With Eyes of Blue

The train station was particularly small and rustic, even for a town like Ponyville. It was located a five minute walk distance of the Golden Oak Library. Twilight looked at me and assured. “The train will be here soon.” I smiled. She explained. “From here it will take us about six hours to reach Manehattan.” I nodded. Twilight was full on “Hogwarts mode” once again, complete with coat, glasses and bike shorts below her skirt that went down slightly above her knees. I glanced at Applejack, talking animatedly with Spike; she had switched her tight, white sleeveless shirt for an orange lumberjack one with the sleeves rolled up her elbows. I chuckled. I didn’t know if I should be sad or thankful for this fashion change.

As we waited patiently under the pleasant morning sun, I saw a mixed-breed, black dog approaching the station. It reminded me of Winona, the first time I saw her; scruffy and exhausted looking. I muttered. “Poor thing.” Twilight tilted her head and her eyes widened in recognition. She called immediately. “Applejack!” I looked between the two of them, unable to comprehend what was going on. Applejack swiftly approached the dog, holding it carefully between her arms. “What the hay are you doing here, Albus?” I quirked an eyebrow puzzled. Albus? She called. “Spike!” He did not even need to be told what to do and took a canteen from his backpack, which he handled to her. Appejack poured the water on her palms, from where Albus drank enthusiastically and happily wagging his tail.

I turned to Twilight. “What’s going on?” She explained. “That’s Applejack’s cousin’s dog.” Cousin? Which one of them? She continued. “Braeburn from the town of Appleloosa.” Really? I didn’t know he had a dog. I frowned and commented tentatively. “I have a feeling that’s not exactly near here.” Twilight nodded. “Something’s wrong.” She shared a look with Applejack. No words were necessary; it was obvious Manehattan would have to wait.

Let’s see, we’ve got plenty of rocks, lots of cacti, some tumbleweed and sand as far as you can see. Yep. Apparently deserts remain pretty much the same no matter how magical your world is. I turned my attention to the inside of the train. Albus had fallen asleep on Applejack’s lap. She caressed the pup’s head softly with her right hand while tightly clenching the left one. I gulped; first her family and town, and now her cousin. It wouldn’t surprise me if she took it personally. Spike shuffled his deck absentmindedly while Twilight had both arms crossed over her chest, looking at nothing in particular. She suddenly broke the silence. “We should keep our Duel Disks ready; we don’t know what to expect.” I nodded. You don’t have to tell me twice. I doubt there’s much I could help with beyond playing card games. I turned to look out of the window again and something caught my eye. “Bisons!”

Twilight smiled. “They live around this area. I believe the species exist in the Earth too.” I nodded and asked. “Do they talk?” She quirked an eyebrow puzzled. “I’m sorry?” I pointed a finger towards the window. “The bisons; do they, you know, talk? Like us?” Twilight tilted her head and said. “Uh…no.” Applejack snickered. “How are bisons goin’ to talk?” I replied sheepishly. “Oh, you know…I just thought that since magic exists in this world and…nevermind.” Twilight, Spike and Applejack shared a laugh. Another difference between the show and this world to add to the list, I guess. I smiled. Maybe I should start keeping a “broken grim silence” count too.

Deja vu: the feeling that you are doing something that you've done before. That sounds about right. Appleloosa was small, colorful and, just like Ponyville back then, nearly deserted. The silence was unsettling. We approached carefully, avoiding the main path, while following the lead of Albus. I could see the apple orchards in the distance. Behind a small barn we found a young man, with tanned skin, orange hair and emerald green eyes, moving a bale of hay. He wore brown boots, blue jeans and a yellow, sleeveless shirt with a sleeveless, leather brown jacket over it. He took off his high-crowned, wide-brimmed brown hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Albus’ bark got his attention. He looked up and, before he could even say a word, got jumped on by the pup. He held his dog, which affectionately licked his face, and said. “Albus! You rascal! Where have you been?”

Applejack called. “Braeburn!” He smiled widely with a mixture of happiness and relief. “Cousin Applejack! You have no idea how good is to see you!” She grinned. “Ah’ suspected somethin’ was afoul when you sent your pup to Ponyville alone.” Braeburn put Albus back on the ground and patted his head affectionately. He admitted. “Nah, he did that on his own.” Albus barked. Braeburn said. “Thanks, partner.” Applejack nodded. She pointed at us. “You remember Twilight Sparkle and Spike, right?” Braeburn smiled. “Sure do!” She then pointed at me. “This fella here is mah’ friend Joe.” Braeburn swiftly took my hand and shook it vigorously. “Howdy, Joe!” He said enthusiastically. “Welcome to A-A-A-ppleloosa!” He took a breath. “Sorry, ah’ haven’t had much time to rest lately.” I smiled sympathetically. “Thanks, Braeburn.”

Twilight said. “Can you tell us what happened here, Braeburn?” Applejack added. “Ah’ second that.” Braeburn sighed. “A couple of days ago, this bunch of rotten, no-good-doers took over our town.” We looked at each other in disbelief. Braeburn continued. “They had fancy Duel Disks just like yours and started callin’ these horrible critters to fight. We tried to duel them and everythin’ but…” he cringed. “It hurt for real.” Twilight, Spike and I shared a look. Could it be a Game of Darkness? Braeburn finished. “They call themselves the Cattle Rustlers gang.” I blinked; the bulls from “The Good, the Bad and the Ponies”? Applejack did not waste any time. She said fiercely. “Just tell us where they are and we’ll kick ‘em so hard they’ll have to look up to look down.” Braeburn nodded.

Making sure to avoid the main path, we reached the edge of the apple orchards, staying hidden behind a nearby cart. I frowned. No wonder the town was so deserted; most of the inhabitants seemed to be working here, harvesting apples, filling barrels and--wait a minute. I pointed in bewilderment. “Those are horses.” Braeburn nodded. “Yep!” I added. “You have horses pulling your carts.” He looked around him awkwardly, like if he had been accused of commiting a felony, and replied. “Uh…yes?” Twilight quirked an eyebrow puzzled. “I remember reading about this species having been domesticated by humans since older times.” I said. “Uh, yes, I mean, that’s true, but I didn’t think I would see them here.” Braeburn blinked twice. “Why’s that?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind him, Braeburn.” She added. “Joe is being silly today.” Oh, give me a break. And I’m not he one sharing my name with a pony who had a song about how silly she was.

Braeburn pointed towards a couple of burly guys resting under the shade of a tree. “There.” They both wore black boots and blue jeans. One of them had a red shirt, the other a grey one. Both had an activated Duel Disk around their left arm, with a single card on the monster zone each. While they lay comfortably, two large beast men wielding wooden clubs kept a close eye on the workers. I muttered. “Barbarian #1 and #2.” Braeburn explained. “The darker skinned one is Buffalo Bull, and the one with the top black hat and moustache is Angus McSteer.” He gritted his teeth. “They take turns keeping an eye on us while their boss, King Longhorn, spends his time on the Salt Block livin’ the big life at our expense.” Applejack stomped her foot. She declared. “That’s all ah’ need to know!” Twilight suggested. “We need a plan.” Applejack adjusted her Duel Disk on her left arm. “Ah’ got yer plan right here, Twilight.” She called. “Come with me, Spike!” He jumped in surprise, but quickly put down his backpack and adjusted his Duel Disk around his right arm. As we watched them march forward, Braeburn asked hesitantly. “Will they be okay?” Twilight smiled confidently. “Don’t worry.” I leaned over the cart to watch more comfortably. It was time to see what those two were really capable of.

Applejack yelled. “Get up, you dirtbags, so we can knock you back down!” Spike nodded. “What she said!” Both, Buffalo Bull and Angus McSteer, looked at each other with a smirk and calmly stood up. Damn it, those guys were huge! If I didn’t knew better, I could’ve sworn they were professional powerlifters. Hell, even Big Mac looked unassuming next to them. The Barbarians disappeared as they took the cards from the disks and re-shuffled their decks. Evidently this was not the first time they dealt with people standing up to them. Several of the townspeople stopped working to watch with trepidation on their faces. Applejack instructed. “You take Mr. Moustache.” Spike nodded.

The four of them stood at the ready; their life points flashed above them at 4000 each. They declared simultaneously. “Duel!” Angust McSteer took the first turn, drawing his initial hand plus one and summoning a large, humanoid steer with prominent tusks. Between its constant snarling and reddish skin, it gave the impression its whole body was scalding to the touch. “Great Angus!” I snorted. Talk about appropiate. He set a card and finished his turn.

Spike grinned and drew his six cards energetically. “I summon Troop Dragon!” A bipedal, green winged dragon materialized in front of Spike. It wore leather armor and held a sharp looking spear in its claws. “You think you’re hot stuff? Take this, Fire Dragon's Blazing Bullet!” The dragon took a deep breath and spit a fireball that incinerated the Great Angus, followed by a direct attack that took Angust McSteer’s life points down to 3300. Spike pointed a finger and declared. “You turn!” Not bad. He managed to drew first blood and set up a defense with just a two card combo.

Applejack ripped the six cards from the top of her deck and did not waste any time declaring her first move. “Amazoness Village!” Several wooden huts emerged from the ground around her. She continued by setting two cards and summoning Amazoness Fighting Warrior. The musclebound amazon clashed her fists together as her attack points went up by 200. Applejack declared. “Turn end!” A monster that protected her from battle damage, a field that ensured a replacement in case said monster was destroyed and two set cards. This Applejack was not like the one I faced before.

Buffalo Bull chuckled as he drew six cards and immediately played Legendary Capital Atlantis. Applejack grumbled as the Amazoness Village was washed away by a large wave. Thanks to the effect of his field spell, Buffalo Bull could summon Genocide King Salmon without a tribute. The giant, demonic-looking fish jumped out of the water, its attack points going up to 2600, before returning to the murky depths. Buffalo Bull ordered the attack of his monster. The Genocide King Salmon jumped out once more, catching the Amazoness Fighting Warrior’s body with its oversized jaws and dragging her down. I gulped as the water turned red. Buffalo Bull declared the end of his turn with a sneer.

Angust McSteer cracked his neck, drew a card and activated Premature Burial from his hand. His life points went down by 800, to 2500, and Great Angus was back on his side of the field. He normal summoned a second copy of Great Angus. Spike took a couple of breaths and braced himself for the onslaught. The first Great Angus broke the neck of Spike’s Troop Dragon with a single, brutal backhand. Spike gritted his teeth in pain, his life points having gone down to 2900, but quickly replaced it with a second copy in defense position. Angust McSteer declared a second attack, forcing Spike to bring his third and last Troop Dragon to the field. Suddenly, the two beasts were engulfed by a pyre that went taller than the surrounding apple tres. The flames flickered and swirled, slowly but surely taking the shape of a humanoid. Angust McSteer called the monster’s name. “Devil of Menacing Incandescence!” He activated his face-down card, Kickfire, before finishing his turn.

No wonder the townspeople did not want to face these guys; they weren’t half bad and had a knack for causing damage. Applejack drew a card and activated her set Amazoness Willpower to bring back her Amazoness Fighting Warrior. “Ah’ summon Amazoness Holy Warrior!” Despite not having a physique as impressive as her comrade, the long-haired, blonde amazon exhuded an impressive aura of strenght. Her attack points went up to 1900. Applejack activated Amazoness Fighting Spirit from her hand and declared the attack of her Holy Warrior. “Slice it!” The Genocide King Salmon jumped to intercept the attack and was swiftly cut in two. Buffalo Bull growled as his life points went down by 300. Applejack activated her second set card. “Queen's Selection!” Amazoness Trainee materialized from her deck. What the young girl lacked in stature and musculature, she compensated with ferocity. Both, her and the Amazoness Fighting Warrior, charged at Buffalo Bull from the sides and stroke his midsection with a kick and a punch respectively; lowering his life points to a mere 700 and making him double over in pain. Applejack set the last card in her hand and taunted. “Feelin’ like givin’ up yet?”

Buffalo Bull roared. “Draw!” His anger turned into joy when he saw his newest card. “Lightning Vortex!” He discarded a card to pay the cost. Applejack shielded her eyes as several lightning bolts fell over the field, vaporizing all of her monsters. Buffalo Bull summoned a second Genocide King Salmon. “Kill her!” The demonic fish jumped on Applejack, but much to our surprise, she merely took a step aside and avoided the attack. The water at her feet turned blood red and Buffalo Bill’s life points went down to zero. He yelled in disbelief. “What was that?” Applejack pointed a thumb towards her open Skewer Pitfall and said. “You shoulda watch your step.” Buffalo Bull roared, threw his Duel Disk aside and charged like an angry bull. I couldn’t believe how fast it happened. Applejack turned around, glared over her shoulder and launched a straight back kick, hitting Buffalo Bull on the stomach with her heel. His body bounced back like if he had crashed with a steel beam. He let out a barely audible squeak and fell face first on the ground, unconscious.

The townspeople murmured among themselves in amazement. Braeburn whistled. “That’s mah’ cousin!” I glanced at Twilight, who had her attention focused on Spike. He drew a card and Angust McSteer immediately sent Kickfire to the graveyard to inflict 2000 points of damage to him. Twilight gasped as the flames rolled over Spike; his legs wobbled, but he did not fall. Spike coughed and said. “You’re going to need more than that to burn me.” He looked at his newest card and his lower lip curled in disappointment. Was it a bad draw? He sighed. “I was hoping to finish this with one of my own.” He shrugged, switched Troop Dragon to attack position and activated Forced Transition. Angust McSteer’s eyes widened in shock as Spike’s Troop Dragon and his Devil of Menacing Incandescence switched control. Spike summoned Spear Dragon and casually ordered the attack of both of his monsters, taking down his opponent’s life points down to zero. He pumped his fist. “Oh yeah!”

Still, it seemed that foul play was something all the Cattle Rustlers adhered too, as Spike soon found himself about to be pummeled by a very angry bandit. Before I could shout a warning, Twilight had already teleported between Spike and Angust McSteer, stopping the later’s fist with just the tip of her left index finger, glowing with an intense purple light. I watched astonished as Twilight pressed her glowing right palm on the bandit’s chest and sent his body flying like a ragdoll against a tree. Satisfied, she dusted her hands and asked. “Are you okay, Spike?” He nodded rapidly. “Uh-huh!” I made a mental note of not making these girls angry.

The crowd of townsponies exploded in a chorus of cheers and whistles. Applejack raised a hand and said. “Alright, everybody, let’s rope up these two and get your town back!” You know, as wrong as it sounds, I never imagined marching into town with a mob while carrying two tied up, and unconscious dudes on a cart could be so exciting. We reached the Salt Block in no time. Applejack asked. “Is this the place?” Braeburn nodded. “Eeyup!” She cracked her knuckles. Twilight interjected. “Wait a minute.” She turned to Braeburn. “Are there other people inside?” He exchanged a few words with two fellows and nodded. “There’s Sheriff Silverstar and the people handlin’ the Salt Block.” Twilight turned to Applejack. “They may try to hurt them if we just barge in.” Applejack scratched her chin. “Ah’ reckon’ you got a point there.” After a moment of silence, Spike raised his hand. “What if I get in there and make them chase me outside?” Twilight bit her lower lip in concern. “I don’t know, Spike. That sounds too dangerous.” Spike crossed both arms over his chest and pouted.

I asked. “How about I go?” They turned to look at me. I explained myself. “I’m not from around here and I bet I would draw much less attention than two pretty girls or a kid.” Spike narrowed his eyes. He said drily. “Ten years-old.” I apologized. Applejack asked. “Are you sure ‘bout that, Joe?” I nodded. It was time for me to do something. Twilight put a hand over my shoulder and said. “Don’t hesitate to call if things get ugly.” I nodded. “Thank you, guys.”

The smell of tobacco assaulted my nostrils as soon as I stepped inside. The whole place was nice, if a bit humble, but the cloud of smoke and the lack of patrons made it difficult to appreciate. A young man played music on a piano with a look of absolute exhaustion and boredom on his face. I caught the immediate attention of the barman and a couple of waitresses, but they did not say a word and hurriedly returned to their cleaning duties. Then I saw them. Three men as burly as the ones we met previously, sitting comfortably around a small, round table; playing cards, smoking and drinking. Two of them were dressed casually, with brown boots, jeans and black shirts. One had a handkerchief around his neck; the other had it covering the lower half of his face. But the one who caught my attention was the man sitting on the middle of those two. Unlike his comrades, he wore a fine-looking gray suit, black polished shoes and a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat of the same color. Between his long, black sideburns and prominent jaw he reminded me of a gorilla. King Longhorn, undoubtely. He glanced at his mug and said loudly. “Oh dear, it seems my mug is empty.” Another man approached. He had short brown hair, blue eyes and a nice moustache. He wore the same boots, jeans and shirt as seemingly everybody around here, with a sleeveless blue jacket on top. Despite the frilly pink apron I suspected he was forced to wear, he still carried himself with dignity while refilling King Longhorn’s mug. “Thank you, Sheriff Silverstar.” King Longhorn added with a condescending smile. “You’re as attentive as always.” Sheriff Silverstar’s nose flared, but he retreated without saying a word.

I felt like the protagonist in one of those old western movies. I cleared my throat. “Good day, gentlemen.” What was that saying? If you’re going to challenge a man to a card game it costs nothing to be polite? The three of them turned to look at me. King Longhorn quirked a bemused eyebrown. “Can we help you, Mister?” I smiled. “Joe. I’m a traveling duelist and a gambler.” The last word seemed to pique his interest. He tilted his head. “A pleasure to meet you, Joe. I am King Longhorn.” He waved his hand towards his companions. “These are my associates.” The man with the handkerchief around his neck nodded. “Jersey Shore.” The one with the handkerchief covering the lower half of his face looked me up and down. “Doc Holstein.” I nodded. King Longhorn leaned forward with both arms over the table. “What brings a traveling duelist and gambler to Longhorn Town?” Humble. “I heard there were some very skilled players on this town and, in my experience, where there are good players, there are rare cards.” I took my Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck and showed it to them. “Do you fancy a little gamble, gentlemen?”

King Longhorn’s eyes gleamed with greed. He stood, picked up a Duel Disk from a nearby table and adjusted it around his left arm. He waved his hand. “After you.” In hindsight, turning my back to a bunch of bandits wasn’t probably my best decision, as I quickly found myself being picked from the neck of my shirt and held like up like a misbehaving puppy. King Longhorn walked in front of me with a smug smile across his face. “I have an idea to make this game more interesting.” He patted my Duel Disk. “You give me all of your rare cards to upgrade my deck before we play. What do you say?” They way he looked at me made it obvious the only difference between answering “yes” or “no” was the amount of teeth I would be keeping in my mouth. I took a breath, put two fingers on my mouth and whistled as loud as I could. My whole world suddenly turned white. The wooden ceiling was replaced by a cerulean sky and I screamed as I fell, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms. “Nice of you to drop by, Joe.” I felt my cheeks heating up. “Thank you, Applejack.” I asked meekly. “Can you please put me down now?” She chuckled and complied. And that’s the story of my first teleportation experience.

In the blink of an eye, the whole town had got the Cattle Rustlers surrounded. Twilight held Jersey Shore and Doc Holstein down with her magic while the townspeople firmly tied them up. Now only King Longhorn remained. He looked around him in shock, like a mouse trying to find an escape route. Sheriff Silverstar came out of the Salt Block, ripped his apron and declared fiercely. “King Longhorn, you’re under arrest for assaultin’ the townspeople of Appleloosa, vandalizin’ their property and smokin’ on a non-smokin’ establishment!”

The crowd cheered loudly. King Longhorn gritted his teeth. He stood tall and growled. “Really now?” He activated his Duel Disk. “And who among you, yellow-bellied chickens, will have the guts to put me in a cell?” My legs practically moved by themselves. I declared. “I’ll be your opponent.” Twilight asked with concern. “Are you sure, Joe? This is going to be a Game of Darkness.” I nodded. Have you ever had one of those days were everything goes your way and you feel like you could take on the whole world? It was just like that. I lifted my left arm and activated my Duel Disk dramatically. King Longhorn snorted. I smiled and said. “I have an idea to make this game more interesting.” He frowned. “If you win, you and your associates are free to go.” Braeburn turned to Applejack. “Is your friend bein’ silly again?” She chuckled. “Nope.”

King Longhorn laughed. “Aren’t you a confident one?” He smiled sinisterly. “I will break you.” I scoffed. “Let your cards do the talking.” King Longhorn’s nose flared. Hey now, he didn’t laugh at my line. Cool. Our life points appeared above us at 4000 for each. “Draw!” I drew six cards and summoned a favorite of Seto Kaiba. “Blood Vorse!” I set a card. “Turn end!”

“Draw.” King Longhorn calmly drew six cards and summoned Beast Striker. A yeti-like monster wielding a large metal hammer appeared on the field. That’s it. I declared the activation of my set card. “Clone Reproduction!” A copy of Beast Striker appeared on my side of the field in attack position. King Longhorn did not seem impressed. He discarded a card to activate the effect of Beast Striker and summon Moja from his deck. A small, black furry critter with big, round eyes appeared drawing a few snickers from the crowd. Damn it. As much as I hated to admit it, there were a lot of cards with effects I simply did not remember.

King Longhorn replaced the Moja card on his disk with one from his graveyard. The furry critter let out a cry and doubled over like if it had a tummy ache. Several more people in the crowd laughed, until its body started to grow; bigger and bigger until it became as tall as Appleloosa’s clock tower. A mountain of long, black fur with four skeletal limbs sprouting from the base of its body. The monster’s face twisted into a horrifying skull-like shape with glowing red eyes. King Longhorn called the monster’s name loudly. “King of the Beasts!” He seemed to be enjoying the shock and fear his creature caused in the people around us. He played Poison Fangs and commanded. “Crush him.” The King of the Beasts lifted one of its limbs and stepped on my Blood Vorse like a cockroach, my life points going down by 1100. I gritted my teeth. The damn thing hit like a truck. I think. I mean, I’ve never been hit by a truck. King Longhorn set two cards and finished his turn.

I drew a card and played Silent Dead to bring my Blood Vorse back in defense position. “I sacrifice my two monsters!” I held the card upwards before placing it on my disk. “Shine! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!” My monster appeared with a roar that shook the Salt Block’s windows and kicked up a gust of wind that lifted Twilight’s skirt. Those damned bike shorts. The crowd stood in awe at the sight of my dragon. Yeah, I don’t think I have a deep, ancient connection with the Blue-Eyes like Seto Kaiba did, but I’m not going to get tired of summoning it anytime soon either. I pointed a finger. “Blue-Eyes! Your target is Beast Striker! Burst stream!” King Longhorn laughed. Well, shit. His Beast Striker snarled like a rabid monkey, its attack points going up to 3100 and, with a mighty swing of his hammer, struck down the Blue-Eyes. My dragon let out a pitiful growl and fell with its tongue hanging down from the side of its jaw. I felt the pain all over my body, like a fever that makes every single one of your muscles ache. Damn it! Spike is a kid and he took it like a man! I growled under my breath. Do you want to make them worry? Scream your name in fear? I stood firm. My life points had gone down to 1700. Turns out King Longhorn had activated Berserking and Howl of the Wild. With that combination he could break my defenses and inflict damage simultaneously. I set a card. “Turn end.”

King Longhorn calmly drew a card. He said loudly. “I hope you don’t forget about our agreement! Once I win, me and my boys are free to go!” Hmm. What would Kaiba say? I know. “Of course I haven’t.” I smirked. “In fact, if you win, you can have both, my deck and my life too.” The shocked murmurs of the crowd filled the air. Braeburn turned to Applejack. “How ‘bout now?” She did not reply. King Longhorn laughed. “You really want to get out of this hole by digging, don’t you?” I chuckled. “What hole are you talking about? I can bet anything I want because my victory was assured the very moment I drew my first card!” Spike cheered. “You tell him, Joe!” His words were like a spark igniting a fire and soon the whole crowd was cheering and calling my name. Aw shucks. Applejack smiled at Braeburn. “Told ya.” I glanced at Twilight. She smiled at me, and then turned to watch King Longhorn attentively. His left eye twitched. He snarled. “I will tie you to a horse and drag you all the way around this measly town before hanging you from the clocktower.” Getting more creative, aren’t we? King Longhorn ordered the attack of his King of the Beasts, but I countered by playing Attack Nullification. I could see a throbbing vein on his forehead. He yelled. “Turn end!”

I drew a card, set a monster face-down and another card. “I end my turn.”

“DRAW!” King Longhorn looked at his newest card and laughed victoriously. “Cyclone!” My face-down Curse of Darkness was immediately destroyed. He activated the effect of Berserking, empowering his Beast Striker, before gleefully declaring its attack. “Kill him!” I lifted my hand and called the name of my monster. “Magic Lamp!” King Longhorn stared in shock as his own Beast Striker shattered the skull of his King of the Beasts with a well placed hammer strike. His life points went down to 2150. He glared furiously at me. “DO YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?” He discarded a card to activate the effect of Beast Striker and summon a copy of Moja from his deck, which he immediately sacrificed to bring King of the Beasts back from the grave. “Do you think you can beat this combo? Go ahead and try!”

“Draw!” Funny. The crowd had gone silent in anticipation. I played Pot of Greed. Do I need to say what does it do? It was time for one of my favorite combos. I special summoned La Jinn the Demonic Spirit of the Lamp. “You can only activate the effect of Berserking during my Battle Phase, don’t you?” King Longhorn flared his nose. Figures. I played a card from my hand. “Enemy Controller! By sacrificing a monster I can take control of one of yours!” My Magic Lamp disappeared and the King of the Beasts was dragged to my side. I said drily. “This is how your combo breaks.” I sacrificed my two monsters. “Once more! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!” My dragon appeared full of pride and shining brightly. I commanded swiftly. “Burst Stream!” My Blue-Eyes reared its head back and breathed a stream of energy that incinerated the Beast Striker, leaving not a single stray hair. My hand was empty. I crossed both arms over my chest. “I end my turn.”

With a trembling hand, King Longhorn drew a card. He stood looking at his only two cards in a stunned silence. I quirked an eyebrow. “You have nothing?” I chuckled. “It’s okay, you can surrender.” Bad choice of words? He crumpled his cards, let out a primal scream and charged at full speed towards me. Guess he’s like a bull deep down. I pointed a finger. “Burst Stream!” My Blue-Eyes’ attack fell on King Longhorn like a pillar of light. Once it dissipated, we saw the bandit leader lay sprawled on the ground, his fine suit looking charred. He coughed and squeaked. “Ouch.” I took a breath. It was over. Braeburn threw his hat into the air. “Yee-Haw!” His fellow Appleloosians followed him in the celebration. I smiled in embarrassment as they flooded me with thanks, praises and congratulations. We bumped fists with Spike. Applejack threw her right arm around my neck and squeezed. “Dagnabbit, Joe! You really know how to put a show!” I laughed meekly. She smelled of apples and freshly cut grass. By the way, Twilight smells of lavender. What? Oh, like you wouldn’t. Speaking about Twilight; I looked around and spotted her kneeling next to King Longhorn.

Twilight said firmly. “I know you can’t use dark magic. So tell me, who gave you this Duel Disk?” King Longhorn mumbled incoherently. She frowned and asked again. He gulped. “P-Princess Celestia.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Don’t lie to me.” She pointed her glowing index figer at his face. I felt like she was threatening him with a knife. “It’s true! I-I swear! S-She came to us, gave me the Duel Disk and told me to use its power as much as I wanted!” Sheriff Silverstar quickly intervened. “Whoa there, Missy!” He frowned sternly. “Ah’ don’t like him either, but that’s not how we handle justice here in Appleloosa.” Twilight apologized drily. She stood up and watched in silence as they took King Longhorn away.

I approached her. “Twilight.” I asked tentatively. “I know I haven’t met Princess Celestia, but it is possible that…?” She swiftly cut me off with a glare. “Absolutely not!” I flinched. “S-Sorry.” She took off her glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry, Joe. It’s just that…I’m genuinely at a loss here.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”