn't have bothered using your Trap Card to try and stop it!"

"Hm? What does that mean??" asked the sepia-colored girl.

"I chain the effect of Rainbow Overdragon!" the young girl responded. "This effect is so powerful, I have to release Overdragon to use it! And I know what you're thinking: 'Why would I go and get rid of my powerful monster just like that?' Simple: By releasing it, Overdragon can send EVERY card on the field back into our Decks!"

"It...it sends all our cards back to the Deck?!" exclaimed Octavia, having been caught off-guard.

"That's right!" confirmed Sweetie. "So that means Splendid Venus is gone, too!" Octavia and Vinyl gasped in unison as the cello player's most powerful monster vanished from the field, returning to the Deck from whence it came.

"Alright!" cheered Flash. "Sweetie got rid of Venus!"

"Not only that," Sunset told him, "but since she just cleared the field, she now has a chance to attack Octavia directly. So depending on what she has in her hand right now, she could possibly win it all on this turn!"

Taking a sigh of relief, Sweetie then said, "Now...where was I...? Oh yeah! I still haven't seen what card I drew!" Then, after getting a look at the card she drew for the turn, she jumped into the air, cheering her little heart out. "YAY!! I don't believe it! It's the best thing I could have gotten!!" Playing the card right away, she happily said, "I activate Monster Reborn!!"

"You're kidding me!" exclaimed Vinyl. "She actually got that just now?!"

"Amazing..." was all that Octavia could say in response, a bit bummed out, but honestly impressed by her opponent.

"Now, I may not be able to bring Overdragon back with this card," Sweetie told her opponent, "but I CAN bring back something that almost as good: My Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon!" And with that, her smaller (but still very large) Dragon Crystal Beast returned to the field in all its glory. "Good thing you decided to send him to the Graveyard when I played Rare Value, huh? Well, maybe not so good for you, that is."

(Not good indeed...) thought Octavia. (Without Venus, the Honest that is in my hand is practically useless now... I hate to admit it, but I am impressed that Sweetie Belle managed to overcome my best plays; she has certainly proven herself worthy of winning this whole tournament.)

"Alllllright, Rainbow Dragon, let's win this thing right now!" said Sweetie Belle. "Attack with Rainbow Beta Ray!" And with one might shot of its beam attack, Sweetie's monster took out Octavia's remaining Life Points, winning her the Duel (Octavia Melody: LP 2,100 - 3,000 = 0) (WINNER: Sweetie Belle).

"This Duel is over! Sweetie Belle wins and moves on to the Semifinal Round!" declared Sunset, proud of the young Duelist that she helped train.

"Yay! YAY! YAAAY!!!" cheered Sweetie, proud of herself as well. "I'm moving to the next round! I did it! I did it!"

"You certainly have done it, Sweetie Belle." Octavia said to her victorious opponent. "And you did a fine job of it as well." Offering a handshake, she then told her, "It was an honor to face you here, and I wish you great luck in the next round."

"Th-thanks, Ms. Octavia." Sweetie replied, accepting the handshake. "I'll make sure to give everything I've got in the next round for sure!"

Chuckling warmly, the cello player replied, "I am certain you will." She then turned around and went to see her friend Vinyl and said to her, "Oh, stop pouting, Vinyl; it was a well-fought match, and I do not regret it in the slightest. Try to be happy that we had gotten this far." Sweetie Belle giggled a bit before looking up at her sister and her friends in her club, who were all happy and cheering for her.

"Well, it seems Sweetie Belle has gotten a lot stronger to be able to make it to the next round." stated Flash.

"She certainly has." said Sunset. But then she put on a more serious face and thought, (The only bad thing about that is that next round, she'll have to face off against Sonata... And if I'm correct about what she and the other Dazzlings are up to, she'll try to cheat Sweetie in their next match just like she did to Bright Mind... That is, unless he and Twilight can get me the evidence I need to bust those three...)

"Well, here we are..." said Twilight, looking at a lilac-colored metal door that was in front of her. Despite the attempted intervention of the three fake security guards, she, Spike, and Bright Mind managed to make it to the office where Mr. Jay Dunstan - a representative sent from Industrial Illusions - was doing his work related to the tournament. "Mr. Dunstan's office... Now we can hopefully get what we need in order to stop the Dazzlings from ruining this tournament for everypo- er, everyBODY."

"I'm still wondering what was up with those security guys that tried to stop us from getting here..." said Spike. "They were pretty weird... And scary, of course."

"Well, that doesn't matter now." said Bright. "Thanks to our Good Samaritans, we were able to come here without a single scratch." Fixing his glasses, he then added, "Now, according to Ms. Sunset, we have to access the data concerning the Tournament Entrant Data Files."

"What are those?" asked Twilight.

"As your friend had told us, those files supposedly contain all of the data revolving around every single person who entered the tournament." the smart boy answered her. "And she had said that they would provide more than sufficient evidence as to whether or not my opponent had been cheating."

"Let's hope that we can dig up some dirt on those Dazzlings once and for all!" said Spike, determined to stop the trio's plans, whatever they were.

"...Let's go. The sooner we can find that data, the better off everyone here will be." Twilight told her companions. The three of them then approached the door, then - after taking a deep breath, the young Princess knocked on the door...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 2):

Ember vs. Steel Shadows [WINNER: Ember]
Gilda vs. Fluttershy [WINNER: Gilda]
Sonata Dusk vs. Bright Mind [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
Octavia Melody vs. Sweetie Belle [WINNER: Sweetie Belle]

RANK 54: Power of the Prodigies:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The last round of the WCQ Qualification Tournament was underway, pitting Canterlot High students Octavia Melody and Sweetie Belle against each other. Octavia wielded her Melodious Deck well against Sweetie's Crystal Beasts, and at first, it seemed as though Rarity's younger sister would not be able to overcome her opponent's musical monsters. However, Sweetie fought bravely to the end, and using the skills that Sunset Shimmer taught her - along with a special gift from her friend Button Mash, she managed to win the Duel by summoning Rainbow Overdragon, allowing her to move on to the Semifinals.

Sunset was happy for Sweetie of course, but she was greatly concerned because this meant that her next Duel would be up against Sonata Dusk of the Dazzlings. Her concern stemmed from the belief that Sonata had cheated during her Duel with Bright Mind. To figure out if this was so, she had sent Bright, along with her friend Twilight Sparkle, to see Mr. Jay Dunstan, the representative of Industrial Illusions that was managing the tournament. Twilight and Bright hit a bit of a snag when three thugs posing as security guards tried to keep them from seeing Mr. Dunstan. But thanks to three Duelists, which included Sol Burner and Slid Diamond - competitors in the tournament, and a feisty girl named Flare Flutter, Twilight and Bright managed to reach Mr. Dunstan's office, and the false guards were dealt with.

Now, as the first Semifinal Duel - the Duel involving dueling prodigies Gilda and Ember - approaches, the secrets behind the scenes of the tournament are about to be discovered at last...

"Well, here we are... Mr. Dunstan's office..." said Twilight Sparkle, staring at a metallic, lilac-purple door. She, along with Spike and the young Duelist Bright Mind were here to see Mr. Jay Dunstan - the representative sent by Industrial Illusions to manage the WCQ Qualification Tournament that was going on now. They wanted to see him because - according to what Sunset believed, Sonata Dusk had cheated in her Duel against Bright by stacking her Deck with cards to beat Bright with that were not originally in her Deck. "Now we can hopefully get what we need in order to stop the Dazzlings from ruining this tournament for everypo- er, everyBODY."

"I'm still wondering what was up with those security guys that tried to stop us from getting here..." wondered Spike. "They were pretty weird... And scary, of course."

"Well, that doesn't matter now." Bright told him. "Thanks to our Good Samaritans, we were able to come here without a single scratch. Now, according to Ms. Sunset, we have to access the data concerning the Tournament Entrant Data Files."

"What are those?" Twilight inquired him.

"As your friend had told us," he responded, "those files supposedly contain all of the data revolving around every single person who entered the tournament. And she had said that they would provide more than sufficient evidence as to whether or not my opponent had been cheating."

"Let's hope that we can dig up some dirt on those Dazzlings once and for all!" said a determined Spike, ready to stop the trio from causing any more trouble.

"...Let's go. The sooner we can find that data, the better off everyone here will be." Twilight told her companions. They walked up to the door, and after calming herself a little with a nice deep breath, Twilight knocked on the door. For a while, they waited, not hearing anything.

Then, the door opened, and out walked Mr. Dunstan in his black suit and red tie. "Hello?" he asked upon stepping out. Looking at Twilight, he then said to her, "Oh! Ms. Sparkle! Here you are at last! Ms. Shimmer informed me that you would be here." He then glanced over at Bright Mind and asked, "And I see you've brought someone with you?"

"Yes, sir." Twilight responded. "Is it okay if he's here with me?"

"I suppose there's no harm in it." Mr. Dunstan replied. "Come in, both of you."

"Thank you, sir." Bright said to him as they all walked into the office together, with Spike making sure not to say anything while they were meeting with Mr. Dunstan (since he was not aware of Spike being capable of speaking). The room was quite simple, containing a metal work desk, a computer with a flat-screen monitor, some chairs, and a TV that was currently showing the tournament as it progressed.

"Take a seat, both of you." Mr. Dunstan recommended. Twilight and Bright did so, moving the chairs in the room so that they could sit in front of the desk. "Now then," the man began to ask them, "what brings you two here? Ms. Shimmer informed me that you would be coming here, but did not discuss the details. Could you inform me of why she would have you two come and see me?"

"Yes, sir." Twilight began. "You see...the reason she sent us to see you is because she believes that one of the competing Duelists in the tournament is cheating."

"Cheating...?" said a mildly-startled Mr. Dunstan. "Are you sure of that?"

"Sunset seems to think so." the young Princess answered. "That's probably why she didn't mention it to you; she probably doesn't want it to leak out until we can get proof of it."

"I see... Now I understand." the man replied. He then asked, "So, just who is it that Ms. Shimmer believes is cheating? And what made her think so?"

"Sonata Dusk." Bright spoke up. "Sunset thinks that she might have illegally put cards from her personal collection into her Deck just to defeat me."

"Ah yes, I was watching that Duel..." Mr. Dunstan said. "I will admit, it did seem strange that Ms. Dusk seemed to have the best possible counter for your Deck." He then faced both of them and told them. "Well if this is the case, then you'll need to access the Tournament Entrant Data Files. Those files will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt as to whether or not Ms. Dusk was breaking the tournament rules."

"That's what Sunset told us." Twilight said to him. "But what are these data files exactly?"

"They have all sorts of information regarding every Duelist that entered the tournament." Mr. Dunstan explained to them. "It even includes the Duelists that entered the Preliminary Rounds, but couldn't pass them. It lists everything: Their name, their past tournament records if they have any, their current rank as a Duelist, and the most important thing of all: Their Deck, along with every single card in it. Main Deck, Extra Deck, even the Side Deck."

"I-it lists their whole DECK?!" asked Twilight, surprised. "Every single card in it?! That's incredible!" She then asked, "But...how did you get all of this information? The only thing that I knew regarding everyone in the Preliminary Rounds was their name..."

"That's correct." said Mr. Dunstan. "However, we at Industrial Illusions have ways of getting any and all necessary information, and we have the technology to do just that." He then asked the two of them, "Do the two of you recall how the Preliminary Rounds of the tournament worked?"

"If I recall," Bright Mind began to answer, "we were set up against A.I. Duelists and played against them on a Duel Terminal Cabinet. The sixteen Duelists that preformed the best were allowed into the tournament. But what does that have to do with this conversation?"

"Quite a bit, actually." Mr. Dunstan responded. "Those cabinets served as more than simply being a tough opponent for you and the other contestants to overcome. Those machines also scanned and recorded every single card in the players' Decks, which was then sent to the Industrial Illusions/Kaiba Corp. Duelist Database."

"So that's how..." said Twilight. "Those cabinets were how you got all of that information on a Duelist's Deck and every card in it!"

"Exactly." the man told her. "This was to ensure that no Duelist could modify their Decks before or during the tournament, thereby making it a fair fight." Humming a bit as he looked over at Bright Mind, he then added, "Unfortunately it seems that our measures weren't as perfect as we had hoped, as someone has still committed such an act. For that Mr. Bright, I apologize. But I can promise you that, if Ms. Dusk is cheating, she will be punished for it. We at Industrial Illusions have a zero-tolerance policy for cheaters that we take very seriously, as our Duel Terminal machines' scanning equipment has shown."

"So will you let us look at these data files to find out if Sonata was cheating or not?" asked Twilight.

"Absolutely, Ms. Sparkle." said Mr. Dunstan. "I insist. Come around behind the desk, both of you. I will enter the passwords that will allow you both access to the Tournament Entrant Data Files. If you need any help, just let me know."

"Thank you very much, sir." Bright said politely. He then turned to Twilight and told her, "We had better get to work, then."

"Okay." the purple girl responded. "I'll just let Sunset know that we're here first." She then tapped her Duel Gazer in order to contact her friend and let her know what they were doing.

Back in the main stadium, Megan Williams - the MC for the tournament - was ready to begin her next announcement to the competitors and spectators. "Alllllright, ladies and gentlemen!" she said with ecstatic vigor. "With Sweetie Belle's victory over Octavia Melody, we have now reached the end of the Quarterfinal Round! Now our four remaining Duelists - Ember, Gilda, Sonata, and Sweetie - will compete in the Semifinals, and in the end, only TWO Duelists will move on to face each other in the Final Duel! The first Semifinal Duel will begin in just a few minutes, so make sure you don't miss it!"

At that moment, Sunset Shimmer - the Tournament Judge, looked around herself for a second; once again, she saw that the Dazzlings were a no-show once more, which only deepened her suspicions of them. Just then, Sunset heard a beeping sound coming from her Duel Gazer. "Huh?" she spoke upon hearing it. She quickly tapped the button on the side of the Gazer and said into it, "Hello?"

"Sunset? It's Twilight." spoke the voice on the other end. "Bright, Spike and I have just gotten to Mr. Dunstan's office. We're just waiting on him to give us access to the Tournament Entrant Data Files."

"That's great!" said Sunset. Pausing to think for a moment, she then asked, "Wait, you only just got there...? Not to sound insensitive or anything, but I would've thought you'd have gotten there already..."

"Well, about that..." Twilight began to tell her, "we were on our way over there when these three large people posing as security tried to keep us from getting to Mr. Dunstan. We might not have gotten past them if it weren't for some very helpful people keeping them busy."

"Hmmm...I see." Sunset said, figuring that - based on the circumstances, the fake guards were more than likely hired by the Dazzlings so that no one would discover their secret. She then asked out of concern, "Those fake guards didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Don't worry; we're all just fine." the young Princess assured her friend. "Anyway, I'll contact you again as soon as we find anything out."

"Okay, but hurry..." Sunset informed her. "The Semifinals are about to begin, and we need to get that information before Sweetie has to Duel Sonata. Once the Duel begins, it'll be too late to stop it. Thankfully, they're not facing each other just yet, so you have at least a little time, but it won't be much."

"I'll do my best, Sunset." Twilight told her. "I'll talk to you later."

Sunset tapped her D-Gazer button to end her call with Twilight before thinking to herself, (I sure hope they can figure this whole thing out before Sonata does to Sweetie what she did to that Bright guy... If Sweetie were to lose to Sonata in the same way, it would probably crush her, especially if she found out it was because her opponent cheated...) She then shook her head and said to herself, "No... That won't happen. Sweetie's tougher than that, and besides that, those Dazzlings aren't going to get the chance to cheat her...! I know Twilight won't let me down; she's hasn't done that yet, and I'm sure she has no intention of failing now either. I just have to believe that things will work out well in the end..."

Sunset was in such deep thought over the whole matter, that she didn't notice a hand coming up from behind her...until it touched her shoulder. "Eeyahh!!" the girl yelped in surprise. She quickly turned around, assuming a defensive stance, when she saw that it was Fluttershy standing behind her. "Huh? Fluttershy? Was that you just now?" she asked her.

"O-oh my...!" gasped the shy girl. "Did I startle you just now...? I-I'm sorry...! I didn't mean to..."

"I-it's okay. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all... No harm done." Sunset responded, putting her friend at ease. Looking at her, she then said, "So, you're feeling alright again, Fluttershy?"

"Yes. Very much so." the pale yellow-skinned teen answered. "Gilda stayed with me since the end of our Duel together to make sure I'd be okay..."

"You're welcome, by the way." said another voice - this one coming from Gilda herself, who had been standing behind Fluttershy the whole time. "I just wanted to make sure she'd be fine to walk after she fainted like that. Other than a little shakiness when she stood up, she's perfectly fine."

"Thanks Gilda, I really appreciate it." Sunset thanked her. She then informed the kindly roughneck, "Anyway, you two are just in time: The Semifinals are about to start, and the first match will be you versus Ember."

"I didn't forget." Gilda simply responded. "I've been watching the tournament on the TV in the Infirmary with Flutters, so I was ready to head out with her once my next Duel was ready t' start." She then turned to Fluttershy and told her, "Why don't ya go and sit down with your friends in the audience? I want you to get a good look at me when I win this Duel!"

"I will. Thank you, Gilda." Fluttershy quietly replied. "And you can be sure that I'll be rooting for you...even if my cheers are too quiet for you to hear them."

"Glad t' hear it." Gilda told her. Though she wouldn't say it out loud, she was pleased to know that her friend/rival was backing her up.

Back in the stadium locker rooms, Ember was sitting by herself, taking some deep breaths to calm herself before her next Duel. "Alright now..." she said to herself. "Just two more Duels to go... Once I win this tournament, I know I can finally fulfill my promise - to Sunset, to my dad, and to myself. I'm going to become a Pro Duelist one day, and I want to be able to hold my head up high and feel like I am one."

"A good attitude to have, Ember." said a gruff voice from behind her.

Recognizing the voice, Ember looked behind her and saw her father Torch, who had just walked into the room. "Huh? Dad? What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you were in the audience..."

"I met up with an old acquaintance of mine after your first Duel." Torch answered. "After that, I had a small matter that needed my attention. I overheard you in here and decided to stop by and see you."

"I see..." Ember replied. She then asked, "So what's up? I'd assume you were here to give me some pep talk, except that I know you aren't the type to give pep talk."

"True." Torch confirmed. Looking at the tournament bracket on his D-Pad, he then told her, "Your Semifinal opponent is Gilda, I see... Granddaughter of Gruff, the principal of Griffonstone High School, and more importantly: a former Pro Duelist like myself."

"Yeah, I know about that." Ember replied. "Believe me, I'm not taking any chances around her; I'm sure she was trained by him to get as good as she is, so I'm not planning to let her off easy on this one."

"Indeed you shouldn't." her father told her. "That being said, it's also important not to lose sight of yourself. While you should come at your opponent with all that you have, one should always remember that it's equally as important to enjoy yourself as you do. Taking things too seriously can cause you to develop tunnel vision, and cause you to make critical errors. And of course, there's no real point in winning if you can't bring yourself to enjoy your victories. Not only that, but losing a single Duel with a mind set on caring only about winning and nothing else can cause your emotions to flare out of control, causing you to do things that you may regret in the future..." Taking a deep, sad-sounding sigh, he continued, saying, "That's what caused the end of my Dueling career... The way I see it now, to become a true Pro, one has to establish a balance between fighting their hardest in a Duel...AND staying true to themself and be able to enjoy themselves at the same time. Do not forget that, Ember."

Ember was a bit surprised to hear all of that come out of her father; it seemed like it wasn't too long ago that he had given up on dueling forever. But now he was barely recognizable from the depressed shell of a man that he had once been. Managing a smile, she told him, "I won't forget any of that. I promise." Standing up and feeling refreshed, she then said, "I'll do my best in my next Duel...and the one after that as well. I'll make sure to make you proud of me, Dad."

Managing a small (yet still scary-looking) smile himself, Torch told her, "Just worry about feeling proud of yourself, Ember. And give those fans something to cheer about." Ember nodded as they both left the locker room together.

Minutes later, the short intermission following the last Quarterfinal Duel had ended, and Megan prepped her mic to begin her announcement. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen!" she said to the audience. "We're now ready to begin the Semifinals of the WCQ Qualification Tournament! You guys ready for some MAJOR dueling action?!"

The audience cheered loudly in response, eager to see the next Duel.

"I'll take THAT as a 'yes'!" Megan replied with a wink. "In that case, let's start our first Semifinal Duel! And this one's gonna be an EXCITING one! That's 'cause our two competing Duelists are natural-born dueling prodigies, each one coming from a family of skilled Duelists!" Turning over to her left, she then said excitedly, "First off, we have Ember, the daughter of former Pro Duelist Torch, hailing from the city of Bloodstone! Ember has so far shown her skills with her mighty Dragon Deck, winning her first two Duels in spectacular fashion!"

Ember walked onto the dueling field hearing the cheering crowds as she made her way to the center of the arena. Though she had a serious look on her face, inside she was happy to be here and was ready to face one of the strongest opponents she had faced yet. Sunset could tell just from looking at her that Ember was here to win this Duel and have a good time doing it. Torch, who was sitting up in the stands with Celestia and Luna could see that as well, and he was pleased to see her taking his advice.

Turning around, Megan then gestured to her right, announcing, "Aaaaaand on the other side, we have Gilda from Griffonstone High School! Her grandfather Gruff - who is currently the GHS principal, was ALSO a former Pro Duelist, as well as a top graduate at his Duel Academy! And Gilda has shown so far that her talents are every bit as strong as - possibly stronger than, he was!"

Gilda proudly marched onto the field with a smirk on her face, ready to beat anyone standing in her way. As she did, she could hear the crowds - as well as her school friends Gabby and Martin, cheering her on. Fluttershy had since joined her school friends further up in the stands, and Gilda's grandfather was still at home, watching the tournament on his computer. However, the Griffonstone girl knew that both of them were giving her their support as well.

Entering the center of the arena, Ember and Gilda both shuffled each other's Decks, staring at each other as they did so. They may have been here for fun, but they were also here to win. And it was clear that neither side was willing to back down. After their Decks were returned to each other, Sunset tossed a coin to determine who get the choice to go first or second. The coin toss result determined that Ember would make the choice, and she opted to go first. With that settled, the two of them walked over to their respective sides of the dueling field, ready to begin their Duel.

"Alright, everyone!" said Megan, eager to get things started. "The Decks are shuffled, the turn order has been determined, and now we're ready to start!"

Looking at both competitors, Sunset then raised her hand high in the air before swiftly bringing it down. "Now, begin the Duel!"

Both Ember and Gilda drew their opening hands and shouted to each other, "Let's DUEL!!" (Ember: LP 4,000) (Gilda: LP 4,000)

Up in the audience, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie - now joined by their friend Fluttershy, were anxious to see what a Duel between two very strong and serious Duelists would look like. Turning over to her shy friend, Applejack asked her, "So Fluttershy; who do y'all think's gonna win this Duel?"

"Um...well, I do hope that Gilda will win..." the pale yellow girl answered. "But...well, Ember is a very strong Duelist too, so I'm honestly not sure how this Duel will end..."

"I wholeheartedly agree..." Rarity chimed in. "Both of them are especially strong players in their own right. Both of them come from Pro Dueling families and were trained by their families to become who they are now. The only thing we CAN be certain of is that this will be quite the spectacle for everyone in attendance."

"Yeah, well I don't care HOW tough Ember is! Gilda's gonna win this one, hands down!" Rainbow boldly declared, always supportive of her old friend. "Right Pinkie?"

"You bet, Dashie!" the pink girl replied. "That is, unless the writer decides to throw us a plot twist at the end! But what're the chances of that?"

"Uh...yeah, sure." the athletic teen responded, not understanding what Pinkie meant. She and the others returned their attention back to the Duel in progress.

Staring down her opponent, Gilda thought to herself, (So...Ember... I'm finally fightin' her in a Duel. From what I've seen of her so far, she's not the type to pull any punches. She managed to beat two pretty tough opponents in this tournament: First that girl with the Amazoness Deck that managed to pull of the only OTK in the Preliminaries, and then that Steel Shadows guy that got asked to join the Wonderbolts... Despite how tough they were, she still managed to beat 'em... I hate to admit it, but...for the first time in a long time...I'm actually a little nervous...)

Likewise, Ember was watching her opponent in the Duel and analyzing her thoroughly. (Gilda...) she thought. (Just like me, she's a Duelist that was trained by a member of her family that was once a Pro. She's also supposedly the toughest Duelist at her school, like how Sunset is the strongest in HER school. And from what I've seen so far of her work, I can see how she got that title. Both of her previous opponents fought hard against her, such as that weird guy that thought that he had her beat even before the Duel began... Even that shy chick put up an extremely good fight against her as well. No doubt in my mind: This ain't gonna be an easy one...)

"Alright, it's time to begin this Semifinal Duel!" Megan announced. "And it will start with Ember's first move!"

The Bloodstone girl nodded and looked over her opening hand. (I think I should do this...and then wait and see what she does in response.) she thought. Taking two cards from her hand, she told Gilda, "I'll start this game with a simple T-Set before passin' it to you." She then placed a face-down card on each of her front and back rows on the field before ending her turn.

"A what Set?" asked Gabby, not familiar with the lexicon Ember used.

"T-Set." explained Martin. "It's when a Duelist places a monster face-down in Defense Position, and then sets a card in the Spell & Trap Zone directly behind it, forming a T-shape. A rather passive move; peculiar for someone of Ember's caliber..."

Gilda wondered the same thing herself as she drew her first card. "What's she up to...?" she asked as she looked over her hand. (I've got a pretty good hand, but something about that chick's move doesn't seem right... Like she's tempting me to attack her.) the roughneck continued to think. (I guess should play it safe and not go all-out just yet... But I'll still try and put some pressure on her!) Taking a card from her hand and playing it, Gilda declared, "I'll summon Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius in Attack Mode!" Gilda's red and silver-armored bird creature took to the sky, ready to unleash it power (Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000).

"Alright! One of her best cards, right off the bat!" said Rainbow Dash, excited to see Gilda taking the lead.

Pointing forward, the Griffonstone Duelist shouted, "Get ready, Ember...! I'm attackin' with Sharp Lanius! Take out her Defense monster!" Her monster rushed forward towards the face-down monster, which revealed itself as a tiny salmon-colored dragon with cute, green eyes and small wings (Kidmodo Dragon: Level 3 / ATK 100 / DEF 200). Not surprisingly, Sharp Lanius easily defeated it with one stroke of its wings, hitting it with a razor-sharp slash of wind. "Ha! Take that!" said Gilda. "See that? It pays t' be aggressive!"

"Maybe, but it's also not a bad idea to wait and see what your opponent does first." Ember rebutted.

"What's that mean?"

Taking the defeated monster from her Duel Pad, the blue-skinned girl told her opponent, "The monster you destroyed - Kidmodo Dragon, activates its effect after it gets sent to the Graveyard. That lets me replace it with any Dragon monster from my hand!"

"Wait, WHAT?! Any Dragon??" asked Gilda.

"Exactly." Ember confirmed. "So I'll play this: My Level 8 Darkstorm Dragon in Attack Mode!" After saying that, a vicious twister of black-colored wind shot up from the ground in front of her, and out of it emerged a massive, frightening dragon with black scales and red vein-like marks all over itself (Darkstorm Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 2700 / DEF 2500).

"Incredible!" said Flash Sentry, sitting next to Sunset on the side bench. "She just got a high-level monster out on Gilda's turn!"

"I expected as much." said Sunset, knowing what sorts of strategies Ember was capable of.

"Hmmm...you let me defeat that monster on purpose, huh?" asked Gilda.

"That's right." Ember said, smiling confidently. "And that's just the start of what I have planned for you."

Looking over her hand, Gilda then tried to figure out her next move. (I didn't expect her to bring out a tough monster like that so soon... That sorta derails my plan...) she thought. (I was gonna play my Fuzzy Lanius next, then combine 'em to Xyz Summon Force Strix before the end of the turn... But then I'll be left with just one monster on the field that can't stand up to her Dragon. Now I think I'd better hold off on any big moves until I have a better idea of what to do next.)

Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "On my Main Phase 2, I'll Special Summon my Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius in Defense Mode, since I control another Raidraptor." Her monster then appeared on the field, sporting its blue and violet-colored armor (Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 1500). "Then," she continued, "I'll play Raidraptor - Nest and use it to get Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius from my Deck." After taking the card from her Deck, she then placed another card into her D-Pad and told her opponent, "Last but not least, I'll set a card face-down."

"That's odd..." Applejack pointed out. "Gilda seems to be playin' a lot more cautiously in this match-up, ain't she?"

"That's not surprising, considering her opponent is a very formidable one that's at least as strong as she is." Rarity told her.

"Oh my..." said Fluttershy, a bit worried for her friendly rival.

"Alright Ember," Gilda began to tell her, "I'm endin' my turn right now!"

"Actually, that's not quite true." Ember responded. "Before your turn ends, I have another move to make first." Tapping her D-Pad's screen, she shouted, "I activate my Trap Card, Call of the Haunted!"

"You're activating your face-down card now?" asked Gilda.

"That's right!" Ember answered. "And I'll use it to summon a monster from my Graveyard; the ONLY monster in my Graveyard, that is. So I'll bring back Kidmodo Dragon!" And just as she had declared, the tiny little dragon reappeared on her field in Attack Position.

"Why's she doin' that?" asked Rainbow Dash. "That thing's nothing compared to Gilda's monsters!"

"Don't forget, Rainbow..." Fluttershy warned her, "she used that monster to summon that bigger Dragon earlier. She must be trying for it again..."

Gilda thought the same thing herself. "If you think I'll attack that thing and fall for its effect a second time, then you'd better think again!" she informed her opponent. "You can't get ME with that trick twice!"

"I'm sure I can't." said Ember, drawing her next card and smiling a little. "But then," she continued, "I don't NEED your help for that anyway." As Gilda was left wondering what that meant, Ember placed the card she drew in her hand for the moment before declaring, "Now, I'll Gemini Summon Darkstorm Dragon on my field!" After saying that, her mighty Dragon began to radiate white light all around itself.

"Huh? Gemini Summon?" asked Gilda.

"By giving up my Normal Summon for this turn," stated Ember, "I can turn my Darkstorm Dragon into an Effect Monster, and allow it to have access to its effect! An effect that I'll use immediately!"

"What kind of effect do you think she's gonna use, Martin?" asked Gabby.

"For Ember to give up a Normal Summon this turn, it must be a strong one." her smart friend replied.

"Now," Ember continued, "by sending one Spell or Trap Card on my field to the Graveyard, Darkstorm can use its effect to destroy all of the other Spells and Traps on the field!" Sending her Call of the Haunted card as cost, she then shouted, "Go, Darkstorm Dragon! Take out both of Gilda's back row cards! Shadow Twisters!" The gigantic beast then unleashed its power, sending a pair of vicious, shadowy tornadoes towards Gilda's field, destroying both her Raidraptor - Nest and face-down card.

(No...!) thought the Griffonstone Duelist. (She got my Nest! And my Raptor's Gust too!)

After the dust settled from the destruction of those cards, Ember's Kidmodo Dragon then vanished into a violet-colored vortex as well. "Since I sent Call of the Haunted to my Graveyard to activate Darkstorm's effect, Kidmodo Dragon - the monster that was summoned from it, has to go to the Graveyard. But because of that, I can use his effect a second time!" Taking a card from her hand, she played it on her D-Pad and shouted, "So now I'll bring out one of my best cards! Go, Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" And with that, Ember's brilliant and powerful Dragon - one could say the crown jewel of her Deck, appeared in all of its luminous glory (Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800).

"Ya gotta be kidding me!!" said Gilda, shocked at having to face another powerful Dragon.

"That was amazing!" stated Flash. "She got out another high-level monster, and it's only the third turn!"

"I have to say, it was a brilliant move; using the cost of her Darkstorm Dragon to her advantage like that." stated Sunset. "No one's taken any damage in this Duel yet, but Gilda's the one at a disadvantage right now..."

For the first time in a long time, Gilda was sweating bullets. She had never been backed up against the wall THIS quickly in a Duel before, and she wasn't sure what to do. "You can calm down a little, Gilda..." Ember told her. "I don't get a Battle Phase on the turn Kidmodo Dragon uses his effect. At least for this turn, you and your monsters are safe."

(A little reassuring, but not by much...) thought the kindly roughneck. (I still gotta face two high-level monsters on my next turn... I think I might have a way to do it, but it all depends on what that chick does next.)

Taking another card from her hand, Ember then said, "Even though I can't attack this turn, that doesn't mean I'm finished making any other moves. So I'll play the Spell Card Foolish Burial, to send my Keeper of the Shrine from my Deck to the Graveyard." After doing so, the blue-skinned girl then thought to herself, (Now that I've got Keeper of the Shrine in my Graveyard, I'll be ready to use his effect just in case Gilda manages to take down any of my Dragons on the field...) Taking the card she drew for her turn, she then stated, "Finally, I'll activate my Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords before passing it off to you." After playing the card, a crumbling building rose out from behind her, along with a large statue of a dragon that seemed to be in a similar state of disrepair.

Torch - sitting with Celestia and Luna, recognized the card as one that she had played when he had dueled her a week or so prior to today. He smirked a little, pleased at how well his daughter was doing so far. "See that, Luna?" he asked the CHS Vice Principal. "My daughter's gotten herself quite an advantage in this Duel so far."

"Indeed..." Luna replied. "Though at the moment, it still seems as though both of them are just feeling each other out."

"That appears to have been Ember's style so far..." noted Celestia. "She spends the first few turns learning about what kind of opponent she is facing, and then developing the best plan to fight them, based on what she's observed."

"It's not just during the Duel that she gets a read on her opponent." Torch pointed out. "She also knows to start doing that even BEFORE she faces her next opponent. That way, she has the best possible plan going into the Duel. I taught her everything I knew on the subject, but I cannot deny that she has developed considerable skill on her own as well."

"Well, I must say, you have crafted your daughter into quite a formidable Duelist, Torch." Luna admitted. "There is no doubt she have quite the dueling career ahead of her." The three of them returned their attention to the Duel in progress.

Back at the Duel, Gilda prepared to begin her next turn, but wasn't exactly sure about what Ember's last Spell Card was for. All she could figure was that it was a key part of her opponent's strategy. "It's my turn... I draw!" she said, pulling her next card and looking at it. Placing it in her hand, she then decided, (Okay... she's already got two Level 8 monsters on the field... But she didn't use them to Xyz Summon... It's possible that she doesn't have any Rank 8 monsters...or is it? I've seen her previous two Duels in the tournament, and she's managed to win both times without ever going into her Extra Deck; all of her best cards so far have come from the Main Deck. Darnit... She's gotta be hiding something from me about her Deck, but I can't figure out what it is...!)

Ember glanced at her opponent and smiled a bit. She could tell that Gilda was trying her best to figure out what her strategy was, but couldn't come up with anything. (There's a reason you haven't figured me or my Deck out yet.) she mentally told her. (It's because I haven't fully revealed every card in it! As tough as my last two opponents were, I haven't had to bring out my Deck's full power... Let's see if she might be able to do that in her next move, or if my read on her is accurate.)

After thinking about it for a while, Gilda then made a decision. (Alright...) she thought, (I think the best thing I can do is to try and go on the offensive. At the very least, I might be able to figure out what her plan is.) Taking a card from her hand, she then stated, "First, I'll activate the effect of Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius in my hand! Since I've got a DARK monster out, I can Special Summon him right to the field!" She then brought out yet another bird-like creature, which wore silver armor and its jets were emitting bright blue flames (Raidraptor - Strangle Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1100).

After Gilda summoned her monster, Martin (and only Martin) noticed a peculiar green light radiating off of Strangle Lanius. Before he could question it, the light vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving him wondering about its significance.

"Now she's got three monsters on the field!" said Rainbow Dash. "I'm smelling an Xyz Summon!"

"No, that would be from the Triple Caliente Hot Sauce I just put on the foot-longs I got from the food court!" Pinkie told her. She then took a bite out of one of the searing-hot snacks, causing puffs of steam to somehow shoot from her ears. Giggling, she added, "Heehee! I love it when that happens!"

"Those dragons of yours may be tough," Gilda told her opponent, "but my Deck's got ways of dealing with them! Now I overlay my Strangle Lanius, Sharp Lanius, and Fuzzy Lanius, all Level 4, to build the Overlay Network!!" Her three monsters then transformed into beams of purple light that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Obscured falcon!" she then chanted. "Raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" And with an explosion of light, Gilda's Rise Falcon appeared, sporting its green-and-blue armor (Raidraptor - Rise Falcon: Rank 4 / ATK 100 / DEF 2000 / OLU 3).

"YAAAAAAAY!!!" cheered Gabby. "She got an Xyz Monster out!! YAAAY!!!"

Martin looked over at Gilda's monster...and saw that same green light from before appear around it for a split second. (What...? There it is again...) he thought to himself, now a little concerned.

Smirking, Gilda told her opponent, "Sorry 'bout this, but I'm gonna activate Rise Falcon's effect! By removing an Overlay Unit, I can have him absorb the attack power of any of your Special Summoned monsters! And since you summoned both of those Dragons with Kidmodo Dragon's effect, either one of 'em's fair game!"

"Yeah! That'll give Gilda a huge advantage!" said Flash. But Sunset wasn't so sure about that, having a slightly concerned look on her face.

Gilda's Xyz Monster then drew in one of the three purple spheres that orbited it (Raidraptor - Rise Falcon: OLU 3 - 1 = 2) and grasped it in its talons. "Now, Rise Falcon!" the Griffonstone girl ordered. "Target her Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" The large armored bird screeched as it threw the sphere at Ember's shining Dragon monster. However, just as it neared the creature, a green aura surrounded the sphere and shrunk it out of existence. "Huh?! What happened?!" asked Gilda, surprised. Everyone else in the audience watching was also shocked (except for Sunset and Torch, who both seemed to know that would happen).

"The...the orb just disappeared...! And Gilda's monster didn't increase its attack points!" stated Flash. "That can't be right, can it?"

"Unfortunately, it is..." Sunset informed her friend.

"Uh...what's going on?" asked Gilda, unsure as to what just happened. "Why didn't Rise Falcon's effect work?"

"Because the effect of my Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords IS working." answered Ember. "As long as I control both it and a Level 7 or 8 Dragon on my field, it can negate the effects of any monster that was Special Summoned to the field for the entire turn. The only monsters that it doesn't work on are those that came from the Graveyard. But since Rise Falcon was Special Summoned from your Extra Deck, its effects got nullified, meaning it doesn't get any stronger than it already is!"

"What?!?" exclaimed Gilda, not aware of that. Grumbling a little, she then asked, "I get it... Is that why you kept your Dragons out without going for an Xyz Summon?"

"One of the reasons." the Bloodstone girl told her. "But that's just the beginning of what I've got in store for you, Gilda. I've got a dream of mine to fulfill, and you're not gonna stop me from achieving it!"

Meanwhile, back in Mr. Dunstan's office...

"Okay..." said the man in question as he typed in a few more characters on the keyboard, entering a password that would allow Twilight, Spike, and Bright Mind to see the Tournament Entrant Data Files. After successfully entering in the password, he then told the group, "Alright then! We now have access to the Data Files!"

"That...took quite a lengthy amount of time, sir..." noted Bright. "It seemed that you had to input a total of ten passwords in order to gain access to the files."

"Exactly." said Mr. Dunstan. "When you're handing precious data such as this, you can't be too careful. But this security system has proven effective so far; no hacker or bot has managed to crack our code, let alone all ten of them. And we change the passwords on a weekly basis just to make sure of it."

"Sounds pretty effective to me." noted Twilight. "But right now, we have important work to; we need to look up Sonata's Deck Profile and see if she was cheating the way Sunset said she was."

"Well, all of the Duelists that participated in the Preliminary Round are listed on here, along with the Deck that they had used at the time." Dunstan explained. "As you recall, we had a rule in place that stated that no Duelist was allowed to change any of the cards in their Main, Extra, or Side Deck from what they used during the Preliminaries. Therefore, if Ms. Dusk did illegally include cards from her personal collection just before her Duel in the Quarterfinal Round, the cards in question will not be listed in her Deck Profile."

"That makes sense to me." said Bright Mind.

"But we first need to find Sonata's information!" Twilight pointed out. "How are we going to find it fast enough? Over two hundred people entered the Preliminaries, which means we have a lot of data to sort through!"

"Not to worry, Ms. Sparkle." Mr. Dunstan told her. "The Duelists are arranged in alphabetical order by their last name. So you shouldn't have any trouble locating the file you need."

Sighing, Twilight responded, saying, "Good... That's a relief." Looking at the names of the Duelists on the computer screen and humming to herself as she did so, she said, "Let's see...Dusk is Sonata's last name, so it will be under 'D', towards the end..." With Bright's help, Twilight was able to use the computer to search through the numerous files in front of her. Finally, after about a few seconds of looking, she exclaimed, "Aha! I found it!" Once more, with Bright's help, Twilight opened the file on Sonata and scrolled down to where her Deck Profile was. Once she got there, she then asked the boy, "Bright, tell me again: What were the cards that Sonata used on you?"

"They were Gozen Match, Counter Cleaner, and...De-Synchro." Bright answered. "Two Spell Cards and one Trap."

"Okay...Let's see here..." Twilight said to herself as she looked over the list of cards in Sonata's Deck. She skipped the monster section as well as the Extra Deck, since none of the cards mentioned were Monster Cards, and went straight to the Spells and Traps; both in the Main Deck and the Side Deck. After looking for a while, she then said to them, "Well...Gozen Match WAS in her Side Deck, according to this..." She then looked a bit more and gasped before adding, "...but the other two cards AREN'T! The list doesn't mention Counter Cleaner or De-Synchro at all!"

"So it's true! Sonata WAS cheating!" Spike blurted out, forgetting that he was supposed to stay quiet. He then quickly covered his mouth, realizing that he said something.

"Um...Ms. Sparkle...?" Mr. Dunstan began to ask. "Did that dog...?"

"Oh don't worry: It's a highly-sophisticated robotic replica of a dog, according to her." Bright stated. "That's how it's able to speak."

"Th-that's absolutely correct!" said Twilight, keeping up the charade. "Took me YEARS to get it right, but completely worth it! ANYway..." She then returned her attention to the screen and told them both, "this information proves once and for all that Sonata was breaking the rules! The two Spell Cards she used against Bright in her previous Duel were not part of her original Deck; she included them to give herself an unfair advantage!"

"And I have the entire Duel recorded on my Duel Pad!" added Bright Mind. "That way she can't say we're lying!"

"Well, I suppose that's all I needed to hear." said Mr. Dunstan. "I'll make a few necessary copies of Sonata's Data File so that you can present it to Ms. Shimmer. Since she is the Official Judge for the tournament, it is up to her to decide what to do from this point."

Twilight and Bright nodded in agreement. But when she took another glance at Sonata's Deck Profile, she saw something else peculiar. "Hm? What's this?" she asked.

"What's wrong?" asked Spike.

Pointing to the part of the Deck Profile that showed the contents of the Extra Deck, the young Princess pointed to the screen and said, "Down here...there are three spaces in the Extra Deck section that are listed as 'unidentified'... What does that mean?"

"I saw that earlier," Mr. Dunstan answered. "However, I was unable to determine what it meant. The scan from the Duel Terminal showed that those three spaces were cards in Ms. Dusk's Extra Deck, but the names of the cards didn't show up on her profile; apparently, the Industrial Illusions/Kaiba Corporation Card Database couldn't identify them, so - naturally - they went listed as unidentified."

"Perhaps there was a slight glitch?" asked Bright Mind. "It is a possibility..."

"Maybe, unlikely as it sounds..." Mr. Dunstan replied. "Our tech experts on both sides work round-the-clock to ensure that our systems remain glitch-free. I suppose one could have snuck through, but the odds are very low..."

Twilight stared at the information in front of her, looking at the three empty spaces in the Extra Deck. "Hmmm..." she hummed, deep in thought. Utopia also appeared beside her in spirit form, looking at the data himself and wondering about it.

"Well, whatever the case," Mr. Dunstan spoke, "we have all the evidence we need to confront Ms. Dusk and her accomplices. I'll just go right ahead and print out what you and Ms. Shimmer will need right away." Twilight, Spike, and Bright nodded to say they understood. As Mr. Dunstan did his work, the rest of the group were left wondering about the oddity of the three unregistered cards on Sonata's Deck Profile...

Back at the Duel, Gilda was in a tough situation: She attempted to use her Rise Falcon to overcome the power of Ember's two powerful Dragons - Darkstorm Dragon and Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand. Unfortunately, Ember was able to use her Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords to prevent that from happening. (This is nuts...!) the Griffonstone student said in her mind. (I had the perfect idea to beat her, but she somehow managed to prevent me from using it!)

"...I've watched your previous Duels, Gilda." Ember told her. "I know that your Deck heavily relies on Special Summoning Xyz Monsters from the Extra Deck. Unfortunately, my Deck doesn't use the Extra Deck as much as most others do, which allows me to make the most out of cards like my Ruins Spell. It's 'cause of that fact that my Deck might be the worst possible one for your Deck to fight against."

"Oh yeah? Well don't get TOO cocky, lady." Gilda responded. "This Duel ain't over yet, and I've still got some tricks left in me!"

"Ember is right about one thing..." Martin said from the audience stands, "Gilda's Deck isn't exactly prepared to deal with one that can effectively shut down her Extra Deck monsters like that. Now that Rise Falcon's effect has been stopped, its attack power remains at only 100, meaning that she's certain to sustain a lot of damage on Ember's next turn..."

"That doesn't matter one bit!" said Gabby confidently. "Gilda can still win this anyway! I know it!!"

Further up in the seating area, Fluttershy was still hoping for her friend's victory in what seemed to be her toughest fight. (Just stay calm, Gilda... I know you can get through this...!) she thought.

Dismayed, but certainly not willing to give in yet, Gilda told her opponent, "Well even though I can't use Rise Falcon's effect, I can still use the effect of the Fuzzy Lanius I detached from him! Since I sent it to my Graveyard, I can get another copy of it from my Deck!" After she did that, she looked over her hand and saw the card she had drawn for the turn. (...This one might be my last chance at a comeback,) she thought, (and it darn well better work! Or I'm a goner!) Taking the card, she then declared, "I'll set a card face-down on the field, and then summon my Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius in Attack Mode!"

Gilda's next monster then appeared on the field, clad in armor of various colors; mostly green and blue, but also having bits of yellow, orange and silver in some parts (Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1600).

"And since I Normal Summoned Vanishing Lanius," Gilda reminded her opponent, "I can use his effect, which lets me Special Summon my Fuzzy Lanius in Defense Mode!" Her second Fuzzy Lanius then appeared on the field, using its wings as a shield. It was covered in a green glow for a split second, just like with Gilda's other monsters (presumably because of Ember's Continuous Spell). "And now I overlay both Vanishing Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius - both Level 4 - and build the Overlay Network!" she shouted, transforming her monsters in purple-colored energy and sending them into a red vortex.

"Another Xyz Summon...?" asked Ember.

"Avian hunter of the afterlife," the Griffonstone girl chanted, "seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! Xyz Summon! Take flight! Rank 4! Raidraptor - Force Strix!" After finishing the chant, her owl-like monster clad in blue and tan-colored armor flew onto the field and placed itself in Defense Position (Raidraptor - Force Strix: Rank 4 / ATK 100 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2).

"Did you already forget about my Spell Card?" asked Ember. "My Ruins Spell will negate Force Strix's effects for the turn. Which means it won't get a stat boost, AND you can't use it to move any more Raidraptors from your Deck to your hand." Just like before, her Spell surrounded Gilda's new monster, suppressing its abilities.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." Gilda told her, not seeming to care about that fact at all. "But since I'm ending my turn right now, that means both my monsters get their abilities back!" And as she said that, both of her monster returned to their normal states once again (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 100 + 500 = 600 / DEF 2000 + 500 = 2500).

"Too bad it won't matter once I'm done with my turn." Ember stated, drawing her next card. (Hmmm...Felgrand Dragon.) she thought, looking at the card she drew for the turn. Looking over at Gilda's field, she then pondered, (Now let's see...her Rise Falcon has only 100 attack points, so either of my two Dragons can destroy it and do a ton of damage... But then there's that face-down card she set last turn. I could use Darkstorm Dragon to get rid of it with his effect, but then I'd lose my Ruins Spell, because I have to send a Spell or Trap to the Graveyard to activate it. Even though I can use its other effect to retrieve it, I kinda want to keep the monsters I have on the field and in my hand where they are... Besides, worst case scenario, I have tons of cards that bring my monsters back to the field should Gilda manage to destroy them. So I think I'm safe taking my chances here...)

Gilda watched her opponent, wondering what she was going to do this turn. Doing her best to hide her nervousness, she kept a brave face, even as a small drop of sweat rolled down her cheek.

"You ready for this?" asked Ember. Pointing forward, she shouted, "Go, Lord Felgrand! Attack her Rise Falcon!!" Her monster roared loudly, firing a massive stream of light energy, blasting Gilda's Xyz Monster out of existence.

"URRRRRGHH!!!" the roughneck grunted as she took a heavy amount of damage from the attack (Gilda: LP 4,000 - 2,700 = 1,300).

"G-Gilda!!" Fluttershy cried out, concerned for her friend. "I-is she okay...??"

"For now, she is..." said Applejack. "But one more hit like that, an' she's toast!"

Standing up, Rainbow Dash shouted, "C'mon, Gilda! You can still do this! I know you can!"

Pinkie did the same same thing, but all that came out of her mouth was, "Mmmff!! mmfv'e mof miff ilfaa!!"

"Umm... Pinkie dear?" Rarity spoke. "Perhaps it would be best to remove the hot dog from your mouth BEFORE trying to cheer on Gilda?" The pink teen realized that and did as her friend suggested, letting out a little giggle at her silly mistake.

Gilda was a bit shaken, but wasn't ready to admit defeat. "Huh, that all ya got, chick?!" she shouted at her.

"You've got some serious guts for someone that just lost over half of their Life Points after a single attack." said Ember. "In that case..." She then pointed to Gilda's remaining monster, Force Strix - which lost some of its power after Rise Falcon was destroyed (Raidraptor - Force Strix: ATK 600 - 500 = 100 / DEF 2500 - 500 = 2000). "Darkstorm Dragon, take out her last monster!!" Her Dragon did as she ordered, using its mighty wings to whip up a tornado that sent Force Strix flying straight into the Graveyard.

"Aw no..." said Gabby. "She beat two of Gilda's best Xyz Monsters just like that...! Now what's she gonna do??"

Martin said nothing, but noticed that Gilda wasn't too bummed out about having both of her monsters destroyed so easily. (Hmmm...could she be...?) he wondered to himself.

"Well, I'd say that about wraps this Duel up." said Ember confidently. "After all, there's not a monster you can bring out that can stand up to my two Dragons AND my Ruins Spell Card."

"...Heh...I wouldn't be too sure about that, lady." said Gilda.

"Huh?" Ember responded, unsure what she meant by that.

Tapping her D-Pad, the Griffonstone girl shouted, "I activate my face-down card!! Go, Rank-Up-Magic Doom Double Force!!" Ember gasped in shock at seeing the Spell Card in front of her.

"Aha!! I knew it!" said Martin. "That's what Gilda had planned to do!"

But Ember, unfamiliar with Gilda's Spell Card, asked her, "But how can you play a Rank-Up card? You need to use an Xyz Monster to gain the full effect of one of those Spells!"

"That's right." Gilda confirmed. "So I guess that it's a good thing that my Doom Double Force brings back a Raidraptor Xyz Monster from my Graveyard first. So I'll bring back my Rise Falcon!" And with that, her first Xyz Monster of the Duel returned to the field in Defense Position.

"Oh no...!" Ember said, realizing what was happening.

"And now that he's back," the roughneck continued, "I can use my Doom Double Force and my Rise Falcon to Xyz Summon a monster with DOUBLE his Rank!"

"DOUBLE?!" exclaimed everyone.

"Uhh, let's see... Rise Falcon's Rank is 4..." said Rainbow Dash. "So double that is, um..." She then used her fingers to try and figure out the math in her head.

Sighing, Rarity told her, "Double of four is EIGHT, Rainbow..."

"I-I knew that!!" shouted the rainbow-haired girl. "I would've figured it out myself!"

Ember, of course, knew that as well, and also that she might be in some trouble now. "This isn't good..." she told herself.

Everyone watched as Rise Falcon transformed into a ray of purple light that flew into a red portal in the center of the field, which also displayed the Raidraptor's insignia over top of it. "Dauntless falcon! Hoist up the flames of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ashes!" Gilda proudly chanted. "Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!! Soar! Rank 8! Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon!!"

In an instant, a massive bird-like creature clad in brilliant white armor with red and gold trims, along with several green "jewels" decorating it all over appeared from out of the portal. It hovered high in the air, ready to strike down Gilda's opponent at a moment's notice (Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon: Rank 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2000 / OLU 1).

"Alright! She managed to bring out another powerful monster!" cheered Gabby. "And it's the one she used to beat the principal with!"

"She certainly did, Gabby..." said Martin. "And if I'm correct, that monster should help her overcome Ember's strategy perfectly!"

As Gilda then retrieved her third copy of Fuzzy Lanius from her Deck (since the second one had been sent to the Graveyard after Force Strix was destroyed), Ember then told her, "I gotta say, I didn't expect you to do something like that and get out a powerful monster on MY turn... But once again, you forgot about my Ruins Spell! So your new monster loses its effects this turn!" Her Spell Card then began to glow green, preparing to use its effect on Satellite Cannon Falcon.

"Heh, that ain't gonna work this time!" Gilda told her. "Before your effect works, Satellite Cannon Falcon gets HIS effect! That lets him pop all of your Spell and Trap Cards!" Ember let out a gasp as Gilda's Xyz Monster let out a powerful screech that shattered the Continuous Spell, ending its effect before it could affect Satellite Cannon Falcon. As a result, the ruins behind her were reduced to mere rubble.

"Wait...hold on; how'd that happen?" asked Flash. "Aren't the effects of those two cards Spell Speed 1? How come Gilda's card got its effect and Ember's didn't?"

"A good question, but there is an answer to it." said Sunset. "While you are correct that the effects of Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords and Satellite Cannon Falcon are Spell Speed 1 effects, both effects are activating at the exact same time - in this case, on Satellite Cannon Falcon's summoning. Because of that, a special Chain is used to determine how the effects will work, if they do: According to the rules, the Turn Player - in this case, Ember - starts the Chain with her Spell Card's effect. Then, the opposing player - Gilda - can chain with Satellite Cannon Falcon's effect. Since the Chain stopped building after that, it then resolves in reverse, like usual. So Satellite Cannon Falcon is able to destroy Ruins with its effect. Then after that, Ruins would resolve its effect, except now it's no longer on the field, so nothing else happens. Yeah, it's a tricky rule, but that's how it works."

"Calling it 'tricky' is certainly an accurate way of describing it, I guess." Flash replied, believing Sunset's words, though he was still a bit confused after hearing it.

Ember scowled a little, cursing herself for not trying to eliminate Gilda's face-down card earlier. (Darnit...if I had only used Darkstorm's effect earlier...) Sighing to herself, she then told herself, (Well, nothing I can do about that now... Best to just try and stay in the fight for as long as I can... And hopefully, I can find a way to overcome that Satellite Cannon Falcon. But first, I need to get my Spell Card back into my hand...) She then looked at the Felgrand Dragon that she drew on her turn and added, (Guess I won't be able to play this card for the rest of the Duel...)

Smirking a little, Gilda then told Ember, "Well, it looks like your Ruins Spell...just got ruined."

Chuckling a little, Ember replied, saying, "Okay, I'll admit: That was pretty clever. But my Spell Card's not going to stay gone forever!" She then took a card from her hand and told her opponent, "I activate the other effect of my Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords in the Graveyard: I send my Felgrand Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to put my Spell Card back into my hand. Then, I'll reactivate my Ruins before ending my turn."

Gilda grumbled a bit as she saw the ruins restore itself behind the Bloodstone girl. However, she wasn't too worried right now. (Have it your way, chick...) she said in her mind as she looked at her hand. (Once I make my next move, this Duel's as good as finished!)

Looking at the massive creature on Gilda's side of the field, Fluttershy said to her friends, "Oh my... And here I thought I had seen the best cards in her Deck from our last Duel together..."

"That's Gilda for ya." Rainbow Dash told her. "Never fails to impress. And I'll bet she's got a whole buncha other kick-butt cards ready t' go!"

Hearing her old friend up in the stands as she drew her card for the turn, Gilda chuckled a bit and said, "Heh, you don't know the half of it, Dash... Guess I'd better give my old friend what she came here to see." Facing her opponent, she told her, "I activate Satellite Cannon Falcon's effect! By removing an Overlay Unit, I can target one monster you've got and drop its attack points by 800 times the number of Raidraptor monsters I have in the Graveyard!"

Gasping, Ember responded saying, "Oh no...!" She knew that she was in major trouble.

"So...how many of those Raidraptors does Gilda have in her Graveyard right now?" asked Flash.

"I've been keeping count," Sunset replied, "and I believe that right now, she has a total of seven. That means no matter which monster Gilda picks, Satellite Cannon Falcon's effect will take away all of its attack points!"

Gilda removed the card underneath her Satellite Cannon Falcon card, activating its effect and causing the single purple orb flying around the massive creature to be absorbed into it (Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). "Alright then..." the roughneck continued, "I think the unlucky monster for my Satellite Cannon Falcon to weaken will be...your Divine Dragon Lord!"

Ember scowled a bit as she could only watch as her favorite card lost every last bit of its offensive power (Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: ATK 2800 - 5600 = 0); it wasn't even able to stay hovering in the air afterwards, falling straight to the ground. "No...! Felgrand!" she said in distress, both for her Dragon and for herself.

"Sorry, chick. But I'm afraid it's gonna get a heckuva lot worse than that...!" Gilda warned her. "As tough as my Satellite Cannon Falcon is, it's not the BEST card my Deck can bring out..."

"Wait, hold up; THAT'S not her best card?!?" exclaimed Gabby. "Then what is?!"

Gasping, Martin replied, saying, "Oh dear...! I think I know what she's planning to do next...assuming she has that legendary card!"

"Legendary card?" asked Gabby, curious. "What d'ya mean, Martin?"

But Gilda would provide the answer to the question at that moment. Playing a card from her hand, she shouted, "Now I'll activate this! Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force!!"

"What?! ANOTHER Rank-Up-Magic Spell?!?" exclaimed Ember, caught totally off-guard.

"You got it! With this card, I can use my Satellite Cannon Falcon to Xyz Summon an even STRONGER one!" Gilda explained, feeling pretty good about her move. "And this guy'll be a whole two Ranks higher than Satellite Cannon Falcon! In case you haven't figured it out, since Satellite Cannon Falcon is Rank 8, I can now bring out a Rank 10 Xyz Monster!!"

"T-T-TEN?!?" shouted Flash in surprise. Even Sunset was shocked upon hearing that, as was the entire audience.

Satellite Cannon Falcon then transformed into a purple beam of energy, sending itself into yet another red portal that beared the mark of the Raidraptor clan. "Get ready, Ember..." Gilda told her with a smirk, "you're about to see the card that's gonna win this whole thing for me!" She then began the Summoning Chant, saying, "Supreme falcon, carry on the wishes of your fallen friends, and fly off into the skies of victory! Witness the next evolutionary step in my aerial arsenal that can wipe out any target! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!"

Everyone watched as a massive black storm cloud appeared in the skies above the stadium. Then, from out of the red portal, a violent tornado shot out of it whipping fierce winds all over the battlefield. Even though it was just an AR image, it still felt pretty real to everyone in attendance. Finally, as the tornado subsided, it revealed a massive bird creature that was even bigger than Satellite Cannon Falcon was. Bearing shining armor that was colored gold and sapphire blue, with several red jewels decorating it in certain spots, the monster was as beautiful as it was powerful.

"Soar forth, Rank 10! Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon!!" said Gilda, completing the chant.

*******************************

Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Winged Beast/DARK/Rank 10/ATK 3500/DEF 2000)

3 Level 10 Winged Beast monsters
Unaffected by other cards' effects. You can detach 1 material from this card; for the rest of this turn, all monsters your opponent controls lose 1000 ATK, also your opponent cannot activate cards or effects. If this card has a "Raidraptor" monster as material, it gains this effect.
* Once per turn, during the End Phase: You can make all monsters your opponent controls lose 1000 ATK, also if your opponent controls no face-up monsters, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.

*******************************

"Oh my goodness...!" said an awestruck Rarity. "That is probably one of the most brilliant and beautiful monsters that Gilda has ever used...! I've GOT to have one just for my personal collection!"

"Ah ain't never even heard of a card like that one..." said Applejack. "But the one thing Ah can say; it's definitely got a lotta power t' throw around!"

"No joke..." said Rainbow Dash. "I was expectin' Gilda to use some kick-butt cards, but I had no idea she had somethin' like THAT in her Deck!" Fluttershy nodded in agreement, also just as surprised to see such a powerful card in this Duel. Even Pinkie wasn't expecting to see something like that, her jaw almost dropping in awe at the sight of Gilda's new monster (but if she did that, the snack she was currently chewing would fall out of her mouth, and that would be pretty disgusting.)

"You said it, Mr. Author!" Pinkie said, after swallowing what she had in mouth.

Ember stared directly into Gilda's new monster, sweating for the very first time since the Duel began. "Look at that thing...!" she said to herself. "It has 3,500 attack points...! That's almost enough to wipe out all of my Life Points in one attack!"

Sensing Ember's fear, Torch mentally said to her, (Don't you dare give up, Ember! Do NOT run away like I did so long ago...! If you do, you'll never be able to achieve your dream and be the Duelist you were meant to be. Even if the odds are against you right now, you still have a chance; don't pass that chance up!)

Though she couldn't hear her father's thoughts, Ember could "feel" them somehow. "Don't worry, Dad..." she said. "I'm not gonna run away now. Not when I've gotten this far, and not when I'm this close to getting what I came here for! Win or lose, I WILL become stronger from this Duel, but only if I see it through to the end!" Feeling her confidence return, she told Gilda, "I'm still in this Duel, so bring it on!"

The Griffonstone girl was surprised - but delighted - to see her opponent remaining brave despite the odds against her. Laughing a bit, she told her, "I gotta admit, you're a pretty tough chick to stare down one of my best monsters without even flinching. I've gotta respect ya for that." She then told her, "But you're gonna need more than that to defeat my Ultimate Falcon!"

"...And I plan to use more!" Ember told her. She then told her, "But first, since your monster was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, my Ruins Spell Card stops its effect for the rest of the turn!''

"Heh, you really think it'll be THAT easy?" Gilda asked. "Sorry, but Ultimate Falcon is immune to ANY other card effect! So your Ruins can't do anything against it!" And to emphasize that point, Ultimate Falcon let out a screech that suppressed the energy coming from her Spell Card, canceling out its effect.

Ember hummed a bit and said, "I had a feeling that it wouldn't work, given that you knew about my Spell Card and summoned your monster despite that. But that doesn't mean I'm defeated yet!"

"We'll see about that in a sec once I do this!" Gilda then took the card she drew for the turn and added, "Just t' make sure you don't try anything else funny with your Ruins, I'll play this: My Mystical Space Typhoon! And I'll use it to destroy your Ruins once again!" Her Spell Card then wiped out Ember's Continuous Spell and removed its effect again. "But that ain't all! Now it's time to show everyone here the full power of my Ultimate Falcon!"

"Full power...?" asked Ember, curious to see what it was, as was everyone watching.

Taking the card out from underneath her Xyz Monster (Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon: OLU 1 - 1 = 0), the roughneck then declared, "I now use the effect of Ultimate Falcon! By removing an Overlay Unit, I can shave off 1,000 attack points off of all of your monsters for the rest of the turn! And in addition, you can't activate any cards or effects this turn either!"

(Urrgh...!) Ember said in her mind. (That means the Keeper of the Shrine that I sent to my Graveyard earlier can't come back to my hand when Gilda destroys one of my monsters this turn... Which also means I can't get my Ruins Spell Card either; not that it'll do me much good now...) Even so, Ember kept a brave face, even as Ultimate Falcon let out a screech that temporarily weakened her Darkstorm Dragon and shut down her ability use her cards' effects (Darkstorm Dragon: ATK 2700 - 1000 = 1700).

"Now that that's all out of the way," Gilda began, "it's time to battle! Ultimate Falcon! Attack her Divine Dragon Lord! Final Glorious Barrage!!" Her monster screeched again, firing out several missile-like projectiles that flew straight towards Ember's heavily-weakened Dragon. Not surprisingly, the Dragon was obliterated by the attack rather easily.

"RRRRGGHH...!!!" grunted Ember, taking an extremely heavy hit to her Life Points, but was still able to remaining standing, if only barely (Ember: LP 4,000 - 3,500 = 500).

"Nice!! That blew away almost all of that chick's Life Points!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "One more hit like that, and this Duel's over!" Fluttershy was also happy to see her friendly rival regain control of the game.

"Alright!!! YEAH!!!" Gabby cheered loudly. "Gilda's gonna win! Gilda's gonna WIN!!"

"It sure seems like it." said Martin. "With Ultimate Falcon on her field, Gilda's in a very good position! Since it's immune to card effects, the only way to defeat it is by destroying it in battle. But with its attack power as high as it is, that doesn't seem too likely."

"Wow...now that was a comeback if I ever saw one." said Flash. "Guess that means Gilda's moving onto the Finals after all."

"...I wouldn't be too sure about that just yet, Flash." Sunset told him.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"...If I know Ember as well as I do, we can't really count her out until her last Life Point's gone." she responded. "She still has one more turn to try and get back in this. Either way, she's not the type to give up this easily." She glanced over to the audience, specifically where Steel Shadows was sitting with Wonderbolt members Spitfire and Soarin. She could tell that Steel - after having battled Ember before, felt exactly the same way; that Ember still had a small chance to get the win despite Gilda's overwhelming presence.

Gilda, however, was quite sure she'd win the Duel now, since she managed to bring out one of her most powerful monsters to the field. "Alright, Ember..." she told her, "my turn's done, which means Ultimate Falcon's effect on your side of the field wears off." Just as she had said that, Ember's remaining monster had its attack power restored to normal (Darkstorm Dragon: ATK 1700 + 1000 = 2700). "Ya got one turn left, lady..." the Griffonstone student told her. "Just one turn left to beat me... But you ain't getting past my Ultimate Falcon in the shape you're in."

Looking at her Deck, Ember thought to herself, (She's right about one thing: This next turn will probably be my last one... But if she thinks I'm giving up now, she'd better think again...! I want to win this to begin my Pro Dueling career...and even more importantly, get my rematch with Sunset and give her the Duel I should have given her when we first met! But in order to do that...I need to get past this Duel first!) Placing her fingers on her Deck's top card, Ember kept all those dreams and goals in her mind, willing with all her heart that she would - despite the odds - claim her sought-after victory. She then pulled the top card of her Deck, officially beginning her turn.

(So she's going to keep fighting...) thought Gilda. (I figured as much. But there's nothing she can draw now that'll save her from gettin' beat.)

Ember then looked at her card, took a deep breath...and said, "I activate the card that I drew: Pot of Desires!"

"Urk...!" grunted the roughneck, not expecting that. "You're serious...? You ACTUALLY got Pot of Desires now?! That's unbelievable!"

"You're kidding me!" said Rainbow Dash, sounding a little frustrated. "What're the odds THAT would happen?!"

"...Well, this IS a Yu-Gi-Oh! story, so...I'd say the odds were pretty good, actually." Pinkie Pie responded.

After Ember banished the top ten cards of her Deck and drew two more, she looked at the cards in her hand and said to herself, "Okay...this is all I've got left. I'll put everything on this last move...!" Taking one of the cards she drew, she then declared, "First, I'm going to activate the effect of a monster in my hand! To do so, I first have to Tribute my Darkstorm Dragon!"

"Huh? You're gettin' rid of it?" asked Gilda. "Why?"

"To give myself one last chance to win this Duel, of course!" Smiling, Ember then played the card she was holding. "Now come forth! I Summon...Kaiser Glider - Golden Burst!!"

Suddenly, a small light began to twinkle from deep within the dark storm clouds that were generated by Gilda's Ultimate Falcon. That light grew larger and brighter with each passing second before it swallowed up all of the clouds completely. Everyone shielded their eyes as the light energy began to coalesce into a single spot, forming a large sphere in the sky. When the sphere vanished, a glowing golden dragon was left in its place. A fiery orange aura surrounded it as it let out a powerful roar (Kaiser Glider - Golden Burst: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 2200).

"That's your big move??" asked Gilda. "But that guy's not even close to Ultimate Falcon's attack points... And even if it has an effect, it won't work on my monster at all."

Smirking a little, Ember then said, "Both of those statements aren't quite true, Gilda... Just watch! I activate Kaiser Glider's second effect, and I will target your Ultimate Falcon with it!" Her monster then let out another roar as its energy aura began to grow bigger and flow over towards Gilda's Xyz Monster. To Gilda's surprise, the aura seemed to be doing something, indicated by the slight flinch her monster made.

"No way...! What's going on??" she wanted to know. "Your effect shouldn't have done anything to Ultimate Falcon!"

"Well, that's 'cause it DOESN'T do anything to your monster." Ember informed her.

"What're ya talking about...?"

"After it's Normal or Special Summoned," the Bloodstone girl explained, "Kaiser Glider can match the attack power of any monster you control for one turn. In other words, this power affects MY monster, not yours. That's the reason it worked, despite that your Ultimate Falcon had that defensive effect. I only need to target one of your monsters to calculate how much Kaiser Glider's attack changes." At that moment, Ember's new monster had just finish powering itself up (Kaiser Glider - Golden Burst: ATK 2400 > 3500).

"Urrgh...!" grunted Gilda, now realizing what she was saying.

"That was pretty clever of her to do that." said Sunset. "Now both their monsters have the same attack points, which means Ember will be able to destroy Ultimate Falcon."

(Darnit...!) Gilda thought. (I didn't expect something like that to happen...! I had no idea she could do something like that to get around Ultimate Falcon's defenses!) She then stopped her panicking, took a deep breath and said to herself, (Calm down...it might not be as bad as it seems. Sure, she'll be able to destroy my monster, but she'll lose hers, too! As long as she doesn't have a monster with 1,300 or more attack points in her hand to summon, I'm safe. Then next turn, I can summon my last Fuzzy Lanius, hit her for 500 damage, and I'll win the Duel!) She then steeled herself, hoping and praying that she would survive the turn...

Looking at her hand, Ember thought to herself, (Okay...it's all or nothing...) She then shouted, "Alright! I'm moving on to my Battle Phase!! Kaiser Glider, attack Ultimate Falcon now!" Her monster then began charging up its attack, creating a glowing energy ball in its mouth.

(Yes...!!) thought Gilda. (She didn't summon another monster! That means I can win this on my next turn!) She then ordered, "Ultimate Falcon, take that Dragon down!!" Her monster then readied its missiles for another barrage of explosive blasts.

Everyone watching the Duel leaned forward, waiting with anticipation to see what the result would be. At the level these two Duelists were playing at, they felt that ANYTHING could happen at this point.

Ultimate Falcon then fired its missiles as Kaiser Glider fired a ray from its maw, both attacks racing towards one another. "If my Ultimate Falcon has to go," Gilda began to say, "it's gonna take your Dragon down with it!"

"...Guess again." Ember simply replied, taking another card from her hand.

"Huh?"

"I activate ANOTHER monster effect from my hand during the Damage Step!" the blue-skinned teen then said. "I send Honest from my hand to the Graveyard!"

"Aw NO!!!" exclaimed Gilda, knowing exactly what that meant.

"By sending this to the Graveyard while any of my LIGHT-Attribute monsters are battling," Ember told her, "I can have my monster absorb the attack points of its target and get even stronger! Which means my Kaiser Glider is now more than powerful enough to destroy both your Ultimate Falcon AND the rest of your Life Points!"

"And because Honest's effect is just like Kaiser Glider's, in the sense that it doesn't directly affect Ultimate Falcon," Sunset began to say, "that means it'll get around the protection effect, too!" Indeed, Ember's monster was now more powerful than ever, thanks to both its own effect and Honest's (Kaiser Glider - Golden Burst: ATK 3500 + 3500 = 7000).

"Now Kaiser Glider!! End this Duel!!" Ember shouted. "Honest Golden Burst!!" Her Dragon then unleashed its attack at full power, further strengthened by the effect of Honest. The stream of energy that it fired easily snuffed out Ultimate Falcon's missiles before vaporizing Ultimate Falcon itself. The massive explosion generated a massive burst of light that persisted for several seconds before it faded away.

Gilda fell down to her knees in disbelief. "No way..." she said, shocked by what had happened. "I...I lost..." (Gilda: LP 1,300 - 3,500 = 0) (WINNER: Ember).

The result of the Duel shocked everyone who knew Gilda well, though Sunset was also not surprised to see that Ember won the Duel, knowing just how determined she was to achieve her goal of becoming a Pro Duelist.

"No way...!" said Rainbow Dash with an astonished look on her face. "Gilda lost...? I don't believe it..."

"I have to agree...it looked like she had it all won..." Rarity stated. "But that Ember person managed to turn it all around on just a single turn... As unbelievable as it sounds, I suppose these things do tend to happen every now and then."

"...Gilda..." said Fluttershy, feeling sorry for her friendly rival.

"Awwwwww...! Gilda lost...!" whimpered Gabby. "I thought she had it all won after bringing out that Ultimate Falcon guy!"

(Hmmm...she may have lost that Duel...) thought Martin, (but I have this funny feeling that Gilda isn't too depressed about it.)

Still sitting on her knees, Gilda was still processing everything in her mind. (I can't believe it...but it's true: I lost...) she thought. (I actually lost that Duel... I suppose this would be the time that I'd start getting salty and bitter about getting beat...) She then looked up and displayed a satisfied smile on her face, thinking, (But that's what the old me would've probably done, and I ain't her anymore! So what if I lost that one? I played my best game out there, and that's what matters. Besides, I did everything I wanted to do in this tournament, so I'll suck it up and be satisfied with that.)

Standing up on her feet, Gilda walked over towards Ember and said while offering a handshake, "That was an incredible comeback you made there." the kindly roughneck said. "I didn't see it coming. You've got some skills, girl, and I gotta respect that."

Accepting the handshake, the Bloodstone teen replied, saying, "You're pretty good too, Gilda. Honestly, you probably would've won that one had that Pot of Desires not gone my way. That Ultimate Falcon of yours was quite a tough boss monster to beat. I have to say, you might have what it takes to go Pro yourself."

"Heh, maybe." Gilda responded. "But for now, I'm happy just duelin' for kicks." She then smirked a little and added, "But know this, Ember: Next time we meet, it's on again. And I ain't gonna lose that time!"

"I'm looking forward to seeing what you bring with you next time, Gilda." Ember told her.

The Griffonstone girl nodded and then said to her opponent, "In the meantime, you've got a tournament to win, and I'm countin' on you to go all the way! So don't you dare lose to anyone else before I get another shot at ya!" Ember nodded to say that she had every intention of keeping that promise.

Happy to see them getting along and praising each other for a great Duel, Fluttershy smiled and stood up, clapping her hands for the both of them. She was soon joined by Rainbow Dash and the rest of her friends, and soon after, everyone in the stadium gave the two prodigies a roaring round of applause. Ember and Gilda smiled and nodded to each before raising their fists into the air triumphantly.

"That was an amazing Duel!!" announced Megan. "Ember and Gilda have both shown that they're every bit as - if not MORE, skilled compared to their Pro Dueling families! I think I can speak for all of us when I say that the future of dueling is looking brighter than ever with Duelists such as these two in the mix!"

"Well, it looks like Ember's moving on to the Finals." said Flash.

"Sure seems like it." replied Sunset. But then she put on a concerned look and thought, (But that's not what's on my mind right now... Because the next match is Sonata...and Sweetie Belle. And if my hunch about the Dazzlings is right, Sweetie is going to be in for a rough time with them... And I still haven't heard anything from Twi-)

And it was at that very moment that Sunset Duel Gazer began to beep. "Oop...! Spoke too soon..." she said to herself, tapping her Gazer. Speaking into it, she asked, "Hello? Is that you, Twilight?"

"Yeah, Sunset. It's me." said the young Princess's voice on the other end. "Sorry we took so long; we were printing something, and we had a bit of a paper jam. But it's all fixed now."

"So what's up?" asked Sunset. "Did you guys find anything out?"

"...Yeah, we sure did." Twilight answered. "And you need to come and see it for yourself. Can you get over to the office as soon as possible? Don't worry; I don't think you'll have as much trouble getting over here as we did."

"I can be there right away. I'll talk to you then." the jacket-wearing teen told her before clicking her Gazer off. She then said to Flash, "Can you go and tell Megan to call for a thirty-minute intermission before the next Duel?"

"Huh?? A whole half-hour?" asked a surprised Flash. "Why that long? Does it have anything to do about what you asked Twilight and Bright to do?"

Sunset nodded yes, telling him, "Depending on what she tells me, I'll need the extra time to look it over and figure out what to do. So just let Megan know right away; I have to go and see Twilight immediately."

"You can count on me, Sunset." the boy told her, getting up and running over to Megan just as Sunset took her leave, heading into the stadium halls.

Meanwhile, in the stadium locker rooms, the Dazzlings had just finished watching the Duel between Ember and Gilda on their D-Pad and put it aside for now (which means they didn't see Sunset suddenly leaving the arena and weren't aware of what she was doing). "Finally, that Duel's over! I thought it would never finish!" Aria said impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue, Aria." Adagio told her. "And it's also much quieter than complaining."

"Pffft...whatever." Aria huffed. She then asked, "So, we ready to go or what?"

"Again...patience..." Adagio replied, looking over their Deck. After inspecting every card inside, she nodded and said, "I think this will do just nicely..." Inserting the Deck into the Duel Pad and giving it to Sonata, she told her, "Here; this should be more than enough to ensure a swift and embarrassing defeat for that little girl you're about to Duel. There's no way she'll be able to fight back. Just play the strategy exactly as we told you, and you can't lose."

Sonata smirked a little as she strapped the device onto her left arm, saying, "Got it, Dagi. I won't let ya down!"

"You'd better not." Aria warned her. "Or you'll never hear the end of it from me." Sonata simply just stuck her tongue out at her in response.

Tapping her chin, Adagio hummed a little to herself. "Hmmm...that's odd..." she thought out-loud. "I haven't heard anything from those guys we hired..."

"Ya mean the ones that we told to block the path leading to that Dunstan guy's office?" asked Aria. "So that even he wouldn't be able to rat us out if he managed to find out what we've been up to? What about it?"

"...Well, considering that we promised them a major reward for doing as we asked, you'd think they would have called us to ask for the money." Adagio noted. "Not that we were going to keep our word anyway. But still...it's odd that we haven't heard from them since we met them."

"Eh, who cares?" said Aria. "We've almost got this tournament in the bag. We win the whole thing, give our client the info she needs, and we get a big reward for it all. It's smooth sailing at this point."

"...I suppose I may be worrying about nothing after all." Adagio responded, deciding that it wasn't worth looking into.

Little did any of them know that Sunset was already onto them, and that the thugs the Dazzlings hired had already been dealt with thanks to three very helpful Duelists. Because of that, Sunset had no trouble reaching Mr. Dunstan's office, where Twilight, Spike, and Bright Mind were all waiting for her. "Hey! Here comes Sunset!" the dragon-turned-puppy said, pointing over at her, prompting Twilight and Bright to look over in that direction.

Upon reaching them, Sunset said to them, "Okay, I'm here... So what's up?"

"Well," Twilight began to say to her, "we looked up Sonata's information on the Tournament Entrant Data Files, just like you asked..."

"And?"

Sighing, the Princess of Friendship handed her friend some papers and told her, "...You were right. Sonata DID cheat in her last Duel, in the exact way you thought she did. And these papers - compared to the footage of the Duel that Bright had recorded, prove it."

Sunset then took the papers, which listed Sonata's Deck List from when she participated in the Preliminary Round. She looked over them while recalling the Duel Sonata had with Bright in her head. After she was done, Sunset then sighed and said, "To be honest, this was the ONE time that I hoped I was wrong about her... I really hoped that those three would have learned their lesson after the last time, or at least tried to make an honest living now that they didn't have their magic anymore... But I guess they haven't changed a bit, even after all this time..." She then clenched her hands, causing the papers to wrinkle a bit.

Feeling her friend's slight frustration, Twilight asked, "Sunset...? Are you alright...?"

"...I'll be fine Twilight." the red-and-yellow girl told her, easing up a little. "You did what I asked, and I'm grateful to all of you for it. What matters now is figuring out what to do about it. You three should head back to the stadium, but stay out of sight of the Dazzlings; I don't want them to know that we're onto them, since I'm sure those guys that blocked your way were hired by them. If they don't see you, they might assume that you weren't able to get past them."

"Understandable." Bright Mind replied, agreeing with her. "And what will you be doing in the meantime?"

"I'll talk with Mr. Dunstan and figure out what to do next." Sunset answered. "For now, I'll handle things from here."

"Good luck, Sunset." Twilight told her. "I know things will work out in the end."

"Yeah, don't get so bummed out!" Spike told her. "I know you were hoping those three would change, but it's not your fault that they didn't learn anything from last time."

(Maybe so...) thought Sunset, (but maybe this time I can see if I can try and get through to them...somehow...) She then smiled and said to Spike, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind, Spike. For now, you and the others should head on back." Twilight, Spike, and Bright nodded as they left for the arena. Sunset then looked at the papers again and said, (Whatever the case,) she then thought to herself, (I need to do what needs to be done... I don't know what kind of game you're playing, Dazzlings...but I'm not about to let you ruin THIS game for anyone else!)

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 3):

Ember vs. Gilda [WINNER: Ember]
Sonata Dusk vs. Sweetie Belle [WINNER: ???]

Author's Note

Well, this was certainly a fun - if not tricky Duel - to write for this Rank. I wanted show off as many strong cards as I could in this one, including the infamous Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon. The tricky part was figuring out how to have Ember get around it, but I think what I cam up with worked out fine.

As for the next Rank...well, I have some interesting ideas for that one, you can be sure of that.

RANK 56: The Sirens' Swan Song, Part 2:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The Semifinals of the WCQ Qualification Tournament had stalled a bit as a result of several shocking developments: Sunset Shimmer - with the help of several friends - had uncovered evidence that Sonata Dusk - a member of the Dazzlings and a competitor in the tournament - had been cheating with the help of her sisters Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze. When she confronted the trio about their disregarding of the rules, the Dazzlings snapped back, refusing to let their chance to get revenge on Sunset and her friends from their last encounter. However, things changed when Sunset discovered that they were also Number Card holders; not wanting to let them get away and possibly use the cards' power to cause even more trouble, Sunset offered to Duel them. If the Dazzlings won, they could remain in the tournament. If Sunset won, they would be officially disqualified, with the loser's Numbers also being awarded to the winner as well.

Sunset began the Duel fighting Sonata, who found out the hard way that Sunset wasn't as easy of an opponent to beat, especially since the cards she was currently using weren't exactly suitable for fighting Sunset's Chronomaly strategy. Despite this, Sonata managed to summon her Number Card: Number 47: Nightmare Shark. She attempted to use it in order to finish Sunset off quick (and to prove to her sisters that she wasn't as dumb as she felt they thought she was). However, Sunset managed to counter the move perfectly (and legally) by summoning one of her own Numbers, Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk. When her Number was destroyed, Sonata fainted as a result of expending a lot of her own energy from just summoning her Number. Just when everyone thought that the Duel was over, Aria stepped in and took over the Duel from where Sonata left off.

Now Aria has made her first move, and made quite a strong move at that. She managed to summon her own Number to the field: the mighty Number 17: Leviathan Dragon. Now Sunset needs to figure out how to beat it, before it can consume her chances of winning this battle...

There was quite a bit of tension hanging in the air above CHS Stadium, which was currently hosting the WCQ Qualification tournament. However, the tournament schedule was put on hold when Sunset Shimmer - the official Judge for the event - discovered that Sonata Dusk had been cheating during her last Duel with Bright Mind. She then challenged the trio to a Duel to not only determine whether or not they could stay in the competition, but also to relieve them of the Number Cards that they had somehow gotten a hold of.

"This Duel had become quite intense..." noted Steel Shadows, who was sitting in the audience with his fellow Wonderbolts members Soarin and Spitfire. "Neither side is allowing the other to remain in control for more than a turn."

"Yeah, not to mention those weird cards they're bringin' out..." said Soarin. "Just what kinds of wacko monsters are they using??"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Soarin." Spitfire replied. "I've traveled all over the country and beyond, but I've never seen nor heard of cards like the ones they've got out right now. All I can say for sure is that they're tougher than anything I've seen up until now..."

Further up in the stands, Sunset's friends were discussing the current situation with each other. "Unbelievable...!" Rarity spoke. "Just when Sunset managed to defeat Sonata's Number Card, her bandmate then comes in with a Number of her own! Where on Earth could they have gotten those cards from...?"

"My guess?" began Applejack. "Ah'd say they got 'em from those weirdos that're comin' after us fer some reason."

"You means like that meanie-pants Diamondbright?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"That's certainly one way to describe her..." noted Rarity, recalling the time in Manehatten when Sweetie had fought against her.

"Oh my..." said a worried Fluttershy. "If that's true...then this Duel could be much more dangerous that we could have ever thought..."

"Who cares how dangerous it is?" asked Rainbow Dash rhetorically. "Sunset's gonna beat those three and teach 'em all a lesson! Besides, there's no way that she would ever let them get away with cheating in this tournament!"

In the arena, off to the sidelines, Adagio Dazzle watched the Duel closely. She then glanced over at Sonata, who was still dazed and unconscious as a result of the destruction of her Number Card. Huffing, she then returned her focus to the Duel in progress and thought, (You'd better not let me down, Aria...)

On the other side, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Flash Sentry, and Sweetie Belle were also focusing their attention on the Duel, wondering just what was going to happen next. "To think that one of the other Dazzlings had a Number too, just like Sonata did..." Flash spoke.

"I'm willing to bet all three of them have a Number Card, to be honest." Twilight told him. "And I'm sure they were planning to use them to fight Sunset this whole time. That's probably the reason they showed up here in the first place."

"Yeah, they want to get back at her and probably all of us for totally wrecking their plans during the Battle of the Bands." Spike said. "I thought we'd never see them again, but now they're back and even worse than before!"

"...Sunset's going to stop them. I just know it!" Sweetie said. "She won't let those three beat her!" She was quite optimistic, truly believing in Sunset (or perhaps because she didn't want to fight the Dazzlings afterward).

Sunset Shimmer stared up at the massive Number Card staring her down, as if it saw its opponent more as lunch than as a worthy adversary (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: Rank 3 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0 / OLU 2). "Wishin' you kept your nose out of our business now, huh?" asked Aria's voice. "Well you're too late for that: We were plannin' to destroy you and your friends the moment we walked through those doors to enter the tournament."

"If you guys were so fixated on fighting us so bad," Sunset began to ask her opponent, "then why here and now? If you three have some problem with us, you could have just confronted us on your own, instead of trying to cheat your way through this tournament at the expense of other Duelists who came here to win fair and square."

Aria hesitated for a second or two before answering, "...Well, seeing as how you and your friends decided to humiliate the three of us in front of a crowd at the Battle of the Bands, and doing that with singing - the one thing we were all good at, I think it's only fitting that we'd crush you at the thing that YOU were good at, in front of another crowd!" Sunset hummed a bit; it sounded like a plausible reason indeed, but she felt that there was more to their plan here than what Aria was willing to tell her. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now." the pig-tailed Dazzling then told her foe, "In this stadium or out of it, we'll take great pleasure in wiping you out!"

"That's not going to happen!" Sunset told her. "I won't let you three ruin this tournament over something like this! Now finish your move!"

"...Alright, if you insist..." Aria said in a low tone. She then took out a card from underneath her Number Card and declared, "Now I activate the effect of Leviathan Dragon. By just removing one of its overlay units, I can increase its attack power by 500!" The massive sea dragon creature then drew in one of the two blue orbs that flew around it into its mouth and devoured it whole (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). Then, a violet aura surrounded the monster, strengthening it even further as it roared loudly to show its dominance (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: ATK 2000 + 500 = 2500).

"So that thing can grow stronger by absorbing its overlay units?" asked Sunset. Worried, she then then thought, (That's not good... I used up both of Chateau Huyuk's overlay units already, so I can't de-power her Number Card with its effect anymore... There's nothing I can do to save it.) She then prepared herself for the inevitable attack against her.

Elsewhere, in the audience stands, Derpy Hooves (who had lost to Sonata during the first round of the tournament) was holding her smartphone up so that the camera was facing the Duel in progress. But she wasn't merely recording the match. "Are you seeing this, Doctor?" asked the grey girl, speaking into her Duel Gazer's microphone.

"Indeed, Ms. Derpy." said The Doctor's voice from the other end. "The Tardis's computer has synched up with your phone perfectly, as I intended. I can see everything that your device is recording." Observing the video feed from where he was, he then told her, "And from what I see, things don't seem too favorable for Sunset..."

"Yeah, it sure doesn't..." said Derpy. "I just wish I could have known that Sonata and those other two had Numbers much sooner; then you could have come here and dealt with them..."

"It's forgivable, Derpy." The Doctor told her. "Unlike Sunset and myself, you do not possess the ability to detect those that carry Numbers. Besides, from what you have told me concerning these 'Dazzlings', they seemed to already have very sour attitudes to begin with, so it would been hard for you to even suspect they were Number Holders...unlike that other individual you told me about; Night was his name?"

"Yeah, Night Switch." she confirmed. "I saw him sometime before my Duel in the tournament; he seemed as though he was talking to himself, and he was acting awfully creepy, too... Well, moreso than he did during his Duel, at least. It was like he shifted to another personality or something... It was hard to tell, and I haven't seen him anywhere since he lost his Duel, so I'm guessing he didn't stick around afterwards."

"Yes, I recall you said something to that effect in one of our earlier conversations..." The Doctor noted. "We still need more hard evidence, but for now, we may have to keep an eye on him as well. For now, we should focus on the matter in front of us: We must have faith that Sunset will overcome the Dazzlings, or be ready to step in if she cannot." Derpy nodded as she continued to film the Duel in the arena, also hoping that Sunset would be able to pull through and win the Duel.

Back at the Duel, Aria was ready to begin her assault on whom she and her fellow Dazzlings perceived as their mortal enemy. "Alright, Sunset... Your time in the spotlight is about to meet a real nasty end!" she cackled. "I've been waitin' SO long for this moment, and now it's finally here!" Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Go, Leviathan Dragon!! Attack her with your Vice Stream!!" The massive dragon roared loudly as it fired its massive attack, shooting a stream of purple energy at Sunset's only monster, reducing it to mere rubble.

"Urrghh!!!" Sunset grunted upon taking the hit (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,000 - 500 = 2,500). Luckily, unlike Sonata, Sunset had more than enough strength to keep going even after losing her Number monster.

"Still standin', huh?" asked Aria. "Good... I want this to keep goin' just a little while longer. Moppin' the arena floor with you every turn is way too much fun for it to end too soon!"

Sunset was a bit disturbed by that comment; she could tell that the Number Aria was holding was bringing out more of her sadistic side. Aria didn't just want to simply beat Sunset, but to do it as slow and painfully as possible. "This whole thing may be 'fun' for you," she then told her, "but that fun's about to end pretty soon! There's no way I'm gonna let you and your sisters wreck this tournament just because of a grudge you have against me and my friends!"

"Heh...you think that's ALL this is about, Sunset?" asked Aria. "Sure, we're here to crush you and get our revenge, but for me, there's more to it than just that... I should've been the one to be dueling in this tournament, not that brick-head Sonata! I'm sure it's 'cause of her slipping up somewhere that you were able to discover what we were up to! That has to be it! But does anyone listen to me? NO!! No one takes me seriously! Not even my own sister Adagio!! In fact, I'll bet most of you don't even know what my name is, either!!"

"Aw, come on!" Pinkie Pie shouted to Aria. "Like it's our fault you never said your name during the Rainbow Rocks special?"

Adagio raised an eyebrow towards Aria's comment, a bit irked by it, but choosing not to say or do anything in response. Meanwhile, Aria continued her rant, telling Sunset, "Well, that ends here...! By the time this Duel's over, I'll make sure you and EVERYBODY here learns to fear and respect the name of Aria Blaze!!"

Thinking about everything Aria had just said, Sunset thought to herself, (Just like with Sonata, Aria has a reason for fighting me beyond just simply getting revenge... She feels inadequate because she thinks everyone is ignoring her and her opinions... She even feels that way towards Adagio; now that I think about it, she did seem to question Adagio's decisions in the few times I've seen them.) Looking at her Deck, she then told herself, "Well, Aria might have her reasons for winning this Duel, but so do I... I just have to hope my reasons for winning are greater than hers are." She then drew her next card for the turn and looked at it. (My Stonehenge Methods Trap... I might be able to use this, but it's kind of a long shot, and if it doesn't work...it could mean the end for me...)

"Hey! You gonna make your move or what?!" Aria shouted to her enemy. "When I said I wanted to keep this going a while longer, I didn't mean you could slow play!"

Ignoring Aria's rudeness, Sunset went on with her move and said, "First, I'll play my Chronomaly Moai Carrier in Defense Mode. Since you have at least one card on your field and I don't, I can Special Summon it straight to my field." After playing her card, her blue stone monster then appeared on the field, glowing with a bright light (Chronomaly Moai Carrier: Level 5 / ATK 900 / DEF 1800). After she did that, Sunset then took the Trap Card she drew for the turn and set it to her field, saying, "Lastly, I'll play a card face-down to end my turn."

"That's all she's gonna do?" asked Spike.

"I think that might be all she can do..." said Flash, getting worried. "Sunset's in a real bad position, and there's no doubt her opponent's going to take advantage of it."

Twilight knew that things looked bad for Sunset, but hoped with all her heart that things would work out...somehow. (Stay strong, Sunset...) she mentally said to her friend. (You can do this... You can overcome this...!)

Aria, however, snickered and said, "That's all you've got left for me? It's almost kinda sad that this is how you'll got out... Whatever, it seems this game's not gonna go on for as long as I was hoping; I was so ready to enjoy bringing you down slowly..."

"Just make your move..." Sunset told her.

"Hmph...fine." Aria then drew her next card and played it right away. "I'll activate my Pot of Extravagance! I'll banish six random cards out of my Extra Deck in order to draw two more cards from my Deck!" She then said. "May as well do it, since I won't be needing the rest of my Extra Deck for this Duel anyway..." As her opponent resolved the effect of her Spell Card, Sunset now was wondering just what else Aria planned for her.

Taking the two cards from the top her Deck, Aria said in a rather bored-sounding tone, "Personally, I was kinda hoping you'd put up more of a fight than this, Sunset... Destroying you in this Duel isn't any fun if you don't even fight me back. So I guess I'll just have to make my own enjoyment then!" She then pointed to her Number monster and declared, "So just for kicks, I'll use Leviathan Dragon's effect to raise its attack power again!" Her monster then devoured its remaining overlay unit (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: OLU 1 - 1 = 0), becoming even stronger as a result (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: ATK 2500 + 500 = 3000).

"Now it's at three thousand attack points..." said Sunset, having no idea of how she could possibly take it down now.

"But that's not all:" said Aria. "Since the monster I detached from Leviathan Dragon was my Atlantean Marksman, I can use his effect to destroy your face-down card. So there won't be any comeback coming from you this turn!" Sunset gasped as a small, trident-shaped arrow struck her Stonehenge Methods card and destroyed it. "Next," Aria continued, "I'll summon Atlantean Dragoons in Attack Mode!" Instantly, the Dazzlings' seahorse-riding warriors entered the field, ready to strike (Atlantean Dragoons: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 0). "And last but not least," the pig-tailed Dazzling added, "I'll play my Field Spell Card, Lemuria, the Forgotten City! That raises the attack and defense power of all WATER monsters by another 200!"

Everyone watched as the massive, partially-sunken city rose up from the ground, bring with it a massive ocean. The audience stands were transformed from the sandstone-esque image that the D-Gazers displayed, to a polished white marble. Immediately, both of Aria's monster received a small boost from the Field Spell, becoming more powerful (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: ATK 3000 + 200 = 3200 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200) (Atlantean Dragoons: ATK 1800 + 200 = 2000 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200).

"This isn't good..." said Rarity. "Now that her second monster is strong enough to destroy her defense monster, Aria will win the Duel if both of her attacks land successfully!"

"You...you mean... Sunset is about to lose...?" asked Fluttershy, becoming more worried than usual.

"No...no, this can't be how it ends!" protested Rainbow Dash, not wanting to believe that her friend was about to lose the Duel.

"...Hmmmmm..." hummed Pinkie Pie, who seemed to have a feeling that she knew just how this was going to turn out...

But from Sunset's perspective, she was sure that this was going to end poorly for her. (...Sorry everyone...) she thought to herself. (I guess this is it... Just another mistake to add to my growing list, I guess...)

"Heheheh... prepare to lose, Sunset; you'll never get in our way ever again...!" Aria cackled, sure that she had just defeated her. "Go, Atlantean Dragoons! Spear her Moai Carrier!!" Aria's two warriors then worked as one unit to eliminate the only monster that Sunset had left to defend her. With no cards left to protect her, it seemed like it was the end of the road for the red-and-yellow teen. "Now...it's time to finish this and finally get our revenge!!" shouted Aria in a crazed tone. "Finish her off, Leviathan Dragon!! ATTACK!!!" Sunset closed her eyes and turned her head away, expecting the worst. As everyone watched on in disbelief and awaited what was sure to be unceremonious end for Sunset...

...Nothing happened.

After a few seconds of eerie silence, Sunset opened one of her eyes, realizing that - somehow - she was perfectly okay. For some reason, she was still standing, and she still had all of her Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,500). She looked straight towards Leviathan Dragon and saw that it was just sitting there doing nothing. "Huh...??" Sunset began to ask, confused as to what was going on. "...It didn't attack me...? What's going on?"

"Ummm... did something go wrong?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Why isn't that big dragon thing attacking her? I'm not complaining of course, but still..."

"Yeah, this is really weird..." said Flash, unsure of the situation as well.

Twilight then asked Utopia in her thoughts, (Utopia...? What's wrong with Aria's Number Card? Why isn't it obeying her?) Utopia said nothing at first, but seemed to have a feeling as to what was going on.

Aria, however, was the most startled by the inaction of her most powerful card. "Huh?! What's goin' on?!?" she asked, confused and angry. She looked up at her Number Card and shouted to it, "What're you doin'?! I told you to attack her!! ATTACK HER!!! What part of 'attack her' didn't you get?!?"

Sunset wasn't sure exactly how she survived this Battle Phase; despite how many times Aria yelled at her monster to attack, it didn't. (Something weird's going on here...) she thought. (But what? For some reason, that Number doesn't want to attack...) Then, a thought came to her. (Hold on...maybe if I can bring up the image of that card, I might be able to figure out what happened...) She then tapped her D-Pad and brought up the picture of Aria's Number Card. Though the device could not translate the Astral Language on the card, Sunset could still read it off of the displayed image. After she read the card's text, Sunset gasped, saying, "No way...!"

"Grrrrrr....!! What's wrong with this stupid thing?!" yelled Aria. "Why isn't it attacking?!?" Just then, she heard a soft laughter from Sunset Shimmer. Turning her attention over towards her foe, Aria asked her, "What're you laughing about?!" She then gasped and asked, "No...you didn't...! Did you have something to do with this?! What'd you do to my monster?!?"

Finishing her chuckling, the jacket-wearing girl answered, telling her opponent, "That's just the problem: I didn't do anything. The reason your Number isn't attacking me is because of something YOU did."

"You big fat LIAR!!" Aria shouted, denying it.

"...It's all true." Sunset insisted. "If you don't believe me, then why don't you read the text on your card and see for yourself?"

"Urrgh, FINE!" grumbled Aria. "If it'll get you to shut up already..." The pink Dazzling then read the card's text for a while... And then her irises shrunk and her heart dropped when she read a particular line of text on the card's effect...

*******************************

Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Dragon/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 2000/DEF 0)

2 Level 3 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Cannot attack directly unless it has material. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; it gains 500 ATK.

*******************************

"What the-?!" asked Aria, cringing after reading the effect. "This stupid card can't attack directly if it doesn't have any materials?!?" Now she realized what had happened: When she detached Leviathan Dragon's last material during her Main Phase 1 to increase its attack strength, she unknowingly prevented it from being able to attack Sunset unless she had a monster out.

Snickering a little - and then going into a hysteric laugh, Rainbow Dash asked her friends, "Didja hear that?! That Aria chick misplayed! Now she can't attack Sunset with her Number Card this turn!"

"Oh my... That's a relief..." said Fluttershy, who was thankful that Sunset would be okay. "I thought that... Well, never mind what I thought."

"That means Sunset will survive Aria's turn, and she can strike back on her own turn." noted Rarity. "There's still hope!"

"C'mon, you guys really thought Sunset was gonna lose just like that?" asked Pinkie Pie. "That would be the worst possible ending, not to mention it'd make the episode WAAAAAAAY too short!"

"...Pinkie, do y'all ever actually understand half o' what yer talkin' about?" Applejack asked her silly friend.

"Eh, I fade in and out to be perfectly honest." Pinkie answered her, which didn't really help explain much.

Back at the Duel, Sunset smirked a little, knowing that she had the upper hand for the moment. "Well, this has to be pretty embarrassing for you, Aria." she told her opponent. "Especially after that whole speech about how you thought YOU should have been dueling in the tournament, and how you were so much better than Sonata. I'm not gonna lie; I don't think even Sonata would have made that bad a blunder even if she tried to."

"You shut it!!" Aria shouted, trying to act tough, despite what had just happened.

"She isn't wrong, Aria!" shouted the annoyed-sounding voice of Adagio, which caused her sister to turn around towards her in shock. "As much as I don't want to admit it, Shimmer's right!" she scolded Aria. "You always do this sort of thing! You get overconfident and smug, thinking you could do better than either me or Sonata, and what happens? You end up making a mistake that ruins everything! That's the reason I had Sonata duel in the tournament instead of you! She makes mistakes too, but at least SHE doesn't have an ego the size of a whale!"

"Sh-shut up, Adagio!" argued Aria, offended by her sister's words for her. "So what if I made one little mistake?! It only buys Sunset one more turn! This doesn't mean a thing!" Even so, she knew there was nothing else she could do for the rest of the turn, so she reluctantly said, "I'm leaving the Battle Phase and setting a card face-down to end my turn! Now hurry up with your move already!"

Sunset nodded and thought to herself, (Okay... I managed to hold out for another turn... But with my field completely empty, I need to turn things around right now!) She then drew her card for the turn and continued to think, (This won't be much help right now, but thankfully, I saved this in my hand for just such an occasion...) She then took out a different card and played, saying, "I activate my Pot of Desires!"

"What?!" shouted Aria. "There's no way you drew that just now!"

"As a matter of fact, I didn't." Sunset confirmed. "I actually drew it in my opening hand, but decided to save it for a time I really needed it..." The red-and-yellow teen then followed the card's instructions, banishing ten cards off the top of her Deck and drawing two more. "And it's a good thing I did, because I was able to get this card! I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Chronomaly Golden Jet in Attack Mode!" At that moment, her strange, ancient-looking jet plane appeared from out of a dark-violet portal in front of her (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400).

"That stupid blinged-out paper airplane is supposed to scare me?" joked Aria.

"No, what it'll help me bring out will." Sunset informed her. "But first, I think it's time I showed off a brand new member of my Deck for the first time!" She then played another card from her hand and said, "I Normal Summon...Chronomaly Tuspa Rocket in Attack Mode!" Her next card was one she hadn't shown off before: A large spaceship rocket that appeared to have been carved out of an orange and brown-colored stone. In the center of it was a glass dome with a man wearing an ancient-looking, spacesuit-like uniform. Despite that it should have no way of being able to fly, it was floating in mid-air effortlessly (Chronomaly Tuspa Rocket: Level 4 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000).

"What's that card?" asked Applejack. "Ah've never seen Sunset play that before."

"I guess it must have been released not that long ago..." Rarity figured. "But what does it do?"

Sunset was more than happy to explain her new Chronomaly monster's effect for everyone watching, especially her opponent Aria. "Now, for those who aren't familiar with this monster, let me tell you what it does:" the jacket-clad girl began to say. "After it's Normal or Special Summoned, Tupsa Rocket lets me send any Chronomaly monster from my Deck or Extra Deck to the Graveyard to weaken any of my opponent's monsters by 200 times its Level or Rank."

"So you're gonna try and weaken my Leviathan Dragon with that useless hunk of rock?" asked Aria, not impressed even slightly. "That's the best you've got?"

"Heh...actually, that's not what I'm doing." Sunset told her. "I have a better idea in mind for dealing with your Number Card. But before we get into that, I'll use Tuspa Rocket's effect to send Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard to drop your Atlantean Dragoons' attack power!" And after she did so, Aria's card began to drop a little, losing some of its power (Atlantean Dragoons: ATK 2000 - 600 = 1400).

"That still isn't gonna help you!" Aria told her enemy. "Both my monsters are still more powerful than either of yours!"

"I'm afraid I'm not quite finished yet." Sunset informed her. "Now I'll activate Golden Jet's effect and raise the Levels of both itself and Tuspa Rocket by one each!" (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 + 1 = 5) (Chronomaly Tuspa Rocket: Level 4 + 1 = 5) And with that move made, she then said, "Now both of my monsters are Level 5... You know what that means, right?"

"Huh? You're not-!" But Aria knew that Sunset was about to make a big move next, one that she likely wasn't prepared for.

(Now Sunset is summoning the second Number that was directly entrusted to her...) Utopia said to Twilight.

(And hopefully, it will help her defeat those Dazzlings and put an end to whatever they're up to.) the young Princess hoped.

Putting her right hand into the air, Sunset then shouted, "I overlay Golden Jet and Tuspa Rocket - both currently Level 5, and build the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters on the field then transformed into a pair of lights - one yellow and one orange - that flew into a galaxy-like vortex in the center of the field. The red-and-yellow girl then chanted, "Emerge, Number 33! Mysterious machine of ancient times, come forth and unleash your power upon my foes! Xyz Summon!! Megalopolis of monsters! Rank 5! Chronomaly Machu Mech!!" After she finished, the portal exploded, revealing a 33 mark on the field, out of which emerged her flying fortress-like Number monster (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: Rank 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Oh no...! Not another Number...!!" said Aria, realizing that she was in trouble now.

Taking a card from underneath her Xyz Monster, Sunset told her opponent, "I remove an overlay unit from Machu Mech and activate its effect: I select one of your monsters and then inflict damage on you equal to the difference between that monster's original attack power and its current attack power! And since you were SO generous to pump up Leviathan Dragon's attack points, this'll be a massive blow!" Sunset's monster then supercharged itself with one of its two yellow light orbs (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), surrounded both itself and Aria's Number with a yellow light, and drew in some energy from Leviathan Dragon into one of its cannons. "Now, Machu Mech! Fire your Infinity Cannon!!" Sunset shouted, prompting the fortress to unleash a devastating blast that struck Aria hard.

"AAAACCK!!" screeched the Dazzling, losing almost the rest of her Life Points (Aria Blaze: LP 2,000 - 1,200 = 800). She then began to pant and sweat a little out of exhaustion. (What's..what's going on...?) she thought, her eyes getting a little hazy. (I'm...getting tired...? No way... Am I... Am I gonna end up...just like Sonata...?)

"I'm afraid that's not the end of my monster's effect." Sunset continued to tell her opponent. "Now those Life Points you just lost transfer over to Machu Mech's attack points." Her Number then drew in a large portion of energy into itself, making it more powerful than before (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: ATK 2400 + 1200 = 3600). "And that's not all:" she added. "Since Tuspa Rocket was used to Xyz Summon Machu Mech, it can attack twice per turn instead of just once!"

"That's awesome!!" said Rainbow Dash. "That means she can take out both of Aria's monsters and win the Duel! I knew those jerks couldn't beat Sunset!"

"Let's just hope that Aria doesn't have some way to counter her attack..." said Fluttershy, recalling that the Dazzling still had a face-down card on the field.

Sunset saw that Aria was staring to look tired, possibly for the same reasons that caused Sonata to collapse earlier on. She didn't want to put Aria in the same state, but she knew that there wasn't any other alternative at this point. Reluctantly, she shouted, "Now! Machu Mech! Attack Leviathan Dragon and Atlantean Dragoons in that order!" The massive Number monster prepared to launch what everyone on Sunset's side hoped would be the final blow against the Dazzlings.

"Urrrgh...! I don't care what happens to me now, but there's no way you're getting off THAT easy!!" Aria shouted with as much as she could muster. "I activate Enchanted Javelin against the attack on Leviathan Dragon!!"

"Enchanted Javelin?!" asked Sunset, caught a little off-guard.

"Thanks to this card, I can raise my Life Points by an amount equal to your Machu Mech's attack points!" said Aria as her card increased her Life Points dramatically (Aria Blaze: LP 800 + 3600 = 4,400).

(That means I can't finish this Duel on this attack...) noted Sunset. (Not only that, but I believe that card wasn't on their Deck List either, meaning they cheated that card into their Deck, too...) She then told Aria, "Still, that won't stop Machu Mech's attack!" The powerful Number than fired its cannons, blasting Leviathan Dragon and destroying it (Aria Blaze: LP 4,400 - 400 = 4,000), before turning its attention to the weakened Atlantean Dragoons and doing the same to that monster as well, depleting another sizeable chunk of Aria's Life Points in the process (Aria Blaze: LP 4,000 - 2,200 = 1,800).

"Urrrgh..." grunted Aria, trying her best to stay strong. "You... you won't... You won't beat..." But before she could finish her sentence, Aria collapsed to the ground just like Sonata did.

"Oh my...!" gasped Rarity. "Now Aria's been knocked unconscious as well!"

"Yeesh..." said Rainbow Dash, "I kinda feel sorry for them now... Don't get me wrong, they deserve it, but still..."

"Well, Ah'm sure Sunset's none too happy with havin' t' do that to 'em either." said Applejack.

Indeed, she wasn't. Sunset did feel bad about knocking out Aria as well as Sonata, but she knew that this point, there was no other option she could choose. She also knew that - despite Aria fainting - this game wasn't over yet...

"Hmph...It's true what they say..." Adagio grumbled to herself, "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself..." She then got up from her seat and walked into the arena towards Sunset Shimmer.

"Now what's she doing?" Sweetie Belle asked as she and those she was sitting with watched Adagio entering the field.

"Well, based on the fact that Aria stepped in for Sonata after she fainted," Flash guessed, "it's safe to assume that she's about to do the same thing now that Aria's been knocked out too."

"Maybe so..." thought Twilight. "But I know Sunset will get through this. We just have to keep hoping for the best, and believe that she can defeat them in the end."

"Yeah, Sunset's gonna need all the help she can get..." Spike noted. "Now she's facing the leader of Dazzlings, and I'm sure she's got all sorts of sneaky things planned for this Duel..."

As Adagio entered the area where Aria had once stood, Sunset watched as the Dazzlings' leader calmly and stoically picked up her fallen sister and carried her back to the bench where the still-unconscious Sonata was sitting before returning to the battlefield, carrying the Duel Pad that Aria had on her left arm. "Let me guess:" the young Judge began to ask her, "You're filling in for Aria now, am I right?"

"...That's exactly right, Shimmer." Adagio answered, strapping the D-Pad to her arm. "As much as it annoys me that I have to take over for Aria and Sonata when they should have taken care of this on their own, I'm kind of glad that it came to this: I so wanted to deliver my wrath to you personally, and now I finally have the opportunity to do just that. Now prepare yourself, Shimmer: I'm going to finish the job that my sisters couldn't! And not only will I finally get our revenge on you, but once your Number cards become mine, I'm going to collect the rest of them and finally bring this world under MY rule!! You won't be able to stop me as easily as you did back when we first met; I'll see to that personally!"

"Is that so? Then bring it on, Adagio!" shouted Sunset. "Let's finish this once and for all!" Taking a card from her hand - the card she drew for her turn, she placed it into her D-Pad and said, "For my Main Phase 2, I'll set a card in my back row and end my turn!" Looking at her set card on the field, Sunset then thought, (Since both Sonata and Aria summoned Number Cards already in this Duel, I have no doubt that Adagio will do the same... But when she does, I can use my Breakthrough Skill card to hinder her Number as soon as it shows up... Hopefully, that'll be enough to win this Duel for me...) Looking towards her opponent, she told her, "Alright, now let's see if you can do any better than your sisters did." (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,500)

"Hmph... Who do you think was the one who constructed this Deck in the first place, Shimmer?" Adagio asked her (Adagio Dazzle: LP 1,800). "I know all of the cards in it, and every one of its best strategies. I will tell you right now: I'm in a whole other league compared to my siblings, and I'll be the one to put you and your meddling friends in their proper places!" She then drew her card for the turn and smirked. "And right away, my Deck is about to show its true power now that it's in my hands once again... I activate Card of Demise!"

"Card of Demise?!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "Doesn't that card let Adagio draw 'til she's got five cards in her hand?!"

"Not anymore." Babs informed her cousin. "Dat card got an errata a while ago, so it ain't as powahful as it used t' be. Now the card only lets 'er draw 'til she's got three cards in 'er hand, then she's gotta send anythin' left in 'er hand to the Graveyard at the end o' the turn. Not only that, but now she can't damage Sunset or Special Summon any monsters for the rest o' the turn either."

"Well, that's a bit of a relief..." Scootaloo responded, thankful that the card was not as broken as it used to be in the past. "Still with no cards in her hand, that means she can just draw three more cards!"

"Yeah, it ain't good fer Sunset..." Babs agreed. "Hopefully whatevah dat Adagio chick draws ain't gonna be anythin' that'll give 'er control of the Duel again..."

Chuckling a little, Adagio asked her adversary, "Scared yet, Shimmer? I told you I'm on a different level compared to my fellow Dazzlings."

"Well, that depends on whether or not you draw anything good with your Spell Card." Sunset reminded her. "So just draw your three cards and get on with your turn."

"Yes, but of course, Shimmer..." said the Dazzlings' leader as she drew three more cards from her Deck. Looking at the cards she drew, Adagio smirked, satisfied with what she managed to get. "Alright, I'll just make the rest of my turn simple:" she told Sunset. "I'll just set a monster in Defense Mode, and place the other two cards in my back row, face-down. Your move."

Drawing her card for the turn, Sunset looked over Adagio's side of the field. (That Card of Demise let her draw three more cards this turn, so she could be trying just about anything...) thought the young Judge. (All I know for sure is that she'll probably summon her Number Card at some point, so she might be trying to set up for it. If there's a chance, I have to try and keep her from playing it!) Taking the card she drew this turn, Sunset played it, saying, "I Special Summon Chronomaly Tula Guardian in Attack Mode!" At that moment, her massive, blue stone golem rose up from the ground (Chronomaly Tula Guardian: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 900). "I can Special Summon it since there's currently an active Field Spell in play: Namely, your Field Spell, Adagio!"

"Hmmm... Well don't YOU feel so clever, Shimmer..." said Adagio, not afraid of the move.

Looking over the field, Sunset figured that - between Tula Guardian, as well as her double-attacking Machu Mech, she should be able to wipe out all of Adagio's Life Points and end the Duel... Provided that neither of Adagio's set cards could stop her somehow. Still, Sunset felt that attacking right now was the move, to at least put some pressure on her opponent and force her to use her face-down cards. Pointing forward, Sunset then shouted, "Go, Tula Guardian! Attack her face-down monster!" Her blue golem then stomped forward and punched the face-down card image on the field, revealing it to be Atlantean Attack Squad before destroying it. Once it was out of the way, Sunset then ordered, "Now, Machu Mech! Attack her directly and end this Duel!!"

But as Machu Mech charged up its cannons, Adagio then asked her enemy, "Did you REALLY think it would be THAT easy to beat me?! Think again, Shimmer! I activate Call of the Atlanteans!! I use this card to bring back THREE Level 3 or lower Sea Serpent monsters from the Graveyard and summon them all in Defense Mode! So I'll revive Atlantean Marksman, along with two copies of Atlantean Attack Squad!!" A wave then formed from the AR image-generated ocean around them all, revealing the three monsters behind it after it subsided (Atlantean Attack Squad [x2]: ATK 1400 + 1000 = 2400 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200) (Atlantean Marksman: ATK 1400 + 200 = 1600 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200).

"Now Adagio has three monsters to defend herself with..." noted Ember. "So she'll survive this turn at least." She - along with her father Torch - knew that Adagio was doing more than defend herself this turn, and was likely preparing a counterattack.

Annoyed, but not ready to give in yet, Sunset then shouted, "Machu Mech! Attack and destroy Adagio's Atlantean Marksman and one of the Attack Squads!" Her fortress then fired its cannons at both the chosen monsters, wiping them out and weakening the remaining Attack Squad's attack power (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 2400 - 800 = 1600).

Not fazed in the slightest, Adagio casually asked, "Are you quite finished, Shimmer...?"

"Rrgh...unfortunately, I am." the red-and-yellow teen replied. "But only for this turn."

"Hmmm... A shame;" hummed the Dazzlings' leader. "By not finishing me off this turn, I'm afraid to say that you've doomed yourself to a crushing and humiliating loss; but then, I suppose that wasn't the first time that's happened to you, isn't it?" Sunset said nothing, but didn't appreciate that Adagio brought up the past memory of when Twilight defeated her - mostly because it reminded her once again of how horrible she used to act. Drawing a card from her Deck, Adagio smiled cruelly and added, "Oh... SORRY for opening up old wounds and reminding you of how miserably you failed back then; It must have been that devastating to you, that you decided to cave in and be a little goody-two-boots, isn't it?"

"That's not the reason I changed, Adagio..." Sunset responded.

"Hmph...I'll bet..." Adagio taunted her foe. "You and I are just so much alike, Shimmer... The only difference between us, however, is the fact that I haven't given up on conquering this wretched world someday, while YOU wimped out."

"That isn't true at all!" the jacket-clad teen argued. "I just didn't want to be a jerk anymore! That's all!"

"Hmmm...Oh, Shimmer, when are you going to learn?" asked the Dazzlings' leader. "If you want anything good in your life, you're going to have to break a few eggs to do it. And believe me, I'll take great pleasure in breaking you apart and finally get the life that my sisters and I deserve!" Tapping her D-Pad, she then added, "And speaking of 'breaking', I'll do just that with my Double Cyclone card! This Spell destroys two cards in the back row: One on your side and one on mine. So just to make sure your face-down card doesn't get in the way of my next move, I'll destroy it along with my Bubble Bringer Trap!"

Sunset shielded herself as she watched her set Breakthrough Skill get destroyed at the same time as Adagio's Trap Card. (No...! I was going to use that on whatever Number Adagio summons!) she then thought to herself.

"Now that the way is clear, I think it's time for our ultimate weapon to be unleashed!" said Adagio as she played the card she drew for her turn. "Now I'll summon Left-Hand Shark in Attack Mode!" The hand-shaped predatory fish creature then appeared on the field, instantly powering up both itself (from the Field Spell) (Left-Hand Shark: Level 3 / ATK 1300 + 200 = 1500 / DEF 1500 + 200 = 700), and Adagio's other monster (as a result of its own effect) (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 1400 + 1000 = 2400).

"But neither of those monsters can even scratch Sunset's Number monster, right?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Maybe," said Flash, "but I'm sure they're just there to bring out something even worse for her." Flash noted.

"I agree." Twilight said with a nod. "I'm almost positive we're about to see the Dazzlings' third Number Card." Utopia also felt the same way, observing the Duel carefully.

Sunset then asked her opponent, "So... I guess you're going to bring out YOUR Number, huh?"

"Indeed I am, but it won't be in the manner you THINK it will be, Shimmer." Adagio pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

The Dazzlings' leader then went on to explain, saying, "As you can see, both of my current monsters are Level 3, which is enough to call up a Rank 3 Xyz Monster... HOWEVER, that won't be what I'm going for: First, I'll activate the other effect of my Lemuria, the Forgotten City; once per turn, I can raise the Levels of all my WATER monsters by an amount equal to the number of WATER monsters I currently have out!"

"Oh no...!" gasped Sunset, realizing what was going to happen.

"Uh, what's she talking about??" asked Scootaloo.

"It's simple, Scoots..." Babs answered her. "Since Dagi's got two monsters on 'er field, it means she can give each of 'em two extra Levels!"

"That...don't sound good..." said Apple Bloom, getting a bit worried.

Raising her hand towards the field, Adagio then said, "I use the effect of my Forgotten City to increase my monsters' Levels by two!" And just like that, both of her monsters strengthened up a little (Left-Hand Shark: Level 3 + 2 = 5) (Atlantean Attack Squad: Level 3 + 2 = 5). "Now," she continued, "instead of a Rank 3 Xyz Monster, I'm able to summon one that's Rank 5 instead!"

Sunset braced herself, knowing that whatever Adagio was summoning, it was going to be the toughest monster she would face yet. She did her best to remain brave, despite the worry that hung over her right at this moment.

"I overlay the now-Level 5 Left-Hand Shark and Atlantean Attack Squad to form the Overlay Network!!" Adagio shouted, transforming both of her monsters into beams of blue light and sending them into the galaxy-like vortex in the center of the field. The vortex then exploded with great force, revealing a mark that resembled the number 73. "Arise and appear, Number 73!" the Dazzling chanted, closing her eyes and smirking wickedly. "All-powerful warrior from the bottom of the sea, raise your trident in the name of war and strike down my foes! Show your power and grant me my victory! Xyz Summon! Emerge, Rank 5! Abyss Splash!!"

Everyone watched as a massive geyser shot up from where the number symbol was etched. The water shot up to what appeared to be miles above the ground. When it finally subsided, four, blue shell-like fragments - all of which were surrounding a light-blue sphere in the center - was revealed, floating in the air. The sphere in the center then began to glow, opening up and revealing its true form: A warrior clad in blue and gold armor, with several jewels resembling its sealed form's central sphere. In its hands was a trident-like weapon with a similar blue sphere attached to it on the top. A pair of blue orbs orbited around it as it floated just above the water surface.

*******************************

Number 73: Abyss Splash
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/WATER/Rank 5/ATK 2400/DEF1400)

2 Level 5 WATER monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; double this card's ATK until the end of your opponent's turn, also, any battle damage it inflicts to your opponent this turn is halved.

*******************************

"Hmmmm...! I thought this was going to happen." said Rarity. "After all, if Adagio's sisters each had a Number, there was no doubt Adagio would carry one of her own!"

"Well, so what if she's got one?" Rainbow asked rhetorically. "Sunset'll trash this one just like the other two! Adagio's got no chance!"

"Ummm...I'm not so sure..." Fluttershy said meekly. "That look on Adagio's face... I'm sure she has something bad planned for Sunset..."

Looking at the newly-summoned Number monster, Sunset hummed a bit, wondering what it was capable of. She then asked, "I'm sure there's more to your move than summoning your Number, Adagio... After all, your monster isn't strong enough to defeat Machu Mech, even with the boost your Field Spell gave it.." (Number 73: Abyss Splash: ATK 2400 + 200 = 2600 / DEF 1400 + 200 = 1600)

"I have to say, this is one of the few times that I can agree with you, Shimmer." said Adagio, opening her eyes and revealing them to have changed from their usual raspberry-pink color to a deep crimson red. In addition, the 73 mark that was on her Number also could be seen on her forehead, between her eyes. "My Number is far more powerful than either Sonata's or Aria's. And with it, I'll personally put an end to you and make sure you never get in my way again!!"

"More powerful doesn't mean invincible, Adagio." Sunset reminded her. "Every card has its weakness, and I'll find it!"

"Not likely." Adagio simply told her. "Since I used Left-Hand Shark to Xyz Summon Abyss Splash, he cannot be destroyed by card effects. And his own ability will prevent anything other than another Number from destroying him in battle! Of course, I plan on exterminating you LONG before you get the chance to summon another Number monster to fight me with." She then took one of the cards under her Number Card and added, "And thanks to Abyss Splash's effect, that's exactly what I plan on doing! By removing one of his overlay units, I can double his attack points until the end of the next turn!"

"What?! Double its attack?!?" exclaimed Gilda, surprised from hearing that. But it was true: Upon absorbing one of its two blue orbs (Number 73: Abyss Splash: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), it became strengthened by it, making its power grow incredibly high (Number 73: Abyss Splash: ATK 2600 x 2 = 5,200), far beyond Sunset's Number Card.

"This isn't good..." thought Sunset, though she remained calm, even under the current situation.

"You and your friends made a grim mistake opposing us..." Adagio said in an intimidating tone. "Now get ready to pay the price for your meddling! Abyss Splash, attack Machu Mech!! TRIDENT FINAL BLOW!!" The monster then charged up blue bolts of lightning in his trident staff and jumped forward towards Machu Mech, thrusting his weapon and sticking it into the massive fortress. Despite the clear difference in size, Machu Mech cracked apart and exploded with incredible force; Sunset did her best to try and stay strong, even with the massive force of the explosion threatening to push her down to the ground. When the blast subsided, Machu Mech was no longer on the field.

"How do you like that, Shimmer?" Adagio asked tauntingly. "Your Number is gone and no longer a threat to me! But you can rest a little easier knowing this: On the turn I use Abyss Splash's effect, any damage he causes you is cut in half for this turn."

"So I take only eight hundred points of damage instead of sixteen hundred..." the red-and-yellow girl noted (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,500 - 800 = 1,700).

"I see your math skills are stronger than your dueling skills." the Dazzlings' leader taunted further. "And just think about it: If you hadn't cowered and attempted to take over this pathetic world again, you'd be in much better shape than you are right now. But I guess only people such as I have the boldness and the persistence to get what they truly deserve. While people like you - who wimp out after the first failure - are left with nothing. Again, that's where you and I differ, and once you're out of our way Shimmer, I'll finally have the life my sisters and I deserved from the start!!" Sunset wasn't too happy with those comments from her opponent and was starting to get angry at Adagio for saying all of that, but she wasn't sure how to overcome her at this point.

"No... Sunset's Number got trashed by Adagio...!" said Spike, getting more worried. "What's she gonna do now?!"

Looking towards the image of Utopia that only she could see and nodding to him (to which he nodded back), Twilight said to him, "She's going to stay strong; that's what she'll do. This may look bad for her, but I believe in Sunset! I know she'll overcome this, just like she overcame all her other difficulties to get where she is now... Believe me, this is nothing compared to what she's faced before!" Standing up out of her seat, she continued saying, "We just have to make sure she knows that we're behind her! Sunset has come a long way since they day I met her, and she's grown stronger inside; much stronger than anything Adagio can handle! She will get through this! There's still hope!!" Spike was a bit amazed by how sure his Princess friend was that Sunset would pull through, but he knew that whenever she said things like this, they were hard to disagree with. The dragon-turned-puppy nodded and smiled, and shared Twilight's confidence in Sunset. Flash and Sweetie felt the same way and remained positive for Sunset's sake.

Sunset looked back towards Twilight; she had heard what she had said and was also a bit amazed by how much she believed in her; this started to help her calm down after Adagio's taunting. Then she looked around her and saw that - to her surprise, her friends, rivals, guardians, and pretty much everyone else in the audience shared the same belief. They didn't say they did, but their faces said it all: They still believed in Sunset, and they weren't going to count her out until the last Life Point was gone. Seeing this - and remembering everything she had heard the Dazzlings say to her so far, made her realize something. And upon doing so, she smiled and looked towards Adagio with unwavering confidence in her facial expression.

"Wh-what are you smiling about?!" asked Adagio, expecting her opponent to be broken down by now, not smirking.

"...Adagio, I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in you." she told her opponent.

"What...?! D-disappointed?!"

"Don't tell me you actually believe all of that stuff you said to me?" Sunset then asked her. "If you do, then you and your sisters are more misguided than I could've ever thought."

"Excuse ME?!?"

"Your words are right about one thing, I'll give you that..." the jacket-wearing teen told Adagio. "You and I DO have some similarities: We both come from another world and came to this one with similar sinister goals in mind. Back then, we both thought that it was us against the world and everyone was just an enemy or an obstruction getting in our way..." She then sighed sadly a bit and added, "Back then, we felt alone and unloved..."

Twilight heard what Sunset was saying. She said nothing, but felt sympathetic towards her, knowing just how she must have felt back before they had met.

"And yes, there is a clear difference between us, Adagio." Sunset continued. "But as for who you think cowered and gave up in the end - as well as which of the two of us is in a better state, I think that's where your logic starts to fall flat."

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" asked Adagio, beginning to get annoyed.

"You think having power and control is the only thing that matters - just like how I used to think a long time ago." the young Judge told her. "And you'll do anything to get what you think you need to have a better life, even if it means exploiting and ruining the lives of other people; and that even includes your own sisters!"

"WHAT?!? How DARE you say that?!?" shouted Adagio, losing her cool upon hearing that. "YOU'RE the reason that my sisters and I are in the miserable state we're in! It was YOU!!!"

"Oh, is that right?" asked Sunset. "Then let me ask you this: Was I the one that banished you from Equestria and sent you here? Obviously not; I wasn't even born the day you and your sisters came here."

Adagio didn't have a response to that question; she knew Sunset had a point. "...O-o-okay, fine, maybe YOU weren't the one who dumped us here. But your and your annoying little friends are the reason we lost our magic! We can't even sing anymore because of what you did!!!"

"Yes, my friends and I did stop you that day." Sunset agreed. "But only because you were causing misery and trouble for everyone else at school... And on that note, I have another puzzle to pose for you: The day that I first met you, Aria, and Sonata, I was being as nice as I could, to give you three a friendly welcome to our school in the hopes that you could get along with everyone else here... And how did you repay my kind gesture? By turning everyone at school against each other, feed off their negative emotions, and ultimately destroy everything around you in your lust for power." She then asked her opponent, "So that begs the question: What would have happened...if you DIDN'T cause that whole mess? What do you think would have happened if you had just joined our school and tried to be friendly? If you just got rid of your personal grudges and desires and found a way to live your lives peacefully? Can you answer that for me?"

Adagio was stunned - not in anger, but in shock. "Ummm... I-I...well...umm..." was all that came out of her mouth. Somehow, in all of her cunning plans and her sharp mind, she never once thought of what could have happened if she and her sisters didn't go through with their scheme that day.

"I don't need to go into that mirror portal to know that there's probably another universe out there... One where the three of you did try to be nice; where you tried to make friends and live here without any conflict..." Sunset told her. "And I'll bet those Dazzlings are having a much happier life than you are right now. Maybe they might have even realized they didn't need their magic to learn how to sing; maybe they're trying to make a better life for themselves without having to exploit other people to do it. Maybe...they realized the thing that I realized back when I failed to take over this world; that in the end, having all that power doesn't really mean anything, if it doesn't even make you happy in the end."

"Y...you don't know anything about us...!" Adagio argued futilely.

"Believe me, I know more about you than I think you give me credit for, Adagio." the red-and-yellow girl continued. "I'm going to get straight to the point of my speech: If my friends and I hadn't stopped you three from ruining the lives of everyone at our school, someone else would have, and then you'd be angry and trying to get back at them instead of us. Don't blame me or any of my friends for doing something that - when it comes down to it - any other concerned person would have done. If you have anyone to blame for the misery that you and your sisters are in, you ought to be blaming yourself for it!"

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed Adagio.

"You heard me correctly." Sunset told her. "You're the one who came up with the plan to turn everyone in the school against each other just so that you and your sisters would have a source of power to absorb. And I'm sure you were the one who did the thing that got you and your sisters banished here in the first place." Pointing right at her, she finished, saying, "You put yourself in your situation, and you dragged Aria and Sonata down with you! And deep down, you know that's all that you've done. But instead of admitting to your mistake and owning up to it, you just cower and blame someone else for your problems instead. I'm afraid that if you keep going down this self-destructing road, you and your sisters will never find true happiness."

Again, Adagio was stunned by Sunset's words; of all the things she had said to her, these were the last things that the Dazzlings' leader expected to hear. But, as expected, she tried to ignore it all and yelled, "Y-you don't know anything, Shimmer!! Stop trying to weasel your way out of this! I'll crush you, take your Numbers, and then use them to finally get what I desire most!! Now get on with your turn and stop wasting my time!!"

Putting her hand to her heart, Sunset said to herself, (Adagio...when you and your sisters showed up here yesterday, I was angry at you for it; maybe I even hated you three for coming here just to push my buttons... But now I can see that you're just like how I was back when I still had so much darkness in my heart... It's for that reason...that I truly feel sorry for you, Adagio.) Putting on her determined look once more, she mentally told her opponent, (I can't allow you to continue to suffer as I used to; I have to defeat you here, so that perhaps you can defeat your own madness... That's what friends are for, even though you don't see me as a friend, Adagio.)

It was clear to Sunset that the only way to make Adagio see things her way was to defeat her in this Duel; now she wanted to defeat the Dazzlings to save them, as well make sure their Numbers could not be used to cause any more misery to others...or to themselves. "Alright, Adagio..." Sunset said to the Dazzling, "You may not believe this, but I'll face your anger and hatred dead-on, and I promise that I'll destroy it for good!"

"Just shut up and play your next card!" spat Adagio, not in the mood to hear any more of Sunset's lecture.

"...I draw." the otherworldly girl replied, drawing her next card and placing it in her hand for the moment. Looking at Adagio's monster, she thought, (Thanks to its ability, Abyss Splash's attack power is at 5200...) Checking her Graveyard, she added, (If I were to banish Breakthrough Skill in my Graveyard, I could negate the effect and drop its attack power, but I don't have any monsters on the field or in my hand that could fight it, even at 2600 ATK...) Knowing that she couldn't do anything this turn for now, she calmly said, "I'll just switch my Tula Guardian to Defense Mode and end my turn."

"Hmph...after that big speech of yours, that's all you have...?" asked Adagio. "How pathetic." Sunset said nothing, knowing that it was pointless to get irate now that she knew more about what made the Dazzlings tick. Drawing a card for the turn, Adagio snickered and said, "My Abyss Splash's attack power will return to normal, since your turn has ended (Number 73: Abyss Splash: ATK 5,200 > 2,600), but that doesn't mean you're safe from him! Even if you somehow manage to summon a more powerful monster on your next turn, I can activate his effect to destroy any monster you try to attack him with, since I can trigger it even when it isn't my turn!"

"Rrrgh..." Sunset grumbled a bit, realizing that fighting it head-on wasn't currently an option after hearing that.

"But of course, you still have that Trap Card in your Graveyard that could keep me from using that effect if you were to trigger it next turn..." noted the Dazzlings' leader. "So I'll take the liberty of eliminating that possibility! I activate my Made to Order Mermaid Outfit Outfitter!"

"Her...huh?" asked Rainbow Dash, confused by the long name of the card. "What the heck's that card do?"

"That Spell Card allows Adagio to banish a card from Sunset's Graveyard." Rarity explained. "And she'll likely decide to dispose of her Breakthrough Skill to ensure that it doesn't prevent her from using its effect at any point during the Duel."

Sunset sighed a little, forced to remove her Trap Card from the current game. Adagio then thought to herself, (The other effect of my Spell Card then allows me to take a copy of whatever card I banished from my own Deck and add it to my hand...except that I had taken OUR copy of Breakthrough Skill out of the Deck in order to change up our cards for our Semifinal Duel, before Shimmer stepped in and fought us instead...) Even though this seemingly little detail annoyed her, Adagio was still confident that it wouldn't matter in the end. She then shouted, "Now, Abyss Splash! Attack Sunset's monster now!" The Number Card obeyed, striking Sunset's Tula Guardian and destroying it.

"Rrgh..." Sunset grunted as her monster was destroyed.

"Hmhmhmhmm..." chuckled Adagio. "You're finished, Shimmer... Soon, you'll be out of our way, and my sisters and I will finally have our revenge! Nothing can stop us now!!"

Sunset sighed a little and told her opponent, "You just don't get it, Adagio... I told you before: Having power doesn't mean anything if it can't make you happy. And getting back at me isn't going to solve any of your problems, either. Even if you beat me in this Duel, it won't change anything; you'll just find another target for your hatred and anger, until - ultimately - you'll pick a fight that you cannot possibly win, and end up losing everything. Until you learn this lesson, I'm afraid you'll never find true happiness; either for yourself or your sisters."

"Quiet!" yelled Adagio, becoming quite tired of Sunset's words. "You have no idea what you're talking about! You're just trying to psych me out, and it's not going to work! You know nothing about what we've been through since the day we met!!"

"Really?" asked Sunset, unconvinced. "Because if you really, truly believe that we've have so much in common, then you'd know that I know EXACTLY what you've been through... Let me guess: After you left the school, people probably started hating you and not wanting anything to do with you, huh?"

"Well...I, uh..." Adagio stuttered, not wanting to admit that Sunset was right about that.

"Listen...as someone who's been through something like what you and your sisters have gone through," Sunset told her, "I know full well how hard it can be to change from bad to good. After all, those who know how you used to be will probably not want to give you a chance to show that you've changed; they may still think that you're bad, and not be willing to forgive you for what you did in the past... Sometimes...you have a hard time trying to even forgive yourself for the things you did, and every day, it just feels like you'll never be able to overcome that darkness and move on with your life..."

Everyone in the audience fell a little silent; as most of the audience consisted of CHS students, they knew full well how they used to still treat Sunset as their enemy, even after she decided to change. They felt a little bad about not giving her a chance back then, including Derpy - who until recently, still thought that Sunset was still the nasty bully that she was back then.

"Back then," she then continued, "almost no one at school was willing to forgive me for what I did, and I don't blame them; I had a hard time trying to forgive myself for it all... And I know it's the same for you and your sisters, Adagio. But instead of doing what you did - taking the easy way out and acting as bad as people believe you are, I kept moving forward and trying to be a better person, despite what people thought of me. It wasn't easy, but in time, I started feeling a little better about myself each and every day. And eventually, that better feeling began to permeate towards others. Now, most everyone here has forgiven me for my past... And even if that weren't the case, I know that I can finally look forward and become the person that I know I was meant to be. I don't let my past mistakes drag me down; instead, I learned from them and tried my best not to make those mistakes ever again."

Every one of Sunset's close friends watching smiled warmly, happy to know that she was finally ready to put her painful memories behind her for good. They also felt a little good that they had a hand in helping Sunset come into her true self.

"...Adagio, you may not believe me, but I'll tell you anyway:" the jacket-wearing teen began to say, removing her jacket as she did so and gently placing it on the ground next to her. "If you ever want things to be better for you and your sisters, then you need to stop blaming others for the mistakes you've made. You have to show a little bit of remorse for the problems you've caused yourself and others; you need to admit to yourself that you've done wrong and make an effort to change. As long as you keep using your past troubles as an excuse to make others as miserable as you are, it's only going to cause you more pain in the long run..."

Adagio just said nothing; she was stunned by what Sunset was telling her, as if deep down, she knew that it was all true. But her silence was her last futile attempt at trying to ignore that hard truth.

Closing her eyes and sighing calmly, the red-and-yellow girl then said, "I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say..." Pausing for a moment to soothe herself some more, she then said, "that my past does not define me:" She then opened her eyes, showing a look of self-confidence that greater than anything she could muster before. "'Cause my past is not today!!"

The moment she said that, a bright glow began to emanate from Sunset's deck box: a glow that only a few select people could see. This of course, included Sunset's close friends. "Oh my goodness! What is that?!" asked Rarity in surprise, pointing down towards Sunset.

"I dunno..." said Rainbow Dash. Just then, she gasped a bit and said, "Wait! I remember something like this happening already! A few months ago, Sunset was sleepin' over at my place, when she found one of those Number Cards outside. And when she picked it up, it started glowing bright! Just like what's goin' on right now!" The others weren't sure about it for sure, but they all had a feeling that something big was happening right before their eyes.

(...Hmm!) hummed Utopia, startled by something.

(Utopia? Is everything okay?) Twilight asked him in her mind.

(...I sense great power coming from your friend, Twilight.) the bright warrior answered her. (It is not just any ordinary power... I feel that it comes directly from the Astral World!)

(The Astral World??) asked the young Princess. (You mean like...another Number Card? When did she-) But before she could ask where and when Sunset could have received another Number, she then realized that she already knew the answer to that question...

"...Ms. Derpy? What is going on right now?" asked The Doctor via the communicator built into Duel Gazer.

"Doctor?" the grey girl asked, not expecting to hear from him right now. Doing her best to answer his question, she told him, "Um...well, Adagio just brought out her Number against Sunset, and then Sunset gave her this big speech about remorse and stuff... And now, Sunset's looking at her deck box for some reason..."

"...I see." The Doctor replied. "Very well then." After ending the call, the man then looked at the ring on his finger - the one that bore the same symbol as the necklace Sunset wore around her neck. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel a great power from it at that moment...

(What...what is this...?) Sunset thought, seeing a glow coming from not only her deck box, but also her Emperor's Key necklace. She then felt a strange pulse in her mind... It was more like a voice, a voice that told her to open the deck box and look inside of it. She wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, but she felt that she could trust it as she opened her box and pulled out one of the cards in it; it was revealed that this card was the source of the light that had suddenly appeared. Once Sunset saw what card it was, she gasped, realizing what was going on.

"This...this card...!" she said to herself. "The card I got from Mrs. K...! Does this mean...?" And right before her eyes, the blank yellow space began to change, and the image of a massive monster began to appear within it. Once the picture fully materialized, the rest of the card filled in as well, such as all of the text, which - of course - was written in the Astral language. "The card... It awakened...!" Sunset said in amazement, wondering if all of that stuff she said earlier was what triggered it all. Right now, all she knew was that this card was going to help her defeat Adagio and hopefully save her from herself.

"What...what just happened...??" asked Adagio, who had seen the light show herself, but not knowing anything about what it meant. "What did you do??" she then asked her foe.

But Sunset didn't answer, instead telling her, "I'll tell you what I'm GOING to do. I'm going to put an end to your madness forever!" She then prepared to draw a card, hoping with all her might that it would aid her in defeating Adagio in this Duel. Her necklace then began to glow as she pulled the top card of her Deck, appearing to lend its power to her.

"Sunset's necklace..." Twilight began to say. "I've never seen it glow so brightly before..."

(Its power is going into Sunset.) Utopia explained as best he could. (It's combined with her will and determination, creating an almighty force. There is no doubt in my mind that she has drawn the card she needs to end this battle at last.)

Looking at the card she drew, Sunset sighed and said to her opponent, "This is it, Adagio... I'm sorry that it has to be this way, but the only way you'll take my words seriously is if I defeat you here and now! And maybe then, you'll start to try and see things from my perspective, and realize that it doesn't have to be you against the world..."

"Hah! Not likely, Shimmer." the Dazzlings' leader rebutted. "You actually think that you can defeat me now? You'll never overcome the power of my Number Card!"

"...If that's what you think," the otherworldly girl began to say, "then I think my next move will be quite the rude awakening for you." Playing the card she had just drawn, she shouted, "I summon Chronomaly Gordian Knot in Attack Mode!" Afterwards, her strange intertwined rock monster then appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Gordian Knot: Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 900).

"That's all you've got?" asked Adagio. "You actually think that card's going to save you?"

"I do, Adagio." Sunset replied. "And that's because Gordian Knot's effect lets me bring out a second Chronomaly monster from my hand after I Normal Summon it." She then placed a second card on the field and said, "So I'll play this: My Chronomaly Sol Monolith in Defense Mode!" And after that, a massive stone tablet rose up from the ground, casting its digital shadow over the field (Chronomaly Sol Monolith: Level 6 / ATK 600 / DEF 600).

"And then what?! I still don't understand what you're trying to do!" Adagio asked her.

"You'll get it when I do this." Sunset then told her, "After Gordian Knot uses its effect to summon another monster, it then changes its Level to match whatever it summoned. Which means that, since Sol Monolith is Level 6, Gordian Knot ALSO becomes Level 6!" (Chronomaly Gordian Knot: Level 3 > 6)

"What?!? They're BOTH Level 6?!" exclaimed Adagio. "Does that mean-??"

"Now, you're getting it." said Sunset, showing Adagio her newly-awakened Number Card. "Adagio Dazzle; prepare to face the Light of Harmony!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of orange lights, shouting, "I overlay both Gordian Knot and Sol Monolith - both Level 6! I create the Overlay Network!!"

The two lights then flew into a galaxy-like vortex, similar to the ones that formed before when a Number was about to be summoned. But after the two monsters used as material were sucked inside, the portal began to glow a bright, soothing yellow light. Adagio still wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she began to feel a sense of worry for the first time since she stepped in to take over the Duel in Sonata's and Aria's place.

Clutching onto the Emperor's Key necklace she wore - its string now transforming from its usual black color to a golden yellow - and closing her eyes, Sunset then chanted, "Arise! Almighty creature sleeping under the Earth! Crush all wickedness with the might of a continent! Become the harmony that shines in the darkness!! Xyz Summon!" After that, the portal then unleashed its mighty light all over the arena, leaving behind a pink Number symbol that glowed just as brightly. Sunset then finished her chant, shouting with confidence in her voice, "Embodiment of remorse and forgiveness! Rank 6!! Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis!!"

Everyone then felt a massive tremor all around them. But the quake quickly left their minds when the audience got a good look at what was causing it: An enormous, towering behemoth was rising up from the ground behind Sunset, outside of the stadium. The creature revealed itself as not just being as big as a continent, but likely, it WAS a continent, consisting of a towering mountain, and active volcano, and a gigantic glacier. The front of the volcano had a large eye-like mark, two long arms grew out from its sides - one of them equipped with a stone block-shaped fist, and a pair of legs that seemed be made of pure magma. On its upper chest, the pink number symbol could be seen upon it. This creature was certainly imposing in its appearance, and it was more than prepared for battle.

*******************************

Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine/LIGHT/Rank 6/ATK 2600/DEF 3000)

2 Level 6 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can target 1 "Number" monster in your GY; equip that target to this card. This card gains ATK equal to half the ATK of that equipped monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then send the monster equipped by this effect to the GY; halve your opponent's Life Points. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect.

*******************************

"No...no way...!" gasped Adagio, completely stunned by the appearance of this new Number Card. "There's just no way...!"

"Uh...guys...?" said an equally-as-stunned Rainbow Dash. "You seein' the size of that thing?"

"Oh mah stars..." said Applejack. "Who would've ever guessed that Sunset had somethin' like that in 'er arsenal?"

"It's positively HUMONGOUS!!" exclaimed Rarity. "Why it just might be the biggest thing I've ever seen in my entire life!"

"Oh...my..." said Fluttershy. "I'd never want to be the one having to fight something like that...!"

"Then that's pretty bad luck for Adagio," Pinkie stated, "'cause that's what she's doing right now."

Flash, Sweetie, Twilight, and Spike were also shocked to see the massive creature that Sunset managed to bring to the field. "Holy cow!!" said Sweetie in surprise. "That thing's as big as a mountain!!"

"I doubt it; that monster's got THREE mountains growing on it, so I'd say it's way bigger than that!" Spike pointed out.

"Man, that thing's huge..." said Flash. He then asked Twilight, "You think that means Sunset's got this Duel won now?"

"It sure seems like it." the young Princess stated. "Let's just hope that is the case." Utopia nodded silently in her mind, sending out his best wishes to Sunset Shimmer as well.

Looking up at her new Number monster, Sunset thought to herself, (So this...is MY Harmony Number Card...) The monster - known as Chronomaly Atlandis - then glanced down and stared at its master with its "eye". Then, the creature gave a respectful bow, as if to say that it was ready to fight by her side. Sunset smiled and nodded to her new partner, ready to do the same. She then turned to face Adagio and told her, "This Duel is about to end, Adagio... Your pursuit for power and revenge are about to be crushed for good by the light of Atlandis!"

"Hah! Not likely!" said the Dazzling. "Your monster may have an obvious size advantage, but despite that, its attack power is equal to Abyss Splash!"

"That may be true for now..." the otherworldly girl told her opponent, "but that's about to change once I do this! I activate Atlandis's effect! After it's been Xyz Summoned, I can bring any of my Number monsters back from my Graveyard!"

"Go ahead and summon any one of them you want, Shimmer!" Adagio told her. "None of them are strong enough to beat my Number either!"

But Sunset chuckled and asked, "...Whoever said I was SUMMONING the Number?"

"You're not? But then what are-?"

"Allow me to explain:" Sunset interrupted. "When Atlandis's effect goes off, the Number doesn't come back as a monster... Instead, it gets brought back as an Equip Card for Atlandis himself!"

"It can bring back a monster as an Equip Card??" said Ember, amazed.

Tapping her D-Pad's screen a few times, the red-and-yellow teen declared, "I use the effect of Atlandis to bring back Machu Mech!" A dark-purple portal then appeared on the field, and out of it came her massive fortress Number Card. "Now, Machu Mech!" she then ordered, "attach yourself to Atlandis!" The fortress then plugged itself into Atlandis's midsection (where there actually was an appropriately-sized hole for it to enter into).

"But what then?" asked Adagio. "Just what are you trying to accomplish??"

"I'll tell you:" Sunset began to answer. "After Atlandis equips itself with another Number Card, half of that Number's attack points get transferred to Atlandis!" Adagio gasped in surprise; she didn't expect it to have such an effect. "Since Machu Mech's attack points are 2400, Atlandis gets to absorb 1200 of those points into his own attack power!" she then stated. After that, bolts of yellow lightning began racing all around the mighty Number Card, making it even mightier than before (Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis: ATK 2600 + 1200 = 3800). "So that puts its attack power higher than Abyss Splash!" Sunset finished saying.

"Maybe so, but don't forget: Abyss Splash's effect to double his attack power can be triggered even when it's your turn!" Adagio reminded her. "The moment you attack - or I attack, I'll trigger it and end this whole thing once and for all! We WILL have our revenge! We WILL!!"

"...We'll just see about that, then." Sunset calmly told her. Turning towards Atlandis, she stared into its "eye" for a while before it nodded back to her. It was essentially telling her that it had complete faith in her, and knew that she wouldn't lead him astray. Sunset - who seemed to be in perfect sync with Atlandis, despite only having just met it today - could read its feelings perfectly; she then knew exactly what to do. Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Chronomaly Atlandis! Attack now!!" The colossal monster then readied its square-shaped fist to attack Adagio's Number.

"WHAT?!? She's doing it?!" exclaimed the Dazzling's leader, who expected Sunset not to attack this turn and was caught totally off-guard.

"But...is her attack going to even work?" asked Flash. "Adagio just told her that she could make her monster stronger if she was attacked!"

Twilight said nothing, but she - along with Utopia, were both certain that Sunset knew what she was doing.

As the massive fist closed in on her, Adagio cackled manically and shouted, "You absolute FOOL!! Didn't you hear what I just said?! I just told you that I can double Abyss Splash's attack power, even during your turn! And that's what I'm going to do right now!!" She then removed her Number's remaining material in order to strengthen it some more (Number 73: Abyss Splash: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). "Finally!! I've finally defeated you, Shimmer!! Your Numbers are now mine, and this world will soon follow!!" She then laughed like crazy; the full might of her madness on full display, enhanced by the Number that was influencing her.

"...Sorry, Adagio..." Sunset said in a calm tone, "but that's not going to happen!"

"Wh-what?!"

"That's because I have a card of my own that I have left to play," the otherworldly girl explained. "Let's just say..." she said as she revealed a card from her hand to her opponent, "you're not the ONLY one that can double their monster's attack power."

"N-no...! No, not that!!" Adagio cried out in shock. "Not Limiter Removal!!"

"That's right." said Sunset as she played the card. "This Quick-Play Spell doubles the attack power of all the Machine monsters I currently have on my field for one turn! And it's pretty fortunate that my new Number Card happens to BE a Machine."

Everyone gasped at Sunset's skillful play; in particular, Ember and her father Torch, along with the Wonderbolts that were watching the match, as well as those in the stadium lobby watching from their D-Pads - like Sol Burner, Slid Diamond, Bright Mind, and their new friend Flare Flutter, were very impressed by her timely move.

"N-no...! This can't be...!" Adagio said to herself in distress. "Thanks to that card, her monster's attack power will climb too high for even Abyss Splash's doubled attack power...!" With the Spell Card's effect strengthening it, Atlandis was literally glowing with power, surrounded by an orange glow that shone incredibly bright (Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis: ATK 3800 x 2 = 7,600). Abyss Splash was still able to increase its own attack points (Number 73: Abyss Splash: ATK 2600 x 2 = 5,200), but it was nowhere near Sunset's monster.

"...Adagio, I'm sorry that it has to be this way." Sunset apologized. "But the safety of my friends and everyone else here comes first. I cannot allow you to harm them or this tournament. I understand that things have been hard for you and your sisters, but like I said, blaming me or anyone else isn't going to fix anything. If you want things to change for the better, you need to admit to your mistakes and work hard to correct them... You can be so much more than you are right now if you can just let go of all that anger and hatred weighing you down. At the very least, do it for your sisters; don't let your madness hurt them any more than it already has..."

Adagio just stood there as Atlandis's fist got closer and closer to her. For the first time, she didn't have anything to say, but a lot was going on through her mind. (I...could be so much more...?) she thought. (...Is...is Sunset right...? Has this whole goal of getting revenge and power gotten out of control...? Am I...am I really the reason we're suffering so much...?) These thoughts continued to go through her mind as Atlandis's attack finally struck Abyss Splash, destroying it. The force of the blow struck Adagio as well, shattering the number symbol on her forehead and causing her to faint, just like her sisters...

(Adagio Dazzle: LP 1,800 - 2,400 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer)

The hard-fought Duel was finally over; a hush fell over the crowds at first, astounded that Sunset had managed to defeat the Dazzlings and their Number Cards in battle. For a while, not a sound was made in the dead silence that had flowed over the entire stadium. Once the initial shock was done, the audience cheered loudly, excited that Sunset had emerged victorious.

"I-i-in-INCREDIBLE!!" announced Megan. "What a finish! You saw it here, ladies and gentlemen! Our Tournament Judge, Sunset Shimmer, has emerged victorious over the Dazzlings, having beaten all three of them single-handedly!!"

"That was AWESOME!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Sunset beat them! She beat ALL of 'em!!"

"That was the most impressive dueling I've seen from Sunset yet!" Rarity complimented. "To have defeated three Number Cards in one Duel is no mere feat!"

"That's our Sunset: Never fails to impress!" said Applejack.

Fluttershy said nothing, but she smiled, stood up, and began clapping. She then soon joined by Pinkie Pie, then the rest of her friends, and soon the rest of the audience. All of them were proud of Sunset for helping to stop the Dazzlings from ruining the tournament for everyone. Principal Celestia was very proud with how far Sunset had come along since she first arrived, and Luna even shed a tear of joy thinking about it. Gilda and her friends were praising Sunset for putting up such an incredible fight, and Ember and Torch praised the girl for showing everyone watching what the power of a True Duelist looked like. Slid, Bright, Sol, and Flare - who were watching the Duel in the stadium lobby on their D-Pads, were also impressed with how well Sunset played; they were happy to have been there to witness such an accomplishment.

Even the Wonderbolts watching the match were amazed at the otherworldly girl's skills. "Man, that girl can Duel, that's for sure!" said Soarin. "No wonder they picked her to be the Judge!"

"Yeah, maybe we oughtta ask if she'd like to join the Wonderbolts, too." Spitfire casually suggested.

"I cannot argue with that." said Steel Shadows. "Though I suspect she may not be ready to leave this place anytime soon to go traveling around with us. For now...I truly think that this is where she belongs." The other Wonderbolts felt the same way, but still considered the possibility in the possible future.

Sunset clutched onto her Emperor's Key, which began to glow faintly, silently thanking whatever the powers that were for giving her strength she needed to finish the Duel. She then raised her hand towards the fallen Dazzlings, causing a small ball of light to come out of each of them and fly towards herself. Then, in her hands, were all three of their Number Cards: Nightmare Shark, Leviathan Dragon, and Abyss Splash. Sunset took a short sigh, relieved that the matter involving the Dazzlings was over.

"That was incredible, Sunset!" cheered Twilight as she, Spike, Flash, and Sweetie Belle all ran up to congratulate her. "You defeated the Dazzlings, all by yourself!"

"Yeah, that was probably your best work yet!" Spike told her. "Those three didn't know what hit 'em!"

"Yeah, way to show those cheaters a thing or two!" Sweetie added.

"I agree with them;" Flash began to say, "you did amazing out there, and you managed to save the tournament from becoming a major disaster. You must be pretty proud of yourself, huh?"

"Hm?" Sunset turned to face the four of them and said, "Oh! Uh, yeah, I guess I'm pretty proud..."

Noticing something strange about that remark, Twilight then asked, "Um...is something the matter, Sunset? You don't sound too happy... Why?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, guys; I'm happy that I kept those three from ruining the tournament." Sunset explained to them. Sighing, she then said, "It's just...after hearing the things they had to say - I can sort of understand WHY they were doing the things they were doing. I mean, you heard what they said to me, didn't you? They came here because they thought that we made their lives harder, when in reality it was their own actions that caused them so much suffering..."

"That's true..." said Twilight. "They tried to take over Equestria, and they got banished to this world... They then tried to turn everyone against each other to conquer this world, and lost their magic. Now they tried to get revenge on us, and they lost their Number Cards."

"From what it sounds like," Flash began to say, "their biggest enemies aren't any of us: They're their OWN worst enemies..."

"I feel the same way..." Sunset responded. "That's why I can't really bring myself to hate them for what they did, even though what they did was wrong... They were like me when I came to this world: Alone, scared, and unsure of the future, and lashing out at others in self-defense, not knowing there was a better path we could have chosen for ourselves... Adagio was a little right about she and I being very alike."

"Perhaps in some areas." Twilight pointed out. "But you chose to let go of your grudges and move on, while they did not. That's the biggest difference between you and the Dazzlings. That's why you've been able to grow more as a person, while they continued to follow a path that only resulted in more pain and anger."

"...Yeah." the red-and-yellow girl replied, doing her best to smile. "But I do hope that one day, those three will see things the way I see them. I'd like nothing more than for them to one day realize that becoming stronger doesn't mean seeing everyone else as an enemy, but working hard to overcome your own struggles and improving yourself. We need to learn from our past errors; not wallow in them forever."

"I couldn't agree more, Ms. Shimmer." said the voice of Jay Dunstan, the Industrial Illusions rep that was overseeing the tournament. Walking into the arena himself, he said to his faithful Judge, "And I thank you for not only preserving the integrity of the tournament, but fighting an impressive Duel as well. If Mr. Pegasus were watching, I'm certain he would have been very proud of you." Looking over at the fainted Dazzlings, he then asked her, "So...what do you wish to do with them?"

"...Well, obviously we have to disqualify them, since they did break the rules." Sunset began to say. Looking over at the trio herself, she then asked Jay, "Could you have them taken to the stadium infirmary? At the very least, I want them to be conscious when they leave..."

"As you wish, Ms. Shimmer." Mr. Dunstan said, calling his two security guards to carry the fainted Dazzlings to the recovery rooms. Twilight smiled a bit, happy to see Sunset showing a generous amount of mercy towards Adagio and the others despite the trouble they had caused them.

At that moment, Ember entered the field and asked, "So...now what? What's going to happen with the next match?"

"Oh yeah...I almost forgot about that." said Sweetie Belle. "I was so engaged from watching the Duel, I didn't think about it."

"Well, it's obvious what will happen next, right?" asked Sunset as if the answer was that straightforward. Asking for Megan's microphone, she then spoke into it, saying, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I must apologize for the actions of the Dazzlings. I must remind you all that cheating is something that will not be tolerated in any sort of competition, and we have to enforce that rule very strongly. As for the next match of this tournament..." Sunset then turned towards the others beside her before saying, "with the Dazzlings' disqualification, the next Duel will be the final match of the competition: Ember verses Sweetie Belle!"

The crowds cheered, excited to see the last Duel of the tournament. Ember remained confident, sure that she would fight her hardest. And though Sweetie Belle was a little nervous, finding out that she had now made it into the Finals, she was willing to give it her all and show the crowds how strong she was...despite her slight quivering.

Meanwhile, in the deep corners of Sunset's mind - her "soul room" as it were, a small cage sat in a dark corner of the room. Though it appeared to have signs that someone (or something) was inside of it at some point - such as claw marks on the bars and floor, there was no sign of life in there now. All that was left in there were several chains, a pair of black boots, and a tattered dress with a flame pattern on it. Soon after, the cage and everything left in it vanished as well, and the dark corner became as bright as the rest of the room...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 3):

Ember vs. Gilda [WINNER: Ember]
Sonata Dusk vs. Sweetie Belle [WINNER: Sweetie Belle (due to Sonata Dusk DQ'd)]

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (17 Numbers total):

Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon
Number 47: Nightmare Shark
Number 73: Abyss Splash

RANK 57: The Tournament Finals: Ember Vs. Sweetie, Part 1:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Tensions were high during the Tournament Semifinals when Sunset Shimmer, the Tournament Judge, confronted Adagio, Aria, and Sonata - known collectively as the Dazzlings, on them cheating during their last Duel in the Quarterfinals. After also finding out that the trio wielded Number Cards as well, Sunset challenged them to a Duel. If they beat her, they would stay in the tournament and take Sunset's Number Cards. But if Sunset won, they would lose their Numbers and be disqualified. During the Duel, each of the Dazzlings summoned their respective Numbers to try and defeat Sunset. But Sunset managed to not only defeat the Dazzlings, but also managed to awaken Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis - the Harmony Number entrusted to her by Kisara.

With the Dazzlings (literally) out of commission and the crisis over, the WCQ Qualification Tournament was ready to resume from where it left off. And with the Dazzlings' disqualification, the next match of the tournament would be the final one, pitting two very strong players against each other: Ember, daughter of a former a Pro Duelist, versus Sweetie Belle, a Duelist that Sunset had trained personally and was making great progress in the tournament so far. But who would come out on top at the end...?

With the crowds calming down a little after Sunset's Duel against the Dazzlings, a fifteen-minute intermission was called, allowing the patrons some time to rest up before the upcoming match of the WCQ Qualification Tournament. And they would need it: that upcoming match would be the final Duel of the tournament, deciding once and for all who would go on to compete in the World Championship Qualifiers this year. Incidentally, the two competing Duelists would need the short break to prepare themselves as well, so that they would be in top form for the next Duel.

In the meantime, though, Sunset Shimmer - currently holding her black jacket that she had removed towards the end of her earlier Duel, as well as Flash Sentry, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Mr. Dunstan were currently in the stadium's infirmary. They had all helped bring the defeated Dazzlings there after all three of them had collapsed during their match against Sunset. As they were in no condition to leave the stadium as they were, Sunset had them brought here so that they could at least recover before they would be escorted out.

As the fainted Dazzlings lay on the cots in the room, Sunset asked Nurse Redheart, "So...how are they? Will they be okay?"

"Hmmm...I think so." the nurse answered. "Aside from being exhausted, they should be fine. They just need some rest first. But don't worry; I'll keep an eye on them and make sure they'll recover."

Sunset breathed a slight sigh of relief. She was thankful that the Dazzlings' misdeeds in the Duel didn't cost them their health. Satisfied with that answer, she told Nurse Redheart, "Thanks. Just let me know when they wake up. I at least want to know they're okay once they leave the stadium." The nurse smiled and nodded to say that she would as Sunset and the others left.

"Well, it seems like Adagio and the others won't be in too bad shape after all of this..." Twilight said.

"They're real lucky, considering what went on in that Duel." Flash noted.

"I'll say..." Sunset agreed. "Those three had no idea just how dangerous those Numbers can be, not only to other people, but also to themselves. They were risking more than I think they realized..." Taking a card out of her Deck - the Number she managed to awaken during that Duel, she added, "Thankfully, I was able to get this and end that Duel before things really got bad. I don't want to know what would have happened otherwise..."

(Your friend is right to be concerned.) Utopia told Twilight. (The Numbers' power can often be too great for just anyone to handle, and that is if they AREN'T tainted by darkness... It's safe to assume that Sunset's Harmony Number may have awakened because it sensed the danger that was present and formed itself right when it was needed.)

(Maybe...) Twilight said to him mentally. (But I think it had more to do with Sunset's speech about not letting her past mistakes control her. That's what I think mattered during that match: Sunset was able to let go of her past while the Dazzlings couldn't. Those three only cared about getting revenge on us, and it only caused them more problems in the end.)

Humming, Utopia then thought, (Observation Number Seven: When one seeks only revenge on another - to only seek to cause harm and destruction because of real or imagined wrongs committed against them, it more often than not ends only with more pain for the one seeking revenge... I shall remember that.)

"Well, the important thing is that Sunset beat those jerks and stopped them from ruining the whole tournament." Spike pointed out.

"Indeed." said Mr. Dunstan. "And I believe that the next match will begin in less than ten minutes. I will return to my office to oversee the last Duel of the tournament. You should all return to where you are needed."

"We should go and find Sweetie Belle." Twilight suggested. "I bet she could use a bit of a pep talk before the next match."

"Yeah, sound like a good idea to me, Twilight." agreed Sunset, putting her jacket back on. "I think she said she was going to meet with Rarity and the others at the food court. Let's go!" Flash, Twilight, and Spike nodded as they all followed her while Mr. Dunstan returned to where he was needed.

Sunset left the room last, because as she was about to head out of the infirmary room, she stopped and glanced back at the Dazzlings, still seemingly unconscious. Sighing sadly, she said to them, "Adagio...Aria...Sonata... I hope you three will be okay. I didn't want to put you three in this state, believe or not. But you were so obsessed with your revenge, that I had no other choice. I just wish that our first meeting could've been different... I wish that you could've gotten along with everyone. Maybe then, things might have turned out better for you all..." Humming in a solemn tone, Sunset then said, "Maybe one day... one day the three of you will truly realize that getting revenge won't make your lives any better; none of you are hopeless cases, and I think, if you work hard and put your mind to it, you three can become the people you were meant to be, and finally have the happy life you always wanted... I truly wish that for you." With that speech said, Sunset then left the room. Unbeknownst to her and anyone else still in the room, there was a slight twitch from Adagio's pointer finger just after Sunset had gone...

In the stadium's locker rooms, Ember closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself before she would fight her last Duel of the tournament. "...This is it;" she said to herself, "just one more Duel. If I can win this last game, then I'll be able to enter the World Championship Qualifiers. But more than that... I'll know that I have learned all I need to know to become the Pro Duelist that I always wanted to be." She then opened her eyes and added, "Then, and only then...can I feel that I can ask Sunset for a rematch, and make up for that first Duel I had with her. No more holding back for any reason...!"

She then stood up proudly and declared, "I will face any opponent with everything I have with nothing to weigh me down! I'll become a True Duelist that doesn't fear anything!" It was quite clear that Ember was determined to win this Duel, for the sake of her future career, those that supported her, as well as he pride as a Duelist. The Ember that stood there in that locker room was no longer that distressed and unsure person she was when Sunset first met her. She was much stronger now than she had ever been in her life, and she was ready show off that new power. "Now...time for me to show everyone what I'm made of!" she then shouted. She then turned towards the door and exited the room.

Elsewhere, in the food court, Sunset, Twilight, Spike, and Flash found Sweetie Belle, as well as the rest of their friends. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were all there to help Sweetie prepare for the Finals. Of course, Sweetie's own friends Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed were there as well to keep her spirits high. "Hey guys!!" Sunset called out to them.

Hearing their friend's voice, the others smiled and waved over to her. "Hey, Sunnie! Over here!!" Pinkie shouted back.

Once they all joined up with each other, Rainbow said to Sunset, "Great job with that Duel, Sunset! Way t' teach those Dazzlings a lesson or two!"

"Honestly, I really do hope they learned a lesson after all that." the young Judge responded. "At the very least, I hope that after this experience, they'll think twice before they touch another Number card."

"I wholeheartedly agree, Sunset dear." Rarity spoke. "Things turned bad enough when I made the mistake of touching one of those cards; we certainly don't need people like them using such a dangerous power ever again."

"So...how are those three, anyway?" asked Applejack. "They seemed t' be in awful bad shape after that Duel..."

"They're being looked after by Nurse Redheart as we speak." Twilight answered her. "She said they should be okay in a few minutes, and after that, they'll be escorted out of the stadium."

"I'm glad for that..." said Fluttershy. "I mean, I know how mean they were to us and everyone else, but even so, I would never want to see them get hurt or anything like that for any reason..."

"Yeah, I guess I really wouldn't want that either..." Rainbow admitted. "Is that a weird thing to think?"

"If anything," said Flash, "it shows that you're a better person than they were. If you felt good seeing them suffer - even if it was justified, then you'd be just as bad as them. Personally, I think it takes real strength to show sympathy towards someone, even - and especially - if they're your enemy."

"That's how I felt, especially after Adagio started saying all of that stuff about how similar we were to each other..." Sunset stated. "I hate to admit it, but she was right on some points... But she couldn't get over her past mistakes, while I did. And now that I have...well, I feel much better than I ever have before." Looking around at everyone around her, she then told them, "And it's all because of you guys. You helped me come out of that darkness that held me back for so long. Especially you, Twilight."

"...I'm happy you feel that way, Sunset." the purple-skinned girl told her, "but it's not just because of us that you are what you are now. That decision to change from bad to good, your courage to look your personal demons in the eye and deal with them... That came from within you, Sunset. All we did was help you to find that part of yourself. If Princess Celestia were here with us right now, she would say the same thing."

"Thanks, Twilight." the red-and-yellow girl replied. "That makes me feel a lot better hearing that... Thanks for keeping your promise..."

"Hm? Promise?" asked Twilight. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh! Uh...n-nothing!" said Sunset after realizing what she had said. "I-I meant, thanks for...always being there for me."

"...Oh, of course. You're welcome." Twilight replied. In the back of her mind, hearing the word "promise" reminded her of that dream she had a while ago...

Turning to Sweetie Belle, Sunset then said, "A-anyway, changing the subject, we still have one last Duel before the end of the tournament, and you're going to be one of the competing Duelists. How do you feel?"

Sweetie Belle smiled, then answered, "Absolutely, unquestionably, and without a doubt..." Then, her eyes bulged, and her confident smile was replaced with a look of worry. "...completely terrified."

"Aw what've ya got t' worry about, Sweetie?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ya just beat two really tough Duelists t' get this far! You've got nothin' t' worry about at all!"

"Um...Bloom...?" asked the nervous Sweetie, "you sure you were paying attention to all those Duels the other girl fought? She beat that person who got an OTK yesterday in the tryouts! And then she beat that guy that got into the Wonderbolts! She even beat GILDA! Why do you think I'm nervous?!"

"Don't worry yourself too much, Sweetie Belle." Sunset told her. "If you do that, then you'll be too nervous to make any good decisions during your Duel."

"Sunset's right, Sweetie." Babs then told her friend. "Ya wanna win dat Duel, you gots t' stay calm. Ya can't get too scared of what might happen at the end'f it. Just play how ya did so far, and you'll be just fine!"

"Indeed." Rarity chimed in, wanting to show some support for her little sister. "The beginning of the Duel is not the time nor the place to be thinking about the end result. What you SHOULD be thinking about is playing at your absolute best. That way - even if you don't win, you can feel a sense of worth knowing that you at least gave it your all. Believe me, that's the mentality you need to have at whatever life throws at you, including Duel Monsters."

"Yeah, what she said!" Scootaloo then said. "I mean, yeah, it'd be super-awesome if ya won the whole tournament, but making it all the way to the finals is something none of us ever thought we'd be able to do in our first major Duel Monsters tournament! No matter what happens next, you've proven to everybody in that audience, that the Duel Monsters Crusaders are a force to be reckoned with! Maybe we'll even get more people to join our club after all this!"

Sweetie Belle felt a lot better after hearing just how much her friends were supporting her. With a smile on her face, she overcame her nervousness - at least for now - and said, "Okay, just watch me out there, everyone! I'll give everyone a Duel they'll never forget!"

Giving her little sister a big hug, Rarity told her, "I know for certain that you will, Sweetie dear."

"Oop! We'd better hurry back outside." Sunset said, checking her phone's clock. "There's only a minute until the Finals begin." Looking around her, she then added, "Flash, Twilight, Spike, Sweetie... I'll see all of you in the arena."

"And we'll be in the stands cheerin' you guys on!" said Rainbow Dash with her usual enthusiasm.

"Yep! No scones about it!" said Pinkie cheerfully.

"Um, Ah thought the expression was 'no BONES about it'?" asked Applejack.

"Expression?" asked the pink girl. "I was just saying I didn't get to have your family's Apple Scones yet!" Pinkie then rushed off to get her fill of treats before the last major Duel of the tournament, leaving the others standing there, slightly befuddled.

"I swear, I'll never truly understand Pinkie's thought process..." Rarity noted.

"I can only imagine what goes on in her mind." Sunset replied. "No offense, but I sure hope I don't have to see what it looks like."

"Erm...anyway," Twilight spoke, returning to the main subject, "let's all get back to the stadium and finish up the tournament!" Everyone else nodded and parted ways for now.

"What's UP, Duel fans?!" announced Megan Williams - the tournament MC - from the stadium's arena. "You ready for some awesome dueling or what?!" The crowd cheered loudly to say that were absolutely ready to see some more action. "That's great to hear!" Megan responded. "With the Semifinals out of the way, our next Duel will be the closer for this amazing tournament! And we're proud to feature two incredible Duelists who fought hard to make their way up here! So let's all give 'em both a warm welcome!" The audience cheered some more after that.

"That girl sure knows how to get the crowd going." Flash commented as he sat next to Twilight and Spike on one of the benches (Sunset was there as well, standing up against the wall). "I'm a bit surprised I hadn't seen her around here before. But I guess someone with that much spirit would've been easy to notice if she was from around here."

"No kidding." said Spike. "I just wish I had that kind of energy and confidence when I appeared at the Equestrian Games as a guest."

"Well, things still worked out, didn't they?" asked Twilight. "Despite those first few hiccups, you did a great job there. If anything, it shows that, even when you don't get something right the first time, Spike, you find a way to pull through and do it better then next time." The dragon-turned-puppy was happy to hear that from her.

"And now, fellow Duelists and spectators," Megan began to say, "it's finally time to bring out our two competing Duelists!" Turning to the left side of the stadium, she then said, "First, we have our fearsome and fearless Dragon Duelist coming here all the way from Bloodstone City! She's the daughter of former Pro Torch, who was also her personal dueling mentor! So please give a round of applause for...EMBER!!"

As Ember entered the arena, it was clear that she was a crowd favorite, despite not being a native of Canterlot City. She appreciated the cheers, but remained serious and determined for her upcoming Duel.

"And next," Megan said, turning to the other side of the arena, "we have the youngest Duelist to have entered the tournament, showing that big things come in small packages! This young Duelist has used the power of her Crystal Beasts to claim victory against some very tough opponents, and is now seeking to win it all and make her name in Duel Monsters history! So everybody give it up for...SWEETIE BELLE!!"

As Sweetie entered the arena and heard the crowds, her nervous feelings were starting to rise up inside of her again. She gulped a little, but did her best not to show any sign of fear right now. (You can do this Sweetie Belle...) she said to herself, (you can do this...you just have to win this one Duel, and you're done... So simple...!) She sighed a little, trying her best to remain calm and remember what everyone had to told her a few minutes earlier.

"Now, before we get things started," Megan said to the audience, "our Official Judge has a few more words to say." She then handed the microphone to Sunset, who had now walked to the center of the arena.

Clearing her throat, the red-and-yellow girl then said, "Alright, before we start this game, I just want to thank all of you for helping make this tournament one of the best ever! To those of you in the audience, I thank you all for the support you gave to me, Megan, and to all our competing Duelists. And to those Duelists who didn't make the cut for the Finals, do not get discouraged; continue to refine and polish your skills so that you can be better prepared the next time you compete in a major tournament. A defeat does not always mean a failure; rather, it's just another step towards total success."

The Duelists that were watching the Finals that had competed in the tournament (at least the ones that were still present and conscious), took those words to heart. This included Flash - who was sitting with Twilight and Spike on the bench, Indigo, Steel, Gilda, Fluttershy, Gabby, Derpy, Octavia and Zecora sitting in the audience, as well as Slid, Bright, and Sol who were watching the upcoming Duel together from their D-Pads in the food court.

"And to our two remaining competitors standing here right now," Sunset continued, "I hope you will give us all a Duel for the ages right here and now. And to make sure that happens, allow me to remind you all of what awaits the winner of this last Duel." She then pointed to the giant TV screen, which displayed the logo used for the annual WCQ Tournament. "The winner of the tournament will be personally invited to join the country's best Duelists and compete against them in the World Championship Qualifiers! The winner will then go on to World Championship Tournament against the best from around the world!"

Ember, looking at the screen and thinking about the Duels she was sure to have if she should make it into the WCQ's, thought to herself, (And that's going to be me... I cannot and will not let this opportunity pass me by...!)

The screen's display the changed to show a Duel Monsters card instead as Sunset added, "The winner of the Tournament will also receive an additional prize: The original prototype of The Despair Uranus, designed by the father of legendary Duelist Aster Phoenix! This card is said to be extremely valuable and a prize worthy of only the best and strongest Duelists!"

(Wow...) thought Sweetie as she stared at the card on the TV screen. (I'd love to get a card like that for myself...! So I gotta try and win this Duel!)

After the display of the card disappeared from the giant screen, the young Judge then said, "I hope that, knowing what glory awaits the winner of this Duel, that the two of you will give us only your best! You made it to the Finals for a reason, and that's because you were the strongest out of everyone who entered! Now it's time to put all of your experience and skills to the ultimate test...and give us a Duel that'll make history!!"

Now the crowds were more fired up to see the upcoming match even more than before. Ember remained serious, but smiled a little, appreciating all the hype the audience was giving her. Sweetie was also happy to hear that so many people were eager to see their Duel, though she did feel a bit nervous about making sure she would give them the Duel they wanted to see.

Taking a coin from her jacket pocket, Sunset then motioned both Ember and Sweetie to meet in the center of the arena. "And now, we'll begin this Duel by deciding turn order; Sweetie, since your Semifinal match had to be cancelled due to your opponents' actions, I'll give you the honor of calling Heads or Tails."

Sweetie nodded and watched as Sunset tossed the coin high into the air, caught it in her hand and placed it on the back of her other hand without looking at it. Rarity's younger sister hummed for a bit, wondering what the result was before guessing, "Um...i-it's Heads! ...Or Tails... No! Heads! I'm going with Heads!"

Sunset removed her hand from the coin and said to the young Duelist, "Sorry, Sweetie... It's Tails."

"Awwww...Darn it! Not again!! That was going to be my other guess!!" Sweetie Belle complained.

"Seeing as how there were only two guesses you could have made, that would technically be true." noted Ember. "In any case, I'll choose to go first, then." Sweetie nodded to say she was okay with that, though she would have preferred to make the first move.

After the competitors returned to their respective sides of the field, Sunset walked off to the side so as not to get in the way. "Now, Duelists," she began to say, "Let's begin the Tournament Finals Duel! Draw your cards and let's get this started!" The crowds cheered as both Ember and Sweetie Belle drew their opening hands, ready to begin their climactic Duel (Ember: LP 4,000) (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000).

"Well...here we go..." Rarity said to herself, trying to remain calm for her younger sister. "You can do this, Sweetie... I know you can...!"

"Go for it, Sweetie!!" cheered Apple Bloom. "You can do it!!"

"Yeah, Duel Monsters Crusaders FOREVER!!" shouted Scootaloo.

"Yeah, dat chick ain't got nothin' on yous!" Babs chimed in, showing her support for Sweetie as well.

Elsewhere in the stands, Torch - Ember's father - sat with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna as his daughter's Duel began. "Well, I must say," Luna began, "you've taught your daughter quite well, Torch. I expected no less from someone in your family to make it this far into the tournament."

"Hmph, what if I told you that Ember hasn't even shown all the power she has yet?" the man said to his former Dueling rival. "As impressive as Ember has been up to this point, she has yet to unleash her full strength. Not only did I teach her everything I know, but I've also reinforced her Deck with a few of my old cards as well. Trust me, Luna; you haven't seen anything yet."

"Perhaps," Celestia spoke up, "but don't underestimate the power that Duelists from my school have. I think even you'll be amazed at what even the youngest among the student body has to show."

Chuckling, Torch then said, "I suppose we'll see, Ms. Celestia." They then returned their focus to the Duel currently in progress.

As she devised her strategy, Ember thought to herself, (This is it... This is the Duel that could very well determine my future: Whether I begin my career as a Pro Duelist starting today... Or if I need to train even harder before that can become reality. But no matter what, I plan to show my full strength in this Duel! No holding back!!)

Taking a card from her hand, Ember said to her opponent, "I'll start this Duel by activating the Spell Card known as Terraforming. This allows me to search out any Field Spell Card from my Deck and add it to my hand." After searching through her Deck and selecting the card of her choice, the Bloodstone girl then said, "I will select Dragon Ravine from my Deck and activate it immediately!"

Instantly, the field changed to resemble a vast canyon lit up only by a setting sun. "And...what're you gonna do with that?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, if you recall from a few of my Duels in the tournament - like against Indigo and Steel, you'll know what I'm planning to use my Field Spell for." Ember replied. "But just in case you forgot, I'll go and use its effect right now: By discarding any card from my hand, I can then send a Dragon monster from my Deck to the Graveyard immediately. So I'll discard my Omni Dragon Brotaur that's in my hand and send Darkblaze Dragon to the Graveyard with it."

"As we've already seen so far with Ember's Duels," Flash noted, "her Dragons get more power if they return to the field from the Graveyard. She must be planning on bringing them out later on."

"It seems that way," noted Twilight, "but as we've also seen from her, Ember also likes to set up for moves much later on, like how she set up her cards to make a big play that won her the Quarterfinals Duel. I'm almost certain she's trying to do that again."

Taking another card from her hand, Ember then said, "Next, I'll Summon Paladin of Felgrand in Attack Position!" Instantly, her blonde-haired, armored warrior entered the field, sword ready to go (Paladin of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 300). "Now for my Paladin's effect!" Ember then declared. "After he's Summoned, I can equip him with any Level 7 or Level 8 Dragon from my hand or Deck to him! So I'll equip him with Felgrand Dragon from my Deck!" Afterwards, a ghostly spirit resembling Felgrand Dragon appeared behind her monster to support him. "As long as he's got something equipped to him," she continued, "he's unaffected by all other monster effects."

"That doesn't scare me, Ember...!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Believe me, I haven't gotten to that part yet." the Bloodstone teen responded. "I'll wrap my turn up by setting another card face-down. Go ahead."

"That means it's my turn! I draw!" said Sweetie Belle as she drew her first card of the Duel. As she looked over what she had in her hand, the young girl thought to herself, (Well...here I am in the Finals... I honestly never thought I'd get this far... I still remember when I would lose all the time to people at school. But now, I made it all the way into this big tournament, and if I win, I'll get to be in an even BIGGER tournament!) The thought of that made her sweat a little, knowing that the actual WCQ's was going to host even stronger Duelists. (In any case, I have to win! As a member of the Duel Monsters Crusaders, I gotta give it my best!)

"First things first," Sweetie said, beginning her turn, "I'll play the Spell Card Crystal Bond! This lets me search my Deck for not one, but TWO Crystal Beasts: One to go into my hand, and another to go into my back row as a Spell Card!"

"I see...a nice two-for-one effect." stated Ember. "How very efficient."

After taking two more cards out of her Deck, Sweetie presented them, saying, "I'll add Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus to my hand and put Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon in the back row!" After she did so, a large diamond-shaped white jewel appeared on her field.

(Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon...) thought Ember. (The most recent Crystal Beast monster, and the one she used to help win her Quarterfinal Duel... I have to be careful with that one...)

"Next, since I now have Sapphire Pegasus in my hand, I'll Summon him to the field in Attack Mode!" Sweetie said as she brought her equine Crystal Beast to the field (Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200). "And I'll use his effect to place Ruby Carbuncle in my back row from the Deck!" After that, a large ruby appeared on Sweetie's field, next to the diamond. "Now, Sapphire Pegasus! Attack her Paladin with Sapphire Tornado!" Her monster then used his wings to whip up a powerful cyclone that blew away Ember's monster and destroyed it. "He may be immune to monster effects, but NOT from monster attacks!" Sweetie noted.

"...Oh, I'm perfectly aware of that." said Ember (Ember: LP 4,000 - 100 = 3,900). "But you attacking my monster was part of my plan! I activate the effect of Omni Dragon Brotaur in my Graveyard. This allows me to bring it back to the field in Defense Position after one of my monsters is destroyed!" Immediately, the tiny little Dragon emerged onto the field, taking a defensive stance (Omni Dragon Brotaur: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"Hmmm...she used that same tactic against me in our Duel." Steel Shadows noted. "She used it with her Dragon's Rebirth Trap Card to revive a monster from her Graveyard. The only question is...what does she plan to use it for this time?"

Sweetie hummed a little, annoyed that she didn't clear Ember's field of monsters liked she hoped to do. "I'll just set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" declared Ember. "I draw!" After drawing her card and putting it into her hand, she looked at the other card she was holding and thought about it for a while...

Bloodstone, Ember's Home (Two Days Ago):

"A marvelous victory, Ember." said Torch as he and his daughter entered the front door of their home. "Despite my best efforts, you managed to claim a well-earned win in the end. Your training has certainly improved your skills in dueling drastically."

"Thanks, Dad." the blue-skinned teen replied. "For the comment and for helping train me. I do feel like I've come a long way in the past few days." She then sighed a little to herself, frowning a bit.

"Hm...?" Torch glanced over at his daughter and asked her, "Something troubling you...?" He then realized what it was and asked, "Oh...you're thinking about that Duel you had with Ms. Sunset during your Spring Break, am I right?"

Nodding, Ember said to her father, "Even after everything I've done to improve myself since that day I faced her the first time, I still can't stop thinking about that Duel...if I could even CALL that a Duel. I played so horribly, it's literally embarrassing... It's nothing like how I usually play, even before I met her. But I was careless and cocky, not to mention all of the emotional weight I had at the time... Honestly, that's why I've been pushing myself so much during my lessons with you, Dad; I want to be able to show Sunset what my true power looks like, and give her the Duel that I should have shown her that day...!"

Torch didn't show it on his face, as he rarely ever did, but he felt sorry for his daughter (mainly because the "emotional weight" she had mentioned was inadvertently caused by him). At that moment, his and Ember's Duel Pads - which were still attached to their arms at the moment - began to beep softly, indicating that they had gotten a notification. "Hm? What's this...?" said the man as he tapped the screen to see what it was. After checking the notification, he then said, "Hm...! It's a message from Industrial Illusions...!"

"I-Industrial Illusions?" asked Ember, snapping out of her funk for a moment. "What's it say?"

Reading the note on his D-Pad, Torch told her, "According to this, there will be a special tournament going on in Canterlot City, at the city's high school."

"Canterlot?" asked the blue girl. "That's where Sunset's from! What kind of tournament is it?"

"It's a tournament to determine who will be the last entrant into this year's World Championship Qualifiers." Ember's father answered her. "There is only one invitation left that hasn't been issued out, so whomever wins the competition will receive that invitation, as well as an additional prize."

"An additional prize?" asked Ember. "Eh, who cares about that...? If I were to enter, getting into the WCQ's would satisfy me just fine. This tournament would be the perfect test to see just how much I've grown as a Duelist, don't you agree?"

"I do agree, Ember." Torch replied with a nod. "It would be a strong first step to your future as a Pro Duelist if you were to win the tournament and enter the Qualifiers." Tapping the screen again, he then saw a bit of information that made him smirk a little. "Oh...and this should interest you even more:" he said to his daughter next. "As it turns out, Ms. Sunset will be the official Judge for the tournament."

"What?! Sunset's the Judge?!?" exclaimed Ember, looking at the notification herself, finding her father's words to be true.

"...You know, this is the perfect opportunity for you, my daughter." Torch said to her. "Perhaps you may get the chance at a rematch with Ms. Shimmer if you were to enter the tournament and impress her with the skills you've picked up. I strongly recommend that you do not let this chance slip you by; in the end, it IS your decision whether or not you want to-"

"You can just stop right there, Dad." Ember interrupted. "This is the chance I've been waiting for...! I'm going to enter that tournament, win the whole thing, and get a rematch with Sunset! Fate's given me this opportunity and I'm not gonna ignore it! What better way to start my road to becoming a Pro Duelist than with this tournament?" Turning to her father with vigor on her face and in her voice, she told him, "So, I've made up my mind! I'm entering that tournament!"

Chuckling in a low voice, Torch replied, "I expected no less, my daughter. You certainly have the desire and determination to succeed, and for that, I'm truly honored to have helped you in your goals and dreams." Walking over to a small box that was sitting on his Desk, he then added, "And I plan to continue helping you achieve your desires, even after your training is over." He then opened the box, revealing several Duel Monsters cards inside, taking a few of them out before closing the box once more. Walking over to Ember, he presented the cards and said, "Take these: They are my gift to you for furthering your Pro Dueling career, and also because of how proud I am of you that you've come so far."

Ember looked at the cards he was offering to her, an amazed look appearing on her face. At first, she didn't want to take them, but she knew just how stubborn her father was, and he wouldn't accept "no" as an answer, not even from her. And besides, she was happy to know that her father - who once was against her becoming a Duelist - was now doing everything he could to help her realize her life's dream. And it was for that reason that she accepted the gift from him.

Satisfied, Torch nodded and said to her, "The tournament's Preliminary Rounds being tomorrow. I recommend you continue refining your skills until that day comes." He then turned to leave; after all, he had some work to do as well.

Ember looked at the cards that her father had given her and thought, (I'll do it...! I'll win that tournament! I'll make you proud, Dad... I'll make you proud, Sunset... And I'll make myself proud, too!)

(I meant that with every fiber of my being...) thought Ember, having finished recalling that event. (I'm going to be the best Duelist out there, and I won't let anything stand in my way! And I'll use one of the cards you gave to me right now to do just that!) Looking towards her opponent, she told her, "You ready to see what my full power looks like?"

"B-bring it on!" said Sweetie Belle, trying her best to remain brave, even though Ember's question worried her a bit.

"For my next move, I will Special Summon a monster from my hand." Ember stated. "But in order to do that, I must first pay a cost: I banish Omni Dragon Brotaur from my field!" Instantly, her tiny dragon monster vanished from sight.

"Why'd she do that?" asked Spike. "Just what is she trying to bring out?"

"I don't know." Twilight replied, just as curious as he was. However, she glanced over to Sunset and saw the surprised look on her face; she could tell that Sunset might have an idea as to what Ember was about to bring to the field next.

Gasping a little, Luna turned over to Torch and asked, "...N-no...! Torch, you didn't-!"

Chuckling a little, the man replied, "I did indeed, Luna. I'm a bit surprised that it's taken this long for her to bring it out, but I suppose the Finals are the perfect time for her to unleash our family's secret weapon!"

Taking the card that she had been looking at earlier, she then said softly to herself, "...Dad...lend me your strength..." She then played the card and shouted, "Come forth! Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!!" After she played the card, a massive tower of red-hot flames burst out of the ground in front of Ember, swirling like a tornado. Then, a pair of silver-armored wings with red highlights came out of the flame tornado. After the fire vanished, a massive dragon coated in the same silver armor as the wings was floating there, belting out a shrieking cry that reverberated over the stadium.

*******************************

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon
(Effect Monster/Dragon/DARK/Level 10/ATK 2800/DEF 2400)

You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 face-up Dragon monster you control. You can only Special Summon "Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon" once per turn this way. During your Main Phase: You can Special Summon 1 Dragon monster from your hand or GY, except "Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon". You can only use this effect of "Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon" once per turn.

*******************************

"What the heck is that?!?" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, astonished. "That thing's HUGE!!"

"I knew it..." thought Sunset. "Considering that her father used a Red-Eyes Deck, I figured he'd probably give her a card like that."

"So...what's that guy do, Sunset?" asked Spike, curious about the new monster due to it being a Dragon.

"It's practically a staple for any dedicated Dragon Deck." the red-and-yellow girl answered him. "It's summoned by banishing any other Dragon from the field, but since her Omni Dragon Brotaur would have banished itself if it left the field anyway, it was the prefect fodder to bring out Red-Eyes. But not only is it strong on offense, but it has an even greater power; one that Ember's Deck in particular thrives on."

Smiling a bit, Ember then told her opponent, "If you think my Darkness Metal Dragon is impressive now, just watch as I activate its effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon any Dragon from my hand OR my Graveyard!"

"Wait, you get to do WHAT each turn?!?" asked Sweetie Belle in shock.

"Basically, as long as Darkness Metal Dragon is on my field, my Dragons can keep on coming back no matter how many times they fall!" the Bloodstone Duelist responded. "I use the effect of Darkness Metal Dragon to revive Felgrand Dragon from the Graveyard!" And with a mighty roar from her monster, Ember's favorite card came back to the field (Felgrand Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800). "Felgrand Dragon can only be revived from the Graveyard if it was sent there from the field," Ember noted, "so it's a good thing my Paladin of Felgrand's effect helped get it there."

"Of course..." Martin said from the audience, "Even though it was brought out as an Equip Card, it still technically entered the field first. So she was able to bring it back from the Graveyard."

"I see..." said Gilda, understanding. "That was the whole point of her summoning that Paladin. She had this planned from the beginning."

Continuing her turn, Ember then declared, "Now I activate Felgrand Dragon's effect! The moment it is Special Summoned, I can select any monster from my Graveyard, and give Felgrand Dragon attack points equal to 200 times the chosen monster's Level! So I'll select Darkblaze Dragon, who's Level 7!" Her revived Dragon then roared, gaining strength from its ally in the Graveyard (Felgrand Dragon: ATK 2800 + 1400 = 4200).

"Unbelievable!" remarked Octavia. "That was the reason she sent it there in her last turn, even discarding that monster to set up for its Graveyard effect so she could bring out Darkness Metal Dragon...!"

"Woah, that's nuts!" said Vinyl. "No way she thought that far ahead!"

But it was true; Ember's ability to think several moves ahead, combined with the power of her Dragons, made her a force to be reckoned with. "Now for my Battle Phase!" she then shouted. "Felgrand Dragon! Attack her Sapphire Pegasus! Ray of Grand Light!!" Her mighty Dragon then fired a blast of light energy at Sweetie's monster, threatening its destruction and a lot of damage.

"Hold on a sec! I activate a Trap Card!" shouted Sweetie, tapping her screen. "I play my Crystal Brilliance card! Thanks to this, all my Crystal Beast monsters gain attack points equal to their defense points!" Her card then strengthened Sapphire Pegasus, raising his power (Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus: ATK 1800 + 1200 = 3000).

"That won't stop Felgrand Dragon!" Ember reminded her. "Continue the attack!" The light ray then hit its mark, wiping out Sweetie's only monster. But thanks to the Trap Card, her Life Points didn't take as much of a hit as they would have otherwise (Sweetie Belle: LP 4,000 - 1,200 = 2,800).

"I use the effect of Sapphire Pegasus, and put him in my back row as a Spell Card!" Sweetie Belle then said as a large, dark-blue gem appeared on her field.

Thinking to herself, Ember pondered, (Okay...if I have Red-Eyes attack next, that'll be exactly enough to win the Duel with an OTK... The thing is...) She then glanced to the far left side of the field, where a single face-down card was sitting. (...I'm sure that card might stop me. Still, I should take this chance; worst-case scenario, I force her to flip that Set card.) Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Go, Red-Eyes!! Attack her with Darkness Metal Flare!!" Her second monster then began charging up its attack, threatening to end the Duel right here and now.

"Sweetie, dear! Watch out!!" shouted Rarity out of concern.

But Sweetie wasn't going to let her opponent win that easily, shouting, "I play my other Trap Card! Crystal Boon!"

*******************************

Crystal Boon
(Normal Trap Card)

Special Summon up to 2 "Crystal Beast" Monster Cards from your Spell & Trap Zone, and if you do, gain LP equal to their combined original ATK. If a "Crystal Beast" card(s) is placed in your Spell & Trap Zone while this card is in your GY, even during the Damage Step: You can banish this card; excavate the top card of your Deck, and if it is a "Crystal Beast" monster, either add it to your hand or Special Summon it. Otherwise, send that card to the GY. You can only use this effect of "Crystal Boon" once per turn.

*******************************

"I'll use this card to bring back these guys!" said Sweetie Belle, taking two card out of the Spell & Trap slot of her D-Pad. "Come on back, Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus and Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon!!" Her two monster then busted out of their gem-like forms and returned to the field as monsters, first the wing and horn-bearing creature, who immediately was powered up by the first Trap Sweetie activated (Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus: ATK 1800 + 1200 = 3000), followed by the massive Dragon that bore similarities to her Deck's strongest monster (Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 0).

"Rrrgh...!" grunted Ember, not expecting that, despite knowing full well that her opponent was going to use their face-down card in response to her attack.

"And thanks to my Trap Card's other effect," Sweetie continued, "I get more Life Points equal to their original attack points, added up!" In an instant, she regained the Life Points she lost, and more (Sweetie Belle: LP 2,800 + 4,800 = 7,600). "Not only that, but I even get to use Sapphire Pegasus to put Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle from my Deck into my back row!" She did just that, causing a lighter-blue gem to appear there.

"...I choose to cancel Darkness Metal Dragon's attack." said Ember, knowing that it wouldn't beat either of Sweetie's monsters, since they each had slightly higher attack points. "I must admit: That was quite a good move. But don't think I won't play a better one later on!" Taking the last card in her hand, she added, "I move to my second Main Phase and discard my Darkstorm Dragon in order to use the effect of Dragon Ravine to send my Arkbrave Dragon from the Deck to the Graveyard." After doing so, she then thought, (Arkbrave Dragon will definitely help me out later...but in case it doesn't, I'll be ready to use Darkstorm when the time calls for it...) She then said to her opponent, "It's your turn, then."

"Dat was a pretty good move for Sweetie there..." said Babs. "She got two really strong monsters on the field, and got a huge boost to 'er Life Points at th' same time."

"Yeah! I'd like to see that Ember chick try and beat her now!" said Scootaloo, confident that Sweetie had this game won now.

"Let's not get too comfortable, yet..." Apple Bloom reminded them both. "Ember's still got that Dragon with 4200 attack points on the field, an' neither of Sweetie's monsters are strong enough t' beat it."

"True, but maybe now, she'll have plenty'o time t' draw an out to Ember's strategy." said Babs, still confident that Sweetie had a good fighting chance.

"Alright, it's my turn...!" said Sweetie Belle as she prepared her next card. Before she did, she thought to herself, (I gotta try and win this somehow... I need to win for the rest of Crusaders...!) She then had a flashback to the day when the WCQ Qualifier Tournament was announced...

"This is so awesome!" said Scootaloo, after she and the rest of her friends in the Duel Monsters Crusaders read about the tournament from the notification in the D-Pads. "They're gonna be havin' a tournament to see who'll get into the WCQ's this year!"

"Ah know, right?" said an equally-excited Apple Bloom. "Ah'll bet there'll be a lotta Duelists tryin' out for it! Maybe we'll even get see Duelists we've never met before!"

"Yeah!" said Sweetie Belle. "And not only that, our school's even gonna be hosting the whole tournament! I'd like to see Crystal Prep top something like that!"

"A tournament t' determine who'll get into the WCQ's..." said Babs Seed. "Now that's a prize worth fightin' for. No doubt about it: there's gonna be some tough Duelists competin' t' try an' get that honor!" Looking at the rest of them, she then suggested, "And I think we should try n' throw ourselves into th' ring and play in the tournament, too!"

"HUH?!? Us compete?!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "You're kidding, right?"

"There's no way we'd be able to beat all those tougher Duelists!" said Bloom. "They're too high above us!"

"Yeah, what she said!" agreed Sweetie Belle.

"Look, girls: I know it sounds impossible..." Babs began to say, "but ask yourselves: How d'ya KNOW you won't get far in the tournament, unless you get out there and at least give it a try?" The other three said nothing first, realizing their fellow club member had a point. "Besides," she then continued, "don't ya see that this sorta thing is the perfect opportunity for us?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sweetie.

"Think about it: If even just one'f us gets in the tournament an' does really well," Babs explained to them, "then it'll get our club some real good publicity! People from all over the city will wanna join up with us and become bettah Duelists!"

"Ah...guess ya'll got a good point there, Babs." said Apple Bloom, agreeing with her cousin.

"Exactly." Babs replied. "It's our duty as members of the Duel Monsters Crusaders t' get the club's name out there, and help othah people just like us to be the best Duelists we can be! Even if we don't win the tournament, if we still do well enough, then I'm sure we'll have tons'f people wantin' t' join up with us! Besides, what's the worst that can happen if we just give it a try?"

Humming a bit, Scootaloo then said, "Well...I guess we don't have anything to lose. Maybe it's not a bad idea after all."

"I guess we could at least head to where they're hosting the Preliminary Rounds and see what we'll be up against." said Sweetie Belle. "But if I could make a suggestion, maybe we should just have one of us enter the tournament?"

"Ah think that'd be a good idea." Apple Bloom said. "That way, we don't have to worry about gettin' paired up with each other; Ah know we've had Duels with each other before, but those were just fer fun. Ah can't imagine how it'd feel to have t' fight one of mah best friends in a more high-stakes Duel..."

"In that case," Scootaloo began to say, "I think we should have Babs enter the tournament; she's the best out of all of us."

"Actually, I had a different idea in mind." the tough girl replied. Turning towards one of the others, she then recommended, "I nominate Sweetie Belle t' be the club's rep for the tournament."

"WHAT?! ME?!?" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were equally shocked by Babs's suggestion.

"While it's true that I've had the most duelin' experience out of any of us," Babs then told them all, "I've been keepin' a close eye on the rest of yous, and I have to admit, Sweetie's been on a really good winnin' streak evah since she got back from Manehatten. Need I remind yous that you even beat me in a Duel once earlier this week?"

"Huh?" Apple Bloom (as well as Scootaloo) turned towards Sweetie and asked, "Is that true? You actually beat Babs in a Duel one time?"

"Well...yeah, I guess I did." said the white-skinned girl, rubbing the back of her head. "But it was only one game, and really I just got lucky, is all..."

"But ya still won, and dat's what matters." Babs told her. "And dat's why I think you'll be the best choice outta all'f us t' enter the tournament. No...not just enter the tournament, but WIN it! I'm tellin' ya, I really think you've got what it takes t' beat everyone else, no matter how tough they are!"

"I...don't know..." said Sweetie Belle, unsure if she really was the best one to enter such a big competition.

"Ah'm with Babs." said Apple Bloom. "She never says those sorts of things about just anybody. If she really thinks Sweetie can do it, then Ah believe it too!"

"Same here!" said Scootaloo. "After all, I still haven't been able to beat Babs even by luck! And who knows? Sweetie might win this whole thing and even get into the World Championship Qualifiers! Wouldn't that be something?"

"...You...you guys really think I can do it?" asked Sweetie, feeling a little happy that they all believed in her so much.

"Yous bet we do!" Babs told her. "You're gonna do amazing, I know it for a fact!"

Sweetie was still a bit unsure about it, but she didn't want to let her friends down. And knowing that if she got really far into the tournament, it would give their club more positive attention and possibly future members. Smiling and nodding, the young girl then said, "Okay... I guess it couldn't hurt. I'll do it!"

"Yeah!!!" cheered the other members of the club, pleased to know that Sweetie was willing to try and enter the tournament. They then went on to say that they would offer her all of the support they could give her, and wished her luck in the competition...

(Everybody in the club believed in me...especially Babs.) said Sweetie Belle. (And now look at me: I'm actually in the Final Match! Which means if I win this Duel, I win the whole tournament! I'll get into the WCQ's, get that rare card, and even get our club's name out there! I gotta try...! I gotta try and WIN!)

"I draw!!" said Sweetie Belle, pulling the top card of her Deck. She then looked at it, and smiled a huge smile. "YES!! I drew my Field Spell Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!! I'm gonna play it right now!!"

After she played the card, Ember and the rest of the audience watched as Sweetie's entire half of the field changed to a set of beautiful ruins with a rainbow appearing over it. "She actually managed to draw her Field Spell..." muttered Ember. "I was hoping to end this Duel before that happened..."

"Thanks to my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins," Sweetie began to explain, "I get a buncha effects for each of the Crystal Beasts in my back row! Since I have two there right now, that means that Rainbow Ruins can't be destroyed by card effects, and once per turn, I can cut any damage I take in half! And with the Life Point boost I got last turn, that puts me in pretty good shape, if I do say so myself."

"No kidding..." said Flash. "Right now, Sweetie is almost invincible. With so much Life Points, she can stay in the game for a longer amount of time!"

"Which means that the likelihood of her drawing her way to a card that can overcome Ember is much higher." said Twilight.

"Yeah, Sweetie Belle knows exactly how to make the best use of her Crystal Beast cards." Sunset said. "But Ember also knows how to make the best with her Deck, too. This Duel could still go either way."

Taking another card from her hand, Sweetie played it and said, "Now I'm summoning my Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth in Attack Mode!" The massive mammoth monster then entered the field, trumpeting out a powerful battle cry. "And thanks to my Crystal Brilliance Trap Card, he gets even stronger!" (Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth: Level 4 / ATK 1700 + 1600 = 3300).

"It's still not powerful enough to defeat my Felgrand Dragon, Sweetie Belle." Ember reminded her.

"Maybe not, but your other monster's not safe!" the young girl then told her. "Amber Mammoth, attack her Red-Eyes with your Amber Stomp attack!!" The beast then stamped its foot onto the ground, cracking the ground underneath it and creating a fissure that sent Darkness Metal Dragon plummeting to its doom.

"Urrgh..." grunted Ember, taking a small hit to her Life Points (Ember: LP 3,900 - 500 = 3,400). "I can't believe she destroyed Red-Eyes so easily..."

"That's the end of my turn, then!" said Sweetie, feeling a bit more confident. "So go ahead and make your move!"

"I will, then." said Ember, drawing a card from her Deck and looking at it. (Hmmm...this card could help, but I have to be careful; That Field Spell is a lot of trouble. Thanks to its effects that are currently active, I can't destroy it, and each turn it'll cut any damage I deal to her in half once each turn. But there's more: Sweetie Belle will get even more effects if more Crystal Beasts are placed in her back row...and at three, she can send any of the Crystal Beasts in her Monster Zones to the Graveyard to negate a Spell or Trap that I play... It's bizarre; I have the most powerful monster on the field right now, but I'M the one at a disadvantage!) Still, she knew she had to try something, so she placed the card she had drawn this turn in her hand and shouted, "Felgrand Dragon, attack Amber Mammoth!!" Her monster then blasted Sweetie's monster, destroying it and dealing a bit more damage (Sweetie Belle: LP 7,600 - 450 = 7,150).

"Wait, why didn't she attack any of the other monsters?" asked Spike.

"Because Amber Mammoth forces the opponent to attack it first." explained Sunset. "That's why Sweetie didn't bother to switch her other monsters to Defense last turn."

"I'll move Amber to my back row instead of the Graveyard with his effect." said Sweetie Belle, doing that and making a large, smooth, orange stone appear in front of her.

"And I'll set a card in MY back row and end my turn." said Ember, playing the card she had just drawn.

"Then it's my turn!" said Sweetie, drawing her next card and looking at it. After staring at her newly-drawn card and then at her Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon, she placed the card into her hand and played a different one. "I'll Summon Amethyst Cat in Attack Mode." Her purple-furred, cat-like monster then appeared in front of her after the card was played (Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat: Level 3 / ATK 1200 + 400 = 1600 / DEF 400). "And then I'll switch both my other monsters to Defense Mode." she then said, re-positioning her other two monsters. Pointing forward, she then ordered her sole offensive monster, "Now, Amethyst Cat! Use your effect and attack Ember directly!"

The cat-like creature then pounced towards Sweetie's opponent, slashing her with its mighty claws and dealing a small amount of chip damage (Ember: LP 3,400 - 800 = 2,600). "Hmm. Not bad, kid." Ember complimented. "Is that all you're doing this turn?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Sweetie answered her. "So go ahead."

Drawing a card from her Deck, Ember looked at it and thought, (This could help, though she might negate it with her Field Spell. Either way though, I'm planning to take back control of this Duel...!) Playing the card she drew, Ember declared, "I activate my Pot of Desires! By banishing ten cards off the top of my Deck, I draw two more! Unless of course...you wish to use your Field Spell's effect to negate it?"

"Negate it?" asked Sweetie Belle. It was true: Since she currently had three Crystal Beasts in her back row, she was able to negate any Spell or Trap that Ember might activate, but at the cost of sending one of her front row Crystal Beasts to the Graveyard. Not wanting to risk the possibility of being left with no monsters in the face of Ember's 4200-attack point Felgrand Dragon, she said to her opponent, "...No, that's fine. You can play that card."

"...Very well, then." said Ember, a little surprised by the decision, but not questioning it. She then removed her top ten cards, then drew the next two. She then saw what one of the cards was and came up with an idea. Facing her opponent, Ember then said, "Alright, I think it's time that I take back the advantage in this Duel. And I'll do it with this: My Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords!!" She then played the Continuous Spell Card on the field.

"Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords?!" exclaimed Gabby. "Isn't that the card she used on you, Gilda?"

"Yeah, and it's a real pain in the butt." the kindly roughneck answered. "That card negates the effects of any monsters Special Summoned from anywhere that ISN'T the Graveyard, while Ember's got a Level 7 or 8 Dragon out on the field. That card almost perfectly countered my Raidraptor Deck...! And since that girl's Crystal Beasts do a lot of Special Summoning, it's also good against her Deck as well!"

"But there's just one thing..." Martin pointed out. "If Sweetie Belle were to use her Field Spell's effect, she can negate that card's activation and destroy it." However, Martin also was aware of the fact that Ember KNEW about the Field Spell's effect as well, and yet she played the card anyway...

While Sweetie didn't care too much about letting Pot of Desires resolve its effect, the Ruins card was a different story. "I can't let you use that card! So I'll activate Rainbow Ruins' third effect! I send Amethyst Cat to the Graveyard to negate your Spell and destroy it!" At that moment, the cat creature vanished from the field altogether, causing purple bolts of energy towards Ember's Spell Card, suppressing its power. "I saw you use that on Gilda, but you won't be using it on me!" Sweetie told her.

"...Which is what I was counting on." Ember replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'll admit, I was a bit surprised you let me resolve Pot of Desires," the Bloodstone girl told her, "but I figured that - after what you saw of this card last Duel, you couldn't resist negating it. And now that you've committed to it, I can now freely use my REAL trump card!"

"Your...real trump card?" asked Sweetie, getting more nervous.

"I activate the Trap Card, Burst Breath!" said Ember, revealing her face-down card. "To use it, I must Tribute my Felgrand Dragon. But in exchange, I can now destroy every monster on the field with less defense points than Felgrand's attack points! In other words, both of your remaining monsters!"

"It does WHAT?!" gasped Sweetie Belle. She just stood there and watched as both of her remaining monsters were instantly destroyed.

"Oh no..." said Fluttershy. "Now all of Sweetie's monsters are gone...!"

"...Wait, hold up a sec:" Applejack began to ask, "Why didn't Sweetie use her Field Spell's effect again to stop that Trap? That way, she'd still have one monster left on the field..."

"Indeed..." Rarity hummed. "Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins' third effect isn't a once-per-turn effect, so she could have done that... But judging by the look on my sister's face, I don't think she was aware of that..." The violet-haired teen then looked towards her sister and saw the uncomfortable look on her face, wondering if that also had anything to do with what had happened.

Torch, however, was quite pleased and proud of his daughter for her well-timed move. "I didn't expect any less of you, Ember." he said to himself. "But don't rest easy just yet; this opponent of yours has proven to be quite strong as well..." He continued to watch the Duel, confident that Ember wouldn't disappoint him.

Sweetie Belle was still in total disbelief that all of her monsters had been wiped out so easily. "No..." she said. "I don't believe it..." Now she wasn't so sure about how this game was going to end, now that her advantage had been lost. Still, she wasn't planning to give up just yet as she took her Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon card and said, "Since this monster was destroyed, I'll put it in the back row for now." In addition, Ember's negated Spell Card also removed itself from the field.

"Maybe, but now your front row is clear of any monsters, which means I can start chipping away at your Life Points!" Ember informed her. Taking the other card she had drawn with Pot of Desires, she then said, "Now I'll summon my Guardian of Felgrand in Attack Position!" She then brought out her other Warrior monster that shared the name of her favorite Dragon (Guardian of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 500). "He may start out with low stats," Ember began explaining, "but I can use his effect to equip him with any Level 7 or 8 Dragon from my Graveyard, then add half that monster's attack and defense points to his stats! And of course, I'll choose to equip him with the Felgrand Dragon that I just Tributed for my Trap Card." Her Warrior then raised his axe as the ghostly image of Felgrand Dragon appeared behind him (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 500 + 1400 = 1900 / DEF 500 + 1400 = 1900).

"Now that Sweetie's front row is completely empty," stated Sunset, "Ember's attack won't fail to get through... The only things keeping Sweetie in the game are that her Field's Spell second effect will halve the damage done, and the fact that she has so many Life Points right now..."

"So does that mean she still has a chance?" asked Spike.

"Maybe..." said the jacket-wearing girl. "Sweetie just needs to try and remain calm, even under all the pressure she's in right now." Like Rarity, Sunset wondered if Sweetie earlier nervousness was what caused her not to use her Field Spell's effect to negate Burst Breath earlier. (C'mon Sweetie...) she thought, (you can't get scared now...)

"Now, Guardian of Felgrand! Attack Sweetie directly!" shouted Ember. Her monster then swung his axe, performing a horizontal slice that created a powerful shock wave that was brimming with power. The shock wave struck Sweetie Belle fairly hard, causing her some damage.

"Urrgh... I use Rainbow Ruins' second effect!" said the younger girl. "So that damage is cut in half!" (Sweetie Belle: LP 7,150 - 950 = 6,200).

"I'm well aware of that." stated Ember. "But unless you can get another monster out onto the field, I'll just keep on attacking you until your Life Points run out, or until I find a way to get past your Field Spell. With all due respect to you, especially since you've proven to be a very strong opponent, I still must say this: I'M going to win this Duel! I am going to win this tournament and begin my dream of becoming a Pro Duelist! And I don't plan on letting up anytime soon! For the sake of my goals and desires, I WILL come out victorious!!"

There was now no doubt in anyone's mind that Ember wasn't planning on just handing Sweetie a victory: Ember was determined now more than ever to win the tournament and become the powerful Duelist she felt she was meant to be. Either way, it seemed that the real Duel was only just about to begin...

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Final Round):

Ember vs. Sweetie Belle [WINNER: ???]

RANK 58: The Tournament Finals: Ember Vs. Sweetie, Part 2:

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

RANK 59: The Final Face-Off: Ember vs. Sunset, Part 1:

Author's Note

And here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for: The rematch between Sunset and Ember.

I mostly wrote this story (and a great deal of the tournament story arc in general) as a result of the first episodes that Ember appeared in. As time passed by, I felt less than pleased with how I wrote the Duel in the episode that Ember first appeared in, with her losing without doing any damage. So basically, this whole part of the series was written partially to make up for it.

As a result, I ended up writing my longest Duel for an episode (or TWO episodes in this case) ever, and I feel a lot more pleased with how it turned out compared to their first Duel with each other. It wasn't easy, but I hope that you all enjoy what I came up with for this and the next part.

RANK 59: The Final Face-Off: Ember vs. Sunset, Part 1:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

The Final Duel of the WCQ Qualification Tournament has now come to a close. Duelists Ember and Sweetie Belle were matched against each other to see who would win the competition and be invited to the World Championship Qualifiers that year. Though Sweetie managed to set up a strong defense and gain a massive advantage over Ember early on, her nervousness started to take over her, and caused her to slip up at crucial moments. Thankfully, Ember managed to inspire Sweetie to overcome her fears so that they could have a Duel worthy of the Finals. Sweetie then managed to summon both of her Deck's ultimate monsters: Rainbow Dragon and Rainbow Overdragon, which practically guaranteed her victory. However, Despite the odds against her, Ember managed to overcome Sweetie's boss monsters with one of her own: Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand, whose ability allowed it to land the final blow and clinch Ember's victory.

Though she lost, Sweetie Belle's optimism wouldn't allow her to stay sad about the result for long. She has promised Ember that she would work on overcoming her fear and nervousness for the next time she would compete in a Duel. With that, the Tournament had ended, and Ember was awarded her prizes: The invitation to the WCQ's, as well as the original prototype copy of The Despair Uranus, which she gave to Sweetie Belle as thanks for giving her an amazing Duel.

However, Ember isn't ready to end things just yet; now that she has earned the title of Tournament Champion, the Duelist from Bloodstone has now offered a challenge to Sunset Shimmer, the girl who helped her find the courage to realize her dreams of going pro...

"Sunset Shimmer of Canterlot City, I challenge you to a Duel!!" declared the Duelist known as Ember, a citizen of Bloodstone City and daughter of former Pro Duelist Torch. Ember had proven to be one of the strongest Duelists of her generation, having come out victorious in the WCQ Qualifier Tournament and earning her spot in the actual World Championship Qualifiers. Now, however, she had her sights set on dueling Sunset, her friend and rival who had helped her become the Duelist she was meant to be.

"D-duel?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, who was still standing on the field following her Duel with Ember. "You want to duel Sunset?!"

Ember nodded yes and replied, "When I decided to enter this tournament, I had several goals in mind: One was to win the tournament and enter the WCQ's this year. Another was to begin my path towards becoming a Pro Duelist. And one more was to test my skills against some of the best Duelists in the area." Glancing back over towards Sunset, she then said, "But by far, my main reason for entering this tournament was to get the chance to face Sunset in a no-holds-barred Duel; the Duel I should have given her when we first met!"

"Umm...I don't understand..." said the confused MC, Megan Williams. "What is she talking about, Sunset?" Mr. Dunstan - the official from Industrial Illusions, was also curious to know what this was all about.

Turning over to Ember, Sunset asked her, "Is it okay if I tell them all?" The Bloodstone girl nodded yes, saying that she was fine with it. Sunset then explained, "Well, the whole thing started during Spring Break Week. My friends and I all went off on our own to enjoy our quick vacation in our own ways. In my case, I headed over to Bloodstone City after a Duel Monsters tournament at one of the local card shops got cancelled. At first, I was simply there to apply for and earn my Duel Runner license, but shortly after I had gotten it, I noticed that a Duel was going on at the city park. That's when I met Ember for the first time." Sweetie, Megan, and Mr. Dunstan continued to listen, eager to know more regarding Sunset's first encounter with the skilled Duelist. They were soon joined by Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Flash Sentry, who had gotten up from their seats on the bench and walked out onto the field.

"I learned from one of the locals watching the Duel that she was the best Duelist in town; she had never lost a match against anyone in the city." Sunset continued to tell them all. "Needless to say, I was pretty impressed and wanted to duel against her myself. And when someone found out that I had defeated the toughest instructor at the DMV where I got my Duel Runner license, that got Ember's attention right away. As it turned out, she already knew about my reputation as the best Duelist at CHS, and a one-time regional champ. That spurred her into wanting a Duel from me."

"So...how did that Duel go?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Who won?"

Sunset hummed sadly a bit before looking over at Ember, who had the same solemn expression on her face. "Do...you want to tell her instead of me?" asked Sunset.

"...I probably should." Ember replied. Sighing a bit and rubbing the back of her head, the Bloodstone Duelist then told Sweetie, "To be totally honest with you...I lost that Duel... And it wasn't even close. I didn't even do a single point of damage to her..." The regret she was feeling thinking about that time could be heard in her voice as she made that admission.

"You're serious?!?" exclaimed Flash. "But you were absolutely incredible during the tournament! You beat some of the toughest people I've ever seen in the past few hours! So what happened back then?"

"Well..." Ember began. "back then, when I first challenged Sunset, I was...well, going through some rough things... Believe it or not, my dad, the former Pro Duelist Torch...he used to forbid me from dueling."

"Forbid you?" asked Megan. "Why?"

"He kept me from dueling because he suffered a loss that, back then at the time, he couldn't get over." Ember explained to her. "So he tried to prevent me from dueling because he didn't want the same thing to happen to me." As she said this, Torch - still sitting in the audience - hummed quietly to himself, having a feeling of regret himself for ever doing that to his own daughter because of his own personal problems.

"But even so..." the blue teen continued, "even so, I knew I wanted to be a Duelist. That's what I've wanted to become for the longest time, and I didn't want anything to get in the way of my dream..." Taking a card from out of her Deck - the card Felgrand Dragon, she then said, "Ever since I got this card from a very good friend of mine years ago, I knew I wanted to follow that path for myself... This card...it was just like me at the time: No matter how many times you try to bring it down, it comes back even stronger than before. I could feel it from the very moment I touched it for the first time. So, with the help of my friends in the city, I secretly learned how to play Duel Monsters and build my first Deck, and then went on to become the best Duelist in the city."

(Wow...even I didn't know about all that.) thought Sunset. (So it was that Felgrand Dragon card that led her to wanting to become a Duelist, despite her father being against it back then.)

"This card helped me to make up my mind on what I wanted to be." said Ember. She then turned to Sunset and added, "And it was thanks to Sunset that my dad finally accepted my dreams and desires of becoming a Duelist. And then, thanks to him, I learned everything I needed to achieve those dreams. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for all of them. I was able to overcome all of the struggles and burdens in my life so that I could compete here today and get one step closer towards becoming a Pro Duelist... But there's always been one thing that I still have yet to overcome:" Giving Sunset a fierce and determined glance, Ember then told her, "Sunset...the first time we dueled, I played such an awful mess of a game that still weighs on me to this very day; a Duel that doesn't represent my true strength as a Duelist. But now...now that I've conquered all of the other demons inside of me, I finally feel like I have the right to ask you for a rematch, and show you just what I'm truly capable of! So...do you accept my challenge?"

After hearing everything she had to say to her and everyone else, Sunset knew that refusing Ember's request was not an option; having just gotten over some personal struggles of her own after defeating the Dazzlings, Sunset wanted to face this rival with everything she had, and have a true, proper Duel with no emotional baggage weighing either of them down. Smirking, Sunset nodded and told her, "You'd better believe that I'll accept it! The truth is, I've wanted this Duel to happen, too! Even now, I don't feel good about winning that first Duel we had due to the circumstances at the time... Believe me, I've been eager for the chance at a rematch. So let's get started right away!" Then, realizing something, she then turned to Mr. Dunstan and asked him, "That is...if that's okay with you?"

But the smile on Mr. Dunstan's face said it all: "Of course I'm okay with it." he told her. "I'm sure the audience will appreciate the chance to see a Duel between such powerful Duelists such as yourselves."

"Yeah! It'll be so great!" added Sweetie Belle. "I can't wait to see what kind of Duel you guys'll have!"

"I gotta agree with her there." Flash chimed in. "Having seen both of you dueling already, I know this game's gonna be an intense one."

"It would be the perfect way to show just how far both of you have come as Duelists." Twilight noted. "So I'm all for it as well! Both of you do your best out there!" Spike nodded in agreement, making sure to stay quiet around anyone that didn't know he could talk.

With all that said and done, Ember turned back to Sunset and asked her, "So...you ready to face off against the new and improved Ember, or what?"

Nodding, Sunset replied, "Bring it on!"

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!!" Megan then announced. "It seems that even with the tournament over, the excitement is just getting started!! As a special treat for all of you who have stayed with us so far, The WCQ Qualifier Tournament Champion - Ember, will face off against our Official Tournament Judge - Sunset Shimmer!! All I can say about this is...get ready for a real, action-packed match!!" The crowds cheered loudly, both for the fact that they'd get to watch another intense Duel, and for the competing Duelists.

Stepping forward and borrowing Megan's microphone, Mr. Dunstan then announced, "Since our Judge will be one of the competitors for this exhibition match, I shall take the liberty of refereeing this Duel." As well as being a representative for the company behind the Duel Monsters card game, he was also an Official Tournament Judge himself. Looking over at both Ember and Sunset - who had both moved to their respective sides of the battlefield, he asked them, "Are you two ready?" Both of them nodded to say just that.

However, Ember had one more thing to say. "Hold on, Sunset..." she started.

"Huh? What is it?" the red-and-yellow girl asked.

"Nothing much, but there is one other thing I want to request from you, if that's okay." Ember then told her, "I overheard something that your friends said about those Number Cards you use; more specifically that you don't use them against people that don't have any themselves."

"That's...right." Sunset responded, not sure where she was going with this. "What about it?"

"...I understand why you do that, and I respect you for doing it." Ember told her. "...However!" she then said with an even fiercer look on her face. "I will not accept that sort of thing for this Duel!"

"Wait, what are you saying?" asked Sunset, startled by this statement. "Are you saying that...that you WANT to face my Number Cards?!" This shocked everyone watching, including those who knew Sunset well.

"That's exactly right!" Ember confirmed. "Don't worry; I don't want your Number Cards or anything like that. But I DO want to battle against them! If I have any hope of becoming a Pro Duelist, I need to learn to be able to deal with anything that comes my way! I don't care how O.P. your Numbers are! I want the chance to battle them fair and square in a game with only my Duelist's pride at stake! So don't you dare hold back against me, that is, unless you want to go back on all that stuff you said to me back when we first met!"

Sunset knew she had a point there; in their first Duel, Ember was holding back as a result of all her worries concerning her father, along with her dreams of becoming a Duelist. She then realized that - in a way, her refusal to use Numbers against those who didn't have them was somewhat similar, at least in the case of a Duelist like Ember. At first, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to overcome them due to their mysterious power, but Sunset began to think that Ember wasn't going to have that sort of problem. To know for sure, she then asked her, "You do realize what it is you're asking of me, right? You saw for yourself just how difficult it is to defeat a Number Card when I dueled the Dazzlings. Even so, are you sure you want to face them, despite putting yourself at a massive disadvantage?"

But Ember wasted no time in telling her, "With how strong I've become leading up to this moment...you're gonna need every advantage you can get." Sunset gasped a little, surprised by how confident Ember sounded just now, as if she felt that not even the power of the Numbers would be enough to get in her way of a victory.

"Woah..." gasped Flash. "Did you hear what she said? She's serious about this... She seems pretty confident that she can beat Sunset's Number Cards, even without one of her own."

"It sure sounds like it..." said Twilight, still amazed at what Ember wanted Sunset to do for her. "Honestly, I'm not sure how she'll do it, but from that confident look on her face, she sure seems to believe that she can overcome their power."

"Well, I think it's a little crazy, to be honest..." Spike noted. "How's she gonna do it?"

"Knowing Ember and how tough she is..." Sweetie Belle told him, "I'm pretty sure she'll find a way."

Sunset still wasn't sure about the whole thing, but she knew that Ember wasn't going to change her mind on the subject anytime soon. Sighing, she told her rival, "Okay, Ember...I'll do it. Just don't say I didn't warn you, okay...? If you want me at my full power, you're gonna get it!"

"That's exactly what I want, Sunset!" Ember told her, not losing that confident smile on her face. "Now let's finally settle this once and for all!"

"LET'S DUEL!!!" the two of them shouted, ready to have their ultimate match against each other (Ember: LP 4,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000).

As both Duelists drew their opening hands, Sunset's friends in the audience were discussing the Duel that was about to take place before them."This is awesome!" said Rainbow Dash, leaning over the edge of her seat in anticipation. "We're gonna get t' see another Duel! And it's between Sunset and that Ember chick!"

"Yeah, she sure wanted t' get a match with Sunset real badly." Applejack noted. "Ah'll bet that's what helped her win this whole tournament."

"Um...what do you mean...?" asked Fluttershy.

The farm girl then explained to them all, "During this whole thing - startin' from the Preliminaries, and goin' though each round of the tournament, Ember kept on sayin' that she wanted to win this just so that she n' Sunset could have a proper Duel with each other. All she kept thinkin' about was fightin' Sunset fair and square, an' t' give her the Duel they always wanted t' have with each other. Y'all know what Ah mean?"

"...I understand." Rarity spoke up, figuring out what Applejack was getting at. "Ember won the tournament because she wanted that victory the most out of everyone here. Her drive to become a Pro Duelist and her goal of facing off against Sunset as an equal were what helped carry her through this whole ordeal, even against some the most skilled players in the competition... Now I suppose we'll see if all of her effort was worth it in the end."

"The only thing I'm sure of," Pinkie Pie chimed in. "is that I'm gonna need some more refreshments; something tells me this Duel's gonna be a HUUUUUUGE one." And without another word, Pinkie zipped out of her seat to look for whatever snacks were still remaining at the stands below the stadium.

On the sidelines, Twilight, Spike, Flash, and Sweetie were all sitting on the bench, eager to see the Duel between Sunset and Ember. "This is gonna be some match; no doubt about it." stated the teenage boy. "Both Sunset and Ember are some of the most powerful Duelists I've seen around here. This Duel's gonna be a real contest for them both."

"Yeah, especially since Ember actually WANTED Sunset to use her Number Cards against her, even though she doesn't have any herself." Twilight reminded them all. "Ember seems pretty confident that she'll beat Sunset despite the handicap she put on herself."

"But...how's she gonna defeat Sunset's Numbers?" asked Spike. "Like I said before, those things're too powerful for just any ordinary person to deal with!"

"Yeah, well...Ember's no 'ordinary person'." said Sweetie Belle. "I learned THAT the hard way. Something tells me that those Numbers aren't going to be too much of a problem for a Duelist like her..." The four of them, along with the rest of the crowds around them, continued to watch the upcoming Duel as Sunset and Ember began to prepare their opening moves.

Up in the stands, Torch watched his daughter with all his attention, not wanting to miss a single moment of this match. (You've done me proud, Ember...) he said to her in his mind. (You've won the tournament and are on your way to becoming a Pro Duelist... But right now, you have just this obstacle to overcome, so you had better fight with everything you have; don't hold anything back!)

Ember looked up at her father; while she didn't know exactly what he said in his thoughts, she knew that he was urging her to use all that she had learned up to this point in order to win this last Duel. Nodding to him, she then turned back over to Sunset and asked her, "So, you ready to give this crowd a Duel they'll never forget?"

"You bet I am!" Sunset replied. "No more delays: Let's get this game started!"

"As a result of the coin toss earlier," Mr. Dunstan then spoke, "Ember has the choice of going first or second."

"In that case," the blue-skinned girl started, "I'll start things off!" Sunset nodded to say she was fine with that. Looking over her cards, Ember figured out what her opening move should be. "First," she began, "I'll begin by summoning Guardian of Felgrand in Attack Position!" Her first monster then appeared on the field, showing his powerful axe that gleamed in the sunlight (Guardian of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 500). "And after he's summoned," Ember continued, "I'll use his effect to equip him with any Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster from my hand or my Graveyard." Taking a card from her hand, she then shouted, "I'll equip my Felgrand Dragon to my Guardian, which raises his attack and defense points by half of Felgrand Dragon's!" And as it had done many times before, a phantom image of Felgrand Dragon then infused itself into her monster's axe, powering him him up by a considerable amount (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 500 + 1400 = 1900 / DEF 500 + 1400 = 1900).

(This move seems to be her usual opening play; in fact, it was how Ember began our first Duel with each other...) Sunset recalled in her mind. (But...will it be as easy for me to defeat it as it was last time...?)

Smirking a little, Ember then said to her opponent, "I see that my move has taken you down a trip down memory lane, hasn't it? Just don't expect the result of this Duel to end like our first meeting; I've learned and practiced a lot since the day we met, and I'll tell you right now, that I'm nowhere near like I was back then! So for your sake, you'd better be able to keep up!" Taking one more card out of her hand, she inserted it into her D-Pad and said, "I'll end this turn with one card face-down. Now let's see if you can get past my Guardian this time."

"Believe me, I intend to!" said Sunset confidently as she drew her first card of the Duel and placed it into her hand. Looking over the rest of her cards, she took one and played it, declaring, "I'll open with my Field Spell Card: Chronomaly City Babylon!" After playing it, the entire stadium then transformed into a floating coliseum that was mostly in ruins.

"Nice... I like what you've done with the place, Sunset." commented Ember. "But it'll take more than a change of scenery to win you this Duel, believe me. Still, it looks pretty nice and just the setting I'd imagine for a Duel between us."

"Don't go complimenting me just yet, Ember..." Sunset warned her. "You may not appreciate it too much when my Field Spell helps me get an advantage over you." Taking another card from her hand, she then said, "But for now, I'll go right ahead and make one of MY favorite opening moves: Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" Her disk-shaped monster then made its appearance on the field, floating in the air (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500). "Next," Sunset continued, "I'll use Nebra Disk's effect and add Chronomaly Crystal Skull from my Deck to my hand. And then I'll discard Crystal Skull and search my Deck again; this time to add Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem!"

(That move let her thin her Deck out a little...) thought Ember. But she also wondered if that was the only thing Sunset hoped to achieve with that move.

"Now, since I played a Chronomaly Spell this turn," Sunset started to say, "I can Special Summon Aztec Mask Golem straight from my hand!" Her red-colored rock creature then rose up from the ground, ready to serve its master (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000).

"Now you've got two Level 4 monsters out..." Ember began to say. "Does that mean you're bringing out one of your Numbers now?"

"...Not just yet." Sunset answered. "Before I do anything like that, I want to make use of a little gift you gave me back when we first met."

"Uhhh...gift?" asked the blue teen, confused.

Thrusting her hand out, Sunset shouted, "I overlay my Level 4 Nebra Disk and Mask Golem to build the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of bright lights - one yellow and one orange, that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Fierce winds, take form! Emerge now as a mighty beast with the force of a hurricane!" Sunset chanted. "Xyz Summon! Now, lend me your strength! Rank 4! Tornado Dragon!!" The new monster was exactly what the name suggested: a massive dragon-like creature made completely out of fierce tornadoes the blew wildly all over the arena (Tornado Dragon: Rank 4 / ATK 2100 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2).

"...Oh yeah... I forgot; I gave that card to her before she left the city." Ember said to herself, remembering the Xyz Monster immediately after it was summoned.

"I've never seen Sunset use that card before..." noted Fluttershy. "What does that do?"

"Quite a bit, actually." Applejack informed her. "By removin' one of its Overlay Units, Sunset can have that monster destroy one'f Ember's Spell or Trap Cards once each turn, even if it's her opponent's turn."

"So that thing's basically a walking Mystical Space Typhoon. Awesome!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "That means she can blow away the card Ember equipped to her monster last turn, right?"

"Yep." Applejack confirmed, nodding her head. "That'll allow Sunset to do some big damage this turn."

And of course, that's exactly what Sunset did as she removed a card from underneath her Xyz Monster (Tornado Dragon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now, Tornado Dragon!" she ordered. "Destroy the card equipped to Guardian of Felgrand!" Her monster then whipped up a fierce whirlwind that literally blew away the monster that was equipped onto Ember's Guardian, reducing its attack and defense points back to their original values (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 1900 - 1400 = 500 / DEF 1900 - 1400 = 500).

"Huh...guess that's the thanks I get for giving that card to you?" asked Ember.

"You're the one who told me not to hold back, remember?" Sunset reminded her opponent. Pointing forward, she then shouted to her monster, "Now, attack her monster with Typhoon Tornado!!" Sunset's card then fired off another powerful burst of wind, sending Ember's monster flying into the stratosphere and doing a large amount of damage in the process (Ember: LP 4,000 - 1,600 = 2,400).

"Alright! Sunset got some big damage in really early in the Duel!" said Flash Sentry.

"Yeah! If she keeps that up, she'll win for sure!" Spike then added.

"I wouldn't count on it..." said Sweetie Belle. "I'm pretty sure Ember's not done just yet. I should know; I almost had the whole Duel won, and she completely turned it around in just one turn!"

"Yeah, if we can safely say one thing about this Ember person," Twilight told them, "it's that she can't be counted out until the game's over. And I'm sure Sunset feels the same way." The four of them then continued to watch the Duel, unsure just what to expect from these high-level players next...except to expect that it was only going to get more intense from here on out.

"Well," Sunset began to say, "so far, this Duel is starting the same way it did before, with me defeating your Guardian on the first few turns."

"That may be true," Ember began to tell her, "but there's no way it's going to end the same way it did. And that's the only thing you can be sure of!"

"I guess we'll just see about that." Sunset responded. "For now, I'll just end my turn."

"...But before MY turn begins," Ember started, "I'll reveal my face-down card before your Tornado Dragon can destroy it! I activate Scapegoat and Special Summon four Sheep Tokens to my field in Defense Position!" And with that flip of the card, four sleepy-eyed sheep monsters appeared on Ember's side of the field: one pink, one red, one yellow, and one blue (Sheep Token [x4]: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0).

"Scapegoat, huh...?" pondered Sunset. She then said to herself, (On the surface, it seems she's just walling up in order to protect herself from another big attack next turn, but she played it before my turn officially ended... I wonder if that means there's more to her move that what it seems...?)

Drawing a card from her Deck, Ember then said to her rival, "Well, now that we're facing each other again, and after I told you not to hold back against me...it's only appropriate that I do the same. So you'd better get ready: I'm now ready to unleash the full power of my Dragons right here and now!"

(...Their full power?) wondered Steel Shadows, one of Ember's opponent's in the tournament. (I wonder what that means...)

Taking the card she had just drawn for the turn, Ember played it and said, "I summon the Tuner Monster Delta Flyer!" After playing the card, a yellow, medium-sized Dragon monster flew into the arena on its large wings (Delta Flyer: Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 900).

"...I thought so." Sunset told her. "You played Scapegoat at the end of my turn so that you could potentially use the Sheep Tokens you summoned to bring out an even bigger monster."

"Exactly." said Ember. "And now that neither of us are holding anything back, it's time for me to introduce you to some of my most powerful Dragons yet!" Thrusting her hand forward, she then declared, "I tune Delta Flyer, Level 3, to all four of my Level 1 Sheep Tokens!" Her monster then transformed itself into a trio of small lights that flew into the air, coming back down as a set of three green rings that surrounded the four sleepy sheep, turning each of them into a similar ball of light (Level 3 + Level 1 + Level 1 + Level 1 + Level 1 = Level 7). "Dragon of the Kuiper belt, appear now from beyond the deepest reaches of space to dominate this battle! Synchro Summon!" After that, a massive column of light engulfed the five monsters, and a pair of wings began to fan out from within that light. "Show your power, Level 7! Kuibelt the Blade Dragon!"

The new monster that appeared in place of its material monsters was a massive, alien-like Dragon with a body that looked like it was wrapped in a countless amount of white belts, and adorned with several purple orbs on each of its knees and elbows, its chest, and one on the top of each of its wings. It let out a powerful roar that reverberated around the stadium, letting everyone know just how strong it was (Kuibelt the Blade Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1900).

"A Synchro Monster...!" said Sunset, gazing at the powerful creature in front of her.

"My word!" said Rarity, taken aback by Ember's strong move. "Who knew that she had such a powerful monster in reserve like that?"

"Well, nobody Ah'd imagine..." said Applejack. "That monster came outta her Extra Deck, and if y'all remember, she only ever summoned a monster from there one time durin' the whole tournament... More specifically, durin' the very last turn of the very last Duel."

"Yeah, I still don't get that." said Rainbow Dash. "Why didn't she use her Extra Deck a lot?"

"...I think I know why..." Fluttershy spoke up. "She made fighting Sunset her goal during the tournament, right...? I think she wanted to keep some of her cards a secret from her, so that when they finally faced each other, Ember could still have something to surprise her with."

"That's nuts!" commented Dash. "She actually held herself back just to do THAT?! That's insane!!" Folding her her arms, she then added, "Still, I gotta respect her for it; she sure is confident in herself to actually go to all that trouble."

"Hmmm...there's no doubt about it;" Rarity then said to them all, "Ember could very well be the toughest opponent Sunset has ever faced yet, especially now that she ISN'T holding back her strength."

Looking at the powerful Synchro Monster facing her, Sunset smirked and asked her opponent, "So, Ember...this is what you're like at your full strength?"

"Heh, to be honest, even this is just a little taste of what I've got planned for you." the blue teen answered her. "But Kuibelt will do just fine as my first line of offense until I'm ready for my even bigger plays to come." Pointing forward, she then told her, "Now I activate Kuibelt's effect! After it's been Synchro Summoned, I can destroy any card you've got on the field! So say goodbye to your Tornado Dragon!" And with that order, Ember's monster used its many thousands of belts that made up its body to grab ahold of Sunset's monster and literally squeezed it to death, eliminating it from the field.

"Aw no!" shouted Spike. "Now Sunset's wide open!"

And Ember wasn't going to pass up this chance to take the lead in this Duel. "Now, Kuibelt! Attack Sunset directly! Asteroid Bombardment!!" Her monster then fired a series of large rocks that flew down from the sky, striking Sunset hard and inflicting a ton of damage in one shot.

"Urrrrrgh!!!" Sunset grunted, taking the heavy blow and flinching a little (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 2500 = 1,500).

"Last time we dueled," Ember told her opponent, "I lost without even doing a single point of damage. But that's not gonna happen again. So you'd better come at me with your full power, or I'll take you down quickly!"

Getting back up to her feet, Sunset told her with a smile, "If that's what you want me to do, then I'll do it! Just don't say I didn't warn you before we started this!" She then drew a card from her Deck and looked at it closely. (This could be useful later, given how this Duel has progressed so far...) she thought, placing the card in her hand for now. Then, she took a different card and said, "Now since you're the only one of us to currently have a monster on the field, I can use the effect of the Chronomaly Crystal Bones in my hand and Special Summon it in Attack Position!" At that moment, her strange, glistening, headless skeleton appeared on her side of the field (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400).

"I'm afraid you'll have to do more than summon a fragile skeleton like that if you're going to defeat my Synchro Monster." Ember informed her.

"And doing more is exactly what I had in mind, Ember." Sunset replied. "After Crystal Bones is summoned through its effect, its other effect lets me bring out any other Chronomaly monster from either my hand or my Graveyard. And I'll choose my Crystal Skull!" Instantly, the presumed head of the crystal skeleton then made its appearance, shining in the sunlight (Chronomaly Crystal Skull: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 600).

"That was quite the skillful play." noted Martin. "Sunset sent Crystal Skull to the Graveyard last turn purely to set it up to be Special Summoned now."

"Yeah, and now she's got two Level 3 monsters to use for another Xyz Summon." said Gilda. "Now we'll just have t' see what she decides to bring out."

Sunset then stared at her opponent and asked her, "Just to be completely, one hundred-percent certain on this: Are you SURE you want to fight my Number Cards? Are you sure you'll be able to fight them regardless of how powerful they can be?"

But Ember simply told her, "Let me put it this way: You'd better use your Numbers if you even want to stand a chance against me now."

Sunset gasped a little upon hearing that; according to Ember, Sunset's only chance to equal her opponent in strength was to use her Numbers. She was astounded by how confident Ember was in her abilities as a Duelist to actually WANT to face the seemingly unbeatable creatures in battle without a Number of her own to use against them. Certain that she knew what Ember wanted, Sunset told her, "Then I guess there's only one thing to do..." Raising her hand up into the air, she then shouted, "I overlay the Level 3 Crystal Bones and Crystal Skull! I create the Overlay Network!"

The two monsters then transformed into yellow beams of light that flew into a galaxy-like vortex in the center of the field. The vortex then exploded, revealing a 17 symbol on the field. "Just remember this, Ember..." Sunset informed her, "you asked for this! I Xyz Summon the Rank 3 Xyz Monster, Number 17: Leviathan Dragon!!" And with that, the massive sea dragon creature that Sunset claimed after defeating Aria appeared on the field, prepared to do battle (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: Rank 3 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0 / OLU 2).

"No way...! She really did it!" said Rainbow Dash. "She summoned a Number Card!"

"Well...Ember wanted her to do that, even though Sunset warned her against it..." Fluttershy noted. "But...can Ember fight a Number even without one of her own?"

"I guess now we'll see if she can..." Rarity spoke up as they all continued to watch.

At that moment, Pinkie Pie had returned, carrying yet another large pile of snacks and setting them next to her. "Welp, I think I've just cleaned out EVERY last bit of food from the stadium! Now I'm all ready to watch Sunnie's big Duel!" Taking a candy bar and unwrapping it, she then asked Rainbow Dash, "Soooooooo...what'd I miss?"

"Just see for yourself, Pinks." Dash told her, pointing at the field.

Pinkie looked over and saw that Sunset had brought out the Number Card that Aria Blaze had previously used against her. "Huh?! Sunnie summoned a Number Card? But I thought Ember didn't have any Numbers...?"

"Well, Ember made it pretty clear t' Sunset that she didn't care how powerful the Numbers were." Applejack told her. "She still wanted t' fight 'em regardless of the fact. Sounds crazy, but given how impressive Ember's been so far, Ah wouldn't count her outta this game just yet..."

"Woah...good thing I brought all these snacks." Pinkie noted. "This is DEFINITELY gonna be a really long game..." She then finished unwrapped her candy bar and bit down into it as she and the rest of her friend group watched the Duel in progress before them...

Taking a card out from underneath her Number Card, Sunset then declared, "I activate Leviathan Dragon's effect! I remove one of its Overlay Units and increase its attack power by 500!" The massive Dragon then roared as it consumed one of the two blue spheres that were orbiting it and gained more power from it (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: ATK 2000 + 500 = 2500 / OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "You wanted me to go all out against you," she then told her opponent, "and that's just what I'm going to do!"

"And THAT'S just what I want you to do!" Ember responded. "Now give me your best shot!"

"Man..." said Babs Seed, watching from the stands with the other members of the Duel Monsters Crusaders. "I don't think I've evah seen two Duelists gettin' so fired up fightin' a Duel before! I gotta admit: it's makin' this even more excitin'!"

"Yeah, I agree!" said an enthusiastic Scootaloo. "I can't wait to see what else is gonna happen!"

"Me neither!" added Apple Bloom, also every bit as anxious to see how this Duel would play out. "Even though this match hasn't gone on very long yet, so much has happened so far! And ah'll bet it's gonna get even more excitin' really soon!"

Back in the arena, Sunset then played another card from her hand and said, "For my next move, I'll summon another copy of Nebra Disk in Attack Position, then use its effect to add Chronomaly Moai from my Deck to my hand." After she did that, Sunset then shouted, "Now, Leviathan Dragon! Attack Kuibelt with Vice Stream!!"

"Both of their monsters have the same attack points..." noted Vinyl Scratch, watching from the stands with her friend Octavia Melody. "That means they blow each other up, right?"

"Not exactly." Octavia corrected her, remembering from the time she had a Number Card. "Numbers can only be destroyed in battle by another Number, so only Ember's monster will be destroyed."

"Oh yeah... I forgot about that." Vinyl responded. True to Octavia's words, Sunset monster defeated Ember's without being destroyed in the process, leaving the Bloodstone Duelist without a single monster on the field to protect herself.

"Now you're wide open, Ember." Sunset told her. "So get ready for some more damage! Nebra Disk, attack!!" But to her surprise, her other monster couldn't move an inch, and was covered in what appeared to be several white, belt-like straps that were responsible for hindering its movement. "Huh?!" asked the girl. "What happened to my Nebra Disk??"

"I see that my Kuibelt's OTHER effect caught even you off-guard, Sunset." stated Ember. "So allow me to explain it for you and everyone else: After Kuibelt is destroyed for any reason, I can select any of your monsters and prevent it from attacking me until the end of your turn. Since your Nebra Disk hadn't attacked yet, I chose it to protect my Life Points from any further damage."

"Oh, I see..." Sunset replied, understanding perfectly. "I never saw that card before, so I wasn't aware that it could do that... Not a bad move, Ember. But you still have to deal with my Number Card, and without any Numbers in your Deck, you can't destroy it in battle. So what will you do?"

"...You just let me worry about that." Ember responded, still as confident - if not more confident - in herself as she was when the Duel began.

Humming a bit in response, Sunset simply replied, "I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn. Now let's see what kind of plan you have to defeat my Number." As she said that, the belts restricting her Nebra Disk then vanished, no longer hindering the monster.

"Okay, but just remember, Sunset...you ASKED for it!" Ember told her, repeating the same words Sunset told her when she summoned Leviathan Dragon. "Now I draw!" She then looked at the card she got and smiled. "And it's not a bad draw, if I do say so myself." she said, playing the card right away. "I activate Pot of Desires. I draw two cards from my Deck after banishing the top ten cards first!" After doing so, she looked at the cards she had drawn and smiled again. "So..." she began to ask Sunset, "you wanted to see my plan to defeat your Number Card, right? Well you're about to see it!"

"Now what's she up to...?" wondered Twilight.

"Who knows?" asked Flash. "But whatever it is, Ember's pretty sure it can take down Sunset's Number Card easily."

"No way... How?" asked Spike.

"Beats me..." Sweetie Belle responded, "but I have a feeling Ember might be able to do it..."

After adding the two cards she drew to her hand, Ember then took out a different card and played it, declaring, "Now I'll activate the Spell Card Ready Fusion!"

"Wait, Ready Fusion?!" asked Sunset. "You have that card?"

"I do, Sunset." Ember confirmed. "With this card, I'll pay a thousand of my Life Points to bring out a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck for one turn!"

"Wait, hold up; I thought the card was called INSTANT Fusion, not Ready Fusion..." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"You're almost correct, Rainbow dear." Rarity then informed her friend. "Both cards are very similar to each other in terms of what they do and what Duelists use them for... Both cards allow the user to give up a thousand Life Points to summon any Fusion Monster they want from their Extra Deck for the duration of the turn, even counting it as a valid Fusion Summoning. However, the key differences are the restrictions each card carries: Instant Fusion only allows you to summon a monster up to Level 5, while Ready Fusion lets you go up to Level 6. However, with Ready Fusion, you can only summon Fusion Monsters without any special effects. Understand?"

"Uhhhh...I think so." replied Rainbow, though her voice didn't sound as sure.

Sighing a little in response, Rarity then told her, "Well, the important thing to take from this is that Ember is using her card to bring out a monster that, in turn, will be used to give her some sort of advantage, possibly into an even stronger monster."

"Yeah, just like how I usually use Instant Fusion to get to my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode!" Pinkie pointed out, having finished her candy bar and was on another right away.

"Indeed." Rarity said, nodding her head. "In short, I highly suspect that this turn will be a big one for Ember...and possibly also big trouble for Sunset..." The others watched on, wondering how their friend would fight back against whatever strategy Ember was cooking up now.

After paying the cost of her Spell Card (Ember: LP 2,400 - 1,000 = 1,400), Ember then said, "Now I'll bring out a Level 4 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck! So say hello to Darkfire Dragon in Attack Position!" After that, a burst of flames then shot up from out of the ground, forming into a snake-like creature with the head of a dragon at the front of it (Darkfire Dragon: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1250).

(What's she planning to do with that...?) wondered Sunset, still unsure of Ember's plan.

Taking one of the cards she had drawn with Pot of Desires earlier, Ember then shouted, "And now that I have a Dragon on the field, I can activate this Spell Card! Go, Dragon's Gunfire!!"

*******************************

Dragon's Gunfire:
(Normal Spell Card)

If you control a Dragon monster: Activate 1 of these effects;
* Inflict 800 damage to your opponent.
* Target 1 monster with 800 or less DEF; destroy that target.

*******************************

"With this," Ember continued, "I'll activate the second effect and destroy any monster you have on the field with 800 or less defense points!"

Sunset gasped, realizing that there was only one monster on her side of the field that fit that criteria. "So that's what your plan was...!" she said. "Since Leviathan Dragon has zero defense, your Spell Card can destroy it!"

"Exactly!" Ember then pointed forward and shouted, "Darkfire Dragon! Use the power of Dragon's Gunfire and take down Leviathan Dragon!!" The monster on her field then absorbed the power granted to it by the Spell Card and unleashed a massive fireball that struck Leviathan Dragon, eliminating it from the field in an instant.

"No way...!!" gasped Gilda, not believing what she had just seen. "Did you see that?!"

"Ember defeated Sunset's Number Card so easily!" said an equally-astonished Martin. "I can't believe it myself!"

Sunset hummed a bit and thought, (That was a clever move; While Numbers may be unbeatable in battle with a non-Number, they can still be destroyed by card effects... Even it took me a while to know about that myself, but Ember seemed to figure it out immediately; possibly from watching my Duel against the Dazzlings... I have to admit, I didn't think she'd pick up on that critical weakness so fast...)

"Hmph, you're surprised?" asked Ember. "I told you I'm not the same Duelist I was back when we met. I've gotten much stronger since that day, and now you're seeing what I can do at my full power! That's part of the reason I wanted you to come at me with full power as well. After all, it won't be any fun defeating you if you were holding yourself back, right?"

Sunset smirked a little and told her rival, "I think I'm starting to finally see what you're saying, Ember. If I don't fight with everything I've got, I won't stand a chance. Is that what you're telling me right now?"

Ember nodded. "Now you're getting it." she told her. "So don't you dare give me anything less, you hear?" Sunset nodded as well, promising to fight with all of her strength too. Taking another card from her hand, Ember then said, "Of course, none of that might matter if this next move of mine works out." Placing the card on her D-Pad, she declared, "I summon Paladin of Felgrand in Attack Position!" Immediately, her armor-wearing, sword-wielding monster then made its appearance next (Paladin of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 300). "Then," she continued, "I'll use Paladin's effect to equip him with Arkbrave Dragon from my Deck!"

"Two Level 4 monsters..." hummed Sunset. "So you're planning to Xyz Summon now?"

"Heh...I'm not." Ember replied. "I have a better idea in mind."

"A better idea?"

"Just watch this, Sunset..." Ember then tapped her D-Pad's touch screen and said, "I activate my Paladin's second effect! By releasing it and any other monster I have on the field, I can bring back any Dragon from my Graveyard that's Level 7 or 8! So I'll release him, along with Darkfire Dragon to do just that!" After that, both monster then vanished from the field at the same time.

"So...does that mean she's bringing back that Synchro Monster, since it's Level 7?" asked Scootaloo.

"...Wait a sec; I don't think she is...!" said Babs, realizing one important detail. "There's anothah monster in her Graveyard that she can bring back! Remember when she used dat Guardian of Felgrand card's effect to equip him with a Dragon from her hand?"

"You mean she's gonna bring that Dragon back to the field instead?" asked Apple Bloom. Babs nodded yes, almost positive of Ember's strategy.

Taking a card from out of her Graveyard, she placed it onto the field, chanting, "Behold! The Revival of the Great Dragon! Emerge from beyond our mortal realm and bring about the rise of the Dragon Lords! Come forth, my very spirit! Felgrand Dragon!!" And with that, her Deck's ace monster emerged onto the field in all its brilliant glory. Like its master, this Dragon was fired up and ready to fight as it belted out its most powerful-sounding roar yet (Felgrand Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800).

"I knew it...!" said Sunset. "I knew from the moment you used your Guardian's effect at the start of the Duel that you were planning to summon your ace card as soon as possible. You made the same play when we first dueled each other, but you never brought it out."

"That's right." Ember replied. "But like I said earlier, this Duel isn't going to be anywhere near the same as our last one. In fact, if this next move works out, you'll lose right now! That's because when Felgrand revives itself from the Graveyard, it can then gain attack points equal to 200 times the Level of ANY monster in the Graveyard. Right now, the highest Level in my Graveyard is seven, which is shared between Kuibelt and Arkbrave. So I'll select Kuibelt as the target for the effect and increase Felgrand's power!" (Felgrand Dragon: ATK 2800 + 1400 = 4200).

"This ain't good fer Sunset...!" said Applejack. "With those attack points, if Ember's Dragon attacks Sunset's monster, the Duel's over!"

"Oh no...! I hope Sunset can stop it somehow...!" said Fluttershy, getting worried for her friend.

Ember looked over at Sunset's side of the field and thought, (Sunset does have two face-down cards that could probably stop my monster...but I have to try for it anyway! I'm not going to let a few face-downs scare me into holding back!) Thrusting out her arm, she then shouted, "Felgrand Dragon, attack Nebra Disk! Ray of Grand Light!!" Her monster then fired a powerful stream of light that was heading towards Sunset's monster. As the attack was coming, Sunset quickly double-tapped her D-Pad's touch screen...

"Sunset!! Watch out!!" Twilight shouted out of concern.

At that moment, the attack connected, wiping out Nebra Disk completely and creating a massive dust cloud from the attack's impact on the field. Ember, certain that the attack had finally ended the game said to herself, "Finally...I did it...! I managed to beat Sunset and even the score...!"

"...This isn't over yet, Ember." said Sunset's voice from the cloud. To everyone's surprise, including Ember's, the red-and-yellow girl was still standing, and her Life Points had NOT dropped to zero (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,500 - 1,200 = 300).

"What the-?!" gasped Ember. "You survived??" After that, the girl then realized that Sunset must have used one of her set cards to save herself somehow. "I see..." Ember then said. "I knew it wouldn't be THAT easy to end this Duel against you. So, care to reveal what you did to protect yourself?"

"I'd be glad to." Sunset replied. "Before your attack hit me, I activated my Damage Diet Trap Card. It makes it so that all the damage I take this turn gets cut in half. Which means the battle damage I took from Felgrand Dragon goes from 2,400 to only 1,200, leaving me with a few Life Points left."

"Yeah, 'a few Life Points' indeed." Ember told her. "You only have three hundred left, so one more solid blow, and you'll still lose the Duel."

"Well, that would be a problem, but I still have a plan to fight back anyway!" Sunset told her. "And that's thanks to my OTHER Trap Card; Stonehenge Methods!" After her second card flipped itself face-up, she then explained, "This card lets me replace the destroyed Nebra Disk with any Level 4 or below Chronomaly monster from my Deck in Defense Position!" After choosing her card, it jutted itself out of her Deck, allowing her pick it out and place it onto her D-Pad's tray. "I select my Chronomaly Golden Jet!" Her golden plane-like monster then appeared on her field, ready to for use (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400).

(Hmmm...an odd choice for her to make...) thought Ember. (Or at least, it would SEEM odd to a typical Duelist... But not to me. I have a feeling I know what she's planning, so let's see if I'm right.) Taking a card from her hand, she placed it into her D-Pad and said, "I'll finish up my turn with one card face-down. Now for your sake, you'd better make your next move count, or I'll be ready to finish you off!"

"Believe me, Ember... I'm gonna be doing more than just that!" said a confident Sunset as she prepared to draw a card from her Deck. But before she did that, she thought to herself, (Okay...I think I have an idea of what I should do this turn... If it works, I can win the Duel right here. The thing is...) She then eyed the face-down card on her opponent's side of the field and hummed a bit in thought. (...There's a chance that card could stop me. In that case, I should make a few other moves first before I make my big play...) She then pulled the top card of her Deck, saying, "Now it's my turn!"

"Hold on a sec, Sunset." Ember interrupted her. "Now that your turn's started, I can make an additional play of my own."

"Wait, what additional play?"

"Let me tell you;" Ember began to explain. "On the Standby Phase AFTER Arkbrave Dragon goes to the Graveyard, its special effect allows me to Special Summon any other Level 7 or 8 Dragon monster from my Graveyard. And if you recall, Arkbrave Dragon got sent to the Graveyard when I used Paladin of Felgrand's effect."

"Hmmm...I see..." hummed Sunset, remembering that all too well.

"So with Arkbrave's effect, I'll bring back Kuibelt the Blade Dragon in Attack Position!" Ember declared as her powerful Synchro Monster returned to the field, ready to fight again. "Luckily for you, Kuibelt's effect to destroy a monster only works is it's Synchro Summoned, so your Golden Jet's safe...for now. But this still gives me another high-Level Dragon to fight you with."

"Well, we'll have to see if that'll be enough after I'm done with my turn." said Sunset as she placed the card she drew in her hand and played a different one. "I activate the Spell Card Pot of Avarice! By returning five monsters in my Graveyard back to my Deck, I can draw two more cards!" She then went ahead and selected the five monsters she wished to remove from her Graveyard pile. After making her choices, Sunset told her opponent, "First, I'll return one of my Nebra Disks, along with my Aztec Mask Golem and my Crystal Bones, back to my Main Deck. In addition, I'll return Tornado Dragon and Leviathan Dragon to my Extra Deck; now I can draw two more cards."

After returning the five monsters to their respective piles, Sunset drew two more cards and looked at them. After deciding on what she should try to do this turn, she said to herself, (Okay...I'll take a chance and see if this plan of mine works. Best case scenario, I win the Duel on this turn. Worst case scenario, I force Ember to use up one of her cards right now. Either way, I shouldn't have to worry about leaving myself wide open...I hope.)

"Sooooo...what do you think Sunset's thinking about doing this turn?" asked Spike. "She seems to be taking her time making her move..."

"Well, given that she has only three hundred Life Points left, she's probably trying to come up with a plan that won't leave her vulnerable in case it doesn't work out." Flash told him. "Just one little misplay, and Ember might make her pay for it..."

"I don't blame Sunset for being cautious, though." stated Sweetie Belle. "Ember's really REALLY tough, so she'd be crazy NOT to play it safe around her."

Twilight watched on, mentally urging her otherworldly friend, (You can do this, Sunset... Just don't take any unnecessary risks...)

"Now," Sunset finally announced, "I activate the effect of my Golden Jet, which lets me raise its Level by one, making it a Level 5 monster!" After her monster increased in Level (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 + 1 = 5), Sunset then took out another card and added, "Then, I use the effect of the Chronomaly Moai in my hand to Special Summon it to the field in Defense Position, since I have another Chronomaly monster out!" After that play, her massive, Easter Island head monster rose up from the ground in front of her (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600).

(Two Level 5 monsters, eh Sunset...?) thought Ember. (I thought so...) It seemed that the girl knew what Sunset was trying to do, but didn't seem too scared by whatever it was her opponent was planning...

(...Okay, let's do this!) thought Sunset as she raised her arm into the air. She then shouted, "I now overlay my Golden Jet and Moai - both Level 5, to create an Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one yellow and one orange, both of which flew into a galaxy-like portal in the center of the field. The portal then exploded, revealing a mark on the ground that resembled the number 33. "Emerge, Number 33!" she then chanted. "Mysterious machine of ancient times, come forth and unleash your power upon my foes! Xyz Summon!! Megalopolis of monsters! Rank 5! Chronomaly Machu Mech!!"

Everyone watched in awe as a massive cloud appeared above the stadium. From out of that cloud came one of the Number Cards that Sunset had obtained on her own; more specifically, the first one she had claimed for her Deck. The massive fortress slowly descended down from out of the giant cloud formation, readying its many cannons for a major attack against Ember and her Dragons (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: Rank 5 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

"Alright! Sunset got another Number out!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Ember's in trouble now!"

"I agree, Rainbow." Rarity simply stated. "In fact, that card might be what wins Sunset the Duel."

"Uh...how so?" asked the athletic teen, not sure what she meant by that.

Back on the field, Sunset was about to explain that herself. "Ember, this is it:" she told her. "If this next move of mine works, this Duel will be over right now!" She then told her opponent, "You see, Machu Mech's effect allows me to remove an Overlay Unit to target any one of the monsters you have on the field whose current attack points are different from its original points. Then, you take damage equal to the difference! And if I recall correctly, your Felgrand Dragon just gained 1,400 more attack points last turn; exactly equal to the 1,400 Life Points you currently have left. In other words, once Machu Mech's effect resolves, you'll lose!" Ember hummed a bit, but otherwise made no other response to what Sunset had told her.

"No way, that's awesome!" said Rainbow Dash after Rarity had explained Sunset's plan to her. "So Sunset can wipe out what's left of Ember's Life Points and win the whole Duel!"

"But...will it really be that easy...?" asked Fluttershy, doubtful that a Duelist as powerful as Ember would leave herself open like that.

"Well, Ah guess we'll see pretty soon fer ourselves..." stated Applejack. "If Ember does have a way to protect herself, this'll be the time fer her to do that." The group watched on in suspense, wondering what was going to happen next. Pinkie, in the meantime, kept stuffing popcorn into her mouth out of anxiousness and anticipation.

Taking a card out from underneath Machu Mech's card (Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), Sunset then made her next move, declaring, "Now go, Machu Mech! Activate your effect!! Target Felgrand Dragon and use the power it gained to wipe out the rest of Ember's Life Points!" Her monster then began charging up its cannons, ready to unleash what appeared to be one final blast to Sunset's opponent.

Everyone in the audience kept their eyes glued to the scene in front of them. Every single person watching remained unsure of what the outcome of this next move was going to be...everyone except for Ember's father, Torch. Though he didn't know what his daughter had in store for Sunset, he remained very confident in her to stay in the game, despite what was about to happen.

Once Machu Mech's cannons were fully charged up, Sunset then thrust her left arm forwards and yelled, "Now, fire! Infinity Cannon!!" The mighty fortress then unleashed its attack, sending it straight towards Ember, ready to wipe out what was left of her Life Points in one big blast! "This Duel is over!!" said Sunset, almost positive that this game had been won.

"...No it isn't, Sunset!" Ember suddenly said. "There's no way I'm gonna let this game end THAT soon! So I'm activating my Trap Card!" Tapping her D-Pad's screen, the card flipped up to reveal itself.

"Huh?! Is...is that...Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment??" asked Sunset in shock.

"That's exactly what it is, Sunset!" Ember confirmed. "Now watch this!" After saying that, a small, pink-haired female child wearing a bright white robe, white sneakers with rainbow-colored shoestrings, and a fluffy sheep hoodie holding a short magic staff with a pink jewel on the top end of it appeared in front of Ember. The young girl waved her staff, creating a blue barrier that surrounded Ember. The massive blast from Machu Mech struck the barrier hard, but failed to breach it, leaving Ember perfectly unscathed.

"Hey! What just happened??" asked Spike.

"Ember managed to block Machu Mech's shot and prevent the damage to herself...!" Twilight answered him. "Which means she still has all of her Life Points!"

Ember then explained to her, "While this card is a little bit cutesy for my taste, since it helped me out just now, I'm glad I moved it from my Side Deck before this Duel. See, thanks to my little friend here, I'm safe from any effect damage for the rest of the turn. Which means that I'm still in this Duel!" The little girl then giggled cutely, happy to help Ember with her magic powers.

(That's not good...) thought Sunset. (Not only wasn't I able to finish Ember off, my monster won't even get any more attack points from its effect! Machu Mech gains attack points based on however much damage I cause to Ember, but because she didn't take ANY damage, its attack points stay at 2,400!) That being said, she smirked a bit and said to herself, "Ember said she moved that card to her Main Deck from her Side Deck... She must have remembered my monster's effect when I used it against Aria and planned for it. I gotta say, I'm very impressed."

"So now Ember's still in the Duel..." said Fluttershy, getting a little more worried for her friend.

"Yeah, well she won't be for long!" shouted a confident Rainbow Dash. "Sunset'll STILL find a way to beat her!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit, Dashie!" cheered Pinkie Pie, putting down her popcorn bucket for the moment. "We just gotta keep keep calm and flutter on! ...Oh wait, that's for Fluttershy... um, 'Keep calm and...uh, shimmer on'? Yeah, let's go with that for now."

"...That was a good move, Ember." Sunset complimented. "You had me thinking I had the Duel won, only to completely flip the script by flipping that Trap Card. Impressive."

"I'm glad you think that, Sunset." Ember replied. "But as the old saying goes, 'Flattery will get you nowhere'; I'm still planning t' beat you on my next turn. You see, while your Number Cards might be mostly invincible in a battle, that doesn't mean you are. Your monster only has 2,400 attack points, while my Felgrand Dragon has 4,200. And that's more than enough to wipe out all your Life Points when I attack next turn. You made a critical mistake summoning your monster in Attack Position like that, and when I attack you next turn, you'll pay for it!"

"...Then I guess it's a good thing I have a card in my hand that'll keep me from having to worry about you attacking me." Sunset then told her.

"Excuse me...?" asked Ember, not knowing what she meant by that.

Taking another card out of her hand, Sunset shouted, "From my hand, I activate this Spell Card! Swords of Revealing Light!!" After playing the card from her hand, a massive ball of light shone above Ember's side of the field. Then, the ball began to fire off several rays of light resembling swords which rained down on Ember and her monsters. The swords didn't destroy Ember's monsters, but it seemed to cause them to freeze in place and keep them from moving.

*******************************

Swords of Revealing Light:
(Normal Spell Card)

After this card's activation, it remains on the field, but you must destroy it during the End Phase of your opponent's 3rd turn. When this card is activated: If your opponent controls a face-down monster, flip all monsters they control face-up. While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent's monsters cannot declare an attack.

*******************************

"Y-you're kidding me?!" exclaimed a shocked Ember. "You actually managed to draw Swords of Revealing Light this turn?!? Rrrgh...! No wonder you felt safe summoning your monster in Attack Position like that." Sunset nodded to say that this was true: She had drawn the card this turn, thanks to her Pot of Avarice.

"Phew...that's a relief." said Flash. "Thanks to that Spell Card, Ember can't attack Sunset for a while, so she'll have a chance to recover and try come up with a new strategy."

"But...do you think three turns will be enough?" asked Twilight. "Can Sunset draw into a card that'll help her turn this back in her favor?"

"Well, I guess we'll see."

Ember was a little annoyed by the fact that she would be able to finish off Sunset and win the Duel either. But she calmed herself and said to her rival, "So you're going to use that card to try and draw your way out of the situation I've put you in? ...Fine, I suppose I'm not in a hurry to beat you right now, so I'll take these three turns and build up my cards and options in the meantime."

Humming a bit, Sunset then took another card out of her hand and set it on the field, saying, "I'll finish this turn by playing a card face-down. Now let's see what you've got for me!"

"Heh, if you knew what I still had planned for you, you might not be so excited to see it." Ember told her opponent. "I may not be able to do much to you or your monsters for the next few turns, but that still doesn't mean you're completely safe, Sunset. I'm going to beat you and get one step closer to becoming the ultimate Pro Duelist!" Pointing forward, she then added, "My dreams and goals are finally within my reach, and I won't let anything or anyone get in the way! So you'd better get ready Sunset Shimmer; I'm just getting started with you!"

Torch, in the audience, smiled and mentally told his daughter, (That's right, Ember. You have everything you need to become the Duelist you were always meant to become: You mastered your Deck and its strategies, you overcame all of your struggles, and you've proven yourself more than capable of competing with the strongest Duelists of all. I know that you'll make me proud my daughter... Now win this Duel and realize your dream!)

Sunset stared at her opponent's side of the field, including the two powerful Dragons that occupied it. (Ember's gotten good; even better than what she was before... In fact, she's become even stronger than she was fighting in the main tournament! If I don't play my cards right...if I hold back even just slightly...There's a chance I might actually lose this!) But putting on a look of determination, she then said to herself, "But I won't give up...! I promised Ember to give her the Duel she's always wanted, and I'm not breaking that promise! And besides, I've still got more than enough cards and strategies to try out in this Duel... This game's not over quite yet, Ember, and I'm not gonna make it any easier for you, either!"

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 60: The Final Face-Off: Ember vs. Sunset, Part 2:

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

RANK 60.5: Another Numbers Recap:

Author's Note

A special thanks to gfr091702 for suggesting that I do another recap episode. It's a long one, but I plan for the next recap to be sooner than this was from the previous one. Anyway, enjoy your holidays and I'll see you next year! :yay:

RANK 60.5: Another Numbers Recap:

Hello? Yoohoo!!! HEY!!! Can ya hear me?!?

Yep, it's me again! Your favorite pink party planner, Pinkie Pie, who's prepared to put on a precise and pretty performance for all our pals who are particularly pleasing, pleasant, and peachy! I'd keep going on, but...I'm running out of P-words, so let's just get right to the point! (Hey! That's another one!)

Soooooooo...I guess it's been a while since I did one of these things, huh? And a lotta things sure have happened since the last time. So I guess I'd better bring all of ya up to speed with what's happened so far: To start, since the last recap, we've had some interesting things happen... Like, get this: Some boy named Wilson told Sunset he had a crush on her, and he challenged Sunnie to a Duel to impress her! I thought it was kinda sweet, and even though he didn't win, he still got to meet my sister Marble at the luau-themed birthday party I threw for her! By the way, on the subject of luaus, I don't know if you know this, but people say I look great in a hula skirt!

But sadly, not all days can be as wonderful as one of my special parties. Sunnie, Twilight, and AJ all told me about the time when Babs Seed came from Manehatten to live here in Canterlot for a while. We found out it was because people at Babs's old school were picking on her, all because she went and got her favorite dueling Deck back from someone that stole it, and then that someone spread rumors that Babs was the one who stole it instead! I know...it's really mean. And not only that, but the person who did it then showed up to try and steal the Deck again! But thanks to Sunnie, Babs was able to stop the thief, and we later learned who they were: Her name was Skyblaze, who used to teach out our school, but got fired for emba...um, emblem...uh, no...um... (Twilight...! What's this word again...? Hm? "Embezzling"? Thanks....!) Um, yeah...she got fired for embezzling money from the school and no one had seen her ever since. But I have a funny feeling we'll be seeing her again, and that guy named Lucky that was with her, too...

And the after that whole mess, we then got hit with an even BIGGER mess when, after a horror movie night with Octavia and Vinyl, we found out that Vinyl and Fluttershy had gone missing. Get this: Someone gave Vinyl a Number Card without her knowing about it, and it made her think she was a vampire! Vinyl then brainwashed Fluttershy and held her hostage until we tracked her down, and Sunnie beat her in a Duel! After Vinyl told us that she didn't know where the Number Card came from, we wondered where and how she got it... But it didn't end there: Not long after that, our Home Ec. teacher, Mulia Mild got planted with a Number Cad too! She believed that she was some sort of ninja or something, and defeated lots of other students at school in Duels to prove her power, or something like that. But she met her match when Twilight confronted her, and with the help of some guy named Discord, she unlocked more power for her Number Card, Utopia, and defeated Mulia!

But we still didn't know anything about who was giving these people Number Cards, or why. And we weren't the only ones: Our new History teacher, Mrs. K was wondering about that, and a few other things. And it was about that time that she got a visit from that Doctor guy and Derpy. He showed up because he found out about the Number Cards Mrs. K had on her and was planning to take them. HOWEVER, what he ended up getting was even bigger than that! Mrs. K revealed that her real name was Kisara, and that she had actually had a past life ALLLLLLLLLL the way back in Ancient Egypt! She told Derpy and The Doctor about the first time she saw the power of the Astral World, as well the power of the Number monsters when they battled Pharaoh Seto. There were even ancient versions of Sunnie and Twilight there with him! How's THAT for a plot twist? After all of that, Kisara then showed The Doctor that she had several blank Number Cards that she couldn't unlock herself, and then she gave one of them to him, hoping that he could figure out how to get it working.

Soooooo...after we had a fun time at the Duel Monsters Spirit Day Festival held at our school - where Sunnie dueled against some girl named Mana that was dressed just like the Dark Magician Girl, things had been pretty calm for a while. But, as you probably already guessed, THAT didn't last very long. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were busy investigating the cases of Number Card shenanigans at the school, and they called for help in the form of Sunnie and the school's Hall Monitor, Sweetie Drops (y'know, the one most of us call Bon Bon). They ended up tracking down a creepy creep who was creeping around the school creepily. Their name was Windmistress, and as it turned out, SHE was responsible for planting the Number Cards on both Vinyl AND Mulia, and she tried to do it again to one of our Gym Teachers, Coach Iron Will. But Bon Bon wasn't going to allow her to cause any more trouble, and she beat Windmistress in a Duel with her super-cool SPYRAL Deck, even though Windy tried to use the Number she planned on giving to someone against her! Afterwards, Windmistress tore the Number Card in half, but thanks to the powers that be, the card fixed itself and Sunnie was able to claim it (gotta love anime plot armor).

So, yeah...after all that crazy stuff happened, we REALLY needed a vacay. Luckily, Spring Break was on its way, and we got to take the week off from school to do whatever we wanted! Sunnie decided to go enter a big Duel Monsters tournament in town, Twilight went back to her world for the week, Rarity and I went with Sweetie Belle to Manehatten for a fashion show (I was there mostly for the desert platter), Dashie and Scootaloo decided to go visit Cheese Sandwich's Fun Center (best place ever, IMHO), the members of the Apple Family - AJ, Apple Bloom, and Babs Seed - decided to catch up on their work on their farm, Fluttershy went with her family to the Rainbow Falls National Park for a camping trip, and Derpy and her Doctor friend went to a beach resort for their vacation, even traveling by train to get there!

...But, since this story would be boring if we just had our vacations normally without any sort of big crisis happening, that's exactly what ended up happening to each of us. Twilight unknowingly brought a blank Number Card back with her to her world and ended up fighting her dark side, who wanted to replace Twilight and take over her world. Rarity, Sweetie and I ended up fighting one of the creepy people that, like Windmistress, was planting blank Number Cards on people, and was trying to distract us with things like criminals and attack dogs so that she could do that to one of us, until Sweetie stood up to her that is! Dashie and Scootaloo confronted a bully causing trouble at the fun center, and Sunnie got tangled up in a family drama involving a Duelist named Ember, and her ex-Pro Duelist father, Torch. For AJ and her family, things weren't so bad. Though they did have some excitement, such as Big Mac using Duel Monsters to help Apple Bloom write her book report, and Babs Seed learning to get over her trust issues when they met with some girl named Cherry to get a rare card. Fluttershy uncovered a nasty scheme that would turn her favorite nature park into some fancy-schmancy resort place, and Derpy and The Doctor encountered some trouble on the train ride back to Canterlot when they fought another Number Holder.

Thankfully, all of us managed to pull through these troubling bits and came out better and stronger than ever. The Doctor even managed to unlock the power of the card Mrs. K gave to him! And speaking of her, she invited me and my friends to the museum owned by A.K. Yearling - a.k.a. the author of Daring Do, a.k.a. also ACTUALLY Daring Do. So we took a bus ride over there, only to find out that Daring Do's archenemy, Dr. Caballeron, was trying to rob the place (yeesh, if I had a nickel for every time I was at a museum while it's being robbed, I'd have two nickels, yada yada yada, you know the rest of it). Anyway, Mrs. K stood up to him and defeated him and his Number Card in a Duel, using a Blue-Eyes White Dragon Deck! How cool is that? The answer is "very", by the way.

After the Duel was over, Mrs. then revealed some stuff to us. First, she told all of us that her name was actually Kisara, and that we had to keep it a super-special secret! Then, she showed us some things related to the Astral World, and a group of people that practically worshiped the place, known as the Order of Astral. And get this: the drawings of the people in the Order...looked almost EXACTLY like me and my friends! Ta-da! Plot twist number 2! Needless to say, we were pretty shocked to hear that, but that's par the course when you're a main character, I guess. Not only did Kisara tell us all that, she even gave us blank Number Cards just like that one she gave to The Doctor. We then figured out which card belonged to whom, but other than that, we weren't sure what to do with them, since they were all still blank. But before we could figure anything else out, Sunnie got a call on her phone...

It was Principal Celestia on the other end, who told us that, during the weekend, CHS was going to host an official Duel Monsters Tournament sponsored by the company in charge of the game, Industrial Illusions! This tournament was hosted to see who would get the last invite to this year's World Championship Qualifiers. So that meant that it'd be called, "The World Championship Qualifiers Qualification Tournament"! Yeah, it's a real mouthful; we just called it the WCQ Qualification Tournament instead. But that wasn't all: Celestia called Sunnie to take a test to become an Official Duel Monsters Tournament Judge! You know, the guy you call if you think someone's slow-playing and all that? Sunnie agreed, took the test, and passed with a really, really high score! I was so proud of her, I hosted a party to celebrate, since that's my main thing and all.

That Friday, after school was over, Sunset asked all of us to come and help her out with handling the Preliminary Round of the tournament. And the turnout for it was PHENOMENAL!! Over 230 Duelists came over to try out for the tournament! But after the Prelims were over, only sixteen of them would make it into the main tournament. Lots of people that we knew came over to duel in the tournament, as well as a few that we didn't know! Always nice to have a mix of old friends and potentially new friends to come and meet, I always say. Unfortunately, not everyone that came to sign up was friendly...because when we least expected it, the Dazzlings - Adagio, Aria, and Sonata - showed up to enter the tournament, and none of us were happy to see them come back, not even me... And that's saying something. We weren't sure what they were up to, but Sunnie was preeeeeeety sure they were up to no good. So she asked her old companions Snips and Snails to keep an eye on them.

And then, the next day, it was time for the WCQ Qualifier Tournament, which was MC'd by a lively girl named Megan Williams! (Hmmm...somehow that name sounds so familiar, but I don't know why...) She and Sunnie then announced the sixteen Duelists that made it into the competition: First, there was Ember, who was in the tournament to try and become a Pro Duelist just like her dad was. Next was our adorable little Crystal Beast user, Sweetie Belle, who wanted to help promote their Duel Monsters fan club by winning the tournament. Then, there was Zecora, who I didn't even know was a Duelist until now! But she was just as great at dueling as she was running her cool curio shop!

Next came Gilda, a Duelist from Griffonstone High School that first showed up for our annual Inter-school Duel. And after that, was her opponent in that very Duel, our best friend Fluttershy! They entered the tournament so that they could have a proper rematch with each other, and for once Fluttershy was excited to duel such a strong opponent! Derpy Hooves even entered the tournament, and she used a really fun Deck as well! Though I think she might have joined to help her Doctor friend keep an eye out for anybody using Numbers, at least that's what most of us thought. And then there was a Duelist we didn't recognize named Night Switch, though he didn't seem to want to get to know anyone, to be honest...

The next Duelist that was in the tournament was a girl at our school named Indigo Bolt. She used an Amazoness Deck, and even dressed the part, wearing this pretty toga and crown. Not only that, but she was the only one in the Prelims to win with an OTK - that stands for "One-Turn-Kill", for those not in the know. So yeah, everyone had their eyes on her. But after that, we saw that Sonata - the Dazzlings member that entered the tournament, had also made it in as well. Luckily, this was followed by a very peppy and enthusiastic Duelist from Griffonstone named Gabby, who Gilda had trained herself! She's just the absolute best! FYI, we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses to stay in touch. Flash Sentry and Octavia even made it into the tournament as well, and we were excited to see both of them in action.

The last Duelists that were introduced were also from out-of-town, and all us were pretty excited to see what kinds of Decks and strategies they had with them. The first one was Sol Burner, who was also a well-trained fighter as well as a Duelist, so he's got both brains AND brawn to help him out! He did surprise us with his Deck, which was Lunalights, but he showed everyone that they were as powerful as they were pretty! Then there was Slid Diamond, who -like Sol - was an athlete as well as being a Duelist, in his case his sport of choice was basketball. He had a pretty strong Deck too, using big Dinosaurs with even bigger attack scores! Next, there was Bright Mind, who had smarts that could rival even Twilight or Sunnie, as he was really really good at thinking a buncha moves ahead, and managed to do well with an Alien Deck! And last, but not least, there was Steel Shadows, who wasn't new to the tournament scene, having won a whole ton of 'em before coming here with his Six Samurai Deck! And he had a neat-looking Duel Runner to boot!

So the tournament started off with a bang when - before the competition actually started, we got to see our principals duel each other for the first time in years! They may have retired from being Pro Duelists, but from how they dueled each other, you wouldn't have known it! They did so well, and the crowd definitely would agree with me! After that, we started the tournament for realsies this time, and the first round paired everyone completely at random. I'll give you all a list of how the first round went for everyone; if you wanna know the details, just check out Ranks 41 through 48. But anyway, here're the results of the first round:

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
Fluttershy vs. Gabby [WINNER: Fluttershy]
Derpy Hooves vs. Sonata Dusk [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
Bright Mind vs. Flash Sentry [WINNER: Bright Mind]
Sol Burner vs. Octavia Melody [WINNER: Octavia Melody]
Sweetie Belle vs. Zecora [WINNER: Sweetie Belle]

During this time, a lotta other stuff was going on: Snips and Snails were spying on the Dazzlings to see what they were up to, Discord was looking around Sunnie's and Twilight's mind for any clues about the whole Astral World thing - with some help from Utopia. I even had a little side-adventure of my own, helping Gilda's smart friend Martin overcome his fear of standing up to bullies by dealing with two of them that snuck into the stadium! After Night lost his Duel with Gilda, he vanished without a trace; he wasn't even around to watch the rest of the tournament... Weird...

Of course, there was an even greater adventure going on at the time: It was so great, that it wasn't even in our own dimension! Turns out, that Dark Magician Girl cosplayer named Mana that Sunnie dueled on Spirit Day...WASN'T a cosplayer! She really was the Dark Magician Girl! How do I know this? I told you: I'm reading the story too. And just like I said before, I won't spoil anything to my friends, don't worry! Anyway, Mana got a mission from her former magic teacher Mahad (known to most of us as the Dark Magician) to investigate a strange thing that happened with one of the big dragon statues that Mana usually keeps an eye on. She then packed her things and went off on her own to figure stuff out. Along the way, she met up with some friends, like Elemental HERO Sparkman, as well Junky (a.k.a. Junk Synchron) and Speedy (a.k.a. Speed Warrior). When all of them were fighting a massive Scrap Dragon at a mostly abandoned junkyard, Junky and Speedy combined into Junk Warrior and helped defeat the dragon for good! I hope we get to see more of them soon!

Back at the tournament, the Quarterfinals began, and Ember managed to defeat Steel in their Duel in order to move onto the next round. But out of nowhere, the famous Turbo Duel team - the Wonderbolts - arrived not only to watch the tournament, but even ask Steel to join the team. He wasn't sure about it at first, but after Soarin told us all about how he joined the Wonderbolts, Steel decided to take their offer. I'm so happy for him! After that, Fluttershy and Gilda finally got to have their rematch, and they played so super-good! Even though Fluttershy didn't win their Duel, she still seemed happy that she got to face Gilda with everything she had, and so did Gilda!

But things didn't stay nice and happy for long, 'cause when Bright Mind fought Sonata in their next round Duel, something weird was going on: No matter what kinds of moves Bright used, Sonata seemed to have the absolute perfect counter to them! This raised everybody's suspicions of them, especially Sunset. Sunnie was convinced that Sonata had cheated in that Duel, but needed to know for sure before saying something. So she had Twilight, Spike, and Bright go and talk to Mr. Dunstan from Industrial Illusions to help them. They ran into some trouble with some strange security guards, but thanks to a few friendly faces - both old and new, they were able to talk to Mr. Dunstan. During that time, Octavia and Sweetie Belle had their Duel with each other, and Sweetie managed to win that game and move on to the Semifinals. But that meant that she'd have to fight Sonata, and Sunset didn't want Sweetie to quite literally get cheated out of a win.

Luckily, while Gilda and Ember had their Semifinal Duel with each other, Twilight, Spike, Bright, and Mr. Dunstan were hard at work to try and figure out what Sonata and the other Dazzlings were up to. And what they found was shocking! Turns out, Sonata WAS cheating by illegally putting in cards from the Dazzlings' personal collection, which was against the rules. That was how she had the perfect counter to Bright's Deck. By the time Gilda and Ember were done with their Duel (which Ember won, by the way; it was a pretty cool comeback), Twilight let Sunnie know about everything. She then confronted the Dazzlings and revealed their scheme to everyone, and was ready to disqualify them from the tournament.

But the Dazzlings had a surprise of their own: They had Number Cards! Once Sunnie found that out, she then decided to duel them in order to get their Numbers and prevent them from doing bad things with them. At first, the Duel started off like you'd expect: Sonata went up against Sunset, exchanged some cards and trash-talk, Sonata summons her Number Card - Nightmare Shark, and then Sunnie uses her own Number to beat it. But when THAT happened, Sonata fainted afterwards, and Aria went and took her place in the Duel. She then went and tried to use her Number Card - named Leviathan Dragon, to beat Sunnie, and she would have succeeded...if she didn't forget to read the part of the card that said it couldn't attack without an Overlay Unit. Yeah yeah, insert joke about Duel Monsters players not reading their cards here.

So, Sunnie managed to beat Aria's Number Card, causing HER to fall unconscious too. So now the Duel turned into a grudge match between Sunnie, and the Dazzlings' leader Adagio, and Adagio was determined to beat Sunset to get back at us for stopping their plans last time we met them. But Sunnie goes and tells Adagio that even if she beat her, things wouldn't get better for her OR her sisters. Sunnie told Adagio that - if she wanted her life to get any better, she had to show some remorse for the things she'd done and try to forget about the things that made her angry and mean. Of course, Adagio wouldn't listen at first, but she started to when Sunnie ended up unlocking the power of the card she got from Mrs. K! She then played that card, revealing Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis, her Harmony Number! BTW, that's what I call those special, special cards we got; kudos to you, ArcanaMaverick7, for coming up with the name! Anyway, Atlandis quite literally knocks some sense into Adagio and the tournament was saved! YAY!!

So, with the Dazzlings now out of the way, the tournament entered its final match: Ember vs. Sweetie Belle!! Everyone was so super-excited for it! That is, except for Sweetie herself; she was really nervous about dueling an opponent as strong as Ember, and it took all the pep-talking we had just to get her to go through with it. Things started out okay for Sweetie when she managed to get a huge lead over Ember. But, as the Duel went on and Ember starting mounting a comeback, Sweetie started getting nervous again, and she started misplaying. Most other Duelists might take advantage of that and try to get an easy win. But Ember? Nah, none of that! She actually pep-talked Sweetie to try and help her clear her mind and start playing better, so that they could have a satisfying Duel with each other. And it worked! Sweetie got right back into the game and managed to get out her best cards: Rainbow Dragon and even Rainbow Overdragon! Her lead was so strong, that Ember was forced to play a monster from her Extra Deck in order to win the Duel. Yeah, it was sad that Sweetie lost, but she was cool about it and thanked Ember for the Duel. Then Ember, in another totally giga-chad move, even let Sweetie take the rare card prize for winning the tournament, since she didn't join the tournament to get that card.

But if you think that was the end of the tournament story, THINK AGAIN! 'Cause right after her Duel with Sweetie, Ember straight-up challenged Sunnie to a Duel! Ember had said that her main reasons for joining the tournament was One: Get into the WCQ's this year... Two: Start her career as a Pro Duelist... And most of all, Three: Prove herself strong enough to have a rematch with Sunset! Back when they first met, Sunnie and Ember had a Duel, and Ember lost real badly to her because of some stresses that she had. But now that she was past all of that, Ember was ready to fight Sunnie again with everything she had. Naturally, Sunnie agreed; main Yu-Gi-Oh! character policy dictates that the main protagonist has to accept any challenge they get.

So their Duel started, and right off the bat, it was intense! Ember told Sunset not to hold back on her either, and that meant she wanted her to use her Number Cards, even though Ember didn't have any. But as well all quickly found out, Ember didn't NEED a Number to battle Sunset's, and the two of them really went all-out against each other! Ember then showed off what her Deck was truly capable of, allowing herself to freely use her Extra Deck monsters just as well as Sunnie did. It eventually came down to a major battle between their toughest monsters: Ember's Five-Headed Dragon versus Sunset's Chronomaly Atlandis! It was like a battle straight out of Godzilla with how big they were! I'm sure glad they were just AR images, huh? In the end, the two big monsters fought against each other, and the Duel ended...in a Draw! But Ember and Sunnie were okay with it; it meant they they were pretty much on equal terms, and all of us in the crowd loved watching the game between them!

So, with the tournament over, Sunnie and all of us are right back to looking for the rest of the Number Cards, and trying to figure out what to do about the rest the cards that Kisara gave each of us. I hope we'll be able to figure it all out soon! So keep reading to see what happens next!

Oh! And before I forget, here's where we are concerning the Numbers we've encountered so far, as well as where they came from:

Sunset Shimmer (17 Numbers total):

Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis (obtained from Kisara; unlocked during her Duel against the Dazzlings)
Number 13: Embodiment of Crime (obtained from Martin)
Number 16: Shock Master (obtained from Manny Roar)
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon (obtained from Aria Blaze)
Number 24: Dragulas the Vampiric Dragon (obtained from Vinyl Scratch)
Number 25: Force Focus (obtained from Photo Finish)
Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment (obtained from Martin)
Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech (obtained on her own; found in Applejack's house)
Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk (obtained on her own; found near Rainbow Dash's house)
Number 47: Nightmare Shark (obtained from Sonata Dusk)
Number 50: Blackship of Corn (obtained from Klaus)
Number 52: Diamond Crab King (obtained from Rarity)
Number 56: Gold Rat (obtained from Snips)
Number 63: Shamoji Soldier (obtained from Snails)
Number 73: Abyss Splash (obtained from Adagio Dazzle)
Number 74: Master of Blades (obtained after Bon Bon's Duel against Windmistress)
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk (obtained from Octavia Melody)

Twilight Sparkle (5 Numbers total + 1 Chaos Number + 1 Shining Number):

Number 11: Big Eye (obtained from Trixie Lulamoon)
Number 12: Crimson Shadow Armor Ninja (obtained from Mulia Mild)
Number 39: Utopia (obtained on her own; found in her castle)
> Number C39: Utopia Ray (obtained during her Duel against Mulia Mild, with the help of Discord and Utopia)
> Number S39: Utopia Prime (obtained during her Duel against Midnight Sparkle, with Utopia's help)
Number 59: Crooked Cook (obtained from Shining Spoon)
Number 78: Number Archive (obtained by Utopia; he'll show it to her later)
Number 98: Antitopian (obtained from Midnight Sparkle)

Dr. Hooves (10 Numbers total):

Number 10: Illumiknight (obtained from an unknown Duelist)
Number 20: Giga-Brilliant (obtained from Data Hacker)
Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction (obtained from an unknown Duelist)
Number 34: Terror-Byte (obtained from Data Hacker)
Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon (obtained from an unknown entity)
Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora (obtained from Steamer)
Number 83: Galaxy Queen (obtained from Gladmane)
Number 90: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord (obtained from Kisara; unlocked during his Duel against Steamer)
Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon (obtained from Lightning Dust)
Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon (obtained during his Duel against Steamer, when it summoned itself)

Mrs. K / Kisara (3 Numbers total):

Number 46: Dragluon (obtained on her own; found in an ancient temple)
Number 67: Pair-a-Dice Smasher (obtained from Dr. Caballeron)
Number 82: Heartlandraco (obtained from Smooth Talker)

TOTAL NUMBERS DISCOVERED: 35

RANK 61: Bedlah Bedlam, Part 1:

Author's Note

A VERY special thanks to mayorlight, who helped me out with this episode and providing the use of one of their characters. I recommend checking out their stories when you have a chance to.

This was one of the more unique episodes I've written, having gotten the idea for it back when I started the tournament story arc. After reading most of mayorlight's work, I sort of wanted to do a bit of a tribute to it with the writing of this episode. It'll end up in two parts because I wrote so much in this one and didn't want to cut anything out. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one.

RANK 61: Bedlah Bedlam, Part 1:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

About two weeks have passed since the WCQ Qualification Tournament at Canterlot High School. By the end of the tournament, a winner had been decided, and they are now on their way to participate in the Duel Monsters World Championship Qualifiers proper. Despite that trouble had once more reared its ugly head during the competition and planned to disrupt everything, overall the tournament ended up being a huge success. Now, things have settled down and everyone in town has returned to their normal, everyday lives once again.

For Sunset Shimmer, this means returning to her investigation and collection of the mysterious Number Cards. Although she hasn't yet found any answers to the questions she has surrounding their strange power, Sunset does know that a group of troublemakers based in the decrepit Skyes Academy school building intends to use the Numbers to cause havoc for her, her friends, and just about everyone else. They do this by planting the cards on unsuspecting Duelists and possessing them through the cards themselves. Sunset is not yet sure of the group's true motives, but she is determined to stop them in any way possible.

Among the many people helping Sunset in her mission is Luna - a former Pro Duelist that is now employed as the Vice Principal of CHS, alongside her older sister Celestia. And through a series of bizarre events, Sunset is about to see a side of Luna that she never expected to see...

It was early Thursday morning in the city of Canterlot and its surrounding suburbs. At that time, a white Mustang was traveling down the street at a decent speed. While most people in town had yet to start their work day, the occupants of the car - Celestia and Luna, were on the way to their place of work, Canterlot High School. The older of the two offered to drive, while the younger sister sat in the seat next to her. As they headed to the school to begin their day, Luna remained silent and mostly motionless, staring down at her lap for almost the entire trip.

Noticing how quiet her sister was, Celestia spoke up and asked her, "Luna...? Luna, are you okay?"

No response.

"Luna...! Can you hear me?" Celestia said, speaking a little louder this time.

"Hm?" That comment was enough to snap Luna out of her gloomy state. Turning over to Celestia, she then asked her, "Sister? Is something the matter?"

"Well...nothing really..." the pale-skinned woman replied. "It's just that you've been awfully quiet all morning... Hmmm...and come to think of it, you were pretty quiet since you got home from that late-night workout session of yours at the gym."

"Oh...I-I was?" asked Luna. "I...um, I didn't notice."

Showing a bit of sisterly concern, Celestia then inquired her sibling, "Is...everything okay, Luna? I don't mean to pry; I'm just concerned, that's all..."

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Sister." the dark-blue woman told her. "Just a bit tired, that's all. Between getting up early and my cla- er, WORKOUT yesterday, I guess I am just a little...um, worn-out is all."

Celestia said nothing apart from a small hum, as if she wasn't sure that her sister was being completely honest with her. But in the end, she decided that, if Luna didn't want to talk about it, she shouldn't try to force her. "Well..." she then said, "if there is something troubling you, you should speak to someone about it even if it isn't me; it won't do you good to hold something like that in you. When you're comfortable doing so, of course."

"...Sure. Thank you, dear sister." Luna replied. About two minutes after their conversation ended, Celestia and Luna arrived at the school, parking their car in their designated parking space. The elder sister stepped out first and walked towards the school's front entrance, using her keys to unlock the doors.

Luna followed a bit slower, thinking about some things that were on her mind. And one those things was what Celestia had said to her earlier. (When I'm comfortable with it...) she thought to herself. Sighing, she then said, "That's just the problem: I'm not sure if I am ready to tell someone about what is on my mind..." Walking slowly towards the doors, she then pondered, (But...I may not have a choice... After all, there's only one person who can help me with my current problem...)

From that point on, the school day was pretty normal for Canterlot High's students. Most were still talking about the Duel Monsters tournament that had taken place two weeks ago as they went from class to class, or during their lunchtime. But for Sunset Shimmer, her mind was on something else entirely...

In the cafeteria, as she was eating what remained of her lunch - a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, the inter-dimensional girl was looking over several of her Duel Monsters cards; more specifically, the Number Cards that she had collected. (After that tournament,) she thought to herself, (I managed to obtain several more Numbers... Now I currently have seventeen of them.) Sighing to herself, she then thought, (But even so, there's still so much I don't know about them or the place that they come from, the Astral World... And with those dangerous people from Skyes Academy still out there, I need to figure out this whole thing as fast as I can, before they go after my friends again...!)

Sunset was so deep in thought, that she didn't notice Luna walking into the cafeteria. She had finished her lunch break early and decided to take a bit of a walk to ease her mind. That's when the vice principal saw Sunset looking over her cards at the table she was sitting at. At first, Luna just stared at the jacket-clad teenager, not saying or doing anything else. Then, sighing a bit to herself, she put on a more determined expression and walked over to Sunset.

"...Ms. Shimmer?" the dark-blue woman asked upon reaching Sunset.

"Hm?" The jacket-wearing girl snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that someone was talking to her. Turning around, she saw who it was. "Vice Principal Luna?" she asked. "I didn't even notice you were there beside me."

"I figured as much:" Luna responded. "You seemed to be deep in thought, so I do not blame you for not noticing that I was here." Sighing a little, she then added, "The truth is, I've been experiencing similar thoughts and feelings myself as of lately, and...I might need your help."

"You need my help?" asked Sunset. "With what?"

"...I'd rather not discuss it here, Ms. Shimmer." the vice principal said to her. "Instead...could you meet with me in my office after your homeroom class is finished? I think it would be easier that way...unless that conflicts with anything you might have already planned."

"Well, I would have to let my friends know that I won't be at the music room to practice right away," the red-and-yellow girl told her, "but other than that, I have no problem with seeing you after class."

"Thank you, Ms. Shimmer." Luna politely replied. "Then I will see you later, then." Sunset watched as the woman walked away, wondering just what she wanted to talk about...and more importantly, why she was being so secretive about it. For now, the otherworldly girl decided to worry about it later as she finished her sandwich, packed her Deck and other things before getting ready to go to her next class.

Hours later, after the final bell had rung, almost all of CHS's students were on their way out, with a few staying behind for their extracurricular activities. Normally, this was one of the days where Sunset met with her friends in the Music Room to practice playing their instruments. But today, she had informed them that she would be running late to take care of another matter first. Of course, they understood and said they would practice their solo sets until she could come by.

Satisfied that everything else was in order, Sunset Shimmer walked down the halls of the school, reaching the Main Office. walking inside, she spoke to the clerk at the front desk, saying, "Um, I'm Sunset Shimmer... Vice Principal Luna said she wanted to meet with me."

"Of course, Ms. Shimmer. Go right on ahead." the clerk told her, having previously been told by Luna herself that she wanted to meet with the student.

Sunset walked through the office, passing by the other staff members until she made her way to the door to Luna's office. Knocking on the door, she said, "Um, Vice Principal Luna? It's Sunset. I came as soon as I could."

"Come inside." the vice principal said from behind the door. The jacket-clad teen then opened the door and walked inside, shutting the door behind her. "Please, have a seat Ms. Shimmer."

Sitting down on one of the chairs in front of the desk, Sunset then asked, "So...what did you want to talk about? And forgive me for asking, but why did you want to talk about it in private like this?"

"You'll understand once we begin discussing the matter." the dark-blue woman told her. "But before I can explain the situation, I have to..." She then paused for a moment, as if she had a hard time saying what she wanted to say. Taking a deep breath, she then told her, "There's something that I need to confess to you first..."

"C-confess...?" asked Sunset, a bit surprised to hear that. Luna then pulled out her black leather purse and rummaged through it for a while before pulling out what appeared to be a small business card. She then handed it to Sunset, who then proceeded to read what was written upon it. "Chiffon Veil Studio...White Tail Gardens Shopping Center..." she read out-loud. "Wait...isn't that the name of that dance studio in town?"

"Yes it is." Luna confirmed, nodding her head. "You have heard of it?"

"Only that it's a dance studio," the red-and-yellow girl admitted, "but nothing other than that." She then asked, "So...I'm guessing you're enrolled in a class there?"

"I am, as a matter of fact." the vice principal answered. "Every Monday and Wednesday evening, I take part in a dancing class with a friend of mine. We've been going there for quite a while, actually."

"That's pretty interesting." said Sunset, looking at the business card again. Then, something felt a bit...off to her. Curious, she then asked, "But...what's so unusual about attending a dance class that you had to be so secretive?"

Luna hesitated to answer the question at first. However, knowing that she needed Sunset's help now more than ever, she summoned the necessary courage and told her, "The reason, Ms. Shimmer...is because...well, the class I am attending is for..." Clearing her throat a bit, she then finished by saying, "It's for belly dancing."

Sunset froze up a little bit after hearing that, not expecting an answer such as that at all. At first, she thought that she heard her wrong, but then decided that was not the case at all. Finally speaking, she then asked, "You...you do belly dancing...?"

Luna nodded and said, "That is correct, Ms. Shimmer. I can imagine that you must be a bit surprised to hear that your principal is a belly dancer."

"...I guess that would be an accurate way to put it." Sunset said, still a bit in shock. Taking about a second or two to think about this big revelation, she then smiled and said, "But don't worry, Luna. I don't think any lower of you even after having heard that. I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting to be in that class, and I respect them. Believe me when I say that I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're doing."

Luna was a little surprised herself to hear that Sunset had a very positive opinion about her learning how to belly dance, especially considering how the style of dance was often depicted in the media. However, she was happy to know that the young teen was very accepting of her hobby. Smiling, she then said, "Thank you, Ms. Shimmer. That made me happy to hear you say that. Honestly, I wasn't sure how you would react to hearing my secret; after all, I have never told anyone else about it up until now."

"You haven't?" asked Sunset. "So does that mean-"

"Yes, not even my sister knows about the class." Luna interrupted her, knowing what she was going to ask. "She believes that I'm going over to the gym in that same shopping center for a workout session. I'm not exactly sure how she would react if I told her..."

"Well someday, you'll have to let her know." the red-and-yellow girl said. "And knowing her, she'd probably be very accepting of it too." Sitting up a little more in her chair, she then asked the vice principal, "So, that aside...what is it that you need my help with? Does it have something to do with the dancing class or something?"

"In a way, it does." Luna answered her. "That is why I had to tell you about my being enrolled in the class. However, I feel it would be easier to show you what the problem is rather than tell you."

Sunset wondered about what Luna was talking about as the woman stood up from her desk and retrieved a small television set with a built-in VCR that she had placed off to the side. After plugging it into the wall, Luna opened a drawer from inside of her desk; inside were two VHS cassette tapes. The vice principal took one of them out of the drawer and presented it before Sunset.

"What is that tape for?" asked the jacket-wearing girl.

"This tape contains footage from my class." Luna answered her. "Our teacher video-tapes all of our classes, and every now and then, we watch ourselves so that we can continue to improve our dancing skills. I asked her for permission to borrow these tapes so that I can show you just what it is that is concerning not only myself, but the rest of the class as well..."

As Luna inserted the tape into the TV's VCR slot, Sunset continued to wonder just what this "problem" was, and why Luna needed her help with it. At that moment, the TV displayed an image of several adult women of varying ages, wearing typical workout attire, such as workout pants and small crop tops so as to allow as much freedom of movement as possible. Several of the women also had short, colorful scarves tied around their waists, some decorated with jewels and coin-like pieces of metal.

"This tape was recorded earlier this Monday." Luna told Sunset. "As you can see, everything seems perfectly normal."

"Is that you right there?" the red-and-yellow girl asked, pointing to a woman whose skin was the same color as Luna's.

"That is correct, Ms. Shimmer." the dark-blue woman confirmed. "And standing next to me is the friend that I attend the class with."

Sunset then looked at the woman next to her, who appeared to have light-pink skin and long hair that was colored cream, hot-pink, and purple. She then gasped when she realized who it was. "Hold on!" she exclaimed. "Isn't that Dean Cadance from Crystal Prep?!"

"Yes it is." Luna told her with a small smile. "It was actually because of her that I decided to try belly dancing in the first place. But like myself, she has not told anyone about her involvement in the class; she doesn't want to risk the possibility of Principal Cinch finding out about it."

"Yeah, I see what you mean..." Sunset replied with a nod, figuring that Crystal Prep's principal would not be as accepting of the idea of belly dancing...or at least, that seemed to be the most likely assumption. The two of them continued to watch the recording of the students doing some warm-up stretches, followed by them practicing their various moves, such as shimmies and undulations.

However, Sunset then noticed that one of the students - a woman with cobalt-blue skin and navy-blue hair, seemed to be struggling a bit, barely keeping up with the others. Pointing to her, she then asked, "What's up with her? It looks like she's having a bit of trouble with those moves..."

"That woman is our class's most recent student." Luna answered. "Her full name is Rania Lapis Kamilah. She's been struggling with the lessons ever since she first came to the studio. As a matter of fact, the problem I need your assistance with involves her."

"But...I don't quite understand..." the otherworldly girl began to say. "What can I do to help her? I don't know a thing about belly dancing."

"You'll see when I insert the next video." said the vice principal as she stopped the tape and ejected it. Putting it away, she then took out the other videotape and said, "This tape recorded the class from last night. I want you to pay the most attention to Rania especially." Saying nothing more, Luna put the video into the VCR and started it up.

Once again, the video showed everyone from the previous recording, wearing their workout clothes as they did in their previous class. Sunset immediately spotted Luna and Cadance, as well as the student named Rania. At first, nothing seemed unusual, but once the students began their lesson, Sunset gasped when she saw that Rania - who earlier was struggling with even just the most basic of moves, seemed to have done a complete turn-around and was dancing almost like an expert.

"Huh?? Wh-what??" Sunset uttered, not sure if she could believe her eyes. "That can't be!! Is that really the same person?!"

"As shocking as it may be, Ms. Shimmer..." Luna told her, "it is."

Not surprisingly, Sunset's facial expression shows a mixture of both shock and disbelief after hearing that confirmation. "B-but...but how??" she then asked. "That can't be possible...!" Pointing to the part of the screen where Rania was, she then added, "You said this video was recorded only two days after the previous one; there's just no way that someone who was struggling that much could get so good almost overnight!"

"I didn't believe it at first either, Ms. Shimmer..." Luna told her, "and neither did Ms. Cadance, nor our instructor. But we couldn't deny what we witnessed in front of our eyes." Looking at screen once more before switching off the video, she then said, "Of course, curious as we were, Cadance and I asked Rania about how she managed to improve so quickly. But she refused to tell us anything and rudely brushed us off... Unfortunately, she didn't seem to improve her attitude along with her dancing; she has been like that ever since she first showed up, keeping to herself and refusing to talk to - or accept help from, anyone else."

Sunset hummed a bit to herself after hearing Luna talk about her classmate. The red-and-yellow girl could feel that this Rania person must have felt as though it was her against the world, and that she didn't need or want any friends to help her...a feeling that Sunset herself had once had in the past.

"But that day," Luna continued, "it seemed that Rania was in a much more sour attitude than normal. Before, we figured it was just out of frustration from not being able to keep with the rest of us... But now we aren't so sure what it is that's bothering her. Then, last night, after thinking about it for some time...I finally came to a conclusion...and I knew I had to ask you for your help today."

"But why me?" asked Sunset. "How can I help you with this Rania person?"

"Think about it, Ms. Shimmer:" the vice principal explained. "Rania was having trouble performing in class, and then somehow manages to do a complete turn-around in just a little over a day. And not only that, she begins acting even more aggressively towards others..."

Sunset only had to ponder those facts for about two or three seconds before she realized what Luna was trying to tell her. Realizing what she meant, the red-and-yellow girl began to ask, "Are...are you saying that...that Rania-"

"Indeed." the dark-blue woman interrupted, knowing what Sunset was about to say next. "I suspect that Rania has somehow obtained a Number Card."

"I had a feeling that was it..." Sunset responded. "Numbers often grant the deepest desires of whomever holds them... That must be how this Rania person managed to improve on her dancing so quickly. But you probably know as well as I do that they also come with some kind of nasty side-effect as well, which could also explain why she started acting even meaner towards you and the others in your class."

"Then you know why I have called for you specifically, Ms. Shimmer?" the vice principal asked her.

Nodding, Sunset replied, "You want me to confront Rania and get that Number away from her."

"Exactly."

Looking a bit uneasy, Sunset then told Luna, "Well, I'll do my best to help in any way I can, but..."

"But what?" asked the older woman.

"Well...I'm a little concerned that she might have gotten that Number Card from one of those people that are after my friends and I," the jacket-clad teen informed her, "like that Windmistress person that I encountered a few months ago."

"Oh yes...I do remember that." Luna replied. "Sweetie Drops told me the details of that incident..."

Sunset continued, saying, "If that's the case, whoever gave her that card might have warned her about me, which means she might expect me to come after her."

"Hmmmm...which would mean a direct confrontation is not the best idea..." the vice principal pondered, tapping a pen to her chin a few times. "Somehow you have to find a way to approach her without her knowing that it's you. That way, she can't prepare herself to Duel you ahead of time...or worse, warn the person that gave her the card."

"So what do you think we should do, Ms. Luna?" Sunset then asked.

"Hmmm...I don't know, but I think I know someone that might." Luna told her. She then asked the teen, "Are you busy this Saturday, Ms. Sunset?"

"Ummm...I don't think I am."

"Then if it is alright with you," the vice principal suggested, "I would like for you to meet with my dance teacher - Chiffon Veil, on the Saturday in question. I am certain that the two of you can think of a plan to address the situation with Rania."

"I...I guess that could work." Sunset responded. "I'll just have to let Twilight know that I'll be out that day, but other than that, it's no problem at all."

"Thank you, Ms. Shimmer." Luna told her with a smile. "I knew that I could count on you to help. I'll make a call to Ms. Veil and let her know that you'll be meeting with her." The two then shook hands to agree on their plan. "Good luck to you, Ms. Shimmer. I truly hope that you can help save Rania."

"I'll do my best, Ms. Luna." the red-and-yellow girl replied with a nod before leaving the office.

After she did, Luna picked up her phone and dialed it. After waiting for a while, she then spoke into it, saying, "Ms. Veil? This is Luna. Can I ask you for a small favor...?"

Sunset rode down the streets of Canterlot City that Saturday, steering her Duel Runner every which way. After her meeting with Vice Principal Luna two days prior, the red-and-yellow teen had been arranged to meet with Chiffon Veil, the owner of a dance studio in town and Luna's belly dancing teacher. Luna was hoping that both Sunset and Ms. Veil could come with a plan to help another student in the class named Rania Kamilah, of whom both Luna and Sunset suspected of holding one of the dangerous Number Cards.

Glancing at her Duel Runner's GPS, Sunset said to herself, "Okay...according to this, White Tail Gardens should be around this next block..." Thinking about what Luna had said to her on Thursday, the girl then thought, (I just hope that we can figure out a way to help this Rania person... I certainly know how it feels when you believe that it's you against the world. I just have to make sure that Rania doesn't go down the same road I did, especially if she has a Number; that could be a disaster...)

When she finally arrived at her destination, Sunset glanced up to look at everything around her. White Tail Gardens looked like quite a peaceful place, with beautiful, intricate-looking fountains and trees carefully planted so as to add to the ambience without getting in the way. A large outdoor seating area was set up so that people could have a meal and congregate with each other to talk about their day. All in all, it was a very relaxing and serene place to be.

Parking her Duel Runner in an open space, Sunset stepped onto the ground and reached into her skirt pocket. She pulled out a business card that Luna given to her so that she could locate the dance studio that Ms. Veil operated. It took a while, since she had not visited the studio before until today, but she eventually managed to find it in the shopping center's second floor. Looking at the sign on the door, Sunset read it out-loud: "Chiffon Veil Studio... Here we are..."

Opening the door, Sunset walked out into the store's lobby. Looking around, she saw an elderly woman that appeared to be a receptionist. Walking up to the counter she was working at, Sunset said to her, "Um, excuse me...?"

Noticing her, the woman then asked in a calm tone, "Hello, dear. How may I help you?"

Clearing her throat, the red-and-yellow girl answered her, saying, "My name is Sunset Shimmer. I'm here to see Ms. Chiffon Veil for a meeting...or something like that."

"I see... Wait just one moment." the woman said as she glanced over to some papers off to her side. "Let's see...hmmmmm..." The woman hummed as she looked at the papers, apparently searching for something - likely searching to see if the studio's owner had arranged to meet with Sunset. "Hmmm... Sunset... Sunset... Ah! Here you are." Smiling, the woman looked up at the teen, pointed over to a doorway with a beaded curtain hanging over it and told her, "Ms. Veil is in her studio right now. Just go through here and walk to the end of the hall to enter the studio. From there, you will see the door to her office."

"O-okay. Thank you very much." Sunset said, nodding as she stepped past the curtain and walked down the short hallway. Taking each step slowly, the girl glanced around the area. There wasn't much to see, other than a door on the left side of the hall with a sign that read, "CHANGING ROOM", as well as a few photos placed along the walls. Sunset figured that, based on their outfits, that they may have been students that had completed the class. Sunset finally reached a door on the other side, which she opened and stepped through.

"Wow..." said the red-and-yellow girl as she stepped into the dance studio. The room looked like the typical one for a dance class, with mirrors set up in the front of the room and a smooth, hardwood floor to give it a relaxed, pristine appearance. The lights lit up the room very nicely as well, adding to the calm atmosphere.

Sunset then glanced over to one of the walls not lined with mirrors. There, hanging on the wall, were pictures of other women dressed in the typical belly dancer fashion. Sunset immediately recognized Luna in one of the photos, as well as Cadance. Also, off to the side was a picture of another woman that she didn't immediately recognize: She, too, was dressed in the same type of costume as the others, had light green skin, brown hair, and violet eyes. The photo seemed to have been taken during a dance recital of some sort, but based on the slight wear of the picture, it seemed to have been taken a long time ago. Sunset continued to stare at the picture in awe, not really aware of what was around her...

So it was no surprise when a sudden voice startled her back into reality. "I can see you're impressed by the pictures I have hanging up here." The red-and-yellow girl then turned towards the source of the voice: Standing just to the left of Sunset was an adult woman dressed in a form-fitting black dress with a dark purple sash tied around the waist. The woman was barefoot, and her only accessory were a pair of shiny, gold hoop earrings. The woman also had long, dark brown hair, light green skin, and violet eyes - just like the woman in the picture Sunset had last looked at.

Noticing the similarities, Sunset said to the woman, "Is...is that YOU there in that photo?"

"It certainly is." the woman answered. "Back in my younger years, I was recognized as among the best of the best belly dancers in the entire country. I had many fans, and recitals that I participated in drew in large crowds." Sighing happily to herself, she then added, "I enjoyed every minute of my time on stage... And now that I've retired from major performances, I'm more than happy to pass on what I know to the next generation of belly dancers."

Putting two and two together, Sunset asked the woman, "If...that's so, then...you must be-"

"Yes. I am Chiffon Veil." the woman then told her guest , offering a handshake. "And you must be Sunset Shimmer. Luna has told me much about you. I'm pleased to finally meet you in person."

"Um, same here I guess." the teenager responded, accepting the handshake. Noticing Veil's bare feet and her own feet wrapped in her boots, she then asked, "Um...should I remove my boots while I'm in here?"

"If you want to." Veil replied. "It's only required of my students during class, so you don't have to take them off." Despite that the choice was optional, Sunset decided to be respectful and took off her boots, leaving her socks on. Afterwards, the woman then asked her, "Now then, I'll show you to my office. As I'm sure you're aware, we have much to talk about."

"I'm aware, alright." Sunset replied as she followed the woman towards a side room.

Once both Sunset and Chiffon sat down, the dance teacher then asked her, "Now...I'm sure that Luna has already told you much about what is going on, correct?"

"Uh, some things." the teenager responded. "She told me that there's a student in your class that's been causing some friction with the others. Other than that, all that I know about the situation was what I could see from the videos that Vice Principal Luna showed me last Thursday." She then asked the woman, "Can you tell me anything else about this student and why she's acting the way she is?"

"I can." Chiffon told her. Clearing her throat a little, she then said to Sunset, "Rania Kamilah came to my studio a little over a month ago, requesting to be part of my belly dancing class. Of course, I am always happy to receive another student, so I met with Rania personally to discuss the details of my class, such as when we would meet, as well as what was expected of her." Sighing slightly, she then added, "But as I was speaking with her, I couldn't help but get the feeling that Rania thought that the class would be easy for her, that she could master the intricate art of belly dancing in a short time..."

"And based on what I saw from the video tapes, it's safe to assume that she found it harder than she imagined?" asked the red-and-yellow girl.

Chiffon nodded and continued talking. "Rania quickly found out that the class was not an easy one; though I try to make my instructions as simple as possible, Rania struggled just to keep up with everyone. I knew she was becoming frustrated and more tense with every misstep she made, but whenever I or any of my students offered to help her, she flatly refused. There was little any of us could do."

Humming, Sunset then spoke up, saying, "I think I know what she must have been thinking; she feels like she's the only person she can rely on, and she sees the other students as competition, rather than as companions." Sunset knew this all too well, as she had those ill feelings herself before Twilight helped her see the error of her ways.

"That's what I thought as well... Though I wished it were not the case." Chiffon said in a sadder tone of voice. "I do my best to make sure that my students know that they are not in conflict with each other, but rather that they are a team working towards a single goal together."

"And now, all of a sudden," the jacket-wearing girl told the woman, "Rania suddenly does a complete 180 and is now dancing like an expert."

Nodding, Chiffon then said, "I cannot imagine just how she could have possibly managed to become so skilled in such a short amount of time... And despite having gotten better in her dancing, Rania still seemed angry and frustrated. That was when Luna suggested that I should speak with you about the matter. I will admit, I wasn't sure why she asked for you specifically...but in the time that I've known her, Luna has always been very wise and seems to know what she is talking about." She then asked Sunset, "So, what do you think might have come over Rania to cause her act in such a way?"

"Well, after having watched the footage of your last two classes, and after hearing what both you and Luna have told me so far," the jacket-clad teenager answered her, "I think I might know what the problem is: Rania has found - and has become corrupted by - a Number Card."

"A what card?"

To help answer the woman's question, Sunset got out her Duel Monsters Deck to provide a visual example. After getting her cards out, the red-and-yellow girl then asked her, "You know about the Duel Monsters card game, right?"

"Umm...not much, but I have heard of it." Chiffon answered, not sure what this had to do with Rania's condition.

"Have any of your students mentioned anything about playing the game?"

"Hmmmm...let me see..." the dance teacher pondered, trying to recall who in her class had shown an interest in Duel Monsters. "Oh!" she gasped, remembering something. "Yes, I think I remember: I know for sure that Luna plays that game, since she told me how she used to be a Pro Duelist... And I think Ms. Cadance also has an interest in it as well. Though she may only be a collector; I never heard her mention anything about playing the game..."

"And what about Rania? Does she play it?"

"Hmmmm...now that you mention it, I think I did overhear her say that she does..." Veil answered. "But I must ask: What does it have to do with her behavior?"

"Possibly everything." Sunset replied. She then pulled out one of her Number Cards (Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis) to show the dance instructor. "This is one of the Number Cards that I mentioned earlier. When someone picks one up, it changes itself to match that person's deepest and desperate desires. But they only have that reaction to Duelists as far as I know."

"Oh my... Is that true?"

"It is, though I had a hard time believing it myself at first." the teen told her. "But it gets worse: More often than not, when a Duelist obtains a Number, it causes their personalities and behavior to change...and not for the better. To put it simply, the Numbers grant someone their greatest wishes, but at a great cost."

"Oh dear..." was all that Chiffon could say upon hearing that.

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but I can assure you it's all true..." Sunset then said to her. "I've seen first-hoof...er, first-hand what those cards can do to people, and that's why I'm sure that's what happened to this Rania person! I understand if you don't believe me, but I'm telling the truth..."

Chiffon Veil said nothing at first, thinking about everything that Sunset had said so far. She then smiled and said to her, "I believe you, Ms. Sunset."

"Yeah, I know... It is pretty unbe-" But Sunset stopped her sentence short when she realized what Chiffon had just said. "Wait...did you say you believed me?" she then asked.

Nodding yes, the dance teacher then explained, "While your story may seem unbelievable to most people, I could tell that this was a matter that was upsetting you. The tone of your voice, the look in your eyes... I can tell that you are telling the truth. Luna had the same look on her face when we talked about the situation last Wednesday."

Sunset blushed a little, surprised and happy to know that the woman believed her about the Number cards. "Th...thank you, Ms. Veil." she replied. "That means a lot to hear that."

Chiffon smiled and nodded once more. Putting on a more serious face, she then asked, "So, assuming that this 'Number' is the reason for Rania's change in behavior, what must be done to reverse it?"

"If she does have a Number Card," Sunset answered, "then I have to challenge her to a Duel and beat her. Only then am I permitted to take her Number Card. Once it's no longer in her possession, she'll return to the way she was, and hopefully she'll be able to listen to reason."

"I see..." Chiffon responded. "It sounds simple enough... But from the tone of your voice, executing the plan is more difficult than it sounds, am I correct?"

Sunset nodded and then told her, "And on top of that, we have no idea if there even IS a Number involved. I have to find out if she has one or not before I jump to conclusions."

"Sounds fair. But how will you be able to tell?" asked the older woman.

"That's easy: From what I've seen so far, if a person is controlled by a Number Card, then that Number's symbol will appear somewhere on their body." the red-and-yellow girl answered. "If I spot it, that's all the evidence I need." Sighing, she then added, "But in order to do that, I'll have to get close to her, and that's where it gets tricky again..."

"How so?"

"If my hunch is right, I think I know where Rania might have gotten her Number Card from..." Sunset explained to her. "It's a bit hard to explain, but to sum it up, Rania might know that I'll be coming after her and might be prepared for me. I need to try and take her by surprise..."

"I think I understand..." Chiffon Veil spoke to her. "You want to find out if Rania has the card on her, but without her knowing that it's you." Smiling, she then said to her guest, "I think I know what you can do."

"What is it?"

"...Ms. Shimmer," Veil began to ask, "do you have any plans this coming Monday?"

"Other than school, nothing." Sunset answered her. "Why?"

"Then I would like you to come to my class on that day, at 6 p.m." the woman told her. "I'm sure you can understand why."

It took the girl a second, but she figured out what Chiffon was talking about. "Oh...I get it! If I'm in your class, then I can observe Rania and hopefully find out if she has a Number Card or not! That's brilliant!" But a second later, the jacket-wearing teen then asked, "But wait: How will I be able to make sure she doesn't notice me?"

"Well fortunately, you're in luck: Next Saturday, my class will be performing a recital at the local coffeehouse." Chiffon then explained. "On the classes leading up to the recital, I have my students practice...in full costume."

"F-full costume?" asked Sunset. "You mean...?"

"Yes." said the dance instructor with a nod. "I want you to come to my class that day with a bedlah of your own."

"A...what?"

"It is the name of the traditional costume worn by a belly dancer during a performance." Chiffon explained. "It looks something like this..." The older woman then handed Sunset a picture of herself taken during her time as a professional dancer. The teen looked at the costume that she was wearing, seeing that it was similar to the costumes worn by the people in the video Luna had shown to her two days ago.

"Oh...I...I see..." Sunset spoke, blushing a little. "So...you want me to come to your class...wearing this...?" It was easy to tell that the red-and-yellow girl felt nervous about the thought of herself wearing such a costume. "To be honest," she then began to say, "and no offense or anything...but I don't know if I'm comfortable showing off...well...so much..."

But Chiffon Veil simply chuckled and told her, "It is alright, Ms. Shimmer. Almost all of the students in my class have had similar reactions to wearing a bedlah for the first time. Even Ms. Luna."

"R-really?" asked Sunset. "Luna was nervous about wearing one, too?"

"Indeed." the dance teacher replied. "At first, she never could imagine herself in one. But from the moment she saw herself in costume, she can't imagine performing on stage without it. One could say that it's become much like a second skin to her."

"That's amazing..."

Chiffon continued, telling her guest, "And while it is true that a bedlah does show a good amount of the wearer's...well, own self, it does so while still retaining the wearer's sense of modesty and beauty. Not only that, but it also serves to help give the wearer a feeling of freedom and allows them to act more like themselves. When my students perform in class or on stage, they act and feel much different than how they are at any other time. Take it from me: The art of belly dancing is to help one bring their true self up to the surface and allow them to express themselves without having to worry about other's opinions or anything that might deter them from doing so. That is what my class is about."

After hearing such an inspiring speech from the older woman, Sunset could tell that the art of belly dancing and everything that came with it - including the class she taught, meant everything to her. And that was likely why she was so concerned about the well-being of Rania. Taking a short breath, the teenager then told her, "Well, after hearing all of that from you, I guess I could handle something as simple as wearing this costume. Besides, if I want to help you with Rania, I don't have much choice anyway." She then asked, "But where do I even get one of these things? I mean it's not like I can just go to the nearest box store and ask if they have any belly dancing costumes lying around."

"Not to worry, Ms. Shimmer." Chiffon told her. "It just so happens that I have contacts with an expert costume designer; they have been making bedlahs for my class for almost as long as I've held it here in this studio."

"That's pretty convenient." Sunset commented.

"Not only that," the woman continued, "but you can also remain completely anonymous. The way it works is that, when I have a new student joining the class, I have them tell me what they would like for the design of their bedlah. Afterwards, I give the information to my designer, and by the next class it is all ready for them to perform in."

"Wow! They can really do it that fast?" asked Sunset.

"My designer is very quick and efficient... And even so, they always manage to make sure every last fine detail is exactly as my student wishes." Chiffon told her guest.

"Sounds like they're pretty reliable." the red-and-yellow teen said. "So who is this designer?"

Taking a small piece of paper from her desk drawer, Chiffon presented the small item to Sunset and said, "This is their business card. You may keep it if you wish."

The jacket-clad girl took the business card and looked at it for about a second or two. Then all of a sudden, she gasped and said, "No way! I don't believe it!"

"Hm? Is something the matter?" asked Chiffon.

"No, nothing's wrong..." Sunset told her, "it's just that...I know this place, and the person who runs it...!"

About a half hour later...

"...And that's pretty much the whole story." said Sunset as she just finished telling the person in the room with her everything about what had happened involving Chiffon Veil's class, as well as Rania Kamilah. "I made a promise to Ms. Veil that I would help Rania in any way I could, and I plan to keep that promise. So...do you think you might be able to help me out?"

"Hmmmm...I must say, dear...that is quite the situation you are in." spoke the other person in the room - who happened to be none other than Rarity. As it turned out, it was her store - the Carousel Boutique, that was on the business card that Chiffon had given to Sunset. "You need to find out if this Rania individual has picked up a Number Card, and you need to do so without her knowing that it's you..." She then asked her friend, "If I may ask, why do you need to be so secretive about it? I'm almost positive that she doesn't know who you are."

"If she got that card from where or whom I think she did," Sunset told her, "that may not be the case."

That comment made Rarity realize what she was talking about. "You...you think she may have gotten that card from one the people that are after you?" she then asked.

"Considering what they've pulled so far, I wouldn't rule out anything involving them." the red-and-yellow girl answered. "If she DID get that Number Card from them - assuming that she DOES have a Number, then there's a good chance that they may have told her to keep an eye out for me, and they may have told her what I looked like or shown her a picture they may have gotten of me. Geez...I hope that I'm not sounding too paranoid..."

"It's perfectly alright, Sunset darling. I can understand why you would be concerned." the violet-haired teen assured her. "No sense to take any unnecessary chances."

"And that's why I came here." Sunset continued. "When I saw that your store was on that business card Ms. Veil gave me, I knew you'd be able to help me." Chuckling a little, she added, "Though I have to say, I never thought that you were the designer that she was talking about."

"And why wouldn't you?" asked Rarity. "The bedlahs that I design for Chiffon Veil are of the highest quality and authenticity. Not to toot one's own horn, but I can tell you that no other designer here in this town could pull off such a feat as I do on those costumes." She then told her, "I know what you're thinking, that it is strange for me to craft costumes that, in layman's terms, doesn't leave much to the imagination. But after having crafted such pieces before, I truly think that the costume is more than just what can be seen on the surface, but also what it symbolizes: A sense of beauty, freedom, and self expression. That's why I am not at all ashamed of myself for creating these costumes."

"Yeah, Ms. Veil said something like that to me when we were talking about it earlier." said Sunset. "I'm just...well...not sure if I would look alright wearing one, even though I know it's for a good reason."

"But of COURSE you would look alright, darling!" the fashion designer told her. "There is no doubt in my mind that you would look simply extravagant in a bedlah! It would be a perfect fit for you, adding an air of mystique to your personality. Trust me, you just need to give it a try and you shall see what I mean, I promise you!"

Sunset thought about what her friend had said to her, and ultimately decided that it was a least worth a try. "Well...since you put it that way, I guess there's no harm in it." she told Rarity. "Besides, either way I don't have much of a choice here." Sunset then asked her, "So...how does this usually work? After all, I'm sure most of your clients requesting belly dancing costumes don't usually show up in person."

"Indeed they don't." Rarity answered her. "As Ms. Veil told you, she has her students specify what they want me to make for them, and she then informs me of the details afterwards. Very rarely does one of her students come in person for their costume, though it has happened every now and again." Clasping her hands in anticipation, she then added, "But since you ARE here in person, it will make things much easier and faster. Now, let's get your measurements first..."

"Measurements?" asked Sunset. "But I thought you already got mine, when you made those costumes for the Spirit Day Festival...?"

"Yes, but it would be best if I took them again, just in case your body size had changed since the last time." the fashion designer explained. "I'm not saying that as if you gained any weight, Sunset - heavens no... I just want to make certain that your costume will fit you once I'm through."

"Oh...I get it." the red-and-yellow girl replied, understanding her friend's logic. "In that case, do whatever you think is necessary."

"Very well, then let's get started." said Rarity. Getting out her tape measure, she got every last detail concerning Sunset's body size, measuring her overall height, the length of her arms and legs, and the width of her waist and chest areas, just as she had done with her before - along with the rest of their group, when she made their Duel Monsters-themed costumes a few months ago.

After jotting down the last bit of information on Sunset's measurements, Rarity then said to her friend, "That should just about take care of things... And you'll happy to know that your waist size fell by about a quarter inch since the last time."

"Oh! Um, glad to hear that..." Sunset responded, pleased to know that.

"Now that we have updated your measurements," the fashionista continued, "we can now get to work on your bedlah. Now...is there anything specific you want me to do with it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, considering that this will be a costume made just for you to wear, you are free to let me know of anything you want to have done with it." Rarity informed her. "Whatever you like, I will be happy to do it for you."

"Hmmmm...let me think about this..." Sunset pondered, rubbing her chin a little. She didn't really think about what she would want her costume to look like. It took about a half a minute of thought, but then she got an idea. "Hold on...! I think I might know something that I'd like to have done..." At that moment, she then pulled out her dueling Deck and began looking through the cards in it.

"Why do you have your Deck out?" inquired Rarity.

Sunset didn't answer the question right away, as she was busy looking for a specific card in her Deck for whatever reason. Once she found what she was looking for, she showed it to her friend and asked, "Do you...do you think you could make something that looks like the costume on this card?"

Looking at the card that was shown to her, Rarity hummed a bit before saying, "I've never seen one like this before... Did you just get this card recently?"

"Yeah, sometime after the tournament." Sunset answered. "Industrial Illusions gave me three of this and several other cards from the new set they're coming out with next week. It was their way of saying 'thanks' for me helping out as Judge." Handing the card over to her, she then asked, "So...you think you might be able to do it?"

"Hmmmm..." Rarity hummed as she studied the card carefully. After a few seconds, she then told her friend, "I think I can make it happen. I just need to make a scanned image of the artwork first..." The purple-haired teen then walked over to a nearby computer and placed the card in her scanner. Afterward, she then enlarged the image and made a printed copy of it to use as a reference. Once that was taken care of, she returned the card to Sunset and said to her, "Okay, I'll get to work on it immediately. I should have it done by tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow??" asked Sunset, a little surprised. "You really think it won't take that long at all? Then again, I probably shouldn't be THAT surprised to hear that from you."

"I can assure you, I shan't waste any time making your costume become a reality, Sunset dear." Rarity told her. "You just let me worry about all of the details; just go home and get some rest. I will call you when it's ready."

"Thanks a lot, Rarity. I mean it." said the red-and-yellow teen. "And are you sure you don't need me to pay anything for it? Honestly, I don't mind."

"I am most certainly sure, Sunset." the generous fashionista told her. "Considering the circumstances as to why you need the costume, you have plenty to concern yourself with as it is. Besides, it's for a good cause. Now I'll see you tomorrow, Sunset."

"Yeah, okay then... See you tomorrow, Rarity." Sunset replied. "And thanks again!" And with that, she left the boutique to leave Rarity to her work.

Two days later, after Sunset had finished up her session at school for the day, she found herself steering her Duel Runner back down the road leading to Chiffon's dance studio in White Tail Gardens. The jacket-wearing teen had a different look this time around: Under her jacket, she wore a much more simple attire, consisting of a black sports bra and exercise pants of the same color, along with her usual pair of boots on her feet and the Emperor's Key necklace around her neck. Her hair was in a different style this time, with some of it covering her right eye (though it wasn't so much that she couldn't see where she was going), and a small jeweled hair clip adorned with some small, pink feathers. On her back was a backpack, but it wasn't the same one she took to school: It was a new one that she had purchased yesterday before she went to see Rarity at her boutique.

Upon reaching the shopping center where the studio was, Sunset parked her bike, took a deep breath, and said to herself, "Well, Sunnie...this is it." Taking another sigh, she then added, "It's weird; for once, battling a Number Card ISN'T the main thing I'm nervous about..." Knowing that she had a job to do, the red-and-yellow girl got up off of her Duel Runner, adjusted the straps of her backpack and made her way to where Chiffon's studio was.

Sunset made her way through the door into the studio lobby. There, she greeted the elderly receptionist, who told her that Ms. Veil was expecting her. She then told Sunset where the changing room was, and the young girl thanked her before heading down the hall. As she got closer, she saw several other women heading in and out of the room. Sunset watched the women coming out, all decked out in their beautiful and elaborate costumes. Sunset then removed her backpack and opened it slightly; inside was a costume similar to theirs, which Rarity had made for her during the weekend (as well as of course, her D-Pad and Deck). The inter-dimensional teen was still a bit wary of wearing it in front of strangers, but knew it had to be done. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the room to get herself prepared.

About two and a half minutes later, Sunset Shimmer had just finished changing into her new bedlah and had now stepped in front of the nearby mirror to see herself wearing it. The costume consisted of a dark-blue, sleeveless top connected to a choker necklace that was gold with similarly dark-blue gems. She also wore a pair of arm-length gloves, topped off with a pair of gold bracelets on each of her wrists. The costume's top was short of course, so as to expose the midsection. The lower part of the costume was a skirt with flaps on the front and back, all of it a similar color to the top, with an additional purple stripe on the bottom of both flaps and both lined with gold coin-like decorations on the bottom. The shorter front flap went down as low as her knees, while the back flap reached down to her ankles, and were connected to a gold moon-shaped fastener on her left hip. Her footwear consisted of a pair of gold-colored slippers, each fastened with a blue strap over each foot, along with a pair of fancy-looking anklets above them. She still wore her necklace, but it was now hidden under her top.

Taking a few moments more to pose in front of the mirror, Sunset said to herself, "I gotta admit, Rarity and Ms. Veil were right about this costume... It is kinda pretty; It sort of makes me feel like I'm some kind of mystical goddess or something..."

"I see that someone has taken to their bedlah quite nicely." said a woman's voice that Sunset recognized right away. When she turned to look at who it was that had spoken to her, she saw Luna right behind her. And just like her, she was also wearing a costume similar to her own. Her costume was mostly black, consisting of a bra-like top, belt, and a skirt lined with silver accents. She also had a large, black cloth flowing behind her - almost like a cape of sorts, connected to a pair of silver bracelets worn just below the shoulders.

Beside her was another woman about her age, though possibly a bit younger. Her skin was a bright, light pink color that was complimented well with her regal-looking purple eyes, and long beautiful hair that had long stripes of purple, hot pink, and cream colors flowing down it. Like Luna and Sunset, she also wore a bedlah; hers looked very similar to Luna's, except that it was mostly sky-blue, with gold accents, as well as lacking the cape-like veil that Luna's costume had.

Seeing Luna, Sunset immediately blushed a little out of slight embarrassment before standing up and saying, "V-V-Vice Principal Luna! G-good to see you!"

Chuckling a little, the dark-blue woman told her, "There is no need to be formal, Sunset: Outside of the school, we are equals, especially here. You may simply call me Luna."

"Oh...um, right. Sorry, Vi-...er, I mean, sorry Luna." the normally-confident girl stuttered.

The woman that was with Luna giggled a little and said to her, "Now, now...you have nothing to be nervous about. Everybody will be dancing in full costume during this lesson, so it's not like you need to be embarrassed about your appearance." Sunset saw the logic in her words and nodded to say that she understood.

"Allow me to properly introduce you both." Luna spoke up. "Sunset, this is Cadance, Dean of Crystal Prep Academy. Cadance, this is Sunset Shimmer, a student at my school."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Shimmer." said Cadance, offering a handshake. "Luna has told me a lot about you."

"Oh, uh...that's nice to hear." the red-and-yellow teen responded, accepting the handshake somewhat nervously. "It's uh...nice to meet you, I guess?"

Chuckling some more, Cadance then told her, "I understand if my demeanor seems unusual to you, considering that I work at CPA. But rest assured, I have no ill will towards you; not everyone at Crystal Prep has that 'I'm-better-than-everyone-else' attitude." Sighing a little, she then added, "Though it sure seems that way, what with how Principal Cinch runs things..."

"Oh! Well, that's good to know then." Sunset replied, feeling more at ease knowing that. She then asked, "So...you think my, uh...costume is alright? I was a little worried about it being a bit too...well..."

"Revealing?" asked Luna.

"...Extravagant, more like it." the red-and-yellow girl responded. "I wasn't worried about showing too much, since everyone else was going to be dressed similarly."

"I think Rarity did quite a good job on it." the dark-blue woman told her. "I should know: She made my bedlah as well...not knowing that it was for me, of course." Sunset giggled a bit at the comment.

"In any case, you'll feel at least a little more comfortable once you get in there." Cadance assured her. "Trust me, once you get over your cold feet, you'll feel much better and be able to shimmy with a smile!" She then performed a hip shimmy of her own to emphasize her point (and because she felt like it).

"Uh...sure! If you say so." Sunset replied. "Either way, I'll have to go out there if I'm going to be able to help Rania."

"Yes...Luna told me that you were going to try and find out why she's behaving so differently." said the pink woman. "She didn't give too much detail, but she assured me that, if anyone could help Rania, it would be you. Whatever the case, I really do hope you can figure out how to resolve this."

"Once we enter the studio, we shall point her out to you." Luna informed her student. "After that, it will be up to you figure out what's wrong and help her as best you can."

"I'll do my best, Luna." Sunset replied. "I promise." Satisfied, the three of them headed out of the changing room and towards the studio where the class would take place. Luna and Cadance led the way so that Sunset would not get lost, even though she had been here two days earlier.

As they walked forward, Luna then told Sunset, "By the way, did you come up with an alias to go by?"

"Alias?" asked the teen.

"You were concerned that Rania would recognize you, so I figured you would have come up with a fake name to go by while you're here." the dark-blue woman told her.

"Uh-oh... I didn't think about that..." Sunset admitted, sweating a little. Thinking for a bit, she said to the others, "I-I'll come up with something before too long, I promise." As she said that, they walked through the door where the rest of the students were waiting.

Upon entering the studio where the belly dancing class would take place, Sunset looked around saw several more women inside - about ten or so in total, all of them appearing to be of adult age and wearing similar costumes to hers, Luna's, and Cadance's. Despite that they did indeed show a bit of skin, Sunset did admire the elegance and uniqueness of everyone's outfit. Feeling a little better about being seen in her own costume, Sunset took a deep breath and started walking forward with Luna and Cadance, the three of them slipping off their footwear as they entered.

Almost immediately, several of the students in the class took notice of her. "Oh my, who is that?" asked one of the women.

"I'm not sure..." said another. "I've never seen her here before; she could be a newcomer..."

"She seems quite young... Is she still in school?" asked one more.

"Well, her bedlah looks incredible!" complimented another student. "It has a sort of 'Incan' feel to it. Very unusual, but quite magnificent!"

Sunset heard all of the comments around her. She appreciated the compliments about her costume, but was more relieved to hear that none of them knew who she was. (So far, so good...) she thought. (No one's recognized me yet... I just have to keep it that way for a little while longer.) She then glanced over off to the side and saw a cobalt-blue woman standing off to the side and away from the others, wearing a mostly-red bedlah with gold trimmings. It took her about a second or two, but she recognized the person from Luna's video tape. She then quietly asked her Vice Principal, "...Luna? Is that-"

"Mhmm... That's Rania over there..." Luna whispered in response.

"Indeed..." Cadance softly added. "Staying away from the rest of the group, as she always does..."

Rania then glanced over at the three of them with a serious-looking frown on her face. She then focused her attention on Sunset specifically, eyeing her. The young girl felt a little nervous, praying to the powers above that her cover wouldn't be blown so soon. However, Rania simply huffed and looked away, seemingly uninterested in her for the moment.

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, figuring that her disguise was working as intended. However, she would make a mental note to keep an eye on Rania should things go south. (Okay...I'm safe for the moment.) she thought. (I just have to keep up this act long enough to figure out if Rania is indeed holding a Number Card...)

"Good evening ladies!” shouted a voice from the far end of the room. Recognizing the voice, Sunset turned herself in the direction it came from, as did all of the others in the room. It was, of course, the dance class teacher, Chiffon Veil. She was wearing the same outfit that she did when Sunset met with her last weekend, which exuded a great amount of beauty and confidence to those in the room.

"Good evening, Ms. Veil!" said most of the women in the room, showing respect for their instructor.

Ms. Veil glanced over to where Luna, Cadance, Sunset were standing. Seeing the young teen there with them, she thought to herself (Good...she was able to come by. And I must say, she chose a rather unique design for her bedlah... In any case, that means it's time to carry out our plan to help Rania... I just hope that everything will be alright after it's all said and done.) Taking a slight glance over towards the defiant, blue-skinned student, Veil then spoke to her class, telling them, "Now my students, as you are most certainly aware, this Saturday will be our long-awaited recital over at the Old Town Theater. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how much we all look forward to it. Therefore, I expect you to use everything you have learned up to this point so that, when this weekend comes, we can give another stellar performance that will please our audience. But most importantly, I hope that the experience will continue to keep your spirits and passion for dancing high and help you to work even harder for the next recital."

Sunset glanced around at all of the other students. She could see a bright, hopeful smile on each and every one of them; a smile that told her that they were eager to learn and practice the art of belly dancing purely for the fun of it... But the only one that didn't share that same smile was Rania, who had her arms crossed in front of her chest in a sort of defiant manner. And the look on her face seemed to be a bored and uninterested one, as if she didn't seem to care much about what the teacher was saying.

"But," Ms. Veil then said, "before we begin our class, we have one important matter to take care of: As I'm sure you've noticed, we have a newcomer to our class today." Looking over to Sunset, she asked her, "Could you come up here and help the rest of us get to know you better?"

"Huh? Oh! Sure, o-of course!" the red-and-yellow girl said, doing as she was asked. She walked up towards the dance instructor and turned to face the rest of the class. "Um...hi! I'm, uh...I'm really glad to be here with all of you! I hope we can get along with each other...!" Most of the class clapped their hands in response (except for Rania, who still didn't seem interested in Sunset, much less with getting along with anyone).

"I truly hope so too. After all, we are all a team working towards a goal to help each other learn and improve." said Chiffon. She then asked, "Now...what is your name?"

Sunset's irises shrunk a little; she still hadn't come up with a fake name to disguise herself with. "Uh, yes! Of course!" she said, stalling a bit until she could think of something. "Knowing what my name is would...DEFINITELY help us get along better, wouldn't it? Aheheh..."

"She...sure seems shy, doesn't she?" asked one of the other women.

"It's her first time here; it's only natural." one of the other students responded. "I still remember my first day here; I stumbled over my words so much when I was introducing myself..." She gave a light chuckle after recalling that moment.

"That's nothing." said another student. "When I tried to introduce myself, I actually forgot my own name for a brief moment, I was so nervous!" Se chuckled a little thinking about that time.

Rania glanced over towards Sunset, humming a little to herself. Still, she suspected nothing.

(Okay...fake name...fake name... What's a good one I can come up with...?) thought Sunset, panicking and sweating a little. Wiping some of the sweat away, she said to herself, (Yeesh...it feels like I'm in the Saddle Arabian Desert right now, under a hot, blazing sun...) Just then, an idea came to her after making that thought. "Oh!!" she said. "M-my name is...um, 'Desert Blaze'...?"

"Hm?" hummed Ms. Veil after hearing the name Sunset came up with.

"...Sorry." the otherworldly girl whispered to the teacher. "It's the best I could think of."

After a few seconds of silence, Chiffon smiled and said, "That's a very lovely name you have. Powerful and mysterious...I like it. I think you'll feel very much at home here in this class." Sunset breathed a slight sigh of relief, happy that her new alias was acceptable. "Go ahead and rejoin the rest of the class, and we can get started." Chiffon suggested.

Sunset did so, walking back to the rest of the students, who kindly welcomed her into their group (Rania, however, remained anti-social about the whole thing). As she returned to where Luna and Cadance were, the CHS Vice Principal quietly asked her, "So...'Desert Blaze', huh?"

"What's wrong with that...?" asked Sunset in the same low volume. "Is it too cliché?"

"Eh, maybe a little." Cadance admitted. "But I think it's okay. We've had less subtle names for some of the students here."

"Well, as long as it keeps me under that Rania woman's radar, it'll do just fine." Sunset replied. Looking over at the person in question, she added, "So far, she doesn't seem too interested in me, so it's safe to assume she doesn't suspect a thing." She then asked the others, "If she does find out who I am for any reason, what do we do to make sure that she can't contact those Skyes Academy people?"

"The door we used to enter the studio is the only way in or out of the room for us students... The other door that leads to the locker room is, naturally, locked, and only Ms. Veil has the key for it." Luna explained. "Once Rania realizes who you are, Cadance and I will block the way so that she can't leave."

"We've got your back, Suns-er, 'Desert Blaze'." replied Cadance, making sure to only use Sunset's fake identity, just in case Rania might hear it. "You just worry about what you need to do." Sunset nodded to say she agreed with the plan.

"Alright, everyone." Ms. Veil then spoke to her class, "Now that introductions are out of the way, let's begin practicing for the recital, doing just what we have done so far." The rest of the class then gave her their full attention. "Ms. Blaze," the teacher then said to Sunset, "do not worry if you have a hard time keeping up with us on your first day here. We'll try to go at a decent pace, but for the most part, just do your best."

"Y-yes, Ms. Veil." Sunset responded with a respectful head bow. She then thought, (Geez..."Ms. Blaze"...? I didn't realize that having that as part of my fake name would make it sound like that member of the Dazzlings... No offense to her, of course.) She then sighed, knowing it was too late to pick a different name now.

The class session started off very simple: It began with a few stretching exercises to help loosen their body muscles and allow for much freer and more fluid movements for the dance practice that was sure to follow. After that followed some basic hip movements; side-to-side hip sliding, followed by lifting and dropping. Naturally, the other students in the class were performing these movements very well. Sunset wasn't anywhere as skilled at it yet, but did surprisingly well, especially since Luna and Cadance were there with her to help her keep up the pace.

Occasionally, Sunset would glance over to Rania, but in a way that she wouldn't see her looking. Rania was also performing the basic movements just as well as the rest of the class, but not with the same smile as everyone. It was as if she was focusing too much on doing it perfectly and not as much on having fun with it. In fact, it seemed as though having fun wasn't on Rania's agenda. On that note, Rania shot a small glance over at Sunset, noticing that she was looking over at her. Sunset quickly looked away at that moment, focusing on her own movements. "...Hmmm..." hummed Rania as she watched Sunset carefully.

Several minutes passed by, and Sunset was starting to get the hang of Ms. Veil's lessons, as she was finally able to keep up with even Luna's and Cadance's movements, moving her legs and hips in time with Ms. Veil's instructions, even as they got a bit more complex. Being immersed in the experience fully, Sunset felt as though her movements were becoming more natural, and she even started to enjoy herself a little. In contrast, Rania - while still performing her moves well, still had that annoyed look on her face...a bit more so when she saw the new girl in class seemingly having little to no trouble with moves that used to trip her up.

After the first half hour of class had passed by, Ms. Veil said to her students, "Alright, class... You all have done quite well so far, so I think a well-deserved break is in order. After that, we'll continue practicing our undulations and hip circling, as well as reviewing our footwork. I am truly confident that you'll all do just fine!"

"Thank you, Ms. Veil." said all of the students, giving a small head bow as a show of respect.

After that, the class broke up into smaller groups to rest and talk with each other, about the class so far or just their day in general. Of course, Rania stood off to the side, not wanting anything to do with her classmates as usual. Sunset decided to stay with both Luna and Cadance, as well as with Ms. Veil, so that they could continue to discuss their plan involving Rania.

"You seemed to do very well in our class, Sunset...er, I mean 'Desert Blaze'." Luna complimented.

"Yeah, especially since you said you had never tried belly dancing in your life up until now!" Cadance then added.

"Um...well, really... It was nothing." Sunset responded, remaining humble about the whole thing. "Honestly, I was just copying what you two were doing, that's all." It was at that moment that Rania glanced over towards them, listening in on their conversation. Though she still had no idea who "Desert Blaze" really was, she seemed to be very focused on her...

"And there's nothing wrong with that." Chiffon then told her. "What you were doing was simply learning through observation; you watched your classmates and saw how they performed their moves, allowing you to pick up on them and try it yourself. I have to say, I'm quite amazed that you were able to keep up like that after just a glance. Perhaps you ought to consider attending my class full-time; I'm sure you can only get better."

"Um, well...I-I'll think about it, I guess." Sunset answered, not sure about the idea but not dismissing it completely either.

"...Hmf." huffed Rania, deciding to leave the spot she was standing in, her sneering eyes looking towards Sunset, her teacher, and the others.

Changing the subject (and switching to a more serious tone), Ms. Veil then asked Sunset, "So...about Ms. Rania... Have you figured out anything concerning her yet?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid..." Sunset admitted, shaking her head. "I haven't gotten a close enough look at her to see if she has any signs of owning a Number."

"How do these 'signs' - as you call them, normally appear?" asked Luna.

"Well...based on past experience," Sunset explained to them, "more often than not, the Number's symbol will appear somewhere on their body whenever they display a great amount of emotion; often times, that's usually anger or some kind of malicious feeling. I'm not sure if it's a hard rule, but that's what I've seen so far."

"So, if Rania gets angry or something like that, you might be able to see this symbol on them?" asked Cadance, still not fully understanding the whole thing, but trying her best to. She then recalled that - some time ago, one of the students at Crystal Prep - namely Lightning Dust started showing off that kind of emotion towards others... Until the day that she was let out of the hospital, after what was described as an 'accident' at the Cheese Sandwich Fun Center's go-kart tracks.

"That could be an issue..." said Luna. "While Rania is certainly rude to all of us in the class, she's never actually gotten angry at anyone."

"...You. Desert Blaze, was it?" said a female voice from nearby the group that sounded a bit irritated.

The four of them turned around to see none other than the subject of their conversation, Rania Kamilah, standing right there. The look on her face seemed just as irritated as her tone of voice was, and she had her eyes centered straight towards Sunset Shimmer. "Rania...?" asked Cadance. "What are you doing here? You never socialized with the any of us before."

"Well, I suppose now I have a reason to this time." Rania responded, walking straight towards Sunset and staring at her intimidatingly. "...So, what is it with you?" she then asked.

"Um...what are you talking about...?" replied Sunset, not understanding. "Could you...explain it a little better...?"

"Don't even try and pretend as if you don't know." Rania told her sternly. "How could you have possibly been able to follow along with the rest of the class so easily, despite this being your first time belly dancing? There's no way you could have known what to do so quickly!"

"You're asking that as if that's impossible." Luna commented. "And besides that, I seem to recall that it didn't take very long for you to improve yourself, either. Care to explain yourself about that?"

"Stay out of this, Luna." Rania said back. "This is between me and the newbie." Sunset hummed a bit in response to the condescending remark.

"Ms. Rania, haven't we discussed this already?" Chiffon told her calmly. "There is no need to speak that way to your fellow students. And there is no need to show any sort of disrespect like that."

At that moment, Sunset stood up from the floor and put a hand out towards Ms. Veil, telling her, "...It's okay; I can handle myself, Ms. Veil... But I appreciate the support. Right now, however, I'll deal with Rania myself."

Chiffon was a bit hesitant at first, but put her faith in Sunset, nodding her head to say she understood.

Facing the rude woman, Sunset then asked her, "She is right, however. Just because you're good at this, it doesn't give you the right to look down on everyone because of it. And besides, why is it such a problem for you if I do well in this class or not?"

Rania hummed a little, becoming a bit frustrated with what Sunset was saying to her.

"As far as I can see, we're not in competition with each other." she then told Rania. "I'm just here to have fun, and I have no intention of doing any better than anyone else here. From what I can tell, based on what you've been doing and what you've been saying, you're the only one here that seems to think that, and it's causing you to miss the whole point of the class."

"Me missing the point?!" asked Rania, getting a bit angry. "You think this class is just a game to you? YOU'RE the one missing the point! I came here to become the best; better than anyone! You don't know what you're talking about!" The commotion now attracted the attention of everyone else, and they watched the scene unfold for themselves.

(Hmmm... Now I get it...) Sunset thought. (I can see what makes this woman tick, not to mention what's ticking her off...) She then said to her, "If you joined this dance class just to out-do everyone and brag about it, then all you're doing is proving me right: We're just here to enjoy ourselves and try something new and unique, while you treat this whole thing as if it's life-or-death. Trust me: it's not healthy for you to think that way about anything, especially something like this class where everyone else is just trying to have some fun."

"Grrrrr...I've heard enough about what you think of me, newbie!" shouted Rania, now nearly whipped into a fury. "You know NOTHING about what I'm trying to do, and I won't allow some random person like you to just come in and get all the glory! I've come too far now to let you hog everything for yourself!!"

...And it was at that moment, that Sunset caught sight of what she was looking for: During that outburst, Sunset spotted something on Rania's exposed midsection. It was a glowing, pink 45. That told Sunset everything she needed to know. (Just as I thought...!) she said to herself. (She IS a Number Holder! That is what's causing her to act so aggressively!)

"Cut it out, Rania!" Candace told her. "This is not the place to be fighting over something like this!"

"Actually, it just might be." Sunset spoke, remaining calm even after being yelled at by Rania. "After all, I've seen all I need to see." She then gave a slight nod to Luna and Cadance - both of whom nodded back to her before quietly slipping away from where they were. Sunset then walked up closer to her rude classmate and asked her, "So...you won't let me out-perform you here, huh? I guess that 'special gift' you got from Skyes Academy must mean a whole lot to you, huh?"

That comment startled Rania, as it was the last thing she expected to hear. "Wh-what? Skyes Academy??" she asked, confused. "How do you know about that place?"

Chuckling a bit (and looking off to her side, where the dance room's entrance was), Sunset then answered her, "How do I know...?" She then adjusted her hair, returning it back to the way it normally looked before saying, "Because I think I might look a bit familiar to you, even though this is the first time we've met...am I right?"

"What...are you talking about...? Just who are you??"

Rania was about to get the answer to that question as the young girl told her, "Because I'm the one they probably told you about; the one to keep an eye out for, possibly in exchange for letting you have that Number card of yours."

It was at that moment, when the words "Number card" were said, that Rania pieced it all together. "You...it's you...! You're Sunset Shimmer, aren't you?!" she then exclaimed in surprise.

"Honestly, I'm a little surprised that you couldn't tell who I was right away." Sunset then said to her. "Guess those dopes at Skyes couldn't provide you with a picture; otherwise, you might have recognized me by my hair colors." Now putting on a serious tone, she then told Rania, "In any case, you probably know what I'm here for."

Growing a little under her breath, Rania then told her, "I do, but you will NOT get it! I was told to keep an eye out for you and not allow you to take my Number Card! But now that you're here, I can complete my end of the bargain to those people and tell them that I've found you!" She then started to head towards the door leading back to the hallway, only to immediately stop in her tracks.

That was because Luna and Cadance were standing there, blocking the only unlocked door leading out of the room. "You won't be contacting anyone, Rania." Luna told her in a stern voice. "Especially anyone that could bring harm to one of my students!"

"Stay out of this, Luna...!" grumbled Rania, annoyed that she couldn't leave the room with the door blocked. "This doesn't involve you!"

"Perhaps that's true; this matter IS between you and me." Sunset said to her. "But it's a matter that will be handled on my terms, not yours." Folding her arms in front of her, she then said, "I came here and disguised myself to see if you had a Number... And lo and behold, you do have one!"

"And I suppose you think you can take it from me?" Rania asked. "That is something I will not allow! That Number card is mine, you hear me?!"

"I understand why you accepted that card, and why you think you need it, but that card's power is too dangerous for you to handle." Sunset told her, trying to talk some sense into the angry woman. "Just give me the card quietly, and I promise things will be better for you. It's not worth all of this stress you're causing everyone AND yourself..."

"I already told you, Sunset! I'm not letting you take that card away from me!" Rania shouted back. "I'll fight you for it if I have to!!"

"...I suppose that's the only way, then." Sunset calmly replied. "We'll duel each other right here, and whoever wins gets the Number cards of the loser. How about that? Do you accept the terms?"

Looking frustratingly back at Luna and Cadance, who were still blocking the door leading out of the room, Rania huffed and said, "Well, it doesn't seems like you're leaving me much any other choice... So I guess I'll have to agree to that. And when I win, I'll take your Number Cards and get an even greater reward from those people! And I'll become the best! At dancing, at dueling, and everything else!!" That comment made the Number symbol on her midsection reappear for a brief moment.

Sunset, noticing this, thought to herself, (Rania's anger...it's causing the Number to take a greater hold on her. It's controlling her actions, her emotions... Just like with the Dazzlings during the WCQ Qualifier Tournament, her anger is only making the darkness in that card stronger... So for her own good, I HAVE to get it away from her!) Looking straight towards Rania, she then said to her, "So it's settled, we'll let this one Duel decide everything! And I promise that I'll save you from yourself in the process!"

"We'll just see about that!" Rania snapped back, determined not to allow Sunset to take away the card she felt she needed to be at her best. Though Chiffon and most of the students had no idea what was about to happen, everyone knew that things were about to get even more intense...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 62: Bedlah Bedlam, Part 2:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

To say that Sunset has found herself in a rather odd situation would be an understatement. Last Thursday, she was called to meet Vice Principal Luna, where she found out that Luna was enrolled at a belly dancing class, being taught by a former professional named Chiffon Veil. However, an unruly student named Rania Kamilah, who previously struggled with the class, suddenly became extremely skilled almost overnight, though it didn't change much of her sour attitude towards her classmates or even her teacher. Suspecting that Rania's sudden change was the result of a Number card, Sunset agreed to look into the matter.

But, suspecting that the group based in Skyes Academy are behind it all, Sunset needed a way to spy on Rania without her knowing who she was. After speaking with Chiffon about it, the belly dance teacher suggested that Sunset should disguise herself as a new student in the class and hide in plain sight. This would require her to be in the full, traditional dancing costume - known as a bedlah - in order to pull it off. Thankfully, Rarity was more than happy to design one for her friend, and with her costume, as well as the fake name of "Desert Blaze", Sunset was ready to spy on Rania and find out what was going on.

As suspected, Rania did indeed have a Number card, shown when Rania went into a fit of anger and frustration. Thanks to help from Luna, along with Crystal Prep Dean and fellow student Cadance, Rania was left unable to contact the Skyes Academy group about Sunset. Now Sunset has challenged her to a Duel with their Number cards on the line...

The Sun could already be seen setting by those congregating at the White Tail Gardens shopping center in Canterlot City. But the approaching night gave way to what would be another major battle in Sunset's dueling career. Some time ago, she learned from her Vice Principal, Luna, that a woman named Rania Lapis Kamilah was causing some trouble with others at a belly dancing class (which Luna was part of). Determining that one of Number cards was at the root of this problem, Sunset met with Luna's dance teacher, Chiffon Veil, and the two of them came up with a plan to save Rania from the card's corruption: Sunset would disguise herself as a new student (thanks in no small part to the bedlah that Rarity had designed for her) in order to get close enough to Rania and figure out if she really had a Number card.

As Sunset and the others feared, Rania did in fact, possess a Number card. And while it did grant her amazing, professional-level dancing skill, it also caused her to become even more sour and combative with those in her class. Despite getting what she always dreamed of, Rania still seemed unhappy for some reason. And as Sunset strapped on her Duel Pad and Duel Gazer, she talked with both Ms. Veil, as well as Cadance, the Dean of Crystal Prep Academy and another member of the class.

"Well, as I thought," Sunset began to say, "Rania does have a Number that's causing her to act so aggressively to others... Of course, finding that out was the EASY part; NOW I actually have to defeat her in a Duel so I can take it away from her."

"I can only imagine how hard that'll be..." spoke Cadance. "From what I've heard, Rania is a pretty skilled Duelist, and with her attitude problem at the moment, there's no telling how heated this will get."

Turning to Chiffon Veil, Sunset said to her, "I'm...I'm really sorry about this, Ms. Veil. I knew things would escalate a bit once I confronted Rania, but-"

"It's alright, Ms. Shimmer." the dance instructor told her. "You're only doing this to help her, and I cannot be angry about that. I know for a fact that Rania truly doesn't mean what she's saying or doing right now; even before this, while she was a bit unwilling to make friends with the others in my class, she never acted harshly towards them like she did just now." Humming a bit - as if she knew what it was that was truly bothering Rania and what was really causing her to act this way, she told Sunset, "I know you can save her. Please...please help her see the error of her ways."

Sunset nodded, seemingly knowing what the true root of the problem was as well. "I'll do my best, Ms. Veil." she responded.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Rania had a slightly annoyed look on her face as she, too, prepared her D-Pad and Gazer to duel Sunset. Behind her stood Luna, who had previously kept an eye on her as they (including Sunset) went into the Changing Room to get their respective dueling gear. Luna made sure that Rania wouldn't try to sneak a call on her cell phone to inform those who had likely given her the Number card and tell them about Sunset and her whereabouts.

After putting her D-Pad on, Rania glanced over at Luna and said, "I knew you were against me... You're all against me... I suddenly become more skilled at this class than any of you and you snitch on me because of it...!" She then huffed and walked away towards the space set aside for hers and Sunset's Duel.

Luna remained silent, not saying a word to Rania, but thinking, (You're wrong, Rania... None of us here are against you. In fact, this was all set up to help you understand that no one here is your enemy. You don't know it yet, but I assure you that all of us, especially Sunset, will help you learn what Ms. Veil has been teaching us from the beginning: That all of us are a team supporting one another to achieve our dreams.) She glanced over at Sunset and mentally told her, (Sunset, help Rania learn what it truly means to be skilled at something you believe in...)

As the two bedlah-clad Duelists stood in front of each other, Sunset spoke to Rania, telling her, "Look, Rania... I'm only gonna give you one more chance: Just hand over the Number card now and stop all this nonsense... That card isn't helping you become a better dancer, and it's definitely not helping you be a better person, either. You don't need that card weighing you down! Just put an end to this right now..."

"Oh, I'll put an end to this, alright..." Rania scowled at her opponent, "and by that, I mean I'll put an end to you! I won't allow you take my card!! That card is the only thing I have that can help me be the best at dancing! I'm not letting you ruin that all for me!! And I'll eliminate you for good if I have to!!"

(Just as I thought; that Number has clouded her judgement...) Sunset thought to herself. (It's making her think she has to depend on it to be a good dancer... At this point, she too far gone to try and reason with her. The only way to snap her out of it is to defeat her in this Duel; losing here is not an option for me! I have to win and show her that she doesn't need that card to be good at anything!)

Everyone else stood off to the side to watch the Duel between Sunset and Rania, though only Luna and Cadance were in possession of Duel Gazers, so they were the only ones that could actually watch the Duel at the moment. Glancing over to Ms. Veil, Luna extended her hand out to her, which was holding a third Gazer. "Take this." Luna said to her instructor. "You'll need to wear this in order to watch the Duel properly." Chiffon nodded as took the device and fitted it over her left eye. As she did, Luna then told her, "You need not worry too much; Sunset is my school's strongest Duelist. If anyone can save Rania from that Number card, she most certainly will."

"I know..." Chiffon responded. "If anything, I'm more worried about Rania... What will happen to her after this is all over?"

"From what I have observed," Luna began to say to her, "After a Duelist loses their Number, they often become mentally exhausted for a while; some might even lose any memory of having the Number card at all. But in any case, after it is all said and done, we'll be able to speak to Rania and get her back to her senses...hopefully."

Ms. Veil nodded, hoping that Rania would be okay afterwards as well. After all, she cared deeply about each and every student in her class, treating them almost like family. And she wanted to help bring out the best in all of them. She turned her attention back to the two Duelists, mentally urging Sunset to do what she could to save Rania from herself.

"Alright, Rania..." Sunset said, "if you won't listen to my words, then I'll have my Deck speak for me!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000)

"You're not better than me at anything," Rania told her in a menacing tone, "and this Duel will make that painfully obvious! Prepare to lose in shame!!" (Rania Kamilah: LP 4,000).

Then, all of a sudden, the area around them all (or rather to those wearing Duel Gazers) transformed into a different location: The mirrored dance room was instead replaced with the extravagant interiors of a massive Ancient Egyptian-style palace, with both Sunset and Rania standing on what appeared to be some sort of a stage in the center. From the fancy decor around them, it seemed as though the room that they were in was set up for some sort of celebration. "Well, this is new..." noted Sunset, a bit taken aback by the change in scenery.

"My word...!" gasped Ms. Veil upon seeing the power of the Duel Gazer's AR technology. "What is this that I'm seeing?"

"I know what this is:" Luna said to her teacher. "This change in our surroundings was the result of a new update from Kaiba Corp for our Duel Gazers: With this update, Duelists are able to change the scene around them during their Duel to various, pre-loaded backgrounds."

"Astounding..." thought the dance teacher, legitimately impressed by how real everything looked.

As Sunset looked around the AR-created palace, Rania then spoke to her, saying, "According to the historical data that exists, the origins of belly dancing can be traced to as far back as Ancient Egypt. There, it was used for all sorts of purposes, mainly as entertainment during celebrations and festivals. But Egyptian dancing was also seen during funerary rituals as an act to appease the gods and to guide the deceased to the afterlife. So I felt this setting would be most appropriate, given that we are dressed for the part; look, we even have a band." Sunset and the others looked over at where Rania was pointing, seeing AR images of several men playing music on Ancient Egyptian-style instruments at a low volume (low enough so that people could still talk with each other, that is).

"That's incredible!" noted Cadance. "Is there no limit to what they're capable of creating? Because to me, it doesn't seem like there is one! The scenery, the band's instruments, the music that they're playing... It sounds so authentic! It's as if we've traveled back in time! Those people at Kaiba Corp have certainly done their homework!"

(And so has Rania...) thought Ms. Veil. (I must admit; she does seem to have a lot of knowledge about belly dancing already, including its origins and purposes... But having knowledge alone isn't enough to become skilled; Rania is still missing the one thing that truly matters... I can only hope that Ms. Shimmer will be able to show her what that is...)

Smirking a little wickedly, Rania then said to her opponent, "Soon, this temple shall be the setting of your OWN funerary ritual, once I defeat you and show you up for the amateur you are!"

"Don't get too cocky, Rania." Sunset told her. "Only our Decks know who will and will not win this Duel. And on that note, it's time we got started!" She and Rania then drew their opening hands and looked over what cards they got to start with. Smiling a little herself, Sunset then said, "And I think now's as good a time as any to show off some of the newest cards in my Deck!"

"Newest cards...?" asked Rania.

Taking a card from her hand, Sunset declared, "I'll discard my Chronomaly Nebra Disk and Special Summon a monster from my hand! I play Supay, Duskwalker from my hand in Defense Position!" The monster that appeared in front of Sunset was of a light-skinned woman with long, pink hair and a light purple tattoo under her right eye, holding a long staff that had a horned mask on the top of it. Most notably, the woman was dressed in almost the EXACT same outfit as Sunset herself, with the addition of a purple cape that flowed behind her back and over the right side of her chest, held up by a glowing, blue, mask-like emblem (Supay, Duskwalker: Level 5 / ATK 2200 / DEF 1900).

"Wh-what's that card?? She looks almost like Sunset! At least as far as her outfit goes." Cadance pointed out. "Moreover, I've never even seen that card before!"

"Neither have I." said Luna. "All I can say is that now I know where Sunset got the idea for her bedlah from."

Looking at the card on her D-Pad, Sunset thought, (I received this card directly from Mr. Dunstan after it was printed, for doing an excellent job as the Judge for the WCQ Qualification tournament. Not only that, he even went and made a few more cards just for me, saying that he had them designed to help deal with the Numbers. And I promise to use them well, starting from this Duel!) The red-and-yellow girl then said to her opponent, "Now for Duskwalker's effect: After she's summoned by her effect, she automatically lets me play a second monster from my Deck! I summon the Tuner Monster Supay, in Defense Position!" And with that, her mask-shaped monster then appeared on the field, ready to assist (Supay: Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 100).

"A Tuner Monster?!" exclaimed Rania.

"That's right! And you know what that means!" Sunset then said. "I tune Supay, Level 1...to Supay, Duskwalker, Level 5!" After sending the two monsters on her field to the Graveyard, the mask-shaped monster transformed into a small light that flew into the air, returning as a green ring that surrounded the other monster. "Dragon deity of the Moon, calm the chaos! Give rest to the weary with your soothing night breeze! Synchro Summon!" Duskwalker then transformed into five smaller lights that were then engulfed by a pillar of light from above (Level 1 + Level 5 = Level 6). "Show yourself! Level 6! Moon Dragon Quilla!" Sunset shouted, finishing the chant as her four-headed, blue and purple Dragon entered the field (Moon Dragon Quilla: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"I see..." said Rania. "So that first monster exists to set up for a Synchro Summon all by itself? Even so, that still doesn't impress me."

"Then perhaps I should make a few more moves before I pass things off to you." Sunset stated as she took another card out of her hand. "I Normal Summon a second copy of Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Position!" she then said, bringing her trusted disk-shaped monster to the field next (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500). "And with its effect," she went on to say, "I add Chronomaly Crystal Skull from my Deck to my hand, then discard it and get Chronomaly Crystal Bones after that!" After doing as she said she would, Sunset then took one more card from her hand and placed it into her D-Pad, saying, "I end by setting a card face-down."

"So far, so good..." Luna noted. "Sunset managed to summon two strong monsters on her turn, and has a card in her back row. She left very few openings for Rania to potentially exploit."

"Speaking of Rania, it's now her turn..." Cadance then stated. "What kind of Deck is she going to use?"

"I wish I could say; Like most other things, Rania's kept her Deck a secret and told no one." Luna answered her. Ms. Veil said nothing, but watched on, holding onto the hope that Rania might be saved.

"Rrgh...the fact that I have to Duel you just to keep my Number card just irritates me!" Rania grumbled towards her foe. She then said to herself, (And once I've beaten you down, I'll expect a "thank-you" from that emo guy that gave me my card... I do wonder though; how did he know so much about me...? And why's he so concerned about this girl anyway? Whatever, as long as I get what I want in the end, I couldn't care less.)

"So? Are you going to make your move or not?" asked Sunset, as Rania hadn't done anything in the last two minutes since Sunset ended her turn.

"You wouldn't be so eager to see my move if you knew just what I have planned for you..." Rania threatened her. Drawing her first card of the Duel, she then took out a different one from her hand and played it, shouting, "I summon Defender of Nephthys in Attack Position!" Rania's first card was of a tan-skinned woman with silver-white hair and striking blue eyes, wearing a suit of golden armor. A white and orange cape flowed behind her, and she was brandishing a long sword shaped like a flame (Defender of Nephthys: Level 2 / ATK 1400 / DEF 200).

"That card?" asked Sunset. "But she's not strong enough to defeat either of my monsters. So what are you planning to do with her?"

"Just watch: I activate the effect of Defender of Nephthys..." Rania began to explain. "She destroys one of the cards in my hand, then I am permitted to Special Summon any other Nephthys monster from my hand that's Level 4 or lower. So I'll dispose of my Hand of Nephthys first..." After placing her chosen card in the Graveyard, the card then appeared on her field for a brief moment; its another tan woman, with short black hair this time, wearing a golden top with shoulder pads and orange cloth frills over top of it, complimented with an orange skirt with a golden cloth flap on the front of it. On her head was an Egyptian-styled piece of headgear with the head of a bird on the front of it. But again, she was only there for a moment before she was engulfed in flames and vanished into nothing.

"She...destroyed her own card?" asked Ms. Veil, a little shocked.

"Exactly." said Luna. "Rania appears to be using a Nephthys Deck. Their entire strategy focuses on destroying their own cards in order to secure a greater, lasting advantage, and a lot of that revolves around their boss monster, which could potentially allow Rania to bring it back over and over again...assuming she has access to it."

"Based on her confident facial expression," Cadance then chimed in, "I'd say that's a good possibility." The three of them continued to watch on, wondering what Rania was going to try next...

"...Now that my Hand of Nephthys has been disposed of," Rania continued, "I'll move on to the next part of Defender's effect, and Special Summon Disciple of Nephthys from my hand in Defense Position!" Her next card was a little girl with tanned skin wearing a mostly red dress, a cape and hat that seemed slightly too big for her (not that it seemed to bother her), and gold boot-like footwear that exposed the feet. On her chest was a gold medal with a small white feather attached on the bottom of it (Disciple of Nephthys: Level 2 / ATK 0 / DEF 2000).

"And what does she do?" asked Sunset.

"My Disciple allows me to take any other Nephthys card out of my Deck, after destroying one of the cards in my hand." Rania answered, sending a card from her hand to her Graveyard. The young girl on her field then raised her arms as high as they could go, triggering Rania's D-Pad to auto-shuffle her Deck and leave a card sticking out. Pulling that card out, she then said, "I chose to add Matriarch of Nephthys to my hand. Lastly, I'll place one card face-down on the field to end my turn."

(...Rania just destroyed another card in her hand to use the effect of one of her monsters.) Sunset thought to herself. (I hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling that she was doing more than just using the effects of the monsters on her field. I'll bet at least one of the cards she destroyed last turn has some sort of effect in the Graveyard. I just have to hope I can deal with it if and when it comes up...) Drawing a card from her Deck and placing it into her hand for now, she then thought, (For now, I should deal with the cards she has out right now. I can't let her use their effects again.) Pointing forward, the red-and-yellow teen shouted, "Moon Dragon Quilla, destroy her Disciple!" The four-headed Dragon then attacked, eliminating Rania's defensive monster. "And next, I'll have Nebra Disk attack Defender of Nephthys! Ancient Blade Spin!" Her disk-shaped monster then flew in to attack...

"Not so fast! I activate my Trap Card! Awakening of Nephthys!!" shouted Rania as her face-down card revealed itself. "This card grants an extra 300 attack points to all of my Nephthys monsters!" (Defender of Nephthys: ATK 1400 + 300 = 1700)

"That's not enough to stop my Nebra Disk, Rania!" said Sunset as her monster still managed to defeat Rania's despite the power boost it gained. "There! Take that!"

"Hmph...satisfied by a mere 100 points of damage...?" asked Rania, seemingly not caring about losing that battle (Rania Kamilah: LP 4,000 - 100 = 3,900). "You still have a long way to go before you can defeat me, and by then it will be too late!"

"Pretty confident words coming from someone without any monsters left on their field." Sunset reminded her.

"Hmmhmmhmm...I can assure you, that will not be the case for very long." Rania said to her foe. "You shall see for yourself. I draw a card..." After picking up her card for the turn, she then said, "Now you shall witness the true power of Nephtyhs right in front of you! During my Standby Phase, I call upon her great power!" She then extended her arms wide as she could, as a massive pillar of fire shot up from the ground in front of her.

"Urrgh!!" grunted Sunset, bracing herself for whatever might be coming.

"Wh-what is going on?" asked Ms. Veil, growing even more concerned. Luna hummed a bit, knowing exactly what it was, but said nothing at first; she did know that her student was going to have a real fight on her hands now.

"Arise, daughter of Geb and Nut, goddess of birth and death!" chanted Rania in a loud, triumphant voice. "Rise up from the ashes of death and be reborn as a mighty phoenix! Destroy your enemies with the very fires of the Earth itself! Come forth, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!!" Then, after the chant was complete, a massive burst shot out from within the flame pillar, revealing a golden, partially anthropomorphic bird creature. Most of it was bird-like in appearance, having a bird-like head and beak, a pair of massive wings, and sharp talons, but the area from the neck down to the waist resembled that of a female human, even having a pair of arms separate from its wings. Its entire body was glowing in a powerful light as flames swirled around it.

*******************************

Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys:
(Effect Monster/Winged Beast/FIRE/Level 8/ATK 2400/DEF 1600)

Once per turn, during your next Standby Phase after this card was destroyed by card effect and sent to the GY: Special Summon this card from the GY. If you do: Destroy all Spells and Traps on the field.

*******************************

"So, this was your plan all along, huh?" Sunset asked her opponent. "That card you destroyed with your Disciple was this one, wasn't it?"

"I'm impressed that you managed to figure that out." Rania said in a sort of condescending way. "Too bad you realized that too late; My Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys is one of the most powerful cards in my Deck; nothing can stop her fury!" (Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys: ATK 2400 + 300 = 2700)

"We'll see about that, Rania..."

"I suppose we will..." Rania responded. "But for now, there is much more to discuss before I move on to the rest of my turn: After she is revived from my Graveyard through her effect, my Sacred Phoenix destroys all Spells and Traps on the field!" Her monster then breathed a massive flame that incinerated Sunset's face-down card, as well as the face-up Trap Card that Rania had on her field (Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys: 2700 - 300 = 2400).

(She destroyed my Descending Lost Star...) thought Sunset as her card was sent to the Graveyard. (I was hoping to use it after Quilla got destroyed to follow up with an Xyz Summon later... So much for that.)

"That's strange..." thought Cadance. "That effect also got rid of Rania's Trap Card, so her Phoenix loses 300 attack points. So now Sunset can attack it next turn."

"I'm almost certain Rania is aware of that fact." Luna informed her friend. "Remember, the Nephthys cards often get effects when they're destroyed by other cards' effects, and that could also apply to their Spell and Trap Cards."

"In other words, Rania likely calculated that into her plan..." thought Ms. Veil. "I must admit, she is quite knowledgeable about a lot of things... And yet," She then glanced over at Rania's face, seeing only a look of dissatisfaction and anger before saying, "there is no joy...no comfort on her face; only sorrow and unhappiness..." Deep down, she felt sorry for Rania, as she felt there was something missing in Rania that she needed desperately; she could only hope that Sunset would help her find that missing thing soon...

"Now, I activate the other effect of Awakening of Nephthys in my Graveyard!" Rania then shouted. "Since it was destroyed while it was face-up on my field, I am allowed to Special Summon any Nephthys monster from my Deck or my Graveyard! And I choose to bring out a SECOND Sacred Phoenix from my Deck to join my first!!" And before anyone could gasp in shock, another pillar of fire emerged, resulting in a second creature just like the first to appear on Rania's field.

"Now there's TWO of them?!" exclaimed Cadance in surprise.

"Indeed, but the second Phoenix she summoned destroys itself at the end of the turn." Luna then told her. "Of course, that just means it will return on Rania's next turn due to its effect. The only thing Sunset has on her side is that her Moon Dragon is more powerful than either of those monsters...though I'm certain Rania won't leave herself that vulnerable to an attack next turn..." They watched on, along with Ms. Veil, hoping that Sunset would be able to overcome Rania's strongest cards.

"Now for my Battle Phase!" Rania then shouted. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys! Attack and destroy her Nebra Disk! Phoenix Wing Wind Blast!!" Her monster obeyed the order, flapping her wings and sending Sunset's weaker monster off of the field. It crashed into a stone pillar behind her and shattered, and the pieces of Nebra Disk then rained down on Sunset, causing some damage (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 600 = 3,400). "Luckily for you, that's the end of my Battle Phase this turn, since my other Phoenix cannot defeat your Moon Dragon...for now, that is."

"For now...? What do you mean by that?" asked Sunset.

"You'll see soon enough." Rania answered her. "But for now, I move onto Main Phase 2 and summon Chronicler of Nephthys in Attack Position." Her next monster was another tanned woman wearing a headdress that had a long, flowing cape-like cloth behind it, a gold, shoulder-less top, a long, white dress skirt, and a pair of gold slip-on footwear. In her hands was a scroll, which she was reading off of after appearing on the field (Chronicler of Nephthys: Level 2 / ATK 300 / DEF 1200). "And now I activate her effect:" Rania then stated. "I destroy a card in my hand, and then reclaim any Nephthys card that is in my Graveyard. I choose to destroy Matriarch of Nephthys and retrieve my Awakening of Nephthys, which was destroyed earlier during my turn!" After taking the card out of her Graveyard, she then set it onto her field to finish up her turn. "Now that my turn is over, the second Sacred Phoenix I summoned destroys herself. But I still have one more that can battle you; and you won't destroy it easily!"

(Rrrrgh...that Rania; she's not even TRYING to hide her next move.) Sunset thought. (That card she just put face-down is that Awakening Trap again. Which means if I try to attack her Phoenix, she'll just activate the Trap Card and destroy my Moon Dragon. But even if I destroy her Trap Card first, that just lets her use the other effect and get another monster onto the field, which will no doubt be a THIRD copy of that Phoenix!) She then drew a card from her Deck and wasn't happy with what she got. (And my Golden Jet card's not gonna be of much help, either... Luckily, I still have something I can try this turn; I just have to hope that it'll be enough...)

Taking a card from her hand, Sunset declared, "First thing I'll do is activate Pot of Desires, and draw two cards from my Deck after banishing the top ten face-down!" She then went ahead and deposited a quarter of her Deck into her banished pile.

"Hmph...so your hand is that bad that you needed to play that card?" Rania taunted. "You're getting desperate, I see."

"That's where you're wrong, Rania." Sunset informed her opponent. "The truth is, I actually drew this card in my opening hand, but I knew that I had to save it for a time like this."

"Is that so...?" asked Rania, unimpressed.

"It is." Sunset then drew her two cards and smiled, pleased with what she managed to pull. She then told Rania, "And now you're going to wish you hadn't made your last move so obvious!" Playing one of the new cards she drew, she shouted, "Activate Cosmic Cyclone!"

"What?!?" exclaimed Rania, caught completely off-guard.

"By paying a thousand of my Life Points," Sunset started to say (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,400 - 1,000 = 2,400), "this Spell Card can banish any of your Spell or Trap Cards! And I think my target will be the card you set last turn. Your Awakening of Nephthys, I presume?"

Sure enough, Rania's Trap Card flipped face-up, revealing itself as the very card Sunset said it was, before it was sucked up into a massive vortex up above the two of them. "You rotten little...!" grumbled the young woman, annoyed that Sunset thwarted her strategy.

"An excellent move on Sunset's part." Luna commented. "Not only did she prevent Rania from powering up either of her two monsters with that Trap Card, but since it got banished, she won't even get its other effect to work either. Sunset made a wise decision to wait to use her Pot of Desires until a time she needed it most."

"I see..." said Ms. Veil. Though she had little to no knowledge concerning Duel Monsters, the belly dancing teacher could see how skilled Sunset was at the game from but a mere glance. More so, she could feel a strong drive within the red-and-yellow girl to always do her best; a drive Chiffon herself experienced during her early days on stage, and now more recently as a teacher...

"I'm not done quite yet, Rania:" Sunset then said to her opponent. "Now that your Trap can't get in my way, I can work on eliminating your remaining monsters! So I'll play my Field Spell, Chronomaly City Babylon!" After playing it, the field around them changed slightly, transforming into a stone arena high up in the sky. "And with it, I'll banish one of the Nebra Disks in my Graveyard and bring back the other one that's in there!" Instantly, her disk-shaped monster was back on the field, ready to battle. "Now, Moon Dragon Quilla! Attack her Sacred Phoenix with Shadow Streams!" Her Synchro Monster then fired a blast for each of its four heads, destroying Rania's bigger monster and causing some damage (Rania Kamilah: LP 3,900 - 100 = 3,800). "Now, Nebra Disk! Attack her other monster!" Sunset shouted, sending her next monster into battle, successfully destroying Chronicler of Nephthys.

"Urrgh...!" grunted Rania as she lost more Life Points (Rania Kamilah: LP 3,800 - 1,500 = 2,300). As she got more annoyed towards Sunset, the 45 mark on her stomach area began to glow more intensely. "Don't act so tough because you luckily drew into that Cosmic Cyclone card!" she then complained. "You could have just as easily banished it with Pot of Desires, you know! You just got lucky!"

"Lucky? Maybe so." Sunset responded calmly. "But as they say, 'Luck favors the prepared'. During the past year, I practiced long and hard to try and perfect my dueling skills, and during that time, I learned a lot of tips and tricks that I utilize to this day, building and updating my Deck to be able handle almost everything. Sure, it was a long and hard road, and I may not be absolutely perfect at everything yet, but I came out of it stronger than I was when I started out playing Duel Monsters. And I'm eager to keep on learning more and become even better than I am now! I guess that's just my love for the game that's speaking for me right now, but I believe every word of it!"

"Mmmm...that was very well said on Sunset's part." Cadance noted, agreeing with every word.

"I would say so as well." Luna chimed in. "Ever since she started playing Duel Monsters, Sunset gained a strong drive to do her best not only in the card game, but in everything else she has set her mind to. And it's had a tremendously positive effect on her; she's practically unrecognizable from the girl that first came to my school and acted as if she owned the place..."

"...There is no mistaking it:" Ms. Veil began to say, "whichever one has the stronger drive to do their very best will determine the outcome of this battle." Luna, Cadance, and the rest of the class agreed with their teacher, nodding before returning their attention to the Duel in progress.

Of course, Rania could care less what Sunset had just said, only caring about proving her power and superiority at the moment. "Are you quite finished prattling on about yourself? If so, then end your turn already!" she spat out. Sunset hummed, a bit disappointed that Rania didn't seem to listen to a word she said, even though she knew that she probably wouldn't. Still, Sunset simply nodded to say that her turn was over. "Finally..." growled Rania as she drew her next card. "On my Standby Phase," she then began to say, "I activate the effects of both my Matriarch and my Sacred Phoenix; both of whom sleep in my Graveyard. This allows me to return them to my side of the field!"

Instantly, she played her Matriarch of Nephthys in Defense Position, summoning yet another tan-skinned woman wearing a much more elaborate costume that was similar in nature to her previous monsters (Matriarch of Nephthys: Level 2 / ATK 600 / DEF 600). Then, she brought out one of the two Sacred Phoenixes; the one that was destroyed during her previous turn by the effect of her Trap Card, and it appeared once more in a brilliant flash of flames. "And with my Sacred Phoenix's summoning," Rania then continued, "her effect destroys your Field Spell Card!" Sunset hummed a bit as her Field Card lost its effect, returning everyone back to the Egyptian-styled palace they started in.

"Neither of Rania's monsters are strong enough to defeat Sunset's strongest monster..." said Cadance. "So what could she be planning next?"

(...I think I know.) Luna thought to herself. Looking over at Sunset's look of concern, she then pondered, (And I'm sure Sunset knows as well...) The air around them seemed to get a bit heavier, as if something big was about to happen...

"To begin my turn...I activate Pot of Extravagance!" Rania announced. "I banish six random cards from my Extra Deck face-down and draw two more cards!"

As Rania followed the instructions of her Spell Card, Sunset wondered, (What's she going to do now...?) However, a familiar feeling in the back of her mind reminded her that she probably already knew the answer to her own question.

After drawing her two new cards, a voice in Rania's head began to speak to her: "...Now...call forth the Number..." it said.

"Rrrgh..." groaned Rania, seemingly having a slight migraine after hearing that strange voice. But she returned her focus on Sunset and said, "I summon another Disciple of Nephthys in Attack Position!" She played her card, summoning another of the smaller tan girl to her field. "You want to see my card so badly, Sunset...?" Rania began to ask in a low, menacing voice. "Well, prepare to get your wish!! I overlay my Matriarch and my Disciple, both Level 2! I create the Overlay Network!!"

Sunset and the others watched as both of Rania's lower-Level monsters transformed into a pair of green balls of energy that flew into a galaxy-like portal in the center of the field. (Here it comes...) thought the inter-dimensional girl, knowing what was about to happen.

"Come now, Number 45!" Rania began to chant. "Spread the message of doom and destroy all those who deny your words! Xyz Summon!!" As she spoke those foreboding words, the portal in the center of the field exploded, revealing a pink-colored symbol resembling the number 45. "The messenger of disaster and downfall! Rank 2!" Rania then said, completing the chant. "Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition!!"

Everyone watched as a large, silver-colored bell appeared where the portal had been previously, along with a pair of orange orbs orbiting it. The bell then began to glow as it began to reform itself into the figure of a centaur: a creature that was half-man, half horse. However, the "horse" part of the monster appeared to be slightly mechanical in nature, and was complimented by a set of wing-like appendages that floated on his sides. The human-like upper half was of a bearded man with purple skin, glowing red eyes, a black cloak-like outfit (with the "45" appearing on the right side of his chest), and holding a book in his left hand.

*******************************

Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Zombie/EARTH/Rank 2/ATK 2200/DEF 0)

2+ Level 2 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 other face-up card on the field; while this monster is face-up on the field, that target's effects are negated. While that target is on the field, cards with the same name as that target, and their effects, cannot be activated.

*******************************

"Wh-what is that thing?!" said Cadance in shock.

"That...is Rania's Number card." Luna answered her. "That is the card that is corrupting her."

Gasping a little, Chiffon then asked Luna, "Do you mean...that creature is the reason Rania has been acting this way?"

"Indeed." the dark blue woman replied. "And it is the card that Sunset must defeat in order to save her." She then said to her student mentally, (Please...stay strong, Sunset. You can save Rania; I know you can.)

Looking at the imposing monster on her opponent's field, Sunset then asked, "So, this is your Number card, is it?" Facing Rania, she then told her, "Not bad, but not good enough for you, unfortunately. Your monster's attack power isn't high enough to get past my Moon Dragon."

Smirking wickedly with her now-pink eyes, Rania then said to Sunset, "That is where you are wrong, as usual. My turn hasn't ended yet, so watch as I play this! I activate the Spell Card, Pyramid of Wonders! While this card is on my field, all of my Zombie monsters gain 200 additional attack points for every monster YOU control!" Sunset gasped upon hearing that (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2200 + 400 = 2600).

"Huh? But that card doesn't really fit in with the rest of her Deck..." Cadance pointed out. "That card only really helps out that Number card; it doesn't boost her Phoenix."

"From what I have seen involving the Numbers so far," Luna then commented, "they often warp the minds of whomever holds them in order to protect themselves. I believe that card made Rania alter her Deck to support it so that no one would be able to overcome it."

"Given how protective Rania is of that card, I would agree with you, Ms. Luna." said Chiffon. "She believes that card is making her a better dancer, so it makes sense that she would do anything to prevent herself from losing it..." The dance teacher showed a look of concern for her wayward student, and hoped that by the end of this, Rania would realize that the card was only tricking her into thinking that she needed it to fulfill her greatest desires.

"Now, Crumble Logos...fulfill your title as the Prophet of Demolition!! Destroy the Moon Dragon!!" shouted Rania, slightly crazed as she did so. Her monster then summoned up a ball of shadowy energy from the book in his hand before firing it at Sunset's Synchro Monster. "Once I destroy both your monsters," Rania said to her foe, "your Life Points will be lower than mine!"

"...Are you sure about that?" asked Sunset smirking. As she did, her monster began to radiate a blue aura around itself...AND the Number monster.

"What? What's going on?!" asked Rania, confused. She then gasped when she saw Sunset's Life Points suddenly go up instead of down (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,400 + 1,300 = 3,700). "WHAT?! Why did you just GAIN Life Points?!" the woman then asked Sunset.

"Guess you didn't know about Quilla's special effect, huh?" Sunset responded. "If she's attacked, her power grants me more Life Points equal to half the attack points of the monster fighting her. So since your Number has 2,600 attack points, I gain half of that in Life Points: 1,300!"

Rania grumbled, not aware of that fact (No...! I could have used Crumble Logos's effect to negate it before I attacked with him! No!!) she thought, cursing herself for rushing her move. Grumbling, she then yelled, "Well I'm still destroying your monster!!" And as she said that, Crumble Logos's blast did indeed eliminate the powerful Dragon, causing little damage to Sunset (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,700 - 100 = 3,600) (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2600 - 200 = 2400). "And I'm not done yet!" she then shouted. "I attack with Sacred Phoenix as well!!" Her second monster then whipped up a whirlwind that shattered Nerba Disk next, causing Sunset some more damage (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,600 - 600 = 3,000) (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2400 - 200 = 2200).

"Sunset lost both of her monsters!" said Cadance, getting a little worried.

"Yes, but thanks to her Synchro Monster, her Life Points are far higher than Rania's." Luna noted. "Without it, Sunset would have gone down to 1,700 Life Points, and she would have been in a troubling situation. We just have to hope that the boost she gained will be enough to keep her alive." Ms. Veil felt the same way, watching and hoping for the best outcome.

Annoyed, but not willing to admit defeat yet, Rania took a card from her hand and said, "I'll set a card face-down to end my turn. Now go! The sooner you make your move, the sooner this Duel ends!"

Drawing a card from her Deck, Sunset smirked a bit and said, "You have no idea how right you are about that, Rania."

"H-huh?"

"I agree: This Duel should end soon, but it won't be ending the way you think it will." Sunset then told her, taking a card from her hand and playing it. "I activate my Spell Card, Lightning Storm!!"

*******************************

Lightning Storm
(Normal Spell Card)

If you control no face-up cards: Activate 1 of these effects;
* Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.
* Destroy all Spells and Traps your opponent controls.
You can only activate 1 "Lightning Storm" per turn.

*******************************

"WHAT?!? You actually have that rare card?!" shouted Rania in surprise.

"All right!! That's one way of getting rid of those monsters!" cheered Cadance.

"I'm willing to suspect that Sunset let Rania get rid of all of her cards purely so that she could use that powerful Spell Card." Luna noted. And yet, she couldn't help but wonder if Rania had something else planned...and also if Sunset wondered that as well...

"...So this is what you were planning?" asked Rania in a low voice. "allowing me to clear your field in order to use this card?"

"Could be." Sunset replied. "Your Number may be protected from most of my monsters in battle, but card effects are another story!" After that, a massive blast of lightning from above them all struck Rania's side of the field, letting loose an intense blast of raw energy. "Looks like that's the end of your Number card already, Rania." she then told her opponent.

"...Looks can be deceiving." snickered Rania.

Sunset was confused at first, but then gasped when she saw that a powerful shield was protecting both of Rania's monsters from the blast of her Spell Card. "Wh-what's going on??" she asked. "Your monsters are still there?!"

"They are indeed! Thanks to my Dark Bribe Trap Card!" Rania said to her. "Dark Bribe allows me to negate any Spell or Trap Card you activate against me, destroying it in the process! So your Lightning Storm fizzles out and vanishes forever!" Just as she said, Sunset's Spell Card wasn't able to penetrate the barrier that Dark Bribe had put up, and the mass of energy disappeared, unable to harm either of Rania's monsters.

"That may be so," Sunset told her, "but don't forget: your Counter Trap also lets me draw another card when it resolves." She then did just that, humming a little at the card she picked up.

"As if that card will help you at this point." Rania said, not caring about what felt like a minor inconvenience. "Now finish up with your turn already; I'm through wasting my time with you!"

Sunset did just that, taking a card from her hand and saying, "Since you're the only one with monsters on their side of the field, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Crystal Bones straight from my hand in Attack Position!" Her shining headless skeleton monster then appeared on the field in front of her (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400). Of course, this meant that, due to Rania's Continuous Spell Card, her Number gained more attack points (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2200 + 200 = 2400). "And that's not all:" Sunset then continued. "Since I used its effect to summon it, Crystal Bones allows me to summon an additional Chronomaly monster from my hand or my Graveyard! And I choose my Crystal Skull!" And with that, her second monster appeared alongside the first, a shining skull to match the rest of the skeleton (Chronomaly Crystal Skull: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 600).

"Go right ahead and do that, you fool!" taunted Rania. "The more monsters you summon, the stronger my Number becomes (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2400 + 200 = 2600)! Not that either of your monsters would have been strong enough to beat him anyway..."

"Then I guess it's a good thing that they're not here to fight your Number, then." Sunset told her.

"Hm?" Rania wasn't sure what she meant by that, but had a slight uneasy feeling inside of her.

Thrusting her left hand into the air, Sunset then shouted, "I overlay my Crystal Bones and Crystal Skull; both Level 3! I create the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then transformed into beams of yellow light that flew into a galaxy-like portal in the center of the field. It then exploded, revealing a symbol shaped like a 17. "I Xyz Summon the Rank 3 Xyz Monster, Number 17: Leviathan Dragon!!"

Rania, along with both Cadance and Ms. Veil, gasped when one of Sunset's newly-obtained Numbers entered the field: The massive, purple sea dragon once owned by Aria Blaze. It let out a powerful roar to assert its dominance (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: Rank 3 / ATK 2000 / DEF 0 / OLU 2).

"What?! YOU have a Number as well?!?" exclaimed Rania, not expecting to have to fight a Number card herself. Growling, she then thought, (Is this what that emo kid was warning me about when he told me to avoid fighting this girl...?)

"So Sunset has one of those strange cards too?" Cadance asked Luna.

"Yes." said the CHS Vice Principal. "And that is the reason why I had Sunset come here to deal with the situation involving Rania. She has had more than enough experience fighting these Numbers, and is one of the few I know capable of dealing with them."

"I see... Now I understand why you insisted on having her help us." said Chiffon Veil, now fully realizing why Luna suggested for Sunset to come and help them.

"I hate to break it to you, Rania," Sunset then to say to her opponent, "but now that I only have ONE monster on my field instead of two, your Number card's attack power goes down by 200!" (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2600 - 200 = 2400)

"You say that as if it makes any real difference!" argued Rania. "My Crumble Logos is still more powerful!"

"Not for long, he won't." stated Sunset as she removed a card from underneath her Number card. "I activate the effect of Leviathan Dragon! By removing one of his overlay units, I raise his attack points by 500!" The massive creature then devoured one of the two blue orbs flying around it (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), gaining strength as it did so (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: ATK 2000 + 500 = 2500).

"No! Now it's more powerful than my monster!!" gasped Rania.

"Which means it's time to get rid of that thing once and for all!" Sunset declared. "Now, Leviathan Dragon! Attack her Crumble Logos with Vice Stream!!" Her monster then unleashed a powerful beam of energy that struck Rania's Number card and dealt some damage to her in the process (Rania Kamilah: LP 2,300 - 100 = 2,200).

"Rrrrgh...no...! No, I will not allow this! I won't let you take my Number away from me!!" the woman screamed, causing the 45 on her stomach to glow even more intensely. "I use the other effect of my Pyramid of Wonders!! I send it to the Graveyard to save my monster!!" She then discarded the card from her field, allowing her Number to survive the battle (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2400 - 200 = 2200).

"Rrgh...I should've known she'd have a way to protect her monster, given how dependent she is on it." noted Sunset. "Still, I have the upper hand; if I can keep Leviathan Dragon safe until next turn, I can destroy her Number for good... Just in case, though, I'd better prepare a defense; I have a feeling she's not going to let me keep my Number on the field for very long." She then finished her turn by placing her Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem on the field in face-down Defense Position.

Drawing a card from her Deck, Rania then said to her foe in an intimidating-sounding voice, "Sunset...I assure you... You will NOT take my Number card...! That card is the only reason I'm able to dance perfectly! Without it, I'm worthless!!"

"That isn't true!" Sunset rebutted. "And deep down, you know that! You don't need that card to be good at anything! It's only making you THINK that you need its power! That way, it'll continue to corrupt you and your soul!"

"Be quiet!!" yelled Rania. "I've heard just about enough of your lies!! You only want my Number card to add to your collection! You want it as some trophy to remind everyone that you defeated me! The fact that you have a Number yourself only proves it!! Well you WON'T be getting it, do you understand?!?"

(...Just as I thought: It's no use trying to talk to her when that Number has such a strong grip on her like this.) Sunset realized. (In order to get her to listen to me and everyone else, I have to break that grip! I'll save you, Rania, even if you don't want me to!)

Placing the card she drew in her hand, Rania then said, "I should have done this long ago: I activate the effect of Crumble Logos!" She then removed one of the two cards from underneath her Number, saying, "I remove one overlay unit, and then negate the effects of your Leviathan Dragon!" Absorbing one of the orange orbs into his book, Crumble Logos then unleashed a shadowy wave of energy that suppressed Leviathan Dragon's powers (Number 17: Leviathan Dragon: ATK 2500 > 2000). "Now that your precious Number's effect is gone, so are the attack points it gained last turn!" Rania said in a mocking tone. "And if you think you can escape me by playing monsters in Defense, think again! I activate the Spell Card, Book of Taiyou! This switches your face-down monster to Attack Position and flips it face-up!"

Sunset gasped as her face-down monster was revealed and made more vulnerable to an attack (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000). "No, now she can damage my Life Points...!"

"Indeed I can!!" shouted Rania. "Crumble Logos, attack and destroy her Leviathan Dragon!! Deathly Energy Shot!!" Her monster then fired another blob of shadow energy, eliminating Sunset's Number and dealing some more damage (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,000 - 200 = 2,800). "And next, my Sacred Phoenix shall attack your other monster!" And that's what it did, firing another mighty whirlwind that blew away Aztec Mask Golem. Sunset sustained more damage, since Rania's Spell Card forced her Golem into Attack Position (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,800 - 900 = 1,900).

"Oh no... Sunset's fallen behind again." said Cadance. "If this keeps up, she'll lose the Duel!"

"Do not count my student out of this yet, Cadance." Luna told her friend. "If there's one thing that I can count on regarding her, it's that Sunset always keeps a clear mind and waits to make her biggest moves when they really count. It may SEEM like Rania has gotten ahead of her, but if one looks a bit closer, they can see that this match isn't as imbalanced as it appears..."

"What do you mean, Luna?" Cadance then asked.

"I think I know what she is saying." Chiffon Veil then spoke up, adding her thoughts to the conversation. "Rania may have a slight advantage in this battle, but she is leaving herself vulnerable to a bigger move later. Instead of taking her time and trying to adapt to whatever is going on around her, she is rushing things, using up all of her strength to try and defeat Ms. Shimmer quickly; much like how she was when she first joined our class. Even after realizing that the class was not as easy as she first believed it to be, she just kept trying to ignore that and try to do things all by herself, without even trying to adapt and harmonize with the others." Sighing a little out of concern for her wayward student, she then added, "We can only hope that Ms. Shimmer will be able to show Rania that we are all here to help her, and that she doesn't have to be alone here... Maybe then, her true talent for belly dancing will be able to flourish."

"...I assure you, teacher... Sunset will teach her that lesson; I know it." Luna told her with her usual unwavering confidence.

Rania, however, was completely convinced that she had nothing to worry about, and that she would win this Duel regardless of whatever Sunset did on her next turn. "Soon, this will all be over, Sunset." she told her. "I won't have to contact that emo kid about you, because I'll instead tell him that you're out of my way! Once I have your Numbers, I'll be an even greater dancer than I was ever before, and my deepest wish will have come true!!"

"...I'm afraid you're wrong about that, Rania." Sunset said back to her opponent. "That won't make your wish come true at all."

"Oh yes it will!" argued Rania. "Just look at me! I became an expert overnight with just ONE Number card! With all of yours, I'll surpass everyone!!"

"...Tell me: Did you have any more fun dancing after you picked up that Number?" Sunset then suddenly asked.

"I...uh..." Sunset's question caught Rania off-guard; she didn't expect to be asked such a thing. "I...I don't know what you're talking about..." she replied, not really giving much of an answer.

"...I'll take that as a 'no', then." Sunset then assumed, seemingly already knowing the answer. "It's just as I thought: You were so focused on trying to out-dance everyone in your own class, that you skipped over the most important part of doing it in the first place: Having fun."

"Wh-wh-why does that matter?" asked Rania, not understanding what her opponent was talking about.

"I think it matters a lot, actually." the red-and-yellow teen answered. "Your classmates and especially Ms. Veil know that very well. If you're such an expert on the subject, then you should know that the whole point of this class and belly dancing in the first place is to be able to enjoy it; to have fun, let go of your stress and worries, and give yourself a reason to keep on going with it! But when you try to rush through it just to make yourself feel superior to others, then you've cheated yourself out of the chance to develop a love for what it is you're trying to do."

"You know nothing, you hear me?!" Rania shouted, trying to ignore Sunset's words. "I'm trying to become the best, and that's all that matters! I don't have time to have fun!!"

"...Then you'll never be the best, if that's your attitude about it." Sunset said to her. "Listen, I'm here for the same reason that all of us are here: We only want to help you be the best you can be. Deep down inside, you know that card isn't really helping you dance better. You could be so much more if you just let that thing go, and let go of all that anger, stress, and frustration that you seem to carry with you day by day. That stress is what's holding you back, and all that card is doing is amplifying that stress on you. Believe me, that card is more dependent on you than you are to it, and once you let it go, you can finally find the passion for dancing the same way Ms. Veil, Luna, Cadance, and all of the others in your class have! And then you can truly make your wish come true!! Don't let this chance slip past you, Rania!!"

About a second or two later, a soft clapping sound was heard. Sunset turned around behind her and saw that the clapping sound...was coming from Chiffon Veil; hearing Sunset's speech to Rania caused the belly dance teacher to clap her hands in response with a tear in her eye, happy to hear the young girl say something so heartfelt. Soon, she was joined by both Luna and Cadance, followed by the rest of the dance class. It was clear that they all shared the same feelings as Sunset did, and they wanted to help Rania become a great dancer right alongside them.

"Your student is quite an excellent public speaker, isn't she?" Cadance asked Luna.

"Not at first, but she certainly has now. Believe me, this isn't the first time she's said something to this effect." Luna then told her as they both continued clapping their hands. "Her words do have a way of getting through to people."

And it did seem like it would be the case here as well. Rania just stood there, momentarily losing her angered expression and calming down a little. (Is...is she right...?) she then thought to herself. (If she is...it would explain why...I'm still not happy, even after I got better... Maybe...maybe I shouldn't be...using this card...) She then began to move her left hand, raising her palm above her Deck; she seemed ready to place her hand on her cards, which was the universal signal of forfeiting the Duel...

(No...do not listen to her...!) said the dark voice that had entered her head. (You need me... You are NOTHING without me...! Without me, you'll go right back to the pathetic, talentless joke you were before!)

"N-n-no...! Stop it...!" Rania grunted, moving her left hand up and holding her head in pain. "Wh-why are you...hurting me...?"

Noticing this, Sunset asked out of concern, "R-Rania? Are you okay? Say something!"

(I will not allow you to defy me...!!) the sinister voice told her again. (You WILL destroy her and take her Numbers!! I demand it!!)

It was at that moment that dancing student realized what was going on at last. "Y-you..." Rania then struggled to say, "Sunset was r-right...about you...! You ARE...urrgh...just using me...!"

(And if you refuse to wipe out that girl, then I really WILL use you and do the job myself...!!) said the dark voice. At that moment, Crumble Logos glared down at Rania and let out a pinkish flash from his eyes, causing the woman to stop struggling and stand stiff, her eyes and the Number symbol on her midsection both glowing brighter than ever. Then, Rania said to Sunset - in a combination of the darker voice and her own, "I...will not allow this Duel to end...! Not until I destroy you!"

"N-N-NOW what's going on?!?" asked Cadance, shocked by what happened.

"Hmmm...just when it seemed as though Rania was about to finally listen to reason," Luna began to say, "that card must have decided to control her completely. Now her body is nothing more than that Number's puppet to control!"

"Oh dear..." said Ms. Veil, now more worried than ever.

Sunset knew this as well and smirked, asking, "So, I guess you got scared when Rania started coming to her senses, so you decided to brainwash her fully, huh?"

"...You should be the scared one." said the mind-controlled Rania. "I'm going to use this woman to defeat you and claim your Numbers for my own! There is nothing you can do to stop me, so just stop delaying the inevitable!"

"...Look, I don't know who you think you are," Sunset began to tell the force controlling her opponent, "but you're NOT beating me in this Duel or any other! If anybody should give up, it's you!!"

"...Then you're even more delusional and hopeless as this woman was..." mocked the unknown force. "But if you truly wish for me to torture you, then go ahead and continue this Duel! Now, make your move!!"

Looking at her Deck, Sunset then thought to herself, (If I don't win this Duel now, then not only will Rania continue to suffer, but all of us will too! But there is absolutely no way I'm going to allow it! Whatever this evil thing is that's controlling Rania right now, I'll wipe it out and make sure it never puts anyone else through the same thing she went through ever again! I swear on every ounce of passion I have for this game, that I will save Rania right here and now!) She then drew the top card of her Deck and looked at it. (This could help,) Sunset then pondered, (but I still need one other critical card... And luckily, that's why I saved this in my hand...) Taking the card in question she played it, declaring, "I activate the Spell Card...Pot of Prosperity!"

*******************************

Pot of Prosperity
(Normal Spell Card)

Banish 3 or 6 cards of your choice from your Extra Deck, face-down; for the rest of this turn after this card resolves, any damage your opponent takes is halved, also excavate cards from the top of your Deck equal to the number of cards banished, add 1 excavated card to your hand, place the rest on the bottom of your Deck in any order. You can only activate 1 "Pot of Prosperity" per turn. You cannot draw cards by card effects the turn you activate this card.

*******************************

Gasping, Cadance asked Luna, "Oh my!! She has that card? It's so rare, I've only ever been able to get one copy of it for myself!"

"Indeed." Luna confirmed. "In fact, as we have already seen, Sunset has been updating her Deck ever since the big tournament we had over at my school, so she'll likely have even more surprises waiting to be revealed."

"Let us just pray those will be enough to help Rania come back to her normal self." added Chiffon.

The brainwashed Rania seemed surprised by Sunset's use of the card as well. "So you got lucky again?!" the voice asked menacingly. "You just happened to have that card in your hand at just the right time?!"

"Well, I can't take all of the credit, actually." Sunset said with a small smirk on her face. "It was Rania's Dark Bribe card that put it in my hand in the first place." The evil presence simply growled in response to Sunset's statement. "Now," she then began to her opponent, "I will banish SIX cards out of my Extra Deck in order to excavate that many cards off of the top of my Deck. Then I'll choose which card I want to keep out of those six!"

"It matters not what you receive from your Spell Card; your defeat is practically destined at this point!" shouted the wicked voice.

(Destined...?) For some reason, that word Sunset to pause for a moment. But she quickly put her thoughts aside and revealed the top six cards of her Deck, with images of the cards appearing in the air for everyone to see. Glancing through the cards, Sunset spotted the fifth card that was pulled from the Deck and said, "Yes! That's the one I need! I'll take the fifth card and add it to my my hand, then place the rest back on the bottom of my Deck!" After doing so, she then wasted no time in using the card she got. "Now I discard my Chronomaly Golden Jet and Special Summon this guy in Defense Position! Come out, Ascator, Dawnwalker!!"

Her newest monster was a strong-looking man wearing a feathered headdress, a pair of brown, knee-length shorts complemented with a cloth in front with a sun picture on it, a pair of sandals, and was carrying a sun-shaped staff in his right hand (Ascator, Dawnwalker: Level 5 / ATK 2300 / DEF 1500).

"What is that...??" asked the dark voice. "That monster looks similar to the first one she summoned in this Duel..." Then the voice realized something. "Wait! Does this mean-?"

"I'm guessing you've caught on, whoever you are." Sunset then asked. "This card happens to be the counterpart to Supay, Duskwalker, and therefore, he has a similar effect. Now I can bring out HIS accompanying Tuner Monster, Fire Ant Ascator!" And with that, her giant ant monster appeared on the field in Defense Position as well (Fire Ant Ascator: Level 3 / ATK 700 / DEF 1300).

"Now Sunset can call forth her other Synchro Monster to the field." said Luna, already knowing what her plan was...and hoping that the evil presence controlling Rania didn't.

"I tune Fire Ant Ascator, Level 3...to Ascator, Dawnwalker, Level 5!!" shouted Sunset as her Insect transformed into three small lights that flew into the air, returning as a trio of green rings that surrounded her other monster, who then transformed into five more small lights (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8). "Dragon deity of the Sun, illuminate all the darkness! Brighten the day with your benevolent light!" Sunset then chanted. "Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Sun Dragon Inti!" Instantly, Sunset's second powerful Dragon Synchro Monster entered the field, its four heads ready to get to work and help its controller achieve her needed victory (Sun Dragon Inti: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2800).

"Impressive...but even it cannot destroy Crumble Logos!" the dark voice reminded her. "Only Numbers can destroy each other in a battle!"

"I know that." Sunset replied. "So that makes the target of Inti's attack easy to figure out!" She then ordered her Dragon, "Attack Sacred Phoenix with Solar Breath!!" Her dragon then obeyed, blasting Rania's non-Number Monster off of the field instantly.

"Yes! That's one down, and one more to go!" cheered Cadance.

"Perhaps, but due to Pot of Prosperity's effect, only half of the damage got through." Luna reminded her friend. "And Sunset still needs a way to deal with Rania's Number card before it's too late."

Grunting a bit from the impact (Rania Kamilah: LP 2,200 - 300 = 1,900) and growling a little out of annoyance, the brainwashed Rania shouted back, "This proves absolutely nothing! My Number is still superior to your monster! I will destroy you with it!!"

"I'd like to see you try to do that." said Sunset with a smirk, which only made the dark presence more angry. "Your monster may be safe from being destroyed in battle, but with 800 less attack points, it's not beating my monster either, and I can just keep chipping away at your Life Points until they're gone. So if you still plan on defeating me like you want to, you'd better do it fast."

"Grrrrn...you..." snarled the evil voice within Rania.

Taking the card she drew for her turn, Sunset placed it into her D-Pad and said, "I'll finish my turn by setting this card face-down. Now let's see you try and defeat me."

"...You WILL regret those words!" said Sunset's mysterious foe. "I draw a card, and then I'll-"

"Hold on a second!" Sunset then interrupted. "Before you even leave your Draw Phase, I'm gonna activate my face-down card!"

"You're using it NOW?!" exclaimed the dark voice, having been caught off-guard.

"I activate the Trap Card Breakthrough Skill!" declared the girl. "I target Crumble Logos and negate all of his effects for the rest of this turn!"

"Rrgh...so that means I cannot use my monster's effect to negate any of your cards, I see..." said the voice. "Is that the best you can do?"

"...It's not, actually." said Sunset. "I have an even bigger play in mind for my NEXT turn, 'Rania'."

"And what is that?!"

"It's actually very simple:" Sunset replied back to the dark voice. "Breakthrough Skill has a second effect that lets me banish it from my Graveyard during my own turn in order to re-use its negation effect. So I can negate your Crumble Logos's effects on my next turn as well." The enemy then gasped, knowing what she was trying to tell them.

"What does she mean, Luna?" Chiffon Veil then asked her student.

"If Sunset negates Rania's Number card's effects on her next turn," Luna began to answer, "that would allow her to easily destroy it with her Sun Dragon. That would be because Rania's monster would lose its battle immunity to non-Numbers for that one moment."

"That's pretty ingenious of her." complimented Cadance. But she then asked, "But why would Sunset tell Rania her strategy like that? It seems counter-intuitive... After all, it's basically asking Rania to just try and prevent it from happening."

But Luna remained confident, thinking to herself, (I know what you're REALLY trying to do, Sunset...) She smiled as she continued to watch the Duel with the others, knowing what was likely going to take place.

(Hmmm...if I allow her to take another turn,) thought the evil force controlling Rania, (she'll use her Trap Card's effect to remove Crumble Logo's battle protection effect from non-Numbers...! Then her Sun Dragon would wipe me out...!) A bead of sweat dropped down Rania's face as the being that controlled her was beginning to panic silently.

Smirking a little, Sunset then asked her foe, "Earlier you said that I should fear you? 'Cause right now, it looks to me like YOU'RE the one getting scared!"

"What did you say?!" shouted the evil voice.

"You heard me." Sunset replied, continuing to taunt them. "You KNOW that I'll destroy your Number next turn if you don't try and stop me now. You make yourself seem tough and scary by taking over Rania's body and forcing her to do what you want, but all that tells me is that you're nothing but a coward who isn't tough enough to fight me face-to-face!"

"You...dare to call ME a coward?!?" yelled the dark voice, now becoming even more enraged than before.

"I absolutely do." Sunset answered. "You know you can't do anything unless you have someone under your control. Admit it: You got scared the moment that Rania started to listen to my words and was about to surrender the Duel, so you were forced to take complete control over her just so you wouldn't lose! If you're as tough as you want me to think you are, then you'd be here in front of me instead of hiding behind someone else!"

Now the evil presence was absolutely furious after hearing Sunset's taunts. "You...you shall insult me NO LONGER!!!" it then yelled. Acting purely on emotions, they played the card they drew for turn, shouting, "I shall use Pot of Desires to banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw two more!!" It then did so, not even bothering to look at what cards got banished as a result of the Spell Card's cost before taking their next two cards. Smirking wickedly, the evil force then said, "You want to see how tough I can be, girl...? Then prepare to see just that!!"

Sunset put on a more serious face, bracing herself for whatever this foe could try to use against her.

"First, I shall play my Back-Up Rider card!" they declared. "This allows my Crumble Logos to gain an additional 1,500 attack points!" The Number Monster then became more powerful as a red aura surrounded it (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: ATK 2200 + 1500 = 3700). "But in addition to that," the voice then continued, "I shall also use my Oni-Gami Combo Spell Card to strengthen it even more! Now by removing his last overlay unit, I can have my Number attack you twice this turn!!" As soon as they said that, the last of Crumble Logo's orange-colored orbs vanished (Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition: OLU 1 - 1 = 0), and a white-colored aura then flowed over the monster to power it up even more.

"Now not only is that monster stronger and can defeat that Dragon," said Cadance, "but it will also be able to attack directly and end the game..." But she then saw that both Luna and Sunset didn't seem so worried. Not even Chiffon Veil was concerned for Sunset, despite not having much knowledge about Duel Monsters.

Of course, if there was something going on, the force controlling Rania wasn't concerned or aware of it; it was acting purely on rage at this point, that everything not related to destroying their opponent was not important to them. "Now, Crumble Logos!! Attack her Dragon now!!!" The monster then obeyed, unleashing a massive wave of shadow energy that engulfed and eliminated Sunset's monster instantly. "And now, you are wide open to a direct attack, Sunset!!" shouted the evil voice. "And then your Number cards shall be mine!! What do you have to say NOW?!?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself after taking the earlier attack (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,900 - 700 = 1,200), Sunset looked towards her opponent, smiled slyly and simply replied, "...You lose."

"Wh-what?! Me?? LOSE?!?" the dark force exclaimed. "What are you talking about?! You're the one who's vulnerable, not me!!"

"Don't you get it yet?" Sunset then asked them. "Why I told you what I planned on doing next turn...and why I was goading you into trying to stop me?"

At first, the enemy wasn't sure what she was talking about...and then they gasped when it finally hit them. "No...no, you were... Are you telling me you WANTED me to destroy your monster?!" the voice then asked, panicking a little.

"Looks like you figured it out." Sunset confirmed. "Unfortunately for you, you figured it out one move too late. And also without even bothering to see what my Sun Dragon was capable of. When Inti is destroyed in battle, it instantly destroys whatever monster took him down! Which means that your Number card is about to be destroyed!"

"N-NO!!!" but there was nothing they could do as Crumble Logos began to glow brightly as rays of light began shooting out from him. Then, before another word could be said, the powerful Number exploded in a mass of flames, never to be seen again.

Chuckling a bit, Sunset then said, "Seems like your so-called 'Prophet of Demolition'...just got demolished."

Growling in anger, the dark voice then argued, "You...you tricked me!!"

"I suppose I did." the red-and-yellow girl admitted. "However, if you had just ignored my taunting and made your move more calmly, you might have caught onto my plan. I learned a long time ago that acting purely on your emotions is often never a good idea, especially in a game that requires a lot of thinking and strategizing like Duel Monsters. You can only make good moves when your mind is clear, but if you let anger take over your actions, you're only going to destroy yourself. And the same goes for everything else we do in life as well: You can't expect to be an expert at something if you easily get flustered or frustrated over trying to get it perfect."

Chiffon Veil then nodded her head in response; that last statement Sunset made was something she always believed and did her best to teach her students, both new and old: Even if you couldn't quite get something right, getting angry or frustrated about it wasn't going to make it better. The best thing one can do is to calm themselves, figure out what they did wrong, and then try again. Though it took some time, it was this mindset that made Chiffon a great belly dancer back in her day, because throughout all of her years of practicing and practicing, she developed her love and passion for the craft, and it was the driving force that helped her keep at it, despite the difficulties that lay ahead. Chiffon Veil smiled, knowing that Sunset had that same love and passion for her dueling skills that were developed and forged in the same way. Only someone that had honed their skills well could have come up with the strategy that finally defeated Rania's Number card.

Back at the Duel, Sunset then pointed to her opponent and told them, "Your Number card is now destroyed, and you're wide open for an attack! But that isn't all: Due to the other part of Sun Dragon Inti's effect, you take damage equal half of the attack points that Crumble Logos had on the field! So since he had 3,700 attack points, you'll take a total of 1,850 damage!"

The force controlling Rania was still in astonishment that they had fallen for Sunset's trap so easily (Rania Kamilah: LP 1,900 - 1,850 = 50). They said nothing else, just standing there with a look of bewilderment on their host's face.

"Well, it's safe to assume that since you have nothing on your field OR your hand, your turn's pretty much over." Sunset figured. Drawing a card from her Deck, she then added, "And that's not good for you, since Inti's second effect kicks in during my Standby Phase: So now I revive his mate, Moon Dragon Quilla to the field!" And instantly, the first Synchro Monster she played at the start of the Duel took to the field just in time for the finale. "Now go, Moon Dragon Quilla!! Attack and end this Duel!!" she then ordered her monster, who then fired a series of four powerful blasts from each of its separate heads.

(...So this is the power that the Order of Astral has...) thought the dark force from within Rania. (It is quite clear from both this and the incident back on that train that I am not powerful enough to face them head-on... But in due time, they will fall to my power. Until then, enjoy your little victory, Priestess Sun'Et...) The moment their thought was done, the four blasts from Quilla struck Rania, ending the game...

(Rania Kamilah: LP 50 - 2,500 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer)

The Next Day, 4:50 PM

It was mostly quiet in the apartment that both Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle shared together. However, the young Princess was busy gathering things into her backpack, such as some snacks, a few books borrowed from the CHS library, and of course, her D-Pad and Duel Monsters Deck. "There we go..." Twilight said to herself, looking over the backpack and making sure everything was in their proper places.

"You think you've got everything you need to go over to Pinkie's place for the night?" asked Spike, sitting on the bed where Twilight was busy packing her things.

"I think so..." Twilight answered. "I mean, it's not like I have much with me when we come over from Equestria, so it's easy to figure out what to bring with me most of the time."

"There's still a spot for me to sit in there, right?" Spike then asked.

"Don't worry; there's more than enough space for you in here, Spike." Twilight assured him. "A good thing, too: You've been getting a little pudgier since we've been staying here, and riding around in my backpack hasn't been helping trim you down..."

"Hey! I have NOT been getting fat!" Spike argued, feeling slightly offended. "I'm in the best shape of my life, I'll have you know! I don't just sit around here and eat all day!" Then, at that moment, he let out a small burp. Noticing Twilight's slightly smug look, he told her, "Don't even say it."

Chuckling a bit, she then said to him, "I'm just messing with you a little; don't take it too personally. But I'm sorry if you felt that way; I didn't mean it."

"...Yeah, I know you didn't." Spike responded, knowing Twilight would never be mean to him on purpose. "Anyway, let's get going."

"Right, we don't want to keep Pinkie Pie waiting for us for too much longer..." the young Princess agreed as Spike hopped into the bag before she picked it up and strapped it on. Leaving the bedroom, she glanced over at Sunset who was sitting on the couch in front of the TV. "Alright, I'm heading over to Pinkie's for the night." Twilight then said to her friend. "Are you sure you'll be fine on your own for a while?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me, Twilight." Sunset told her. "Remember, I was by myself here for a while before you came to this world, so it's not like this'll be the first time for me. Just focus on having fun at Pinkie's sleepover, okay?"

Nodding, Twilight then said, "Okay...I'll make sure to do just that! I'll see you at school tomorrow, then!"

"Yeah, see ya later, Sunset!" Spike then said, waving goodbye to her for the day before heading out the door.

After they left, Sunset waited a few seconds with her eyes and ears on her apartment door. She then got up and headed over to the window that overlooked the street where the building's main entrance was. After staring through the window for a while, she saw Twilight and Spike leaving the apartment building and heading to the pink Volkswagen Beetle that was Pinkie's car, getting into the vehicle. As soon as the car drove off, Sunset let out a sigh and said, "...Okay, then."

She then moved to her bedroom closet and opened it; this was where she kept all of her outfits that she had worn. But on the closet's top shelf, there was one other object. And as Sunset reached up to grab it, she began to reminisce about the events of the previous day...

The bedlah-wearing Sunset stared at the card that was currently in her right hand: Crumble Logos, which she received upon defeating Rania in their Duel earlier. Putting it away, she ran up to where Rania was, concerned for her well-being. Kneeling down next to her, Sunset picked the blue woman up and asked her, "Rania! Rania, are you okay??" Putting her left ear closer to the woman, Sunset was able to hear a series of soft, slow breaths. Sighing out of relief, she said, "Thank Celestia, she's still okay." Sunset's concern was mostly due to the strange being that seemed to have possessed her oopponent earlier, but Rania showed no signs of being under its control anymore.

"I don't think you have to worry about Rania too much, Sunset." Luna told her as she and the rest of the belly dancing class approached the two of them.

"Yeah, she's a tough one, that's for sure. She'll be just fine." said Cadance. "And that's because you got that weird card away from her. Luna was right about you, Sunset: Your skills as a Duelist just might give some of the students at Crystal Prep a run for their money. Honestly, they could use a bit of humbling..."

"Aw, thanks Ms. Cadance." Sunset responded. "But honestly, it was nothing, really." Looking over at Rania - specifically, her D-Pad and Deck, Sunset then reached over and plucked the top card of Rania's Deck to see what it was. She then gasped a little in surprise.

"What is it?" asked Luna.

"...Rania's next card off the top of her Deck was Raigeki." Sunset answered her. Pondering a bit, she then went and looked at Rania's banished cards; specifically the ones she banished after playing Pot of Desires. One card in particular caught her eye, and for good reason: It was Monster Reborn. "This card..." she then said, "if my memory is accurate, this was the card that was banished first when she used Pot of Desires..."

"What does that mean?" asked Chiffon Veil.

"A lot, actually..." Sunset responded. "It means that, if Rania had waited to play Pot of Desires until her NEXT turn after drawing it, she might have won the Duel instead of me... In which case, even though I would have been able to take out her Number card on my turn after using Breakthrough Skill to negate its effect, on her next turn, she would have used Monster Reborn to bring it back, play Pot of Desires and draw Raigeki, destroy my Sun Dragon with it, and then attack directly for game."

"Oh my...!" gasped Cadance. "In other words, the outcome of this whole Duel literally came down to just a single turn!"

"Yes...this Duel could have had a completely different outcome indeed." Luna stated. Looking over at Rania, she then added, "Rania...she wanted to outperform and out-do everyone in our class as fast as possible... But it was her own impatience and self-need to rush through everything that caused her to lose this Duel."

"That's scary, actually..." thought Sunset. "If she played that last turn of hers just slightly differently, I would have lost all of my Numbers right here... Just a difference of one turn, and she might've beaten me."

"Maybe...maybe not." Ms. Veil suddenly spoke up. "However, while I may not know much about your card game, it was obvious to me that you have developed the necessary skills and knowledge to excel at it. But more importantly, you also developed a love and passion for what you set your mind to. And I feel THAT was the key to your victory here today."

"Thanks, Ms. Veil." Sunset said with a respectable bow, feeling a bit more at ease after hearing that. "I feel the same way, too."

"...Mn...mmm..." Suddenly the others heard some groans coming from Rania. Looking over, they saw that the woman was trying to get herself back up.

"Rania...! She's waking up!" stated Cadance.

"It seems so." Luna noted. "Let's just hope that she is back to her normal self again..."

Sitting up on the hardwood floor, Rania opened her eyes, which had now returned to their normal light-green color. Upon opening her eyes, she looked up at the rest of the class, who were waiting to see if she was truly okay. Rania gasped a little and scooched herself a few inches away upon seeing them, trembling a little as she did so.

"She...she looks so scared right now..." said Cadance. "I've never seen her like this before."

"Considering everything she had just went through, I cannot blame her timidity." said Luna. "Being posessed by that Number card and acting the way she did; her current behavior doesn't surprise me."

Noticing Rania's uneasiness, Sunset calmly walked back over to her, bent down, and said, "Rania...it's okay now. It's all over: No one's going to hurt you anymore." She then extended her hand out to her and asked, "Need some help? I'll help you up."

Rania was still a little frightened from everything that had just occurred, and wasn't sure what to make of her situation now. However, she was at least willing to accept Sunset's gesture. "...Th-thank you." she said as she took Sunset's hand and then got her herself back onto her feet.

"Are you okay to walk, Rania?" Sunset then asked, still a bit concerned.

"I...I think I am..." the woman then replied, her voice sounding much calmer compared to earlier. She then asked Sunset, "The...the card... Where is it?"

"It's with me now, Rania." she answered her. "In a Duel betwen Number holders, the winner takes the Numbers of the loser." Showing Rania the Number card, she then said to her, "...Please don't say you want this card back."

"NO!!" Rania blurted out with a gasp and backing away from the card. Then, realizing her sudden outburst, regained her composure and said more calmly, "Um...no, no I don't want it back now or ever again..."

"You don't?" asked Sunset, relieved to hear her say that. "Even though it was helping you become a better belly dancer?"

"...That card wasn't really helping me." Rania admitted. "You were right, Ms. Sunset... And I suppose I felt that way the whole time, but I was too scared of losing everything that card gave to me if I gave it up. But when you said all of those things about my stress and my frustration keeping me from being able to enjoy dancing like the rest of the class, that's when I realized that I was only putting myself through more pain and stress by keeping that card."

"Yeah, I could see that." Sunset told her. "In fact, it looked like you were about to forfeit the Duel at first..."

"I was about to," Rania explained, "but then I heard a strange voice in my head... Then everything went black, and now...here I am..."

Sunset then figured, (I guess she doesn't remember anything that happened after that weird...whatever-it-was took over her mind and body. And it's probably best that she doesn't remember it, to be honest...) Sunset then asked her, "Rania...do you happen to remember who it was that gave you that Number?"

"...Not much, unfortunately." she answered her. "All I can remember is that it was a young, purple-colored man with light blue hair. I don't know where he came from, or why he wanted anything to do with me, but he handed me the card and said something about that 'I was destined to meet with him that night', or something..."

"And after he did that, he then told you to keep an eye out for me specifically, right?" Sunset then asked. "And he probably had a picture of me or something too?" Rania nodded yes to confirm that it was all true. Sunset then wondered who this person was, especially since the description - limited as it was, sounded like someone she had recently seen before. For now, the otherworldly girl put that thought away for now and said, "Well, whatever the case, you don't have to worry about that card hurting you anymore. Now that I'm in posession of it, I'll make sure it won't cause anyone else any problems!"

"I trust that you will, Ms. Sunset." Rania responded. Sighing, she then asked herself, "But now...what's to become of me...? With that card no longer in my hands, I've also lost the dancing talent that it gave to me... Now I'm nothing..."

"...That is not true, Rania." said Chiffon Veil, causing the wayward student to perk up a little and glance over towards her teacher. Ms. Veil then continued, saying, "Because now that you no longer have that card, your true talent for dancing can finally take root and blossom forth."

"What...what do you mean?" asked Rania.

"What I mean is that now you can learn what it truly means to become successful at whatever you put your mind to." the teacher then answered. "I'm certain you have heard the term, 'There is no shortcut to success'? And while some may say it is cliché, that is only because it is true."

Rania said nothing, but continued to listen to what Ms. Veil was saying (probably for the first time since she had joined the belly dancing class).

"Being successful at something - whether it is belly dancing or playing a card game, takes time, practice, dedication, and most of all, a love for what you are doing." said Chiffon. "It is as Ms. Sunset has said: If you try to rush through things, you deny yourself the chance to find the love and passion for what it is you're doing. And when that happens, you end up feeling empty and hollow inside, as if deep down, you don't feel like you deserve your accomplishments. Believe it or not, there was a time that I was much like you, Rania."

"R-really...?!" gasped Rania in surprise. The others in the class seemed just as surprised as well.

"Yes... When I was not that much older than Ms. Sunset here, I felt like I had to perfect my skills and do it as fast as possible." Ms. Veil admitted to her students. "But in the end, it left me feeling sad and frustrated inside, much like you had been in our past sessions here... But that was when I came to a realization: What I realized was that, by trying to rush through things, I nearly forgot that the most important part of doing something you love...And that is to love doing it."

"That...makes a whole of sense to me." said Cadance. "I mean, what's the point of working hard on doing something if you can't even enjoy yourself at the same time?" Luna and the others nodded in agreement with Cadance's statement.

"Exactly." said Ms. Veil. "I then figured out that, if I was to become the belly dancer I wanted to be, I would not only have to work hard, but also enjoy it at the same time. And that's exactly what I did. And what was several long years of practicing and polishing my skills felt like a blur to me, because I was having too much fun to even really notice how long I had been working on my dancing."

Sunset smiled, because she knew that feeling herself. When her friends first introduced her to Duel Monsters, she worked long and hard to become a better player. However, it never really felt like work, because she had so much fun playing the game with her friends to even notice. Her enjoyment of playing the game was what helped to motivate her to do better and better each time, just like what motivated Chiffon Veil to become such a great dancer back in her younger years.

"Rania," Ms. Veil then said to her student, "I know that you want to become a great belly dancer, too... And I must admit, you certainly have a vast knowledge on its history and how to dance. But the passion and desire to keep going, despite whatever difficulties that may try to discourage you, is what you're lacking. And until you can find that passion, you can never feel like you truly succeeded..."

"...Yes, I...I know that now." said Rania, feeling ashamed of herself for ignoring what her teacher was trying to tell her in the past.

Chiffon then smiled and then said to her, "...But, if you're willing to give us all another chance, I can help you find that love and passion for dancing as I have. So I'll ask you:" She then extended out her hand in a pleasent and welcoming gesture. "Do you want to stay here in class with us? I promise that we will all do our part to help you become the great person you were truly meant to become...if you're willing to let us."

Rania paused and said nothing at first, astounded by how forgiving Ms. Veil and the others were despite how cold she had acted towards all of them before. She looked over at all of the smiling faces in the class...and while fighting back a tear (which came out of her eyes anyway), she said to them, "Yes...of course I want to stay...! I want to be a part of this class more than anything! And this time, I promise I'll truly learn what it means to be a belly dancer!"

"And I promise that I'll help you do just that." Ms. Veil responded, happy to finally hear Rania say something like that. "Welcome to our class, Rania Lapis Kamilah." Rania was overjoyed that everyone was willing to give her a second chance and truly work with them to become a better dancer. So much so, she smiled and joined in for a class group hug.

Sunset herself felt warm and happy knowing that she managed to help Rania finally learn what she needed in order to achive her dreams and desires. As the rest of the students continued to talk with Rania, Chiffon Veil approached Sunset and said to her, "Thank you again for helping Rania. Words cannot describe how happy I am to see her finally and truly becoming a part of our class."

"Like I said, it was nothing, Ms. Veil." Sunset humbly responded. "I was just doing what anyone else would have done, honestly."

"And speaking of joining my class..." pondered Chiffon, "from what I saw of you before your game with Rania, you seem to have a decent talent for dancing as well. Perhaps you might be interested in joining us as a student for real?"

"Well, I have to admit...I do kind of see the appeal for belly dancing now that I've been mostly fully immersed into it." she told her. "I even don't mind the costumes either." Sighing, she then said, "But, at least for now, I'll have to pass on your offer. As I'm sure you know, I have some other work that needs to be done; that Number Rania had isn't the only one out there, and there's sure to be even more that I'll have to track down as well."

"I thought as much." said Ms. Veil. "In that case, I wish you luck on finding the rest of these Numbers. I know for certain that you will succeed. But know that, if you ever have some free time on a Monday or a Wednesday, there will always be a spot for you here in my class." Sunset smiled and nodded, happy to know that she was welcome to come back at any time. "In fact, if you'll follow me back to my office," the teacher then said, "I have something I'd like to give to you. It's the least I can do for what you've done today."

(After I went with her to her office,) Sunset thought to herself after finishing her memories from yesterday afternoon, (Ms. Veil gave me a ticket to come to the dance recital they'll be hosting over at the Old Town Theater coffeehouse this weekend, and for a special V.I.P. reserved seat even.) She smiled a bit as she looked at the special ticket that she had been given, ensuring that she would have the best seat in the house to watch the recital. (Not only that,) she continued to think, (but she said that she was going to give one to Rania as well, since Rania decided to stay out of joining any recitals until she was more comfortable with her progress as a dancer. At least then, I'll have a chance to talk with Rania and even make friends with her.)

Then, thinking about how Rania was going to better focus herself on her dancing practice, she then looked at the other object she had gotten out of the closet, which appeared to be the case for a DVD. Humming a bit to herself (and then looking around to see if there was anyone else nearby), she then put the case and ticket on her bed...and then pulled out the costume that Rarity had made for her...

Minutes later, in the apartment living room, Sunset stepped in front of her television set, now wearing her full belly dancing attire. Sighing a bit, she then said to herself, "It still feels a little weird to be wearing this, but it's like Ms. Veil, Luna, and Cadance said: With enough time and practice, I'll get as used to it as they have." Picking up the DVD case she had retrieved from her bedroom closet earlier, she opened it and popped the disc into the player, saying to herself, "I guess Ms. Veil figured that I probably wouldn't be able to fully join her class until after this Number mess is overwith, which is probably why she had this ready to give to me before I left yesterday." She then picked up her DVD player remote and clicked a button on it to play the disc.

A few seconds later, a woman then appeared on screen, wearing a black sports bra and long, black pants, with a transparent dark-blue cloth with coin-like pieces sewn along the hem wrapping around her hips. "Welcome..." the woman on the screen said, "to Belly Dancing 101."

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (18 Numbers total):

Number 45: Crumble Logos the Prophet of Demolition

RANK 63: Merrily We Duel Along:

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

RANK 1: Friendship is Numerous:

Author's Note

Welcome to the first episode (or Rank) of Friendship is Numerous! I started working on this series at the same time I was writing Mega Pony, and is one that I also had a lot of fun writing. I wanted to try to do something involving the Equestria Girls universe for some time, while also finding a way to include one of my other fandoms. Anyway, whether you're a Yu-Gi-Oh! novice or expert, I do hope you'll enjoy what I have to offer. Anyway, read on and enjoy!

RANK 1: Friendship is Numerous:

Infinity upon infinity...

There is a theory amongst our greatest minds, that our universe, as expansive as it may be, is not the only one. They believe that there may be an infinite number of other universes out there: Some are slightly different from our own, while others vastly deviate from ours.

As a result, these "alternate realities" may play out similar events differently from another reality. In one such case, in one universe, a great battle between two worlds took place: The war between the Astral World and the Barian World, with Planet Earth as the stage. In this war, one world sought to eliminate the other to increase the power of their own. During the battle, fragments of power from both sides were scattered across Earth, and the two worlds clashed in order to reclaim this power, in the form of the mysterious "Numeron Code". In time, the war ended with the Astral World's victory, and peace was brought to the universe once more.

However, in another universe, the story of this battle took on a slightly different variation; like before, this war would determine the fate of the universe. But how it started and who got involved resulted in a much more different retelling of the tale...

This is the story of a young teenage girl, who is seeking to do good in her life to make up for many past mistakes. On this day, however, a certain event will soon take place that will change the lives of both her and those around her forever...

Rural area, outside Canterlot City: Time 12:54 p.m.

It was a bright and sunny Sunday; a perfect time for people to spend the day outside. For many, including the residents of the bustling city of Canterlot, that day would be spent outside of the metropolis, at the large-scale flea market that was open to the public every weekend. Many people attended the flea market - either as merchants selling their wares, or as customers checking out all of the various goods. All in all, it saw a lot of business each week, and everybody left the market with content smiles upon their faces.

In the parking lot, a pair of vehicles pulled into two parking spaces beside each other. One of the vehicles was a large, red pickup truck. There was a bit of caked-on mud along the bottom of the truck, which suggested that it was often used for various forms of work as well as for transportation. The other vehicle was a bright pink Volkswagon Beetle, which was heavily decorated with all sorts of fun-looking stickers. On either side of the vehicle, the word "PARTYMOBILE" was painted in many bright colors. On the back bumper, there was a bumper sticker that read, "Honk if you like parties".

The passenger side door of the red truck opened first, and out of the vehicle stepped a young teenage girl. She had yellow skin, swirly red and yellow hair, and aqua green-colored eyes. She wore a black leather jacket overtop of a purple shirt with a picture of a red and yellow sun on it, an orange skirt with yellow and purple stripes, and a pair of long, black boots, each with a purple flame pattern on them.

The driver's side door of the truck opened next, and another teenage girl stepped out of the vehicle. She had orange-colored skin, with yellow freckles under her bright green eyes. She had long blond hair tied up into a ponytail underneath her brown cowgirl hat. She wore a white shirt with green towards the top of it, a blue jean skirt held up with a brown belt with an apple-shaped buckle, and a pair of brown cowgirl boots that each had a picture of three apples on them, arranged together in a triangular pattern.

The orange-skinned girl wiped some sweat from her forehead after leaving the pickup truck. "Whoo-ee, it sure is hot today!" she said, commenting on the sunny weather. Looking over towards the yellow-skinned girl, she asked her, "How come you ain't gettin' warm from wearin' that black jacket, Sunset Shimmer?"

"Not sure, to be honest." the yellow girl answered. "I've had this outfit since I first came here, so I guess I've just gotten used to it..." The girl's name was Sunset Shimmer, and although she appeared to be an ordinary person, she had a secret known only to her and her close friends: She was actually from another universe entirely, a world that was populated by ponies. Long ago, she had used a magic mirror to travel from her world to this one, and had been living here ever since.

Sunset glanced over at the bright pink vehicle next to the truck and stated, "I guess everyone else decided to carpool with Pinkie Pie..." She then asked the orange-skinned girl, "Is it just me, Applejack, or does she seem to have more decorative stickers on her car every day?"

"It ain't just you, Sunset." the girl named Applejack replied. "Ah've noticed that too. What Ah'm really wonderin' is where she keeps gettin' more stickers; Ah'm startin' t' think that she must have a whole garage full of those things..."

"Wow! How'd you know about my secret sticker garage?" asked a bubbly, cheery voice. "I've never told anyone about it!" The voice had come from a grinning, pink-skinned girl that had come out from the driver's side of the pink car. She had poofy hair that was colored in a darker pink color, and had bright, baby-blue eyes.

She wore a dress that was white on the top and magenta on the bottom; the top of the dress had a pink heart shape printed upon it, while the skirt portion had a picture of three balloons (two blue and one yellow). The dress was held together with a purple band around the waist, and overtop of it, the girl wore a small blue shirt. The rest of the ensemble consisted of two blue bracelets and a pair of blue boots, the latter of which were tied with a pink ribbon on each.

"Wait, you actually have a garage with nothin' but stickers in it?" asked Applejack. The pink girl vigorously nodded yes to answer her. "So then..." the orange girl then inquired, "where do y'all put your car?"

The pink girl giggled and replied, "Where else? The garage!"

"So wait: You have more than one?"

"Nope. Just the one."

Applejack was about to ask another question regarding how she could possibly fit a car in a garage that was supposedly completely filled with decal stickers. But in the end, she just sighed and decided not to try and inquire her about it any further.

Sunset chuckled a bit at the conversation between the two before saying to the pink girl, "Hey, Pinkie Pie... I see you're just as silly as you were yesterday."

"Really?? Only JUST as silly as yesterday?" asked Pinkie, a bit disappointed. "Aww...and after I try my darndest to be sillier every day!"

"Um, I didn't mean it like that..." the yellow girl told her. "I'm...I'm sure you'll find a way to top yourself sometime today." The pink girl smiled, happy to hear that. Just after Sunset made that comment, the other three occupants of the pink car stepped out onto the pavement of the parking lot.

The first one, coming out of the front passenger's side door, was a girl with pure white skin and dark blue eyes, topped with blue eye shadow and large eyelashes. She had long, swirly hair that was violet in color with a jeweled barrette on top. Her dress was light blue on top, and the skirt was of a similar violet color to her hair with a picture of three, four-sided diamonds printed upon it. The dress was held together with a purple belt with a blue buckle, she wore a pair of gold bracelets on her wrists, and she wore a pair of purple boots, each one emblazoned with a shiny, blue gem on the top.

The second one, coming from the driver's side back door, was a cyan-skinned girl with magenta-colored eyes, and scruffy, rainbow-colored hair. She wore a white shirt with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt printed upon it, with a cobalt blue shirt overtop of it. She had on a pink skirt with white stripes (with black shorts worn underneath), two rainbow-colored wristbands on her wrists, and large blue shoes that seemed to be a cross between boots and sneakers, based on their appearance.

The last of the passengers from Pinkie's car came out from the other back door. She also had yellow skin, but it was slightly lighter in color compared to Sunset Shimmer. She had bluish-green colored eyes with pale pink eye shadow, and long, elegant-looking pink hair with a butterfly-shaped barrette worn off to the side. Her sleeveless dress was white on the top, while the skirt portion was colored a light green with pink and white frills on the bottom of it and a picture of three butterflies printed on the front. Her boots were also colored green, with white soles on the bottom, and white frills at the top. She also had on a pair of pink socks with white polka-dots.

The violet-haired girl looked up towards the sky while shielding her eyes from the bright sun above. "Oh dear...it certainly is warm today..." she commented. "Had I known that, I might have dressed a bit lighter." She then reached into a purple purse that she was carrying with her, pulled out a pair of pink sunglasses with pink lenses, and put them on her face. "There...that's a little better..."

"Rarity's right," said the rainbow-haired girl next, waving her hand in front of her face in an attempt to cool herself down, "it is pretty hot today; I'm already startin' to sweat." She then asked the pink-skinned girl, "Hey, Pinkie! You wouldn't happen to have-"

"Refreshments?" Pinkie Pie interrupted, finishing her friend's question. "Of course I do, Rainbow Dash!" She then unlocked the back trunk of her car, opening it to reveal a large cooler inside. Pinkie then opened the cooler, inside of which were all sorts of different kinds of drinks in plastic bottles. Pulling out a bottle of spring water, she then said, "Here ya go, Dashie! Think fast!"

The pink girl tossed the beverage over to Rainbow Dash, who smirked as she easily caught it in mid-air. "Thanks, Pinkie." she told her, popping the top off of the bottle and gulping down some of the water inside.

"Mineral water for me, if you don't mind." Rarity requested.

"Alrighty-righty, Rarity!" Pinkie responded, getting out the drink that the violet-haired girl wanted. After that, the pink girl gave the rest of her friends the drinks they wanted, with Applejack getting a bottle of apple juice, the pale yellow girl having some fruit punch, and after that came a pair of Colta-Cola cans: One for Sunset and one for herself.

"Alrighty then...if we're all ready, then let's get a move on before all the good stuff's taken." Applejack then suggested. The other five girls nodded and followed her to the entrance to the flea market.

The six teenagers strolled through the gigantic open market, taking in all of the sights and sounds. People from all over the city and the suburbs had come to get the best deals on all sorts of different things, and there were many booths set up, each one selling unique wares. There was so much going on, it was almost impossible to see it all in just one day. "So, where should we go first?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Not really sure." Applejack responded. "But whatever we do, we can't dilly-dally fer too long. We need to get to the main buildin' by 2 o' clock fer the big Farmer's Auction. Ah heard there's gonna be all sorts of neat antique farmin' equipment up fer grabs, and Ah don't wanna miss mah chance at gettin' some!"

"Don't worry, we'll make it on time." Rainbow assured her. "We all know how much your family likes collectin' old farm stuff." She then said, "Until then, if anybody needs me, I'll be lookin' around for some new sports equipment. Later!" The cyan-skinned girl then sped off to do some browsing of her own.

Applejack then asked Rarity, "What about you, Rare? What'll you be doin' fer the next hour or so?"

"I think I'll see if the big clothing booth has anything interesting to purchase this week." the white-skinned girl replied. "I could always use a new dress or something to change my style every now and then..."

"I think that stand is right next to the pet supplies booth..." the pale yellow girl then chimed in, speaking in a very quiet tone of voice. "I need to go and see if there's anything I can get for the animal shelter... Perhaps I could come over there with you...if that's okay with you, that is..."

"Of course it's alright, Fluttershy." Rarity told her. "Let's go right away." As they walked, the violet-haired girl then added, "If I could make a suggestion, perhaps you could get something to pacify those hamsters of yours so that they don't go crazy again..."

"Now, now...they were just being playful." Fluttershy informed her. "They didn't mean to upset you..."

After the two of them left, Applejack then turned over towards Sunset and Pinkie, saying to them, "Looks like it'll be just the three of us fer a while, huh?"

"Seems like it." Sunset replied. She then asked, "So what should we do first?"

"Ooooh! Ooooh! I know!!" shouted Pinkie excitedly. "Why don't we go and see if we can finally find something at the market that Sunnie might like?"

"Uh..." was all that the red and yellow-haired girl could utter.

"That sounds like a mighty fine idea t' me, Pinkie!" stated the orange girl.

"Um...do we really have to?" asked Sunset, not sure why they decided to focus on her right now.

"Well...it's just that Ah couldn't help but notice that y'all come with us to the flea market every week, but y'all never get anythin'." Applejack noted. "Now Ah know you don't exactly have a place of yer own right now, but it still seems kinda weird... Not t' offend or nothin', mind you. It's just that Ah would think you'd have at least some cash saved up by now..."

"Don't worry about it. I understand what you're saying." Sunset told her. "Money's not the issue here, really..." She then went on to say, "The truth is, I'm just saving up for something really special, that's all."

"Special how?" asked Pinkie curiously.

"Well," Sunset began to explain. "When I first came here...I was quite possibly the worst kind of person imaginable. I hurt a lot of people, especially you guys..." Letting out a sigh, she then told them, "But thanks to all of you - and Twilight of course, the old Sunset Shimmer is gone and she's never coming back. I've become a much better person on the inside, and for the first time in quite a while...I'm finally happy. You guys have done so much for me, despite what I did to all of you and others, and I want you to know that I truly appreciate it..."

"It was our pleasure, Sunset." Applejack responded with a smile.

The yellow-skinned girl then added, "So, because of that, I wanted to find some sort of memento; something to symbolize my fresh start in life. Something that will remind me every day to be the good person that I should be and want to be."

Pinkie sniffled a little upon hearing those words. "That's so beautiful..." she replied. "Up to now, I never thought that I could cry and be happy at the same time."

Applejack was also happy to hear what Sunset had told them both. "That was well said, Sunset... Ah'm happy to know that you believe that and are doin' your best to be a better person." The country girl then told her, "And after hearin' all that, Ah'd be honored t' help y'all find that special somethin' that yer lookin' for!"

"Me too!!" chimed Pinkie.

Sunset smiled and told them, "Thanks, girls. That means a whole lot to me." Putting on a look of determination, she then declared, "In that case, let's go and see if we can find that thing today!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Applejack and Pinkie Pie shouted in unison. With that, the trio then began strolling around the various stands to try and help Sunset find the special thing she was looking for.

Several minutes passed by since then; it was nearly quarter to two, meaning that there were only fifteen minutes left until the Farmer's Auction that Applejack wanted to get to was scheduled to start. Unfortunately, the trio didn't have much luck finding that special something that Sunset wanted.

"Oooooh! What about that, Sunnie?" asked Pinkie Pie, pointing to a fancy-looking dress that was being sold by a light-peach colored woman with light-blue hair.

"...Nah, I already thought about getting a new look." Sunset told her. "I was actually thinking about going with something that was light-blue in color, as a matter of fact."

"Well, y'all can't go wrong with a cute li'l plush toy." suggested Applejack, picking up a small stuffed animal that just so happened to be a pony with a yellow coat. "How 'bout this one?" she then asked.

"Uh, that's okay... I think I'll pass." the yellow girl told her. "No offense, but the ponies in your world look kinda weird." She then chuckled and added, "But then again, I guess you'd say the same to me if you saw any of the ones from where I came from." Applejack chuckled back as she put the stuffed toy away.

Pinkie sighed a little and told her friends, "That's just about all the booths here...and we still didn't find anything superly-special for Sunset yet!" Frowning a little, she said to the yellow girl, "Sorry we couldn't help you out..."

"Aw, don't get too bummed out, Pinkie." Sunset told her, patting her on the shoulder. "Maybe we can try again next week."

Suddenly the three of them heard a deep-sounding female voice from nearby. "If something special is what you all seek, then why not come here and take a peek?" the voice said to them.

The three of them looked around, trying to figure out where the voice came from. "Uh, who said that?" asked Applejack.

"Over there!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, pointing over to another booth.

The others looked in the direction that their pink friend was pointing in. There, they saw a stand that sold some rather... unique items. The objects on display consisted of many strange, ancient-looking artifacts that appeared to have been gathered from all over the world.

The woman in charge of the stand was also quite unique herself: Her skin color was mostly light grey, with several dark grey stripes and blotches dotted all over her. Her black-and-white hair was done up into a stylish mohawk, with some hair draped behind her head. She had cobalt-blue eyes, and wore what appeared to be a dress made out of animal skin (or at least it looked as though it was made out of it), colored in tan and dark green stripes, held together with a belt that had a swirly spiral design on the buckle. Her footwear was of a similar color to her dress, meaning that it was likely made from the same material. The woman also wore several bracelets on each of her wrists, large earrings on her ears, and several gold bands around her neck.

"Who's that?" asked Sunset Shimmer, having never seen this woman before.

Applejack looked at the woman closely and finally recognized her. "Hold up...Ah know who she is!" she exclaimed. She then asked the woman, "Ain't you Zecora, the woman who runs the curio shop in town?"

The woman nodded yes and told the country girl, "Your words, they are indeed true; selling unique artifacts is what I love to do."

"Unique artifacts, huh...?" Sunset Shimmer said to herself as she looked at all of the different items that Zecora had for sale. Needless to say, the collection was quite impressive. "Wow...these all look so neat! Where'd you find them all?" she then asked the woman.

"It is my life's work, to travel far and wide," Zecora began, "to look for items that others would buy. Once every year, I go on a trip; by plane, or train, or even ship. Once I arrive, I look around...to search for things that have never been found."

"Really?" asked Sunset, becoming interested.

"Yep!" Pinkie chimed in. "Every time Zecora returns from one of her big, long trips, she comes back with all sortsa superly-duperly neat stuff! Rarity thinks some of it is creepy, but I think it all looks so COOL!!"

"Wow...that must be a really exciting life for you, Zecora." the yellow girl then told the worldly woman. "Y'know, to be able to see all sorts of neat places, people, and things. It sounds like something somepo-er, somebody would really enjoy."

"I must admit, I have no regret." Zecora said with a nod, She then asked them, "So, now that the introductions are out of the way, tell me: How can I help you three today?"

"Well, Sunset here's tryin' to find somethin' real special fer herself, and we're helpin' her look for it." Applejack replied. "Y'all think one of them li'l trinkets might be what she's lookin' for?"

"It's quite possible, so please look around. I promise you won't leave here with a frown." stated the woman.

The three of them scanned her table and looked at all of the unique objects on display. The items included jewelry, pots and statues made from mud and/or clay, and even some clothing that had a tribal-like appearance to them. The trio looked around, but nothing seemed to really catch their eye.

Then, all of a sudden, Sunset noticed one item on the table that immediately got her undivided attention. "What's this?" she asked as she picked the small object up. The item was an arrowhead-shaped piece of gold with a very pointy end on the bottom. The object was shaped like an arrowhead, but it didn't have the typical appearance of one; there were small gaps on either side of the item after the pointed end, preceding a small bar above it. A second set of gaps was in between that bar and a second bar that was put all the way on the top. The pointed part contained long creases on the front and back, along the very tip and on all the connecting bars. The top of the item was adorned with an aqua green jewel and a small, diamond-shaped piece connected to that.

"Wow...lookit that..." said Applejack as Sunset Shimmer held the item between her thumb and index finger.

"It's so pretty..." commented Pinkie Pie, eyes sparkling. "If Rarity were here, she'd so totally say that the jewel matches your eyes perfectly!"

"I have to say, it DOES look pretty nice..." the yellow girl commented. She then asked Zecora, "Where'd you find this thing?"

The woman hummed a bit to herself before telling her, "It is quite bizarre, even I must say... Its origins I haven't found to this day..."

"Wait, yer tellin' us that even YOU don't know where this came from, Zecora?" the orange-skinned girl asked in surprise.

"I tell you the truth; I never lie." the woman answered. "I spotted it as I walked by. It was high up in the mountains, far from any city... And let me say, the trek there was quite nippy." Zecora shivered a bit, just thinking about her travel up in such a cold region.

"So you found it in the mountains?" asked Sunset. "And you don't think it came from there?"

"Oh, no, no, no...I don't think so." Zecora replied. "No person could survive and live in such a harsh place... I was there for mere moments when I thought frostbite covered my face... Someone must have dropped it; who, I am not sure. But I knew it was special, so I pocketed it, nothing more."

"Woah..." Applejack then glanced over at Sunset Shimmer, who was still looking at the mysterious object, and told her, "Ah've got a bad feeling 'bout this, Sunset... Ah mean, y'all heard Zecora; even SHE don't know where that doohickey came from... Perhaps we oughtta just keep lookin' and find somethin' else for ya."

"I don't know... I'm not getting that kind of feeling from this thing." the yellow girl informed her friend. "To be honest, I think it looks really neat, and that's not just because of its appearance. It's like Zecora told us: she thought that it was really special...and, quite frankly, so do I." Looking at it some more, she then added, "Y'know...looking at it a bit closer, it kinda looks like...a key, doesn't it?"

"Ah guess it does..." Applejack commented.

"Maybe that's what it could mean to me...a key: A key that opens the door to a new and brighter future for me..." Sunset then told them all.

"Yeah, and maybe it could be like, REALLY super-huge and covered with big, long chains and a face with BIG sharp teeth and glowing eyes- OOOH! And maybe it could even talk, too!!" Pinkie Pie said with massive amounts of enthusiasm.

The others just gave their hyper pink friend an odd look, not sure how else to respond to that. Sunset Shimmer then cleared her throat and asked Zecora, "Anyway...how much? For this item?"

"I am pleased to hear how much that item means to you." the black-and-white woman responded. "So here is what I think that I shall do: I believe it is destiny that you would find this here, so I will sell it for half price, my fellow peer."

"Wow! Thanks, Zecora!" said the yellow girl happily. She then pulled a wallet from out of a red purse that she was carrying with her, took out some money, and handed it to Zecora in exchange for the key-shaped item. Although Sunset Shimmer did not have a place of her own, she was able to land a part-time job to help support herself.

Zecora nodded and told them, "Come again... And tell your friends!"

After taking the object, Sunset then asked, "Hey, Pinkie...can you lend me a piece of string from your string collection?"

"Sure!" the pink girl replied, reaching into her poofy hair and pulling out a long, thick, black string. "Here you go!" Sunset thanked her friend as she took the string.

It was about five minutes before the Farmer's Auction, and people were already making their way inside the building where it was being held. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy were already inside, sitting down and waiting for the rest of their group. "So, um...what did you get, Rainbow Dash, if you don't mind me asking...?" asked the pale-yellow girl shyly.

"I got some great golf supplies for practically nothin'!" said the cyan girl, showing off a large golf bag full of clubs, irons, and other various items such as tees and golf balls.

"Golfing?" asked Rarity, curiously. "I never would have pegged you to be interested in golf, Rainbow Dash."

"Well, since I pretty much excel in most other sports already, I figured I'd give this a try." the rainbow-haired girl told them. "How hard could it be?" She then asked them, "What about you? What did you guys find?"

"Well, I've found this lovely new ensemble for quite a low price." Rarity answered first, showing off a pink and white dress, along with several jewel-encrusted bracelets and a necklace. "I cannot wait to try this one on when I get home!"

"And I found some fun new pet toys for the animal shelter." Fluttershy then chimed in. "I even found some new laser pointers as well! Oh, the kitty-cats just love playing with those things! I just loving making all my animal friends happy until they get adopted..."

"Speakin' of friends," Rainbow then spoke up, "where's Sunset and the others? They were supposed t' meet us here."

"We're right here." said Sunset's voice from right next to them as she, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack finally came in and sat down next to the others. Almost immediately, they began to take notice of the red and yellow-haired girl's recent purchase.

"Wow, did you just get that necklace, Sunset?" asked Rainbow Dash, pointing to the item that was around her friend's neck. Sunset had taken the key-shaped trinket that she had purchased from Zecora's booth and turned it into a necklace, using the string she borrowed from Pinkie Pie.

"Yep. I got it about a minute or two ago." stated the yellow-skinned girl. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks absolutely darling on you!" Rarity complimented her. "That jewel at the top matches your eyes just perfectly!"

"Didja hear that?!" Pinkie spoke up. "I totally called it!!"

"Where did you find it, Sunset?" asked Fluttershy.

"We found it at this stand run by Zecora." the red and yellow-haired girl answered. "She sold it to me for half price, saying something about it being meant for me..."

"She probably said that so you'd buy it from her..." Rainbow stated.

"Well, I think looks very nice on you, Sunset." Fluttershy told her. Sunset Shimmer smiled upon hearing that from her.

"Okay, let's quiet it down a bit, gals; the auction's 'bout t' start." Applejack informed them all. The other five girls got the message and stayed silent so that Applejack could pay attention to the auction, which was ready to get rolling almost immediately.

Later that night, some time after their trip to the flea market, Applejack was getting ready to go to bed. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and changed into some lime-green pajamas. After she was done, Sunset Shimmer then entered the bathroom next to do the same, changing into some fuchsia-colored pajamas after she was finished. Normally, the yellow-skinned girl took up residence at a homeless shelter (after all, she wasn't from this world, so she didn't actually have a home for herself), but she and her friends had worked out a deal that, every Sunday night, as well as any night that preceded a major holiday, Sunset would sleep over at a friend's house instead.

Tonight, Sunset Shimmer decided to spend the night at Applejack's. She enjoyed spending time with the orange-skinned girl's family - which included Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister, Granny Smith, the grandmother who also worked at Canterlot High School as a lunch lady, and Big Macintosh, the older brother. Some of the things she did with them included playing games with Apple Bloom, talking with the older members of the family, and of course, sitting down for a hearty and healthy family dinner.

In the normally-empty guest bedroom, Sunset Shimmer was sitting on the bed while looking through the few belongings that she had brought with her from the homeless shelter. Among those things was a small, red plastic box. She opened it and pulled out a small deck of cards, with each one having a swirly, vortex-like, brown design on the back. She looked through each of them, humming to herself at the same time.

Just then, Applejack knocked on the door before asking, "Hey, Sunset! Are y'all still awake?"

"Yeah, I am." she answered. "Come on in."

The door then opened and the freckled farm girl strolled inside, carrying an extra blanket. "Here's the blanket y'all wanted me t' get." she told the yellow-skinned girl, setting it down on the floor. Noticing that the gold key was still around her friend's neck, she then asked, "Uh, you're still wearin' that thing?"

"Yeah, I didn't bother to take it off yet." Sunset replied. "In fact, I might just leave it on all night, so I don't forget to take it with me when I leave."

"Suit yourself." Applejack said to her, shrugging. She then walked to the bed and glanced over at what Sunset was doing. "Ain't those your Duel Monsters cards?"

"Just some of them." answered the yellow girl. "The rest are safe in my storage space at the shelter; I decided to bring my Deck with me to look over before I went to sleep for good tonight."

"Ah see..." hummed the farm girl.

"I still remember how you and the others got me into it." Sunset Shimmer told her. "I still remember that day... It was on the night of my-" Sunset then coughed a little. "...my little temper-tantrum, shall we call it?"

"Well, Ah wouldn't call it, 'little', but sure." Applejack commented. The "temper-tantrum" that she was referring to was when Sunset, in a moment of pure rage, had actually transformed herself into a terrifying, demon-like creature using Twilight Sparkle's magic crown. She had done some damage to the school, but after she was turned back to normal, she was forced to fix everything she had wrecked.

The yellow girl chuckled awkwardly a bit before continuing. "Anyway, after I had to fix up the front entrance to the school, I was pretty exhausted... And it was really late by the time me, Snips, and Snails were finished. Then, as I slowly walked downtown to get to the shelter, I passed by Sugarcube Corner... And that's when Pinkie Pie invited me to come inside to see all of you."

"Yeah, Ah remember that." stated the orange girl. "Pinkie spent almost the whole night putting together her...'Turning-the-Meanest-Girl-in-School-into-a-New-Friend Party'... Ah think I got that all right." Applejack then added, "Ah still remember how awkward it was after you showed up... None of us really knew what t' do with somebody that had practically ruled the school with an iron fist..."

"Yeah...we were all just sitting there, staring and saying nothing for about five minutes." Sunset stated. "I remember that, for a while, the only sounds we could hear were the long, sucking sounds we were making from drinking our shakes." Holding up her cards again, she then added, "Good thing Pinkie decided to break the ice when she got out her card collection to show me."

"Ah'm still not sure how she managed to fit forty-seven binders in her backpack like that..." the farm girl commented.

Sunset then continued, saying, "She showed me all of the different cards that she had collected, and even taught me about the card game. After that, she helped me build my first Deck, and we all played a couple of rounds with each other. It took me a while, but after a couple of games, I finally got the hang of it... I even managed to beat all of you eventually."

"Yeah, y'all sure picked up on it quite fast, Sunset." complimented Applejack. "Ah also remember that it was the first time Ah saw ya havin' such a pleasant smile on your face."

"Yeah, I know... I remember that we were all having such a good time that night, that - for a brief moment, I had forgotten about what had happened earlier." the yellow girl informed her friend. "Up until then, I never thought that I'd ever want to make any friends... But you were all willing to give me a chance and help me to be a better person." Looking at her Deck again, she added, "Who would've thought that it would all start with something as simple as a friendly card game?"

Applejack chuckled a bit. "Ah know what ya mean." she told her friend. "Ah sure didn't see it comin' either. But when ya think about it, when you're tryin' to make a new friend it helps to start with somethin' small and work your way up from there."

"I suppose that makes sense." Sunset said as she put her cards away and picked up the blanket that Applejack had brought with her. "Well, it's getting late... We'd better get to sleep so that we can get up early for school."

"Yeah, good idea." the farm girl agreed, heading for the door. "G'night Sunset."

"Good night, Applejack." After the orange girl left the room, Sunset gave out a deep yawn as she pulled the blankets over her body and switched off the small light sitting on the small table next to her. She then closed her eyes and fell asleep...

About two hours later, though it seemed like an instant to her, Sunset Shimmer's eyes opened wide, but when she looked around, she saw that she wasn't in the guest bedroom of Applejack's house anymore. She appeared to be standing on a large cliff, with a long, narrow path that extended out from it, zigzagging ahead into a dark, cloudy haze.

(Where...where am I?) she asked herself in her head. Looking down, she noticed something else strange. "Wha-what am I wearing?!" she asked when she looked at the outfit that she was now donning: They appeared to be some sort of ceremonial robes from an ancient society - all white in color, with a long cloth draped over the front of the skirt that had an emblem printed upon it. Sunset was surprised to find that the emblem looked just like the item that she had bought from Zecora, which she was still wearing around her neck.

"What's going on here??" she then asked. "What is this place?" She looked around, glancing at all of the emptiness around her.

"...Come...come..."

Sunset's head jerked forward when she heard a strange voice ahead of her. "Who said that??" she asked, getting a bit worried. "Who's there?!"

"...Come...come..."

The voice just continued to speak to her, and Sunset figured out that if she was going to find the source of the voice, she'd have to go and see it for herself. Still not sure if she was making the right decision, Sunset Shimmer carefully walked along the narrow path, following the voice into the dark fog ahead of her. When she got to the end of the path, she looked up and gave out a slightly terrified gasp...

Right there in front of her, there was a giant double-door gate that seemed to be taller than any skyscraper in Canterlot City. Large chains wrapped tightly around the doors, and an eerie, evil-looking face was emblazoned upon it, having glowing yellow eyes and one large mouth with many, many sharp teeth in it. On the center of the gate was a small hole, which had been put on the top of the door face's mouth.

"Sweet Celestia..." said the young teenager, mouth agape. Noticing the way the door looked, she then asked herself, "How does Pinkie guess these things right on the dot...?"

"You have finally come, I see..." said the low, booming voice, which appeared to either be coming from behind the door...or possibly from the door itself. "I have been waiting for you... You who holds the Emperor's Key..."

"Emperor's Key...?" asked Sunset. Holding up the trinket she was wearing, she then inquired, "You mean this thing?"

"Yes..." the voice replied. "I have waited long for this day to come... The day that I am opened at last..."

"Woah, hold on a sec... You expect me to OPEN you?" asked the girl. "Sorry, buddy...but whenever I see large doors with big demon faces on them, I tend to stay as far away from them as possible."

"Then listen to this..." the door told her. "I happen to know what it is that you desire the most..."

"What I...desire most?" asked Sunset. "What do you mean?"

"I know many things that you wish to have..." the voice answered her. "And I can grant you those wishes... All you have to do is open me with the key around your neck..."

"Are...are you telling the truth?" asked the girl.

But the voice did not answer the question and simply told her, "Come... Open the door... Do it, and you'll gain new strength... However, you'll lose what you hold most important...!"

Sunset wasn't sure what it meant by that. "New strength...?" she asked herself. "Lose what I hold most important...?" She then chuckled weakly and thought, (Okay...now I KNOW I'm dreaming... I get it now; I probably have to open the door in order to wake up. The only thing I'll probably lose is a little sleep, that's all... At least, I hope that's the case...) Sunset then said to herself, "Well...I guess I don't have much of a choice... Dream or not, I'll probably never wake up unless I do this..."

The yellow girl then walked towards the door as it told her, "Do it... Open the door...and fulfill your destiny!"

Sunset took the necklace off and put it into her right hand. She then pulled back her arm and said to herself, "I really hope that I'm not doing something stupid right now..." Without wasting another moment, she thrust her hand forward and shoved the key into the hole in the door. Once she did, a bright light shot out of the hole as the chains around the door disintegrated.

Sunset trembled as she took her arm out of the giant keyhole and watched the double doors slowly open. As they did, an even more intense light began to emerge out from behind the gate. Before long, the area around the girl was bathed in the most powerful flash of light she had ever seen...if she COULD see anything at the moment. It was so bright, that it was impossible to make out anything in front of her.

Luckily, the light faded away as quickly as it came, and Sunset was able to open her eyes. When she did, she saw that she was now wearing her normal outfit instead of the strange robes she had on earlier. But that wasn't the strangest thing she saw: Sunset looked around herself and saw several small, square-shaped lights surrounding her in a large sphere. "What are these things...?" she asked. "There's so many... There must be about a hundred of them...!" She then reached up to touch them, but before she could make contact, all the light squares suddenly flew away from her, disappearing into the black void that she was floating in.

"Huh?? What just happened?!" she then asked, trembling a little. "What's going on?!? Someone explain what the hay's going on here...!!!!" she yelled, eyes closed tightly and her fists clenched.

Sunset Shimmer then opened her eyes again and gasped; she was now sitting upright, on a bed in a guest bedroom. She then realized that she was now back in Applejack's house. (Huh...? What happened...?) she asked herself. Looking around, she could see that she was indeed in the bedroom that she was staying in tonight. The area around her was quiet, with only the chirping of the nighttime crickets outside providing any sort of sound at all.

Holding her head, she then thought, (Woah. That...was WEIRD.) Turning the small lamp back on, she then added to her soliloquy, thinking, (What kind of whacko dream was that...? Maybe it was from the jumbo-size strawberry milkshake that Pinkie got for me at the flea market...) Just then, a small blinking light was caught by the corner of her eye. "Huh?" she asked out-loud, looking over towards the source of the sudden light.

The light was coming from the top of a small-sized antique writing desk. Sunset Shimmer walked over to the desk to see what it was. She then saw that the object was rectangular-shaped, but that wasn't all; the object seemed to be a card: A Duel Monsters card, based on the back design. But when the girl picked it up, she saw something peculiar about it...

"Huh? What the... This card's blank...!" she noted, looking at the image-less card she was holding in her right hand. "There's nothing on it... Why is that??"

Just then, a shadowy mist appeared around the blank card, which then surrounded Sunset Shimmer. When that happened, she began to feel very strangely. "Urk! Wh-what's going on...?!" she asked in distress. "My head...it hurts...!"

A voice, similar to the one that came from the door in her dream, began to speak to her in a menacing tone...

"Yes, Sunset Shimmer... Yes... Let the Number take hold..."

The girl heard the voice, but the sudden pain in her head kept her from thinking too much about it. "Who...who was that...? Where did it come from...?!" As she strained, a bizarre mark began flashing on the back of her right hand, which somewhat resembled the number 33.

The voice then spoke again, repeating, "Yes... Let the Number take hold..."

"Who is that...?!" she asked as she groaned. "What are you talking about?! Get outta my head...! Get outta my head!!"

After that last scream of hers, the necklace around her neck began to glow. As the glow began to get brighter, the mark that was appearing on her hand began fading away until it was gone completely. After that, the shadowy cloud went away as well, as did the intense migraine that Sunset had gotten. In but a few seconds, the bizarre phenomenon was over.

Sunset Shimmer began breathing heavier than ever, trying her best to recover from what had just happened...as well as trying to actually figure out what happened. "...What was THAT all about...?" she asked herself, completely perplexed. She then glanced at the card she had picked up earlier, and saw something that shocked her: There was now an image printed upon what was once a blank card. The card now had a black-colored frame, and its picture showed what appeared to be a floating fortress.

"Huh?? I could've sworn that this card was completely blank when I first saw it..." Sunset noted to herself. "Where did this picture come from?" She then read the name of the card, which was printed at the very top, above the artwork. "Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech..." she uttered. "Never heard of it..."

Just then, the girl could hear a knock on her door. "Sunset? Hey, Sunset!" shouted Applejack's voice. "Is everything okay in there?"

Upon hearing her friend's voice, she then said, "Uh, yeah! Everything's okay...!" As she did, Sunset quickly went to her backpack and grabbed her red deck box, opening it and putting away the card that she was holding inside of it.

"Are ya sure...?" asked Applejack. "Not t' pry, but Ah could've sworn I heard screamin' in there."

"Oh...uh...I...I had a bad dream, that's all!" she told her. "Nothing major...!"

For a moment, no one said anything. Then, the orange-skinned girl said, "Okay then...just wanted t' make sure y'all were okay, that's all... G'night, then."

"Uh, yeah... Good night, AJ." Sunset replied. As she climbed back into her bed, she continued to think about her bizarre dream, as well as the equally bizarre card that she had found... As Sunset Shimmer laid her head down on her pillow, something told her that this was only the beginning...

The next day came and progressed just like any other day: Sunset Shimmer and her closest friends made their way down the streets to get to Canterlot High School to attend another day of classes. As Sunset strolled down the hallways of the school, people took notice of her new piece of jewelry, complimenting the yellow-skinned girl on how nice it looked on her. Sunset appreciated the comments; it was definitely a nice change from what she had gotten from people several months ago, when the only looks she got were looks of pure contempt.

The day progressed normally for Sunset as she attended her classes for the day. This included Science class, where Applejack helped her to grow a beautiful flower using a special growth serum, and Home Economics - where today, a substitute teacher had to fill in for the day, and the substitute just so happened to be Pinkie Pie's mother. To this day, Sunset, along with her other friends, were unsure as to how Pinkie could have possibly come from a family like that, as Pinkie's mother - along with the rest of the family, were so very different from the hyper pink girl.

The school day eventually came to a close, and Sunset was just finishing up with Gym Class, the last class she had for the day. After a thorough shower, she changed back into her normal outfit and draped her new necklace around her neck after she was finished. She then sat down on the seat in front of her gym locker and reached into her purse, out of which she pulled her red deck box. She opened it and pulled out one of the cards inside: It was the card she found last night, the one that had previously been blank, but now had a picture upon it.

Taking a closer look at the card, Sunset Shimmer saw that all of the text was written in a bizarre language. She had remembered that, back when she was still the personal student of Princess Celestia in her own world, she had studied all sorts of different languages, many from lost civilizations. But the thing she found odd was that, although she had never seen such a language like the one that was on the card in her life, she could read it as if it were written in plain English.

"What's the deal with this card...?" she asked herself. "I know I've never seen writing like this before, but somehow, I can read it perfectly..." She then flashed back in her mind the events of last night, when she first found the card. "And what was up with that weird headache I got after I picked it up? It felt as if someone...or something, was trying to get into my head for some reason..." Looking at herself, she then added, "But...I don't think anything bad happened to me; I still feel like myself, both inside and out..." She then thought to herself, asking, (I wonder what my friends would say if I told them about it...? I'm not sure if-)

But Sunset's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of the locker room door opening. She quickly hid the strange card back in her deck box and put everything back in her purse, moments before she saw her friends walk inside to see her. "Hey, Sunnie! Hey Sunnie!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, hopping her way over to the red and yellow-haired girl excitedly.

"Oh, uh...hey guys!" said Sunset, trying to hide her worried feelings from her friends. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's been five minutes since the final bell, and you didn't come outta the locker room yet..." Rainbow Dash told her. "We were beginning to wonder if you got locked in the shower again..."

The red and yellow-haired girl huffed and told her cyan friend, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring that up again, Dash."

"Oh...er, sorry..." the rainbow-haired girl responded, rubbing the back of her head.

"Anyway," Applejack butted in to try and quickly change the subject, "just t' let y'all know, Sunset, everybody else is already out in the yard. We just didn't want ya t' miss out on what everybody's doin' out there."

Sunset's head perked up upon hearing that. "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, grabbing her purse from the bench that she was sitting on. "C'mon, girls, let's get going! We don't wanna miss out on the fun, do we?"

"Miss out on fun?" asked Pinkie Pie rhetorically. "Not a chance! Let's go!" The six of them then headed out of the locker room towards their next destination.

The six teenage girls made their way outside to the schoolyard after they each stopped by their lockers to grab their bags and other belongings. As they looked around, they saw many students standing out in the open fields in pairs. Every pair of students were facing each other and wearing some sort of silver-colored compact device on their arms. The device resembled a computer tablet, but in addition to a touchscreen mounted onto the arm, there was a tray coming out of the side of it with five blue and white spaces with red, downward-pointing triangles on each space. Underneath the tray was a small slot, and in the slot was a deck of Duel Monsters cards. Each student also wore a small lens over their left eyes that was placed upon their ears.

"Seems as though we've arrived just in time." said Rarity, looking around.

"Yep, looks like it." added Applejack. "Now that classes are done fer the day, everybody's already out duelin'."

"Awesome!" said Sunset, getting pumped up. "Time for me to get in there and show 'em what I've got!" She then looked around and asked, "Now...who's gonna be my first opponent...?"

"How about him?" asked Pinkie Pie, pointing to a teenage boy with jet-black skin and greyish-blue hair, in light and dark stripes. Like everyone else, he was wearing a similar device on his right arm.

"You mean Thunderlane?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking over at the boy.

"Yeah, I think he'll do just fine." said Sunset. She then walked over to Thunderlane and called to him, "Hey! Thunder!!"

The boy turned around to face the red and yellow-haired girl and asked, "Sunset Shimmer? What's up?"

"You don't look like you're doing anything right now." she noted. "You wanna duel me?"

"A Duel? Sure." Thunderlane replied with a slight smirk. He then took his Deck out and added, "I've gotta warn ya, Sunset, I've gotten better since the last time we've dueled."

The girl smirked a bit herself as she got out her own device (which was yellow in color as opposed to silver) from her backpack, along with her Deck and a lens similar to the ones that the others wore over their eyes. "You have, have you?" she asked him. "I suppose we'll see soon enough." Sunset Shimmer then placed the touch screen-like device on her right arm and said, "Activating Duel Pad!" Upon saying that, her device then deployed the same type of tray that had jutted out of the other students' devices. Next, she took the lens that she was holding and placed it over her left eye while saying, "Duel Gazer, activate!"

After both Sunset and Thunderlane put on their lenses, a haze engulfed the area around them for a brief moment. Everything around them still looked the same, except that the area had a slight greenish tint to it, and small colored screens were scattered all over the field. A computerized female-sounding voice then said, "AR Vision Link established."

Shortly afterwards, all of Sunset's friends got out their own lenses to place over their eyes. "We'd better get our Duel Gazers on so that we can watch Sunset's Duel." Applejack told them all. The five of them did just that, placing the gazers over their left eyes and switching them on.

"I must say, these devices are quite remarkable." stated Rarity. "They make the game look so realistic, it's beyond astounding!" The five them glanced around, switching their Gazers to different frequencies so as to take a peek at the other students' Duels as well. Warriors on horseback charged through the fields, kicking up divots in the ground,... Gigantic dragons flew across the skies... Powerful magicians casted all sorts of mighty spells... And for a short moment, a small, brown fluffball with green claws and large eyes floated right past Fluttershy, whose eyes sparkled upon seeing how adorable it was.

Sunset smirked and asked her opponent, "You ready to get this started?" she asked him.

"Born ready." Thunderlane simply replied. The two of them each drew their opening hands and shouted in unison:

"Let's Duel!"

Meanwhile, inside the high school, a faint but pleasant melody flowed from out of the Band Room. Inside the room were two students, who were among the few that weren't dueling outside. One of the students was sitting on a small stool, playing a cello with several blank music sheets in front of her. She had sepia-colored skin and long, dark brown hair that flowed down as far as her hip area. She had violet-colored eyes and wore a plain, white, buttoned shirt with a violet vest worn overtop of it, topped off with a pink bowtie. She wore a light pink skirt that had a picture of a lavender treble clef on it, along with a pair of black shoes and long, white socks.

The girl's name was Octavia Melody. Every day, after classes were over, she went over to the Band Room to work on new compositions. Usually, she went to the room by herself, but every now and again - such as today for instance, she would bring her friend Vinyl Scratch over to accompany her.

Vinyl had white skin, and wild, electric-blue hair in stripes of light and dark colors. She had red eyes, though most of the time, she wore a pair of black sunglasses with purple lenses over them, so they weren't always visible. She wore a white fleece jacket overtop of a shirt that was colored in white, blue, and cyan, complimented with a short, white skirt with a black beamed eighth note printed upon it. Under the skirt, she wore short pants that were magenta-colored with several purple lightning bolts decorating them on each leg. She also had on a pair of sneakers that were mostly blue, with teal stars on the fronts of the tongues, white velcro straps, white soles, and other markings that were either purple or teal in color. She also wore a pair of fingerless gloves on each of her hands, and had a pair of white and teal headphones around her neck.

Octavia played a few notes on her cello at a slow pace before stopping and jotting down the notes on the blank music sheet in front of her. "Hmmm...yes, I think that would sound very good..." she hummed to herself.

Vinyl, who was slumping down on the seat that she was sitting on, groaned and asked in a whining tone, "Taaaaaviiiiii...! How much longer is this gonna take...??"

The sepia girl sighed and told her, "If you continue to complain about it, Vinyl, it will be much longer than it needs to be... Now would you stop whining and let me concentrate?"

"But I'm BOOOOOORRRRRRED!!! And HUNGRRRRRRRYYY...!!" the blue-haired teen complained, groaning even louder.

Octavia grumbled a bit under her breath, clearly becoming more frustrated by her friend's griping. She then asked her, "Well then why don't you go and get something from one of the vending machines for us both instead of sitting here and moaning?"

"Ugh, fine... Anything t' get out of here for a while..." Vinyl responded. She then got up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Octavia sighed and asked herself, "Why do I even bother bringing Vinyl here...? All she ever does is whine and complain while I'm trying to do my work." Taking another deep sigh, she added, "At least I'll have a few minutes of peace while she goes to the vending machines..." She was then about to go back to playing her cello when she noticed a small piece of blank paper on the ground nearby where Vinyl was sitting. "What's that...?" she asked, getting up and walking over to it. Looking at the paper closely, she then groaned a little and hypothesized, "Must be a piece of trash or something... Vinyl probably left it behind, I'll wager; she seems to conveniently forget how to use a refuse bin every so often."

Octavia then picked up the paper, and felt something weird about it. It was made of too sturdy a material to be a candy bar wrapper, though it wasn't as tough as say, cardboard. Rather, it was somewhere in the middle. "Odd..." she muttered to herself again. "Where could this have come from...?"

Just then, a shadowy cloud appeared around the piece of paper, which then surrounded Octavia herself. She gasped and began to hold her head while groaning in pain. "Uuuuugh...what...what's going...on?" she asked, straining, "Why am I getting such a bad headache...?"

The sepia-skinned teen then heard a sinister voice inside of her head. "Yes, Octavia..." it said to her. "Let the Number take hold..."

"...N-Number...? What are you-?" But before she could finish her sentence, the shadowy cloud around her grew bigger. She then let out a scream as the fog dispersed all over the room, eventually dissipating. Octavia fell to her hands and knees, breathing heavily after the whole ordeal. However, several things had changed: The blank paper now had an image upon it, showing a black frame with a picture of an armored man wearing a purple cape.

That wasn't all; Octavia then slowly opened her eyes - which now looked somewhat empty, and instead of having their usual violet color, they were now bright red. She also seemed to be scowling a little, as if something or someone had angered her. As she growled a little to herself, a mark then appeared on the base of her neck, which looked similar to the number 80.

Just then, Vinyl had returned, carrying a cherry soda and a bag of chips for herself, and a granola bar for her friend. "I'm back, Tavi..." she said to Octavia as she set the food and drink items down on a nearby desk. Pulling up a chair next to the desk, she then sat down backwards on it and groaned, saying, "Alright, let's get this overwith already... I wanna do something that's a lot more interesting sometime today..."

Octavia's glowing eyes shifted towards Vinyl, then over to her cello. "Oh...you do not believe that my music is interesting at all, do you, Vinyl?" she asked in a low, slightly menacing tone.

"Sure don't." the blue-haired girl answered. "No offense, but I'd rather watch paint dry instead."

The sepia-colored teen then chuckled softly and replied, saying, "Well then, in that case...perhaps I might know of a way to make things...a lot more interesting for you..." She then grabbed the neck of the cello with both hands and picked it up, all the while keeping that sinister look on her face...

Back outside, the Duel between Thunderlane and Sunset Shimmer was still going on. Thunderlane was doing pretty well, but Sunset was doing much better (Thunderlane: LP 1,000) (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,300). The jet-black teen sweated a little, wondering what his opponent was going to do next.

"My turn. I draw!" said the red-and-yellow girl as she took a card off the top of her Deck. She then looked at it and said, "Here's where it all ends, Thunder! I Summon Chronomaly Crystal Skull from my hand in Attack Mode!" After playing her card, a large, shiny human skull appeared in front of her (Chronomaly Crystal Skull: Level 3 / ATK 900 / DEF 600), sitting right next to another of her monsters, which appeared to be a shiny skeleton, minus the head (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400).

"Lookit that!" said Applejack, pointing to the field. "Sunset's got two monsters with the same Level on her side of the field!"

"Alright!! She's setting up her favorite move!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, nudging her head in between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "Go for it, Sunnie!!"

Sunset Shimmer looked over at her pink friend and nodded to say that she would. She then declared to Thunderlane, "I overlay my Level 3 Crystal Skull and Crystal Bones to create an Overlay Network!" After she made that announcement, her two monsters then transformed into a pair of bright yellow lights that flew into a red, spiral-shaped portal. "I Xyz Summon Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut!!" she said, finishing her move.

Out of the red portal, a flash of light suddenly burst out, revealing itself as a human-like figure clad in purple armor with wings on its back and a single mirror on its chest area. Swirling around this new monster were two yellow balls of light (Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut: Rank 3 / ATK 2100 / DEF 1000 / OLU 2).

"A-an Xyz Monster?!" stuttered Thunderlane, knowing that he was in trouble now.

"Alright! Sunset got that special monster of hers onto the field now!" noted Rainbow Dash with a smirk.

"She used those two Level 3 monsters of hers to call out an Xyz Monster with an equal Rank from her Extra Deck." Rarity added. "Now she has a much more powerful monster to fight with."

"And best of all, those two monsters she used to Summon it don't get sent to the Graveyard right away!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "They instead become Overlay Units that help support her new monster!"

Sunset Shimmer then smirked and shouted, "Go, Crystal Chrononaut! Attack him directly!!" And with that order, Sunset's Xyz Monster leapt forward and delivered a devastating punch straight towards Thunderlane.

"ACK!!!" the boy grunted as the punch knocked away his remaining Life Points, ending the Duel in Sunset's victory (Thunderlane: LP 1,000 - 2,100 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).

"Yeah!!! Way to go, Sunset!!" cheered Rainbow Dash, throwing a few air punches.

"Way to go...!" Fluttershy meekly added.

The red and yellow-haired girl gave a hearty thumbs-up to her friends before glancing back over to Thunderlane. "Looks like I've won again, Thunder." she told him. "But it was pretty close; it could've been either one of us."

"Eh, you're just sayin' that." the boy replied. "You whupped me and you know it." He then got up and told her, "But it ain't gonna happen next time! I'll be back with an even better Deck, and I'll duel you again!"

"Heh. I'm looking forward to it." Sunset told him as he left the area.

Sunset's friends then ran up to her to congratulate her on her victory. "Very well played, Sunset." Rarity complimented. "That was a most excellent victory!"

"Yeah! Thunderlane didn't even know what hit him!" added Rainbow Dash.

"Whaddya mean, Dashie? Of course he knew what hit him!" Pinkie Pie argued. "He got hit by a big, purple fist!"

"Ugh, that's not what I meant by... Oh, never mind." the cyan girl said, not wanting to get into another confusing argument with Pinkie.

Sunset Shimmer chuckled a little and said to her friends, "Thanks, girls. I really appreciate the support." Looking at her Deck, she added, "Especially since it was thanks to all of you that I was able to finish this Deck. I don't think I would've been able to complete it all by myself."

"It was our pleasure, Sugarcube." stated Applejack with a smile. "It took a real long time t' get all the cards needed for it, but Ah think it was well worth the effort, don't y'all agree?"

"Sure do." agreed Rainbow. "I mean after all, Sunset hasn't lost a Duel ever since she started usin' that Deck!"

"So, um...who are you going to play against next?" Fluttershy then asked the red and yellow-haired girl.

"Well..." Sunset began as she looked around for a new opponent. But before she could say another word...

"...AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

The six girls suddenly heard someone screaming nearby. "What was that??" asked Rarity.

"Sounded like it came from over there..." Applejack replied, pointing towards the soccer field.

The other girls looked over and saw someone running towards them, flailing her arms hysterically. The girl appeared to be another student. She had pale yellow skin much like Fluttershy, and had medium-length, dark red hair. In her hair, she wore a rose flower off to the side, and her eyes were green, matching the color of her dress.

"Isn't that Roseluck?" asked Fluttershy.

"Looks like her..." said Rainbow Dash. "What's got her all worked up this time?"

"Let's go and see." Sunset suggested. The group ran over to the screaming girl to see what was going on.

Once they got in front of the apparently terrified student, Applejack waved her arms to try and get her to stop. "Hey, Roseluck!!" the farm girl shouted. "Over here! Stop!!"

The scared girl immediately noticed the people in front of her and stopped in front of them all. "Applejack? Is that you?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's me." the orange girl answered. "What's up? Y'all look like you've seen a ghost..."

"Well, it wasn't a ghost...but I was scared of something." Roseluck told her. "That's why I was screaming and running as fast as I could: To get away from it...!"

"What do you mean?" asked Sunset Shimmer, walking up. "What's 'it'?"

"Well..." Roseluck began, "I was walking down the hall after taking care of some things in the Agricultural Department... I passed by the Band Room when I heard something inside; it sounded like something crashed..."

"Crashed?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Roseluck nodded before continuing her explanation. "I went to look, but before I could, I could hear someone screaming, 'No! Stop! Don't hurt me!' Then after that, I heard more crashing sounds! I was so terrified by what I had heard, I ran away as fast as I could... But I know that something horrible is happening in there!!" The scared girl then ran off, continuing to distance herself as far away from the school as possible.

The other six girls looked at each other, a bit shocked by what they heard. "What do you suppose could be going on in the Band Room?" Rarity asked her friends.

"It's probably nothing..." thought Rainbow Dash. "Roseluck freaks out over almost everything, though not as much as Lily does... I'm pretty sure it's nothin' to worry about."

"Well, we should go and see, just to be totally sure." Sunset recommended.

"Sounds good t' me." Applejack agreed. "Let's go!" The six girls then left the yard and ran back into the school to see what had scared Roseluck so much.

The group of friends zigzagged their way through the halls in search of the Band Room. "There it is!" shouted Pinkie Pie, pointing at the door ahead and to the right of them. Once they got in front of the door, they could indeed hear smashing sounds from inside.

"Did y'all hear that, gals?" asked Applejack. "Somethin's getting smashed in there...!"

"Or maybe even someONE..." added Dash.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy whimpered, trembling a little. "I-I don't think I want to know what's going on in there..."

Just then, a scream was heard from behind the door. "No!! Stop it!! Cut it out!!!" it shouted.

"That voice!" exclaimed Sunset. "That was Vinyl Scratch! She must be in trouble!" The red and yellow girl didn't hesitate for one second before opening the door. But nothing could prepare them for what they saw next...

On the floor, beside several knocked-over chairs, was Vinyl (minus her shades), trembling and displaying a look of pure fear. In front of her was her friend, Octavia...but you wouldn't be able to tell that they were friends if you hadn't seen them before now. In Octavia's hands was her cello, but she was holding it by the neck, hoisting the larger end of it into the air. There were some scratches on the instrument - which, along with the way that she was holding it, safely suggested that she wasn't using it for music right now.

Octavia, with a crazed, angry look upon her face, swung her cello down, aiming it straight towards Vinyl, who dove out of the way just in time to avoid it. "Tavi!! Stop it!!" she pleaded. "What're ya doing?! Have you gone crazy?!?"

The sepia-skinned girl glanced at her with eerie red eyes and told her in an intimidatingly low voice, "What's wrong, Vinyl...? You wanted my music to be more interesting, didn't you...? I'm just granting your wish!" She then swung the instrument again, missing Vinyl by a hair.

"This ain't what I meant by that!!" the blue-haired girl screamed. "If this is about me bothering you while you're working, I'm sorry already!!"

"You had your chance to be sorry..." Octavia told her in a menacing tone. "Now, you're about to be sorry for a whole different reason!" She then raised her cello up into the air to strike Vinyl again; the blue-haired girl looked for a way out, but couldn't find one. "Now...tell me, Vinyl..." the sepia girl began to ask, "do you think my music is boring NOW?!"

"No!! Don't!!" the poor girl pleaded, closing her eyes and raising her hands to shield her face as Octavia swung the instrument down.

THUD!

Vinyl whimpered with fear before she realized that she hadn't been struck. "Whuh...huh??" She then opened her eyes and moved her hands away. When she looked up towards Octavia, she gasped when she saw why the musical instrument-turned weapon didn't hit her: Sunset Shimmer had quickly stepped in-between the two of them and caught the cello in mid-swing. "S-Sunset Shimmer?!" she asked in surprise.

Octavia growled a bit when she saw the red and yellow girl in front of her, preventing her from doing the unthinkable.

Sunset glanced down at Vinyl and asked her, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine... Thanks to you." the blue-haired girl told her.

Sunset's friends were flabbergasted by what had happened in front of them. "Okay...just t' be clear here: Y'all saw what Ah saw, right? My eyes ain't playin' tricks on me, right?" asked Applejack.

"If they are, then all of our eyes are playing tricks on us, then..." Rarity informed her.

"Y'know what?" began Pinkie Pie. "You can keep that from happening if you just walk around with your eyes closed for a really long time. Your eyes can't play tricks on you if they can't see anything, right?"

"Wait, what...?" asked a confused Applejack.

Getting back to the topic on-hand, Fluttershy then asked her friends, "W-what's going on...? Why is Octaiva attacking Vinyl like that? I thought they were friends..."

"Yeah, they're supposed to be!" added the pink-skinned girl. "I mean, sure; they argue a whole lot, but it's been specifically established in the fandom that Vinyl and Octavia are besties!"

"What? 'Fandom'? What're you talkin' about...?" asked Dash, scratching her head.

Sunset then posed a question similar to Fluttershy's to Octaiva. "Octavia, what on earth are you doing?!" she asked her. "Vinyl's your friend! And last time I checked, using your cello as a club to attack her isn't something that a friend would do."

"This is none of your business, Ms. Shimmer..." snarled the sepia teen. "This is between me and Vinyl, so make yourself scarce right this second!"

"Not gonna happen." the red and yellow girl told her. "When somepon-er, somebody starts attacking someone else for no reason, it kind of becomes my business... So I'm not budging from this spot anytime soon!"

"You annoying little..." Octavia growled. She then groaned and held her head in pain. As she did, the 80 mark on her neck began glowing again.

Sunset noticed the mark and thought, (What's that...? I've never seen that mark on Octavia the last time I saw her... Yet, why does it look so familiar?)

Octavia then began to hear strange voices in her head. "...Duel... Duel..." it said. "...Take the Number..."

The voice, as well as the sudden migraine, suddenly vanished from the sepia-skinned girl, who stared straight towards Sunset Shimmer with a fierce expression on her face that was complimented by her glowing red eyes. "Well, it seems quite clear to me that you won't leave no matter what I say to you, am I wrong?" she then asked Sunset. The red and yellow girl shook her head no to say that she wasn't moving an inch. "In that case, perhaps we can settle this dispute in a different manner..." the cello-wielding teen suggested. "How about we have a Duel?"

"A...Duel?" asked Sunset, a bit surprised.

"Indeed." Octavia confirmed. "If you win, I'll leave Vinyl alone. If I win, you are to leave immediately."

(She can't possibly be serious about this...) thought the girl in the black jacket. She then looked at Octavia again and added to her thoughts, pondering, (Something doesn't seem right here...besides the fact that Octavia's attacking her best friend. It kinda feels like there's something else to all of this...) As she pondered, the strange symbol on Octavia's neck began glowing again. (And I'll bet that mark on her might have something to do with it...)

"So...what will it be?" asked the sepia girl with a sneer.

Sunset grumbled a little, but figured that she had no other real options right now. (I could just go and tell Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna about this...) she thought, (but I don't wanna leave Vinyl here alone with her...I guess I'll have to take her up on her offer, then.) The red and yellow girl then shouted to Octavia, "Alright, then. I'll agree to your terms. But don't expect an easy win, Octy!"

The sepia-skinned girl put her cello aside and chuckled, saying to her adversary, "Accepting my challenge will be your last and greatest mistake, Sunset Shimmer..."

But Sunset paid no heed to Octavia's threatening words as she prepped herself for another Duel. "Activating Duel Pad!" she shouted as the device on her arm unfolded its card tray once again. Sunset then got her Duel Gazer and put it over her left eye and said, "Duel Gazer, activate!"

Octavia smirked wickedly as she activated her Duel Pad and Duel Gazer. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the surrounding area projected in front of the eyes of everyone wearing a Duel Gazer, which, at this point, was everyone in the room now. Everyone watched as the two girls began their battle, not sure what would happen after it was all over...

-- To Be Continued...

RANK 13: Cooking Up Trouble:

Author's Note

Here it is: Rank 13! This Rank is the first one to feature original characters that not of my own creation. One of these two characters was requested by someone several months ago. The other is one that many of us fans are quite familiar with already, but you'll have to read on to see who they are.

As for the person who requested to be included, thank you for helping me come up with this idea for the episode. I'm not sure if I depicted your character exactly as you intended (in fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't), but I hope you'll like what I decided to go with.

RANK 13: Cooking Up Trouble:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Several months ago, Sunset had inadvertently released a mighty, yet dangerous power upon her world. They are known as the Number cards, and are thought to have originated from another universe known as the Astral World. Though Sunset and her friends have done their best to contain the Numbers, their battles are growing more difficult with each Duel they fight. In addition, Sunset Shimmer believes that there are others out there seeking the Number Cards, such as the mysterious Duelist called "The Doctor", also known as the "Number Hunter".

Luckily, Sunset and her friends received more support when Twilight Sparkle, a Princess from Sunset's home world, arrived to lend a hand. Having obtained a Number card of her own - Number 39: Utopia - the Princess of Friendship is determined to help in any way she can. To aid her, Sunset and the others have offered to teach her how to play Duel Monsters in order to prepare Twilight for the tough battles ahead.

Twilight is determined to master the card game in order to help her otherworldly friends. She has devoted much of her time learning the rules and studying up on the exploits of other famous Duelists in order to refine her own skills. And as anyone who knows Twilight well can tell you, her study sessions are often an adventure in itself...

It was late Tuesday night in the city of Canterlot. Though many lights were shining brightly and cars still whizzed down the streets, most of the city's residents had already gone to sleep for the night. This also included the residents of the apartment building on S. Jump Street. Everyone in the building, including the landlord, Manny Roar, had gone to bed in order to rest up for the next day. All that is, except for one person...

In apartment 14 - the room that belonged to Sunset Shimmer - the red and yellow girl was sleeping soundly in her large bed when a slight noise stirred her awake. "Uhhhn... whuh...?" she groaned groggily as her eyes barely opened up. Letting out a huge yawn, she slowly got up and looked around, but couldn't find the source of the noise. This led her to believe that it was coming from somewhere else besides the bedroom. Not only that, Sunset noticed something else that was peculiar: The other side of the bed was unoccupied. Normally, this wasn't anything unusual, as Sunset usually lived by herself. But this time, she had a guest staying with her for a while, so it was a little strange in this particular case.

"Huh...? She didn't come to bed yet?" Sunset asked herself. "What's she doing...?" The otherworldly girl walked over to her bedroom door and opened it, heading into the living room. The room was almost pitch-black, save for the bright light that was coming from the flat-screen television set hooked up to the back wall. "Why is the TV still on? I thought I turned it off..." But when she glanced over at the L-shaped sofa in front of the TV, she got her answer when she saw someone sitting there, watching the screen intently.

Having a good idea as to who it was, Sunset walked over to the sofa, towards the person sitting there. "Twilight? You're still awake?" she asked her.

The girl that was sitting there watching the TV was indeed Twilight Sparkle, Sunset's friend from her original home world. When she noticed that the red and yellow girl was standing beside her, the young Princess took the TV's remote control and clicked the PAUSE button. "Sunset? Is that you?" she asked. She then told her friend, "I... I'm sorry if I woke you up with what I was doing... I didn't mean to."

"Eh, don't worry... It's not a big deal, really." Sunset told her. "I was just a little bit surprised to see you still up. You DO know we have school tomorrow, right?"

"I know." Twilight replied. "I kinda lost track of time while looking over these recordings. Don't worry, though; it happens a lot more often than you'd think, especially when I REALLY get involved with my studies."

"Studies? What are you studying...?" asked Sunset as Twilight clicked the remote again, prompting the TV to continue playing the program that the purple-skinned girl was watching. She looked over towards the TV as well to see what it was that Twilight was watching. Once she got a look at it, Sunset knew exactly what her royal friend was studying up on.

"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi!" said the voice of a teenage boy with short brown hair as he stared menacingly at his opponent from across a gigantic arena.

But the other person, another teenage boy - this one with very spiky hair - smiled confidently and spoke back to him, saying, "My Grandpa's Deck HAS no pathetic cards, Kaiba!" He then drew the top card of his Deck and added, "But it DOES contain... the unstoppable Exodia!!"

"Exodia?!? I-i-it's not POSSIBLE!!" Kaiba protested out of shock and horror. "No one's ever been able to call HIM!!!"

But it seemed that was no longer true at the time, as a large figure began to emerge from out of a five-pointed star that materialized onto the field. First the right leg, then the left, and then both the right and left arms, and ending with the head and body. The creature was known as Exodia the Forbidden One, the original undefeatable creature.

*******************************

Exodia the Forbidden One
(Effect Monster/Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000)

If you have "Right Leg of the Forbidden One", "Left Leg of the Forbidden One", "Right Arm of the Forbidden One" and "Left Arm of the Forbidden One" in addition to this card in your hand, you win the Duel.

*******************************

The creature known as Exodia stared down a trio of large, white dragons on the opposing field. But as big as those dragons were, Exodia's intimidating size dwarfed them easily. Its controller, Yugi, then declared to his monster, "Exodia... OBLITERATE!!!" And with that order, Exodia threw a gigantic fireball at all three of the dragons, destroying them all in one blow and ending the Duel.

"This... Is this from my collection of old dueling videos? The ones I saved onto my DVR?" Sunset asked Twilight, even though she already knew that's what they were.

"Mhmm." the young Princess replied. "I got the idea after we visited that museum a while ago. I thought it would be a good idea to see how other people played the game and observe how they dueled. That way, I could use that information to refine my own skills."

"I see..." the red and yellow girl replied, understanding what Twilight was doing. After all, she had done the same thing back when she was still learning how to play Duel Monsters. "But, how did you learn how to use my DVR?" Sunset then asked. "I know I hadn't told you how to use it yet..."

"Spike showed me." Twilight quickly replied.

"Ah." Sunset responded. Since Twilight and Spike had come back to this world, the little dragon-turned-puppy had been glued to the television set, often while Sunset and Twilight were in school. So it was understandable that he would have learned how to work the controls by this point. "So this is what you've been doing since we got back from school today?" she then asked Twilight.

"That's right." the purple-skinned girl answered. "I've been watching these with an expert eye, trying to get as much information as possible. I've already looked through all of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City so far; I'm planning to check some of the others next, like the KC Grand Championship, the Genex Tournament, the Fortune Cup, the World Racing Grand Prix..."

"Woah, woah, woah... slow down a bit, Twilight!" Sunset interrupted her. "I hope you're not planning on watching all of those tonight!"

"Knowing her as well as I do," said a sleepy Spike, sitting next to an empty popcorn bowl with his eyes half-open, "she probably would've tried to if you let her." Twilight rubbed the back of her head in response, knowing that her companion was probably right about that.

Sunset sighed a little to herself and smiled before telling her friend, "Twilight, I think I know why you've been watching these videos so much; you're nervous about competing in a Duel again, right?"

The young Princess sighed and asked, "Was it really that obvious...?"

The red and yellow girl nodded and told her, "I was pretty nervous about my first real Duel too... So nervous, that I spent an entire night just watching all of these videos, just like you're doing right now... The next day, I was so sleepy, I fell asleep standing right in front of my locker. When I woke up, I had fallen inside of it and had only five minutes to get to my next class..." Sunset then chuckled a little to herself after recalling that moment.

Twilight blushed a little, trying to hold back a chuckle of her own after hearing what her friend had said. "I'm sorry, Sunset..." she replied. "Really, I didn't mean to worry you, it's just... well, I want to make sure that I can be of help to you and the others with this whole Number card business, that's all."

"I understand completely." Sunset assured her. "Believe me. But you don't need to be so worried about it all. I know you'll do just fine the next time you Duel someone."

"How can you be so sure about that?" asked the purple girl.

"I just have faith in you, that's all. There's nothing else to it." Sunset answered. "Trust me, I wouldn't have asked you to help us if I didn't think you could do it. After all, you've done all sorts of amazing things both here and back in Equestria; stuff that nopony else would have even attempted! In fact, if it wasn't for you, I'd still be a total jerk to everyone around me... That's how I know that you'll be a big help in recovering the rest of the Numbers." She then smiled and added, "My friends and I have faith in you; you just need to have in faith in yourself."

"...Princess Celestia said something like that to me when I was still her student." Twilight recalled.

"I know. She told me the same thing." the red and yellow girl told her with a slight nod.

The young Princess said nothing for a while, thinking about everything that Sunset had said to her so far. After contemplating about it all for a while, Twilight formed a smile and stated, "You're right, Sunset. Worrying about it isn't going to do me any good; it won't help me right now, nor will it help me when I Duel... I just have to have believe in myself and have the courage to take care of this... After all, I did the same when my friends and I faced off against Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, and all of the other enemies we've dealt with so far; as far as I'm concerned, this situation isn't any different."

"Exactly. That's the attitude you've got to have with every Duel you fight." Sunset told her. "And don't forget; your friends will always be there to support you, especially when things get tough. But then, I suppose I don't really need to tell you that; you probably already knew."

"I do." Twilight replied. "But thanks for reminding me; I feel a lot better knowing that."

"Anytime, Twilight." Sunset replied. Looking at a nearby clock, she then told her friend, "We'd better get to sleep. We need to be up bright and early tomorrow."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right about that." the young Princess stated as she turned off the TV. After that, the two of them headed for the bedroom and hopped into bed, ready to get some rest for tomorrow. "Good night, Sunset." Twilight told her.

"Good night, Twilight..." Sunset replied with a yawn, drifting off to sleep along with her roommate.

Not long after they went to sleep, however, a voice could be heard from the living room again: "Bad boys, bad boys... Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you..."

Groaning, Sunset Shimmer sat up and shouted, "Spike! Could you turn that down?!"

"Alright, fine! You don't hafta yell!" the small puppy shouted back as he did what she told him to do.

The next day, at Canterlot High School, Pinkie Pie had just pulled her pink car into the school's parking lot and stepped out through the driver's side door. After she had gotten out of the car, Sunset and Twilight stepped out from the back of the vehicle, shutting the car doors behind them. The all-pink girl stretched her arms and took a deep breath, saying, "Well girls, I've got a feeling that today's gonna be super-special-awesome!"

"Uh... 'Super-special-awesome'?" asked Sunset. "You've been saying that a lot lately... Where'd you hear that?"

"I dunno. Something on the Internet, I think." Pinkie replied. "I thought it sounded catchy, so I started saying it myself!"

"Well, as long as you're happy with it, I guess." Twilight told her, chuckling a little. She then asked Sunset, "So, remind me: What's our first class today?"

"Home Economics." the red and yellow girl answered her. "With Ms. Mulia Mild."

"Mulia?" asked Twilight. "I know her! Or really, I know the one that's in my world. She's a baker back in Equestria, and she once made an entire moose statue out of-"

"Chocolate Mousse?" Pinkie guessed.

"Um... yeah, that's right!" the young Princess confirmed. "How'd you know, Pinkie? Another lucky hunch?" The silly pink girl nodded yes vigorously. "So... she's the Home Economics teacher, I see..." Twilight observed. "I suppose that does make sense; I bet her students could cook some really good food with her instructing them!"

"You bet, Twilight." Sunset replied with a nod. "In fact, I've heard that some of the best chefs and bakers in town all started out as her students."

"That's amazing..." said Twilight. "To have generations of famous cooks resting on your shoulders like that... I hope I can be that much of an inspiration to everypony back home..."

"Aren't you already?" asked the red and yellow girl. "You ARE the Princess of Friendship, after all."

"I can always be better, right?" the young Princess inquired right back. Sunset smiled and nodded to say that she had a point.

As they walked towards the front entrance, the three girls heard people cheering nearby. "Huh? Where's that coming from?" asked Sunset.

"Sounded like it came from beside the building..." Twilight hypothesized. The three of them ran off towards the left side of the school to see what the commotion was all about. They didn't have to look far to see a small crowd of students huddled around two others. It then became apparent that those two students were participating in a Duel.

"Oh wowee!!" cheered Pinkie Pie, hopping continuously into the air in excitement. "There's a Duel going on! There's a Duel going on!!"

"A Duel? This early in the morning?" asked Twilight.

"It happens more often than you think." Sunset replied as she pulled out her Duel Gazer. "After all, we've gotta have something to do before classes begin."

"Makes sense, I guess." stated Twilight as she, too, got out her Gazer. After the three girls put their lenses on, the purple-skinned girl then asked, "So, who are they? The two people dueling, that is."

"Well, the girl on the left with the lavender skin and swirly light-blue hair is Lilac Hearts. She's a member of the school's Drama Club!" Pinkie answered her, pointing to the female student that was dueling. The girl also wore a simple blue dress with an emblem of three small hearts imprinted on the chest area. On her side of the field was a serpentine dragon with red and white scales, fins on the back of its head, a tail made up of green feathers, and a face that gave it the appearance of wearing a mask (Kabuki Dragon: Level 6 / ATK 2300 / DEF 2100).

"I see..." the purple teen acknowledged. "Why does her hair look similar to Rarity's?"

"Because Rarity gave her some hair beauty tips some time ago, that's why." Sunset answered. "If it weren't for the fact that their hair and skin colors were different, you'd think they were clones of each other."

Twilight giggled a little after hearing that. "What about the boy?" She then asked her inter-dimensional friend, pointing to the other Duelist. The boy, who seemed to be around the same age as Apple Bloom and her friends, had orange-colored skin and aqua-green eyes. His hair was cut short, but a bit on the wild side, colored red and blue. He wore a red, short-sleeved shirt with a ladle printed upon it, along with a pair of tan shorts and white sneakers. On his field was a large, three-headed wolf with blue fur and silver armor, standing on its hind legs (Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1500).

"Him?" asked Sunset. "That's Shining Spoon. He's actually in our Home Ec. class, so we'll be seeing him a bit later."

"Oh, I see." Twilight replied as the two of them joined the crowd to watch the rest of the Duel.

The boy, Shining Spoon, said to his opponent, "It's my turn. I draw!" (Shining Spoon: LP 3,900) (Lilac Hearts: LP 1,200) After looking at it, he then played it, saying, "I activate the Equip Spell Junk Barrage on Blue Sirius!"

*******************************

Junk Barrage
(Equip Spell Card)

When the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the destroyed monster's ATK in the Graveyard.

*******************************

After he played the card, an immense power flowed over his powerful Synchro Monster. Lilac stepped back a bit, shaking a little. "Oh no... My dragon and my Life Points are done for...!" she said in despair.

Pointing ahead, Shining Spoon then declared, "Go! Blue Sirius!! Attack Kabuki Dragon with your Wolf's Fang!!" The large blue wolf howled loudly as it rushed towards Lilac's dragon and clamped its three sets of fangs on it. The dragon roared in pain as it shattered to pieces (Lilac Hearts: LP 1,200 - 100 = 1,100). "And now that Blue Sirius destroyed your monster," Spoon continued, "my Equip Spell Card activates its effect, which takes out the rest of your Life Points!"

"Awww... that means I lose..." the lavender-skinned girl said with a sigh (Lilac Hearts: LP 1,100 - 1,150 = 0) (WINNER: Shining Spoon). She then regained her composure, walked over to the young boy, and offered him a handshake, telling him, "That was a great Duel. I'd have practiced a lot more if I wasn't hard at work on this year's school play."

"Um... yeah, you're welcome." the boy replied in a seemingly solemn tone, accepting the handshake. Twilight noticed the slightly sad tone of his voice, wondering why he wouldn't feel good right now, especially after he won the Duel.

Just then, the group of students heard clapping nearby. When they turned to look, they saw a young adult woman, obviously a teacher at the school, standing not far away from them. She had pink skin, fuchsia-colored hair, small freckles on her face, and bright green-eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white shirt worn underneath a brown vest with a bright, yellow collar and hem, and a green skirt with light green flowers printed on it with a transparent green hem along the bottom. Her footwear consisted of a pair of brown boots with green on the toe areas and light green laces.

"Okay everyone! Time to wrap things up!" she told them in a cheery voice. "Classes will be starting soon, and you don't want to be late!" The students nodded and they all filed into the school building. The woman then turned over to Pinkie Pie and said to her and her friends, "That means you three as well, so hurry up and get inside before everyone starts without you!"

"Okie-dokie-lokie, Ms. Cheerilee!" the pink teenager replied with a salute. The teacher smiled and headed back into the school herself.

"Cheerilee's right: We'd better hurry up and get going." Sunset told Pinkie and Twilight. As they all walked into the building together, the red and yellow girl then told Twilight, "Anyway, as I was saying earlier, Shining Spoon is in our Home Ec. class. He's training to become a world-famous cook."

"I see..." the young Princess replied. "It also seems that he's pretty good at dueling, as well; based on what we all saw earlier."

"Yeah, he's been doing pretty well so far!" Pinkie told her. "I've seen some of them before: There've been games that he's played where he didn't or hardly took any damage at all!"

"That's pretty impressive." said Twilight. "Even though he's so young, it's obvious that he has some talent."

"Yeah, and dueling's not the only thing he's been good at;" Sunset chimed in. "You'll see it for yourself in a little while, but he's also great at cooking, too! Like I said earlier, he's wanted to become a top-class cook someday, so it's no surprise that he would want to keep trying his best every day."

"Mhmm, I can understand that." the purple-skinned girl responded. She then put on a sad look and added, "Still, there's one thing that's bothering me a little..."

"Um, what is it...?" asked Sunset out of concern.

"After the Duel..." Twilight began, "did either of you notice that depressed look on his face? Or the sad tone of voice he had?"

"Well... now that you mention it, I did." the red and yellow girl answered. "But why? After all, he won the Duel, so why wouldn't he be happy about it?"

"I dunno..." Pinkie told her, "but he's been that way for a while. I don't know why; he won't say anything about it... It makes me sad just thinking about what could be bothering him..."

"I'd like to know what it is... maybe I could help him." Twilight told her friends. "Nopo- er, excuse me... noBODY ever becomes depressed for no reason... If we could find out why he feels that way, we could try and help him through it."

"Perhaps..." Sunset told her, "but for now, we have to get to class. Once we have the time, we'll try and ask him what's going on... Of course, that's assuming he'll even want to talk about it."

"Well, it can't hurt to try, right?" the young Princess asked Sunset. "We'll think about it some more during our classes, and hopefully by then, we'll be able to come up with some sort of solution."

"Then I guess I'll see you guys at lunch later! I've got to get to Mr. Cranky's class before the bell rings! Bye-bye!" Pinkie told her friends before zooming off. After she left, Sunset then escorted Twilight to where the Home Economics classroom was.

Minutes later, Sunset and Twilight managed to get to their Home Economics class, long before it started. Once the clock struck 8:00, the bell rang, signalling that classes were to officially start. After that, Mulia Mild, the Home Ec. teacher, walked up towards her students to begin her lesson. The woman had slightly tanned skin, puffy, curly dark brown hair, and light blue eyes. She wore a light blue dress and shoes that matched her eye color perfectly, along with a white apron over-top of it. The apron had a few slightly-washed food smudges here and there, indicating that she had used it quite often. Around her neck was a small necklace made up of round, teal-colored stones.

"Good morning, students!" the woman greeted everyone.

"Good morning, Ms. Mulia!" the students greeted back.

"Now, many of you remember what we were all doing last week..." the Home Ec. teacher told them. "But seeing as how Ms. Sparkle has only recently come back to our school, could one of you explain to her what we are currently working on?" After the question was asked, many of the students raised their hands. Looking over them all, Mulia picked and asked them, "Yes, Sweetie Belle?"

"We were learning how to make baked macaroni and cheese!" the younger sister of Rarity answered enthusiastically.

"That's correct." the woman told her with a smile. "And now that we have familiarized ourselves with the recipe, I believe now is a good time to put what we have all learned into practice." Mulia then turned over towards Twilight and asked her, "Ms. Sparkle, I know you weren't here for our previous lesson... Do you think you will be okay or will you need some help?"

"Oh, don't worry about me." Twilight told her. "I'm not unfamiliar with cooking. In fact, I've made quite a few things for myself and Spike back in my cast- er, I mean, in my house!" She then added, "But if it's okay with you, I'll gladly accept any help you can offer me."

"I don't mind at all." the teacher replied. "I'd be happy to give you some assistance." She then turned to the other students and told them all, "As for the rest of you, pair off into your usual groups and get started; I'll come by later to check on your progress." The rest of the class nodded as they all made their way into the kitchen to begin their cooking lesson.

The students in Ms. Mulia's class immediately got to work on cooking their macaroni and cheese meals. Everyone paired up with a partner in order to work on their dishes together. Sunset and Sweetie Belle were in a group together, with the red and yellow girl instructing her on how to cook the food properly so that it would not burn (Sweetie was notorious for burning a lot of food). Sweetie Belle did know a few things that she had remembered from watching her parents and her sister cooking, and added a few things to their meal to make more unique and delicious once it came out.

Twilight, in the meantime, stayed with the teacher, since she had not been present for the lessons that took place the week before. She watched and listened to Mulia's instructions carefully and followed them to the dot. Luckily, Twilight knew a few things about cooking already, as she had previously mentioned. Mulia was quite impressed with how much knowledge she seemed to have and praised her for it.

As Twilight carried her dish to one of the available ovens, she glanced over to her side, noticing that Shining Spoon and his class partner were still busy making their food. The young Princess looked at him closely, watching as he referred to the recipe frequently, and making sure that the measurements for the different ingredients were as close to perfect as possible. Watching him reminded Twilight of how hard she worked during her time as Princess Celestia's student. She recalled that she had often gone to great lengths in order to make sure that she would pass every test and every challenge perfectly, and that, in her mind, she would not accept anything less than that.

"Ms. Sparkle...? Ms. Sparkle?" asked Mulia's voice from behind her.

Twilight gasped a little after she heard the teacher's voice from behind her. "Oh! I'm sorry..." the purple teen said to her. "I was kind of lost in my thoughts for a moment."

"You are forgiven." the woman told her. "But do not make a habit of it; after all, you can't afford to daydream while your food is in the oven, correct?"

"I understand. I won't do it again." Twilight replied, walking to the oven and putting the tray of macaroni and cheese inside.

Several minutes later, the food that the Home Ec. students had made were finished and were ready to be graded. Mulia got out her clipboard and paper and began examining each dish with an expert eye. She came to Sunset and Sweetie Belle first and looked at what they had made. After getting a good whiff of the food and then tasting a little bit of it for herself (using a fork that she had with her), the teacher smiled and told them, "Very good! Excellent work from the both of you!"

"Thank you, Ms. Mulia!" Sweetie replied happily.

"I must say," Mulia then told them, "I like the addition of Parmesan and mozzarella in the cheese mix. I must say, it's a very unique flavor. I'll give you both an A for this."

"Thank you, Ms. Mulia." Sunset said to her politely. "And the cheese thing was Sweetie Belle's idea, in case you were wondering. I just made sure it didn't burn."

The teacher smiled and nodded before moving on to the next dish. Now it was Twilight's turn to be graded for her work. "Mhmm... Mhmm... Yes, yes... very good job, Ms. Sparkle. I must say, you picked up on the recipe very nicely."

"Thanks, Ms. Mulia." the young Princess told her. "Not to brag or anything, but I've been known to be a quick study."

"It's true." Sunset chimed in.

"Well, I must say, I am very impressed by how well you did, considering that you had not seen the recipe before today." said the teacher. "You get an A as well."

"Oh wow! Thank you so much!" Twilight told her, excited to have gotten high marks on her work.

Mulia then continued on and looked at the rest of her students' dishes. "Let's see..." she said as she examined their work. "Very good, Stormwalker and Flitter... Daisy and Lily, also a good job... Snips and Snails..." The teacher then paused as she looked at the boys' work, shuddering a bit when she looked at the blackened tray of macaroni and cheese in front of her. "Um... I'll give you some points for um, effort..."

After looking at all of the other meals, Mulia then finally came to the meal that was made by Shining Spoon and his partner. Just like before, she smelled the food first, and then used her fork to take some of it and taste it in order to better judge its quality. After thinking about it for a while, Mulia then told him, "Great work, Mr. Spoon! Another fine dish you've prepared. I'll give you an... A-minus!"

The boy seemed a little struck after hearing his grade. Despite that it was a very good mark, he didn't seem too pleased as he said, "I see... thank you, Ms. Mulia."

The teacher then told her students, "Alright, now I want everyone to place their meals on the counter and wrap it up tightly with aluminum foil. Not only that, but before we begin our next lesson, why don't we all take a break and enjoy a little bit each other's meals as well?" Of course, the students were more than happy to take her up on that offer, and they all raced to have a sampling of each other's mac and cheese dishes.

Twilight decided to sample some of the food that Shining Spoon had made (since each pan was labeled with the names of the students that made it, it easy to tell which one was which). After putting some of it on a plate, she took a quick taste and immediately liked it. "Oh wow! This tastes amazing!" she said. "I can't remember the last time that I had macaroni and cheese that was this good!" The young Princess then walked over to Spoon and told him, "You did such a great job on this! This is one of the best meals I've ever tasted!"

"Oh, thank you, Ms. Twilight..." he responded. "I'm glad you like it... even though it isn't perfect." He then walked away and told her, in the same slightly-depressed tone, "By the way... you did pretty good with your food, too."

"Um... thank you." Twilight replied, taken aback by the boy's seemingly-sad attitude.

As Twilight watched him walk away, Mulia, also confused as to why Shining Spoon seemed so depressed, walked over to her and told her, "I am glad that you liked his meal... because it seems as though he didn't."

"But why?" asked the purple teen.

"I wish I knew..." the teacher responded. "He gets the highest grades out of all of my students, especially in regards to the cooking lessons... But it seems as though he's not happy with most of them..."

Twilight looked back at Shining Spoon and continued to wonder what it was that was bothering him. As she thought about it some more, one thing that he had said to her echoed in her mind: "I'm glad you like it... even though it isn't perfect."

At around 9:30, the bell rang to let students know that the first period was over. The students of Ms. Mulia's class began to leave the classroom to head to their next class. "Good work today, everyone." the teacher told them. "Remember to look over our next recipe; next week, we'll be learning how to make dessert dishes."

After the last student left the room, Mulia then took out her cell phone to look at her schedule for today. She then noticed that there was something urgent on there and said to herself, "Oh dear...! I almost forgot! I have to speak with Mr. Gustave about that extra supply of frosting that he promised to bring to me last week; I have plenty right now for next week's classes, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared... Plus, he owes me a favor for the flour he asked for the week before that... He should be in the cafeteria right now, preparing the desserts for lunch today."

Mula then got up from her desk chair and left the classroom, leaving the room empty... or so she thought. In the kitchen part of the Home Ec. classroom, Shining Spoon was still there, looking over the macaroni and cheese recipe, as well as the food that he had made earlier. "Rrrgh... I don't understand...!" he said to himself in a frustrated tone. "I followed the instructions as closely as possible! The measurements were exact! And I cooked it to the exact time and temperature listed in the book!" Slamming his fist on the counter, he added, "But it wasn't perfect! I only got an A-minus! Where did I go wrong?!"

Looking at the cookbook again, he continued to tell himself, "I need it to be perfect... I HAVE to be perfect! I can't accept anything less than that! It's the only way to prove to him that I CAN be as good a chef as he is!" Shining Spoon then hastily opened an overhead cupboard and yanked out a measuring glass to look at it closely. However, unbeknownst to him, there were a pair of Duel Monsters cards underneath the glass, and his pulling it out caused one of the two cards to fly out and fall to the ground.

Shining Spoon then noticed the card on the floor and asked himself, "Huh? Is that a Duel Monsters card? What's it doing on the floor like that?" He then picked up the card and gasped when he saw that it was completely blank. "Hold on... why isn't there anything on this card? That's not right..." Spoon wondered to himself.

But at that moment, a shadowy cloud formed around the card, and then around Shining Spoon himself. When it did, he felt a great amount of pressure in his body. "Urrrk...! What's going on?!" he asked, holding his head in pain. "What is this?!?"

"So..." said a vicious-sounding voice. "You wish to become a perfect chef, do you...?"

"Huh...? Wh-who said that...?"

"I can give you what you want..." the voice told him. "I can make it so that you will always be able to cook the perfect dishes... each and every time..."

"The... perfect dishes...?" asked Spoon in a monotone voice.

"That's correct... and in exchange, you must do something for me..." it then told him.

"...What is it you want me to do...?" Spoon then asked. As he did, a yellow symbol resembling the number 59 appeared upon his forehead and began to glow brightly.

Hours later, at the cafeteria, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were all enjoying lunch together. Pizza was today's entree, and it was often a popular choice amongst the students. Pinkie and Dash each got slices of pepperoni while Sunset and Twilight decided on just plain cheese (since neither of them ate meat).

"So, how'd things go at Home Ec.?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Pretty good." Sunset answered. "Twilight and I each got an A on the dinner entree lesson."

"Oh, wow! Congratulations!" Pinkie praised them, clapping her hands vigorously. "I hope Dashie and I do that well in Ms. Mulia's class too!"

"I ain't really lookin' forward to it." Dash said with a groan. "Even I'm willing to admit: Cooking isn't exactly something that I'm the best at. Believe me, it'll be an accomplishment if I can avoid letting the food burn."

"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine, especially if Pinkie Pie's your partner for the lesson." Sunset informed her. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you can't do any worse than Snips and Snails did. Their dish looked like they were cooking charcoal, not mac and cheese. Right, Twilight?"

Twilight didn't answer at first, as she seemed to be in deep thought. She simply stared at her slice of pizza, not having touched it since she got back to the table. "Hmmmm..."

"...Twilight? Are you okay?" asked the red and yellow girl when she didn't hear a reply.

"Huh? Oh... I'm fine, Sunset." the young Princess answered. "I was... just thinking about a few things."

"You mean Shining Spoon?" asked Sunset.

"Mhmm." Twilight answered with a nod. "He seemed pretty depressed after Mulia graded our works, just like how he seemed so sad after his Duel earlier this morning. I've been trying to figure out why he feels that way all of the time..." Sighing a little, she then told her friends, "And after thinking about it for a while, I believe I might know why."

"You do?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Whad'ya think it is?"

"Well, in class," Twilight started, "Shining Spoon got an A-minus on the macaroni and cheese meal that he prepared. And during the Duel this morning, I saw that the game had ended with him having 3,900 Life Points left." She then looked up at the rest of her friends and added, "Not only that, after I complimented Spoon on the food that he had made, he said something about it not being perfect..."

"Ummm... I still don't think I get it." Pinkie stated, scratching her head. "What does all of that mean?"

But before another word could be said, the group of four noticed that someone had walked over to their table. When they turned around to look, they saw a young girl around their age standing there, just staring at them all. The girl had very light pink skin and long, pink hair that drooped down to her knee area, along with baby-blue eyes. She wore a white sweater with fluffy pink cuffs, a collar, and a hem that had a picture of a fluffy, pink heart printed upon the chest area. The rest of the outfit consisted of a short, light blue skirt and a pair of boots with more pink fluff around the leg areas and white on the bottom.

Sunset and the others just looked at the girl as she stared at them all, not moving or making any sound whatsoever. Finally, Rainbow Dash decided to break the silence and asked the girl, "Um... can we help you or something...?"

The girl said nothing. Instead of saying any words, she responded by sticking out her tongue and making a strange sound: "Pthbth..."

"Uh... did she just give all of us a raspberry?" the cyan teen asked. "Weird..."

"...Hold on a second." Twilight began to say. "I think I might know who she is, assuming that everyone here is truly the same as someone else back in Equestria..." The young Princess got up out of her seat, walked over to the strange girl, and asked her, "Your name wouldn't happen to be... Fluffle Puff, would it?"

The girl didn't say anything, but smiled and nodded her head yes to answer the question.

"I thought so." Twilight replied.

"Wait, THAT'S Fluffle Puff?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie then quickly swallowed the food that she had in her mouth and told her athletic friend, "Well, DUH... Of course that's her! I tell you about her all the time, Dashie!"

"Then... why didn't you say something earlier?" asked Sunset out of curiosity.

"I would have, but I had food in my mouth." Pinkie answered immediately. "Mom always said, 'never speak when your mouth is full'!"

Twilight turned back over to Fluffle Puff and asked her, "So, um... was there something you wanted from us, or something that you wanted to tell us?"

But the only answer that the young Princess got was, "Pthbth, pthbththth... Pthbth, pthbth."

Of course, Twilight had no idea what the strange girl was telling her. "Um... did anyone understand what she said...?" she asked her friends. Sunset and Rainbow Dash shook their heads no in response. "Okay, good. It's not just me then." the purple-skinned girl added.

"...Seriously? You didn't get that?" asked Pinkie in a surprised tone. "Because I understood it just fine!"

"You did?" asked Rainbow Dash, slightly surprised by what her friend had said, as was everyone else.

"Yeah, of COURSE I did!" the silly girl told them in a way that seemed to suggest that what Fluffle Puff had said was blatantly obvious. "She said, 'Yes, I do need your help with something.'"

Twilight, Sunset, and Rainbow Dash just looked at each other, not sure how Pinkie could understand what the strange, fluffy girl was saying. For now, they decided to push that aside, deciding that there was a better time and place to try and figure it out. "Well, since you seem to know what she's saying," Twilight began to tell her friend, "maybe you can help us figure out what she needs our help with. Can you... um... translate for us?"

"Sure thing, Twilight!" Pinkie replied with enthusiasm.

"Alright then." Sunset then said with a nod before turning back over to Fluffle Puff. "So... what is it you need us to help you with?" she asked.

The fluffy girl then took a deep breath and began letting out a series of raspberries. "Pthbthbthbthbth... Pthbth pthbth pthbth, pthbtbth... pthbth pthbth, pthbthbthbth..." Twilight, Sunset, and Rainbow had no idea what they could have meant, but Pinkie carefully listened to every "word" that Fluffle Puff told her, nodding her head and humming while listening.

Once Fluffle Puff had stopped "speaking" with Pinkie Pie, the party-loving teenager walked over to her friends and said to them, "Okay, I just figured it all out! Fluffle Puff's saying that she was walking past the Home Ec. class, and that she saw someone inside the room while the doors were already locked."

"Huh? But that doesn't make any sense..." Sunset responded. "Ms. Mulia doesn't have any classes during 2nd or 3rd period, because she helps out in the cafeteria then. The only way that could be true is if someone from our class stayed in there this whole time..."

"But if that's the case, then who could it be?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm not sure, but we should go and let Ms. Mulia know before we head over there ourselves." Twilight suggested. She then glanced over at Fluffle Puff and asked her, "Would you like to come with us to help?"

Again, the strange girl spoke no words, but let out a happy gasp and nodded her head, smiling.

"That means she said yes." Pinkie informed her friends.

"Uh... I think we could infer that, Pinkie." Sunset told her. "Anyway, let's go and find Ms. Mulia; she should be in the break room off to the side of the cafeteria." The others nodded and headed off in that direction.

Several minutes later, Sunset, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluffle Puff made their way to the Home Economics classroom. Now joined up with Mulia Mild, they would be able to get into the classroom, thanks to the Home Ec. teacher's key. As she got the key out, Mulia asked the five girls, "Now, before we go in there, are you absolutely sure that someone is inside?"

"That's what Fluffle Puff... um, told us." Sunset replied. The red and yellow girl then smelled the air and added, "And by the aroma that's permeating from the door, I can confidently say that she was right."

"Aroma?" asked Mulia. She and the others began sniffing the air around them. Sure enough, it was a distinct odor; one that smelled very good. "Oh my, you're right! I DO smell something..."

"Yeah, me too!" Rainbow chimed in, smelling the air as well. "But what is it? What's makin' that smell?"

Pinkie Pie, still sniffing, replied, saying, "It sort of smells like... macaroni and cheese."

Twilight gasped after Pinkie's comment. Looking towards Sunset, she then asked her, "Sunset... you don't think it could be-?"

"It could be, if our hunches are right." the red and yellow girl answered. "We'll all know for sure once we get inside. So let's hurry!"

Mulia nodded and turned the key to unlock the classroom door. She then opened it wide, allowing herself and the others to walk inside. Just as Pinkie had told them, the air in the room was filled with the aroma of freshly-baked macaroni and cheese. And for good reason: Every desk, table, and counter in the room was literally covered with trays of that particular food, steaming-hot and ready to eat.

"M-m-m-my classroom!!" Ms. Mulia said with a gasp. "Who could have done this?!"

"Over there!" said Rainbow, pointing towards the kitchen area. "There's somebody over there!"

The others looked in the direction that the cyan teenager was pointing in, and gasped when they saw that it was Shining Spoon, who was in the process of taking out yet another tray of mac and cheese. He then looked at it with his now-yellow eyes, smelled it and said, "No... not perfect enough... This won't do either!" He then recklessly tossed the tray, spilling its contents onto the tile floor.

"It IS him..." said Sunset. "Shining Spoon...!"

"Mr. Spoon, what do you think you are doing?!" Mulia scolded him. "You are making a mess of my classroom!! I could have you sent to detention for this, you know!!"

"You don't understand!!" the boy yelled, eyes wide with insanity. "I can't leave until I make this dish perfectly!! I HAVE TO!!!"

"Why are you doing this?!" the teacher asked next. "This is highly irregular behavior for you!"

"Yeah, it is..." Sunset chimed in. "And there's only one reason why: Shining Spoon has been possessed by a Number."

"A Number?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"He has a Number card, too?" asked Twilight. Looking back over at the crazed boy, she then said to herself, (So that's what happens when someone gets a Number... Just like Utopia told me back when I met him...)

"From the world that I have come from, there is a great battle taking place: A battle to claim the power that we hold. However... our power cannot be wielded by just anyone; those that are unable to handle it risk becoming enslaved by it. This presents a problem for us and the residents of that world, as you can imagine."

Snapping out of her flashback, Twilight sighed sadly and told herself, (This is horrible... Just look what that card's done to him...)

(Indeed...) said the voice of Utopia from within the young Princess's mind. (That card must be taken from him as soon as possible, or it shall only become worse.)

"You really think he has a Number, Sunnie?" asked Pinkie Pie. Sunset nodded yes to answer her question.

"What are you talking about, Ms. Shimmer?" asked Mulia, confused.

Turning over to the teacher, Sunset then explained to her, "You're right about Spoon not acting like himself. The reason is because he picked up a Number card, and that's what's causing him to do all of this. He's not doing this out of his own free will."

"He is not?" the teacher inquired.

The red and yellow girl shook her head no and added, "I'm not sure what exactly is driving him to make a mess of the classroom like this, but I do know that the only way to stop him - or rather, the Number card - is to defeat him in a Duel."

"A Duel?" asked Mulia, still not sure about everything. However, based on the looks that Sunset and her friends had on their faces, she was sure that something serious was going on, even if she really didn't know what it was.

Just then, the 59 mark that Shining Spoon had on his head began to glow bright again. He then looked over at Sunset Shimmer and said, "There you are... You are the one I need..." he told her in a low voice. Walking over towards her slowly, he said to her, "Your Numbers... Give me your Numbers...! I need them to achieve true perfection... Now give them to me! So that I can prove to everyone that I truly am perfect at everything!!"

(Perfect at everything...?) Twilight asked in her mind. She then pondered for a short while before saying to herself, (I see... I know what's going on now... I thought this might be the case...)

"If it's a Duel you want, Shining Spoon, then so be it!" Sunset Shimmer told him, strapping on her Duel Pad. "I'll take that Number you have and remove its hold on you!" Showing the boy her D-Pad-equipped arm, she began to tell him, "Get ready, Spoon! It's time to-"

"Wait! Sunset!" Twilight called out. She then ran over to her friend and stood beside her, holding her violet-colored Duel Pad, along with her Deck.

"Huh? Twilight, what are you doing?" asked the red and yellow girl.

"...I've made a decision..." Twlight told her. "If it's okay with you..." Putting on a fierce look of determination, she finished her thought, saying, "I'd like to fight him!"

Everyone in the room gasped when they heard that. "Hold up: YOU wanna fight that guy?!?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to?" asked Sunset. "This isn't going to be like your Duel with Rainbow Dash earlier this week: If you lose this Duel, you'll lose your Number card to him!"

"I'm aware of that, Sunset." the purple-skinned girl replied, understanding the gravity of the situation. "But I'll have to risk that sooner or later... I promised you and everypo- er, everybody else that I'd help you get the Number cards and stop them from hurting others, and I intend to keep that promise!" Looking back over at the boy, Twilight then added, "Also, I think I know for sure what's been bothering Shining Spoon lately, and I want to use this Duel to help him as well, and not just by getting rid of the Number card that's controlling him..."

"Really, Twilight?" asked Sunset. "You know what's been troubling him?"

Nodding yes, the young Princess told her, "I think I do. So please, let me duel him... and save him from his troubles once and for all."

The red and yellow girl thought about it for a while. She then remembered that she had told Twilight on the previous night that she had faith in her and knew that she would be able to help them. Keeping her from participating in this Duel would go against everything that she had said to her so far. Coming to a decision of her own, Sunset smiled and told her, "I understand, Twilight; you're absolutely right. I guess this means I'll just be a spectator for this Duel." Turning around and walking back over to the others, she then said to her otherworldly friend, "Show him what you've got, Princess of Friendship."

Twilight smiled and nodded, saying, "I will, Sunset. Thank you for letting me do this." The red and yellow girl smiled back and continued over to where her friends were. The young Princess then turned her attention back to Shining Spoon and said to him, "Alright, Shining Spoon, it's you against me!"

"What?! I will not accept that!!" shouted the boy. "I must defeat Sunset! I need to beat her in order to claim all the Numbers!! Only then will I have the power I need!!"

"So that's all?" asked Twilight. "You just need all of the Number cards, correct?" Taking out a card from her deck box, she then showed it to him, revealing it as her Number card, Number 39: Utopia. "Then you'll need to have mine as well." she then informed him.

"No way! You have one, too?!" asked Spoon, shocked by this turn of events.

"I do. So you'll need to duel me sooner or later if you wish to have them all." the young Princess told him. "So why wait? I'm giving you a chance to take mine right now... Of course, if you lose, I'll get your card instead, as per the rules. So what do you say?"

The boy thought about it for a while, wondering what he should do. He was compelled to fight Sunset Shimmer, but now that he knew that Twilight also had a Number card, his plans changed. Smirking, he then said to the purple teen, "Fine then. I'll beat you, get your Number card, and then use it to take Sunset's Number cards! And when I do, everyone will HAVE to admit that I am perfect in all ways!!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Spoon." Twilight told him. "I promised Sunset and my friends here that I would help them stop the Number cards, and I won't let them down!" She then slid her Deck into the Deck Zone slot of her Duel Pad and shouted, "Duel Pad, activate!!" Upon saying that, the card tray unfolded itself out of the device. "Duel Gazer, time to go!" the young Princess added as put on her special lens. Shining Spoon then did the same with his D-Pad and Duel Gazer.

"AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of the Home Economics classroom projected around everyone. Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluffle Puff, and even Mulia Mild put on their Duel Gazers in order to watch the game as it progressed.

"LET'S DUEL!!!" shouted Twilight and Shining Spoon, ready to start their battle (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000) (Shining Spoon: LP 4,000).

As Twilight and Shining Spoon drew their opening hands, Rainbow Dash asked Sunset Shimmer, "So... you think Twi'll be okay out there? This'll be her first real Duel against a Number user..."

"She'll be fine, Dash. I know she will." the red and yellow girl told her confidently. "We just need to believe that she can do it."

"Sunnie's totally right!" Pinkie Pie added. "Twilight'll beat that guy and get him back to normal! Right, Fluffle Puff?"

"Pthbthbthbth!"

"Yeah, just what I was thinking!" The party-lover then shouted to Twilight. "Go get 'im, Twilight! We know you can do it!!"

Twilight nodded back to her friends, telling them that she appreciated their support. Turning her attention back to Shining Spoon, she told him, "I'll take the first turn. I set one monster face-down in Defense Mode. And that's all that I will do."

"That means it's my turn." Spoon said to her, drawing a card. After looking at it, he said to himself, "Fairy Meteor Crush... I'll save this for later..." Putting the Spell Card in his hand for the moment, he took a different card and played it, saying, "I activate the Spell Card Cost Down! After I discard one card from my hand, I can lower the Levels of all Monster Cards in my hand by 2 until the end of the turn!"

"No... That means he can Summon his monsters more easily..." Sunset noted. "And knowing him, he probably has a Level 5 or a Level 6 monster ready to bring out."

"That's right, Sunset!" Shining Spoon confirmed as he sent one of the cards in his hand to the Graveyard slot of his Duel Pad. "So now that my Level 5 monster is Level 3 for this turn, I don't have to release any monsters to Summon it!" Playing the monster from his hand he shouted, "I Summon the Catapult Turtle, in Attack Mode!"

The boy's first monster was a giant turtle creature, colored mostly green and black, with a large launching device built onto its shell. The creature had mechanical-like properties, but it didn't appear to be fully-machine (Catapult Turtle: Level 5 - 2 = 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000).

"Woah... a high-level monster right on the first turn..." stated Rainbow Dash.

Taking out two more cards from his hand, he then stated, "Since I can't see how strong your Defense monster is, I'll just end my turn with two face-down cards." After that, two more card images appeared on his side of the field. "Your move." (Catapult Turtle: Level 3 + 2 = 5)

(Hmmm...) Twilight thought as she looked at Shining Spoon's first monster. (Catapult Turtle... I remember seeing that monster on those Duel videos that Sunset had; I think it belonged to that Yugi guy... If I recall, it has a powerful special ability: By releasing one of his monsters, his turtle can deal damage to me, equal to half the attack power of the released monster.) The young Princess that said to herself, "I have to destroy that monster before it can hurt me, but... but the problem is that he put it in Attack Position, even though its defense points are much higher..."

Twilight looked back at the boy, noticing that he didn't seem too worried. This led the purple teen to suspect that he was up to something. (He must want me to attack him...) she noted to herself. (But I have to at least try and take out his monster... Here goes...)

"My turn! I draw!" Twilight said as she drew her next card. Placing the card into her hand, she then declared, "I Summon my Gagaga Magician in Attack Mode!" In an instant, her robe and cloak-wearing spellcaster appeared on her field, ready to battle (Gagaga Magician: Level 4 / ATK 1500 /DEF 1000). "Not only that, I'll also Flip Summon my face-down monster, Gogogo Golem!!" she declared as she revealed her second monster, whose stone body proudly stood right next to Twilight's magician (Gogogo Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"Wait, she's not going to try and attack, will she?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "That's just what he wants!"

"Maybe so, but she should try and attack that Catapult Turtle anyway." Sunset told her athletic friend. "Worst case scenario, she can at least force him to use up a Trap Card."

"I agree completely, Sunnie!" Pinkie chimed in.

"Pthbth!"

"Fluffle Puff agrees, too!" the party lover added.

Taking out another card from her hand, the young Princess then told her opponent, "Now, I play the Spell Card Wonder Wand! By playing it on a Spellcaster-Type monster, I can give that monster 500 extra attack points! And I choose to play it on Gagaga Magician!"

After the card was played, the magic-using monster was given a long staff-like wand with a large, green jewel on the top. Gagaga Magician then swung the staff in front of himself, ready to display its power (Gagaga Magician: ATK 1500 + 500 = 2000).

"Now, go! Gagaga Magician!! Attack Catapult Turtle!!" shouted Twilight as she pointed to her attack target. The magician then leapt forward, charging up the energy in his new wand so that it could strike down the giant turtle.

"I don't think so!" Shining Spoon shouted. "I activate Zero Gravity!!"

*******************************

Zero Gravity
(Normal Trap Card)

Change the battle positions of all face-up monsters on the field.

*******************************

After the Trap was activated, Twilight's Gagaga Magician and Gogogo Golem, along with Shining Spoon's Catapult Turtle, all switched to Defense Mode, which also succeeded in stopping the spellcaster's attack. "I knew it..." Twilight said to herself with a slight scowl. "But at least he used up one of his cards... I still have a chance. Just to be sure, though, I'll use this to protect myself." Shoving one of her cards into the Spell/Trap Zone slot, she told Spoon, "I'll set a face-down card and end my turn."

"My turn, then!" the boy said, drawing a card from his Deck. After looking at it, he played it, saying, "I Summon The Bistro Butcher in Attack Mode!" The boy's new monster was a vicious-looking chef with dark-blue skin, sharp teeth, and pointed ears. It wore a red-tinted chef outfit that was in tatters, had a large hook on his right hand, and wielded a long knife in the other (The Bistro Butcher: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000).

"Bistro Butcher...? That's unusual..." Sunset said to herself, "What's he up to now?"

"Now I equip my butcher with my Fairy Meteor Crush card!" Spoon told his foe. "Now my monster can deal piercing damage when he attacks one of your defense monsters!"

"Oh no...!" Twilight responded, getting worried. "Now he can damage me, no matter how I position my monsters on the field!"

"Twilight! Don't worry about that too much!" Sunset called out to her. "Even though he can damage you more easily, it's not necessarily a bad thing!"

"How come?" asked the purple teenager.

"When Bistro Butcher damages your Life Points, you get to draw two more cards from your Deck." the red and yellow girl pointed out. "You might be able to make a comeback afterwards."

"Really? That's weird." said Rainbow Dash. "Why would he let her draw more cards? Something smells rotten around here..."

"Really? All I smell is the mac and cheese Shining Spoon baked." Pinkie replied. "And it smells really good!" Dash just sighed to herself from hearing her silly friend's response.

Shining Spoon paused for a moment after hearing Pinkie's compliment towards his food. He then shook his head and thought, (No! She couldn't have really meant that... There's no way!) Spoon then cried out, "Go! Bistro Butcher!! Attack her Gagaga Magician! Butchering Blade!!" The mean-looking cook then snarled and ran towards Twilight's monster, brandishing its sharp knife.

"I activate my Trap Card!!" Twilight quickly shouted, tapping her Duel Pad's screen.

The butcher swung its knife at Gagaga Magician, destroying it and sending him to the Graveyard. However, it seemed that the excess power from the attack had been weakened, as the young Princess did not take as much damage as she would have (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 400 = 3,600). "Hey! What gives?!" Spoon protested. "How'd you cut the damage?!"

Twilight let out a sigh and answered him, saying, "Because I played my Trap Card before your attack hit." She then pointed at the card and told her opponent, "Thanks to Damage Diet, all the damage done to me this turn is halved. Which means your attack did only 400 points of damage instead of 800." Shining Spoon growled a little after hearing that.

"Phew... not bad at all." said Rainbow Dash, wiping her forehead. "She saved herself from taking a huge hit there."

Grumbling a little, Spoon then told Twilight, "Well, as your friends pointed out earlier, you get to draw two more cards, due to my Bistro Butcher's effect. So go ahead and draw your cards." Twilight nodded and picked the top two cards of her Deck. "But now that you've done that," the boy added, "I get to use this! I activate the Trap Card Appropriate!! Now every time you draw cards outside of your Draw Phase, I can draw two more cards from MY Deck!" He then took two cards from his Deck as well.

"Rrrgh! So that's why he let her draw more cards!" Sunset grumbled. "As long as he has that butcher out, they'll both keep drawing more cards out of their Deck every time he attacks with it!"

"Oh dear..." said Mulia, getting worried for both Twilight and Shining Spoon.

Chuckling a little to himself, Spoon then took one of the new cards that he drew and played it onto the field, saying, "I'll set a face-down card and end my turn." After saying that, the boy thought to himself, (I was going to use Catapult Turtle's effect to damage her even more, but because her Trap Card's effect was still present, it wasn't worth sacrificing my monster just to give her a measly 450 points of damage...) He grumbled a bit, annoyed that Twilight threw off his plans.

Twilight looked over towards her opponent and thought to herself, (Alright, good... My plan worked; my Trap Card persuaded him not to use Catapult Turtle's ability. But I have to get rid of his butcher before he draws too many more cards...) Putting her middle and index fingers on the top card of her Deck, she then said, "It's my turn now!" After drawing her card and looking at it, she continued her inner monologue, saying to herself, (This card could help me... I need to show Shining Spoon that he's only hurting himself with the way he is thinking...)

Playing another card from her hand, the young Princess declared, "I activate the Spell Card Dodododraw! I send my Dododo Swordsman from my hand to the Graveyard, and then draw two more cards from my Deck!" And she did just that. After looking at her new cards, she gasped in surprise when she saw what one of them was. (Yes! I got it!) she thought happily to herself.

"Ha! Go ahead and draw more cards!" Spoon taunted his foe. "You're only helping me out! Did you forget my Trap Card? Thanks to Appropriate, I ALSO get to draw cards from my Deck!" He then drew two cards as well and placed them into his hand. He then snickered a little to himself after seeing what he picked up.

"Aw man... Why'd Twilight do that?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Now that guy has even more cards to use against her!"

"Perhaps..." Sunset began. "But if she drew the cards that she needed right now, it may have been worth the risk. I suppose we'll see very soon if Twilight made the right move or not." The others continued to watch the game, anxious to see what would happen next.

"Next," the purple-skinned girl began to say, "I'll Summon this monster in Attack Mode... Go, Zubaba Knight!!"

In a flash of lightning, Twilight powerful knight monster leapt onto the field, brandishing its swords and shouting, "Zubaba KNIGHT!!!" (Zubaba Knght: Level 3 / ATK 1600 / DEF 900).

"Alright!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Twilight got a great card onto the field!" Fluffle Puff let out a happy gasp in response.

"Next, I'll switch my Gogogo Golem to Attack Mode," Twilight continued, "and then play Blustering Winds! It's one of the cards that I drew with my Dodododraw! Now my Gogogo Golem gains 1,000 attack and defense points until my next turn!"

"What?!" shouted Shining Spoon.

"Aw yeah! Now her monsters can take down both of Spoon's this turn!" Rainbow Dash said, pumping her fist into the air. "And she'll even give him some damage, too!"

Sunset smiled to herself and thought, (Not bad, Twilight... You're doing great so far. But don't get too confident; he's probably got a backup plan ready, and I'm sure his Number card will be a part of it...)

Twilight Sparkle then pointed ahead and shouted, "Zubaba Knight! Attack his Catapult Turtle!!" The Warrior-Type monster then jumped forward and slashed its swords across the giant reptile. Even though the knight's attack points were lower than its target's defense points, its special ability allowed it to destroy Catapult Turtle anyway. "And next, my Gogogo Golem attacks your Bistro Butcher!!" the young Princess declared. And with that order, the giant rock monster moved towards Spoon's remaining monster and slammed its fist down on it, crushing it into a pancake.

"Aaack!!!" grunted Shining Spoon as the force of the attack hit him hard (Shining Spoon: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000).

"Yay!! Twilight's in the lead now!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "I knew she could do it!"

The purple teen then said to her opponent, "Alright, I'll now end my Battle Phase for this turn."

Getting up, Shining Spoon seemed to be angry for some reason. "How... how dare you..." he snarled as the mark on his forehead began to glow even brighter. "You... you ruined my chance... at a perfect victory... So now I'll ruin you!!" Tapping his Duel Pad, he then shouted, "I activate my Burst Rebirth Trap Card!! By paying 2,000 of my Life Points, I can bring back one monster from my Graveyard and set it in Defense Mode!!" He then selected his monster and placed it face-down on his field (Shining Spoon: LP 3,000 - 2,000 = 1,000).

"Yeesh, what got under his skin all of a sudden?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Is he mad 'cause Twilight damaged him?"

"It seems so..." Sunset answered. "Just like how he seemed troubled when he got that A-minus..." The otherworldly girl began to ponder some more about that, as well as the Duel that Shining Spoon had participated in earlier. Sunset then gasped and thought to herself (Wait...! Could it be that...?)

Twilight then looked at Shining Spoon's field and said to herself, "Even with those attacks, he still managed to keep a monster on the field... But he paid a lot of Life Points to Summon it..." She then looked back up at her opponent, who seemed to still be a bit angry about it. "From the look on his face, it seems as though he didn't want to use that Trap Card." the young Princess noted. "If my hunch is right, then I know for sure why he feels that way... I'll keep on paying close attention to his moves, just to make sure." She then ended her turn.

"My turn! I draw!!" shouted the young boy. After placing the card in his hand, he then said, "I now Flip Summon my face-down monster! Hiita the Fire Charmer!!"

The monster was revealed to be a young red-haired girl with a tan hooded coat, worn over top an open shirt with a black garment worn over-top her chest area, along with a short, black skirt. In her hand was a long staff with a burning torch on the top of it (Hiita the Fire Charmer: Level 3 / ATK 500 / DEF 1500).

"Hiita the Fire Charmer..." Sunset began. "One of the six Charmer monsters. When Flip Summoned, it can take control of any opposing monster that matches its Attribute. In Hiita's case, she can take any one of Twilight's FIRE-Attribute monsters..."

"But..." Mulia chimed in, "Ms. Sparkle doesn't have any FIRE monsters on her field, so it doesn't work, right?"

"Perhaps, but I think Spoon played that card for another reason." the red and yellow girl answered.

"What's that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"The Charmers have another power," Sunset replied, "and I'm sure that he's going to use it right now...!"

Taking another card from his hand, Shining Spoon then said, "Next, I'll Special Summon Inari Fire from my hand, which I can do if I control a Spellcaster-Type monster, in this case, Hiita the Fire Charmer." His next monster was a large, orange fox with a white mane and flaming tail (Inari Fire: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 200). "And now, I'll release them both to Special Summon a monster from my Deck!! Come forth, Familiar-Possessed - Hiita!!"

After making that declaration, Inari Fire began glowing red as it turned into pure energy. It then phased into Hiita, causing her to gasp as her irises shrank. She then began to grow taller, her body changing to that of an 18-year-old girl with empty, red eyes. The flame on her staff grew as well, burning even brighter than before (Familiar-Possessed - Hiita: Level 4 / ATK 1850 / DEF 1500).

"I thought so." Sunset told the others. "By releasing a Charmer, along with another monster that matches its Attribute, you can Summon their Familiar-Possessed forms from your hand or your Deck."

"Pthbth..."

"Yeah, I'm worried too, Fluffle Puff." Pinkie said in response to the fluffy girl's raspberry.

"So he got a tough monster out, so what?" asked Rainbow Dash. "The only monster he can attack is Twilight's Zubaba Knight, and it's not gonna do much damage to her."

"Heh heh... too bad that's not what I'm planning to do." Shining Spoon told her. "I'm planning something even worse in mind... to teach your friend never to get in my way again!!" Playing another two cards from his hand, he then said, "Now, since I have a Spellcaster out, I can Summon these monsters as well!! I play Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness and Jigabyte, both in Attack Mode!!"

The boy's first monster was a fiendish-looking marmot-like animal that had a large, red horn on its forehead, what appeared to be three pairs of eyes, large bat wings, and messy brown fur. It was busy chewing on a sinister-looking skull with its fanged teeth (Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 200). The second monster was a large-sized, bipedal lizard with green scales, a long tail, clawed hands and feet, and radiating a powerful energy all around itself (Jigabyte: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 200).

"No... he just Summoned three Level 4 monsters onto his side of the field." Sunset noted, getting a little concerned. "He's going to play his Number card!"

"Uh oh... that ain't good..." Rainbow Dash replied, getting worried as well.

"I overlay Hiita and Jigabyte, both Level 4, and create an Overlay Network!!" The two monsters then transformed into pure energy, one red and one blue, and flew up into a galaxy portal up above. "Emerge, Number 59!" The boy chanted. "Unleash your flames upon my enemy!! Scorch them and turn them to ashes!! Xyz Summon!!" At that moment, the portal exploded, creating a mark on the ground that looked like a 59. "My perfection! Rank 4! Crooked Cook!!" Spoon finished, playing his Number card.

At that moment, a large, brown propane tank began to rise from the ground where the 59 mark was. The tank then opened up and revealed a human man inside of it. The front of the tank became the apron wrapped around his body, and other parts of it transformed into a frying pan, an arm-mounted flamethrower, and a silver propane tank that was worn on the man's back, and attached to the flamethrower with a long, thin hose. The top of the tank compacted itself and turned itself into a chef's hat, which prominently displayed the same yellow 59 mark that Shining Spoon had on his head.

*******************************

Number 59: Crooked Cook
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior-Type/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 200)

2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. While you control no other cards on the field, this card is unaffected by other cards' effects. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; destroy as many other cards you control as possible, then this card gains 300 ATK for each monster destroyed by this effect and sent to the Graveyard.

*******************************

Everyone else stared at the powerful monster that Shining Spoon had Summoned to his field. "His Number card is... a chef?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Well, since the Numbers reflect the personalities of those who hold them, it makes sense." Sunset noted. "Since Shining Spoon is so good at cooking, his Number became a chef... But I wonder why it's called 'CROOKED Cook'...?"

Twilight was wondering the same thing, but she didn't have much time to ponder about it, as her opponent told her, "Now I use Crooked Cook's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I can eliminate every other card on my side of the field!"

"And why would you want to do that?" asked the purple teen.

"Because for every monster card that I destroy with his effect, Crooked Cook gains 300 extra attack points!" Spoon answered.

"Oh no!" gasped Twilight.

The boy then sent one of his Number card's Overlay Units to the Graveyard (Number 59: Crooked Cook: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), triggering its ability and destroying all of Shining Spoon's cards, which included his Trap Card, Appropriate, and his Nefarious Archfiend monster. As a result, his Number card became more powerful (Number 59: Crooked Cook: ATK 2300 + 300 = 2600).

"You destroyed your own monster just to power up your Number card?" asked Twilight, who seemed shocked by the move, and not because of the advantage that it gave him. "How could you...?"

"That's the way this world works..." Spoon told her. "The weak are discarded so that only the perfect can thrive! And now I'll show you just how perfect my Number is! Go, Crooked Cook!! Attack her knight!! Searing Oven Torch!!" The chef monster then, quite literally, fired up his arm-mounted flamethrower and shot out a red-hot flame that incinerated Twilight's Zubaba Knight.

"Rrrgh... so... hot...!" the young Princess said, as she could feel the heat from Spoon's monster (Twilight Sparkle: LP 3,600 - 1,000 = 2,600).

"Now do you see?" asked Shining Spoon. "Those that are imperfect will never succeed in this world! And with this Number card, along with all of yours, I WILL become one of the flawless elite!!"

"Rrrgh..." Twilight groaned as she got back up onto her feet.

"Twilight! Are you okay?" asked Sunset, concerned for her best friend.

"I'll... be fine, Sunset." the purple teen told her. "I promise."

"Oh dear... this is not looking good..." Mulia stated. "At this rate, Ms. Sparkle won't last much longer..."

"Twilight won't lose!" Pinkie Pie protested. "She just can't! Because if she did, this series would be over and it'd be kinda awkward and stuff."

"Uh... yeah, I agree!" Rainbow chimed in, even though she didn't quite understand that last part of Pinkie's comment.

"My turn's over for now." Shining Spoon told his enemy. "Are you going to do the wise thing and give up, or are you foolish enough to continue this flawed Duel of yours?"

"Rrrgh... I'm still here, aren't I?" Twilight asked him back. "I'm not giving up...! I have to continue fighting in order to save you! Now it's my turn!" She then drew a card from her Deck to begin her turn.

"Yes, but don't forget: Since it's your Standby Phase, the effect of your Blustering Winds Spell ends." the boy reminded her. "So Gogogo Golem returns to its original attack and defense." (Gogogo Golem: ATK 2800 - 1000 = 1800 / DEF 2500 - 1000 = 1500)

Twilight grumbled a bit, wishing that her card's effect could have lasted longer. Looking at the card she drew, she placed it into her hand and said, "I'll switch Gogogo Golem to Defense Mode and end my turn."

"Hmph. That was a waste of time, Twilight." Spoon taunted. "Nothing will save you now, so just admit that you cannot beat someone as perfect as I am!" He then drew his next card and smirked saying, "And if this won't convince you otherwise, nothing will! I play the Spell Card... Stop Defense!!"

Everyone in the room gasped when they heard that. "Aw no! Not that card!!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Now I can switch your golem to Attack Mode, making it and you completely vulnerable!" Shining Spoon told her as the Rock-Type monster switched positions.

(No... I was planning to use Gogogo Golem's effect to stall until I could counterattack...) thought the purple teen. (But it doesn't work if he's in Attack Mode!)

"Now, Crooked Cook! Destroy her monster!!" ordered the boy. The chef monster then fired its flames at Gogogo Golem, destroying it and sending out more damage to Twilight (Twilight Sparkle: LP 2,600 - 800 = 1,800). After making his move, Spoon taunted her further, saying, "Just face it: I learned a long time ago that only the perfect can survive, and the flawed mean absolutely nothing! There is no hope for those that are imperfect, and there is no hope for you as well!!"

But Twilight wasn't about to show any fear in front of her opponent. "That's where you're wrong, Shining Spoon." she told him. "While I'm not sure exactly where in the world you learned that from, thinking like that is never going to help you succeed at anything."

"What's that supposed to mean??" asked the boy.

"You keep saying how you want to be perfect, and that I and everyone else around you is flawed and worthless..." the purple-skinned teen explained to him. "But I think that in itself is an imperfection that YOU have!"

"How dare you say that!! I can be perfect at everything! And I will prove it by crushing you!!" Spoon said in a rage.

"You'll have to wait to do that, since your turn's over. It's my turn now!" Twilight then drew her next card and looked at it. The Princess of Friendship smiled and said, "You said that there was no hope for those that have flaws... but that's not quite true. I believe that there is hope for anypo- er, anybody that seeks it!"

"Huh? What are you talking about??" asked Shining Spoon, not understanding what she meant.

(Twilight... I know what you are planning to do. I am ready when you are...) said the voice of Utopia in the young girl's mind.

Twilight nodded and played the card she had just drawn from her Deck. "I Summon another Gagaga Magician from my hand in Attack Mode!!" And with that, she brought out another blue robe-wearing magician to her field. "Next," she continued, "since I control a Gagaga monster, I can also Summon my Gagaga Child to the field!" She then placed her next monster in Defense Mode, and it appeared on the field as a young boy with a hat and robe similar to Gagaga Magician's, but also wearing a school uniform, a pair of red sneakers, and carrying a blue popsicle (Gagaga Child: Level 2 / ATK 800 / DEF 1200).

"Summon whatever you want!" Shining Spoon shouted at her. "Nothing you play can stand up to my Number card!!"

But Twilight chuckled a little and said to him, "...Nothing except ANOTHER Number, of course." This caused the boy to gasp in surprise.

"But her monsters' Levels aren't the same..." Rainbow Dash pointed out. "She can't Xyz Summon."

"No, she can, Dash." Sunset argued. "Just watch."

"I activate the effect of Gagaga Child!" Twilight declared. "By Special Summoning him with his effect, I can make his Level match that of another Gagaga monster I control. So I target Gagaga Magician, causing Gagaga Child's Level to change to four!" (Gagaga Child: Level 2 > 4)

"This can't be!!" protested Shining Spoon. "Now she can Summon an Xyz Monster!"

"I overlay my Level 4 Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Child to build the Overlay Network!!" shouted Twilight as her two monsters became a pair of purple lights that flew into a galaxy-like portal in front of her.

"Wh-what's going on?!" asked Mulia Mild, shielding her eyes from the bright lights that were emitting from the portal.

"I'll tell ya: Twilight's gonna Summon HER Number card!" Rainbow Dash said with a smile on her face.

"About time!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Five chapters in and we finally get it see it in action!"

As the portal swirled in front of her, Twilight closed her eyes and chanted, "Appear, Number 39! My battle starts here! I entrust my wishes upon your white wings! Xyz Summon! Messenger of light! Rank 4! Utopia!!"

The portal then exploded into a powerful light, leaving behind a red 39 mark on the floor. From high above, Utopia, in his sealed form, floated down to the battlefield before unfolding himself, emerging into his true form: A powerful warrior with white and gold armor and brandishing a pair of giant swords (Number 39: Utopia: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000).

"N-n-n-n-no way...!" said Shining Spoon, trembling a little. Even Crooked Cook seemed to be intimidated by Utopia's presence.

"So that's Twilight's Number card..." said Dash, in awe of the powerful monster her friend had Summoned. "It's AWESOME!!"

"And pretty!" Pinkie added, eyes sparkling with delight. Fluffle Puff gasped happily, her eyes also sparkling.

"I must say, I am truly impressed as well..." Mulia chimed in. "I just hope that it's powerful enough to help her save Shining Spoon..." Although she still wasn't sure that the Number card he had was the cause of it, she now seemed to truly believe that the boy wasn't saying or doing anything out of his own free will.

Spoon grumbled a bit and told his foe, "You may have a Number on the field, but his attack points are less than mine! So next turn, I'll eliminate your Number and defeat you for good!!"

"If you're so sure of that, then attack me." Twilight told him.

"What's she thinking?" asked Rainbow Dash. "She doesn't have anything out to protect her Number from his attack!"

Sunset hummed a little to herself and pondered, (Hmmm... She doesn't seem like she's making a mistake to me... I wonder what she's up to?)

"My turn! I draw!!" said Spoon as he drew his next card. "Perfect... as always." He then played the card he drew and said, "I Summon another Jigabyte in Attack Mode!" The boy then Summoned another humanoid lizard to his field. "And next, I'll use Crooked Cook's remaining Overlay Unit and power it up even more!!" He then sent the remaining Overlay Unit to his Graveyard (Number 59: Crooked Cook: OLU 1 - 1 = 0), allowing him to destroy the monster that he had just Summoned and give his Number card even more power (Number 59: Crooked Cook: ATK 2600 + 300 = 2900).

"Next, since Jigabyte was just destroyed and sent to my Graveyard, I can now Special Summon a new monster from my Deck; one that has 1500 attack points and 200 defense points! So I'll bring out Inari Fire!" He then Summoned a second copy of his fiery fox monster to the field in Attack Mode.

"Oh no... If he attacks with both of those monsters, Twilight's Life Points'll drop to zero!" said Pinkie Pie.

(C'mon Twilight... you can't let him beat you... I know you can win!) Sunset mentally urged her friend.

"Now, Crooked Cook!! Show her just how imperfect she truly is! Destroy her Utopia!!" Spoon ordered his monster. The chef then fired its flames directly at Utopia. "You never had any hope against someone as flawless as me!!" the boy shouted at Twilight, so sure that he would win.

"I wouldn't say that..." the purple teen told him.

"Huh? What??" The boy was confused by what she meant.

"Your Number may have a powerful ability, but so does mine!!" Twilight then took out a card from underneath Utopia and yelled, "I activate Utopia's effect!! By spending one Overlay Unit, I can negate your attack!!"

Everyone watched in surprise as Utopia drew one of its swirling orbs into his chestplate (Number 39: Utopia: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). Afterwards, he then used one of his wings to block the flames being shot at him by Crooked Cook.

"Yeah!! Way to go, Twi!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "You blocked his attack!!"

"Phew... that was a close one." Pinkie added, wiping her forehead, as did Fluffle Puff.

(No... I can't let her... win... Can't let her!) the boy thought as he took another card from out of his hand. "I-I-I activate Book of Moon and use it to switch Inari Fire to Defense Mode!" He then flipped his monster face-down and placed it horizontally on his Duel Pad.

"I see..." Mulia began. "If he had left that monster in Attack Position, Twilight could have destroyed it and won the Duel." Sunset stayed silent, but continued to root for Twilight in her mind, trying to send as many good vibes her way as possible.

"Rrrgh... I won't let you defeat me...!" snarled Shining Spoon. "I'll never become truly perfect if I don't beat you!!"

"Sorry, Shining Spoon, but I'm afraid that you couldn't be 'perfect', as you say, even IF you defeated me." the Princess of Friendship told him.

"What do you mean?!" asked the boy.

"...Because no one can be perfect." Twilight answered.

The boy gasped when he heard that. "Th-that's a lie! It has to be!!"

"Well, it isn't." the purple teen told him. "No matter how hard you try, achieving true perfection is impossible. And there's a reason why: It's because everypo- er, everybody's idea of perfect is totally different from another's. What you might see as perfection, others may see as completely flawed. There's no way that you can live up to anyone else's idea of becoming perfect, and trying to do so will leave you forever unsatisfied and unfulfilled."

"Shut up! What would YOU know about something like that?!" asked Shining Spoon. "How do you know how I feel?!"

"Because I used to think just like you did, that not being as good as possible at everything would make me worthless." she answered him. "But then I learned that wasn't true: Like I said, what you may see as perfect, others may see it as a flaw. But it also means that what you might think is flawed and imperfect, someone else might see as unique and special. It's all of our unique attributes that make us who we are. And besides, why would you want to be what someone else wants you to be, when you can just be yourself instead?"

Shining Spoon said nothing in response. What Twilight had told him seemed to affect him mentally. (Be... myself...?) he thought as the number symbol on his head began to dull its light.

"You should never have to be anyone else but you, Shining Spoon." the young Princess told her opponent. "And my cards will help to convey those feelings! Now I draw!!" After drawing her card, she thought to herself, (Alright, if I'm going to win this Duel, I have to destroy Crooked Cook on this turn... But how?) She then looked over her hand, hoping to find something that would help her win. That's when she noticed a Spell Card in her hand. (This card... what does this do...?)

*******************************

Double or Nothing!
(Quick-Play Spell Card)

When a monster's attack is negated: Target that monster; during this Battle Phase, it can attack again, and if it does, its ATK is doubled during the Damage Step only.

*******************************

(This card could help me defeat him,) Twilight thought. (but what are the odds that he'd be able to negate my attack?) But right after saying the word "negate", the purple girl gasped. (Wait a second...! It doesn't say that my opponent has to negate my attack!) Once she realized that, Twilight knew exactly what she was going to do. (Utopia, I think I have a plan to win this Duel right now...) she said to him with her mind. (Are you with me?)

(I know exactly what you plan to do, and I agree with it.) the warrior responded. (It is our only chance at victory, so we must seize this opportunity while we still can!)

"Alright then! Go, Utopia!!" Twilight shouted with a smile. "Attack Crooked Cook!!" The mighty warrior nodded as he pulled out his sword. He then leapt forward and charged towards Shining Spoon's Number card.

"What the-? She's attacking him?!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "But her monster's weaker! It'll get clobbered!!"

"Oh dear... why would she do that??" asked Mulia.

Sunset said nothing in response to Twilight's shocking move. But her face seemed to suggest that she knew what Twilight was doing, and that her inter-dimensional friend wasn't making a mistake.

"Ha ha ha!! So you HAVE given up!!" the boy cackled. "After that big speech of yours, this is the best you can do?!" He then pointed ahead and yelled, "Crooked Cook! Counterattack!! Searing Oven Torch!!" His monster then shot its fire attack once more.

"Not so fast! I use Utopia's effect once again!!" Twilight shouted. "I remove his last Overlay Unit and negate my OWN attack!!" And once more, Utopia absorbed his last Overlay Unit and put up his shield to block his own sword attack, along with Crooked Cook's flames (Number 39: Utopia: OLU 1 - 1 = 0).

"I don't get it... why the heck would she wanna do that??" Rainbow Dash asked, confused. "That move did her no good at all."

"Not quite, Dash." Sunset told her. "I think I know what she's trying to do."

"So... she negated her attack on purpose...?" asked Mulia Mild. "But why?"

Shining Spoon, however, figured that Twilight must have blundered. "So you realized that your monster was weaker than mine, and as a result, you stopped our attacks before they hit." he said to her. "You may have saved yourself, but without any more Overlay Units, I can destroy your monster! Your mistake this turn will lead to your failure! Something that never happens to someone as perfect as me!!"

But Twilight chuckled a bit in response to his words. "Failures and mistakes are two very different things. After all, mistakes can be corrected!" She then held up her Spell Card and said, "I play my Double or Nothing! Spell Card!!"

"Wh-wha...?" the boy stuttered.

"This card has an incredible power, but I can only use it if my monster's attack was negated." the young Princess. "Now do you see where I'm going with this?"

Spoon gasped. "N-no! You negated Utopia's attack on purpose to play that, didn't you?!"

"Exactly." Twilight confirmed. "I guess your so-called 'perfect plan' didn't account for this little variable..." After shoving her card into her Duel Pad, she then told him, "Now, thanks to this Spell Card, I not only give Utopia a second attack, but now his attack doubles this turn if he DOES attack! Which is exactly what I'm going to do right now!!" (Number 39: Utopia: ATK 2500 x 2 = 5000)

"F-F-FIVE THOUSAND ATTACK POINTS?!?" Shining Spoon cried out. "NO WAY!!!"

"Amazing..." said Mulia. "The timing on that move was... was..."

"Perfect?" Pinkie asked, attempting to finish the teacher's sentence.

"...In this case, I'd rather use the term, 'outstanding'." the woman replied back.

"Alright, Twilight! You did it!!" cheered Sunset Shimmer. "Now take his Number card down!!"

"You've got it, Sunset!" Twilight then gave out her order to her monster. "Go, Utopia!! Attack Crooked Cook and end this Duel!!"

"Yes, I shall!!" the warrior replied, rushing towards the enemy Number card once more. "Now get ready to feel the power of my Rising Sun Slash!!!" Utopia declared as he took out both of his swords and slashed them at Spoon's Number card, destroying it in one mighty blow.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" screamed the boy as he took the massive blow, which succeeded in depleting all of his Life Points (Shining Spoon: LP 1,000 - 2,100 = 0) (WINNER: Twilight Sparkle).

"She did it!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Twilight beat 'im!!"

"Hurray!! Hip-hip-hooray!!!" screamed Pinkie, hopping up and down in excitement. Fluffle Puff simply let out a happy gasp in response.

Sunset smiled to herself and said in her mind, (I knew you could do it. Great job, Twilight.)

The young Princess let out a sigh that was a mixture of both relief and exhaustion. "Phew... that took a lot out of me just now... But we did it, Utopia. We stopped that Number card from controlling him any longer."

"Indeed." said the white-armored warrior. "With my power, along with your intelligence and determination, we have won this battle... But there shall be many others in the future."

"I know." Twilight told him, feeling slightly nervous just thinking about her next major battle. But she pushed that worried feeling out of her mind, smiled, and told her new friend, "But I'm not going to let that stop me from trying to help you or my friends! I'll do everything in my power to stop the other Number cards." She then put out her left hand and added, "Let's keep up the good work, Utopia... together."

The warrior paused for a moment, impressed by the young Princess's courage. He then nodded, put out his left hand and shook hers, saying, "Yes, we shall." After their handshake, Utopia turned his attention to Shining Spoon, who had fainted after losing the Duel. "For now, there is only one more thing that I have to do; now that the boy has lost the Duel, we are now free to claim his Number."

Utopia then thrust his right hand out, in the direction of where Silver Spoon was as a small ball of light phased out from the boy's chest. The sphere then flew towards Utopia himself and into his right hand, causing both the sphere and Utopia himself to vanish. After that happened, Twilight then noticed a faint glow coming from her deck box, which was now attached to her hip by a belt. The purple teen opened the box and pulled out a glowing card, which revealed itself as Number 59: Crooked Cook.

As soon as Twilight had gotten the Number card, its former owner began to groan. "Rrrgh... uhhnnn... What happened...?" he moaned as he sat up, holding his head in pain.

"Shining Spoon!" Sunset shouted to him as she and the others in the room raced over to check on him. "Are you okay? Do you need to go and see Nurse Redheart?"

"No... I think I'm okay..." he answered groggily, opening his eyes. He then looked over at his dueling opponent with his tired eyes and muttered, "T...Twilight...?"

"Yes, it's me Shining Spoon." the young Princess told him with a smile. "I'm happy to see that you're okay... That Duel really wore us both out..."

"Okay...?" he asked. "How is anything okay...? I lost..."

"So what?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Do you really think it's that bad if you lose one Duel? I mean, it's not like any of us here have never lost one every now and then."

"But... you don't understand...!" Spoon said to them. "It means that I really am flawed; I'm not perfect, and I never will be... Just like Dad always thought I was..."

"Your... dad?" asked Sunset. "What do you mean?"

A few minutes later, everyone sat down to rest as Shining Spoon told them all about what had been bothering him lately. "Well... the thing is..." the boy began to explain, "my dad's a super-famous chef; one of the best in the country. I always loved how he cooked, and one day, I decided to tell him that I wanted to be a cook just like him." The boy then put on a sad-looking face and continued, saying, "But no matter how hard I tried, no matter how closely I followed his instructions... I was never able to make anything that worked; he always told me that unless I got the instructions just perfect, it would never be good enough to meet his standards..."

"...I see... Now I understand." Ms. Mulia said to him. "Your father is pressuring you to be at your best, but instead of helping you, his actions are actually causing you to become more stressed. No wonder you never seemed happy with your grades here..."

"Or when you won that Duel with Lilac..." Pinkie Pie chimed in. "That's so sad..."

"Pthbth..."

"Glad you agree with me, Fluffle Puff." the party-lover commented in response to the raspberry.

Twilight smiled a little and said to the boy, "Shining Spoon, I know exactly how you must feel... Believe it or not, I had a problem very similar to yours a very long time ago."

"You did?" he asked.

The purple teenager nodded and said to him, "A while back, I was the personal student of a very good teacher. Just about everything that I know, she taught to me... and that included a few things that you can't get out of a book, no matter how engaging that book can be." Twilight paused for a moment, took a deep sigh, and told him, "Back then, I wanted to impress her with my knowledge so much, that I tried everything I could, in order to be as great as she was.

"Then one day, there was this test that I had to take," Twilight explained further, "and when I didn't receive a perfect grade on it, I was... well, devastated. I thought that I had lost any hope of ever being a great successor to my mentor. I then ran off to my study room, cursing myself for not being able to get the perfect grade that I felt I should have gotten... But then, the Princ- ...er, my teacher came up to me and said...

"'It is alright, my faithful student... I know how you feel, and I know you wanted to do your best to impress me. But you don't have to worry about trying to be perfect for me... I want you to be at your best, of course, but most importantly, I want you to be you. You don't need to try so hard to be like me or anyone else... Instead, you should be trying much harder to be yourself, to become great in your own way.'"

Shining Spoon seemed very moved by what Twilight was telling him. "Be... great in my own way...?" he asked.

"Mhmm." the young Princess replied, nodding her head yes. "Trying to be exactly like someone else will only make it harder to be the great person that you were always meant to be. After my mentor explained it to me, I then realized that the reason I didn't do as well as I wanted on my test, was because I had stressed myself out trying to be perfectly like her." She then told the boy, "The most important thing you need to remember when pursuing your dreams and interests is that you have to be yourself, not what someone else wants you to be. And while your father's intentions may have been good, you need to tell him that it's only causing you more serious issues. You need to let him know how you really feel about all of this, and if he truly cares about you, he'll understand."

Shining Spoon reflected on what Twilight Sparkle had told him concerning his problems. He had never thought about it that way before, and began to realize that she had a point, and that trying to be exactly like his father was only causing him more problems in the long run. Letting out a deep sigh, he told her, "You're totally right... It was silly of me to think that I could be exactly like my dad. But that doesn't mean that I can't ever become a great chef, too."

"So, does this mean that you'll stop trying to be perfect at everything?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah, it does." he replied, getting up to his feet. "I may not be able to cook exactly like my dad can, but I can still be a great chef like he is in my own way! I'll work hard, do my best, and cook so amazingly well, that he'll be proud of me no matter how it all turns out!" Chuckling a little, he then added, "Who knows? Maybe the way I cook could actually surpass him!"

"Well, I suppose we'll see soon enough." Mulia Mild told him with a smile. "After all, we still have a few more cooking lessons for the next few weeks, and I will be anxiously awaiting your next great concoction." Shining Spoon nodded to his teacher, saying that he would do his very best and be happy with whatever grade he would receive.

"So... guess that wraps things up here, doesn't it?" asked Rainbow Dash as she, Sunset, Pinkie Pie, and Fluffle Puff walked over to Twilight.

"Yep... at least until the next Number card appears, that is." the purple-skinned girl replied.

"Well, I know we'll be able to deal with it, as long as we all stick together and don't give up." Sunset told them all. She then looked to Twilight and told her, "Great job winning the Duel. I expected no less of you. But I have to ask: How did you know what was bothering Shining Spoon before we did?"

"Oh, that? Well, he sort of reminded of when I had stayed up last night watching all of those dueling videos because I was worried about not being at my best." the young Princess answered. "But I guess since I won the Duel, I don't need to worry about that, do I?"

Sunset shook her head no to answer her inter-dimensional friend's question. At that moment, the bell rang to inform the students to head to their next class. "We'd better get a move on, Twilight." she told her. "Can't miss our next class."

"Yes, of course." Twilight then waved good-bye to Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluffle Puff before heading out of the Home Economics classroom with Sunset.

As they left, Pinkie then glanced over at Rainbow Dash and asked, "Soooooooo... what're we gonna do about all this macaroni and cheese?"

As Twilight and Sunset walked to their next class together, Utopia (in a sort of phantom-like form) hovered over them as he pondered something to himself...

"After careful analysis of current events, I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as 'perfect'. All living things' ideas of perfection differs from that of another living thing, and therefore, I can see that achieving perfection is an impossible goal. The attributes of all living things, whether they are positive or negative, shapes who they are as individuals, and what one may see as flawed, another might see as wonderful...

"...I shall remember that."

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Twilight Sparkle (2 Numbers total):

Number 59: Crooked Cook

RANK 24: The Spy Who Dueled Me:

Author's Note

This episode came a bit later than I intended, but I wanted to make sure it got up on here before the end of the month.

This episode focuses its spotlight on one of the minor characters for a change, as well as give a bigger role to a previously-seen antagonist. The Decks that I chose for them both seem to fit them quite nicely, in my opinion. As far as the cards used by the villain characters, don't be dismayed if they happen to use a Deck that you use/like. I have nothing against those Decks (if I did, I wouldn't have built them), it's just that they fit a villainous role better than a heroic one. So again, it's nothing personal.

RANK 24: The Spy Who Dueled Me:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

As Sunset's battles with the Number cards continue, she and her friends are convinced that someone is after them, and are using blank Numbers to possess people close to them, forcing them into battles against those people. This was the case with Vinyl Scratch, who had a Number Card planted on her by an unknown individual. After coming to this revelation, Sunset and the others are now beginning to realize that things are only going to become more perilous for them.

Sunset and her friends are not the only ones concerned for their safety: Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, having witnessed several of Sunset's battles against the Numbers, are worried not only for them, but also for the safety of the rest of the school. The worst part about it - for them at least, is the fact that, despite their status as former Pro Duelists, they are powerless to directly assist Sunset and her friends in the recovery of the Number cards.

However, Celestia is determined to do what she can to ensure the safety of Sunset, her students and staff, and the school as a whole. As of this moment, she is preparing to send the cross-dimensional girl some additional help...

It was Monday in Canterlot High School, around 11:30 a.m. In the office of Principal Celestia, the light pink-skinned woman was busy looking over some papers... as well as some VHS tapes containing raw footage from the school's security cameras. Celestia then inserted a tape into the TV's built-in VHS player that was labeled, "SECURITY FOOTAGE - BAND ROOM - SEPT. 14th".

After the video came on, the principal began fast-forwarding through the footage until she reached a point when she could see two students all by themselves in the room; they were Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody. The video feed showed Vinyl leaving the room for a moment, and then Octavia looking at a small paper nearby where her friend was sitting. Upon picking it up, the TV showed the cello player holding her head, seemingly in intense pain.

"Hmmmm..." hummed Celestia as she once more pushed the fast forward button.

She then saw and heard what had happened after Vinyl returned. "I'm back, Tavi..." she said to Octavia after placing several snacks and drinks on the desk in the room. Pulling up a chair, she then sat down backwards on it and added, "Alright, let's get this overwith already... I wanna do something that's a lot more interesting sometime today..."

"Oh... you do not believe that my music is interesting at all, do you, Vinyl?" Octavia asked in a low, slightly menacing tone.

Celestia gasped as she continued to watch the security footage, which showed Octavia - under the possession of the Number card she picked up, violently swinging her cello at her friend. "Oh dear...!" the woman said. "And this was because she picked up that card??" She then continued to play the video, which then showed Sunset's Duel against Octavia. It also showed the red-and-yellow girl taking the Number card away from the cello player and undoing the damage it did to her.

"Hmmm... I suppose this serves as suitable evidence as to the danger these Number cards possess..." Celestia said to herself. Ejecting the tape, the Principal then inserted another one. This one was labeled, "SECURITY FOOTAGE - B. LOCKER ROOM - SEPT. 17th". This tape showed footage of Sunset's Duel against Photo Finish, when the latter was possessed by a Number card, and just like before, after Sunset claimed the Number, Photo Finish was back to her normal, sane self.

"Most troubling..." Celestia said to herself. "These Numbers... where are they coming from...? And what is it about them that cause people to lose themselves...? I wish I knew..."

"Sister? Is everything okay?" asked Luna's voice from nearby. The elder sister quickly turned away from the TV screen to look over at her sibling, who was carrying a full cup of coffee, straight black as she always liked.

"Luna..." Celestia said. Sighing a little, she then told her, "Forgive me... I didn't notice you coming in."

"Sister, is something the matter with you?" Luna inquired again. "You seem to be in deep thought... You never go into deep thought unless there is something troubling you. If this is so, then please tell me."

Managing to form a smile, Celestia knew that her younger sister was only asking out of concern and decided to talk with her about it. "I've been going over some of the security tapes just now..." she told her. "After re-watching the video feed from the last Fall Formal, I went over some of the footage from the days before then... I saw the other Duels Ms. Shimmer had been involved in regarding the Number situation."

"Oh... I see." Luna replied, now getting why her sister seemed so worried. "And what have you figured out?"

"Unfortunately, besides seeing the effects that the Numbers have on people, including on Ms. Rarity and our friend Manny Roar," the Principal told her, "I'm afraid that I haven't figured out anything new... And that isn't good, especially since it seems as though more of these cards are showing up around the area... The question is why? And how? Where are they coming from?"

Humming a bit in thought, Luna tried her best to come up with any sort of answer to her older sister's question. Suddenly, she managed to remember something important. "Hold on...!" she began to say. "There is one thing that I heard from Ms. Shimmer and her friends... It was on the day that Ms. Fluttershy and Ms. Scratch had been absent from school."

"Hm? What did they say?" asked Celestia.

"Well, on that day, Vinyl had picked up a Number," Luna stated, "but the odd thing about it is that she didn't remember getting it. She didn't appear to be lying about it, so Ms. Shimmer and the others had come to the conclusion that someone had planted the card on her, intending to target Fluttershy."

"Oh my...!" gasped the light-pink woman. "Are you sure that's what they said?" Luna nodded yes. Thinking some more, the Principal added, "Now that I remember, I did hear some reports from both students and staff that they had seen some strange people in and around the school grounds... but they could never see these intruders for more than a second before said intruders would suddenly vanish, leaving no traces behind... Those reports came in around the same time that Ms. Mulia Mild had disappeared from her classroom, and also around the time that an earlier incident had taken place from within the Home Economics classroom..."

"Do you believe that they may be connected?" asked Luna.

"The coincidence is hard to ignore," Celestia replied, "but if my hunch is right... there is most certainly someone in this school - perhaps in this city and even in the suburbs, that is knowingly possessing people with these Number cards!"

"That does sound troubling, indeed..." the dark-blue woman responded. "But what are we to do about it?"

"That is a problem..." Celestia said, pondering. "Sunset and Twilight are the only ones that can fight the Number cards, because they own Numbers themselves... But we can't just obtain Numbers of our own, or we may end up in the same state as all of the other people possessed by them."

"In other words, we have no way of fighting other Number users ourselves." Luna concluded. "But we cannot just sit idly by and not lift a finger while all of this is going on!"

"I couldn't agree more, Luna." the Principal stated. "Which is why we'll have to assist her in a different way: If we can figure out who it is that is placing these Number cards in the hands of our students, we can prevent them from causing any more damage than they have already done."

"That does sound like a good idea..." said the Vice Principal. "But we cannot just get up and leave our offices; we have other important duties to attend to. We can't just roam the halls and try to find this criminal whenever we want..."

"No... but there is someone who can." stated Celestia. Getting her cell phone out, she then told Luna, "I have an idea; I need you to make an announcement to summon Ms. Shimmer to our office. I'll handle the rest."

"Understood." Luna replied, heading over to her desk to do just that.

Meanwhile, in Math Class, the students in attendance were about to see the results of a test they took last Friday. "I have to say," said the teacher, Cranky Doodle, "I'm quite impressed by most of you; on average, you all did quite a fine job on last week's test. But don't let it go to your head, or you might end up making an embarrassing mistake when you can't afford it, so make sure you're good and ready for the next one."

Sunset and Twilight were given their test results as the teacher was speaking. Not surprisingly, they both had gotten an A. "Not bad, if I do say so myself." Twilight commented, always pleased to see a good mark on any work that she had done.

"I agree." Sunset chimed in. "This one was pretty challenging for once. But it wasn't anything that you and I couldn't handle. I have to say, I had some doubts that you'd be able to handle one of my five-hour study sessions back at the apartment."

Giggling a little, Twilight then told her, "You should see me back home at the castle. For me, five hours of nothing but studying isn't difficult; that's just Thursday afternoon." That comment elicited a chuckle out of Sunset as well.

At that moment, the voice of Vice Principal Luna was heard over the loudspeaker. "Attention please, attention..." she spoke. "Would Ms. Sunset Shimmer please come to the Main Office immediately? I repeat: Would Ms. Sunset Shimmer please come to the Main Office immediately?"

"...Huh. That's weird..." stated the black jacket-clad teen. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know..." Twilight replied, "but if Celestia and Luna want you to see them, it must be important."

"Either way, I don't have much of a choice, it seems." Sunset said, getting up out of her desk. "I'll go and see what's up and come back as soon as I can." She then left the room, leaving her Princess friend wondering what could have happened that would have warranted Luna's sudden announcement...

A few minutes after the announcement was made, Sunset walked into the school's Main Office. Walking over to the counter, she then spoke to the clerk sitting there, saying, "Um, hello? I'm Sunset Shimmer. I was called to come here."

"Hm?" the clerk responded, looking up from her work. "Oh, yes... The Principal and the Vice Principal are expecting you. They're in their office right now, so just go on in."

"Thanks." Sunset then walked past the front desk and stood in front of the door leading to Celestia and Luna's office. Still wondering what was going on, she took a deep breath as she opened the door. But what she saw next took her by surprise. Celestia and Luna were there, just as she expected... But there was a third person with them as well that the red-and-yellow girl immediately recognized. "...Bon Bon?!"

Indeed, the person sitting in the office with the Principals was Bon Bon, easily recognizable by her pale yellow skin, her short, swirly indigo and pink-colored hair, and white dress. "Hello, Sunset. Good to see you again." the young girl greeted.

"Um, yeah... likewise." Sunset responded, not sure what was going on. Looking over at the principals, she then asked, "Um, You asked me to come here, right? What did you want to see me for? And just to be clear; I'm not in any trouble, am I?"

Chuckling a little, Celestia told her, "Don't worry, this is a friendly visit. However, there ARE some important matters that I want to discuss with the two of you. So, if you would, please take a seat, Ms. Shimmer." The jacket-wearing girl nodded and sat down next to Bon Bon. "Now, as for why I have called the two of you here," Celestia began, "there are some important matters concerning recent events that I need to discuss with you. But in order to do that, I must first tell Ms. Shimmer the secret that we all share. Do you understand, Ms. Drops?"

"I do." Bon Bon replied.

"Secret?" asked Sunset. "What secret?"

"Sunset... Sweetie Drops - or Bon Bon as you and most others know her by," the Principal told her, "is the Hall Monitor of Canterlot High School."

That statement caught Sunset off-guard. "Hall... Monitor?" she asked, a bit confused. She then paused for a moment, and added, "I didn't know the school HAD a Hall Monitor."

"Of course you didn't know." Bon Bon told her. "Besides the principals, you're the only one who knows this. But yes, there has been a Hall Monitor here at the school for some time. In fact, I believe it was not long after you came here that plans for establishing one were in the works."

"Oh... I see." the red-and-yellow girl replied, feeling a little awkward after hearing that.

"Don't worry, it had nothing to do with your... behavior at the time, Ms. Shimmer." Luna assured her. "It is merely a coincidence, so there is no reason to feel bad about it. I can assure that you were not the reason for there being a Hall Monitor."

"Oh, okay then." Sunset replied, feeling a little better. She then asked the two women, "But there's just one thing: Why does Bon Bon being a Hall Monitor have to be a secret? I'm just a bit curious."

"Two reasons." Luna responded. "The first is that, if the students and staff at the school were aware that Ms. Drops was the school's Hall Monitor, it would hinder her ability to catch troublemakers in the act. They would instead feign being honest and act within the rules, but then go right back to misbehaving as soon as she would leave. Does that make sense to you, Ms. Shimmer?"

"Yeah, I think I understand;" the inter-dimensional teen told her. "because no one knows that she's the Hall Monitor, they wouldn't act any different around her as they would with anyone else. But even so, what does she do when she sees something wrong?"

"It's very simple, Sunset." Bon Bon chimed in, deciding to explain some things as well. Showing off her cell phone, she continued to tell her, "If something bad is happening, I call Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna directly. I tell them what's going on, they call the wrongdoer to the office, and after that, they handle the rest; and the troublemaker has no idea what hit them."

"So... in a way, it's like you're a spy, right?" asked Sunset.

"You could say that." the pale-yellow girl told her. "To put it simply, I'm basically Celestia and Luna's eyes and ears outside this office. Since they can't go around to police the halls themselves, they hired me to do it for them. And even though the teachers here don't know that I'm Hall Monitor, they do know that the principals could call me to assist them at anytime, so I don't have to worry about not being able to leave class when they need me. Luckily, I don't have to do that too often, so I don't miss too much that I can't make up later."

"Well, it sounds like you have this whole operation figured out, huh?" Sunset commented. "But what's the other reason that this has to be a secret? You said that there were two..."

"Well," Celestia began, "if anyone knew that Ms. Drops is the Hall Monitor, then someone that may or may not have been caught by her would try to retaliate against her out of revenge. So it's also for her own safety that no one else is to know, do you understand?"

"Hmmmm, yeah that certainly does make sense." the black jacket-clad girl replied.

"And for that reason especially," Luna told her next, "you MUST promise us that you will not tell anyone else what we have just discussed. Can we count on you to keep that promise?"

"O-of course! Absolutely!" Sunset guaranteed them. "I won't tell anyone else!"

Satisfied by that answer, the two Principals then decided to move onto the main issue. "Now that that's out of the way," Celestia began, "Let us move on to why we have called you both here: As I'm sure you know, there have been several reported incidents here at school and in the area involving Duelists using Number cards. Ms. Shimmer, of course, knows about all this quite well, and I recall that you, Ms. Drops, were present when Ms. Rarity used a Number, am I right?"

"Yeah, I was there." Bon Bon confirmed. "She had that giant crab-thing that made her go crazy."

"Well, concerning that," Luna continued, "we've recently gotten some distressing reports that there have been some unwanted visitors at Canterlot High School. And these reports have come around the same time as recent happenings involving the Number cards."

"Unwanted visitors?" asked Sunset. She then pondered, (Could they have anything to do with those Skyes Academy people...?) She thought that after recalling the unwelcome company that had paid Applejack and her family a visit some time ago.

"It has been some time since the last incident involving a Number," Celestia told them, "and I have a hunch that these intruders may strike again... especially since you seem to believe that they are after you and your friends for whatever reason... That is why I called the two of you here: I want you to work together and try to find some evidence that may have been left behind by the intruder or intruders. When you find anything particularly significant, let either me or Luna know."

"Understood." Bon Bon replied. "I'll do what I can."

"And Sunset," Luna told her next, "in case this unsavory guest of ours decides to pay our school another visit, make sure Ms. Drops remains safe."

"Got it." Sunset replied with a nod.

"In that case, I wish you both the best of luck." Celestia said to them. "The two of you are now dismissed. Do your best, but most of all, come back safely." The two girls nodded and left the office together. After the door closed behind them, Celestia let out a sigh and said, "It's all up to them now..."

"Do not worry, Sister." Luna reassured her. "Ms. Drops has performed quite well since we gave her the job. Her track record, along with Ms. Shimmer's knowledge of the Number cards, will most certainly see them through."

"I hope so." the light-pink woman replied, a hint of concern still in her voice.

Minutes later, after making a stop to their lockers, Sunset and Bon Bon (a.k.a. Sweetie Drops) began their search in the hallways of CHS. They both had their backpacks on their backs, as well as their Duel Pads strapped to their arms, just in case they ran into any trouble. "So, where should we look first?" asked the red-and-yellow girl.

"Well, before you arrived," Bon Bon began to say, "Principal Celestia showed me some of the security footage of your Duels against some of the students that used Numbers. I saw your matches against Octavia, Vinyl, and with Rarity, as well as the Duels that your friend Twilight had against both Shining Spoon and Ms. Mulia." After explaining all of that, she then suggested, "I think we should start looking around those areas first, and see if we can find anything there."

Nodding, Sunset told her, "Sounds like a good idea to me. We could start in the Home Ec. room; I don't think there's a class in there right now." Bon Bon nodded, saying that she agreed. As they made their way over there , the inter-dimensional girl then asked, "So... when the principals said that you being a Hall Monitor was a secret... does that mean that your friend Lyra doesn't even know?"

Sighing, the pale-yellow girl answered, saying, "Yeah... that's right. Lyra doesn't even know about what I'm up to... And believe me, keeping that secret from her isn't easy. We're practically inseparable, in case you didn't already know. She knows just about everything else about me... The fact that I've been able to keep this from her up to this point surprises even me."

"I see..."

"But that's not the only thing:" Bon Bon continued. "Not only is it literally hard to keep this from her... it's also hard in the figurative sense. I want to tell her, but-"

"But you're afraid that she would get angry at you for keeping a secret like that from her, right?" Sunset interrupted, finishing her sentence.

"Well, I was concerned with her accidentally slipping up and telling someone else..." she told her. "But yeah... that too. What would she think of me if DID tell her? I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be happy about it..."

"Well, while I wouldn't recommend telling her, of course, since Celestia and Luna are trusting you to keep it a secret and all," the jack-wearing teen told Bon Bon, "if you two are as close as you make yourselves seem, I'm sure she'd understand why you had to keep it from her. Yeah, maybe she will be angry at you, but real friends look past things like that and try their best to understand your feelings. Believe me, I know that first-hoof... excuse me, first-HAND."

Thinking about it some more, Bon Bon managed to form a smile and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I shouldn't worry about it that much. I don't plan to tell her about it anytime soon... but if it comes to the point where I can or have to come clean about it, I'll take your advice into account."

Smiling as well, Sunset then told her, "I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that you were willing to open up about something like that to me. Before the last Fall Formal, Rarity told me that you and Lyra still didn't trust me much, like most everyone else did at the time."

"It's true, I did have some concerns about you," she admitted, "but I suppose if Rarity and the others are okay with you, and if the principals are willing to trust you enough with my secret identity, that's more than good enough." At that moment, the pair stopped in front of the currently-empty Home Ec. classroom. "In any case, we have work to do, and that's all I want to focus on for now. So let's start looking around for any traces of this unwelcome guest."

"Yeah, let's do it, Bon Bon." Sunset said. "Or should I say, 'Special Agent Sweetie Drops'?"

"Hmmmm... I like that." the pink and blue-haired girl commented. "It's got a nice ring to it." Bon Bon then reached into her purse and pulled out a key, which she used to unlock the classroom door.

Having a feeling as to what it was, Sunset then asked her companion, "That key... is that-?"

"Yep. It's a Master Key to the school." she answered. "Principal Celestia gave it to me for situations just like this one." Opening the door, she allowed both Sunset and herself into the room.

As it turned out, the room wasn't completely empty; Ms. Mulia Mild was already inside, sitting at her desk and watching her favorite ninja movies. She was really getting into it; so much, that she didn't even notice her unannounced guests coming in. "Oh my..." she said, watching a scene involving a pair of ninja, a male one in a blue outfit, along with a female one in a white outfit. The two were seen embracing each other in what appeared to be a love scene. Mulia, shedding a small tear, said with her voice breaking up, "this part always makes me cry... Blue Dragon and White Dragon.. they love each other, but their connections to their respective clans keep them from acting upon it... Oh, how tragic...!"

"Um, Ms. Mulia?" asked Sunset's voice.

"Wh-what?! Who was that?! Who's there?!" exclaimed the teacher, quickly pressing the PAUSE button on her portable DVD player. After a bit of heavy breathing, she then glanced over and saw the two girls standing next to her. "Ms. Shimmer? Ms. Drops? What are you two doing here...??"

"Principal Celestia sent us to do some work for her." Bon Bon explained. "Forgive us for dropping in unannounced; she wanted to talk to you about a few things, but she's currently too wrapped up in her work to do so. It involves the Number cards that have been popping up all over the school lately."

"Oh... I see." Mulia responded, beginning to understand what this was all about.

"We just want to ask if you remember anything about the day that you got your Number card." Sunset explained. "I know your memory of that day isn't completely clear, but if there's anything that you DO remember, it would be very helpful to both us and to the principals."

As Sunset had said, Mulia's memory of the event was cloudy because she was among the few that lost her memory of the time that she had her Number. But she tried her best to recall the day in her mind. "Well... the only thing I can seem to recall is that, before I blacked out and ended up at the Infirmary, I was preparing to go on my break, like I am right now... I was about to pop some popcorn for myself, so I went to the cupboard to get a bowl and then... nothing."

"You... blacked out?" asked Bon Bon. "Just like that?" As she asked that, Sunset decided to take a good look at the cupboard herself, just in case there was anything still in there that seemed out-of-place.

"I'm sorry that I cannot tell you anything else..." the teacher said to them. "But all I can really say is that, after the so-called 'mac-and-cheese' incident, Shining Spoon had told me that he had found a strange card in one of the cupboards before things went out of control... Unfortunately, I didn't find anything afterwards; had I not been in such a rush for another appointment at that moment, I might have had more time to look and I probably would have found it. And by then, I had completely forgotten about the whole thing..."

"Hmmmm... well, I guess some information is better than nothing." Bon Bon figured. "Thanks for telling us what you could. We'll take our leave now." And with that, she and Sunset left the room to allow Ms. Mulia to enjoy the rest of her break.

"Well, unfortunately there wasn't much to figure out from what she was able to tell us..." Sunset commented. "And I didn't see any other Number cards in the cupboard."

"Perhaps it wasn't much, but if we look around some more, we can start putting together a puzzle that'll help us figure out the whole thing." Bon Bon told her. "It's all a matter of getting every piece we can find."

"I'm a bit surprised by how willing Ms. Mulia was to tell you all of that." the red-and-yellow girl pointed out. "I thought you said that the teachers didn't know about your secret."

"All they know is that I do side work for the principals; nothing about my status as a Hall Monitor." the pale-yellow teen informed her. "Principal Celestia had informed them in a memo when I started this job, so they know to tell me anything I need to know."

"Hmmm... I guess that sounds plausible." Sunset replied, satisfied. "Anyway, let's move on. The gym is close by, and it was in the locker rooms that I had a Number Duel with Photo Finish."

"Well, we can't just walk into the Boys' Locker Room! Especially now, since there's a class going on..." Bon Bon stated. "Even though I'm Hall Monitor, that still doesn't allow me to go in there like we did in the Home Ec. room!"

"Perhaps not," Sunset told her, "but there's a good chance that one of the gym coaches might be able to talk with us. It's worth a try." The pink and blue-haired girl nodded to say that she agreed. With the idea fresh in their minds, they made their way over to the gymnasium, hoping to dig up some more clues.

"You're askin' Iron Will if he's seen anything weird around here?" asked a large, muscular blue-skinned man wearing a coach's outfit (and for some reason, a black necktie) after Sunset and Bon Bon approached him and explained everything.

"Please, if you know anything about any intruders or Number cards, you need to tell us, Coach Iron Will." Sunset implored him.

"She's right." Bon Bon added. "If someone is breaking into the school, it could mean trouble for everyone here."

Humming a bit in thought, the man replied, "That does sound troubling, Iron Will admits... But there ain't been anyone that I've seen that's gotten in here! Not that they COULD of course! You see, before he became a high school coach, Iron Will here once underwent training to be an official bodyguard for Mayor Mare!"

"No way, really?!" exclaimed Sunset.

"No, but I THOUGHT about doin' it!" he replied. This elicited a groan out of both girls. "But even so, nothing EVER escapes the eye of Iron Will! Iron Will is vigilant, observant, eagle-eyed, hawk-eyed, EVEN turtle-eyed for anything that goes down on his home turf!" As he was going into his self-praising, Sunset glanced around him to look through the window to his office in the Boys' Locker Room. "Intruders, nuisances, or even robbers: Mess with Iron Will, and they'll get clobbered!!"

"So, you said that you didn't see anyone?" asked the red-and-yellow girl. "And that no one could ever get into your office without you knowing?"

"That's right, missy!" the coach assured her.

"So that must mean that the person that I see near your desk in your office is just a friend of yours, huh?" she then asked rhetorically, pointing to the window as she did so.

"Yep, just a friend of mi-wh-wh-wh-WHAT?!?!" realizing what Sunset had just told him, Iron Will quickly turned around and saw a person covered in a black cloak in his office. "What're you doin' in Iron Will's office?! Get over here!!!" he shouted, waving his fist.

The stranger, noticing the muscular man's presence, quickly ducked out of the way of his punch, swiftly countering with a kick to a... certain area. "URRK!!" he grunted. As tough as Iron Will was, even he was brought to his knees by the swift attack and was helpless as the intruder sped past both him and the two girls. Sunset then noticed as they were escaping, the stranger had pocketed a small object it was holding while inside the coach's office.

"He's getting away!" shouted Bon Bon.

"Not for long!" Sunset told her companion. "Call Celestia and have her get some help for Iron Will while we chase down that guy!" Bon Bon nodded and phoned up the principal as they both pursued the mysterious individual.

The intruder was quick, but Sunset and Bon Bon stayed close behind them. "Grrrr... these meddlers...!" the stranger scowled as they turned a corner.

Still managing to keep up with the unknown guest, Sunset told Bon Bon, "This person's pretty fast, whoever they are...!"

"Maybe, but I'll bet they don't know this school as well as we do!" the pale-yellow teen pointed out. "Chase him down the North Hallway, Sunset! I'll see if I can cut him off!"

"Got it!" the jacket-wearing girl said with a nod as Bon Bon slipped down a side path. Sunset, meanwhile, kept her chase with the stranger going. "I don't know who you are, but if you're gonna cause trouble here, you'd better expect some trouble coming your way!!" she shouted in an attempt to distract the perpetrator.

The stranger simply growled under their breath as they reached another fork in the road. Sunset then began stepping off to the left side, hoping to cut off an escape in that direction, only for the intruder to turn right. However, they were now heading down the North Hallway, which was what the red-and-yellow girl was really trying to get them to do. And as they got towards the end of the hallway, Bon Bon stood in their path, cutting off any possible escape for the stranger. Frustrated, the stranger had no choice but to stop; Sunset and Bon Bon were on either side of the intruder, preventing them from getting away.

"You're trapped now, buddy." Sunset informed the stranger. "You might as well give up now, unless you want to get the proper authorities involved..."

"That's right." Bon Bon told the intruder, showing her phone. "One call to 911 and you'll be in police custody for trespassing and assault! So what's it gonna be?"

Annoyed, but not ready to give in, the stranger threw off the hood of their cloak, revealing themselves as a woman - age possibly eighteen or so, with dark grey skin and long purple hair. "Hmph..." she began to say, "you ACTUALLY think you have me right where you want me, do you? Don't kid yourselves."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Sunset. "Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Who am I?" the strange woman asked. "You may call me Windmistress. And what I have to do here is none of your business, so do me a favor and don't interfere! Or I WILL make you regret it, just like that lunk-head of a coach that tried to stop me earlier!"

"Not happening." Sunset refused. "There's no way that I'm gonna let you plant that Number card here and possess someone with it."

"What...?!" exclaimed Windmistress. "How did you know that I had-" Pausing for a moment and chuckling to herself, she said to her, "Ah... so you must be Sunset Shimmer, then... I had a feeling that it was you when I saw you returning from your little trip to that old barn a while ago."

"Old barn...?" asked the inter-dimensional teenager. "Then... then YOU were the one that gave Vinyl that Number card, weren't you?!"

"I am indeed." the dark-grey woman admitted. "My orders were to give it to your little shy friend, but even so, my Mistress still got what she wanted out of it, so I suppose it doesn't matter that I mistook Little Miss Vampire Girl for her."

"You... how dare you!" shouted Sunset. "You put my friends in danger, and you don't even seem to care! Forget the cops! I'LL take you down and make sure you can't use those Numbers to hurt anyone ever again!"

"Hmmm... while it would be satisfying to inform my Mistress that I took down Sunset Shimmer and took her Numbers," Windmistress stated, "I'm afraid I have not the time, nor the power to deal with you at the moment." Looking over at Bon Bon, she then added, "But as for your meddling little friend here, I cannot say the same." Turning to face her, Windmistress informed her, "You stuck your little nose where it didn't belong, and now you shall pay for it! So prepare to face me in a Duel right now!"

Huffing, Bon Bon then asked, "And why should I? If Sunset's so important to you and this 'Mistress' person, there's no reason you need to fight me. Why do I need to be your punching bag?"

"Because I just told you: You need to be taught a lesson in minding your own business and not to interfere with the actions of others...!" the dark-grey woman answered her. "And if you DON'T duel me right now, I'll make sure this whole school knows about your secret Hall Monitor work!"

Gasping, Bon Bon was a little shocked that this intruder had already known about her secret identity. But she quickly regained her composure and said, "Fine then, it that'll make you happy. You've got yourself a Duel!"

"Bon Bon, are you sure about this?" asked Sunset. "What if she has a Number?"

"Then I guess I'll have to figure out a strategy to beat it, then." the pink and blue-haired girl casually told her companion as she got out her Duel Gazer. "Besides, my job as Hall Monitor is to keep this school safe. I can't just sit here and let her get away with what she's done, now can I? Just trust me: I'll be fine."

Sunset still wasn't pleased at the idea of Bon Bon taking on a presumably-dangerous opponent in a Duel, but she understood what she was talking about. "...If that's how you feel, then do you feel you must do." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "Just be careful. I don't trust that woman at all... There's no telling what she'll try to do to you in this Duel."

"I don't think you'll need to worry too much about that..." Bon Bon assured her. Activating her Duel Pad and Gazer, she asked her opponent, "You ready to do this?"

Windmistress activated her devices, drew her first hand, and answered, saying, "I am always ready to show how powerful I can be..." Throwing her cloak off completely and revealing her jet-black leather outfit, she then told her foe, "By the time this Duel ends, you'll be groveling at my feet!" (Windmistress: LP 4,000)

"We'll see who grovels before who!" the pale-yellow teen replied, drawing her opening hand as well (Bon Bon: LP 4,000). "Now let's Duel!!"

Sunset put on and activated her Duel Gazer so that she could watch the Duel between Bon Bon and Windmistress. The intruder had already revealed that she was behind Vinyl's Number possession and was not to be trusted. "I sure hope Bon Bon knows what she's doing..." the inter-dimensional girl commented. "That Windmistress person doesn't look like the type of person who will allow anyone to overcome her..."

Bon Bon, smirking a little, said to her opponent, "I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's my job to kick you out of our school! Not only are you causing trouble for my classmates, but that outfit of yours is a blatant violation of the school's dress code."

"Hmph... I'd say that I'd like to see you try and kick me out, but honestly, I wouldn't allow that to happen. So you can forget about giving ME the business!" Windmistress shouted. Looking over her hand, she then thought, (I'll teach you a lesson... and then with my Mistress's help, I'll get my revenge on that bleach-blonde know-it-all as well!!) Taking a card from her hand, she began her turn, saying, "First, I shall Summon my Harpie Channeler in Attack Mode!"

The woman's first monster was mostly human-like in appearance; she was a young woman with short, red hair tied up into stylish pigtails. Her outfit was a white dress that had a hole in it that exposed her bellybutton, along with a pair of white stockings. The parts of her that weren't quite human were the large, black wings on her arms, and instead of having hands and feet, the woman had claws, much like a bird's. In her "hands", she carried a long staff, and a collar with a chain attached (Harpie Channeler: Level 4 / ATK 1400 / DEF 1300).

(A Harpie Deck?) thought Sunset. (Interesting choice... Reminds me of that other Duelist who used them...)

"Now I activate Harpie Channeler's effect:" Windmistress continued. "By discarding a Harpie card from my hand, I can Special Summon any Harpie monster from my Deck in Defense Mode! So I'll do away with Harpie Girl and Summon forth Harpie Lady 1!" Her second monster was much like the first: A human-bird hybrid. The differences in their looks were that the new one had long, hot-pink hair and green wings instead of black ones. Her outfit was also more revealing than the other one; while the long, purple stockings covered up her legs well, it didn't leave much of the upper body to the imagination.

*******************************

Harpie Lady 1
(Effect Monster/Winged Beast/WIND/Level 4/ATK 1300/DEF 1400)

(This card's name is always treated as "Harpie Lady".)
All WIND monsters gain 300 ATK.

*******************************

"Now that she is on my field, all my monsters shall be more powerful!" the dark-grey woman shouted (Harpie Channeler: ATK 1400 + 300 = 1700) (Harpie Lady 1: ATK 1300 + 300 = 1600). "Next," she continued, "I will play Hysteric Sign from my hand. By doing so, I am allowed to add a specific Spell Card from my Deck to my hand!" Taking the card in question, she revealed it and added, "And that card is my ever-so-useful Elegant Egotist! Finally, I'll set two cards face-down before ending my turn!" Smirking, Windmistress then asked her enemy, "So, does my power already make you feel inadequate compared to me?"

But Bon Bon huffed and told her, "Please... you're not even close yet, lady. You'll have to do a lot better than that before you can even make me flinch. Now it's my turn!" She then drew her first card of the Duel. Sunset, in the meantime, watched what was going on, impressed by the girl's self-confidence, even though she was going up against someone that not only planted Numbers on people, but may even have some to use for herself.

"Now... what should I try to do first...?" Bon Bon muttered as she looked over her hand. Smiling as she thought of an idea, she then said, "Of course! It's so obvious!" Taking a card from her hand, she shouted, "I play the Continuous Spell Card, Convulsion of Nature!!"

Everyone else gasped a bit as the area around them began to flip upside-down. Now, at least within the AR vision display, the three of them were now standing on the ceiling of the hallway instead of the tile floor that was now above them. "What is the meaning of this?!" asked Windmistress loudly. "Why is everything upside-down??"

"Mostly for effect." Bon Bon replied. "But as for the card I played, Convulsion of Nature, it forces us both to turn our Decks upside-down, just like the room we're in!"

"What? What's the point of that?" asked the dark-grey woman, confused.

"You'll see." the pink and blue-haired girl responded. "For now, just flip your Deck and put it back into your Duel Pad." The two Duelists then did just that.

"Hmmmm... On the surface, Convulsion of Nature doesn't really seem to do anything significant." Sunset commented. "Sure, they'll now be drawing their cards in reverse... but I'm willing to bet there's some other reason Bon Bon has for playing that card."

"Are you going to make a move that matters, or are you just going to continue fooling around with cards like that?" inquires Windmistress, clearly not amused.

"Well, if you insist." Bon Bon replied. Taking a card from her hand, she shouted, "I Summon a monster to my field!" After playing her card, the sounds of helicopter blades could suddenly be heard. Sunset and Windmistress looked up to see the aerial vehicle hovering above them. Before a word could be said, a figure leapt out of the copter, dropping down to the ground below. The figure was a human female in a skin-tight bodysuit. However, the figure threw off the suit and revealed her true appearance:

The woman had medium-length red hair and wore a white suit overtop a blue-violet undershirt. She wore a medium-length white skirt, along with a pair of high-heeled shoes. She had a black glove on her right hand only, wore a small blue and violet necklace, large blue earrings and carried a red purse. The woman then turned to face Bon Bon and said to her, "SPYGAL Misty, reporting for duty." (SPYGAL Misty / Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1600).

Nodding, Bon Bon then told her monster, "As punctual as ever, I see. You always have a knack for showing up when you're most needed. Plus, the jump from the copter was a nice touch."

Sunset and Windmistress were a bit startled by what they were seeing. (Is... she actually talking to her card?) thought Sunset.

"What do you think you're doing?!" shouted the leather-clad intruder. "You're here for a Duel, not a friendly conversation!!"

A bit annoyed, Misty then stated, "Quite a rude opponent you have here, Ms. Drops... Shall I teach her some manners? At your order, of course."

"Granted." Bon Bon said with a nod. "I activate the effect of SPYGAL Misty! When she is Normal or Special Summoned, I am allowed to draw a card from my Deck!" Pointing towards her opponent, she then added, "That is, IF I can win a little guessing game first!"

"Guessing game?" asked Windmistress.

"Yes, in order for Misty's effect to work, I have to guess whether the top card of your Deck is either a Monster, a Spell, or a Trap. If I get it right, THEN I can draw a card."

"So you're going to try and guess my cards?" asked the dark-grey woman. "But you only have a 1-in-3 chance of getting it right! The odds are way against you!"

Bon Bon chuckled a little and told her, "That's not quite true... Did you already forget about my Spell Card? The first one I played? Because of my Convulsion of Nature, our Decks are now upside-down."

"So? What about it?"

"...It means that I can now clearly see what's at the top of your Deck." the pale-yellow teen informed her.

"What?!" Still not quite getting it, Windmistress looked at her Deck... and her heart sunk when she saw that, just as Bon Bon had told her, the front of the card was there for them both to see. "Oh no!!"

"So, now that explanations are out of the way, I'm going to guess that the top card of your Deck is a Spell Card, isn't it?" asked Bon Bon, already knowing the answer. "And to be more specific, it's a Field Spell: Harpie's Hunting Ground, correct?"

"Grrrr... yes, it is..." grumbled Windmistress, revealing her top card to her foe.

"I had a slight feeling." Bon Bon replied, smirking a bit as she drew her extra card.

"You may be able to look at my Deck, but that's about as much as I'm going to allow your monster to do to me!" shouted the dark-grey woman. "I play my Trap Card, Shadow Spell!!' At that moment, several black chains shot out from the revealed card, wrapping around each of Misty's wrists and ankles, as well as her midsection. "Thanks to this, your monster can no longer attack or switch out of Attack Mode! Furthermore, she loses 700 of her attack points!"

Misty struggled, but wasn't able to get herself free from Windmistress's trap (SPYGAL Misty: ATK 1500 - 700 = 800). "Urrgh...!" she grunted. "These chains are... too strong...! It seems I won't be of much more use to you, Ms. Drops."

"Don't worry... As your superior, I will not leave a valued agent to fend for themselves!" Bon Bon assured her monster. "But before I make good on that promise, I'll activate a second Spell Card! SPYRAL MISSION - Assault!"

*******************************

SPYRAL MISSION - Assault
(Continuous Spell Card)

Destroy this card during your 3rd End Phase after activation. Once per turn, if a "SPYRAL" monster you control destroys a monster by battle, or if you destroy a card(s) on the field with a "SPYRAL" monster's effect you control: You can draw 1 card. You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 "SPYRAL" monster from your hand.

*******************************

"I'm afraid you have no choice but to leave your so-called 'valued agent' at my mercy!" Windmistress informed her foe. "That is, of course, assuming that I actually SHOW any mercy to her! Hahahaha!!"

"Actually, I don't think you'll have to worry about anything like that..." Bon Bon told her. "Misty's not going anywhere anytime soon, and you'll soon see why!" Taking a card from her hand, she then shouted, "I activate the effect of a monster in my hand! And it happens to be my favorite card! SPYRAL Super Agent!!"

"Woah... she actually has that card?" asked Sunset. "I guess I should have figured that, seeing what Deck she's using, but still... I never would have thought she'd own one of those rare cards."

Bon Bon then said to her opponent, "Now listen closely, Windbag..."

"It's WindMISTRESS..." the other woman scowled.

"Sure, whatever." the pale-yellow girl replied in a sassy tone. "Just listen: I can Special Summon Super Agent from my hand during my turn! All I have to do... is guess the type of card on the top of your Deck!"

"Urrrgh, no! Not this again!!" protested Windmistress.

"So, I'll just, y'know, go out on a limb and say that... you have a Spell Card at the top of your Deck." Bon Bon said casually, like it was nothing. Windmistress, getting more and more frustrated, simply growled in response. "I guess I'll take that as a 'yes'." Bon Bon assumed. She then placed her Monster Card onto her Duel Pad and shouted, "Report to the field now! SPYRAL Super Agent!!"

At that moment, a flashy red car drove into the upside-down room and stopped just behind Bon Bon and Sunset Shimmer. The two of them, along with Windmistress, watched as a male figure in a dark brown suit leapt out of the car and stood right next to Misty (SPYRAL Super Agent: Level 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1200). Glancing over at Bon Bon's other Monster Card, the man said, "Well, well... Misty... Looks like you've gotten a bit 'wrapped up' in your work, I see..."

"Not exactly a good time for the bad puns, Super." Misty replied, not amused by his joke. "This is humiliating enough."

"I guess you have a point." Super replied casually. Turning to face his controller, he then said, "So, Ms. Drops. What do you need my help with this time?"

"Well, your partner over there could use a little hand." Bon Bon told him. "In case you didn't already know, she's in a bit of a bind, so to speak. Think you could take care of that?"

"No problem. It'll only take a sec." Super replied as her got out his briefcase and pulled out a small pocket watch, which he wore upon his wrist. But soon, everyone would see that it was no ordinary watch, as Super Agent pointed it at Windmistress's Shadow Spell Trap Card and fired a laser at it. In only two seconds, the Trap was destroyed, along with the chains that held Misty down (SPYGAL Misty: ATK 800 + 700 = 1500).

"What?!? What just happened?!" screamed the dark-grey woman in shock. "What did you do to my Trap Card?!"

"I'll explain it for you." Bon Bon replied. "When SPYRAL Super Agent is Special Summoned by the effect of a SPYRAL card - in this case, his own effect, I can target and destroy any Spell or Trap Card you have out! And I chose to eliminate Shadow Spell!"

"Rrrrgh... no, this cannot be...!" protested Windmistress.

"Not only that," the pale-yellow girl continued, "because I did that, I can draw one more card, thanks to my SPYRAL MISSION - Assault!" She then did just that, drawing another Monster Card. Putting into her hand for the moment, she then shouted, "Now for the Battle Phase! Misty, attack Harpie Lady 1!"

"Understood!" the red-haired woman replied. She then rushed towards Windmistress's Defense Position monster. As she drew closer, Misty reached into her purse and pulled out a stun gun, which she used to give the opposing monster a nasty shock. The monster was immediately destroyed, meaning that its effect was no longer active either (Harpie Channeler: ATK 1700 - 300 = 1400).

"And now that she's been weakened," Bon Bon continued, "Super Agent, attack Harpie Channeler!"

Super nodded and leapt into the air, stylishly landing in front of Windmistress's other monster. "Normally, I'd never hit a lady..." he told the Harpie moments before moving out of her sight. Before Harpie Channeler knew it, he was behind her, and the agent delivered a powerful karate chop to the back of her head, knocking her down instantly. "Unfortunately, orders are orders... So don't take it personally." he finished as Harpie Channeler vanished from the field.

Windmistress just stood there in shock as she watched both of her monsters falling so easily (Windmistress: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500). Growling a little, but maintaining her composure, she calmly but firmly told her foe, "Don't think you have any sort of edge over me just because you made one good move. I assure you, I will put an end to your beginner's luck when my next turn comes."

"We'll see about that." Bon Bon replied. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." (SPYRAL MISSION - Assault: 2 End Phases left)

(Bon Bon made quite a strong play for her first turn...) Sunset thought to herself. (She's managed to gain an advantage over that woman in both monsters, back row cards, and even Life Points... Who would've guessed she was this good?)

But Windmistress wasn't going to let Bon Bon be the only one to make a strong move in this Duel. "It's my turn! I draw!" she said, pulling her next card. "And since we both already know what card this is, I'll play the card I just drew right away! I activate the Field Spell Harpie's Hunting Ground!!" After playing the card, the area around them transformed into a large, barren field of dirt with a few trees circling around it. Off in the distance were several large mountains and in the sky, there were flocks of birds flying by (of course, everything was still upside-down because of Bon Bon's Convulsion of Nature). "Now, thanks to this card," the dark-grey woman explained, "all Winged Beast monsters on the field get a 200-point increase to both their attack and defense!"

"That's sounds pretty good, but in case you forgot, I destroyed both of your monsters last turn." Bon Bon informed her opponent.

"Hmph, yes you did... but that was only temporary!" Windmistress then flipped over her face-down card and shouted, "Activate Call of the Haunted! I'll use this to revive Harpie Lady 1 from my Graveyard!" In an instant, the scantily-clad human-bird creature reappeared on the field in Attack Mode. And thanks to the Field Spell and her own effect, she became a lot more powerful (Harpie Lady 1: ATK 1300 + 300 + 200 = 1800 / DEF 1400 + 200 = 1600).

"Uh oh... that's not good..." said Bon Bon, now getting a little worried.

"No it's not." Windmistress stated. "And not simply because my Harpie is now stronger than she was before... but by Summoning her, I can use the second effect of my Hunting Ground. It permits me to destroy any Spell or Trap on the field! So I'll eliminate that pesky Convulsion of Nature!" In an instant, the Continuous Spell was destroyed, causing the field to turn right side-up again. "And that means our Decks are flipped back face-down, meaning you can no longer sneak a peek at ANY of my cards!"

Bon Bon made no reply to that statement. She stayed on guard, not even flinching a tiny bit.

"Hmph... silent, are we?" asked the woman. "Then perhaps this will get more of a reaction out of you! I now activate Elegant Egotist! This Spell lets me Summon any copy of Harpie Lady OR Harpie Lady Sisters from my Deck! And I think I'll go with the second option." After playing the card, a kaleidoscope-like sheet of glass appeared in front of her Harpie Lady 1, creating a split image when looking through it. "Now prepare to pay for your insubordinate attitude threefold!! I Summon the Harpie Lady Sisters!!"

Suddenly, the glass sheet shattered, and in its place were a trio of human-bird creatures. They looked similar to first one, except that two of them had different hairstyles (one had short, orange hair and the other had spiky blue hair), and they were all wearing gold body armor with spikes on them (Harpie Lady Sisters ATK 1950 + 300 + 200 = 2450 / DEF 2100 + 200 = 2300).

"MORE of them?!" exclaimed Bon Bon.

"Indeed!" Windmistress responded. "And once more, my Field Spell will activate and destroy a Spell or Trap Card on the field! But not to worry... I won't destroy any of your cards this time..." Pointing to her own card on the field, she shouted, "I destroy Hysteric Sign!" And with that, her own card was eliminated.

"Huh? She popped her OWN Spell Card?" asked the pale-yellow girl. (I was expecting her to destroy my Assualt card... or my face-down card...)

"Careful, Bon Bon..." Sunset warned her. "I don't think she destroyed that card for no reason; she has to be up to something."

"Perhaps I am... but you'll have to wait until later to see it." Windmistress told them both. "But first things first, it's time for my Battle Phase! I attack SPYRAL Super Agent with the Harpie Lady Sisters! Go!! Triangle Ecstasy Spark!!" The three bird-women then went into a special formation and began to charge up a blue energy sphere in their clawed hands. Lines then connected the spheres to form a triangle, and inside the triangle, a red ball of light appeared, followed by a letter X. A ray then fired out of the X, striking Super Agent and destroying him.

"AAAAAGH!!" screamed Super Agent as he left for the Graveyard. His controller also took a hit to her Life Points as a result of the battle (Bon Bon: LP 4,000 - 550 = 3,450).

"No! Super!!" shouted SPYGAL Misty out of concern.

"Don't worry, young lady..." said Windmistress in a cruel-sounding tone. "You'll be meeting him in the Graveyard very soon." Pointing ahead, she then shouted, "Harpie Lady 1!! Attack her now with your Scratch Slash!!" The other monster obeyed and flew straight ahead towards Bon Bon's remaining monster, unleashing a powerful slash that took her out of the fight as well. "So much for your so-called 'skilled agents'... Perhaps if you were more firm with them as I am with my monsters, they wouldn't have failed you."

Bon Bon huffed a bit as she recovered from the attacks that she received (Bon Bon: LP 3,450 - 300 = 3,150). "And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked her opponent.

"Don't you know?" asked Windmistress. "You're more ignorant than I thought you were. In a Duel, your monsters are your servants. And as your servants, they must follow your orders to the letter and give you only the best results... even if you have to force those results out of them! Simply put, if they can't perform their duties the way you want them to, then they're not worth using!"

"That's not true!" Sunset shouted, not happy to hear something so insensitive coming out of the troublemaker's mouth. "Is that how you really feel about your cards? That they're nothing more than slaves to do your bidding? If that's so, you have no right calling yourself a Duelist!"

"Hmph, it is how it is, Sunset." Windmistress replied casually. "Don't get angry at me just because that's how things work in a Duel. Your cards are nothing more than tools to crush your foes; their only purpose is to ensure your victory. And that's why I'll win over imbeciles like you that actually care about your cards like they were living things!"

Sunset was getting even angrier at this woman for her heartless attitude. But before she could say a word, the two of them heard Bon Bon chuckling. Smirking, she then asked, "So that's what you REALLY believe, Windy? If so, then it's YOU who's the ignorant one."

"Excuse me...?" asked Windmistress, not sure if she heard her foe correctly.

"If you treat your cards so callously, how can you expect them to perform well for you?" the girl then asked. "Just because you're the one controlling them, it doesn't give you the right to disrespect them. Trust me, if you keep going the way you're going, those misguided thoughts will come back to bite you in the end... After all, what's to stop your so-called 'servants' from becoming fed up with how you treat them? What's preventing them from turning against you?"

"Peh... you know nothing, girl." the dark-grey woman stated. "I always make certain that my servants know their place, and I'll use whatever power I have to make sure that they remember that!"

"Then let's see how well that goes for you, then." Bon Bon replied, still smirking. "Now go and finish your move already."

"Very well. I have no more time to listen to your opinion of how I should be treating my cards, anyway." huffed Windmistress. "On my End Phase, I activate the other effect of Hysteric Sign: Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can add three different Harpie cards from my Deck to my hand. And I'll select these three!" She then pulled out three cards from her Deck and showed them to Bon Bon.

"Hmmmm... Harpie Channeler, Harpie Harpist, and Harpie Girl." the pink and blue-haired girl said, looking closely at each card. "I see... that's why you destroyed your own card; to refresh your hand. Not bad, but it won't stop me!" She then drew a card from her Deck and looked at it. "And now that you went and said all of those bad things about your cards, there is no way I'm going to allow you to win this Duel."

"What??" the woman responded, not sure what that meant.

"On my Standby Phase, I activate my face-down card!" Bon Bon shouted as she flipped the card face-up. "Go! SPYRAL MISSION - Rescue!!"

"What does that do?" asked Windmistress.

"Well, to put it in terms that you will understand," Bon Bon continued, imitating something her opponent had said previously, "you may have destroyed my Super Agent last turn, but that was only temporary! Because this Continuous Trap allows me to return any SPYRAL monster from my Graveyard to my hand! So I'll take back my Super Agent!"

"Rrrrgh... no!" the woman grunted out of frustration.

"So, I'll be ready to bring him right back into the mission with his effect." the pale-yellow teen stated. "You can't keep a good agent down for long!"

But Windmistress chuckled and asked, "And how do you plan to do that? If I recall, the only reason he was able to give me even the slightest trouble was when you used his effect to Special Summon him. That required you to guess the top card of my Deck. But since I destroyed your Convulsion of Nature, you have no idea what I'm drawing next! So the odds are thoroughly stacked against you!"

"I know that." Bon Bon replied. "So perhaps before I rush into things, I'd better get some inside info on you first."

"Huh? Inside info?"

(Now what's Bon Bon up to...?) thought Sunset, interested to see what she had in store for this woman next.

"I activate the Spell One for One!" the hall monitor declared. "By sending a monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Level 1 monster from my hand or my Deck!"

"And what could you possibly be planning now?" asked Windmistress.

"Just watch me." Bon Bon told her. "I'll send SPYRAL Master Plan to the Graveyard... and bring out my SPYRAL GEAR - Drone!!" After she said that, a small mechanical buzzing sound was heard by everyone. They looked up, since the source of the noise was coming from above, and saw a small silvery-grey drone floating in the air. It slowly lowered itself so that it was just above its owner (SPYRAL GEAR - Drone: Level 1 / ATK 100 + 300 = 400 / DEF 100).

"A... drone?" asked Sunset. "What does it do?"

"I'm glad you asked, Sunset." Bon Bon began to answer her. "When it's Normal or Special Summoned, SPYRAL GEAR - Drone lets me look at the top three cards of Windy's Deck and rearrange them however I want!"

"Wh-WHAT?!?" screamed Windmistress. "That can't be!!"

"You heard me." the pale-yellow teen told her. "So let's see what you've got here..." Immediately, the images of three cards appeared on Bon Bon's Duel Pad screen. Looking at each of them, she thought to herself, (Okay... she has Harpie's Feather Storm, Harpie Queen, and Nightmare Wheel... Hmmm... that first card could be trouble if she were to pull it...)

*******************************

Harpie's Feather Storm
(Normal Trap Card)

If you control a WIND Winged Beast monster: Until the end of this turn, negate any monster effects your opponent activates. If you control a "Harpie" monster, you can activate this card from your hand. If this card in its owner's Spell & Trap Zone is destroyed by an opponent's card effect: You can add 1 "Harpie's Feather Duster" from your Deck or GY to your hand.

*******************************

(Well, there's no way I'm gonna let her pull that card anytime soon... So I'll go and put it on the bottom.) Bon Bon said in her mind. (Then Nightmare Wheel... and then Harpie Queen on the top.) After she made her decision, Windmistress's Duel Pad automatically rearranged the cards. Putting on her smirk again, the girl then asked her opponent, "Guess this means I know what's at the top of your Deck after all, huh?"

Grumbling, the dark-grey woman said in a low voice, "Just finish your move..."

"Gladly." Bon Bon then revealed her SPYRAL Super Agent card once more and said, "I special Summon SPYRAL Super Agent from my hand by declaring that the top card of your Deck is a Monster Card. Was I right? Tell me I was right... I was right, right?"

"Grrrr...! Yes, you're correct!!" shouted Windmistress. "So shut up and Summon your monster already!!"

Chuckling a little, Bon Bon did just that, bringing her favorite card back into the game. After he reappeared in Attack Position, he then said to his controller, "Glad to be back on the mission, Ms. Drops."

"Same here." Bon Bon replied. "And I think you know what you have to do next, right?" Pointing ahead at her opponent, she then told him, "Take out that Call of the Haunted card!"

Nodding, Super told her, "You've got it, Boss. Just leave it to me." He then readied his laser watch once more and shot a ray at Windmistress's Trap Card, destroying it.

"No!! My Call of the Haunted is destroyed!" screamed the dark-grey woman. "That means-!"

"It means that since it's not on the field anymore, neither is your Harpie Lady 1!" Bon Bon said, finishing her opponent's sentence. And just as she had said, a dark-purple vortex appeared behind Harpie Lady 1. Out of the vortex, a ghostly hand came out that grabbed the bird-woman and dragged it inside. "That also means that her effect on the field is gone, too!" (Harpie Lady Sisters: ATK 2450 - 300 = 2150) (SPYRAL GEAR - Drone: ATK 400 - 300 = 100)

"Maybe so, but my Field Spell is still able to give my Harpie Lady Sisters enough power to destroy your pathetic agent!" Windmistress reminded her.

"She won't for long." the hall monitor stated with confidence in her voice. "I Summon another monster to the field in Attack Mode! Go, SPYRAL Tough!" After playing her card, another human man entered the field, this time on a jet pack. The man had short, spiky, dirty-blonde hair, green eyes, wore a blue suit, and wore a red and black-striped tie that looked exactly like Super Agent's (SPYRAL Tough: Level 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1500).

Noticing him, Super glanced over at Tough and asked him, "A little late to the party, aren't we?"

"Aheh... sorry, Super." the newly-summoned agent told him. "I would've gotten here sooner, but these gas prices are ridiculous, especially when you're fillin' up a jet pack!"

Noticing something about her foe's new card, Windmistress asked, "Your new monster's attack points aren't any higher than the other one, so how, exactly, do you plan on getting rid of my servants with him?"

"You'll see right now." Bon Bon replied. "I activate SPYRAL Tough's effect! He lets me destroy any card you have on the field if I can correctly guess the top card of your Deck!"

"This again?!" shouted the woman, getting really annoyed by this move.

"And I'll say that, with 100% certainty that... the top card of your Deck is a Monster!" the girl then declared.

"Since you already knew what my card was, I'm not exactly impressed!"

"But since I am, that means I can destroy one of your cards now." Bon Bon reminded her. "SPYRAL Tough, disarm that Field Spell of hers!"

"You've got it!" Tough responded, opening his briefcase and taking out some sort of taser-like weapon. He then fired it at the AR projection of the Field Card itself, sending bolts of electricity all over it. Seconds later, it was destroyed, and the field returned to showing the school's hallway.

"Now that the Field Spell is gone," Sunset began to say, "Harpie Lady Sisters return to their original attack power (Harpie Lady Sisters: ATK 2150 - 200 = 1950). She still has fifty more attack points than either of Bon Bon's monsters..." Smiling a little herself, she added, "but with the way this has been going so far, I'd bet every bit that I had that she's still got one more trick up her sleeve."

Bon Bon then drew a card from her Deck after SPYRAL Tough eliminated the Field Spell (thanks to her SPYRAL MISSION - Assault). After doing that, she then announced, "Now I'll activate the second effect of my Drone! By releasing it, I can give SPYRAL Tough 500 extra attack points for every card you have on the field!"

"You're doing WHAT?!" shouted Windmistress.

"For someone who called me an imbecile earlier, you sure seem to have trouble listening to me when I make my moves." the young girl told her. "To make a long story short, your Harpies aren't gonna survive this one!" As she said that, her SPYRAL Tough monster became more powerful, gaining an extra 500 attack points from the one card Windmistress had left on the field (SPYRAL Tough: ATK 1900 + 500 = 2400). "Alright, SPYRAL Tough..." she then said to her monster, "now that you're even tougher, get in there and make fried chicken out of those Harpies!"

"It'd be my pleasure!" Tough replied. He then reached into his suit pocket and pulled out what appeared to be several strings with weights attached. Not wasting any time, he swung the weights on the strings before tossing them at the Harpie Lady Sisters. The strings then wrapped around them and tied them up together. They tried to struggle out of it, but Tough then took out a remote control from his briefcase and clicked a button on it, causing the weights to explode (as it turned out, the weights were actually small explosives, triggered by the remote). The monsters were all destroyed, and Windmistress took some damage as a result (Windmistress: LP 3,500 - 450 = 3,050).

"You're up next, Super Agent!" Bon Bon shouted. "Attack her directly! SPYRAL Wrist Laser!!" Super nodded and fired his watch laser once more, this time aiming it directly at Windmistress and knocking out a sizeable chunk of her Life Points (Windmistress: LP 3,050 - 1900 = 1,150). "Sorry, Windy..." the girl replied, still smirking, "but I'm afraid you're not quite at my level yet."

"W...what... did you... say...?!" snarled Windmistress. Something about Bon Bon's last comment to her seemed to have made her angry. It also seemed to have triggered some sort of memory within her mind...

A few years ago...

"This Duel is over!" announced an MC at the end of a match in a major Duel Monsters Tournament. The two Duelists that were competing had fought a heated Duel with one another, but it seemed that there was finally a result. The woman on one side looked exactly like Windmistress (because it WAS her), except she was still in her mid-teens (not to mention she was wearing a more age-appropriate outfit). She had fallen to her knees after having lost the match.

Her opponent was an older adult woman, possibly in her late 40's or even early 50's. She had blonde hair and piercing purple eyes, wore a dark-purple short-sleeve jacket over top of a small, white tube top, along with a dark-purple miniskirt. She wore purple high-heeled boots on her feet and white fingerless gloves on her hands. Although she had some small wrinkles under her eyes, she looked positively stunning despite her age (possibly because she was using make-up to keep a youthful appearance).

"Not bad, hon." the blond woman told her opponent as she removed her Duel Gazer. "You've got some talent, but I'm afraid you're not quite at my level yet."

The dark-grey girl grumbled a bit. "I don't understand...! I had the perfect strategy! But my Deck... I couldn't draw what I needed! Every time I drew a card, it was the worst thing I could possibly get! I had no control over it!!" she complained. "Why did I have to lose because of something like that...?!"

"Hey... take it easy, girl..." the blonde told her, trying to put her at ease. Extending an arm out towards Windmistress, she then told her, "So, you got a few bad draws; it's nothing you need to get all worked up over... Listen, I'll tell you what, maybe I could-"

But the bitter teen slapped her opponent's hand away and shouted, "Quiet! I don't need your pity!!" Storming off, she then told her, "Just you wait... I will not allow such a fluke to happen to me again!! I will not allow my cards to fail me again!! I will see to it that they know just who is in charge around here... And once I do, I'll be back for you... you'll see!!" And with those angry words, the dark-grey girl left the stadium, not aware of what was happening behind her.

The older woman just stood there, a bit stunned by her opponent's outburst. "I... was going to say that I'd help you fix up your Deck after the tournament, that's all..." Sighing a little, she figured there was nothing else she could do about it.

"Mai? Is everything okay?" asked another woman's voice. This woman was about the same age as the blonde, though probably a bit younger. She wore a yellow Chinese dress, red high-heeled shoes and had her black hair done up into a pair of buns. "What was that all about?"

"Oh... nothing you need to worry about, Vivian." the blonde woman replied. "She must have been frustrated about losing that Duel. Kind of like a certain someone I know that had a bit of a hard time in the tournament back at Kaiba Land U.S.A.?"

Knowing that Mai was referring to her, Vivan huffed and told her, "Oh please... You know I've gotten over all of that. And a good thing too; as much as I hate to admit it, I was pretty immature back then... Letting a little girl get on my nerves and actually trying to blackmail Yugi into a Duel... Believe me, I'm not exactly proud of all that."

"Well, we've come a long way since our personal problems, Viv." Mai replied. Looking back at the arena exit where Windmistress had left the stadium from, she then added, "I just hope she can work out hers as well before SHE does something she'll regret..."

Back in the present, Windmistress was growing angrier after unconsciously recalling that memory. (Grrr... that pompous bleach-blonde know-it-all... The way she snubbed me at that tournament still irritates me to this very day... And now THIS upstart thinks she can do the same to me?!?) Growling, she then shouted, "I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!!!"

"Um... not allow what, exactly?" asked Bon Bon, confused. "And what are you getting so mad about?"

(Yeah... what's going on with that?) Sunset asked in her mind. (Why is she getting so worked up like this? Sure, she's losing, but it seems like there's more to it than just that...)

Deciding not to ask anything more about it, the pale-yellow girl took a card from her hand and said, "Well, anyway... I'll just set this face-down and finish my turn." (SPYRAL MISSION - Assault: 1 End Phase left) (SPYRAL MISSION - Rescue: 2 End Phases left)

"Oh, you'll most certainly be finished indeed..." Windmistress snarled in a low voice. "I'll see to it that you'll pay for defying me, you little brat!! Once I'm through with you, you'll be begging me for mercy!! You hear me?!" She then violently drew the next card from her Deck and grumbled, thinking, (That's what I'd like to do; to shut her and her stupid monsters up once and for all... The problem is, I don't have anything I can use in my hand to defeat her... And there's nothing else in my Deck that I can think of that would help me, either!)

But then... a thought came to her. (Wait... there is... one thing that could work...) Opening her deck box, she pulled out a card from her Extra Deck. It was none other than the blank Number card that she had planned to leave in Coach Iron Will's office. (The Numbers... they say that your desires and feelings are what gives them power...) she recalled in her mind. (If I break the spell that suppresses this card's power, I could craft it into a worthy servant that can defeat that brat once and for all... Mistress Chrysalis intended for me to plant this card on someone in this school, but if I tell her I was able to use it to trounce both Sunset and her annoying little friend and obtain more new Numbers for her, she will honor me greatly for it! And after that... I'll deal that irritating blonde woman a truly ironic defeat!! I know what I must do...)

"Are you gonna make a move, Windy?" Bon Bon asked after about a minute into Windmistress's turn, in which nothing had happened since her Draw Phase.

"Oh, I'll move, alright... and then you'll know just what it means to defy my will!!" the dark-grey woman told her. Taking the card she drew, she revealed it and said, "I discard Harpie Queen to the Graveyard to activate her effect! This allows me to get a replacement copy of my Harpie's Hunting Ground Field Spell, which I shall reactivate!!" After taking her Spell Card and playing it, the field returned to the open dirt field surrounded by trees and mountains. "Next I Summon another Harpie Channeler from my hand in Attack Mode!!" Instantly, the red-haired bird-woman reappeared on the field, flying in from the air (Harpie Channeler: ATK 1400 + 200 = 1600). "And because she is treated as Harpie Lady while on the field, that triggers my Field Spell and allows me to destroy your SPYRAL MISSION - Rescue!"

"Urrrgh!" grunted Bon Bon as her Continuous Trap Card was eliminated. "Is that the best you've got?" she asked, not scared of her opponent.

"Believe me, you don't want to see what my 'best' is..." Windmistress said with an evil smile on her face. "Which is too bad, seeing as how you'll be experiencing it in mere moments!" Discarding her Harpie Girl card, she then shouted, "I use Channeler's effect and Summon a new Harpie monster from my Deck! And as you'll soon see, it's a creature that, unlike you, knows what its place is! Now come forth, Harpie's Pet Dragon!!"

In an eruption of flames, a large creature sprung forth from the center of Windmistress's field. The monster was a reddish-pink dragon with green eyes, small wings on its forearms, a metal adornment on its forehead and a shiny, gold collar around its neck with a long chain attached. Harpie Channeler casually picked up the chain and smirked as she did (Harpie's Pet Dragon: Level 7 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2500).

"Hahahaha!! Behold, my Harpie's Pet Dragon!" Windmistress cackled. "A mighty beast trained by the Harpies themselves! Thanks to their overwhelming dominance, my Harpies can tame even the most ferocious of dragons and turn them into their loyal servants! Oh, but don't worry; this dragon is more than happy to serve its masters... So much so, it gains an extra 300 attack and defense points while one of my Harpies is present!" (Harpie's Pet Dragon: ATK 2000 + 300 = 2300 / DEF 2500 + 300 = 2800)

"Hmmmm... not bad, I'll admit, but there's something you may have overlooked, Windy." Bon Bon told her. "Because you Summoned it with Harpie Channeler, your 'loyal dragon' is stuck in Defense Mode, so it can't attack me this turn." Pointing to her monsters on the field, she then added, "And next turn, I can use Tough's ability to wipe it out before it can even launch one attack!"

But Windmistress chuckled in a low, sinister-sounding voice and told her, "Very observant girl... Too bad that I never planned on attacking with my dragon in the first place..."

"Huh?" asked the pale-yellow teen. "What do you mean by that?"

"Harpie Channeler has a secondary effect." the grey woman explained, still smirking. "If I happen to have a Dragon monster on my field with her, she changes her Level to seven!" After she said that, the bird/human creature began radiating a green aura that strengthened her (Harpie Channeler: Level 4 > Level 7).

"So she's Level 7 now, so what?" asked Bon Bon.

But Sunset knew what was up and told her friend, "Because now she has TWO Level 7 monsters on her field: Her Harpie and her dragon!"

Gasping, the pink and blue-haired girl began to say, "T-two Level Sevens?! But that means-!"

"You're finally catching on, aren't you?" asked Windmistress. "I'm surprised a couple of simpletons like you could figure it out THAT fast... But it won't matter now, because you'll be vanquished all the same!" Pointing to the skies above, she shouted, "I overlay Harpie Channeler and Harpie's Pet Dragon, both Level 7 and create the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then began to glow green as the grey woman revealed the card that she had pulled from her Extra Deck to the two girls.

"That's her Xyz Monster?" asked Bon Bon. "But... the card's blank! She can't Summon a blank card!"

"Maybe..." Sunset told her, "but I have a feeling that it won't stay blank for long..."

Holding the card and surrounding herself in a shadowy mist, Windmistress, in a crazed voice, began to say, "Now... I break my Mistress's seal on this card... and unleash its true power!!" Thrusting the card into the air, she shouted, "Number card!! Bend to my will!! Obey me now and form into a being worthy to be my servant!!" As she said that, the card began to glow a deep purple, and in an instant, a picture appeared in the blank artwork, and Astral World text began writing itself all over the card. Windmistress's eyes began glowing red as a red mark resembling the number 74 began glowing on the hand that was holding the card. "Now come to me!! Number 74: Master of Blades!!"

Windmistress's two monsters then transformed into a pair of green lights that were drawn into a galaxy-like portal that appeared in the center of the field. Afterwards, the portal exploded, leaving behind a red 74 in the area where it used to be. Everyone looked up to see what appeared to be a large dagger in a blue sheath descending to the ground, surrounded by two orbiting orange spheres. The dagger then unsheathed itself, and shone a blinding bluish-white light as it did. When it faded away, the dagger and sheath were replaced by a young man wearing a mostly blue outfit that consisted of a turban-like hat (where his number symbol was also displayed) a short top that included metallic armor that protected his chest, and long, Arabian-styled pants and shoes. The top of his pants were decorated with all sorts of gold adornments, and a long cape flowed behind him. In his hands were several short daggers, ready to be thrown at his enemies.

*******************************

Number 74: Master of Blades
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Psychic/EARTH/Rank 7/ATK 2700/DEF 2300)

2 Level 7 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When a card or effect is activated that targets this face-up card (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card, then you can destroy 1 card on the field.

*******************************

"No... she Summoned a Number card...!" Sunset said, her heart dropping at that moment. "And without any Numbers of her own... Bon Bon is about to be in serious trouble...!"

"So that's a Number card..." the pale-yellow-girl said, staring down at the monster before her. "It was one thing seeing Rarity's Number card, but facing it... it's a totally different experience...!"

"Man, is that thing weird..." said Super, getting a bit concerned.

"Yeah, I hear ya, Super... That guy gives me the creeps..." Tough replied, not feeling very tough right now.

Windmistress chuckled and told her opponent, "Your monsters should be scared, little girl... They have no chance at defeating my Number monster... He shall defeat YOU, and you'll learn first-hand that I am not one to be trifled with! After all, it's your fault that you have to face this creature in battle; this was the Number card I was planning to leave in the office of that lunk-headed coach of yours... until you two disrupted those plans, that is." Pumping her fist into the air, she then shouted, "But now you shall learn a proper respect for your betters! Just as this Number card knows not to defy my will, so shall the two of you! Hahahaha!!!!"

Sunset simply grumbled a bit at the woman's words, not liking her attitude one bit. But as she looked at Windmistress's Number monster, she suddenly felt that something was... a bit off about it. (What's this...?) she asked herself. She then looked at her key necklace and saw that it was giving off a faint glow. Clutching it, she then said out-loud, "It's strange, but... for some reason, I can feel something from that Number card..."

"...So it's not just me, then." Bon Bon spoke up.

"Wait, you can feel it too?" asked the jacket-wearing teen in surprise.

"Yeah..." the pale-yellow girl responded. "And it seems like... that Number is sad about something... Like it doesn't want to be where it is."

"What do you mean?" Sunset inquired further. "And how can you know what it's feeling?"

"The same reason that I'm so close to my SPYRAL cards..." Bon Bon began to explain to her...

When I was just a little girl, I was... well, let's just say I didn't feel like the most important person out there. While most kids my age were running around, playing and talking to each other, becoming friends with one another... I just sat there, far away in the background, not having any notable impact in their lives. I was too shy to say or do anything with others, and for a long time, I was pretty much ignored by everyone, as if I wasn't even there.

For a long time, that was my life: Just sitting around and doing nothing but existing and staying out of other people's way. Deep down, I really wanted to be with other people and have fun with them... but I could never work up the courage to do it. So, there I sat, quietly off in the distance, while other important things were going on all around me.

Then one day, while my mom was doing some shopping at the drug store, I heard a voice nearby. "...Huh? What was that?" I asked, looking around. But there was no one around... or so I thought. Then I heard the voice again:

"...ey ...me ove... here..."

It was hard to make out, but I knew that I heard something. When I followed the voice to its source, I saw a display rack with packs of different kinds of trading card booster packs. I looked over them all and saw that the voice was coming from a pack of Duel Monsters cards. I had heard about the card game, but never collected any of the cards at the time. But something was telling me that something in this pack was special. Luckily, I had some of my allowance, so I bought the pack just as my mom was finishing up.

After taking it back home, I tore the package open and looked through all the cards in it. But among those nine cards that I got, there was one that seemed... different somehow. I picked it up and stared at it for some time, and before I knew it, I could hear that voice again, this time much more clearly. "...Sweetie Drops..." it said, "I've been waiting a long time to see you... Boss."

"H-huh?" Startled, I dropped the card in front of me. "Did... did you just talk to me??" I asked it.

"I don't see anyone else in your bedroom, so I guess I was talking to you." the voice spoke once more.

Needless to say, this was a confusing moment for me right now. "But... but cards can't talk to people..." I said to it. "Only people can talk to people."

"Well, that's 'cause I ain't like most cards." it replied. "You could say that I'm priceless; one-of-a-kind and all that. And I've been waiting for the day that we'd finally meet, Ms. Drops."

"You wanted to... meet me?" I asked. "But why?"

"Because we need each other, Ms. Drops." the card answered. "That's just how we Duel Spirits are: We all wait until the day that our chosen handlers come to claim us, and we do everything we can to help them. And I want to help you out... It's the least I can do for gettin' me out of that booster pack. To tell you the truth, I was getting cramped and sweaty in there."

I giggled a little at what he said. "You're really funny, Mister." I said to him. "And you seem really nice, too... I've never had a friend before, but I would really, really like it if we could be friends!"

"Of course I will, Ms. Drops." the card replied. "And if you'll let me, I'll help you make even more friends and get you to come out of your shell. You can't stay out of the action forever; in fact, you oughtta be gettin' right into the middle of it; havin' fun with others and all that jazz."

"Hmmmm... I guess you're right." I said to him. "Now that I know how it feels to have a friend... I don't wanna be all by myself anymore. I want to have friends and have fun just like the other kids! And you'll really help me do it?"

"You've got it, Boss." my card told me. "And as long as you treat me well, I'll help you make some new friends. You promise?"

"I promise! I promise!" I told him. "Thank you so much, Mr... um... what is your name?"

Chuckling, the card said to me, "I guess you haven't learned how to read yet, huh? Otherwise you would have known by lookin' at the top of the card. Very well then... My name's SPYRAL Super Agent. But you can call me 'Super' for short, Boss."

Sunset was astonished by Bon Bon's story. "Wow, it's hard to believe it... a real Duel Spirit! I've heard about them, but never saw one..." she stated.

Smiling, the pale-yellow teen told her friend, "That card's been with me to this very day. Thanks to him, I learned to be more confident and get myself out in the open more. Not long after our meeting, he taught me how to make new friends, and it all started with working up the courage to talk to others... That's when I met Lyra, and she became the first friend I ever had; well, the first one that wasn't printed on paper, that is."

(So Bon Bon can sense the presence of Duel Spirits...) thought Sunset. (Is that how she was able to feel what that Number card was feeling, even without this necklace?)

Putting on a more serious look, Bon Bon then told her classmate, "And that's the reason I can't stand people like that Windmistress person: Duelists who treat their cards as nothing but tools or slaves don't deserve to call themselves Duelists! Whether they have a spirit in them or not, our cards need to be treated with as much respect as we would like to have!"

"Hmph... how ridiculous." Windmistress said with a huff. "Our cards nothing more than that. They're nothing but objects that perform a duty, and that duty is to help their owners win. Anybody who gets sappy over their servants in such a way are among the most pathetic and idiotic kinds of people I know!"

"That isn't true, Windy." Bon Bon informed her opponent. "And I'll defeat you to prove it!"

"Defeat me? You've no chance, little girl." the grey woman said in a cocky tone. "You cannot destroy my Number monster with your monsters' little toy gadgets! Just face it: you can't beat my new servant and you never will!"

"...I never said I was going to defeat your Number." the pink and blue-haired girl stated. "I said I would defeat YOU!"

"Wh-what is that supposed to mean?!" asked Windmistress. "You're not making any sense!"

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you wouldn't be able to understand, Windy." Bon Bon responded. "From what I can tell, your Number monster doesn't exactly like his current situation. He's just an innocent victim, controlled by a horrible so-called 'master' and forced to do things he doesn't like doing!" As she said that, Master of Blades' eyes showed a surprised expression. "I'm not going to have your Number card take the fall for you! You'll be the one that pays for your cruelty, not him!" Growling, Windmistress was getting annoyed by what Bon Bon was saying, but still didn't quite get what she was talking about.

"Wow... Bon Bon was able to see all that just from looking at her card?" Sunset asked herself. Holding her key necklace, she then thought, (Is what she said really true? Is that woman's Number card really unhappy with having to follow her orders? It may be possible... after all, Numbers take on their forms based on the feelings of those who hold them, so it must have sensed the woman's cruel personality as it formed itself...) Letting go of her necklace, she then said to herself, "Still, I wonder what Bon Bon is planning...? She doesn't sound like she wants to destroy that woman's Number card, so how is she going to win?" Sunset was quite interested to see what her new friend had in mind...

Windmistress chuckled and asked her foe, "So how do you plan to defeat me without defeating my Number? There's no way it can be done!"

"Oh there is, Windy." Bon Bon replied with a smirk. "And I'll be more than happy to show you!" Taking a card from her Graveyard, she announced, "I banish my SPYRAL MISSION - Rescue card to activate its effect! This allows me to bring back a SPYRAL monster from my Graveyard to my field! And I choose my SPYRAL GEAR - Drone!" After that, a dark-purple portal opened to allow her drone monster to reappear on the field in Defense Position. "And now that I've done that, I can activate my face-down Trap Card! Go, SPYRAL MISSION - Recapture!!"

*******************************

SPYRAL MISSION - Recapture
(Continuous Trap Card)

Destroy this card during your 3rd End Phase after activation. Once per turn, if a "SPYRAL" monster is Special Summoned to your field (except during the Damage Step): You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of it until the End Phase, but it cannot attack directly this turn. If a "SPYRAL" monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish this card from your GY instead of destroying 1 of those "SPYRAL" monsters.

*******************************

"Of course!" exclaimed Sunset. "By taking control of her monster, she won't have to destroy it!" Then, all of a sudden, she realized what she had just said. "Wait... she's taking control of a Number card?! Even though she knows they're dangerous?!" She then called out to Bon Bon, "Don't do it!! If you take that Number card, it'll possess you, just like Rarity's did!!"

"I didn't forget about what happened to Rarity, Sunset..." the pale-yellow teen told her, "but trust me: I know what I'm doing, and I know this is for the best!"

"I sure hope so..." Sunset responded, still worried about what could happen if Bon Bon were to take control of a Number card.

Suddenly, Windmistress began laughing manically. "You actually think you can control MY Number card?! You're more of a fool than I thought!! Unlike me, you don't possess a strong enough willpower to harness it! You'll fall under its possession just like the others!"

"I'll take my chances!" Bon Bon replied. "I use my Trap Card to take control of Master of Blades for the rest of this turn!"

"Hmph... as humorous as it would be to see you fall under the card's power," the grey woman told her, "I'm afraid my pride will not allow me to let you take control of any of my servants!" Taking a card from underneath her Xyz Monster, she shouted, "I use the effect of Master of Blades! By removing one Overlay Unit, I negate any effect that targets him!" The monster then absorbed one of its two orbs (Number 74: Master of Blades: OLU 2 - 1 = 1) and then, hesitating at first, tossed one of his daggers at Bon Bon's Trap Card, stopping its effect and destroying it.

"No...!" said the pale-yellow girl.

"And it gets worse, I'm afraid." Windmistress told her. "Now that my servant has negated your pathetic Trap Card, he can then destroy a second card on the field! Go, my slave! Destroy her rusty drone!!" The Number monster sighed sadly, but did as he was told to do. He threw another dagger that stuck itself into SPYRAL GEAR - Drone, causing it to explode.

"No... her plan didn't work..." Sunset said to herself. "And her monsters don't have enough attack points to survive that Number card's power..."

Chuckling evilly, Windmistress told Bon Bon, "Now do you see? Now do you understand why it is foolish to be so soft with yours and others' cards? If you were even just slightly more commanding over your servants, you would not have even attempted to try and 'save' my Number... Let this defeat show you just how weak you are compared to my power!!" Pointing forward, the grey woman yelled, "Master of Blades, obey me!! Wipe out her so-called SPYRAL Tough!!" The Number hung his head in slight shame, but decided that he had no other choice: He jumped forward, ready to attack.

"No! Bon Bon!!" Sunset cried out.

"Hahahahaha!!! That's right!! Fall before my power!!" cackled Windmistress. "It's time for you find out just where your place is!" As she gloated, the 74 on her hand began glowing brighter than before.

But all of a sudden, Bon Bon began to chuckle herself. "Oh, I know where my place is, Windbag..." she told her in a confident tone. "But it's NOT where you think it is!" Taking a card from her Graveyard, she shouted, "I use the other effect of SPYRAL MISSION - Recapture! By banishing it from my Graveyard, I prevent SPYRAL Tough from being destroyed!"

"What?!?" said Windmistress, having been caught off-guard. At that moment, an energy shield projected itself around Tough. When Master of Blades struck the shield, its power held out long enough to repel the attack, sparing the blonde-haired man from certain doom, even though his owner took a slight blow (Bon Bon: LP 3,150 - 300 = 2,850).

Bon Bon glared at her opponent with a smirk and said, "Tough break, Windy. But I knew I could count on your brutal attitude to give me an advantage... I had a feeling you wouldn't let me take control of your Number card, so I planned ahead to make sure my monsters wouldn't be taken down."

"What are you saying?!" shouted the grey woman. "Are you telling me that you KNEW your Trap Card wouldn't succeed in taking my monster?!"

"Exactly." the pink-and-blue haired girl told her, confirming her opponent's assumption.

"Amazing..." Sunset said to herself. "Bon Bon had the perfect defense all set up... and Windmistress walked right into it without even realizing it..." The jacket-wearing teen then thought about possibly dueling Bon Bon at some point, seeing her as a worthy opponent.

Growling at her enemy, Windmistress shouted to her, "It doesn't matter anyway, little girl... That stunt you pulled only buys you one turn, and it won't help you at all! You waste your time and your cards protecting your servants and for what?! They won't be of any use to you against my Number card! Just accept it; your stupid little 'friendship' with your monsters puts you nowhere NEAR my power!!"

Drawing her next card (and seeing that it was The Eye of Truth), Bon Bon told her, "You're right about one thing, Windy: My power IS nowhere near yours... But that's only because you're so weak compared to me and even weaker compared to Sunset!"

"I-I-I beg your PARDON?!?!" yelled Windmistress. "You dare to call ME weak?!?!"

"You bet I do." the pale-yellow teen answered. "You control your cards and monsters so viciously, like they're worthless compared to yourself. But why is that? I'll tell you: It's because you're scared." That comment elicited a small gasp from Master of Blades, as if he had not realized it before.

"What?! What are you talking about??" asked the grey woman.

"It's obvious: You're afraid of losing control. The thought of not having control over anything is something that clearly upsets you." Bon Bon told her opponent. "And that's the reason you feel like you need to have such a commanding presence, to make others feel like they have to do whatever you tell them. And you treat them harshly to hide the fact that, should they decide to turn against you, you have no way of stopping them." Master of Blades seemed to be listening very carefully to the young girl's words as she spoke them.

"That's... that's ridiculous!!" protested Windmistress. "Ridiculous nonsense!!!"

"...Facing up to your weaknesses is often more than people like you are able to handle." Bon Bon continued. "And if you refuse to accept them, then I suppose I have no choice but to teach you your character flaws the hard way!" Looking at her two monsters on the field, she said to them, "Super... Tough... thank you for all of your help in this Duel. You know as well as I do that Windmistress needs to learn the error of her ways, and there's only one way I can do that. Can I count on you two do your part?"

Nodding with a smile, Super told her, "I understand, Boss. I'm more than happy to help."

"Me too!" Tough chimed in. "You saved my skin last turn, so it's the least I can do."

Smiling and doing her best to hold back a tear, Bon Bon told them both, "Thank you both... I know I can always rely on you, along with all of our friends, both the ones in our Deck..." She then turned over to Sunset and added, "...and the ones out of it."

Nodding with a smile, the red-and-yellow girl told her, "You can do it, Bon Bon. Teach that woman a lesson she'll never forget!"

Knowing what she had to do, Bon Bon took the other card in her hand and raised it into the air. "I now release SPYRAL Tough and SPYRAL Super Agent for a Tribute Summon!!" In an instant, the two secret agents vanished out of sight. And in their place, a dark cloud was forming above.

"Wh-what's going on...?" asked Windmistress, trying to hold back any signs of worry. Her Number Card just stared into the darkening sky, not making any visible reaction.

"What's she Summoning...?" asked Sunset, not sure what was going to happen next.

"Powerful creature who sleeps on the outskirts of our star system," the pale-yellow girl chanted, "awaken from your slumber! Emerge from the darkness and reveal your unsurpassed power! Come forth, The Suppression Pluto!!"

After playing her card, the dark clouds in the sky began to draw themselves to a certain point in front of Bon Bon. As all of the fog pulled down from above, the sky was revealed to have turned into a nighttime setting. And in the night sky was a small dwarf planet that seemed to be cold and dark on its surface. As for the dark clouds, they began to form into the shape of a ferocious demon-like creature; its was mostly dark-blue, dark-violet, and black in color, with shiny, white horns on its head, sharp claws, numerous whip-like tails and eerie-looking eyes on its chest area. One look at this beast told you it was not one to be messed with (The Suppression Pluto: Level 8 / ATK 2600 / DEF 2000).

"N-no...! That's impossible...! How does she have that card?!" asked Windmistress, not expecting to see such a powerful card.

"Unbelieveable...!" said Sunset. "The Suppression Pluto... One of the Legendary Planets!" Taking out her Deck and looking at it, she then thought, (A monster that's supposed to be every bit as strong as The Supremacy Sun, the Planet card that I have... Who would have guessed that Bon Bon would have one in her Deck?)

"It's over, Windmistress." Bon Bon told her opponent in a serious voice. "This card, Summoned with the help of the friends I keep in my Deck, will defeat you! Your mistreatment of your cards ends today!"

"Hmph... you're still as foolish as ever, it seems..." Windmistress responded, huffing. "Your monster has only 2600 attack points, which is one-hundred less than my servant's attack power. Not that he COULD destroy him anyway; after all your monster isn't a Number! Your move was completely pointless!"

But Bon Bon chuckled. "Don't you remember what I said to you last turn?" she asked her. "I said I was going to defeat YOU, not your Number."

"You're still going on about that?" asked the grey woman. "You tried to steal my slave from me last turn, and you didn't succeed! What makes you think this turn will be any different?"

"You'll see, Windy..." the pale-yellow girl told her. "I activate Pluto's effect: This effect allows me to take control of one of your monsters... But ONLY if I can guess the identity of one of your cards."

"What?! This again?!?" grumbled Windmistress.

"It's not quite the same as it was with my SPYRAL cards." Bon Bon explained. "I have to guess the one that's in your hand, not the top of your Deck. And furthermore, I have to guess it by name. But if I do, then Master of Blades will have a NEW master by the end of this Duel!"

Windmistress began to laugh. "You've got to be kidding me!" she mocked her foe. "You think you can actually guess what's in my hand?! That's impossible!! There's no way you'll get it right!"

"...Don't get so high and mighty, Windbag." the Hall Monitor told her. "I actually happen to know EXACTLY what's in your hand."

"Y-you lie!"

"I'm not." Bon Bon rebutted. "And it's actually thanks to you that I know. See, when you destroyed your Hysteric Sign a few turns ago, you took three Harpie cards out of your Deck, which my D-Pad showed me in order to confirm that you pulled the correct kinds of cards. On your next turn, you drew one more card, giving you four on that turn."

"And your point is?" asked Windmistress.

"I'm getting to it." the young girl continued. "You discarded Harpie Queen to get Harpie's Hunting Ground, which you then activated. Afterwards, you Summoned Harpie Channeler, and then discarded Harpie Girl to the Graveyard to Summon your Pet Dragon and use both to Summon your Number card. That just leaves one card left in your hand; the only one of those four that you didn't play... Harpie Harpist!"

Windmistress gasped. "No...! How did you manage to know that?!?" she asked, not believing what had just happened.

(Amazing... Bon Bon remembered all of the cards that were in that woman's hand...) thought Sunset. (She was planning this from the very beginning; that's why she had all her SPYRAL monsters looking through her opponent's Deck... So that she would be able to know what she had in her hand, and thus, be able to use her monster's effect!) Showing a look of concern, she then wondered if taking control of Windmistress's Number card would cause Bon Bon to fall under its power, just like the other Numbers had done to their wielders.

"Alright, since I managed to guess your last card correctly," Bon Bon started to say, "that means your Number card is going to MY side of the field!"

"Hmph... I'll admit, I was surprised that you managed to guess my card correctly," Windmistress told her, "but it makes no difference! My servant cannot be taken from me! I'll use his effect and destroy your monster before it can!"

"Oh really?" asked the pink and blue-haired girl. "Look again!" At that moment, Pluto then radiated a shadowy aura around itself and thrust out its claws towards Master of Blades. As Windmistress looked on, her monster's eyes flashed purple for a moment before he turned around... and showed his "master" the angriest face she had ever seen.

"Wh-what happened...?! Why is he looking at me like that?!" asked Windmistress, unable to contain her fear. "How can this be?! His effect should have worked!! The moment he is targeted by an effect, he negates it!!" she then protested.

"That's just the problem, Windy." Bon Bon told her. "Pluto's effect DOESN'T target. Nowhere on the card does it say that it targets your monster. In other words, Master of Blades can't use his effect to stop it! Though even if he could have, I have a feeling that he probably wouldn't have done it anyway."

Growling, the woman then shouted to her monster, "Don't you even THINK of betraying me, you hear?! You are MY servant!! I am YOUR master!! I OWN YOU!!!"

But it was clear even to her that the Number card was not even the least bit intimidated by her empty threats. Without hesitation and certainly without regret, Master of Blades leapt off of Windmistress's side of the field and onto Bon Bon's. After doing so, he turned to face his new master and knelt down in front of her to show respect.

Sunset was quite surprised by this. "Amazing..." she said. "Bon Bon took that woman's Number card... but it doesn't appear to be controlling her!" The inter-dimensional girl wondered if Bon Bon really had that strong a willpower to control the Number card, or if it was something else.

"Master of Blades..." Bon Bon began to tell the Number card, "I knew how sad you felt having to be bossed around by someone like her, but you're safe now. You won't have to do anything she says anymore." Master of Blades nodded slowly in response, understanding her. After he stood upright again, the young girl then told him, "There is ONE command that I'd like you to carry out, though: Why don't you go over and show your former 'master' just how much you appreciated her leadership?"

Getting the message crystal-clear, Master of Blades gave off another angry glare at Windmistress. "N... no... no you wouldn't...!" the woman said, now trembling in fear. But the Number card would... and he did. He ran towards his former owner and tossed several of his blades at her, which succeeded in knocking away the rest of her Life Points. "AAAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!!" she screamed, dropping down to her knees in defeat (Windmistress: LP 1,150 - 2,700 = 0) (WINNER: Bon Bon).

"Alright!! You did it, Bon Bon!" cheered Sunset. "You beat her! I knew you'd pull it off!"

"Thanks, Sunset." the pale-yellow girl replied. She then looked at her Deck and thought, (And thanks to all of you as well... We earned this victory together.) At that moment, phantom images of Super, Tough, Misty, and even Pluto appeared, nodding as if to say, "you're welcome".

Windmistress, still kneeling down on the linoleum tile floor, was in total disbelief at having lost the Duel. "This... this makes no sense...!" she said, quaking in both shock and anger. "How could I have lost... to such a soft-hearted weakling like her...?!"

Sunset and Bon Bon then approached the intruder to give their final word. "It's over, Windmistress." the pale-yellow hall monitor told her. "You've lost... Now if you would, please leave our school immediately, or the cops can come in and force you out."

Growling under her breath and becoming more frustrated at what had happened, Windmistress was not about to take this quietly. At that moment, her Number card had fallen off of her Duel Pad, which she then noticed. Picking up the card and staring at it with angry eyes, she said, "You... this is all YOUR fault...! I give you form... I give you life... and this is the thanks I get?!"

"Don't go blaming your card for losing you the Duel." Bon Bon told her, not impressed by the woman immature behavior. "You lost the Duel because of YOUR mistakes! Blaming someone - or something else, is totally childish!"

"Be quiet!!" yelled Windmistress. Looking at her Number card again, she then said to it, "You dared to betray your master..." She then placed her other hand on the card and added, "And this is the price you pay for going against my orders!!"

Gasping Sunset began to ask, "Wait a second... she's not going to-?"

Trying to stop her, Bon shouted, "Hey! Don't-"

But it was too late: Windmistress tore the card in half and threw the pieces to the floor. Crazed and angrier than ever, she yelled, "See?! See what happens when you don't follow my commands?!" Eyes bloodshot now, she shouted at her Deck, in a slightly insane tone, "And that goes for the rest of you as well!! Disobey me and you'll be punished the same way!!!" And with that last temper-tantrum, the grey woman ran out of sight and out of the school.

"Grrrr... what a jerk!" Bon Bon said, unhappy with the intruder's outburst. "Tearing up a card over something like that?! I feel sorry for the rest of her cards to have to put up with her attitude!" She then noticed that Sunset had now walked over to the two halves of the card that were now on the floor. Kneeling down, the red-and-yellow teen just stared at now-permanently destroyed card. Kneeling down beside her, Bon Bon told her, "Sunset... I'm sorry..."

"...It's not your fault, Bon Bon." Sunset responded. "If anything, you gave this Number card the first taste of freedom it ever had since it formed. Now that I think about it, that might be why it didn't possess you; it was grateful to you for saving him from her... She may have torn it up, but at least now it won't have to be abused by anyone ever again." She then picked up one of the two halves of the card.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Sunset." Bon Bon replied, trying her best to look at the bright side of all this. She then picked up the other half and added, "At least... at least he was shown the respect he truly deserved... even if it was just once..." The two girls just stared at the card halves that each of them had, not saying another word.

Then, all of a sudden, Sunset's necklace began to glow. "Hm? What's with this thing now?" asked the inter-dimensional girl.

At that same time, Bon Bon then noticed something else happening as well. "Hey, look!" she said. "The card pieces... they're glowing too!"

The two teenage girls sat there, staring at the brightly shining card halves, wondering just what was going on. Then, the two pieces turned into pure energy and flew into Bon Bon's Duel Pad, causing it glow as well. Sunset and Bon Bon stared at the device, having no guess as to what was going on inside of it. Finally, after about 10 seconds or so, the glow faded, and out from the D-Pad's Graveyard slot, the Number card was ejected out, good as new.

"A-amazing!" said Bon Bon. "The card fixed itself! But how??"

"I have no idea..." Sunset admitted, the glow from her necklace fading away as she spoke. "Do... do you think it felt our sympathy towards it?"

"Who knows?" the pink and blue-haired girl responded. "All that matters is that this card is back to normal and that Windbag jerk is out of this school. I'd say this ended perfectly!"

"That just leaves one more question:" Sunset told her. "What do we do with this Number card?"

Bon Bon took the card out of her Duel Pad and smiled before telling her, "I think the answer that question is obvious:" She then put out her hand holding the card and said, "I think you should take it, Sunset."

"Me?" asked the jacket-wearing teen, slightly astonished. "But you won the Duel... In all fairness, it should go to you, especially since you treated it so nicely."

"Perhaps, but you're the one that's trying to get all of the Number cards." Bon Bon replied. "My orders from the principals were to help YOU find and collect them, they never said that I had to collect any myself. And besides, that Windy person is already sore at me for beating her in that Duel the way I did; I don't need to give her another reason to come after me or him. I think this card is best put in the hands of someone that truly has the power to protect him from jerks like her."

"I suppose you have a point, Bon Bon..." Sunset stated, seeing the logic in her companion's words. "But are you really sure that I should have it?"

"I am." the pale-yellow teen said, nodding her head. "As far as I'm concerned, the moment that Windmistress threw this card away like it was a piece of trash, she forfeited her ownership of it. And besides, I'm sure the card would be happy to be with you."

"You really think so?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah, I am." Bon Bon told her. "When Rarity told me a while back that you were trying to become a nicer person, I'll admit, I didn't believe it at first... But when your risked you neck to save her from the Number card that she had... and when you showed so much compassion for Master of Blades after it got torn up... I can see she was right about you. You've come a long a long way since you first got here, and you've proven that you really are a good person. And that's why I know this card will be treated well in your care... so go on and take it."

Thinking about what Bon Bon had said to her and smiling, Sunset knew what she had to do. "After what you just told me, there's no way I can refuse to take it now." she told her. "I'll accept the card, if it's okay with you." Bon Bon nodded to say that she did, and with that, Sunset had now added a new Number to her collection. but not only that, she also felt that she had inherited a portion of Bon Bon's spirit along with it. Still smiling, the jacket-clad girl placed the card safely into her deck box.

As they both stood back up, Bon Bon then told her friend, "We should go and tell Celestia and Luna about what happened; hopefully, they'll be able to make sure that Windmistress chick can't get back in here."

"I think I can help with that." Sunset told her, revealing her cell phone. "I took a picture of that woman when she wasn't looking, so maybe the princes- er, the PRINCIPALS could use it to print some copies to hand to the school's security or even the police. If all goes well, then I doubt that woman will show her face around here again."

"Quite impressive, Ms. Shimmer. Impressive indeed." the pink and blue-haired girl told her. "We've done a great job in making sure our friends and classmates are safe from people like her; I'm looking forward to working together with you again."

"Same here." Sunset replied. "And don't be a stranger; you're welcome to hang out with me and my friends anytime you want. Lyra, too."

"I'll have to take you up on that offer." Bon Bon responded, happy to have gotten to know Sunset a lot better today. "In the meantime, we still have some work to do, so let's pay the principals a visit before we get back to class."

The inter-dimensional girl followed her new friend down the hallways towards the main offices. As they did, she began think to herself about the woman that Bon Bon had dueled against. (She may not able to cause any trouble at the school anymore..) she thought, (but I know that we haven't seen the last of her... or those other people that are with her, either... But no matter what, I'll make sure they don't get what they want, whatever that may be!)

-- To Be Continued...

NUMBERS OBTAINED:

Sunset Shimmer (12 Numbers total):

Number 74: Master of Blades

RANK 41: The First Round Rumble:

Author's Note

And now the tournament begins! For real this time!

This episode ended up being a little shorter than what I usually come up with, mostly because I was still trying to figure out exactly how to write these tournament episodes. In any case, I hope you all enjoy this pre-Thanksgiving treat.

RANK 41: The First Round Rumble:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

Just now, Canterlot High School became the site of the highly-anticipated WCQ Qualification Tournament: A Duel Monsters competition held by Industrial Illusions to determine who would be invited to the World Championship Qualifiers. The tournament was headed by Mr. Jay Dunstan, a representative of Industrial Illusions who was in charge of setting up and overseeing major Duel Monsters tournaments. Judging the tournament was Sunset Shimmer, who had passed the Judge Certification Test earlier in the week. The announcer and MC for the competition was a high-spirited girl named Megan Williams, who knew a thing or two about getting an audience pumped-up.

Before the tournament officially began, the audience and the sixteen competing Duelists were treated to a very special exhibition match between former Pro Duelists; they were none other than Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. After having been requested by Sunset to come out and Duel for the crowd, they put on quite the show for everyone. The pair fought a white-hot Duel, giving the competitors a small taste of what dueling was like in the Pro Leagues.

Now that the Duel between Celestia and Luna was over, the competition was ready to begin. Right now, the Duelists for the first round were about to be determined...

Everyone's eyes were on the big screen monitor as the faces of the sixteen Duelists competing in the WCQ Qualification Tournament cycled rapidly like the reels on a slot machine. On that note, an animated, chibi-fied version of the monster Slot Machine stood in-between the two picture frames shown onscreen.

"I wonder who'll be first t' Duel..." Applejack pondered. Sitting next to the young farmer girl were her other friends: Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. All four of them remained silent as the Duelists were selected. Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike also watched without saying a single word, and the sixteen competitors stared at the screen, some of them sweating a little as they did so.

The announcer, Megan Williams, spoke into her microphone, saying, "And the first two Duelists to compete will be..." Then, a few seconds later, the reels finally stopped, and the first two Duelists were revealed. Megan then finished her announcement, saying to the crowd, "...Ember and Indigo Bolt! These are our first two Duelists for the first round!" The two Duelists in question then glanced at each other, neither one saying a word to the other yet.

"Hmph... Guess we'll hafta wait a little while longer to get in there." Gilda stated, a bit disappointed that she didn't get to Duel first. Fluttershy and Gabby, however, breathed a slight sigh of relief, as they didn't want to be picked first.

"Alright, Ember and Indigo! Take your places in the arena and prepare to Duel!" Megan declared with lots of enthusiasm.

As the pair walked into the arena, Sunset then said, "So Ember's going first... I guess now I'll get to see just how much she's improved. Knowing her, she'd only compete in this tournament if she knew she was ready for it."

"What kind of Deck does she use?" asked Twilight.

"A Dragon Deck."

"Dragons, huh?" Spike chimed in. "I like the sound of that... How powerful are they?"

"Pretty tough, as a matter of fact." Sunset told him. "Her Deck doesn't really follow any particular archetype, but her cards support each other very well nonetheless. She puts a lot of focus on Summoning high-Level monsters as much as possible, like most Decks that are themed around Dragons." Looking ahead at the field, she added, "And now she's going up against Indigo, who uses Amazonesses and was the only one to score a One Turn Kill during the Prelims... So if Ember has improved her dueling like she told us yesterday, now's the time for her to show it."

Just then, the red-and-yellow girl noticed something peculiar: She saw Sonata Dusk - a member of the Dazzlings and one of the competitors, speaking with her sisters Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze. Then, the three of them suddenly left the outside arena and walked through a open doorway to the areas under the stands. "Hmm... what're they up to now?" she asked herself.

"Something wrong?" asked Twilight.

"Uh, nothing yet," Sunset responded, "but I just saw the Dazzlings leave the arena together... I'm not sure why, though."

"Maybe they just had to go to the bathroom?" asked Spike. "Or get a snack? There are a bunch of food stands under the stadium."

"Possibly..." Sunset replied. "But all at the same time? And just before a Duel is about to start? It may just be me, but I'm already a bit suspicious... Luckily, even while I'm here judging the Duel, I can still keep my eye on those three..." Tapping the side of her Duel Gazer, she spoke into the microphone and said, "Snips? Snails? Can you hear me?"

"Loud n' clear, Sunset!" Snails responded, sitting in the stands with his short and chubby buddy, Snips.

"Listen up: The Dazzlings just left the arena together, and I think they're already up to something." the inter-dimensional teen told them. "They just went into the tunnels below the seating area; I need you to follow them in secret and try to see what they're up to. Remember: Keep a low profile and don't arouse their attention, understand? Pretend you're getting food or something if you think they're onto you."

"Roger that!" Snips replied. "We won't let ya down!" The two of them then got up from their seats and ran off to look for Adagio and the others. As they left, two of the other Duelists - Steel Shadows and Night Switch saw them leaving the stands, but didn't seem to know why.

"Well, let's hope they can find out some things..." Sunset said to her friends nearby. "For now, I need to focus on regulating the Duel." She then looked up towards the arena to watch over Ember and Indigo's Duel, but kept the link to Snips and Snails open in case they discovered anything.

"Good luck out there, Sunset." Twilight told her. "We know you'll do a great job as the Judge." Spike nodded to say that he felt the same way.

Sunset smiled and gave a thumbs-up before walking to the center of the field, where both competing Duelists were waiting for her. "Now, Duelists...cut and shuffle your opponent's Deck." she said to both Ember and Indigo Bolt as soon as she approached them.

As the two of them mixed up each other's cards, Ember told her opponent, "I've gotta say, that's quite the elaborate costume you've got there... You sure it won't get in the way of your dueling?" She was referring to the toga-like outfit that the young girl was wearing to Duel today.

Bolt chuckled and told her, "You just worry about yourself out there." Handing her Deck back to her, she then told Ember, "As for the costume, I'm wearing it out of respect for my fellow sisters out there."

"You have sisters?" asked the Bloodstone Duelist as she also returned Bolt's Deck back to her.

"In a manner of speaking..." the younger girl replied. "In any case, you don't need to concern yourself with my well-being. Considering who you're up against, you've got bigger things to concern yourself with!"

Ember gasped a little, and then chuckled. "You're pretty tough for a kid; I can respect that. But even so, don't expect an easy win." she told her. Bolt nodded as they each took their Decks back from each other.

"Now that your Decks are shuffled, we will now determine turn order." Sunset then told them. Taking out a coin, she then said to Ember, "Call it in the air."

After Sunset flipped the coin, the blue-skinned teen shouted, "Heads!" After that, the coin fell back down, and Sunset caught it in the air. Placing the coin on the back of her other hand, she then revealed coin flip result. Ember grumbled a little when it came up Tails.

"Looks like I'll be going first." said Indigo.

"Yeah, looks like it." replied Ember as they both left for their respective sides of the field.

"Alright, we're now ready to get this Duel started!" said Megan. "Ember...Indigo...we wish you both the best of luck! Now draw your cards and come out dueling!"

The pair nodded as they both drew their opening hands. "LET'S DUEL!!!" they shouted, ready to battle (Indigo Bolt: LP 4,000) (Ember: LP 4,000).

The fans in the seating area cheered loudly, ready to see some more dueling action. Among the people in the audience, there was a large dark blue-skinned man sitting there, wearing a pair of sunglasses, a hat, and a trench coat. Although he wasn't cheering like the people around him, he seemed very interested in the Duel that was about to commence...

The two of them looked at their first five cards in order to figure out their first moves. When Indigo looked at her opening hand, she was a bit surprised by what she had gotten. (Woah...! That's incredible!) she thought. (I drew Amazoness Archers and Ojama Trio already! And I even have my Amazoness Queen, too! Now I can pull of my OTK trick and win this Duel right away!) Despite her excitement, Bolt did her best to keep a good poker face so as not to give away her strategy.

"So, who d'ya think's gonna win?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Got any idea, guys?"

"Well, based on what took place during the Preliminary Rounds," Rarity started, "Indigo seems to be the most likely. That being said, I am not sure just how strong this Ember person is. It's just a feeling...but I suspect that she might be a lot stronger than the computer Indigo dueled against yesterday..."

"Well, Sunset told us that she's a strong player." Applejack pointed out. "And she doesn't just say that sorta thing 'bout everyone. An' lets not forget that she's s'pposed t' be the daughter of an ex-Pro Duelist, so she's gotta have had some serious trainin'!"

"But don't forget, Indigo's got that super-cool OTK trick that she used yesterday!" Pinkie reminded them. "If she gets that to work again, she'll win, hands-down!" She then hummed a bit, wondering if that could really happen a second time.

Indigo Bot felt the same way, even after drawing all the pieces of her combo on her first turn. Still, she figured it was at least worth a try. Facing her opponent, she then shouted, "Alright! Let's get started!" Taking a card from her hand, she said to Ember, "First, I'll reveal the Amazoness Queen in my hand! That lets me Special Summon my Amazoness Spy from my hand in Defense Mode!" Right away, her first monster appeared on the field, taking a defensive pose, arms crossed in front of her (Amazoness Spy: Level 3 / ATK 800 / DEF 1200). "But she won't stay out for very long!" the toga-wearing girl then said. "I'm releasing her in order to Tribute Summon...the Amazoness Queen!"

Everyone watched as Indigo's first monster vanished from the field and was instantly replaced with the more powerful ruler of the Amazons. Her large build and powerful sword certainly put on a fierce first impression (Amazoness Queen: Level 6 / ATK 2400 / DEF 1800).

"She already got her ace monster on the field..." Sunset said to herself. "Is she planning to do to Ember what she did during the Prelims...?"

"Woah!" exclaimed Spike. "It's only her first turn, and she's already got a super-powerful monster on the field!"

"It sure seems like it..." stated Twilight. "The Duel only just begun, but Indigo seems to have already taken the lead."

(Perhaps, but I would not count her opponent out yet...) Utopia spoke to her. (Based on what Sunset had told us concerning her, she might have a plan to deal with the situation already in the works.) The young princess agreed with him, figuring that this Duel was only getting started.

Smirking, Bolt then took another card from her hand and said, "Of course, a queen is nothing without a proper kingdom to rule over...so I play my Field Spell, Amazoness Village!" After activating her field card, the scenery around them transformed from the holographic coliseum setting...to the middle of a thick jungle-like environment. In the middle of the flora was a dirt clearing, with several thatched roof cottages scattered around them. The only part of the scene that didn't change was the seating areas, which still took the form of stone benches.

*******************************

Amazoness Village
(Field Spell Card)

All "Amazoness" monsters gain 200 ATK. Once per turn, when an "Amazoness" monster is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 "Amazoness" monster from your Deck with a Level less than or equal to that "Amazoness" monster in the GY.

*******************************

"With the power of my sisters' homeland strengthening them," Indigo began to say, "they will be unstoppable!" (Amazoness Queen: ATK 2400 + 200 = 2600) Taking the last two cards from her hand, she placed them into her D-Pad and said, "I'll wrap up my turn by setting two cards face-down. It's your turn."

"Alright, I draw!" shouted Ember as she pulled off the top card of her Deck. After looking at it, she wasted no time in playing it. "I start with Pot of Desires! I banish ten cards off the top of my Deck and draw two more!" After she did so, she then looked at her rival's field and thought, (Indigo Bolt...I was kinda hoping I'd get to duel you first... After all, you're the only person who managed to get a One Turn Kill during the Prelims.) Thinking a bit, she then said to herself, (Hmmm...two face-down cards...and Amazoness Queen... Could she be...?)

Sunset seemed to have the same thoughts herself. (I remember this... I'm willing to bet my whole collection that Indigo's trying to pull off the same trick she used yesterday... By using Ojama Trio with her Amazoness Archers, she can force her opponent to attack her Amazoness Queen... And because the Ojama Tokens have zero attack points, they'll get wiped out by her, and the opponent would be defeated... But...would that even WORK on Ember...?)

"I activate the Spell Card, Terraforming!" the Bloodstone Duelist declared. "With it, I can add any Field Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. And I choose to take my Dragon Ravine and activate it immediately!" And just as she said, she then played the card she added to her hand as soon as she got it. Now her side of the field changed to that of a steep cliff with a deep ravine running below. And just as the card's name implied, several dragons could be seen flying in that very ravine.

"So you're going for a home field advantage too, huh?" asked Indigo.

"I am." Ember said. "And now that I have Dragon Ravine out, I'll use its effect!" Taking a card from her hand, she continued by saying, "I'll discard my Darkblaze Dragon to send a Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard. And I choose my Felgrand Dragon!" Her Deck then auto-shuffled, leaving the chosen card sticking out. Ember then took the card and placed it into her D-Pad's Graveyard slot.

"She just sent a high-level monster to her Graveyard, so I'll bet she's plannin' to Special Summon it to the field!" Vinyl figured.

"There's just one problem, Vinyl..." Octavia informed her companion. "Felgrand Dragon's effect states that it can only be brought back from the Graveyard if was sent there from the field. But this Ember person sent it there from her Deck, so she can't re-Summon it."

"So...what was the point then?" asked the young DJ. "She ougtta know that, so why'd she dump it into the Graveyard?"

Octavia figured that there was some point to her move, and now Ember was ready to reveal it. "I Summon Guardian of Felgrand in Attack Mode!" she shouted. After playing the card, a man with a large body covered in armor appeared on the field, wielding a mighty axe in his right hand. His weapon and armor shone brightly in the sunlight around them (Guardian of Felgrand: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 500). "Now I use my Guardian's effect:" the girl continued. "After he's Summoned, I can then equip him with any Level 7 or Level 8 Dragon monster from my hand or my Graveyard!"

"From your hand or Graveyard??" asked Indigo Bolt. "Does that mean-?"

"That's right." Ember interrupted. "I'm equipping him with the monster that I just put there: My Felgrand Dragon!" At that moment, a transparent version of the white-and-gold colored Dragon emerged onto the field and it fused itself with the Guardian's axe, making it much more powerful. "And as an added bonus," she continued, "my Guardian gains half of Felgrand Dragon's attack and defense points!" (Guardian of Felgrand: ATK 500 + 1400 = 1900 / DEF 500 + 1400 = 1900)

"So that's why you sent him to your Graveyard..." Bolt figured out. "And you'll probably try and bring back the other Dragon you discarded to pay the cost of your Field Spell. But I'm afraid you won't be getting much use of either of them once I do this! I activate Ojama Trio!" As soon as the card was flipped face-up, three little creatures - one yellow, one green, and one black, hopped onto Ember's side of the field (Ojama Tokens (x3): Level 2 / ATK 0 / DEF 1000).

"You were right, Pinkie..." said Rainbow Dash. "She's tryin' to make that Ember chick fall for the same trick the computer did durin' the Prelims!"

"It would seem so..." Rarity added. "But...I think Indigo may have been a tad bit too anxious with her Trap Card."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Pinkie.

"...If Sunset's remarks about Ember are true," the fashionista explained, "then I'm certain that she was expecting Indigo to do that. Not only that, I think she made a mistake playing that Trap Card too early..."

Ember looked at the three monsters that Indigo stuck on her side of the field and thought to herself, (So...I was right: She IS trying to beat me in one turn... But by playing it now, she might have just cost herself this Duel...) Looking at her opponent, the Bloodstone girl told her, "I know what you're trying to do, Indigo...but if you think I'll fall for that as easily as that A.I. Duelist did, you have no idea who you're dealing with!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the toga-clad girl.

"You'll see." Ember told her. "I now activate the other effect of my Guardian of Felgrand! By releasing it and one other monster, I can bring back any Level 7 or 8 Dragon from the Graveyard! So thanks for the free monsters."

Indigo gasped, realizing what was happening. "Oh no...! She's going to release one of the Ojama Tokens to use her monster's effect! And my Trap Card only prevents her from releasing the Tokens for a Tribute Summon!"

Just as Indigo had predicted, Ember disposed of her Guardian and the yellow Ojama Token on her field (this in turn, sent the card that was equipped to her Guardian to be sent to the Graveyard as well). Taking a card from her Graveyard, the blue-skinned girl then said to her opponent, "Now, from the Graveyard, I Summon...Felgrand Dragon!!" Everyone gasped as the mighty, shimmering Dragon made its second appearance on the field. Only now it wasn't merely a spirit like it was before; now it was in full physical form and ready to strike (Felgrand Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800).

"Huh?? How'd she do that??" asked Indigo, not sure about what had just happened. "That monster wasn't in her Graveyard when she used her monster's effect, so how could she Summon it to the field??" Turning over to Sunset, she then asked, "Can she actually do that?"

"Actually, she can." the red-and-yellow girl explained. "Here's the deal: While it is true that Felgrand Dragon wasn't in her Graveyard when she activated her Guardian's effect, it DID go there after he was released. Now, if she didn't have a proper target in the Graveyard for his effect when she chose to activate it, she wouldn't have been able to use the effect, even though doing so would have provided her monster with a target. But in THIS case, since she had Darkblaze Dragon in her Graveyard before she used the effect, she WAS able to activate it. And since Felgrand Dragon went to the Graveyard after that, she was legally allowed to Summon it, despite the fact that it wasn't in her Graveyard at the beginning."

"Uh...I still don't quite get it." said Rainbow Dash, trying her best to figure out Sunset's ruling.

"Well, Ah got the gist of it all." stated Applejack. "And it makes sense t' me. Not noly did she use her Dragon Ravine Field Card t' put Felgrand Dragon in her Graveyard, but she was also settin' up for this move with her Guardian's effect, by sendin' that OTHER high-Level Dragon to her Graveyard!"

The ruling made sense to Indigo as well, though now she was facing one of Ember's most powerful monsters as a result. But before she could think about her situation any more, Ember then said to her, "Now for Felgrand Dragon's effect! After being Special Summoned, I can increase his attack points by two hundred times the Level of any monster in my Graveyard! And of course, I'll choose the one with the highest Level: Darkblaze Dragon, Level 7!!" Instantly, the teen's newly-Summoned monster gained even more attack points, putting it far higher than the Amazoness Queen (Felgrand Dragon: ATK 2800 + 1400 = 4200).

"F-forty-two hundred attack points?!" exclaimed Indigo, sweating a little.

"And if you think that's impressive," Ember told her, "...well, just wait and see what else I have ready for you in this Duel. I promise you haven't seen anything yet!"

Meanwhile...far, FAR away from Canterlot High School... and the universe it occupied...

In a small house floating amongst various other strange things, Discord - a mischievous draconequus and master over the powers of Chaos itself, was working on quite possibly one of the most difficult tasks ever given to him. He hummed to himself as he looked over several pictures and papers on his writing desk (which, naturally, was built onto the ceiling of his Study). The pictures he was looking at were the ones that he himself had taken, when he found a strange doorway within Sunset's mind. The picture showed what appeared to be a rather large and unusual ship-like vessel, along with close-up shots of its more intricate parts.

Discord wasn't the only one there looking through the photos: He was joined by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They decided to go over everything involving the photos after the incident involving Twilight fighting against her dark side some time ago. Since that Duel, the draconequus hadn't paid a visit to Twilight or Sunset in their dreams, but he hadn't shirked off the duties given to him by Celestia.

"So you say that you found this...thing in Sunset Shimmer's mind?" asked Celestia. This was the first time that both she and her sister had seen these pictures. "What was it doing in there? Was it always there?"

"That I'm not quite sure." stated Discord. Taking off his reading glasses...and then swallowing them down his throat, he then said, "What I do know is that it is most certainly linked to those Number cards that both she and Twily have, as you can see from these glowing symbols on the ship's gears."

"Indeed..." Luna spoke, using her magic to pick up one of the photos, which showed a gear with a glowing red 39 imprinted upon it. "I recognize the symbol here: It is most certainly the same one that we saw upon that armored creature."

"The one who called himself Utopia, correct?" asked Celestia.

"Yes, sister."

"I haven't paid a visit to either Sunnie or Twily since the whole mess with Midnight Sparkle." Discord told them. "But during that time, I've been busy trying to make heads or tails of what I've figured out so far. And besides that, neither of them had much knowledge as to why that ship was there. Even Sunset herself didn't know anything about it, and I found it in HER mind."

"Then in all likelihood," Luna hypothesized, "this vessel you discovered may be within her sub consciousness, if she was not initially aware of its existence."

"That seems to be a strong possibility." stated Celestia. "And it may also be possible that my former students may have learned more about the Numbers and the Astral World since your last visit. If I know them well, they have probably been as hard at work on this mystery as we are, maybe even more. Perhaps if you were to take another look into their minds, you might find some more information regarding this whole thing."

"I was just thinking the same thing myself, Cellie." said the draconequus. Making a pith helmet appear from out of nowhere and placing it on his head, he added, "That's why I'm going to go and pay another visit to their minds and see if anything new has developed. With any luck, I might even help them figure out something they haven't yet!"

"Perhaps, but just promise to be careful, Discord." Luna urged him. "After all, you said that some sort of force expelled you from the room where this ship was located, so obviously someone or something in there doesn't want you meddling around inside. So try not to disturb anything, for the sake of both Twilight and Sunset, as well as your own."

"Of course, Luna!" he assured her. "I'm a draconequus of my word! Cross my heart, hope to fly and all that jazz..."

"Very well then." said Celestia. "Continue to monitor Twilight and Sunset, and above all, make sure that they remain safe." Looking around, she then asked, "Now...how, exactly do we leave this place?"

Chuckling, Discord answered her, saying, "Oh my, Cellie...! You needn't ask me that; you're already back home!"

"But we're not-" But Celestia cut her remark short when she saw that - somehow, she and Luna were already back in Canterlot Castle. Sighing a bit, she told her younger sister, "Honestly, I'll never quite understand him..."

"No offense to him, dear sister," Luna began to say, "but I speak for all us when I say that he is most certifiably crazy."

"Well, he insists that his mother had him tested for that." the Sun Princess told her.

"I doubt he HAS a mother, honestly." the dark-blue Alicorn replied as they both walked down a hallway together.

Back in the strange pocket dimension that Discord resided in, the draconequus looked over the photos and notes he had one last time, saying to himself, "I swear I'll figure out this mystery sooner or later... Though it won't actually involve swearing; I don't need Standards and Practices on my tail about it... Hmmm...wait, does that even count considering this is a fan work...? Eh, best not risk it. In any case, I had better prepare for my journey immediately! But since I'm in a rush, I'd better pack ONLY the essentials."

Rushing up a flight of stairs (which was also built onto the ceiling of the room), Discord made his way up into the room above. He then made his way over to a large cardboard box sitting out in the open. "Let's see... where is it...? Where is it...?" he muttered as he rummaged through several items inside. Among them was a large weight with the words, "Heavy Lourde" printed in white text and what appeared to be a peanut with a red-colored face, as well as orange pipe cleaners stuck inside of it to look like arms and legs.

"Hmm...what's this...?" muttered Discord as he pulled out a glass bottle with a paper sticking out of it. Pulling out the paper, he then read it to himself: "January 20th, 1985... Super Bowl..." Turning the paper sideways, and then upside down, the draconequus looked at the message with a confused look on his face. "...What's a '49er'...?" Sighing as he crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside, he said to himself, "This might take a little longer than I thought...especially if I have to root through all of these potential references..." Discord continued digging through the box to find what he needed for his next trip...

Back at CHS's football stadium-turned coliseum (and also part-Amazon Village and part-ravine), the Duel between Ember and Indigo Bolt had gotten more intense. Ember had already figured that her opponent would try to use the same trick she used to defeat the computerized opponent during the Preliminary Round. However, the Bloodstone Duelist pulled off a trick of her own and managed to use her opponent's move against them in order to Summon her mighty Felgrand Dragon.

"Woah...! Did you guys see that?" Rainbow Dash asked her friends. "Indigo looked like she was ahead, but that Ember chick turned it all around!"

"Yeah, I guess Sunnie wasn't kidding when she said that Ember was tough!" Pinkie noted.

"Sure looks that way..." said Applejack. "Now Ah ain't so sure who's gonna win this one... Bolt could still try t' use that OTK move, but Ember pointed out that she knew it was comin'... Ah bet a barrel o' beans she's already got a plan t' stop it."

"I most certainly agree with you, Applejack dear." Rarity told her. "One thing is for certain: This Duel has only just begun, and we're sure to see more of the same intensity throughout this match."

Elsewhere, in the audience stands, the man in the trench coat was still watching the Duel intently through his dark sunglasses. He hummed to himself after Ember pulled off her move with Felgrand Dragon, scratching his chin as he did so...

Looking over the field, Indigo sweated a bit as she thought, (Okay...maybe this won't be as easy as I thought it would... I never would've expected her to use a move like that. If I had known about that ruling, I definitely wouldn't have played Ojama Trio so soon like I did...) Looking at the monsters on her opponent's board, she added to her thoughts, saying, (Still, she has two Ojama Tokens left, so if she tries to attack my Queen now, I can still use my face-down Amazoness Archers card to win the Duel...) Even knowing that, the toga-clad girl was still unsure that her trick would work.

Ember glanced towards her opponent and told her, "Still thinkin' that you'll beat me in just one turn? I told you: I'm not fallin' for it. I know how your Archers card works: It switches all of my monsters into Attack Mode and weakens their attack points, including the Tokens you stuck on my field. Then it forces me to attack with all of them, even if they're too weak to defeat your monsters." Taking a card from out of her hand, she then added, "But that Trap Card can only activate if I attack your Amazoness monster first... So instead I'll play this Spell Card: Stamping Destruction!"

"Aw no!!" shouted Bolt, knowing she was in trouble now.

"This card allows me to destroy any Spell or Trap Card on the field - even face-down cards, while I have a Dragon-Type Monster on the field!" the blue-skinned Duelist explained. "So I'll wipe out your only card left in your back row: Amazoness Archers!" The card then flipped face-up, revealing that it was indeed Amazoness Archers before it shattered to pieces.

"My Trap Card!" shouted Indigo Bolt. "She destroyed it before I could play it!"

"But that's not all." Ember continued. "Adding injury to insult, my Stamping Destruction also hits the destroyed card's owner for five hundred points of damage!" Bolt could only grumble as she took the effect damage (Indigo Bolt: LP 4,000 - 500 = 3,500).

"So Ember had a plan to stop her strategy and even deal her some damage to boot..." Twilight pointed out. "Was she really thinking that far ahead? If so, then I've gotta say; that's pretty brilliant."

"Yeah, and now that other girl's wide-open for an attack!" Spike added.

Wasting no more time, Ember shouted to her monster, "Go, Felgrand Dragon! Attack her Amazoness Queen! Ray of Grand Light!!" The dragon then fired a powerful stream of white light at Indigo's only monster, striking it hard. The Bloodstone Duelist then told her opponent, "Your monster may survive the attack, but you'll still take the damage!"

"Rrrrrgh!!" grunted the toga-wearing girl after getting hit by Ember's attack (Indigo Bolt: LP 3,500 - 1,600 = 1,900). "Don't start celebrating just yet, Ember..." she then told her, "We Amazons show our true power when our backs are up against the wall! I still have a few tricks up my...erm, sleeves!"

"Well, if you still wanna beat me," Ember informed her, "then let's see these 'tricks' of yours." Taking a card from her hand, she placed into her D-Pad and said, "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

Sitting and watching the Duel from a pair of reserved seats in the front were Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. After wrapping up the Duel with each other, the two of them were invited to watch the rest of the tournament with everyone else. While Celestia had her purse with her, as she always did, Luna also seemed to have brought a backpack with her. "This Duel has been quite interesting so far..." Celestia told her younger sister. "Now that Indigo's strategy to defeat her opponent in one turn failed to work, she'll have to come up with a new one quickly."

"Apparently so, sister." the dark-blue woman replied. "Her opponent seems to have a great degree of skill. Yet I can't help but feel that I've seen such a style of dueling before... What do we know about her?"

"From what I've heard from Sunset," the elder sister answered, "her name is Ember. She comes from the neighboring town of Bloodstone, and is the daughter of a former Pro Duelist."

"Bloodstone, you say?" asked Luna. "And you say that she is related to an ex-Pro...?" Humming for a while, she then said, "Hmmm...then there is only one person it could be..." She then glanced up towards the audience, trying to find anyone that looked familiar to her. Eventually, her eyes fell on the man in the trench coat and sunglasses, who was sitting far in the back, to the left of where she was. Getting up, she then told her sister, "I'll be back in a while."

"...W-where are you going, Luna?" Celestia asked her.

"...Let's just say I'm going to see a familiar face." the vice principal told her before walking off. Celestia wasn't sure what her sister was talking about, but decided not to pry into the matter any further. She was also curious as to why she had that backpack with her as well, but Luna wouldn't say anything about that either...

Indigo then prepared to draw her next card. As she did, she contemplated her current situation. (That Ember person wasn't bluffing when she said she knew what I was planning. I put Amazoness Queen in Attack Mode to lure her into attacking me so that I could trigger my Trap Card, but she destroyed it before I could use it... I knew I should've put her in Defense Mode; at least then I wouldn't have taken so much damage...) Despite the setback, her desire to win was far from crushed. (But I'm not giving this Duel up just yet! I've still got some moves left to try, and I'll fight 'til my last Life Point is gone!)

Drawing her card and looking at it, Bolt said to her opponent, "Get ready, Ember! You have yet to see the true power of my sisters in battle! And once I unite them together, there'll be nothing you can do to stop them!"

"Is that so?" asked the blue-skinned teen. "Then let's see just what you've got, then! But just know this: Whatever power you use against me, I'll fight it back with even MORE power! Now let's finish this!"

"Oh, believe me; I plan to finish this Duel pretty soon." Indigo then adjusted the card she had on her D-Pad's tray, saying, "First, I switch my Amazoness Queen to Defense Mode. That way, you can't touch my Life Points so easily, since my Queen cannot be destroyed in battle!"

"...Or so you think." Ember said to her. "Just because your Queen is powerful enough to survive a battle, that doesn't make her COMPLETELY invincible!" Tapping her D-Pad's screen, she shouted, "I activate the Trap Card, Burst Breath!" Her opponent gasped when she revealed her Set card.

"What does that card do?" Spike asked Sunset.

"It's a pretty solid card, Spike..." the red-and-yellow girl answered him. "While it does force Ember to release one of her Dragons, it also destroys every monster on the field with defense points that are less than the released monster's attack points."

"So, if she releases her Felgrand Dragon - which has 4,200 attack points," Twilight figured out, "then that would wipe out every monster on the field!"

"Correct." Sunset told her friend. "Amazoness Queen is immune to battle destruction, but card effects are a whole different story. She won't be able to save herself from this..."

As predicted, Ember chose to release her Felgrand Dragon for the cost of her Trap Card. After she did so, it turned into a massive gust of wind that was shaped like a dragon. The gust then blew over the entire field, blowing away every monster there. "Looks like your Amazoness Queen has been dethroned." the Bloodstone Duelist told her opponent. "How the mighty have fallen."

"Rrrgh...maybe, but don't forget:" Indigo told her. "That card also destroyed both of the two remaining Ojama Tokens on your field. That means you lose six hundred of your Life Points (Ember: LP 4,000 - 600 = 3,400)! And that's not all: By destroying my Amazoness Queen, my Field Spell activates its effect, allowing me to Summon an Amazoness with an equal or lower Level to the one that was destroyed!" Giving it some thought, the toga-clad girl made her choice and said, "I select this one! My Amazoness Princess!"

The next monster to appear on the field was a young girl with snow-white hair and tanned skin with various red markings. She appeared to be in her late pre-teens to early teens in terms of age. Her outfit - like most of the Amazoness monsters in Indigo's Deck, didn't consist of too much: She wore a headdress on her head with a red-and-yellow triangle pattern and a pair of horns, a red bra top with a skull-like motif in the center, a brown loincloth with a sash overtop of it made up of purple fur, and several braces on her arms and legs made up of bandages in metal frames. She also wore some beaded jewelry, and carried a short spear with a curved blade on the end of it (Amazoness Princess: Level 3 / ATK 1200 + 200 = 1400 / DEF 900).

"How appropriate for a princess to follow after the queen falls..." Ember stated.

"Indeed, and now that she's here," Bolt continued, "I can use her effect! After she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can take any Amazoness Spell or Trap Card out of my Deck and add it to my hand. And I choose my Amazoness Call!" After she got her chosen card, she then added, "And now that I have my Amazoness Call, I'll activate it! Now I can use its power to add another Amazoness Queen to my hand!"

"Is that all you've got?" asked Ember, not sure what her opponent had planned.

"I'm just getting started." said Bolt. "Next I'll use my Pot of Desires to draw two more cards after banishing ten of them!" She then removed the top ten cards of her Deck and pulled two more. After she got a look at them, the Amazon Duelist grinned a little and said to herself, "Just what I needed..."

(Now what's she up to...?) wondered Sunset. Everybody else waited to see just what Indigo managed to draw.

"Ember," she told her opponent, "I said earlier that my Amazon sisters were unstoppable once they were united... Well, you're about to see just what I meant by that! I activate the Spell Card...Polymerization!!"

"What?! Polymerization?!?" exclaimed Ember in surprise.

"I'll use my Spell Card to fuse my Amazoness Princess on the field and the Amazoness Queen in my hand!" stated the young girl. Immediately, her two monsters appeared together and jumped into a large red and blue-colored vortex in the sky. "Queen of the jungle," she chanted, "receive power from your beloved daughter, and build an empire that rules over everything! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Amazoness Empress!"

Everyone watched in shock and awe as a new figure emerged from the red-and-blue vortex. It was a very tall, very muscular woman with white hair just like Amazoness Princess. Her headwear was much more intimidating, as it was made out of the skull of a very unlucky beast. Animal skulls were also used for her shoulder pads to add to her imposing appearence. Her bra top was mostly green, with some gold trims here and there (plus a skull in the center), her loincloth was brown in color and mostly in tatters (and again, there was a skull decorating it). On her back was a long, red cape, and she also wore braces similar to Amazoness Princess, with the addition of a few decorative gems. Her weapon of choice was a massive sword with a curved blade and spikes, designed to destroy the enemy painfully and brutally.

*******************************

Amazoness Empress
(Fusion-Effect Monster/Warrior/EARTH/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2400)

"Amazoness Queen" + 1 "Amazoness" monster
Other "Amazoness" cards you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If your "Amazoness" monster attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. If this face-up Fusion Summoned card is destroyed by battle, or leaves the field because of an opponent's card effect while its owner controls it: You can Special Summon 1 "Amazoness Queen" from your hand, Deck, or GY.

*******************************

"Oh...my..." said Fluttershy, staring at the powerful Fusion Monster that Indigo Bolt had just Summoned. She tried to say more, but she just couldn't find the words.

"I gotta admit, that was a pretty sick move she made." Gilda said. "She means business now, no doubt about it."

"So it's true: Amazonesses DO have Fusion Monsters..." Sunset said to herself. "I've never seen any of them in action before, but judging from how that monster of hers looks, It'd be safe to assume they're incredibly strong..."

"No joke..." Spike added. "I mean, just look at that sword of hers... That thing looks like it could slice a mountain in two!"

"Yeah, and the rest of the mountain range along with it...!" added Twilight.

Ember was also quite impressed by her opponent's last move. "Not bad, Indigo." she told her. "I have t' say, I didn't expect you to whip out a Fusion Monster so quickly. You're even stronger than I thought; I knew it'd be fun to fight you in the tournament."

"Thanks for the comment, Ember." replied the Amazon Duelist. "And the best part is, I'm not even done yet!" Taking a card from her hand, she then told her opponent, "After Special Summoning my Amazoness Empress, I can ALSO Summon this monster to join her! Meet my Amazoness Baby Tiger!" Her next card was a tiny, adorable pink tiger cub with big, blue eyes, black stripes, and a golden collar that looked way too big for its neck. After it appeared, it gave out a tiny roar (Amazoness Baby Tiger: Level 2 / ATK 500 / DEF 500).

"AWWWWWW!!! It's so CUTE!!!" said a starry-eyed Sweetie Belle. "Eeeeeee!! I just wanna go over there and hug it so much!!"

"You're...fighting me with a...a kitten?" asked Ember, not sure what her opponent was planning this time.

"Don't you know the best part about babies?" asked Indigo. "They grow up fast! Thanks to her effect, she gains another one hundred attack points for every Amazoness card that's in my Graveyard! And I count a total of six! So that means she gains six hundred attack points! And not only that, my Field Spell also powers up both her and my Empress!" (Amazoness Empress: ATK 2800 + 200 = 3000) (Amazoness Baby Tiger: ATK 500 + 600 + 200 = 1300) Smirking, she then asked Ember, "So, what do you think of that?"

"I've gotta say, that was pretty impressive." the blue-skinned girl admitted. "Your two monsters combined have the power to wipe out all of my Life Points..." But then she smirked as well and told her, "That is...IF I didn't have this ready in my hand."

"Huh?" Indigo had no idea what she was talking about, but got an ill feeling in her gut after hearing those words.

"I activate the effect of a monster in my hand!" shouted Ember. She then took a card from her hand and placed it into her D-Pad's Graveyard slot before saying, "I Special Summon Dragon Ice from my hand in Defense Mode!"

Everyone watched as a geyser of freezing-cold water burst out of the ground in front of Ember, reaching high into the sky. When the geyser stopped, a powerful beast was floating in the area where it sprung forth. It appeared to be an icy-blue dragon creature, but also appeared to have some human-like qualities to it, in the fact that it had well-defined abs, and muscular arms and legs. The parts of it that weren't human were its head, which was covered with a bone-like armor, its large, black wings, and its long tail (Dragon Ice: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 2200).

"Huh?! How'd you Summon a monster while it was still my turn??" asked Bolt in total shock.

"I could tell ya," Ember started to say, "but I believe that's Sunset job to do that; she is the Judge after all."

Getting the message, the black jacket-clad teen walked over towards Indigo, saying, "When you Special Summon a monster outside of the Damage Step - such as when you Special Summoned your Amazoness Baby Tiger, Dragon Ice's effect activates. That allows Ember to discard any card from her hand to Special Summon it, even if it isn't her turn."

"Rrrgh...so you had a defensive move all set up just in case I came out with a powerful monster, huh?" asked the Amazon Duelist.

"Exactly." the blue-skinned teen confirmed. "That means you can't wipe out all of my Life Points this turn."

"Maybe not...but I'll still do as much damage as I can!" Bolt shouted. "Go, Amazoness Empress! Attack her Dragon Ice! Sword of the Empress!!" Her mighty Fusion Monster then lifted up her powerful blade and jumped up into the air towards Ember's only monster. She then slashed her sword so hard, it created a blade-like shockwave that sliced the blue beast in half. "You may have escaped taking a ton of damage from my Empress," Indigo told her opponent, "but her effect still hits you for some damage!" (Ember: LP 3,400 - 800 = 2,600)

"So that chick's monster can do piercing damage, huh?" said Gilda. "That's pretty ruthless... I like it."

"And now Ember's out of monsters," stated Fluttershy, "so the next attack will be on her Life Points..."

And just as the animal-lover predicted, Bolt's other monster - Amazoness Baby Tiger, pounced forward and literally took a bite out of Ember, dealing some more damage (Ember: LP 2,600 - 1,300 = 1,300). Even after taking the hit, the blue girl smirked and said, "Not bad... But I'm still in this Duel, Indigo."

"Maybe...for now." the toga-wearing girl replied. "But unless you can do something on your next turn, I'll have you beat next turn! So go ahead and make your move!"

"We'll see who has who beat..." Ember said as she reached for the top card of her Deck.

Meanwhile, back in the audience seats, the trench coat-wearing man with sunglasses smirked a little to himself as he watched the Duel. Then, all of a sudden, a voice next to him spoke, saying, "You know, Torch...if you're attempting to keep a low profile, you'll have to do much better than that."

"Huh?! How did you-?" But when the man saw that the person who spoke to him was Vice Principal Luna, he got the answer to his question right away. Huffing, he removed his hat and sunglasses, revealing himself as none other than Torch - Ember's father and former Pro Duelist. "Luna..." he said in a tone that suggested that he wasn't too pleased to see her. "You're still here in Canterlot, I see..."

"My sister and I were invited as guests for the competition." the dark-blue woman told him. "Anyway, it has been a while since we have last seen each other, Torch."

"...I suppose it has." the large man responded.

"...I don't suppose you are still bitter about what happened between us years ago, at the National Tournament?" Luna then asked him. "I'd heard rumors that you quit dueling shortly afterwards..." At first, neither of them spoke regarding the subject. Then she added, "Look: I had no idea that you would take losing that Duel so hard... For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

At first, Torch said nothing to what one could only assume was his bitter rival. But then said, "I don't need your pity, Luna... However, I do appreciate the comment." Looking back towards the Duel in progress, he told her, "Besides, that's behind me now. Right now, my focus is on Ember down there."

"I see, so I was right:" Luna figured out. "She's YOUR daughter. I could tell; she shares the same style of dueling as you once did. And from how she has been playing so far, it's clear that you have taught her well."

"What you've seen so far is minute compared to what she has accomplished with me during her training exercises." Torch said, finally forming a slight smirk. "Just see for yourself...as my daughter wins this Duel!" Luna nodded and sat down with her former dueling rival to watch the rest of the match.

Looking at her Deck, Ember thought to herself, (Okay...this is pretty much my last shot at winnin' this Duel... If I don't draw something good now, I'll be out of the tournament. But there's no way I'm letting that happen! I trained for weeks to up my game so that the next time I fight Sunset, I can give it my all!) Placing her fingers on the top card of her Deck, she added, (Dad...at first, you were against me being a Duelist... But now you've helped me become even stronger... Thanks to you, I know I've become an even better Duelist. And I'm not gonna let all that training of ours go to waste!)

Sunset watched Ember as she prepared to start her turn. As a Judge, she wasn't allowed to play favorites to any of the competitors. However - in the back of her mind, she wanted Ember to win, so that the two of them could hopefully have a proper Duel between each other.

"It's my turn! I draw!" the Bloodstone Duelist shouted as she finally drew her card for the turn. She then looked at what she got and said, "Perfect...!" Looking over towards her opponent, she said, "You put up a great fight, Indigo...but now this Duel's about to end!"

"E-end??" asked the younger girl. "How? What did you draw?"

Chuckling a little, she revealed the card she drew and said, "I play Return of the Dragon Lords!"

Gasping, Indigo said, "No way!! You actually drew that card?! Now, of all times?! That's unbelievable!!"

"Well, believe it!" said Ember, placing the card into her D-Pad. "Thanks to this card, I can bring back any Dragon from my Graveyard that's either Level 7 or Level 8!"

"A-are you gonna use that to bring Felgrand Dragon back?" asked Indigo, getting a bit nervous.

"Yes and no." stated the blue-skinned girl. "The monster I'm bringing back is a different version of my previous monster; to be more specific, it was the card that I discarded when I brought out my Dragon Ice." Taking the card in question from her Graveyard, she then placed it onto her field and shouted, "Now! Return from the grave! Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!!" Instantly, a dragon that looked similar to her previous big monster - but with an even more brilliant shine, came from out of a dark-purple vortex in the ground, taking its place behind its master (Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2800).

(So she had a plan to defend herself during my turn AND set up to Summon a really powerful monster on her next turn...!) Bolt realized. (Was she thinking that far ahead when she used Dragon Ice's effect??)

Ember then looked at her D-Pad's screen; there she saw a list of the cards in her own Graveyard, including the Spell Card that she had just played. She then recalled that it was one of her father's favorite cards, which may have spurred her into getting a copy of the card for herself. She then glanced behind her and saw Torch sitting in the stands (although he was in disguise, she knew he would be coming to see her Duel; he never told her directly, but figured it out after hearing he had suddenly taken the weekend off). Although the large man still had a fierce look on his face, he was also smiling, apparently proud of his daughter for her good move.

Smiling back to him and nodding, she mentally thanked him for all of the support he had given to her before turning her attention back to the Duel. "Now I activate the effect of Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!" she declared. "When it's Summoned from the Graveyard, I get to banish any one of your monsters! And I choose to banish...your Empress!"

"Aw no! Not her!!" protested Indigo. But it was too late: Ember's mighty Dragon roared as it shone an even stronger light, forcing everyone (except Ember) to shield their eyes. Amazoness Empress tried her best to resist the beast's power, but in the end, she fell victim to it and disappeared without a trace. "My Amazoness Empress!" the toga-wearing girl cried out. "She's gone!"

"And because she is," the Bloodstone Duelist told her, "Felgrand gains an additional eight hundred attack points: One hundred times the Level of your Empress." (Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand: ATK 2800 + 800 = 3600 / DEF 2800 + 800 = 3600)

"...When Amazones Empress is removed from my field due to your card effect," Bolt told her, "her effect brings Amazoness Queen back from my Graveyard in Defense Mode." Just as she said, her Queen reappeared on the field (Amazoness Queen: ATK 2400 + 200 = 2600), but from the tone of Bolt's voice, she knew that she wasn't going to win now. Especially because Summoning Amazoness Queen weakened her other monster (Amazoness Baby Tiger: ATK 1300 - 100 = 1200). Looking over at her opponent, she told her, "It's over... Just...just get on with it."

Ember hesitated at first, feeling a bit sorry for her opponent. Even so, she knew that she had to finish the Duel properly; holding back out of sympathy for her opponent would only serve to harm both their spirits in the long run. Making her last move, the blue-skinned teen shouted, "Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand!! Attack Amazoness Baby Tiger!!" The Dragon then charged up its most powerful attack in its mouth, taking aim at Indigo's only Attack Position monster. "Go!! Divine Grand Light!!" The white-and-gold Dragon fired its ray of light right at the tiny tiger, creating a massive explosion.

Due to Amazoness Queen's effect, the tiger survived the attack...but it didn't matter: The blast was enough to wipe out Indigo's remaining Life Points, ending the Duel in her defeat (Indigo Bolt: LP 1,900 - 2,400 = 0) (WINNER: Ember).

"This Duel is over!" shouted Sunset, raising her right arm and pointing over towards Ember. "The winner is Ember!"

"And that's all she wrote, ladies and gentlemen!" Megan spoke into her microphone. "In this Duel between Amazons and Dragons, Ember has come out on top! She now advances to the Quarterfinal Round!"

Concerned, Ember walked over to her opponent, Indigo. After the Duel ended, the young girl slumped down to her knees, feeling thoroughly defeated. Ember could even see some tears in her eyes as well. "Um...are you okay, Indigo...?" she asked her.

"...How can I be...?" the toga-clad girl asked. "I lost...I just don't know where I went wrong..."

"Yeah, I know a thing or two about those situations..." Derpy noted, over hearing the conversation and feeling a little sory for Bolt.

"I thought that I had everything planned out perfectly..." Indigo said, feeling really down about the whole thing. "Am I just not good enough for something like this?"

Recalling that her father probably had similar feelings after he had been defeated years ago, Ember then said to her, "Of course you're good enough, kid!"

"Huh...? What...what do you mean...?"

"Listen:" the blue-skinned girl told her. "So what if you lost one Duel? That doesn't mean you're not good enough to be a Duelist! Everyone gets beat sometimes; heck, even Yugi himself hasn't won EVERY Duel he fought. But just because you lost a Duel, it doesn't make you a complete failure; it only means you've still got more to learn. In other words, you should take your defeat not as a set-back, but as stepping stone to become an even better Duelist! I know, it's a bit cliché, but I'm only sayin' it 'cause it's true!"

Wiping her eyes, Bolt then asked her, "Do...do you really mean that?"

"I mean it, all right." Ember responded. "Believe me, I've been through it myself. After I had my first loss, I felt crushed at first... But after thinking about it all some more, I began to see weaknesses that I never knew I had. And once I did, I worked hard to overcome them. It's a bit weird to say it, but losing that Duel might have been the best thing to ever happen to me, because now I've gotten even stronger as a result of it. And now...you can try and do the same." Reaching her hand out and smiling, she then said, "Now get up and cheer up, Indigo. After all, I don't think it'd be proper for an Amazon Warrior to cry after a loss."

Looking at the hand in front of her, Bolt did nothing at first. But after hearing what her opponent had said to her, she felt a lot better, smiling as she took ahold of Ember's hand. "You're right, Ember... Believe ME: I'm not about to quit Dueling just because of one loss. I'll work on my Deck and strategies and try to figure out what my weaknesses are... And once I get a bit stronger, I'm comin' back for a rematch!"

"I'm lookin' forward to it, Indigo." the Bloodstone teen replied. Then, without warning, Indigo gave a friendly hug to her opponent, which elicited an exasperated sigh out of Ember. "Yeesh, again with the hugging..." she groaned. "Haven't these Canterlot people ever heard of a simple handshake?"

From the stands above them, Torch had heard every word that his daughter had said. Between that, as well as remembering his loss to Luna years ago, he took a deep sigh and said to the woman, "Luna... Earlier I said I didn't need you to apologize for beating me at the Nationals..."

"Yes, I recall that you said something to that effect." Luna responded. "What about it?"

Struggling to admit it, the large man said to her, "Well...you may know it already, but...I suppose the reason I said that was because...well...I'M the one who should be apologizing to YOU."

"Hm? Is that so?"

Torch nodded and said, "After you handed me my first defeat, I couldn't believe it. I was so frustrated and angry, that I didn't know how to process my emotions. The only thing I could think of was to quit dueling and try to hide my loss from everyone else... But recent events have shown me that it was a most foolish thing to do... I still can't believe I tried to ban my own daughter from dueling just because I was so bitter about that day." Sighing again, he added, "To think, my own daughter is much more mature than I ever was..."

"...Maybe... Maybe not." Luna spoke to him. "But you should give yourself much more credit: You've clearly learned from your errors and are working hard to become a better father figure towards your daughter. I daresay, you may have learned more from your loss at the Nationals than you may think you have. And on that note..." The woman then removed her backpack and set it in-between her and Torch.

"What's in there?" the large man asked.

"...When I heard that the daughter of a Pro Duelist from Bloodstone was entering the tournament, I had a hunch that you would show up to watch her duel." the vice principal told him. "So...just in case you did, I brought this with me." She then opened the pack and pulled out a shiny, silver object.

"Wh-what is this?" asked Torch, despite that he had a feeling that he already knew what it was.

"The second-place trophy." Luna answered. "From the National Tournament. You ran off before they could award it to you."

"...And...you've been keeping it all this time?" asked the man, a bit surprised.

The woman nodded. "I was waiting for the perfect moment to give it to you. And I can think of no better time than now." she told him. "So go on and take it, Torch... I'm certain you've been wanting to fill that empty spot in your trophy case back home for some time."

At first, Torch wasn't sure if he should take it or not. But when he looked up from the trophy and towards Luna, her face told him that she was serious. Sighing contently, he took ahold of the trophy and said, "...Thank you, Luna. This means a lot to me."

"You're very welcome, Torch." the dark-blue woman said. "By the way, I also put a little extra something into the trophy cup." Getting up to leave, she added, "Assuming you still have your Red-Eyes Deck, perhaps you could try it out next time you Duel someone...assuming you can find the free time; I know how busy the real estate business can be sometimes."

Torch then reached into the cup and picked out a card that was sitting inside of it. Staring at it for a while, he then looked at Luna, smirked and said, "I might have some free time right now."

"Hm...? Is that a challenge, Torch?" asked the vice principal. Of course, she knew the answer to that question...

Back down in the arena, Sunset walked over to both Ember and Indigo. "Great dueling, both of you." she congratulated them. "You two were amazing out there!"

"Yeah, that was so awesome!" complimented Spike. "The way that big dragon showed up and shot that big light out of his mouth; that was the coolest thing ever!"

"Yeah, well I can't take all the credit." Ember replied. "My dragon did a lot of the work."

Twilight then asked Indigo, "Are you...going to be alright? You seemed a little down after you lost..."

"I'll get over it." the toga-wearing girl replied. "I fought my best out there, and I got the chance to take on a great Duelist like Ember here, so it wasn't a total bummer." Facing her rival, she told her, "Ember, like I said earlier, I want to take you on again after I've gotten a little stronger. When I do, will you accept my challenge?"

"Of course I will." the blue teen replied. "I'd be happy to take you on again someday." She then turned to Sunset and said to her, "And I hope you haven't forgotten our promise, Sunset."

Shaking her head, the red-and-yellow teen told her, "I haven't forgotten, Ember. Once this tournament's over, you and I will have our Duel, assuming you do well enough in the competition." The Bloodstone Duelist nodded, satisfied with that answer before she and Indigo parted ways, heading towards the competitors' seating area to watch the rest of the First Round matches.

"The next pair for the First Round will be announced five minutes from now!" shouted Megan. "So get ready, Duelists, in case your name is called!"

Looking over at the seating area for the competing Duelists, Sunset could see that some were anxious to compete in the next match. Others - such as Fluttershy and Gabby, were still a little nervous about it all. The one thing that the inter-dimensional girl DIDN'T see...was Sonata; she had vanished some time before Ember and Indigo had their Duel. (That's weird...) she thought, (she still not back yet... If she was going to the bathroom or getting something to eat, she should've been back by now...) Clicking a button on her Duel Gazer, she spoke into it saying, "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, we're still here, Sunset." said Snips's voice on the other end.

"Have you found Sonata and the other Dazzlings yet?" she then asked him.

"Uhhh...not yet." Snips told her. "But we're lookin' everywhere. We'll let ya know if we find 'em."

"Good. Keep the line open and let me know anything that you guys find out." Sunset told them before cutting the line.

"Still nothin' about those Dazzling girls yet?" asked Spike.

"Nothing yet..." the jacket-wearing teen answered, "but the fact that they were gone during the entire Duel is pretty suspicious... But I'm not going to just wait for them to cause trouble for everybody here. I'll figure out just what they're planning and make sure that they don't carry it out. But if they are on the level, then I'm fine with that too. But I highly doubt that'll be the case."

"Maybe..." Twilight responded. "For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens next..."

"Mhmm..." Sunset hummed, nodding her head as she did so. The inter-dimensional teen was still unsure just why the Dazzlings were here and what they were up to, but she was determined to make sure that any attempt at revenge on their part would not disrupt the tournament for those watching or competing. For now, she had her duties as a Judge to worry about, so she put aside her thoughts concerning the Dazzlings for the moment in order to focus on the task at hand. She - along with the competitors and audience members, waited to see who would be paired up to Duel next...

After five minutes had passed, Megan spoke into her microphone, saying, "Alrighty, Duel Monsters fans! It's now time to announce the next two Duelists competing in Round 1! So let's begin the selection! Duelist Slot Machine, GO!!!" Everyone watched the spinning reels as they cycled through the remaining Duelists, wondering who would be picked next. As the reels slowed down, the MC said, "And our next two Duelists arrrrrrrrrre...Slid Diamond and Steel Shadows!!"

The audience members looked around at each other, not sure who either of them were (since they weren't from around the area). But they would soon know after both two Duelists in question walked out into the arena. It had only been a little while since Indigo and Ember had finished their Duel, but the action was about to heat up again...

Meanwhile, outside of the arena, a small crowd was gathering to see another Duel take place: Standing opposite from each other were Luna and Torch, who had strapped on their Duel Pads, preparing to fight each other. After having shuffled their Decks and slipping them into their devices, the dark-blue woman looked up towards her rival, saying, "I've heard that it has been a while since you've dueled for real, Torch...I hope for your sake your skills haven't diminished any..."

Chuckling a little, the large man said to her, "That's where you're wrong, Luna... After all, who do you think my daughter has been sparring against during her training?" After the card trays from their D-Pads unfolded, he then added, "If you expect to beat me as easily as you did all those years ago, think again!"

Smiling, Luna then told him, "I was just joking, Torch; I'm more than certain that you've improved since you've started training your daughter. Besides, as long as we can enjoy ourselves, it won't matter to me which one of us wins or loses."

"I suppose that is true, Luna." Torch simply replied. As their own personal audience continued to gather around them, the two of them drew their opening hands, ready to start a friendly match with each other for the first time in years...

"Let's DUEL!!!"

-- To Be Continued...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):

Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???
??? vs. ???

RANK 55: The Sirens' Swan Song, Part 1:

Author's Note

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: The Dazzlings being confronted about their misdeeds in the tournament, split into two parts (with the next part being released next month). This was an episode that I had been planning over in my head ever since I started the series, and I was really excited to finally write it. So I hope you all enjoy!

RANK 55: The Sirens' Swan Song, Part 1:

THE STORY SO FAR...:

With the Quarterfinals done, the WCQ Qualification Tournament has now reached its Semifinals stage, with four Duelists remaining to compete for the crown. The first Semifinal match-up pitted Ember and Gilda - Duelists whose respective families had a history of Pro Dueling - against one another for what would certainly be a no-holds-barred, close game. And indeed, they were right: Ember and Gilda played some of their best strategies yet, with the Bloodstone Duelist gaining an early advantage. Though Gilda managed to bring out one the most powerful cards in her entire Deck - Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon, even it was no match for her opponent's strategic mind, and in the end, victory went to Ember.

In the meantime, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Bright Mind were investigating Sonata Dusk - a member of an antagonistic group known as the Dazzlings, because Sunset believed that she had cheated in her Quarterfinal Duel. A trip to Mr. Dunstan's office and a look at the data files surrounding Sonata proved Sunset's suspicions to be true: Sonata had purposefully altered her Deck specifically to counter Bright Mind's Alien Deck, using cards outside of the ones that were pre-registered during the Preliminary Round.

With all this evidence in hand, and Sonata's Semifinal Duel against Sweetie Belle approaching, what will Sunset do next...?

It had been twenty-five minutes since the Semifinal Duel between Ember and Gilda had concluded; Ember was able to win that match and become one of the two finalists for the last Duel of the Tournament. Now, there only remained one other Semifinal Duel to determine who would be Ember's opponent for that Final game: Sonata Dusk - one of the Dazzlings along with Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze, or Sweetie Belle - Rarity's younger sister and a member of the Duel Monsters Crusaders along with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed. Before that Duel could start, Sunset requested there to be a half-hour intermission in-between so that she could take care of other matters.

"It's almost time for the other Semifinal Duel." Gilda said to her friends in the audience (whom she decided to sit with, since she was no longer in the tournament). "I can't wait to see who'll be Ember's opponent for the final game."

"A shame that you weren't able to make it to the end, Gilda..." said Martin. "You very nearly had that Duel won; I was sure you would come out victorious when you summoned Ultimate Falcon."

"Yeah! Me too!" added Gabby. "I still don't know how that other girl managed to beat it like that!"

"As much as I hate to admit it, Ember had built her Deck pretty well in order to combat just about anything." Gilda told them both. "Her Deck has a lot of high-power monsters that she can just summon out real fast, with barely any time to react. And her Spell and Trap lineup just makes it that much harder to get through 'em once they show up. Not only that, she's real good at studying her opponents and figuring out a strategy to counter 'em, like she did when she was able to stop that Indigo chick from pulling off the same OTK trick she did in the Prelims."

"And when she was able to exploit the weakness of Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En in her Duel with Steel Shadows." noted Martin. "She was even able to set up ahead of time for Chaos Dragon Levianeer when she needed it. Ember is quite the fearsome Duelist, I must say... Capable of overcoming what's right in front of her, while also thinking several moves ahead..."

"Yeah, for sure..." Gabby admitted. "I just hope that the next Duel will start soon...! I wanna see who's going to make it to the Finals!"

(Same here.) thought Gilda. (Which is why it's kinda weird that there'd be this long an intermission before the next game... I wonder what's up with that?)

In the lobby area within the stadium, Ember took a deep sigh, relaxing herself after such a hard-fought Duel. "Excellent work, Ember." said the voice of Ember's father, Torch. "You played that game with a great amount of skill, and I could sense that you were enjoying yourself, even when it looked like you were certain for defeat."

"...Just remembering your advice, Dad." she replied. "I think trying my best to have fun out there actually helped me relax a little. I'm not sure I would have played that Duel better if I was all tensed-up and stuff."

"Exactly." Torch told her. "That is why I told you to not take your Duels too seriously. If you remain calm and relaxed, you will always be able to make the most sound decisions during a Duel. This also applies to real-life situations as well; if you let stress and fear overtake you, you may end up making a choice that you'll regret for the rest of your life..." He then sighed deeply a bit after saying that.

Ember felt a bit of sympathy for her father, knowing that he was referring to his sudden withdrawal from Pro Dueling when he said that. She knew that he wanted her to become a better Pro than he was, and to not make the same mistakes that he had made back then; that was the reason he had been giving her this kind of advice. Nodding, Ember then told him, "I'll make you proud, Dad. I'll become a Pro Duelist and have the best time doing it!"

Torch smiled and nodded (something he rarely ever did in front of anyone), confident that his daughter would have a promising career ahead of her. Looking at his watch, he then said, "We'd better go. The next Semifinal Duel is about to begin. It would do you good to observe your potential opponents before your final Duel." Ember nodded in agreement and they both headed to the audience seating area together.

In the audience, a bead of sweat slowly rolled down Rarity's cheek as she and her other friends anxiously waited for the second Semifinal Duel to start. Noticing how tense she was, Applejack asked her, "Hey Rare, y'all feelin' alright? Ya look about as stiff as a petrified tree."

"...It's nothing you should concern yourself with, Applejack dear." Rarity told her. "It's just...I'm a little worried for my sister, that's all. I hope she can overcome Sonata in this Duel."

"Yeah, no kiddin'." said Rainbow Dash. "I never guessed that Sonata would be as tough as she is; she didn't seem like the smartest one of those three - as if that's sayin' much. I mean, after those Duels she had with Derpy and especially that Bright guy, there's NO telling what Sonata's got in store for Sweetie Belle."

"O-o-oh dear..." said Rarity, getting even more nervous thinking about it.

Turning over to her cyan-skinned friend, Fluttershy told her, "Rainbow...I hate to say this, but you really shouldn't make Rarity more worried about Sweetie Belle than she already is... If it's okay with you, could you, um...try to be a little more positive?"

"Huh? ...Oh, yeah...you got a good point." Rainbow Dash responded, realizing that what Fluttershy said made sense. Smiling, she then told Rarity, "I-I'm sure Sweetie'll be fine, no matter what Sonata's got planned! There's just no way those Dazzlings are gonna win this one!"

"Yeah, just have a little faith, Rarity!" Pinkie chimed in. "After all, there's no way the author of this series would let the villains win, right? If he did, that'd be quite the controversial twist in the story."

"Pink's right... Ah think." said Applejack. "Y'all just gotta stay positive and make sure that Sweetie Belle knows that you believe in her."

"...Yes, you're absolutely right." the violet-haired fashionista responded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I just have to have faith that things will work out for my sister. I'll...I'll try my best to be brave for her!" The others were happy to see their friend rid herself of some of that tension.

Rarity wasn't the only one worried about Sweetie Belle: Her friends in the Duel Monsters Crusaders were also concerned for her. "Ohhh... Ah sure do hope Sweetie can get through this Duel okay." said Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, me too..." Scootaloo chimed in. "I mean, Sweetie's way stronger than she was when we started the club, but that Sonata chick's not messin' around. I still don't know she managed to beat that guy Bright Mind the way she did. It's like her Deck was designed just to beat him, from the way it looked."

(That did seem kinda weird t' me, too...) thought Babs. (I wonder if that's got anythin' t' do with why we're watin' dis long for the next Duel t' start...) She then glanced over to the field, where she saw Sweetie Belle on one side of the field, Sonata and the rest of the Dazzlings on the other, and the MC, Megan Williams, nearer to the center. But Sunset was nowhere to be found, which also struck Babs as peculiar.

Speaking of the Dazzlings, they were the only ones who didn't seem so worried about the next Duel, and for good reason. The three of them had - quite literally - stacked the deck against their next opponent, and were ready to do to her what they did to Bright Mind in the Quarterfinals. "With the cards we've included in your Deck," Adagio said, "not even you could possibly lose to that child over there, Sonata."

"And if you DO lose," Aria then said to her in a stern voice, "I'll make sure you regret it."

Sticking her tongue at Aria, Sonata told her, "Just watch me: I'll take her down, and then I'll beat that Ember chick too! Maybe then you'll stop giving me that sour attitude of yours." She was anxious to get the Duel started, mostly so that could get Aria to stop insulting her constantly.

On the other side of the arena, Sweetie Belle was understandably nervous going up against Sonata, after having seen her last Duel. She did her best not to show her fear, but it wasn't easy. "Just...just gotta stay calm..." she said to herself. "Gotta stay calm... You can do this, Sweetie Belle... You can do this...! ...I hope."

In the stadium lobby, out of sight of everyone in the main arena, Flash Sentry was talking to Twilight Sparkle and Spike about the things they discovered concerning Sonata's actions in the tournament so far. "I see..." Flash said to them after having heard everything. "So those three were cheating after all... And to think they had the nerve to make fun of Bright when they knew full well that he would've beaten them if they actually played fair. I mean, really?"

"Well, they're not gettin' away with it this time!" Spike said. "Sunset knows everything, and I know she'll do something about it. Those Dazzlings aren't going to cheat their way out of this one!"

"Should we tell Megan about this?" asked Flash.

"She doesn't have the authority to settle this kind of matter." Twilight answered him. "Sunset's the official Tournament Judge, so that responsibility falls to her. Even if we told Megan about what we found out, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it, because that isn't her job to do so."

"Ah, I get it." the boy replied. "So, where is Sunset right now?" he then asked.

"Last we saw her, she went to see Mr. Dunstan so that she could talk with him about the whole thing." Spike told him. "Bright Mind went to go sit with those other Duelists that helped us out, so that they could watch the rest of the tournament together."

"The Duel's set to start two minutes from now." Twilight noted. "I hope Sunset can get back before it begins..."

"You won't have to worry about that." said the voice of Mr. Dunstan, the Industrial Illusions representative. "We're already here."

Twilight, Spike, and Flash then turned around to see Mr. Dunstan standing behind them. Also with him was Sunset Shimmer, and they all had looks on their faces that suggested that they meant business. "Sunset! You're back!" the young Princess said happily.

"We're back, alright." Sunset told her. "Mr. Dunstan and I talked it over with the time we had, and we've come to a decision. A few of them actually; depends on what happens next."

"What do you mean?" asked Flash.

"I don't have any more time to discuss it right now." Sunset told him. "Right now, I have to go out there and deliver the news to everyone in the arena. For now, I want all of you to stay here until I make my announcement." Flash, Twilight, and Spike nodded to say they would and stepped aside so that Sunset could head into the arena. The jacket-wearing teen sighed a bit, knowing that her announcement was going probably upset a lot of people, but she had no choice but to do her job...

Looking at her cell phone clock, Megan said to herself, "Okay...it's now been thirty minutes...." She then looked around with a puzzled expression on her face, looking for Sunset, but she hadn't returned to the arena yet. "She's not here..." Megan said to herself. "It's a bit past the time for the intermission to end, but..." Sighing, she knew she couldn't keep the crowd waiting any longer and turned on her microphone. "Allllright, ladies and gentlemen!" she said with her usual high energy. "Our intermission is over, and it's time to begin the next Duel of the Semifinals!!"

As the crowd cheered around them, Rarity - as well as Sweetie's friends in the Duel Monsters Crusaders - were anxious and nervous about the upcoming match-up. (Here we go...) Rarity thought to herself, hoping with all her might that Sweetie Belle would prevail, as did Sweetie's friends.

"This second - and final - Semifinal Duel with pit these two Duelists against each other!" Megan announced. "On my left is Sonata Dusk of the Dazzlings, who somehow managed to overcome Bright Mind's Alien Deck almost perfectly!" As expected, there wasn't much of a response from the audience. Megan then turned to the other side of the field and said to the crowds, "And on my right, is our sole remaining representative of Canterlot High School and our youngest competitor, Sweetie Belle!" This time, the crowd was more than happy to send their praise and cheers towards Sweetie Belle, hoping that she would defeat Sonata and knock her out of the tournament.

Sonata, of course, was sure that she wasn't going to have any sort of struggle at all. "It's a little too bad I gotta disappoint everyone here, Shirmpy Belle... But you're not gonna be winning this Duel!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Sweetie said back. "I don't know what you're up to this time, but you're not gonna beat me! And my name is 'SWEETIE' Belle!" Sonata, of course, was not scared one bit, as she was confident that there was no chance of her opponent even standing a chance against her; a thought shared by her bandmates Adagio and Aria.

"Well, it looks like our two Duelists are ready to get this Duel on!" announced Megan. "So without further ado-"

"HOLD IT!!" shouted a voice from nearby.

"Huh? Hold it?" asked Megan. She and everyone else turned their attention towards the direction that the voice came from. There, standing in the right-hand arena entrance was Sunset Shimmer, arms folded and a stern look on her face. She then made her way towards the center of the arena, to where Megan was.

"Sunset's finally here?" asked Applejack. "Ah was wonderin' where she was... It was strange not seein' her before the match started."

"Speaking of strange things about Sunset..." Fluttershy began to say, "do you see that look on her face...?"

"Yeah, she looks real serious and stuff..." noted Rainbow Dash. "But why? What's gotten into her?"

"I dunno..." Pinkie spoke up, "but that plot twist I was talking about? There might end up being one after all."

Sunset then stood next to Megan, who asked her, "Um, Sunset...? What's going on? Why'd you interrupt?"

Sighing, the Judge told her, "I...I have an important announcement to make. Can I borrow your mike?"

"Um...sure, I guess...?" the unsure MC replied, handing her the microphone. Everyone was puzzled as to what was going on...especially the Dazzlings, who were all not too happy to see this sudden interruption by Sunset.

At first, Sunset didn't want to say what she had to say to the audience, knowing that they weren't going to like to hear it...but, with another deep, sad sigh, she knew that she had to do tell them. "...Ladies and Gentlemen," she began to say, "I...I'm sorry that I have to tell you all this, considering that you all came here to see some expert dueling here in this tournament..." Another sigh. "...But, due to recent findings that I've come across in the last thirty minutes...I have no choice but to invalidate this match!"

The audience was shocked, surprised, and somewhat angered a little upon hearing this sudden announcement.

"Invalidate??" asked Rarity asked. "Whatever for??"

"Yeah, what's Sunset think she's doing?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I dunno..." said Applejack, "but Ah got a funny feelin' as to what might be goin' on that would make her do somethin' like this..."

Sunset knew the audience wasn't going to be happy to hear this, so she was quick to explain herself as to why she came to such a controversial decision. "I know what you're thinking: Why am I doing this? Why am I cancelling this Duel just before it starts?" she asked them. "Well I'll tell you why: The 'recent findings' that I mentioned earlier - the reason I am making this sudden announcement - have told me that one of the tournament competitors...has been breaking the rules!"

Now there was a sudden collective gasp from the audience, not expecting to hear something like that next. "Someone's cheating in the tournament?" asked Lyra, sitting with her friend Bon Bon. "That's nuts!"

"A cheater?? Who?" asked Thunderlane, who was sitting with some of his buddies elsewhere. "And why?"

For Sunset's other friends, it wasn't hard to figure out the answer as to WHO it was. "Well, I can say for certain that it CAN'T be my little sister that Sunset is referring to...!" said Rarity.

"Yeah...which leaves only one other person:" Rainbow chimed in. "And that's Sonata!"

Sonata backed up a bit, now sweating a little that their plot was uncovered. Adagio and Aria stood up at that moment, ready to do whatever they could to try and keep their facade alive. "...How'd that jerk find out...??" Aria whispered to Adagio. "You said there was no way she'd figure us out quickly enough...!"

"I honestly don't know...!" said Adagio. "I figured that her friend Twilight must have known something, so I sent those fake guards to stop them, and-" Then, realizing something, she growled in a low tone, snarling, "Of course...! That's why I hadn't heard anything from those three... Somehow, they failed to stop her, and that's how Shimmer found out...! Rrgh!"

Turning to Sonata, Sunset then said to the crowds, "Sonata here has been illegally stacking her Deck with cards specifically to counter whatever opponent she was about to face. While she may have won her First Round fairly - since the opponents for each Duel were randomized, in her Quarterfinal Duel, she swapped out cards in her Deck in order to perfectly counter Bright Mind's Alien Deck strategy, using cards from her personal collection and NOT cards included in her Side Deck; and based on how smug and overly confident you three were going into this match, I'm sure you were going to do the same thing to Sweetie Belle, too." She then turned to Adagio and Aria and told them, "And I'm more than positive that YOU two were helping her cheat as well!"

"Oh REALLY?" asked Adagio, trying to play the innocent act as best and as long as she could. "So THIS is what you'll reduce yourself to? Accusing us of something we didn't do and trying to get us kicked out of the tournament on a technicality? You just don't want us win your little tournament because you KNOW you'll never be able to live it down! Your first job as an official Tournament Judge was at a tournament that we just so happened to join up for, and you wanted to make sure that we wouldn't win, just so that you'd never have to deal with that memory for the rest of your life? Honestly...that's quite petty of you, Shimmer..."

Sunset wasn't pleased to hear any of that, but she remained calm, knowing that she had the upper hand. "Don't tell me you really believe all of that, Adagio..." she told her. "Like I would ever risk my position as a Judge by blindly accusing you of something."

"Well, what else would you call it besides BLIND?!" Adagio then snapped back. "There's no way you can prove that's what happened! Isn't it at all possible that Sonata was just that prepared for whatever she might face in your little competition? There's no possible way that you could've known if we did even a fraction of what you've accused us of!!"

Chuckling a little and still remaining calm, Sunset held up a paper in her hand, saying, "Actually, I can prove that ALL of what I've said is true. Did you honestly think that Industrial Illusions - which strictly enforces a zero-tolerance policy on cheating - wouldn't be prepared for something like that? If so, then you three are even more foolish than I thought." Showing them the paper in her hand, the red-and-yellow girl told them, "What I'm holding in my hands right now is a Deck List; more specifically, YOUR Deck List."

"Our Deck list??" asked Aria, not expecting to hear that. "Where did... HOW did you-?"

"Allow me to explain a few things:" Sunset then began to tell them, as well as everyone watching. "Do you recall what happened during the Preliminary Rounds yesterday? In order to determine who would make it into the main tournament, each and every Duelist signing in to participate were set up against A.I. opponents on a series of Duel Terminal cabinets. But those cabinets did more than simply tally up scores and sort the competitors... The moment each Duelist plugged their Duel Pads into the Terminal, the cabinet's scanning technology scanned each and every card in their Decks: Main Deck, Extra Deck, and Side Deck... Everything was recorded and sent directly into Mr. Dunstan's Duelist Database."

"Woah, really??" asked Gilda, surprised to hear that.

"That's quite ingenious, I have to say..." Martin spoke. "That means that they had information about every card in each of the Decks used by everyone that competed here. That would make it impossible for someone to change their Deck during the competition...or rather, it would be impossible for them to get away with it."

"As some of you might recall, my assistant, Twilight Sparkle, had informed you all that you were not permitted to change the cards in your Deck after the Prelims were over." Sunset stated, just as Twilight, Spike and Flash entered the arena at last. "In other words, whatever cards you used for the Prelims were what you were restricted to." Turning back over to the Dazzlings, she told them, "But I guess you three just didn't care about that rule, did you? Thanks to the Duelist Database, as well as the fact that Bright Mind recorded the entire Duel he had with Sonata, Mr. Dunstan and I had more than enough evidence than we needed to bust you with. So you guys can just drop the whole 'I'm innocent' act." The Dazzlings growled in response, knowing that they couldn't lie their way out of this now.

"Pfft...! I can't believe that those three thought they could cheat and get away with it!" said Wonderbolts leader Spitfire.

"Yeah, the nerve of some people!" her teammate Soarin commented. The recently-added member - Steel Shadows, said nothing, but he shared the same opinion as his new friends did.

"Grrrrn...! To do something so dishonest as to break the rules..." growled Torch. "Those three down there have no sense of honor! They do not deserve to call themselves Duelists!"

Ember nodded, saying, "Yeah, that's pretty low of them to actually attempt something like that and think that it was going to help them win."

Sunset continued to speak to the troublesome trio, telling them, "I didn't trust you three the moment you walked into the community center yesterday. Even so, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and try to do things fair and square. I showed you three more mercy and forgiveness than anyone else here would have given you... I was actually HOPING that the three of you had changed." Sighing, she then said in a low voice, "...But I guess that's just another mistake I made that I can add to my list..."

Twilight heard what Sunset had said and felt a little sad for her. "Sunset..." she simply replied.

"...Mercy...?" said Aria, scowling. Angered more than ever before, she yelled, "Mercy?! You and your dumb friends destroyed our magic and ruined our lives!! And you think you're showing US mercy?! We were just about to succeed and get back at you jerks for what you did to us, and you gotta ruin that for us too?!? You're just kicking us out of here 'cause you're scared of what we'll do to you and your stupid friends!! That's what this all is, isn't it?!?"

Sunset was about to say something back, but then noticed something glowing on Aria's right hand. (Huh? What was that...?) she then thought. Though she couldn't make it out too clearly, she then wondered, (Could it be...? Was that...?) She then recalled something from earlier in the day: Her former cohorts, Snips and Snails had told her that the Dazzlings were up to something, which Applejack's brother Big McIntosh later confirmed. She also recalled that Derpy had told her that she entered the tournament on behalf of The Doctor in order to find people using Number Cards. Not long after that, Twilight had told Sunset that, while going to see Mr. Dunstan, they encountered trouble in form of thugs pretending to be security guards, which showed that the Dazzlings were trying to keep certain information regarding them hidden. Finally, she recalled a conversation she had just had Mr. Dunstan during the earlier intermission...

"...It's still just hard to believe that this happened..." said Mr. Dunstan. "Even after everything we've tried to do to prevent or at least deter cheating, this still happened..."

"I know, it seems unbelievable..." Sunset told him, looking over the papers that Twilight had shown to her just minutes ago. "Unfortunately, that's just how it is: You can do everything in your power to stop people like this, but they'll always find a way to cause trouble anyway, even if it means going out of their way to do it." She sighed a bit, knowing that fact quite well from her past experiences.

Sighing as well, Mr. Dunstan then said to her, "Well, I suppose that's why we put these measures in place, just in case something like this were to come up. We should at least be happy we caught this before the tournament was over; it's quite a headache to discover it later and go through all of that red tape to overturn results, and even after it's all said and done, no one really feels good about it all anyway..."

"So now what do we do?" Sunset asked him.

"I believe that matter should be left for you to decide, Ms. Shimmer." he replied. "I'm only here as a representative of Industrial Illusions; you're the official Judge. What happens with Ms. Dusk now should be left in your hands... So what would YOU do concerning the situation?"

"Well...the obvious answer is to disqualify her from the tournament." she answered him. "After all, with her breaking the rules - not to mention the bad attitude that she and rest of her group have shown to the other competitors so far, we have quite a lot of grounds to do just that." Looking at the paper that showed Sonata's Deck List, she added, "There's just one thing that concerns me even more, though..."

"...Oh? What would that be?"

"The three cards in Sonata's Extra Deck that are listed as 'n/a'..." Sunset told him. "What's the deal with that? Why wasn't the Duel Terminal able to show what those cards were? Was there a glitch in the cabinets? Or in the database?"

"Not a chance." Mr. Dunstan answered. "The Duel Terminals and our Digital Card Database were programmed and developed in hand with our partners in Kaiba Corporation: A company that prides itself on making sure that the quality of their technology and products are always first-rate. Even the smallest bugs or glitches would have been picked up and corrected before any sort of problem could arise. Believe me, they take this sort of thing quite seriously."

"Okay, so a bug in the system is essentially ruled out..." thought Sunset. "Maybe the cards are counterfeit?"

"Also impossible." he informed her. "As you may already be aware, the Duel Pads developed by Kaiba Corp. are specially designed to not be able to recognize counterfeit cards. Only genuine Duel Monsters cards carry the special microchip located in the bottom-right corner; a microchip that should be completely impossible to perfectly replicate, even by the most skilled counterfeiters. The systems may not have been able to tell us what the cards were, but it DID identify that they were real cards. But I digress; the fact that our constantly-updating Card Database couldn't tell what the cards were baffles and concerns me as well..."

(Hmmm...so the system isn't glitched, and the cards aren't bootleg, yet the database couldn't figure out what they were...?) Sunset thought to herself. At that moment, she got a slight tingling feeling coming from the deck box attached to her hip. It was only for a second, but it was a feeling that she knew all too well. (...Could it be...?) Clearing her throat, she then told the man, "Mr. Dunstan...I think I might have a clue about this whole thing, and if I'm right about it, it might explain why the Dazzlings came here and why they tried to cheat... And it's also helped me figure out exactly what to do with them."

"It has?" asked Mr. Dunstan.

Nodding, she then said, "But first, before I act on it, there's something else I need to tell you..." She then took her Deck out of the box attached to her hip area...

(After that, I told him all about the Number Cards, and even showed him the ones that I had...) Sunset continued to ponder. (I was actually surprised that he believed me about the whole thing. He mentioned something about it not being the first time that something like this came up related to Duel Monsters, whatever that means...) Turning to the Dazzlings, who were all still fuming about their plot being discovered, she then thought, (That glow I saw on Aria's hand pretty much confirmed my suspicions... But just to know for sure, I'll need to get some more info out of them, and I think I know just how to do that...)

Smiling slyly a bit, she then asked the three of them, "So, you think I'm scared of you guys winning the tournament and making me look bad, do you? Sorry, but that's far from true. You caused trouble for everyone just because you have some kind of beef with me and my friends; that's the reason you three ought to be thrown out of here. But of course, you go ahead and blame something or someone else for your problems instead." Folding her arms and looking confident, Sunset then asked them, "If you have some personal issue with me, then why don't you three just come right out and face me head-on instead of going through all of this nonsense?"

"Huh?" asked Aria. "What're you goin' on about now?"

"I'll tell you:" Sunset replied. Turning over to one of the other Dazzlings, she told her, "Adagio, I have a little proposition for you and your group."

"...What kind of 'proposition', Shimmer...?" asked Adagio, wary of her foe's intent.

"This tournament was set up so that we could find out which Duelist could come out on top playing fair and square." Sunset reminded the trio. "Even though the three of you clearly didn't think the rules applied to you, I'm willing to give you three just one more chance to stay in this tournament and play legitimately...under ONE condition."

"And what's that?" asked Adagio.

"The condition..." the jacket-wearing teen began to tell her, "...is that you have to beat ME in a fair Duel first!" This statement surprised the crowd, this time out of interest and curiosity.

"Wait, did I hear her right?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Did Sunset say that she's gonna Duel them right now?"

"That's...what I heard her say, I think." Rarity replied. "But why would she do that...?"

"Hmmmm...just a li'l hunch," Applejack commented, "but Ah've got this funny feelin' that she's got a real good reason for it..."

"...Duel YOU?!" asked Sonata, shocked by this sudden challenge.

"Yeah, that's right." Sunset confirmed. "You beat me, and you can stay in the tournament, but you have to use your Deck the way it is right now; no more modifications at all." Pointing to herself with her thumb, she then added, "If I win, on the other hand, you three are out; no questions asked. What do you say?"

"What do we say??" Aria began to ask, seemingly eager to get even with Sunset. "Of course we-"

But Adagio stopped her, whispering to her, "Aria, NO. You remembered what our client told us: We're NOT supposed to fight her now..."

"C'mon...!" Aria argued. "The reason we agreed to that bug-eyed weirdo's request in the first place was so that we could get back at Sunset and her dopey friends...!"

"We agreed to it for the money, Aria..." Adagio reminded her. "Something that we don't have a lot of right now, if you recall... If we mess this up, we don't get paid."

"But...if we get kicked out of the tournament, then we'll still not get the reward..." Sonata told her. "And I can't keep eating those dollar-store tacos forever, you know..."

Despite keeping their voices low as best they could, Sunset was able to make out most of what they were saying. (So they're here on someone else's behalf, huh...?) she thought. (I knew it was too much of a coincidence that they'd show up for the tournament I was a Judge for, especially considering that the only people that knew I was the Judge was everyone at my school; which they do go to anymore.) Seeing that the trio couldn't agree on what to do - and having a hunch as to who it was that hired them, Sunset decided to speak up, saying, "I can tell that this isn't an easy decision for you three to make... So how about I sweeten the deal?"

The Dazzlings stopped arguing with each other upon hearing that. "Sweeten the deal...?" asked Sonata.

Opening her deck box, Sunset thought to herself, (Now...let's see if my OTHER hunch about them is correct...) She then took out two cards from her Extra Deck and showed them to Adagio, Aria, and Sonata. The two cards were Chronomaly Machu Mech and Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk; two of her Number Cards. "Ever come across cards like these before?" she casually asked them.

"Hey! I've seen cards like those! We have ones just like that!" Sonata thoughtlessly blurted out.

Quickly (and futilely) covering Sonata's mouth with her hand, Aria yelled at her, saying, "You idiot! You weren't supposed to tell her THAT!!"

A bit dumbfounded, Sunset said to herself, "...Well, that was easy... But at least now I can confirm my other suspicions of them." She then asked the trio, "So, those Number Cards of yours; you find them yourselves or did this 'client' of yours give them to you?"

"What's it to you, Shimmer?" Adagio asked rudely.

"It might mean everything to all of us right now." the red-and-yellow girl told her. "Because now this means that we can raise the stakes of this Duel a little more to make it worth your while. So here's the deal: You beat me, and not only do you remain in the tournament, but you also get all my Number Cards, as per the rules of Duels between Number users. Of course, that means that I get all of your Numbers if I'm the one who wins. Just think about it: You might end up impressing this client of yours even more when you go back and tell them that you got all of my Number Cards..."

At first, Adagio wasn't eager to accept Sunset's challenge to Duel, knowing that it was a violation of their deal with their mysterious client. But now with the prospect of obtaining Sunset's Number Cards, not to mention finally settling their score with her, she was beginning to reconsider her decision...

"...Tell you what: I'll give you all five minutes to talk it over." Sunset allowed them. "After that though, I need an answer. Agreed?" The Dazzlings nodded to say that they did and the trio huddled together to think over the matter.

Sunset walked over to where Sweetie, Twilight, Spike, Flash, and Megan were standing, saying to them, "Sorry about all this guys... I know things escalated pretty quickly there..."

"That's certainly one way to put it." said Flash.

"So...what's going to happen now?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Am I going to Duel or what?"

"Don't worry, Sweetie." Sunset told her. "I promise you'll get your chance to Duel soon. But first, I need to settle this matter with the Dazzlings first, especially now that I know that they have Number Cards. My job here may be to make sure the tournament runs smoothly - something that I'm still trying to make sure of, but before all of that, I have to deal with anyone that has those Number Cards." Strapping on her D-Pad, she then told them, "The last thing we need is them using those cards in the tournament or anywhere else for that matter; that's why I don't want to kick them out of here just yet..."

"I understand." said Twilight. "At the very least, they'll be forced to use their Numbers against someone that knows how best to fight them, thereby limiting the damage they could do with them."

"But if those three beat you, then that'll just give 'em more Numbers to cause trouble with!" Spike reminded Sunset.

"I know the risk, Spike." the jacket-wearing Duelist told him. "But there's no other choice; I have to face them. Don't worry, I have no intention of letting them take my Numbers from me."

"Then give it your best, Sunset!" Flash cheered. "We're all behind you on this!"

"Same here, Sunset." said Twilight. Spike nodded to say that he would be supporting her, too.

"Yeah, you show those meanies that cheaters don't belong in this tournament!" Sweetie said enthusiastically.

Chuckling a bit, Sunset replied, saying, "I'll try my best to do so."

Elsewhere, the Dazzlings were talking over the matter at hand with each other, trying to figure out what to do. "So...what do you think we should do, girls?" asked Adagio.

"Well, the answer's obvious!" Aria spoke up. "We have to crush her! This might be our only chance to get our revenge!"

"I'm not sure if we should or not..." Sonata said sheepishly. "She told us not to fight Sunset, but we can't do our job if we get kicked out... But if we fight her and we lose those cards that she gave us, we'll never get paid!"

"Yeah, maybe..." Aria somewhat agreed, "however, if we manage to defeat Shimmer, we not only get our revenge, we'll get her Number Cards too! I'm sure that the client won't care that we broke the rules a little after we tell her that we got all of Sunset's Numbers! We might even get a bonus!"

"...Why stop there, Aria?" said Adagio with a sinister chuckle, getting an idea in her mind. "Maybe we could get even more than just that."

"What do you mean, Dagi...?" asked Sonata.

"Think about it: Why would our client not want us to go after Shimmer, unless SHE wants her all to herself?" the Dazzlings' leader asked them. "I could tell that she was quite fixated on Shimmer for some reason. But you are right about one thing Aria: WE should be the ones to take Shimmer and her friends down! And when we get all of her Numbers, we can use them to confront our client and take everything from her as well!"

"Woah, you're sayin' that we oughtta double-cross our client just like that?" asked Aria. She was shocked, but quite interested. "I gotta say, that's pretty hardcore of you, Adagio; I'm impressed."

"I have to admit, I kinda like the idea, too..." said Sonata, who changed her tune pretty quickly. "Instead of getting some of her money, we could take everything from her instead!"

"So...we're all in agreement, then?" asked Adagio, already knowing what her groupmates' answers probably were.

"I'm in." Aria told her.

"Me too." said Sonata, agreeing as well. The three nodded, coming to their unanimous decision.

"Alright, time's up!" Sunset told the trio. "Now what's your answer?"

Turning towards Sunset with a cruel smile on her face, Adagio told her, "Alright. We'll accept your terms. We beat you, and we get to stay in the tournament, not to mention that we'll also take your precious Number Cards as well. You beat us, you get our Numbers and we'll leave without any trouble. Deal?"

"...Deal." the red-and-yellow girl said with a nod. The two even reluctantly shook hands to seal the deal. Turning back towards Megan and returning her microphone back to her, Sunset instructed, "Announce to everyone that the next Duel will be between Sonata and myself."

Nodding, Megan took her microphone and made the announcement. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen! It seems that there will be a slight change in our schedule! Instead of the next Semifinal Duel, Sonata Dusk will instead duel against our Tournament Judge, Sunset Shimmer, to determine whether or not Sonata will remain in the competition!"

"Yeah! Go get 'em Sunset!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Teach those three that cheaters don't belong here!" The rest of Sunset's friends in the audience sent their good wishes to her as well.

"Go for it, Sunset!" cheered Apple Bloom. "Give 'er one for me!" The other Duel Monsters Crusaders cheered as well, along with the rest of the crowd.

"Give it your all, Sunset." Twilight told her. "I know you can do this!" Sunset nodded back to her, giving a thumbs-up back in response.

"...Alright, Sonata," Adagio told her bandmate, "get in there."

"Yeah, and you better not mess this up for us." Aria added. Sonata just stuck her tongue out at her, not appreciating the snarky comment.

Once both Duelists entered the field, Megan then shouted, "Alright, it's time to start our Tournament Special Match! So let's get right to it!! BEGIN!!"

"Let's DUEL!!" shouted both Sunset and Sonata (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000) (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000).

The audience was ready for anything that could possibly happen during this Duel between Sunset and Sonata, which no one expected to see in the first place. The only thing that all those people knew was that they wanted Sunset to win and ensure that the Dazzlings would be punished for trying to cheat their way through the tournament.

Twilight, Spike, and Flash sat back down on the side bench, and they were soon joined by Sweetie Belle, who still wasn't sure what was going to happen. "So...now what?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Am I still going to have a Duel after all of this? I know Sunset said I would, but..."

"Of course you will get to Duel, Sweetie." Twilight told her. "All this match will determine is whether or not you'll face Sonata afterwards. It all comes down to how well Sunset can do against her."

"I hope Sunset wins this..." Sweetie said to her. "Not because I'm scared to fight Sonata, of course, but..."

"We know." Flash said to the young girl. "You're just worried for Sunset. Believe me, we're hoping she can pull through this."

"Yeah, especially since now we know that those Dazzling girls have Number Cards..." Spike pointed out. "Y'think they were sent by those weirdos from that Skyes Academy place?"

"Who knows, Spike...?" Twilight replied, unsure herself. "It seems pretty likely, since they kept talking about some sort of 'client', but who knows what the whole deal is. All we know is that they definitely came here for revenge on us for what happened the last time I was here, and you know as well as I do that they're probably willing to do anything to get what they're after." The four of them stayed silent afterwards to see just how the Duel would play out, hoping that Sunset would come out on top.

On the bench at the other side of the arena, Adagio and Aria were confident that they would get what they were after. "This'll be so satisfying...!" Aria told her. "If this plan of yours works, Adagio, we'll get back at those Rainboom losers and have everything we need to take everything from that bug-eyed chick with all the makeup!" Humming a bit, she then asked, "Come to think of it...why'd she need all of that makeup anyway? I know we've got a lot of that stuff, but she had like, a whole store's worth of it in that room of hers. What's the deal with that? What's that weird chick tryin' to hide with all of that stuff?"

"It won't matter anyway, Aria." Adagio told her. "Once we get Shimmer's Number cards, we'll go back and use those cards to take everything she's got and then some! We'll be more powerful than ever before!"

"Assuming Sonata doesn't screw it all up..." Aria told her, still not confident in her blue-skinned bandmate's abilities.

Looking at her Duel Pad and her opening hand, Sonata glanced back at the rest of her group and thought, (Finally...we're gonna get our revenge on Sunset for ruining everything last year! And not only am I gonna show Sunset that we're not to be messed with, but maybe I'll finally show Aria that I'm not some dunderhead like she always thinks I am!)

Drawing her first hand, Sunset said to her opponent, "Alright, I'll go first!" Looking over what she had, she thought, (I've got to try and win this... I can't allow those three to use their Number Cards to cause any more trouble in this tournament than they already have... I just hope that I can make things right.) Taking a card from her hand, she declared, "I summon Chonomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" Upon playing her card, her disk-shaped monster then appeared on the field, ready to help (Chonomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).

"After Nebra Disk is Normal Summoned," Sunset told her opponent, "I can take any other Chronomaly card out of my Deck and add it to my hand. So I'll use it to retrieve Chronomaly Crystal Skull." After adding the card to her hand, she then said, "But it won't stay in my hand for long! I'll discard Crystal Skull and activate its effect! Now I can search my Deck again and add a Chronomaly monster to my hand, and I'll choose Chronomaly Moai!" She then did just that.

"That move helped thin her Deck a little," said Flash Sentry. "Plus, it got a Chronomaly monster in the Graveyard to possibly use for a card effect later on."

Taking the card she had just searched from her Deck, Sunset then declared, "Now, since I control a Chronomaly monster, I'll Special Summon Chronomaly Moai in Defense Mode!" Her Easter Island head-like monster then rose up from out of the ground to further guard its controller (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600). "Lastly," she then said, "I'll place a card face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" shouted Sonata. She then looked at the card she drew and grumbled a bit to herself upon seeing what it was. She then placed it - along with a second card - in her D-Pad's Spell & Trap slot, saying, "First thing I'm doing is setting these cards face-down!" Sunset glanced at the two Set cards, particularly the first one - the card she drew for her turn. Sunset seemed a bit suspicious about it...

"Next thing I'm gonna do is summon Abyss Soldier in Attack Mode!" she said, playing a strange whale-human hybrid creature carrying a trident in its hands (Abyss Soldier: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1300). "And then I'll use Abyss Soldier's effect! By discarding a WATER monster into my Graveyard, I can send any of YOUR monsters back to your hand!" She then pointed to Nebra Disk and shouted, "Which is what I'll do with that weird-looking Frisbee of yours!" Sonata's monster then unleashed a wave that sent Nebra Disk off the field, returning it to Sunset's hand.

(Since Nebra Disk had the same attack points as her monster,) thought Sunset, (she had no choice but to send it back to my hand. Otherwise she would have gone after Moai instead...) She also knew that, based on what she had seen with Sonata's Deck strategies so far, her maneuver wasn't quite done yet and she had an idea of what was coming next.

"Next, since the card I discarded was my Atlantean Dragoons," the blue-colored Dazzling told her foe, "I'll use his effect and grab Atlantean Marksman from my Deck!" After taking her card from the Deck, she then said, "Now get ready, Sunset; I've been waiting for the chance to do this for a long, LOOOONG time!" Pointing forward, she shouted, "Get her, Abyss Soldier! Attack her Moai with your Lunging Trident!" Her monster then speared Sunset's Defense Mode monster, crushing it into rubble.

"Oooof... That's a rough start..." said Apple Bloom.

"At least Sunset didn't take any damage from that attack." Scootaloo pointed out.

"Yeah, an' not only that," Babs Seed told them, "but since Sunset's got her Nebra Disk in her hand again, she can use it t' search out anothuh Chronomaly card from the Deck, so she's actually in pretty good shape right now."

Smirking a little and feeling a little smug, Sonata then said, "Alright, I think that'll do for now. But I'll be more than happy to embarrass you some more next turn."

"Actually, I wouldn't be too sure about that, Sonata." Sunset told her.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the blue-skinned teen.

Tapping her D-Pad's screen, Sunset then said, "I'll activate my Quick-Play Spell, Cosmic Cyclone!" After her card was revealed, she then explained, "At the cost of a thousand Life Points, I can banish any Spell or Trap on the field!" Looking at Sonata's face-down cards, she glanced back at the one that she knew was the card Sonata drew this turn. Pointing to that card, she declared, "I'll banish that card!" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000)

"Aw no!" responded Sonata, her smug act dropped immediately as her card flipped face-up before vanishing a second or two afterwards.

"Hmmm...Macro Cosmos, huh?" asked Sunset, after seeing the card she eliminated from the Duel. "That's a rather odd choice for YOUR Deck, considering how reliant your Deck is on sending cards to your Graveyard; even as a Side Deck option it would probably hurt you more than it would hurt me... Or should say, 'than it would hurt Sweetie Belle'?"

"Urk...!" grunted Sonata, realizing what her opponent was going on about.

"What's she talking about?" asked Sweetie Belle, curious since her name was mentioned.

"That card Sunset banished; it wasn't listed in Sonata's Deck list either." Flash told her. "Which means she was indeed trying to cheat you had she been able to Duel you, just like she did in her Duel with Bright. That one card could have stopped a lot of your Deck's best moves, such as using Crystal Abundance or summoning Rainbow Dragon. Not only that, your Deck also doesn't have a lot of cards to destroy cards like Macro Cosmos, either."

"Maybe so, but now that trick of theirs is backfiring." said Twilight. "Because now they're dueling Sunset instead, so they didn't have time to change their Deck to fight her. Not only that, but the cards they snuck in to counter Sweetie Belle will probably end up being useless against Sunset. I wonder if Sunset took that into account when she challenged them."

"Urrgh..." grumbled Adagio. "I was afraid of this... Sonata's Deck was altered to fight a Crystal Beast Deck, but she isn't fighting that Deck right now...! Not that it matters; we still have more than enough power to crush her regardless of this handicap. We just have to hope that none of the cards we swapped in come up before we can establish control of the game."

"And hope that Sonata doesn't slip up and do something stupid when we can't afford it." Aria noted, always eager to remind everyone just how she thought regarding Sonata.

Drawing her next card, Sunset thought to herself, (I knew that card I banished was one that they illegally swapped into her Deck, judging from the annoyed look on her face when she drew it; I guess it's a good thing that Sonata doesn't have a good poker face.) Looking at her hand, she then pondered, (Still though, I'm lucky I was able to get rid of that Trap; it actually would have been bad for my Deck too, though mine is better prepared to deal with it.)

"Hey! You just gonna stand there and stare at your hand all day?!" asked Sonata. "You're the Judge; you should know there's a rule against slow playing!"

"Like you're one to talk about breaking rules!" shouted Spike, a little miffed by that comment.

Even so, Sunset knew that she had to wrap this Duel up fast, so she wasted no time in making her next move, "Well, since you insist," she told Sonata, "and since you were so generous to give my Nebra Disk back to me, I'll go and re-summon it in Attack Mode!" After her monster returned to the field, Sunset then told her, "And you know what that means: I get to search my Deck for another Chronomaly card!"

"Aw no! I forgot about that!" said Sonata, realizing that she may have made a slight mistake in letting her get that card back into her hand. "Urrgh...fine! Just get your card and get on with the rest of your turn already!"

"Fine." Sunset responded calmly. "I'll get Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem out of my Deck with Nebra Disk's effect." After taking her chosen card, she then played another card from her hand, saying, "Now I'll activate Chronomaly Technology! Here's how it works: After I banish the Chronomaly Crystal Skull in my Graveyard, I can peek at the top two cards of my Deck. I take one to put in my hand and put the other one in the Graveyard." After paying the cost of the card, Sunset picked the top two cards of her Deck and looked at what they were. It didn't take long to make a decision: She took the second card she picked up from the Deck and sent the first one to her Graveyard.

"Well...? What did you get with that card?" asked Sonata, anxious to know.

"You'll see." Sunset assured her. "But first, I'll use the effect of my Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem, and Special Summon him in Attack Mode, since I used a Chronomaly Spell during this turn." After playing her card, a red humanoid creature made of rock rose up from beneath the ground and assumed a fighting stance (Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1000). Then, taking the card she picked up from her Spell Card earlier, Sunset then told Sonata, "If you knew what card I got with Chronomaly Technology, I don't think you'd be as eager to see it..."

"Uhhhh..." Sonata wasn't sure what to expect, but was starting to get worried.

Playing the card from her hand, Sunset declared, "I activate...Raigeki!! Which means your Abyss Soldier is going down!" Everyone then watched as a single bolt of lightning struck Sonata's only monster on the field and vaporized it into nothing.

"WHAT?!?" the blue girl screamed. "That card is so broken!! That's not fair!"

"You mean MORE unfair than illegally changing your Deck to defeat specific opponents?" asked Sunset. Sonata grunted a little, realizing that she wasn't one to talk about things that were not fair.

"Now Sonata is wide open to an attack by both of Sunset's monsters..." said Rarity.

"And the damage they'll cause'll take out over three-quarters of her Life Points!" Applejack added. "Sunset'll get a huge advantage and maybe even win 'cause of it!"

"...I don't like to disagree with any of you," began Fluttershy, "but I don't think it will be that easy... Sonata still has a face-down card on the field, so she might be able to protect herself..." The rest of them looked on, hoping that whatever Sonata had prepared wouldn't be something Sunset couldn't handle.

Sunset felt the same way, looking at her opponent's set card. (Even with that face-down card out,) she thought, (I should still try to attack anyway and at least see what she's cooking...) Pointing forward, the red-and-yellow girl shouted, "Go, Nebra Disk! Attack Sonata directly!" The disk-shaped monster then began spinning like a saw blade and flew straight towards Sonata.

"You're getting me that easily!!" the blue Dazzlings shouted, tapping her D-Pad. "I activate Bubble Bringer!" After flipping the card, a massive cloud of bubbles began spraying out of the card towards Nebra Disk. Suddenly, it stopped in place, as the bubble cloud prevented it from seeing where it was going (though how it was able to see in the first place was a mystery). "Thanks to this card," Sonata told her foe, "None of our monsters that are Level 4 or higher can attack directly! So you won't get to my Life Points THIS turn! So THERE!"

Dismayed, but not defeated yet, Sunset spoke, "I had a feeling you had something like that ready. So now I can try and play around it somehow."

"I'd like to see you try!" Sonata taunted, trying to sound confident despite the fact that she was still pretty wide open to an attack.

Looking at a card in her hand and thinking for a while, Sunset said to herself, (Okay...I still have an advantage in the number of cards I have out, so my best plan is to wait and see what she does next turn... And I think this card could help me counter whatever she does as best as possible, but we'll just have to see...) Placing the card in her back row, she declared, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

(Hmmm...) thought Twilight. (She didn't Xyz Summon this turn, despite that she has two Level 4 monsters on the field... I wonder why?)

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Sonata said, taking her next card. Looking at it, she smirked and thought, (That's the perfect card! Now I can show Sunset - AND my sisters - that I'm not the airhead they think I am!) Taking a different card from her hand, she then played it, shouting, "I Summon Atlantean Marksman in Attack Mode!" In an instant, her crossbow/trident-wielding monster appeared on the field (Atlantean Marksman: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / DEF 0). "And since I just played a Sea Serpent monster to the field, I can use the effect of the Shark Stickers I drew and bring it out too!" Sonata told Sunset as she played the card, bring out a small, blue fish-like creature with what appeared to be a disk-shaped object on its head that seemed to be adhesive in function (Shark Stickers: Level 3 / ATK 200 / DEF 1000).

(Two Level 3 monsters, huh...?) thought Sunset, already figuring out where this was going.

"Looks like Sonata's about to bring out an Xyz Monster..." noted Flash.

"Yeah, but which one?" asked Sweetie Belle.

Twilight had a feeling that she knew what was coming next...as did Utopia, who decided to make himself known to her right now. (Twilight...) he said. (I am certain that you can feel it as well... You know what's about to happen...)

Nodding, she told him, (I do... Which means Sunset was right about what she thought about them...besides the fact that they tried to cheat in the tournament.)

As her two monsters on the field began to glow a bright blue, Sonata - whose eyes changed their color from their normal raspberry-like color to a fiery, sinister red. "You'd better be ready for this, Sunset!" she said with a wicked-sounding snarl, as if she was turning into a wild animal mid-Duel. "I'm gonna crush you and show everyone here just how powerful I am, including my sisters!!" Thrusting her hand into the air, she shouted, "I overlay Atlantean Marksman and Shark Stickers - both Level 3!! I build the Overlay Network!!"

The winds began to pick up a bit more as a galaxy-like portal appeared in the center of the field, drawing in both of Sonata's monsters. Sunset did her best to hold her ground, steeling herself for whatever Sonata was bringing out. Megan, along with many of the other spectators, were just trying to figure out what was going on.

"What is this...?" asked Torch, looking up as the sky above began to darken a little.

"I don't know," Ember replied, "but I'm starting to get the feeling that this isn't a normal Duel anymore..."

"Urk...!" grunted Martin, as he started holding his head as if he had a migraine.

"Martin? You okay, buddy?" asked Gilda out of concern.

"I...I'm fine, but... but I just had a sudden feeling come over me..." he said to her. "A familiar - and horrible - feeling..."

Feeling more powerful with each second passing, Sonata was prepared to play her trump card. "Surface! Number 47!" she chanted. "Emerge from the depths of the cold ocean waters and drag your prey down where light can't reach! Xyz Summon! Devour them! Rank 3! Nightmare Shark!!"

Once the chant was finished, the portal exploded in a massive ball of light, revealing a red mark on the ground that looked like the number 47. Then, from out of where the mark was, a massive amount of seawater billowed out, creating a small ocean. Out of that ocean came a bright blue egg-like object, which began to glow brightly as it formed into another shape: A blue-and-white creature that seemed to be part shark and part dragon in appearance, based on the wing-like protrusions coming out of its back. On its "hands" were large, sharp sword-like claws, and it's long tail was covered in a few barbs as well. Its dorsal fin bore the 47 mark, as did Sonata's left forearm.

*******************************

Number 47: Nightmare Shark
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Sea Serpent/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 2000/DEF 2000)

2 Level 3 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When this card is Special Summoned: You can attach 1 Level 3 WATER monster from your hand or your side of the field to this card as material. Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 WATER monster you control; this turn, that monster can attack your opponent directly, also other monsters cannot attack.

*******************************

"Oh dear...!" said a surprised Rarity. "Sonata summoned a Number! That must be why Sunset is dueling them! She must have found out that they had Number cards!"

"This may be statin' the obvious, but that ain't a good thing..." Applejack told her friends. "Those cards're dangerous in the hands of perfectly innocent people, but with her havin' one..."

"And you probably wanna bet the other two Dazzlings have Number cards too?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm not taking that bet, Dashie." Pinkie told her. "You'll probably win that bet. Besides, I'm too young to gamble anyway."

"So it's true..." said Flash. "Those girls DO have a Number card, maybe even more."

"Oh wow...I'm glad I'm not dueling them after all." said Sweetie Belle, feeling a bit frightened by the sudden appearance of this new Number Card. Twilight had said nothing in response, as she and Spike looked on, hoping that Sunset would be able to defeat this Number Card too.

"Hmmm...you didn't waste any time, did you?" asked Sunset. "I had a feeling that you'd bring your Number Card out sooner or later. But don't think that you're going to win this Duel just because you got it onto the field."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Sonata responded, not listening to a word she said. "Listen, Sunset: My sisters and I have got a lot riding on this, and you're not gonna ruin it this time! Not only are we gonna get our revenge on you, but I'LL be the one that does it! Then finally, I'll get all the respect that I deserve!! I'm not some blockhead you can make fun of! And I'm gonna prove that right now!!"

(Yeesh...well she wasn't lying about having a lot riding on this game...) thought Sunset, starting to understand what was driving Sonata right now. (She thinks that everyone else thinks that she's unintelligent, and that's given her such an inferiority complex. I'll bet she's trying to not just prove that she's smarter than she seems to other people; I'll bet she's mostly trying to prove that to her sisters as well...) Sunset sighed a bit and said to herself, "In some ways...she was just like I used to be; trying to prove to someone else that she deserves more than what she's been given and actually needs..." She then put on a determined look and added, "Well, whatever she's trying to do, I have a lot riding on this Duel too... And I refuse to lose!"

"What are you mumbling about??" asked Sonata, confused. "Ah, whatever. Doesn't matter. I'll be ending this game real fast anyway. And I'll start by activating Nightmare Shark's effect! By removing an overlay unit, I can have him attack you directly this turn!" She then took a card from under her Xyz Monster (Number 47: Nightmare Shark: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), causing one of its two blue. floating orbs to be absorbed into its dorsal fin, giving it a power boost.

"That all you've got?" asked Sunset.

"Hardly!" the blue Dazzling responded. "Because Atlantean Marksman was the card I detached from Nightmare Shark, I can use his effect too! That lets me pop any face-down card you've got on the field! And since that card in your back row is only one you've got..."

"Actually, let me just stop you right there." Sunset interrupted. "Since you're about to destroy my set card, I'll chain it first! I activate my Wonder Xyz!"

"What the-?!" exclaimed Sonata.

"I decided the best thing to do at the end of my turn was set up my board so that I could react to whatever you tried to do." Sunset explained to her. "So, since you decided to show me your Number Card, allow ME to show you one of mine!" Putting her right hand into the air, she then shouted, "Using the effect of Wonder Xyz, I overlay my Level 4 Nebra Disk and Aztec Mask Golem to build the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters on the field then transformed into a pair of lights - one orange, and one yellow - before they went into another galaxy-like vortex.

"No! There's just no way!!" protested Sonata, despite being unable to stop Sunset from making her move.

"Descend now, Number 36!" Sunset chanted. "Great palace of unknown origin, show yourself and display your mystical might! Xyz Summon!! Temple of Artifacts! Rank 4! Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk!!" And with that, the first of her Chonomaly Numbers appeared on the field, the bright blue sphere hovering over the field in all its majesty (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: Rank 4 / ATK 2000 / DEF 2500 / OLU 2).

"Now they both have a Number on the field!" said Rainbow Dash. "But Sunset's is gonna be the one that wins, no question about it!"

Ember and Torch were quite amazed at the cards that both Sonata and Sunset had played. "Dad...what are those monsters they have on the field...?" Ember asked her father. "I've never seen anything like them before..."

"I...I don't know, Ember..." Torch replied, unsure of what was going on. "I've seen all sorts of cards and monsters during my dueling career, but I've never seen anything like this...! All I can say for certain is...is that these monsters might be in a whole other league, beyond the power of most other cards out there..."

(Hmmm...beyond most other cards, huh...?) thought Ember. (That sounds like the perfect kind of challenge for me!) The sight of those Numbers didn't scare her, but made her excited at the thought of possibly fighting them in a real Duel, especially since she was driven by her desire to have a rematch against Sunset once she won the tournament...

Back at the Duel, Sunset then said to Sonata, "So now that my Trap Card has resolved its effect, your Marksman's effect can no longer destroy it. Too bad for you, but very good for me."

"Yeah, well so what?! Your monster's not stronger than mine is," Sonata informed her foe, "and besides that, he's attacking you directly anyway! Once Nightmare Shark takes a bite of your Life Points, the rest'll be easy! No one'll ever make fun of me ever again!!" Pointing forward, she shouted, "Get her, Nightmare Shark!! Attack her directly!!" Her monster rushed towrds Sunset, ready to devour her and her Life Points.

"If that attack hits," said Flash worryingly, "Sunset'll be down to just a thousand Life Points!"

"Sunset!! Watch out!!" shouted Sweetie Belle.

But the jacket-wearing teen was ready for it. "I activate the effect of Chateau Huyuk!" she declared. "By removing an overlay unit, I can drop the attack power of one of your monsters straight to zero for the rest of the turn!!"

"You can WHAT?!" asked a startled Sonata.

Thanks to the power of the orb that it absorbed into itself (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), Sunset's Number Card heavily weakened Sonata's monster (Number 47: Nightmare Shark: ATK 2000 > 0), who slowed down its charge until it was stopped completely, falling to the ground in exhaustion. "Now that its attack is zero," Sunset told her opponent, "your monster's direct attack doesn't cause me any damage."

"...Lucky move..." grumbled the blue siren, annoyed that her attack didn't work.

"I hardly call it luck, Sonata." Sunset told her. "I made my move in preparation against whatever you might try to do this turn. That way, I could summon the monster I needed for that moment. My Deck had countermeasures against whatever I might face, but unlike you and your sisters over there, I don't need to cheat those countermeasures in. And I don't rush into a situation without thinking, like you did when you made your attack without thinking about what my Chateau Huyuk was capable of."

"...Just make your make your move already." Sonata grumbled, not in the mood to listen to Sunset's speech (Number 47: Nightmare Shark: ATK 0 > 2000).

Sighing, Sunset took her next card, saying, "I'll draw a card and use Chateau Huyuk's effect again (Number 36: Chronomaly Chateau Huyuk: OLU 1 - 1 = 0)! So Nightmare Shark's attack once more goes down to zero until the end of the turn." Sunset's monster weakened Sonata's monster once more, leaving it vulnerable (Number 47: Nightmare Shark: ATK 2000 > 0). "Unfortunately for you," the red-and-yellow girl continued, "Nightmare Shark won't make it to the end of the turn."

"No...! No I can't lose!" protested the blue Dazzling. "I can't lose like this!!"

"I know you have a lot riding on this Duel, Sonata... But I have a lot at stake here, too. And I don't intend to lose either!" Sunset then said to her Number Card, "Now, Chateau Huyuk! Attack Nightmare Shark!! Neolithic Laser Strike!!" The massive sphere then fired a massive and powerful beam of energy at the ground that began sweeping its way towards Sonata and her monster.

(No...this can't be...!) thought the blue Dazzling. (How...how could I lose to her...?! Now Aria's never gonna let live me that d-!) But her thought was cut short when the beam finally hit her monster, evaporating it to nothing and striking Sonata hard. "EEEEYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" she screamed, taking the heavy hit to her Life Points (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000).

"Alright!" cheered Apple Bloom. "Sonata just lost half her Life Points!"

"Yeah, Sunset's got her on the run now!" Scootaloo added, eager to see their coach win against the Dazzlings.

Sunset took a deep sigh to ease herself up a bit before looking back towards Sonata, who had a stunned expression on her face, both her arms drooping down, and wasn't moving an inch. Before Sunset could ask what was wrong, she - and everyone else watching - watched as the blue Dazzling toppled down to the ground. "Huh? What happened to her??" Sunset asked, showing some concern for her opponent.

"What on Earth...?" asked Rarity. "Did Sonata just faint?"

"Maybe..." thought Applejack. "After takin' an attack like that, Ah wouldn't blame 'er..."

"So...does this mean the Duel's over...?" asked Fluttershy.

Taking out a tablet and tapping it a few times, Pinkie Pie told her shy friend, "Nah, I don't think so. The title of the story says that this is just Part One, so there's GOTTA be more to it than just this."

Twilight was just as confused and worried as everyone else was. Just then, Utopia spoke to her in her mind, saying, (I had a feeling this would happen...)

(What?) asked Twilight. (You knew this would happen? What do you mean?)

(I felt that Sonata was inexperienced in wielding her Number Card, and she drained a lot of her own energy upon summoning it to the field...) Utopia answered her. (So, between the Number's destruction and the mighty blow Sunset had dealt to her, that sudden loss of energy caught up to Sonata and exhausted her, to the point where she couldn't even find the strength to stand up or remain conscious. She is still alive of course, but it may take her a great amount of time to recover...) Twilight was relieved to hear that Sonata wasn't dead, but did feel a little sorry for her, as was her nature.

Adagio and Aria, on the other hand, were not very pleased by what had just happened. "Unbelievable..." Adagio spoke in an irritated voice. "I give Sonata one job - ONE job - and she couldn't do it...! I thought for sure that she got the point this time, but apparently not..."

"What'd I tell you, Adagio?" Aria asked her. "I told you that if I were the one in the tournament, none of this would have happened!" Getting up off the bench, she added, "And it's about time I prove that to you..."

Sunset then noticed Aria walking over to where Sonata was laying and asked, "And what do you think you're doing?"

Looking over towards her, the pink-skinned Dazzling answered, saying, "What does it look like, Sunset?" She then removed Sonata's Duel Pad and strapped it onto herself. "Since my sister here can't continue the Duel anymore, I'm takin' over for her!"

"What?!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "That's not fair! Sunset beat Sonata already! The Duel's over!"

"...NO. She didn't beat us." Aria rebutted. "If you recall, our deal at the beginning of this whole thing was that if she beat us, we'd leave the tournament: If she beat US. And 'us' means all THREE of us! Even though Sonata's down, me and Adagio are still here! So this game's NOT over, get it?!"

"Why you little-!" Dash continued to protest.

"Rainbow...please calm down..." Fluttershy urged her. "It's not worth getting angry over..." The cyan-skinned teen huffed, but did as Fluttershy suggested and calmed down.

Sunset also wasn't too happy about this whole deal, but decided it wasn't worth arguing about either. "If that's the way you see it, then fine: You can take over for Sonata. But since the Duel didn't technically end, we'll start from where she left off, so the current scores and the status of the field remain the same, got it?" (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,000)

"Whatever." huffed Aria. "Like I need a handicap to beat you down into the dirt!" (Aria Blaze: LP 2,000) She then looked Sunset square in the eye and told her, "I'm warnin' you, though: I'm not gonna be as easy t' beat as Sonata was! I won't make the same bone-headed mistakes as she did! I'll take you down and be the one responsible for getting back at you and your loser friends!!"

"Give me all the threats you want, if it makes you feel better..." Sunset told her, unfazed by Aria's rude remarks, "but here in this arena, we let our cards do the talking. So draw your next card and let's finish this!"

"Now you say something I can agree with!" the pink Dazzling shouted. "It's time I personally put an end to your meddling once and for all! I draw!" After she drew her card for the turn, she placed it into her hand, took out a different card, and played it onto her D-Pad. "I summon Atlantean Attack Squad in Attack Mode!" she shouted. Her fish-man monster then appeared on the field, wearing bumpy, purple armor and wielding a sword and shield, the latter of which matched the armor color and also looked fish-like in appearance (Atlantean Attack Squad: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / DEF 0). "This guy's ability gives him 800 more attack points when I have another Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster on my field." Aria then explained.

"Well right now, you DON'T have another monster out." Sunset reminded her. "And even if you did, Numbers can only be destroyed with another Number."

"You honestly don't think I already know all that?" asked the pig-tailed Dazzling. "Unlike Sonata, I don't overlook those kinds of things!" Taking another card from out of her hand, she then added, "Once I play this card, we'll have this match in the bag, along with all your Number Cards! I activate the Spell Card Surface!"

*******************************

Surface
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 1 Level 3 or lower Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster in your GY; Special Summon it in Defense Position.

*******************************

"I'll use this card to bring back Atlantean Marksman from the Graveyard, giving me two monsters!" Aria told her nemesis as her monster in the Graveyard returned to the field in Defense Position. "More importantly, they're both Level 3." she then added.

"...Which means you have the material to make a Rank 3 Xyz Monster." Sunset deduced. (And if my hunch is right,) she then thought to herself, (I'm sure I know what kind of card she's about to bring out with those two monsters...)

"...Twilight?" Spike asked his Princess friend, "Do you think she's going to bring out another Number against Sunset?"

"...I'm certain of it." the purple girl answered. "That's the only reason that she feels so confident right now." Utopia, in his spirit form, nodded in agreement.

Closing her eyes and putting on a sinister smirk, Aria then said to Sunset, "You'd better be ready... "Cause if you aren't..." She then opened her eyes, revealing that not only did they give Aria a more crazy and unhinged look on her face, but they had also changed color from their normal mulberry purple to a bright yellow. She then finished her sentence, saying, "...then I'm about to tear you to shreds!! I overlay my Level 3 Attack Squad and Marksman and build the Overlay Network!!" Her two monsters then flew into the galaxy-like vortex that manifested itself in the center of the field, which exploded to reveal another Number symbol: This time resembling the number 17.

"Aw geez...here we go again...!" said Gabby as she and her Griffonstone High friends braced themselves for the appearance of another Number.

"No way...! Don't tell me SHE'S got one of those Number Cards too!" exclaimed Gilda. "That's nuts!" Martin seemed to know that already; having had Numbers himself once, he could sense that sort of power in others, though not to the same degree as Sunset or Twilight could.

"Surface now! Number 17!" Aria began to chant. "Mighty god of the ocean's depths, emerge from the water and display your might! With your power at my command, there's no stopping me! Xyz Summon!!" After she said that, a large object descended from above the still-darkened skies above: It seemed to be a purple, egg-like object, but was covered in barbs. On the top of it, several spider-leg like apparatuses were sticking out, giving it a rather unsettling appearance. "Chew 'em up! Rank 3! Leviathan Dragon!!" shouted Aria, finishing the chant.

After that, the object then unfurled itself, revealing the body of a massive, serpent-like dragon, and that the spider leg-like appendages were actually three pairs of blue wings. More spines could be seen on the creature's face (one of which bore its Number symbol), its lower body and its tail. The dragon gave out a screeching roar as it made its presence known to all who were watching.

"I was right..." thought Sunset out-loud. "She had a Number Card too...!"

"Heheheheh..." chuckled Aria, sounding more evil the moment her Number card entered the field. "I haven't felt this good in a long time...! Finally, you and your dumb friends'll pay for what you did to us!! My Leviathan Dragon will chew you all up and spit you out! And then, no one will be able to stop us!!"

"Bring it on!" shouted Sunset, not about to show any fear despite the massive beast that stood in her way.

"Oh, I'll 'bring it on', alright, Sunset..." the pink-skinned Dazzling told her in a wicked-sounding voice. "And I'll bring you down while I'm at it! Prepare to say goodbye to everything!" The audience watched on, wondering what would become of Sunset once the Duel was over. All they knew for sure was that this match was about to get even more intense...

-- To Be Continued...