Duelists Of Divinity

Dear Princess Twilight

How are things in Equestria?
As for things here it's been quiet and everyone’s getting excited for new years. Needless to say Pinkie is beyond excited and as you would expect she’s planning a huge party at the school. Applejack and Rarity have invited me on a shopping trip, don't know where yet but I know it's going to be fun. I have been playing a card game called Duel Monsters and I am loving the game so much. I could go into detail about the game but I’ll probably fill most of the book. And it’s not just me, everyone plays this game. I had heard of the game when I first arrived in this world, but I didn't think much of it at the time. After when Pinkie introduced me to the game and I got the hang of it, I played against her and let just say she's unpredictable. Anyway I had better get going. Just before I forget, how’s Starlight doing, it would be great if she could come and visit us again. Write to me soon.

Your friend
Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset put down her book, checking the time on her phone, and her eyes widened in shock.

“Oh no, I'm going to be late!” She said

Grabbing her Jacket and stuffing her phone into her pocket, she dashed out of her apartment. Running through the town she calls home, everywhere she looked, she saw everyone preparing for new years. Seeing everyone looking excited made Sunset think to herself how much fun she was going to have with her friends.

After all, ever since she first arrived into this world she never thought much of celebrations, but now this may be her first new years party. As she ran she could see her friends Applejack and Rarity. When she stopped in front of them, she huffed and puffed, trying to catch her breath. “Sorry I’m late” she said.

“Almost darling” said Rarity. “We were starting to think you were not coming.”

Applejack then said “Well all that matters is that she's here now, so let's get a move on.”

The girls take their seats in the Apple Family truck. Applejack starts the engine and they set off down the street. The drive took about 30 minutes and they arrived at the new year's market, where there were lots of tents and stalls set up for sales.

Applejack wanted to check out the farmers market but Rarity is looking for new fabrics and hopefully a new sewing machine after an “incident happened with her sister.” Sunset separated from her two friends and went to explore the market on her own.
She was overwhelmed by everything she saw, not watching where she was going. Suddenly Sunset crashed into someone, knocking her down as she looked up. She saw a young man with pale yellow skin and blazing crimson eyes looking down at her, he had hair similar to Sunset’s but shorter, he was wearing a hoodie with a striped design of red and yellow, the crest on his chest was a sun exploding, even his pants were the same. He extended his hand to help her up. After Sunset got back on her feet she looked at him and apologized to him and he sharply said “watch where you’re going next time!”

Sunset replied with an angry voice and said “there’s no need for that, I was already apologising.” The boy looked at Sunset with a smirk and said “I know and i accept it and i was just telling you to watch where you were going.”

Before this got out of hand, a familiar voice was heard from a distance saying “Sunset is that you?” They both looked and saw Principal Celestia wearing a winter coat, she walked up to them and with a calming voice said “I see you have meet my nephew Solar Force.”

Sunset was surprised to find this out and said “He’s your nephew?”
“Why yes he is and he’ll be stating his school year with us in January” said Principal Celestia in a happy tone. And then out of the blue Vice-Principal Luna appeared holding a circular device and said “Sister do you remember this?”

Celestia looked at the deceive and a cheerful expression spread her across face. “Oh my goodness I haven't seen one of these in years” She said happily. “I know sister, I just saw it and it was a bargain so I bought it for nosagia sake” replied Luna. Sunset looked closely and said “What is that, it looks like a giant wrist watch.” Solar chuckled and said “Shows what you know, this is a Kaiba Corp duel disk used in the Battle City Tournament.”

When Sunset heard this her eyes opened wide and she said “the Battle City Tournament, this is one of the duel disks used way back then, why isn't this in a museum?” At this point Luna cut in and said “After the tournament these duel disks were put into mass production and soon every duelist in the world had one, and they become the base for the Dpads that we have today.”

Celestia then looked at Luna with a nostalgic look on her face. “Do you remember Luna, how we waited in line all day to buy our first duel disks?” Luna gave her sister a slight frown. “Yes and i remember how much trouble we got into for missing a day of school.” Celestia looked away and blushed slightly in embarrassment.

Then Celestia looked at Sunset and said “Oh by the way Sunset, Solar Force is in to Duel Monsters just like you.” Sunset looked at Solar Force with smile and said “Oh really, we should have a match some time.” Solar gave a soft chuckle before looking at Sunset with a scowl. “I’ll destroy you!” he whispered deviously.

“Now Now Solar be nice” said Celestia, frowning at her nephew. It was at this moment that Celestia took a closer look at both Sunset and Solar, and realised something. “You know you two, if i didn’t know better, I would say you look almost like twins.” “I have to agree, the two of you could almost be brother and sister” said Luna.

Sunset and Solar both looked at each with indignant glares. “I don’t look him/her!! they shouted in unison. “Hey what are you doing!?” Knock it off?! No you knock it off?!” They were interrupted by the sound of Celestia and Luna’s giggling. They both looked away and blushed with embarrassment, which caused the two sisters to laugh even more.

Celestia then said “Well Sunset as amusing as this has been, it is getting late and i think it’s time we were going, goodbye and happy new year. “Same from me” said Luna. Before he left with his aunts, Solar looked at Sunset with a smirk and said “see you next year sis.” Sunset blushed and said “we’re not siblings!” Solar walked away and gave Sunset a thumbs up as he went .

“Man that guy’s cocky, does he think he’s an anime character or something?” Sunset grumbled under her breath. Then she thinks to herself “but if he’s into duel monsters, he may be interesting to have around, I wonder what kind of deck he uses.” Sunset then shook her head. “Forget about it now, you can deal with him next year, just enjoy today.

”Resuming her tour of the market, Sunset sees a tent which stood out from the other tents and stands like a saw thumb because of how different it looked. Curiosity got the better of her, and she approached the tent and saw all kind of items for sale. Most were exotic, others were strange, but there was one item that caught Sunset eye’s. It was shaped like a golden arrow head, but it was split into three sections going from large at the top to small at the point, and it had a green jewel embedded above the middle of the top section with a circle above it which made sunset think it most of been supposed to be worn as a necklace.

“I can see you have taken a liking to that charm” said a mysterious voice. Sunset looked up and saw a tall dark skinned woman, with painted white stripes across parts of her face and her hare was a mohawk divided in to black and white stripes. Sunset blinked in surprise and replied “sorry, is this not for sale?” the dark skinned woman gave a soft chuckle. “Of course it's for sale if that is what you wish to buy, but please take note, the price can be quite high” she explained. Sunset thought the woman seemed familiar and then realized who this woman was.

“Excuse me, is your name Zecora?” Sunset asked. “Why yes my dear that is me, and who might you be?” said Zecora in a rhyming tone. “My name is Sunset Shimmer, my friends told me about you and your unique collection.” replied Sunset. Zecora humed to herself thoughtfully. “I see word of my collection has spread far and wide, in which i take great pride” she rhymed. Zecora then picked up the trinket from the table and held out in front of her. “If the proper price can’t be paid, I am willing to make a trade.” she said
Sunset thought about Zecora’s offer. “what can I trade to her for this charm.” She opened her hand bag and began rummaging through it for anything that might be valuable. As she was searching, she began to empty its contents onto the table. First was her phone, then her purse, and eventually she pulled out her Duel Pad. This caught Zecora's attention. “Oh, you are a Duelist i see?” she said curiously. “Yeah, you could say I am a die hard fan of all things Duel Monsters.” Zecora gave Sunset wide smile. “You know, I have been to wanting give this game a try, I’m always being told that it is a lot of fun. If you happen to have a spare deck which you no longer want or need anymore, I would be more than happy to trade that for the charm?”

Sunset looked at her deck in her in her deck holster on her hip, and thought to herself “I spent a long time building this deck, i don't want to give away.” But then she remember that she had another deck which she always kept with her, her very first starter deck, which she kept purely for nostalgia sake. She reached into her bag and pulled out the old deck, just looking at it brought back happy memories of her and her friends, playing the game together for the first time. Sunset then looked back at Zecora. “This is the very first deck that my friends got for me, and it's the deck that i learned to play the game with.”

Zecora smiled warmly. “I can tell from your face that those cards mean a lot to you, and if you give them to me, I promise that I will treasure them just as you do.” She said. Sunset gave a grateful smile. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.” And so the deal was done, Sunset and Zecora traded one precious item for the other. Once the trade was made, Sunset thanked Zecora, and Zecora said that the charm may bring Sunset good luck.

After that, Sunset decided to reunite with her two companions and see how they had fared at the market. After a few minutes she found Applejack and Rarity and asked them about how their time at the market had gone. Rarity, with enthusiasm, showed Sunset the new fabric that she had purchased. “I have had the most wonderful day darling, the new fabric I have purchased is just what I was looking for to bring in the new designer outfits that I am working on and also the shopkeeper told me that he had a friend with a sewing machine who can bring it to my place in the new year.”

Sunset smiled at her friend. “That's great to hear, I'm glad you have found what you were looking for.” She turned and looked at Applejack. “How about you AJ?” She asked. Applejack replied, saying ”Well I didn’t get exactly what I was after but I did however find some oil and grindstone for the old tools we got.” “Well anyway, enough about us, did you find anything you liked Sunset? Asked Rarity.

Sunset pulled out the charm and showed it to her friends. “Actually I did, I got this charm from Zecora” She said. Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I didn't know you had a thing for jewellery Sunset.” She said. “I don’t really think she does Rarity, but if she brought it she must of liked it, right Sunset?” Said Applejack. Sunset then explained to Applejack and Rarity how she obtained the charm from Zecora, and both of her friends were very surprised. “You actually gave her your first deck?” said Rarity in a slightly shocked tone.

“I know giving away my first deck is a bit of a shock Rarity, but I didn’t really need it anymore and it was just sitting in my bag gathering dust. Besides, those cards brought me so much happiness and I thought they could bring the same happiness for Zecora too.” Hearing this made Rarity smile. “Aw, what a sweet gesture darling.” She said happily. Applejack just smiled and chuckled. “Classic Sunset.” She said.

It was then that Sunset had an idea to ask Rarity what should she use to make the charm into a necklace. Rarity took a moment to think and got an idea, pointing her finger to the sky. “To the boutique” She said seriously. Sunset followed her friends as they left the market, but unbeknownst to them someone was watching them, or rather they were watching Sunset.

On the other side of the street, stood a cloaked figure partially hidden by the shadows. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a monocle like device, which he placed over his left eye. Threw the device, he spoke to the person he was in contact with. “They have just left the market, and the girl now has the key, should I follow?” He waited a moment to here his instructions. He then said “Alright, I am on my way back.” And with that, he then walked off and vanished into the crowd.

In middle of an old amusement park lies a lake, and in the middle of that lake is an old fantasy castle from a fairy tale. Inside, we see a room with rows of TV’s covering one wall, all with a different program on, but most of the programs were cartoons. In the centre of the room there is a tall chair, almost like a throne. Sitting in the chair is a child like figure watching the programs and laughing hysterically at everything. His face is shadowed by the darkness of the room.

As he continues to laugh, another person walks into the room and approaches the chair from behind. “Why don’t we just take the key from the girl now? She is obviously not aware of it’s true nature.” The child stopped laughing but he still had a sinister grin on what could be seen of his face. “Now now, we shouldn't rush into things just yet. If we attack her now, then we will have to do all of the hard work to open the door and besides she is just a pawn in a game that she is not aware of, and we will get rid of her and her little friends when the time is right. So just be patient, our time will soon come.”

Back with Sunset and her friend’s, she and Rarity were now at Rarity’s boutique after Applejack had dropped them off before heading back to the farm, saying she would see them later at the new years party. Inside the boutique, Rarity was showing Sunset a box filled with different chains that she could use to turn the charm into a necklace. “Here you are darling, these are just a few little accessories that I saved from my punk phase, what was I thinking?” She said in an dramatic tone.

Sunset stared at her fashionable friend in stunned surprise. “You had a punk phase!?” Rarity just rolled her eyes. “We've all had phases darling.” Rarity then reached into the box and pulled the chain she thought would be perfect for Sunsets new necklace. While she did this, Sunset was lost in thought. “Someone as dramatic and who has such a strong fashion sense as Rarity having a punk phase, It’s almost unthinkable.”

“Finished!” Rarity announced, snapping Sunset out of her thoughts. “Here you are Sunset, all done, be honest with me, what do you think?” Sunset beamed with happiness. “Is that stainless steel?” she asked excitedly. “Why yes it is, not only will it never rust, but will never leave any kind of stain on your neck.” Rarity explained proudly.” Sunset beamed even more. “It’s perfect. I love it.” She said happily. Sunset then offered to pay Rarity for the work, but Rarity simply refused. “Think of it as a gift for new years Sunset.” Sunset couldn’t thank Rarity enough.

Rarity then looked at the time on her phone. “Oh my, it’s ten minutes to midnight, we need to get to Sugar Cube Corner now!” The girls ran as fast as they could out the boutique and towards Sugar Cube Corner, in fact they ran so fast, you could say they could even give Rainbow Dash a run for her money. They made it within two minutes and everybody was waiting for them to arrive. Soon the party was in full swing and Sunset and her friends were having a blast. Sunset was telling her friends about the charm and how Rarity made it into a necklace. Rainbow Dash was impressed and told Sunset how cool she looked.

Then before they knew it the count down was upon them. Pinkie Pie Shouted to get everyone's attention. “It’s time everybody!!” They all began to countdown from 10. “10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1!!” as soon as the clock struck midnight Sunset then raised her arms and cheered “Happy New Year!!”

But then she realized she did not hear anyone else cheering, in fact there was suddenly no noise at all, everything had gone silent. She looked around and saw she was no longer at Sugarcube Corner. All around her was what looked liked a void like space. It felt like she was standing on solid ground, but even when she looked down, all she saw was darkness. She began to feel worried. “This is starting to freak out. What happened? Where am I?” Before she could say or do anything else, a deep, mysterious voice spoke from behind her “Greetings Key Bearer.”

Sunset slowly turned around and saw a giant door with a demonic face carved into it, and which appeared to be shut tight by long heavy chains. Looking up at the door, Sunset thinks to herself “Is this what brought me here? If it did, did it bring my friends here to” Sunset then looked at the door. “What’s going on here? Who are you?” She asked

The door then replied “I am nothing more then the door, what lies within is the true answer to your question?” “Then why am here?” Sunset asked. “You who bears the Emperor's Key, you are here to unlock me and claim the power within.” Sunset felt confunes. “Key? What key?” She asked. “The one which hangs around your neck.” said the door. Sunset looked down at her newly identified key, then asked “Why should I unlock you?” “To claim ultimate power!” The door replied.

At this, Sunset’s whole body went stiff. “Ultimate Power?” She whispered. She then remembered the person she used to be, the time she stole Twilight's crown and how the crowns power corrupted her, transforming her into a She-demon. Sunset shook her head in anger. “NO!!” she shouted, “I don’t want ultimate power! That’s not the kind of person I am anymore!” Sunset turned on her heel and started to walk away. “Ruin someone else’s life with your Ultimate power! She stated firmly “Im leaving!”

“So you do not care about your friend’s?” Said the door ominously. Sunset froze in her tracks, and turned back toward the door. “What are you talking about?” she asked with a surprised tone. “Allow me to explain.” said the door.

“You see, it is not just you who have came here.” Sunset then looked around her, and through the darkness she could see shadowy figures surrounding her.They all took different forms, one looked almost like a child, the others range from looking taller and older then her, to looking around her own age. “What’s going on? Who are they!?” Sunset demanded.

“They are seeker’s of my power and your enemy.” said the door. Sunset looked carefully at the figures. “Are they...really here? She asked. “No. What you see is merely there shadows. They cannot harm you. For now.”

Sunset looked at the shadows again and her eyes fell on the figure directly in front of her. From what she could tell, it looked like a young man, around her own age. She tried to take a closer look, to see if she could make out a face, but it just looked like a smooth surface. But then, three horizontal eyes, stretching from top to bottom of his face, snapped open and seemed to stare right through her. The sudden shock, caused Sunset to yelp, and fling herself backwards, losing her balance and falling onto her butt. She quickly crawled backwards, away from the three eyed creature. She pointed with a quivering finger and stutterd “Wha-what..what is that thing!?”

“That is a resident of your world, or the world you currently call home” replied the door ominously. For you see young one, they desire my power and they will stop at nothing to obtain it. However, it is only you who can unlock the door, for you who bares the Emperor's Key. So rest assured, they will be coming for you and your friends. the door told Sunset.

Sunset got back to her feet and griped the key tightly in her hand. “If this key unlocks your power, then I'll just get rid of it!” The door then said “That will not change anything, they are not aware of what is happening here, but they know you have the key and they know who you are.” At this, Sunset suddenly lost all the strength in her legs and she fell to her knees. She felt trapped. No how much she thought about it, she knew she was in a no win scenario. The door then spoke again. “The power I offer you can be used to protect, not harm. It is your choice! NOW CHOOSE!!” The door bellowed the last two words.

Sunset then rose slowly to her feet. “I just want to protect my friend’s.” she said quietly. “Then you know what you must do!” said the door. Sunset then raised the key in her hand and ran at the door. As soon as she reached it, she shoved the key into the lock as hard as she could. As soon as the key entered the lock, there was a flash of light which momentarily blinded her. Covering her eyes, she took a few steps back, as the chains shattered and the door swung open. When she opened her eyes, she saw what looked like someone flying towards her.

Sunset quickly shut her eyes again, waiting for the impact. But it never came. When she opened her eyes this time, she saw that she was now inside what looked like a sphere made from little rectangles of light, spinning around her. She reached out to touch one of them, but as soon as she touched one, they scattered into the darkness. Within the darkness, she heard a soft voice. “And so, it begins.”

Then suddenly... “HAPPY NEW YEAR!!” everyone cheered at the top of their lungs. Sunset felt shocked and very confused. She had no idea what had just happened. She looked up at the clock and saw it was still midnight. After a moment, she looked around at her friends and shrugged off the experience, thinking that it was probably nothing more then a very weird dream.

As Sunset and her friends have there little party, little do they know about the trials that lie ahead. The cards are placed, the field is set, and the pawns have been chosen. For Sunset and her friends, they will be thrown into a war of good vs evil. Will they have the strength to stand against it? Will there friendship be strong enough to carry them onwards. Will Sunset still have her friends in the end? For the war, for the Power of Divinity, has now begun.