With Eyes of Blue

“I want you to duel me.” Right now? Isn’t there, like, a saying about this? Don’t kick a man while he’s down or something? I pointed at my Duel Disk and asked. “Can I make some adjustments to my deck first?” Twilight replied drily. “Would that make any difference?” I raised both eyebrows in disbelief. “Yes?” She shook her head slightly. “You didn’t need to make adjustments before dueling Spike and Applejack.” Yeah, well, it’s still three loses against two wins; one and a half if you consider the fact Applejack had me by the balls during the majority of the game. Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure it was the deck and not you, Joe?” I frowned. She continued. “Weren’t there any other plays you could’ve made? Any cards you could’ve used to defend yourself?” I blinked. Bell of Destruction. Nah, there was no need to be cruel. My eyes widened in realization.

Twilight glanced at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three girls remained silent, as if they were witnessing a teacher rightfully scolding a classmate. “The plays made by the girls were nothing too complicated. In fact, they were some the most basic combinations available for those cards.” Twilight crossed both arms over her chest. Somehow, she seemed taller. “You underestimated Sweetie Belle, Joe. After that, you kept rushing in like an angry bull.” My mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. Evidently her lecturing skills were as sharp as in the show. “A duelist’s greatest enemy lies in his own mind. Fear, anger, etc.” I lowered my head in shame. I did not like to lose. Who does? But getting trounced without being able to do almost anything was a sore spot for me. Twilight concluded with a single statement. “You will never achieve victory if your thoughts get clouded by those emotions.”

I was about to apologize when Applejack interjected. “Or a girl’s wet shirt.” I turned around sharply and saw her looking away, whistling innocently. Applejack then glanced and, when she saw I was looking at her, grinned widely. Oh my God. She had noticed. Twilight unsuccessfully tried to hold back her laughter. Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders were laughing. Spike looked around puzzled before shrugging and deciding he might as well laugh too. I covered my face with my right hand. Even with the lack of a mirror, I could tell my skin had taken a shade of red that had nothing to envy the apples around us. Just as I was wondering if my pants would fall down too, I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t get upset, sugarcube.” Applejack told me with a comforting smile. “We were just teasin’ you.” She winked and added. “Sides, ah’ don’t mind if you want to look.” Applejack went back to the sidelines as I stared dumbfounded. Wow. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled. My anger and frustration disappeared, and I found myself smiling widely.

Twilight chuckled in amusement and asked. “Are you ready, Joe?” I re-shuffled my deck and answered. “Bring it on!” Spike and The Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered for both of us as we drew our initial hands; our life points appearing briefly above us at 4000 each. I drew my first card and activated Cost Down, discarding a card to lower the level of all my monsters by two. “Next! Sword Stalker of Revenge!” The demonic warrior appeared swinging his sword with a wide grin of anticipation on his face. I set two cards. “Turn end.”

Twilight drew a card between her delicate fingers. She examined her hand carefully. “Rapid-Fire Magician.” I frowned. Twilight had showed me the Black Magician when we first met. It wouldn’t surprise me if she were a magician user. Twilight followed by playing Mallet of Luck, shuffling her whole hand into her deck and drawing a new one. “Spellbook Organization.” She looked at the top three cards of her deck, rearranged them and put them back. “Angel's Charity.” Twilight drew three cards and discarded two, Spell Absorption and Serial Spell. For every spell Twilight played, the Rapid-Fire Magician fired a magical bolt, taking away 400 of my life points. I shielded myself as the magician kept firing; alternating between his scepters like a cowboy handling two revolvers.

The assault continued. Twilight played Pot of Greed, drawing two cards, followed by Spell Reproduction, discarding Spell Economics and Sage's Jewel, to get Pot of Greed back from her graveyard. She played Pot of Greed again to draw two cards, which she immediately set, leaving her with a single card in her hand. I let my arms down in exhaustion as the Rapid-Fire Magician ceased his barrage, twirling his scepters and casually resting them over his shoulders with a smug smile on his face. Unbelievable. She got my life points down to 2000 in just one turn and using the effect of a single monster. I grinned. My heart was pounding. Just like in my first duel here.

Twilight calmly declared the end of her turn. I drew a card and examined my situation. Her monster was no match for mine. Her sets cards, however, were an entirely different matter. Still, I pointed my finger and ordered. “Take him down!” My Sword Stalker charged forward and Twilight activated her set Dimension Magic. I knew it. She offered her Rapid-Fire Magician and from the iron maiden emerged a light-skinned man. He wore a blue robe with red trims and held a sapphire scepter on his right hand. His expression was solemn yet confident. Twilight called the monster’s name with pride. “The ultimate wizard! Black Magician!” The Black Magician made a gesture; the iron maiden quickly swallowed my Sword Stalker and disappeared under the ground.

Undaunted, I activated one of my set cards. “Resurrection of the Dead!” A pillar of light erupted in the middle of the field and my Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged. Twilight smiled approvingly. “I take that was the card you discarded to play Cost Down?” I nodded. To my surprise, she chuckled and said. “That won’t help you!” Twilight raised her right hand upwards. “Trap card open! Magical Explosion!” The Black Magician raised his scepter; multiple orbs of green light appeared circling around him. “I can only activate this card when my hand is empty.” My eyes widened. All those spells were not just to activate the effect of her Rapid-Fire Magician. “And it inflicts 200 points of damage for each spell card in my graveyard!” I did a quick checking. She had ten spell cards in her graveyard.

The Black Magician pointed his scepter forward with both hands and unleashed a stream of emerald magical energy that went past my dragon and hit me fully, kicking up a cloud of dust and even making me stumble backwards a few feet. Twilight declared. “It’s over.” I suppose I could have declared the activation of my trap card, but comebacks are much more dramatic when you let your opponent and the audience figure out what happened. Twilight noted in surprise. “You still have 600 life points left.” I pointed at my open trap card. “Holy Elf's Blessing.” I smiled and said. “I believe it’s your turn now.”

Twilight did not draw a card. Instead, she put her hand over her deck and said. “I surrender.” Both of our monsters vanished. I blinked puzzled. “But, why?” She smiled. “You already learned your lesson.” I quirked an eyebrow. “Lesson?” She nodded. “You corrected every single one of your mistakes and that’s enough for me.” I smiled and nodded. This Twilight may not be a Princess, but she certainly seems to have picked up a lot of Celestia’s teaching methods.

Scootaloo pumped her fist. “That was awesome!” I looked away in embarrassment. Sweetie Belle suggested enthusiastically. “How about a rematch?” Applebloom nodded rapidly. “We can make it you two against the three of us!” Me? Teaming up with Twilight? Before I could even start fantasizing about summoning Master of Dragon Knight with her, Applejack stomped her foot, getting the attention of all the presents. With both hands on her waist and a stern gaze on her face, she motioned with her head towards the farmhouse.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders let out a collective groan and marched inside with their heads down, escorted by Winona. I gave a smile of sympathy. Applejack said. “Ah’ know, but there’s still work to be done and we need all help we can get.” She sighed and added. “That and bein’ busy keeps those two from gettin’ too worried about their sisters.” I asked. “Sisters?” Twilight explained. “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are the little sisters of our friends, Rarity and Rainbow Dash respectively.” My eyes widened. “Really?” Applejack nodded. “Ah’ volunteered to take care of them while our friends went away to help with this whole war business.” I nodded. Scootaloo was Rainbow Dash’s actual sister here. Awesome. It made me happy knowing that there was at least one version of Equestria where she had her wish granted.

Twilight said casually. “I need to talk with Applejack for a bit, Joe.” She smiled and suggested. “Why don’t you go take a look around Ponyville? We’re still putting everything back in place, but I believe you’ll find it’s a beautiful little town filled with lots of friendly people.” I chuckled. Girl talk. Got it. “Spike will accompany you.” He grinned, pointed a thumb towards his chest and said. “I’ll give you my super-special-deluxe Ponyville tour.” I smiled and nodded. Looking at both, Twilight and Applejack, I waved with two fingers and said. “We’ll see you later then.”

We walked less than twenty steps when Twilight said playfully. “Make sure you don’t get distracted by a girl’s wet shirt!” I flinched. Applejack quickly added. “Or her short skirt!” Oh, come on! Am I that obvious? I fasten my pace, flustered. Spike called. “Wait for me, Joe!”

When not under the control of dark forces, Ponyville was a beautiful little town, colorful and vibrant. Everybody was working hard to clean up the place after the last two weeks and, as a result, I was almost completely spared of curious glances.

“I just want you to know, Joe.” I looked at Spike. “That I have no idea what the girls were joking about and only laughed because it got contagious.” I quirked an eyebrow. Really? He did not seem to be lying. Guess he’s still young for certain things. I smiled. “Thanks, Spike.”

I kept looking around. The fact there were far more female Equestrian than male ones was apparent. Funny. Ever since I arrived here I haven’t seen a single woman whom I could call ugly; they were all attractive in varying degrees. Even Granny Smith, with all those years piled on her, was clearly a looker on her younger days, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders will undoubtely grow up to be quite beautiful themselves.

Spike pointed his index finger finger towards a nearby house and announced. “That’s Quills and Sofas.” He explained enthusiastically. “That’s were Twilight sends me to buy her weekly supply of quills.” I nodded absentmindedly. What would the remaining Mane Six look like? After meeting Twilight and Applejack, I had high expectations. Particularly for Rarity and Fluttershy, considering the later’s brief modeling career. And the Princesses? In the show, their bodies were substantially different from most ponies. How would this translate into a human shape? Taller? Slender? Better endowed, perhaps? I shook my head. What would Batman say? Think clean thoughts, chum.

“That’s the Costume Shop!” I turned towards the house Spike was pointing to. “Did you know Twilight and I had to hide inside the window there once?” “The Ticket Master”, huh? Maybe I should try asking about the Grand Galloping Gala in the future. I tried to see if I could recognize any of the “background ponies” from the show, but all the bustle made it difficult. That and I did not want to look like a creep by staring too much.

We kept walking at a leisurely pace, with Spike pointing at different buildings and talking briefly about them. From the Joke Shop and the Bowling Alley to The Hay Burger and the Day Spa. I stood looking at the last one. How many times did the Mane Six went there to get massages, baths and other kind of treatments? And every single time they wore nothing beyond a bathrobe or just a towel. Spike broke me from my trance. “I think it’s closed for maintenance.” I blurted. “O-Oh, that’s a pity. Maybe next time.”

Our path took us to a tall, lavishly decorated building that stood out like an exquisite diamond among lesser gemstones. Spike pointed at it and announced with fanfare. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” Heh. “A Dog and a Pony Show”. I smiled in amusement. How very fitting for Rarity. Just looking at the doorway made me feel like a peasant. Spike continued. “This is the house of our friend, Rarity. She went to Manehattan to assist in the war.” I nodded. Just like in the show. Spike looked wistfully at the house. He sighed. “I—we haven’t seen her in a while.” I put my hand over his shoulder, smiled sympathetically and said. “Don’t worry, Spike. I’m sure we’ll meet her again soon.” He smiled and nodded.

We resumed our tour. I looked up at the clear blue sky and closed my eyes, enjoying the gente breeze on my face, when I was suddenly struck from behind. The attack was swift and brutal, taking me completely by surprise and knocking me down. I heard Spike calling my name in shock. Bearing the pain in my back, I quickly stood up, keeping a crouching stance while trying to assess the threat. Did King Sombra send reinforcements? An assassin perhaps? How many of those wear mail carrier uniforms anyway? Wait a minute. That’s not right. It was a young girl, probably around her twenties, with long, messy blonde hair that went down her shoulders. She was quite attractive. The shorts of her uniform revealing her thin, shapely legs; her shirt partially unbuttoned and offering some decent cleavage. But what truly caught my attention was her eyes. They were amber colored and, how to put this charitably, crossed. I shook my head to get off the daze. Could she be?

The girl quickly blurted a series of apologies. I smiled and waved my hand, assuring her nothing was broken. She let out a breath of relief, checked her bag and, once she made sure nothing was lost, closed her eyes as if she was trying to concentrate. My jaw dropped. Wings. Traslucent, grayish feathery wings had sprouted from her back. I stood in awe as she flapped them once and took to the skies. Spike approached me. “Are you okay, Joe?” I pointed with a trembling finger and exclaimed. “She flew!” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s our mail carrier. She’s a bit on the ditzy side.” I kept watching as the girl flew away with my mouth open.

Spike chuckled, probably feeling like he was dealing with a child who had just discovered the existence of clouds, and explained. “It’s magic. It grants some Equestrians the power to fly and influence the weather.” I nodded rapidly. “Others, like Applejack, are stronger and can tend crops more easily.” He raised a finger. “Finally, you’ve got the likes of Twilight, who can focus her magic in more complex ways through her hands.” I smiled in amazement. They have the same abilities as Pegasi, Earth Ponies and Unicorns. I put a solemn face and said. “Why thank you, Professor Spike.” He did an exaggerated bow. “You are welcome, youngster.” We shared a laugh.

I wonder if anybody has ever tried to take a bite out of Sugarcube Corner. Not that I would blame them; the roof was so exquisitely decorated that it truly made you feel like they used cake frosting to build it. There was a tall, thin man sweeping the doorway. He had short orange hair, light green eyes and a bit of stubble across his face. He wore black shoes, blue pants and a white shirt. Spike greeted him. “Hi, Mr. Cake!” He greeted back and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, we’re doing some cleaning and we’re not open yet.” Spike waved his hand. “Nah, it’s okay. I just wanted to introduce you to my friend, Joe.” That was my cue. I approached and extended my hand. “It’s a pleasure.” Mr. Cake shook my hand energetically, introducing himself as Carrot Cake with a big smile across his face. He gave a vibe of pure kindness, just like in the show. “I heard about you! You’re the human Twilight called here, right?” Spike answered. “That’s right.”

Mr. Cake tightly held my hand with both of his and said. “Thank you for helping us, Joe!” I felt my cheeks heating up. “N-No, I mean—it was a team effort and you’re welcome.” Just then, a visibly pregnant woman came out of the house, asking whom he was talking to. She was shorter than me and slightly chubby, with light brown eyes and her pink hair stylized upwards. She wore slippers, a long brownish skirt and a white sweater. The woman greeted Spike, whom greeted her back with an enthusiastic “Hi, Mrs. Cake!”, and looked at me in surprise. “Oh dear, are you that human we’ve heard about?” Spike answered once more. “The same.”

Much like her husband, Mrs. Cake took my right hand between hers, introduced herself as Cup Cake and thanked me profusely. I shook my head. “I-It was nothing, Ma’am.” Mr. Cake hurriedly whispered in her ear. “Honey, you should be resting!” She frowned slightly. “It’s just a minute, Sweetie.” He bit his lower lip and gestured towards her belly. She sighed. “Fine, at least let me get the boys something to eat.” Mr. Cake shook his head. “Nuh-huh! I’ll do it!” With those words, he rushed into the house. Mrs. Cake giggled. “Sorry, boys; he just worries too much.” I gulped. “N-No problem.” Was it getting hot here? Yeah, as you probably guessed, Mrs. Cake was very pretty, and she had this sweet disposition that made you feel she could calm a raging dragon. That and her breasts were huge. I mean it. Don’t ask me how did she walk with those, I was too busy trying not to think about the size of her areolas and if her nipples were inverted. Fortunately for my blood pressure, Mr. Cake came out holding two big, tasty looking cupcakes. Like his wife’s breasts. Damn it, son.

Mrs. Cake gave Spike and I a cupcake each. “It’s not much, but make sure to come back another time and we’ll prepare a full course meal just for you.” Mr. Cake nodded. We exchanged goodbyes and continued our path through Ponyville.

I took a bite of my cupcake. It was really good. No wonder Pinkie could eat a dozen of these things. Spike finished his in record time. He commented casually. “Mrs. Cake is having twins.” Yeah, I don’t think I can blame Mr. Cake for that. “They are very nice, hardworking people; our friend, Pinkie, rents them a room.” Time to feing ignorance again. “Oh?” Spike nodded. “Yeah, she’s a talented baker and party planner.” He sighed. “Things have been quiet since she left for the frontlines.” I asked. “The frontlines?” Spike nodded. “Twilight said something about keeping up the morale of our troops.” So, no rock-breaking Pinkie then? I finished my cupcake. “Do all your friends live here, Spike?” He shook his head. “Rainbow Dash lives in Cloudsdale.” He pointed a finger towards his left. “Fluttershy lives in a cottage at the edge of the town, but she too left for Manehattan to help Rarity.” I see. It made sense. They may have been able to defeat Nightmare Moon together, but since there were no Elements of Harmony, they had to work with their individual skills this time.

Something in the distance caught my eye. A large, blue tent with a sign displaying a red cross above the entrance. What was it called? A field hospital? What was that thing doing there? I ran towards it. Spike called my name before chasing after me. The windows were covered, making it imposible to see inside. I saw a beautiful nurse with blue eyes and her pink hair tied into a bun. Nurse Redheart? She had a file pad and was taking notes with a look of tiredness on her face. I approached her. “Excuse me, nurse?” She looked up and blinked. “Oh, you’re that human, aren’t you?” Spike came running, took a breath and said. “Yes he is!” I nodded and asked. “Did something happen here?” Nurse Redheart seemed to ponder for a moment before lifting up the covers of the window to let me take a look.

The tent was filled with people of all ages, but mostly elders and children. Several of them were resting on beds, a few even with IV injections on their arms. Nurse Redheart explained. “We set up this hospital here to better perform check-ups and treat those suffering from exhaustion.” She commented grimly. “We Equestrians are a hardy race, but I fear that, had you arrived a week later, things would have been much, much worse.” She did not need to elaborate. I felt a chill going down my spine. Nurse Redheart smiled softly. “So, in behalf of these people, I thank you for your help.” I nodded solemnly. “You’re welcome.”

The remaining of the tour was quite silent. Spike asked with concern. “You’re not upset, are you?” He added. “It wasn’t your fault, you know.” I sighed. “Yeah.” I know it wasn’t my fault, I did my best and we should look at the bright side and blah, blah, blah. But guess what? I was upset. The smiling faces of Mr. and Mrs. Cake kept flashing in my mind. The duel with Applejack was too close. What would have happened if I lost? Would they have worked until they bodies collapsed? Would Applejack spend the rest of her life as a brainwashed slave driver or she would wake up to find the whole town dead at her hands? What about Twilight and Spike? The Cutie Mark Crusaders? Granny Smith? Big Mac? Everybody? I gritted my teeth. All those lives in my hands, all that responsibility on my back and I staggered.

The sun was already setting when we arrived to the Golden Oak Library. The light bathed the giant tree, giving the impression it was genuinely made of gold. Spike asked meekly. “Looks better here than on the middle of a dark forest, doesn’t it?” I smiled fondly. If I had to choose between the Golden Oak Library and the Friendship Castle, I would pick the former every time. “Much better.”

We made our way inside, where we found Twilight surrounded by floating scrolls and maps. Owlowiscious was perched atop the stairs, from where he greeted us with a loud hoot. With a single gesture, Twilight neatly put her reading material back in place and greeted. “Welcome back.” She smiled expectantly. “So? What did you think of Ponyville, Joe?” I paused for a moment and said. “It’s everything you said, Twilight, and much more.” She smiled in delight. “Great!”

I asked expectantly. “What’ll be our next move?” Twilight adjusted her glasses. Her expression turned serious. “I’ve spoke with Applejack and we decided we won’t achieve anything if we stay here.” Does that mean what I think? She continued. “We are going to leave Ponyville, find our friends and face this threat together.” Awesome. I nodded with a smile. Twilight sighed. “Joe, I want you to know things will get more difficult from now on. That Game of Darkness you experienced? It will most likely happen again.” She looked right into my eyes. “I can send you back to the Earth if you want.” I blinked. “Don’t get me wrong; even if you decide to leave, Ponyville, all of us will be eternally grateful for what you did here.” She gave me a small smile. “I’m not even going to ask you to leave your cards with us.”

Here we are again, huh? I chuckled and shook my head. “After today, I have no doubt I want to stay here until the very end.” I drew the first card of my deck without looking and lifted it for them to see. “Even if it’s only by playing this game, I will do my best for the sake of this world.” Whew. I think that came out pretty good. Owlowiscious gave me a hoot of approval. Spike cheered. “Oh yeah!” He patted me on the back. Ouch! Twilight took off her glasses, stepped forward and hugged me. Whoa. She stepped back, smiled tenderly and said. “Thank you, Joe.” I swear if she does that again my heart is going jump out of my mouth. I nodded. “I-It’s nothing…” I glanced at the card I drew. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, eh? I swear I will not stagger ever again.

That night I was sitting on my bed, surrounded by my cards and with the light of a single bulb on the ceiling as my only company. I have to say the little old lady that sold me the deck made a superb job getting nearly every single card Seto Kaiba had used. Unfortunately, this had the downside of adding up to a grand total of sixty cards. Not exactly the best number in a game where the minimum number for a deck is forty. I picked up my Vampire Lord; it seemed another card had gotten stuck to it. I peeled them carefully. Giant God Soldier Obelisk? Interesting. I bet I could build something decent with this.

A sudden knock on the door got my attention. “Joe? Are you awake?” Applejack? I replied. “Yes.” She asked. “Can I borrow your shampoo? Applebloom emptied mine and hers.” I swiftly grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the bathroom, opened the door and said. “Here you go.” Now, if we were to get a lesson from this, it would be make sure to check you have everything you need before stepping into the shower. Applejack obviously didn’t, since she was wearing nothing beyond a white towel. Her left arm was firmly pressed over her breasts while holding the knot of her towel. She took the bottle with her right hand and said. “Thanks, partner!” She was soaking wet. The water droplets glistened over her tanned skin and her long blonde hair sprawled wildly over her back, shoulders and forehead. All in all, she looked like a water nymph from the Greek myths.

I recovered from my daze quick enough to lean forward and peek as she jogged down the hallway. The towel was a bit short and, as a result, I could see the lower half of her ass cheeks, swaying rhythmically as she went inside her room. I closed the door and looked at the pile of cards on my bed. Yep. I was definitely going to build something good. But first, I went inside the bathroom and locked the door.